May Poll Chapter!
So, addressing the elephant in the room, this chapter is later than it has any right to be. There were real life factors causing this on both my end and Draconic's, as well as him having a really sweet idea for this chapter that he poured his heart and soul into that ultimately just didn't fit logically into the continuity despite our best efforts, but ultimately that is an excuse. I promised you guys a chapter a month and I was unable to fulfill that promise, that is my responsibility, and for that, you have my deepest apologies.
But, on the bright side, this story now has a TVTROPES PAGE! Yay! Please head over and check it out/expand it at your leisure.
Oh, and the first Teaser Chapter for the story ideas on my P a treon will be published there this Friday.
Now then, the chpater.
If you wish to support me, please check out my P a treon for teasers of future stories, story ideas and more: p a Treon.(c om) (backslash) themaster4444
Beta-ed by Draconic
Fiore gasped for breath as her Bronze Link Manipulator carried her across the rooftops, pouring every ounce of her prana into the mystic code. At least, she hoped she was. She couldn't focus. Her mind was in turmoil. The moment Assassin's bounded field collapsed, she had finally let herself relax, if only briefly. But those few seconds were more than long enough for the hideous memories to start replaying themselves in her head. Over. And over. And over again.
The grotesquery of Assassin's world, the twisted insanity that gave it form, got a foothold while her guard was down, and now she was panicking just from the memory. The skulls, the broken children, the rapists and people who seemed to live to be victims. Even after Emiya chased Shishigou off of her, she wasn't sure how much longer she would have lasted in the fog by herself. Now, the skyline once again belonged to Bucharest, but in her mind's eye, she could still see that hideous funhouse mirror facsimile of London…
And now she was alone. Archer was gone.
Dead.
Archer wasn't gone, he was dead.
She'd failed, and it cost him his life. A logical part of herself was telling her that it couldn't have been entirely her fault—he'd been up against two very powerful Servants, but with her mind racing as it was, that thought got swept away in the river of insecurities spiraling around in her head.
He was dead. It was over for her.
The dangerous implications that this held for the Black Faction as a whole aside, she could barely comprehend the fact herself. The Sage of Heroes that she had looked up to, who'd shared tea with her, who'd assuaged her concerns with his counsel, was dead. Just like that. He'd apologized through their link before he vanished from this world, informing her of Archer of Red's true identity. One last gift to a dear student. Another apology, and for a moment, there was a sensation, not quite auditory but similar, as though radio static was being transmitted directly into her brain. And then, nothing.
Fiore wasn't sure she'd fully understood just how unpredictable, or lethal, the Holy Grail War could be until that moment. For all she was willing to die for her dream, she hadn't realized how terrifyingly likely that possibility really was. Certainly far more than she'd been prepared to accept. But when she thought about it, she could only admonish herself. This was a ritual that would leave one survivor, maybe three at a maximum, and there were fourteen Masters. Going just by the numbers, she was signing her own death warrant for less than a ten percent chance of being able to walk by the end. She might have her natural talent, but as long as there was luck involved…
She cut off that train of thought before it sent her spiraling out of control.
What drove her now was devoid of grandeur. It held no glory like a mage's pride and work. It wasn't even a petty desire like achieving her dream of walking the path of a mage on her own two feet. It was just survival, a base instinct, pushing her forward even now when she just wanted to cry for her fallen partner because there were still two Red Servants in the city and she did not want to die!
She could think about trivial matters later. Matters like her grief… or why her Command Seals, though faded, hadn't quite disappeared yet.
Eventually, she finally reached the rendezvous point where she'd left Caules and her homunculi escort, four uniformed soldiers standing at attention beside a long black car. However, she couldn't see the person she was most concerned for.
"Where is my brother?" she demanded.
The lead homunculus curtly stepped forward, her face without expression or emotion. "After Lord Caster's familiars lost track of you and Lord Archer, Lord Caules decided to enter the city himself to find you, my lady. However, when he was unable to enter the fog that had appeared, he attempted to circle around—"
"Find him!" Fiore interrupted. She knew the homunculus was just doing what it was made for and she'd probably feel terrible about cutting it off later, but Archer was dead, her brother wasn't there, and she had to assume that they had all of a few seconds to get out of here before they were forced to make a far more permanent exit, courtesy of the Red Faction. "Have Caster's familiars locate him and—"
"Sister!"
Fiore whirled around, relieved to find her bespectacled brother rushing down the hill, the wispy shape of an evoked spirit beside him. Soon enough, he'd ran up in front of her. "I was so worried. Thank goodness this guy saw you headed in this direction, otherwise we might have never found you—"
"Get in the car, Caules!" Fiore commanded. Normally, she would be lecturing him about disobeying her orders to stay away from the battle and endangering himself but right now there wasn't time. "We need to go before the Red Faction—"
Caules' spirit dog's head suddenly whirled around, dashing across the grass and leaping into the air, only to be ripped apart by a hail of arrows. A blast of air erupted from the impact, kicking up a cloud of dust and knocking Caules and the homunculi off their feet. The sheer force even caused the Bronze Link Manipulator to stumble, craters emerging under its feet from the force it took just to remain upright.
Four more arrows streaked out of the resulting smoke and shot all the homunculi in the chest, blood soaking their white and gold jackets as they slumped to the dirt. The grisly sight mixed seamlessly into the torrent of awful memories whirling ceaselessly through her head.
"No…" Fiore murmured. "Please… not yet…"
She frantically reinforced her eyes and scanned the nearby rooftops of Bucharest, paying specific attention to those in the direction the arrows had come from. It didn't take long to locate their assailant, her bow already nocked and drawn as her majestic beauty shimmered in the moonlight.
Archer of Red. Atalanta, the Chaste Huntress.
"Sister!" Caules cried, foolishly scrambling in front of her and raising his right fist, a soft red glow emanating from the hand. "By my Command Seal, Berserker—"
"Caules, wait!" Fiore shouted, swinging around her brother and lowering his hand. "We need to go, now!"
