Extella/Grand Order
Chapter 4: Mystic Codes and Troubled Souls
Fuyuki City Residential District
One Hour Later
It had been a rather quiet walk across the abandoned residential district as the five humanoids and one Fou continued to follow the anomalies that Zelretch had sensed across the place. It was a trip that could have been made much shorter if it was not for the occasional battle against the undead near the areas where the district connected to the former bridge and Archer taking half-hearted potshots at them each time the group entered an open street or intersection. It seemed their destruction of the Matou Manor had pleased the Servant of the Bow somewhat for them to not be actively harassed like earlier.
So far they had seen the last moments of the masters of Lancer, Caster, Assassin and Rider. In a surprising twist, Zelretch had also revealed that he had seen another one involving Gilgamesh as a Rogue Servant who did not survive the fire unlike the other Servants. It had been due to an incident in the Fourth Grail War in which the Grail had been corrupted and its contents poured onto him in the fallout of it being destroyed. Supposedly it had made the King of Heroes just human enough that he could burn and die just like all other mortals.
For that, Hakuno was secretly grateful. He knew full well how absurdly powerful Gilgamesh was as in the Moon Cell, he constantly and frequently showed off his collection of original Noble Phantasms, his flying ship and the full power of his mighty blade Ea. It was because of those casual displays of near almighty power that he did not want to know what it felt like to be on the receiving end of having three universes dropped on top of him like some of the poor bastards in the Sakura Labyrinth. Fighting him as an enemy with their force practically crippled as it was would have been suicide.
With having just finished viewing the last moments of Caster's Master, one Enforcer Bazett McRemitz of the Clocktower, they were slowly beginning to see a pattern forming between all the memories they had seen.
Tapping on a portion of the mystic code on her wrist, Olga Marie called up the Chaldea Command Center.
The tired and nearly bloodshot eyes of Dr. Roman greeted them, reminding everyone of the slippery slope of lost time they were on between the chaos here and what awaited them back at the remains of Chaldea.
"I'm giving a status update Romani." Olga Marie said in what was probably the calmest tone of voice Hakuno had heard out of her mouth since first meeting her.
"Yes Director, audio logs and visual logs are a go." Dr. Roman informed while stifling a large yawn from the sleep deprivation and adrenaline loss he was going through.
With a slight wince at the Doctor's visage, Olga Marie pressed onwards. "We discovered from the anomalies that we have all seen so far, each Master had vanished right as they decided to enter what we will be calling the final phase of the Fifth Grail War. They had all decided for the most part to either try to kill the other Masters in earnest, or take potshots at the Servants while holding back. The only ones we have yet to confirm is the anomalies of Archer, Berserker and Saber's Masters."
Dr. Roman gave a weary nod. "I can't help but wonder if this was truly coincidence or just really good timing." He said aloud, voicing his thoughts to them.
Olga Marie shook her head. "It cannot be a coincidence. Whoever did this picked that time for a reason. Whether it was due to all the Heroic Spirits being at their peak strength and ready to kill, or because it was mutually agreed amongst all of them that they were going to end the war within the next night or two we won't know but we do know it was deliberate." She reasoned out.
For his part, Dr. Roman just nodded in agreement. "On our end, we've stabilized SHEVA and CHALDEAS. The most urgent treatments have been dealt with and we're slowly trickling in the non-critical patients into the med bay. We haven't received any response yet from the team we sent outside to re-establish communications and it has me worried, but there isn't much else we can do."
The Director gave a small smile of appreciation at the update. "Good job Romani." She praised, before it slipped right off her face for another stony expression. "Though now that I have had ample time to gather myself and think, we have been neglecting something. Where is she?"
Dr. Roman owlishly blinked at Olga Marie's question. "'She', Director?" he asked, clearly lost at who she meant if only due to sleep deprivation.
Olga Marie pinched her brow and swallowed what would have been a snappish response only due to the situation at hand. "You know exactly which 'she' I am referring to. The one that should have been the first to respond when things went belly flop up."