"What? Fiore, the car can't outpace a Servant!"
"It doesn't need to," she told him, glancing back over her shoulder. The enemy Servant of the Bow stood where she had been, arrow still ready, but unfired. "She's letting us go."
"Letting us go?" Caules squawked. "How can you know that?"
It was the only thing that made sense. Archer had informed her of his last-minute bargain with his opponent right before he'd passed, but that alone wouldn't have been enough to make her believe them safe from their enemy. Except that, if she'd wanted to kill them, she could have slaughtered them in the same round of arrows that had massacred their escort, it hardly made sense to aim for homunculi when there were masters right there. For god's sake, she was a legendary huntress, they wouldn't even have known she was there if she was actually trying to kill them.
Though, even if Atalanta was honorable enough to respect Chiron's final request, it was somewhat strange that she didn't attempt to assassinate Caules. While Fiore could be let go by the less pragmatic participants in the war (something she was confident Kairi Shishigou was not) now that she'd lost her Servant, her brother was still an active enemy master with a Servant, albeit a rather weak one. No mage would pass up the chance to end him when he was vulnerable, especially when it would put the Black Faction down four Servants to the Red Faction's six.
Regardless, summoning Berserker to them would give Archer of Red no choice but to engage. But if they left now, while her mercy still held and before Shishigou could force her hand, they might be able to make it back to Millenia Citadel alive.
Though, honestly, she wasn't sure if that would be any better for her. She'd never failed Grandfather before, but she'd heard more than enough stories about those who had to fear the consequences.
But if she didn't face him and at least own up to her mistakes, then he was sure to go after her brother, and she would not allow that.
"Get in the car, Caules," she said. "Let's go."
He looked worriedly between her and Archer of Red, before giving her an obedient nod. He went over to the car and got in the driver's side.
Fiore glanced back at Archer of Red standing over the city of Bucharest like a silent sentinel, beautiful but terrifying. The Yggdmillennia mage didn't know if the huntress had slain Chiron herself or if he had fallen victim to Saber of Red or Jack the Ripper, but she supposed it didn't matter. She wanted to hate someone, to have someone to blame and scream at and condemn for the unjust death of her partner and friend.
But she couldn't. To be a mage was to walk with death. This was war, and indeed, living itself. Loss was part of the bargain.
Fiore shuddered; memories of a river filled with so much blood as to be red from bank to bank filling her head. According to Assassin, it was the only part of the bargain. Even Shirou Emiya, apparently so noble, had warped the Ripper's world to fire around him.
She didn't want to believe that. She couldn't believe that. Being a mage, it was all she'd ever wanted, the wonder, the research, the mystery. She'd known that there was horror and… unpleasantness involved, things that made her stomach curl and tears pour from her eyes, but she'd thought that she could stand it, balance it out, somehow.
It was in times like this that she'd recently loved turning to Archer for guidance. But Archer was dead. Now what was she to do?
Fiore kept up a stony face as she entered the car beside her brother, he was technically an allied master, but as they drove off into the night, all she wanted to do was cry for all she'd seen.
FATEFATEFATEFATE
Atalanta sighed as she lowered her bow, the two Masters of Black driving off into the distance. Inside, every hunter's instinct within her was screaming for her to put arrows through the pair's heads. She had no doubt that Saber and her master would be most displeased if they learned of her actions. The girl may have lost her Servant, but they knew for a fact that the Black Faction had their captured Berserker to gift her…if she could even control the rebellion-obsessed imbecile.
Honestly, she was annoyed with herself. Even putting aside her promise to Archer of Black to look after his master, the boy, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia, if the priest's intelligence was correct, was still an active enemy Master. She wouldn't have hesitated to finish what she'd started with Berserker of Black in the Trifas forest if the beast had been summoned, yet she had failed to attack her handler when she was not. Her slaying of the homunculi to force the boy's hand had proven equally ineffective.
She knew why she hadn't fired on the mages. The Sage of Heroes had taken care to invoke that instinct of hers when he'd extracted his promise. Even if they were enemy Masters, Fiore and Caules Forvedge were still children. And she never hurt children. There was no circumstance in which she ever would. Even allowing it to happen in front of her felt like a kind of blasphemy. As ferocious as she might be, even she had certain lines that she refused to cross. Otherwise, the world would truly be the place Assassin of Black thought it to be.
Whatever the consequences of such acts of mercy proved to be, and wherever they led her, she refused to part with that ideal. Not for anything. Otherwise, she wouldn't dare call herself a hero.
She rushed back to Kairi Shishigou, the mercenary close enough that she could keep her word to Saber of Red while also performing her reconnaissance. He leaned against an empty parked car, a burning cigarette in his mouth, half a dozen spent ones littering the cobblestone. Evidently, he'd had just as unpleasant a time in Assassin's world as the rest of them.
"She dead?" he asked, obviously referring to Fiore.
Atalanta shook her head. "She escaped. Her escort's defense was… surprisingly potent."
Shishigou cocked an eyebrow. "A defense powerful enough to stop you?"
"The Black Faction has been preparing for this war for sixty years," Atalanta reminded him. The best lies were based on the truth. "It is not inconceivable that they have created tools to counter Servants."
"Right," Shishigou replied. "Well then, be sure to let the priest know about this 'defense'. We wouldn't want any of the others to be caught off guard."
Atalanta narrowed her eyes. "Of course."
He didn't believe her. That at once came as a relief to the huntress, foolish allies only got in her way, and worried her. After all, if he inquired to his Servant about the end of the battle with Archer of Black and learned of her promise, it would be troublesome if he disclosed it to the priest or her master. Nothing debilitating but knowing that her master was a mage- if nothing else about them- the chances of them taking kindly to that act of mercy were abysmal. They would likely demand that she discard such notions and slaughter the children herself to make up for her failure. Mages were almost nauseatingly vindictive creatures like that. She'd refuse, naturally, but doing so would likely result in them forcing her to do it with a Command Seal. And if that were to happen, her only other choice would be to kill her Master, and that would put her wish at risk.
No, for now, it would be best if Shishigou remained silent. Fortunately, if he was smart enough to tell she was lying, he was likely also smart enough to use it as leverage. Killing him outright would be foolish at the current stage, the Black Faction was hardly beaten, so she'd manage whatever blackmail he demanded. Then, once Yggdmilennia was destroyed, she'd put an arrow through his head.
A rush of thunder drew her out of her musings. Saber of Red's armor dissipated off her in a flash of crimson lightning, revealing both her gaping wounds from the battle with Chiron and the deep scowl marring her face. She stomped passed Atalanta and her master, her fist coming down to crumple the chassis of an unsuspecting car like papier-mache.
"I take it that it didn't go too well," Shishigou said.
Saber growled. "I chased after father's prana signature as soon as it reappeared. But by the time I got there, he had already fled."
"Why didn't you catch him?" Atalanta asked. "Even if he is faster than you, he shouldn't have been able to use his full speed without abandoning his human companions."
"They had a mount," Saber bit out. She pointed vigorously to her wound. "And I have a hole in my stomach! From saving you!"
Atalanta sighed. "Apologies. I do appreciate your assistance."
"You are so not welcome that it's not even funny," Saber scoffed, promptly resuming her sulking. "Father insults me. To flee from battle, as if I wasn't even worth the effort!"
"Or maybe, he didn't think he could win," Shishigou suggested. "Ever think of that? It's not like he'd know about the licks you two took fighting Archer of Black. Since you thrashed Emiya, he'd be facing a two on one fight."
Atalanta nodded. It made sense. A Servant's constitution had its benefits, but her broken leg had only just healed enough for her to walk on it. She wouldn't dare attempt serious combat and Mordred's wounds would need even more time. They'd be fine by sunset, but not before.
"As if I'd ever let anyone interfere in a duel with father," Mordred shouted, sending a warning glare towards Atalanta. "I am the only knight to ever surpass him. I don't need anyone trying to muddy my victory."
"As you wish," the huntress frowned. She'd already tried to bond with her teammate. If the brute didn't want to be friendly, she wouldn't force her to be. In the end, they would both have to kill each other for the Grail.
Shishigou sighed, a puff of smoke rising from his mouth. "Archer, the priest's gearing everyone up for an attack on Trifas, right?"
"That's correct. I was supposed to return to Sighisoara once we were finished here and join up with the main assault team."
"Back to Sighisoara, huh?" the mercenary mumbled. "Seems a bit far for a rallying point. You'd think they'd meet up somewhere closer to Trifas."
Atalanta shrugged. "I cannot speak for the priest's tactics, but that witch of his is inscrutable. You can be certain that she has come up with some means of approaching together. What it is however, is beyond me."
"Well, if you ask me, you're better off. I don't even wanna know what that leering devil's thinking," Saber huffed. She shot Atalanta a weak wave. "Well then, be seeing you, Archer. Try to take an enemy Servant with you before you bite it."
"Not so fast, Saber," Shishigou interceded, an altogether too pleased grin on his face.
The crimson knight raised an eyebrow, seeming to look for some hint on her Master's face as to what he was getting at. Atalanta herself was confused by his comment, and his smirk was nothing short of infuriating, bringing back memories of Jason. Specifically of such times as when he got it into his head that he'd come up with a brilliant scheme that he'd swear up and down was genius, right up until he was running away screaming from whatever new monster he'd unwittingly set upon them.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, like you said, the Black Faction has been preparing for this war for decades. Wouldn't it make for a far more effective assault if we attacked from two fronts?" Shishigou's smile fell. "Besides, none of us should be alone right now. Not with the Periwinkle Faction still out there."
"They fled to tend to their injuries. If they were to recover and returned to finish what they started, they would be an issue for the two of you. I would already be back at the church," Atalanta said. "Besides, I thought you wanted to work alone."
"We do!" Saber shouted, glaring at her master. "What? Do you not think I can take father?"
Shishigou held his hands up placatingly. "Of course not. You've been preparing to fight him your entire life. So… eight years, right?"
Atalanta's ears perked up. Eight years? What?
"Ten!" Saber yelled back.
"Exactly," Kairi said. "But your old man isn't weak, is he?"
"Of course not! The Kin—" Saber glanced at Atalanta and caught herself before she said more. "Father is the finest warrior who ever lived! Other than me, obviously."
"Which means you'll need to focus on him to give him the fight you both deserve," Shishigou pointed out. "Leaving me vulnerable to Emiya. And I've got no shame in saying I can't beat a guy who spawns Noble Phantasms out of thin air, especially when he'll have backup from Tohsaka."
"Which means you'll need a bodyguard," Saber grumbled. "Fine, Master. But no more graveyards after this, got it?"
"Eh, no promises."
"Great. So, how's about it. Archer? You gonna stick with us a little longer—"
"You're ten years old," Atalanta whispered, seeing the abrasive knight in a whole new light. "You're only a child?"
"What?! I—are you seri—how dare y—I am not a child!" roared Saber, "I'm a knight! Just because my mother accelerated my growth doesn't mean I'm not— ACK! What the hell are you doing?!"
Atalanta had intervened during Saber's rant to wrap her in a tight embrace. For someone who prided herself on her perception, she felt ashamed of herself for missing something that had been staring her in the face for more than twenty-four hours.
Looking back, it seemed almost obvious that the Servant of the Sword's various aggressive outbursts were symptomatic of a child starved for attention. She sought to use the Grail to wipe such injustice from the face of the Earth—to ensure that all children everywhere would be loved as they were meant to. This was a child that had never received the love and care that she had always deserved. Already she could feel righteous fury blazing under her skin, for both this mother who had robbed her of a proper childhood and the apparent 'father' that even now sought to avoid her.