The lightbulb had gone off as Dr. Roman's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh. We…uh…have been having some issues there. Whoever our saboteur is, they magically sealed off her door with some wards and even soundproofed it. With how focused she gets when working on inventions, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't even know what happened. Thankfully our anti-magi division was mostly spared in the explosions so they're working to get the wards off so she can come out."
As they continued speaking, Hakuno leaned towards Mash and whispered, "Who are they talking about?"
Mash was quick to explain. "We had a Heroic Spirit contracted to Chaldea who helped us in the construction efforts. She is…eccentric and a non-combatant for the most part. She also tends to have a deep focus when working on projects. I've only seen her once or twice myself and never long enough to get a name. I do know that she is a Caster class though."
Hakuno accepted the information with a nod. It would have been ideal to have another Servant at the time of the attack but the traitor had been very thorough in making sure that this mystery Servant didn't intervene. That spoke volumes of her intelligence or skill at magecraft that might have made the entire bombing a non-issue had she been there when it went off.
Turning their focus back to the Director, she finished her small briefing with Dr. Roman and then turned to face them. "We're running out of time now. Wizard Marshal, are we close enough to the residences of Archer, Saber and Berserker that we won't have to make any more costly detours?" she asked.
Zelretch, who had been standing off to the side with their Caster, gave a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "If we start at the Master of Archer's residence, it will be a straight shot to the Master of Saber. The Master of Berserker's home is deep in the forest but I can do that one on my own."
Hakuno paled at the thought of going alone into the forest where a primal Berserker laid in wait. "Will you be able to ward him off?" he asked seriously.
Zelretch grinned and raised his hand, a bit of his dimensional magic seeping to his fingertips. "I wasn't just looking at the anomalies for their memories alone. It also gave me a bit of a pick me up access to the Kaleidoscope, so I have enough in the tank to at least get away." He assured everyone.
Olga Marie gave a hesitant nod to his boasting. "Right then. Let's get this over with. I don't like the thought of splitting up even one person but the more we know and all that…"
"Right then. The master of Archer is in most dimensions my future apprentice. I know her residence well. Follow me. Should be a useful goodie in there too that will help." Zelretch breezily commented before taking point, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world despite their lives being on the line.
As the group walked after him, they felt a slow chill entering their bodies, as if his words were an omen of sorts. Whether for good or ill, however, they did not know.
Tohsaka Estate
Fifteen Minutes Later
In comparison to the Matou Manor, the Tohsaka Estate was much more humble in appearance, despite giving off a noble elegance to it. It was also the most untouched building they had seen so far, with the only real sign of damage being a destroyed lawn and cracked glass of the windows.
"This is the Estate of Rin Tohsaka, Master of Archer." Zelretch explained before looking up and taking one step back.
Right as he did an arrow pierced the ground that he had been standing on. It seemed like whatever favor that they had garnered with Archer was now gone as they stood at the doorstep of what had once been the Servant's base.
The next one that came was a crimson arrow that soared towards them like a missile. Mash quickly raised her shield up to block, only to gasp in surprise as the arrow seemingly gained sentience while defying the laws of gravity to twist around her and head straight for Hakuno himself.
For his part, the Last Master looked surprised as he remembered this arrow well. He also knew what it did and he threw himself back to avoid it as the same arrow attempted to lodge itself in his throat. The weapon was not deterred in the slightest and simply looped around to instead hit his skull, only for Hakuno to roll to the side before it got stuck in the dead grass and dissipated.
"Shit…" he rasped as Mash quickly ran over to him.
"Master, I'm so sorry! I tried to put my shield out but it just wouldn't connect!" The Demi-Servant apologized, bowing deeply for her failure.
Caster clicked his tongue in frustration and quickly waved his hand, blue protective runes covering the entire front lawn as everyone looked up and the three 'normal' people in the group widened their eyes in horror.
The reason being was that the sky had seemingly lit up with dozens upon dozens of those heat-seeking arrows that now plunged down towards them.
Caster's barrier held against the onslaught, but from the sweat that began dripping from his brow after a few seconds of sustained resistance it was obvious he wouldn't be able to hold out for very long. "Get in. NOW!" he barked at the group, who had mostly scrambled to follow the order save Zelretch who just calmly strode right in before Caster quickly followed.