"Well then, I guess you're sticking with us then," Shishigou smirked.
On some level, Atalanta was aware that he was using his Servant's status to manipulate her, but at least for the moment, that didn't matter. A child needed her help. "I will inform the priest of the change of plans."
"What?" Saber exclaimed. "No! I do not need—" she and Shishigou shared a long look. It was probably another telepathic conversation, like at the café. A hopeful smile suddenly crossed the knight's face. "Oh. Well, Archer, if you're going to be working with us, perhaps as a show of trust, you should let me… you know…"
She slipped an arm out of the hug and pointed at Atalanta's head, her request obvious.
The huntress winced. For an arrogant braggart, she might have pulled away, but for a child in need… "Fine, you may touch them. Once. I cannot have you constantly—"
"Eeeee!"
It was incredibly strange to see the merciless, arrogant, and boisterous Saber of Red squee like the child she evidently was over something so mundane. Her hands shot up to Atalanta's head and began petting her lion ears. She was actually a little surprised at how gentle the hyperactive Servant was being.
"They're so fluffy," Saber whispered reverently, a gargantuan and uncharacteristically innocent smile shining in the night.
Atalanta knew she should have been indignant at being treated like a common animal, even more so as she noticed that the smirk on Shishigou's face made it all too clear that he saw this as a personal victory. He had almost certainly planned this.
Whatever her sympathies may have been, or what alliances temporarily held them, she was bound to her oath to her Master and that made her, in the end, the roguish pair's enemy. Eventually, one of them would have to die, either by another's hand or each other. And she had little doubt Saber would annihilate her when given the chance.
But, watching the troubled, furious mask melt away from Saber's face, watching a lonely, tormented child indulge in the simple, pure joy that should have been her right, the huntress found she couldn't much care at the moment.
Maybe it was a sentiment that not all could appreciate or even understand, but to her, this was what it meant to be a hero. It wasn't slaying venomous hydras, or venturing into the underworld to save one's lover, or even landing the first arrow to pierce the hide of a rampaging demon boar. It was the simple act of putting a smile on a child's face.
FATEFATEFATEFATE
Rin sighed as the sun crested the horizon, exhaustion finally claiming her as she removed her glowing hands from Shirou's sleeping form. Off by the motorcycle, Saber diligently stood watch.
After Assassin of Black's demise, the Blue Faction had returned to the world from Shirou's Reality Marble. However, they had been unable to sense Archer of Black's prana signature within the city, only being greeted by the pair of Red Servants' presences. Unlike previously, Saber had been perfectly willing to confront Mordred, something about Jack the Ripper convincing her that she should not put off seeing her son any longer. Of course, when Shirou had started wobbling, his injuries from his own brief encounter with Mordred finally outstripping his titanic stubbornness, she and Rin had made a joint decision to get to safety immediately. They could have the family reunion when they weren't injured and outnumbered.
Shirou had passed out in the sidecar, the adrenaline finally gone from his system. Blood continued to pour from the wounds on his arm while a single line trickled from the corner of his mouth. Rin had spent the remaining hours before the dawn healing him up, using a gem just to be sure. Combined with the three she'd used to hold Jack in place, she was down to fifteen, though she would be able to recharge the most recent one if she got the chance. But even if she'd lost it for good, that was more than a fair price to make sure her boyfriend was alright.
Honestly, she found herself feeling strangely proud of him. At one time, he would have gone looking to fight Mordred so Saber wouldn't have to, or something equally idiotic. It said a lot about his unfortunate mental state before the Fifth War that something like basic self-preservation was considered an improvement. Especially since he'd gotten out of the way when help had arrived.
Though, she was more than a bit confused about what to do with said help now.
They'd made camp in a small meadow a few hundred miles away from Bucharest, a bit close to Trifas for Rin's liking, but they still had the rest of the day until their truce with Yggdmillennia ended. Come nightfall Darnic would no doubt come for them, but until then the proximity to his fortress would give the Red Faction pause if they somehow managed to track them to the middle of nowhere.
Sieg was curled up against a small hill, wrapped in a blanket with Rider of Black's sword laid above his knees. The homunculus' scarlet eyes stared aimlessly into the grass, the morning breeze ruffling his hair into his face, obscuring his vision if he'd actually been looking at anything.
"You should get some sleep too," Rin told him. "We've all been through a lot tonight."
"A lot. Yes…" Sieg mumbled. He finally picked up his head to look at her. "Thank you for saving me from Assassin."
"Don't mention it," Rin replied. "You saved Shirou from Mordred. That was just us returning the favor."
"You don't owe me any favor… you and Rider and Ruler… all of you saved me from—"
"Okay, let's stop talking about who did what," Rin interrupted him. "We all helped each other and that's very nice, but that's it. You don't owe us anything, so you can just go back to Serge's and get out of the war. You don't have to come help us."
Sieg looked away guiltily. "I didn't actually come to help you. I came to ask for your help."
Rin cocked an eyebrow, sharing a brief look of surprise with Saber before they both returned their gaze to the homunculus. "With what? Ruler declared you off limits for anyone in the war, but if you get involved of your own free will, she won't be able to save you. Yggdmillennia will come for you."
"I know that," the boy declared. "But they have the other homunculi. When I was escaping the castle with Rider, the others allowed me to go without chasing me or alerting the members of the family. They're suffering just as I would have, except they didn't get as lucky. I want… I thought wanted to make it so they didn't have to."
Rin sighed. "Guess Shirou was right to be worried about you taking after him."
"Wanted?" Saber said, walking over to Rin's side. "You spoke in the past tense. Have you decided against it?"
"I… I don't know," Sieg confessed. "I want to help them. But after seeing Jack the Ripper, what they saw of the world…"
"I'm going to stop you right there," Rin interrupted. "What Assassin of Black made you see, it was an illusion, designed to make the world seem as horrible as possible. What she was doing could be compared to a predator playing with her food. Once you couldn't resist, she started hitting you where it would hurt the most. I'm not going to say places like that don't exist, because they do. But that isn't what the whole world is like."
"I know," Sieg glanced over to Saber. "When I saw your sword, the light… it was so warm, so… golden. A thing like that, so beautiful, how could it exist if the world was so horrible?"
"It is in a place so horrible that it must exist," the King of Knights declared. "It is a fragile thing, but if maintained, it can help one conquer armies."
The homunculus boy frowned. "It's all so strange, and contradictory. Is it all chance, whether someone suffers like Assassin or becomes good like you all? If it is, is it the right thing to put the others at the mercy of that chance?"
"Okay, stop. Back up and take a deep breath," Rin commanded, forcing Sieg to look her in the eye. He was so lost, like a child without its mother. She certainly knew how that felt. "You've seen two very different extremes of human nature in a very short time. You need to understand that most humans are not like Assassin's world or Saber's sword. They're just… human."
"And is that good or bad?"
Rin shrugged. "It just is. Most people are motivated by self-interest."
"Mr. Emi—Shirou isn't."
"He is," Rin frowned. "Just differently than most people."
From an outsider's perspective, it was easy to view Shirou as idiotically selfless, and he was. But that selflessness was born out of a desperate selfishness. After all, he threw everything away to survive that fire all those years ago. The only source of happiness he had was from helping others. If he didn't have that, would he even feel like he had a reason to live?
She'd been trying to help him, and he had gotten better over the years. But it was still a work in progress.
Still, she wouldn't give up on him. Seeing Excalibur again, seeing her past, how happy she'd been with her father, her mother, and… her sister. She wouldn't lose anyone else, not if she could help it.
She'd kept tabs on Sakura after she'd left for England, her excuse being that she needed to keep an eye on Shinji. Making sure the old nuisance didn't make another mess was all well and good, but he seemed to have honestly gotten his act together since the Grail War. Being consumed by the Grail had likely been extremely traumatic for him, and she'd be surprised if he wasn't suffering from night terrors. But if he had actually been humbled by that, it would just make things easier for Sakura.
Her father would have scolded her for watching over the girl who had once been her family, would say it was unbecoming of a proper mage, but she couldn't help it, and it wasn't like she hadn't been doing that for years already. Besides, as much as she respected her father, he clearly hadn't been right about everything. He'd trusted Kirei after all. And she'd survived by doing things that no proper mage would have ever even considered.
Sakura would be graduating from Homurahara at the end of the year. Taiga had already sent Shirou invitations to the ceremony. Maybe she could tag along and…
No, she was getting ahead of herself. They had to survive the Great Holy Grail War before she could think of anything like that. Which meant winning, with every asset they could get their hands on.
"It's about obligation. Obligations make people do things that are generally not in their own self-interest," Rin explained. "I know you feel like you have to save the other homunculi, but you need to understand the cost. If you do this, more likely than not, you're going to die, maybe before you've achieved anything. The life that you wanted so badly… you'll never get it."
Sieg's brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps. But… an obligation? No, I'm being selfish here."
Saber cocked an eyebrow. "You seek to liberate your people, and you believe you're being selfish?"
"I am. After all, I don't have enough power to do it by myself, so I'm asking you to join me, even though I have nothing that I can give you in return. And in the end, what am I even giving them. I would just be pulling them away from certainty and throwing them into a sea of unknowns."
"A certainty of servitude and possible death," Rin pointed out.
Sieg shrugged. "It is true that it is a different affliction. But that doesn't mean that I would not be throwing them into another. This world, this uncertainty, I would condemn them to it, an existence that I'm not even sure is better than the one I first awoke in. And I'd do it, because I do want to learn more about it, to find out if I would… enjoy living in it. But I know I will never be able to make that decision if my concern for them always haunts my mind. That is why I want to free them. Is that not selfishness?"
For a moment, Rin and Saber could only stare at him in complete befuddlement.
'Saber… did that… make sense?'
"In a way, master. But it was a way that required a great deal of mental gymnastics."
'Thought so. Dear god, there's two of them now.'
"Alright," Rin said out loud. "Despite the fact that we seriously need to work on your definition of 'selfish', at least you know what you want to do. We'll figure out how we're going to actually do it after a good night—well, not a night at this point, but after we get some sleep."
Sieg's eyes widened with hope. "You mean you'll help me?"
Rin smiled. "Better than sending you to get captured by yourself. And removing the homunculi as a power source will be a huge blow to the Black Faction. Gordes at the very least won't be able to fully power his Servant without their support. Who knows, maybe it'll even put a kink in Lancer's fighting style."
"Thank you!" Sieg exclaimed. "Thank you so much! I know I'm already asking for far too much after everything you've—"
"Don't thank us," Rin said. "This isn't a favor, this is recruitment. If you're determined to get yourself back into this mess, it might as well be on our side. Welcome to the Blue Faction."
The homunculus was taken aback for a moment before he nodded solemnly. "I won't make you regret it."
"With any luck," Rin muttered. "Now get some rest, leader's orders. You may have been engineered but you still need sleep."
Sieg nodded and laid down across the grass, curling up in his blanket before closing his eyes.
Rin sighed, rising to her feet just as the myriad orange of dawn crept over the horizon. Saber frowned at their newest team member.
"Are you sure about this, Rin?" she asked. "The boy has a good heart, but he has no combat experience. I'm honestly baffled that he survived Mordred."
The Tohsaka mage ran her hands down her face. "He'll have to work with what he's got. He's going to do this with or without our help. At least this way we can try to keep him from dying for nothing and get something out it. Besides it's not like he's completely powerless."
Both women stared at the Black Command Seals on the homunculus' hand, now with two strokes instead of three.