Whether it was due to luck or the Servant's unwillingness to fire on its former base, Hakuno and company managed to breathe slightly easier for the moment. Though the sudden and rather vicious attack left a very obvious question hanging.
"Why didn't Archer do any of that before? The Bridge was the closest we've gotten but even that paled to the barrage we just weathered." Olga Marie said aloud, voicing those same thoughts. Fou, who had been in her arms, was shivering for seeing his furry little life flashing before his eyes.
"I'd imagine it's due to Saber having to give Archer her energy to sustain his existence after she corrupted him, alongside Berserker. Since Saber was injured, she put most of that energy into healing, so Archer was using whatever he had sparingly to avoid drawing out a longer healing time. We just pissed him off big time though, so all bets are off now." Caster reasoned.
"Great…even more trouble." Hakuno muttered with a sigh at the end.
"Master, do you know what was with that arrow?" Mash asked, as she had seen the recognition flashing across Hakuno's face when it came at him.
"Umm…somewhat." Hakuno said before seeing Olga Marie doing an about face and marching up to him. He could see the displeasure quickly growing and knew he would have to come up with an excuse quick to avoid her wrath without giving away that he was from another dimension.
"What is it and how do you know it? Do you know that Archer Servant and have been holding out on us this entire time?!" Olga Marie accused, nerves frayed from the umpteenth attempt on her life that day and poking Hakuno's chest with a finger, painfully so, to emphasize her point.
Hakuno's response was to carefully pull the Director away from him and looked her straight in the eye, excuse ready as he noticed Zelretch looking around for something.
"It was something Zelretch had told me had seen in one of those parallel dimensions. An Archer who can imperfectly trace Noble Phantasms and use them as arrows. If I'm recalling right, he used an arrow version of Hrunting to try and kill me. If Caster's theory is right, the only reason I'm not dead or badly hurt right now is due to the fact that it can be rather costly to keep up for too long when he's on borrowed prana and he had to get rid of it."
It was a rather lengthy explanation, but it was a good enough one to have Olga Marie already come to false conclusions since she had been giving the two of them looks earlier when she thought he hadn't noticed. No doubt she was trying to see how deep their relationship was beyond hired help.
It was just easier to let those thoughts fester than letting the truth get out…at least for now. Hakuno resolved to make sure to tell all of them the truth someday.
With that done and stopping the spectacle that had all but the Wizard Marshal looking at them, they started to explore the house in earnest. It was, so far, the only intact place left in Fuyuki that didn't look like it had been raided. Much to their surprise, they did find some bagged junk food and bottled water in the pantry and fridge that had not been burned or rotted through. Though they only grabbed the water after Caster quickly checked to make sure it wasn't tainted regardless.
It seemed like just a regular house at first glance, but this was the house of a Magus, which obviously meant that there was more than what meets the eye. The case in point was when Zelretch let out a chuckle of amusement as he removed what had to have been magical traps that kept a door leading to the basement level locked.
Downstairs, they found a small treasure trove of items and goods that could be used. Mostly magical textbooks, some knickknacks but Olga Marie gave a slight gasp in surprise when she saw some rainbow colored star like crystals laying on a desk with some observation notes written next to them.
"This…this is Saint Quartz!" she exclaimed with surprise.
"Saint Quartz?" Hakuno parroted in confusion.
Olga Marie blushed slightly at losing her composure before clearing her throat. "It's basically in as simplest as I can get in terms…crystallized concepts in a star shaped form. It has the ability to be not only a power source to some of our more…eccentric machines back in Chaldea, but it is also used to summon our Servants from the FATE system."
"I heard about that from Dr. Roman. What is that system?" Hakuno asked, looking at Fou who was sniffing the stone in curiosity while Mash was grabbing anything valuable that they could use. Caster was staying next to the door in case Archer came after them personally and Zelretch was working on a box that looked to be under both lock and key AND magical barriers to prevent it from being opened.