Rin almost hadn't believed Shirou when he'd told them what they'd done. To turn a living person into a Heroic Spirit, it was insane. Barring extremely rare compatibility, it should have incinerated the host before even a single second had passed, and that was without taking into account the absurd amount of prana it would take to sustain a Heroic Spirit at full power without a master.
But it did make a certain amount of sense. Sieg was a homunculus, a blank slate that had literally been implanted with Siegfried's heart. He had been designed to be a prana battery. The former would give him the required compatibility and the latter would give him enough energy to last maybe a minute or so, less if he used the Noble Phantasm.
"He has power," Saber conceded. "But that does not mean he has the skill to use it. Siegfried's instincts might aid him to some extent, but it may not be enough in the end. Even if Shirou uses the seals he was given as well."
Rin frowned, glancing at where her lover laid, his own Black Command Seals plain to see in the same pattern as those he'd wielded when he'd commanded Saber, a loose diamond pattern, almost shaped like a sword.
Saber noticed Rin's concern. "He'll be fine. Your master wouldn't have given him them if he thought he couldn't handle them."
"We both know who he'll turn into."
"That may prove beneficial. Their skills are the same and the added physical abilities will enable him to avoid a repeat of what happened with Mordred."
"But to actually become him…" Rin muttered. Even without Ruler's revelation practically spelling it out, there was only one Heroic Spirit Shirou could possibly have enough compatibility with to become. And he was the one person in the world Shirou feared becoming most. More than that, she'd made a promise to make sure that never happened. To both of them.
Saber placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just because he will wear Archer's features does not mean he will adopt his ideals. He will still be Shirou."
"So is Archer," Rin pointed out, inwardly cursing the complexities of alternate timelines. "He's Shirou at his most broken. And if Shirou takes his form, he'll have to draw from his Unlimited Bladeworks."
"But he won't be him," Saber assured her. "It took hundreds of years for Archer to give up, did it not?"
The mage sighed. "I know, it's just… maybe I should lay down too. I'm worrying too much."
"Sleep. I'll keep watch," Saber promised. "We can discuss our next move once you're all rested."
Rin nodded gratefully at her friend. Then she laid down in the grass and curled up into Shirou's side.
Whatever challenges were lurking ahead, it could wait while she shut her eyes.
FATEFATEFATEFATE
Siegfried frowned at the gathered ranks of Yggdmillenia. Though he was grateful to be out of the dungeon, if for no other reason than the proof his release provided of his improved relationship with his master, he found the atmosphere of the throne room to be no less oppressive, more so in fact with Rider still imprisoned.
"You failed to retrieve Assassin," Lord Darnic stated bluntly, glaring down on Lady Fiore from the royal dais.
"Yes," the wheelchair-bound girl meekly admitted, her head bowed in supplication.
"And you allowed Archer to be slain."
Lady Fiore's hands tightened, likely in grief for her slain partner, but she did not raise her head. "Yes."
"Pathetic!" Lady Celenike snarled from the sidelines. "To think you wasted one of our knight classes, you filthy little tramp—"
"You'll stop your tongue from flapping if you know what's best for you, Celenike," Lord Gordes warned, his magic circuits glowing as his arm turned to steel.
Siegfried allowed himself a faint smile. Temperamental though his Master could be, he was fond of Lady Fiore and Lord Caules. Perhaps they reminded him of his own son who had been sent away for his own safety for the duration of the war. He found that he was somewhat disappointed that he would not have the opportunity to meet his Master's family, but the alternative was for them to be put in harm's way during the coming battles. There was no question that this was a price well worth paying, even if his Master's clearer virtues were left somewhat obscured as a result.
Lady Celenike only leered at his threat, the black glimmer of a gandr curse crackling at the edge of her ever-inappropriate pointing stick. "I suppose you would defend her. Failures tend to band together like vermin, don't they?"
"Enough," Lord Vlad spoke, his voice seeming to chill the air in the audience chamber, and as casual as his tone had been, it left no question about how dire the consequences would be if anyone failed to heed his command. Lord Gordes and Lady Celenike dispelled their respective attacks, the former with a loud gulp, the latter with a soft 'tch,' looking for all the world like she wanted to stomp up to the throne and spit in the king's face. With the conflicts settled for the moment, their faction leader turned his attention back to Lady Fiore. "This is… unfortunate news."
"It wasn't her fault," Lord Caules protested, stepping forward despite Berserker reaching out to pull him back. "Assassin lured her and Archer into a trap! I should have found a way in to help her—"
"Are you saying that this disaster is of your making?" Lord Darnic growled, turning his furious glare on the younger Forvedge.
"No!" Fiore shouted, raising her head at last. She glared at Caules until her brother retreated back to his Servant before turning to face Lord Darnic. "The events at Bucharest were my fault alone. I underestimated the enemy and Archer paid the price."
Lord Darnic's eyes narrowed. "I see. How… disappointing. I expected better of you, Fiore."
From the way the young lady's face paled, it seemed like she'd just been stabbed. Siegfried's instincts screamed at him to move forward, to defend the young maiden threatened by the dragon, for despite the fealty he owed the leader of Yggdmillenna he could think of no other term to describe the malevolence radiating off him at that moment. He saw sweat trickle down his Master's forehead, Lord Gordes' fists clenching in terror. The knight did not know if he would have the sense to give a necessary command if events took a lethal turn.
Fortunately, Lancer's voice cut through the room before anything truly deadly could take place. "Calm yourself, Fiore. You failed in honest effort and have taken responsibility for your error. More importantly, you lived to fight another day."
The young girl warily nodded at the King of Romania. "I did, my lord. But Archer…"
"Fell in combat, as befits a Servant of his caliber. Moreover, as an instructor, he would not wish for his pupil to drown herself in self-pity," Lancer comforted her. "We must move forward, my lady. Or Chiron truly will have died for nothing."
Lady Fiore took a deep breath before steeling her face. "Yes. Of course, your majesty."
Lancer gifted her an almost grandfatherly smile. "Caster, how soon will Berserker of Red be recontracted?"
Avicebron turned his faceless mask to the Lord Impaler. "I should be finished by tonight. Though, given his legend, I doubt it will do much to bring him under our control. His will is too strong."
Lord Vlad smirked. "Then it shall be up to Fiore to bring him to heel."
Darnic's eyes narrowed. "My lord, are you sure?"
"I am. You yourself have praised her abilities more than once, master. Has this single failure undone all of her achievements? Would you throw away an entire harvest because you found a bent stalk of wheat?"
"Oh please, it was an Assassin!" Celenike mocked. "It should have had no combat ability whatsoever!"
Lord Vlad glared at the curse mage. "Did you not listen to the report at all? Or have you assumed that our opponents in the Red and Blue Factions are completely incompetent? Assassin's activities have been known to the public for days now. Our foes did not send weaklings to eliminate our rampaging Servant. Assassin itself was a failure. And if I may be blunt, was Assassin's Master not an apprentice to your family's teachings, Lady Celenike?"
"Ho-How dare you!" the lady sputtered, somehow breaking through the terror of the Lord Impaler's rage. "I refuse to be held accountable for that imbecile Sagara's complete and utter inability to control his Servant!"
"Indeed," Lancer continued. "And one failure against skilled opponents is hardly cause for a complete loss of faith."
"But no faith will bind Berserker of Red," Caster interceded. "It may be best to use Spartacus as a weapon rather than an ally. I believe I have a task that Lady Fiore can assist me with as well."
"What?" Lord Roche exclaimed. "Come on, teacher. If you need help with something, I can help you way better than she could."
"Perhaps, master," Caster said. "But many hands make light work."
Avicebron's words were calm and measured as always. Rational, one would say. And yet, Siegfried couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine.
Fortunately, Lord Vlad waved the golem maker's concerns aside, returning his gaze to the mage before him. "Lady Fiore, do you believe you can bring Berserker of Red to heel?"
"I do not know, your majesty," the wheelchair-bound girl confessed, looking the king straight in his harsh eyes. "But I will find a way. I desire the Holy Grail and if this is the only way back into the fight, I will not fail."
Lancer smirked. "Excellent. Then it is decided. Bring Spartacus under your control. If you cannot, then Caster will do with him as he wills."
"I understand, my lord," Fiore said, bowing in respect. "Thank you for this second chance."
She rolled out of the center of the chamber, coming to the side of her brother and Berserker of Black.
All the way, Darnic's dark eyes never left her back.
"Well then," the leader of the faction said. "With that dealt with, we face a much more pressing matter. With Chiron gone, we are left without a suitable counter to his student."
Ah, yes. After Siegfried and Frankenstein's confrontation with Rider of Red in the woods, Archer of Black had seen fit to inform the entire faction of their opponent's True Name. Achilles, champion of the Trojan War and one of the most well-known, and subsequently powerful, heroes in the Throne. Without divinity, it would be nearly impossible to harm him, let alone defeat him.
Lord Vlad frowned. "Indeed. In theory, my stakes could strike his heel and disable his defenses but given the speed and skill he has demonstrated thus far, which according to Archer was far from his full power, that may be a task easier said than done. Especially if he has support from the rest of the Red Faction during the battle."
"An area of effect attack might be our best chance," Lord Darnic suggested. "As long as the heel is struck, his defenses would go down. Either of our Berserkers are capable of such a feat. Caules, are you and Frankenstein prepared to execute such a maneuver?"
"Well, yeah," the bespectacled boy confirmed. "But to fire off enough lightning to be sure we'd hit a target that small and fast; Berserker would have to stay incredibly close. He could just run away once the attack starts, and even if he didn't, it'd be suicide."
"So, we must discover a way to paralyze him," Lord Darnic said with a frown. "How vexing."
Siegfried did not miss how the lord made no mention of Frankenstein's unavoidable death if they went with that tactic. Nor did he miss Lord Caules and his Servant frown at the omission.
The dragon slayer knight had no desire for his comrades to perish, even if it would slay their seemingly insurmountable foe. And based on what he'd seen from Achilles during their duel, it would not. But Lord Darnic did not seem to care. He was an orthodox mage. He did not care who had to be sacrificed to achieve his goals.
Though, the lord's callous attitude towards the task did not change the fact that it needed to be done. As much as Siegfried despised the notion, entertaining such brutal methods was looking to be their only option. Lancer of Red was already a titanic enough threat as it was. If another of the enemy Servants were practically invincible, the Black Faction was done for. And without Chiron, they had no one with the divine nature necessary to… divine…
That was it.
'Master.'
"What is it, Saber? Can't you see we're in a crisis?! Darnic is five minutes away from snapping and if we don't come up with some good news soon, he might just kill someone to relieve the stress—"
'I have a strategy to defeat Rider of Red.'
"… What?"
'It is not perfect, and it carries its own set of dangers. But I believe it to be our best chance.'
"You 'believe it to be', huh? Because that's gone so well so far."
'Master, please. I promised to help you fight this war. This is how.'
…
'Master?'
…
…
…
"Oh, to hell with it. Not like things'll get worse."
Siegfried grinned. It was slow going, but he was repairing his relationship with his master. He quickly informed him of the strategy.
'Well, master? What are your thoughts?'
"That plan is asinine! You would empower one enemy in the hopes that they would defeat another! Why not just set them against each other as they are?"
'Because as the King of Knights is, she cannot win.'
"So, she'll die!"
'Yes, she will die. And we will still have Rider of Red to deal with.'
"Ergh…"
'What is better, master? To face a foe that is completely invincible, or one that is nearly invincible, and you possess a crucial advantage over?'
"… God damn it. Fine. Put it out there. Hopefully Darnic won't flay me alive for you suggesting it."
Siegfried chuckled. 'Thank you, master. Your faith will not go unrewarded.'
"I hope not. For both our sakes."
The Dragon Slayer stepped forward into the center of the throne room, all eyes, both master and Servant turning to him.
"Saber?" Lancer said. "Something to say?"
"Indeed, my lord," Siegfried replied. "I believe I have a solution for dealing with Rider of Red."
FATEFATEFATEFATE
"Yo! Priest! Where the hell are you?!"
Shirou sighed, furling over the arcane documents he'd been rifling through in his quarters of the Hanging Gardens. The study was sparse, but efficient, containing only a bed, as plain as he could convince Semiramis to allow in her domain, a few chairs, a desk, a plain wooden cross on the wall, and a fully stocked bookshelf. His Servant had balked at her master utilizing such a drab room while in her realm, finding such a thing an insult to his station and by extension her, but the priest did not mind. He had no use for luxury, only the tools needed to bring about salvation.
His left hand chose that moment to cramp, still testy from the other day's operation. The Mage's Association's package had arrived right on schedule, but Ruler's swift approach had forced them to relocate from Sighisoara sooner than he would have liked. His Noble Phantasm gave him access to every type of magecraft and so inserting such a specialization inside his being was unpleasant, but he was sure the unpleasantness would fade in time. Besides, if all went well and the Periwinkle Faction agreed to his terms, it wouldn't be within him for long.
He opened his door, spotting the one who'd called for him. "I'm here, Rider. Is something bothering you?"
The Hero of the Trojan War rounded on him. "You could say that. Caster's been going around spouting about how we're going to head out soon."
Shirou raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand how that is an issue. We will be setting out for Trifas shortly—"
"But Missy ain't back yet," Rider protested. "What? Are you leaving her in the wind?"
"We are not leaving her…" Shirou sighed. "Assassin didn't tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"Archer requested to remain with Saber and her master," Shirou informed him. "Semiramis was supposed to tell you, but—"
"But she wanted to be coy with you," Achilles rolled his eyes, though Shirou had no idea what he was talking about. Semiramis was a reliable friend and partner. Why would she ever feel the need to be 'coy' with him?
"Anyway," the hero continued. "you sure Saber will have her back? Missy can more than take care of herself, but there's no telling what'll come up out there."
"I agree. That is why her master and I consented to her request," Shirou replied. "With the Periwinkle Faction out there, we can't afford risking any of our Servants before we attack Trifas. Saber and her master refuse to rendezvous with us before the battle, so the best we can do is provide them with backup so there aren't vulnerable. They should strike tonight along with the rest of us."
Achilles scowled. "Alright then. Guess if anyone can keep them out of trouble, it's missy." A cocky smirk lit his face. "And hey, this'll give us some good stories to swap once we meet up again."
Shirou chuckled. Juvenile as the Servant of the Mount could seem at times, there was something infectious about his energy.
"Lancer and Caster are already in the throne room. Would you please join them?" he requested. "I will track down Assassin and meet with you shortly."
Achilles cringed at the mention of Caster. "Lancer's stuck alone with that oaf? Can't say I'm in a hurry to join him, but I guess it would hardly be heroic to leave him out to dry."
"No, I suppose not."
With that, Achilles set off down the gargantuan halls of the Hanging Gardens.
Shirou only had to wait a moment before a shimmer of blue dust materialized into his Servant beside him.
"You requested my presence, master?" Semiramis said with a smirk.
"Why did you not inform Rider of Archer's reassignment?" Shirou inquired. "You know he cares for her. If he believes we are discounting her, it may make him unruly. We can't afford another Berserker."
"My apologies, master. It honestly slipped my mind," Assassin replied. "With Ruler closing in, I thought a better use of my time to finish the Gardens as soon as possible. Was I wrong?"
Shirou sighed. "No. No, you were not. But let me know if you have other matters to attend to next time. That way I can pass the task on to Caster."
"If you did that, he'd probably set Rider against you on purpose," Semiramis mused. "Though speaking of our Berserker issue, I can't help but notice you looking into a solution on that front."
"I am."
Semiramis frowned. "And you did not inform me. When you summoned me, you said that you wanted a partner to help realize your dream. Was that a lie?"
Shirou cringed, recalling what he'd been investigating in his study just moments before. "No. I did not inform you because I did not know if what I was looking into held any promise. And like you said, you were scrambling to complete the gardens."
"An empress does not 'scramble'," Semiramis huffed. "And I would far prefer researching such mysteries than being a glorified messenger."
"My apologies," Shirou said, bowing slightly to reinforce his gesture. He really had meant nothing by it and while he was sure Assassin was just making a show of the affair, he found that he did not want to even pretend to alienate her. She was his partner in his quest and she had yet to let him down. However slight his own infraction, he owed her better.
Fortunately, she preened at his supplication. "You are forgiven, master. Be glad that your efforts thus far have pleased me despite this error."
Shirou chuckled as he rose up. "I am grateful. I couldn't do this without you by my side."
Assassin turned away from him slightly, her cheeks a bit red for some reason. "So, did your efforts yield fruit?"
"Perhaps. I won't know for sure until I can more closely examine the Greater Grail itself, but… it is possible the Third Faction's presence has provided us with an opportunity."
"Perfect," Semiramis smirked, a haughty chuckled escaping her mouth. "The Periwinkle Faction's existence shall be their own undoing."
"Again, perhaps," Shirou replied. "Let us pray it does not come to that."
Semiramis rolled her eyes. "Of course, master. But in the meantime, Ruler is nearly upon us. And the destruction of the Black Faction awaits."
Shirou nodded. He held out his arm like any polite gentlemen. "Well then, shall we take off, Empress of Assyria?"
Semiramis took his elbow and smiled. "Indeed, master. Let's."
They strode down to the throne room and soon the Hanging Gardens soared through the orange dawn sky. Come nightfall, they would arrive in Trifas and Millenia Citadel would burn.
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