"The FATE system is what Chaldea uses to bypass the normal Grail Ritual system. If we had used the latter all that would do is lead to a civil Grail War that nobody needs. So basically we're summoning from the Throne of Heroes itself without a medium like the Holy Grail. As we do not use any rituals, however, what comes out might not be what the person is expecting." Olga Marie lectured.
Hakuno took it all in, but frowned at the conclusion that he reached. "Isn't that essentially like drawing something in a gacha game?" he asked, referring to a Japanese style type of gaming where one paid to draw random things that they might want but not get, as the results are totally random.
Almost as if he spoke a forbidden word at the mention of 'gacha', the entire building shook for several moments before going still again, causing everyone to look at each other in confusion.
Hesitating for a moment to see if there would be any more tremors, Olga Marie continued her explanation.
"I guess you can see it in that way, but regardless Saint Quartz are what we substitute for catalysts, also known as the materials used to call upon certain Servants. They are also not at their full strength when we summon them so as to not take a toll and kill a new master by accident by draining all their prana once the contract is made as the Grail isn't providing any, so it's a double edged sword of sorts."
"I see…easier summoning, but in exchange a weaker Servant for a time and with no guarantee that you'll be getting the Servant that you need to help you." Hakuno nodded to himself. "How many did you find?"
Olga Marie pocketed the last one that she found and patted it to make sure it was secure. "Thirty, which is enough for at least ten tries on summoning Servants." She informed him just as a loud 'CLICK!' was heard from Zelretch's corner.
"Ah, it's far too easy to break this when she's only this age…BUT I did find something that I think you'll find useful, Olga Marie!" The Wizard Marshal exclaimed.
From the inside of the chest, he pulled out two items. The first was…a stick. A stick that Hakuno could immediately tell belonged to a magical girl anime from the frilly wings on the side, the star that was locked onto the headrest and that it was somewhat intricately designed. Why a magus of all things would have one was beyond him.
The second item taken was a dagger whose blade was made from various crystals. Just staring at it made the Master's head hurt as it felt like he was looking straight at Zelretch's magic itself and it was not something he could process with his currently human brain.
Further compounding the issue was that his Regalia was STILL performing the anti-virus cleanse on him meant that it couldn't keep the strain associated with seeing the second true magic away from his mind. BB's hacking had gone much deeper than he thought.
As the others began to gather around to him, Zelretch presented the stick first. "This is something I used to…ah…motivate what would have been a future student of mine and was a future student in many parallel dimensions. It's called, quite simply, the Kaleidostick version Ruby. It is a mystic code that helps in the manipulation of od and gives the user contracted to it the ability to perform feats of magic that can become equal to a Servant when in battle. It also has access to the Mana Plane, so it's basically infinite energy compressed into what seems like a non-lethal weapon." He explained.
It was useful…extremely useful considering their situation. Too useful in fact and Hakuno knew something like that came with a cost. Which was why he was glad he wasn't being suckered into using it when Zelretch presented it to Olga Marie, who gently grasped the Mystic Code like it was the second coming of the Akashic Root.
"Olga Marie, I know you're tired of being relegated to the sidelines while the others are fighting. So I have temporarily undone Ruby's former contract for the moment. Just place a bit of your prana into the star shaped crest on the top and it will be bound to you." Despite the kind and grandfatherly tone of voice Zelretch was using, the all-too-wide smile on his face spoke volumes of him wanting to see the end result of her using it.
Olga Marie, however, was too star-struck to notice the look that made Mash wary and cling to Hakuno's shirt with apprehension clear on her face while the master himself just placed a hand on his face in despair for the Director not noticing she was being played. Even Fou made to clear the room quickly when he saw that smile. It made for a rather anti-climactic show when instead of something absurd happening, the only thing that did happen when Olga Marie placed her Prana into the Kaleidostick was that the hilt turned from red to gold in color.
"Good…good…*ahem* what I mean is that when you need to use it, just lift it up and say 'Kaleidostick Ruby, Activate!' while transferring prana into it. The Mystic Code has some sentience to it so it will handle the rest while getting you up to speed with what you can and can't do."
While letting Olga Marie squeal and fangirl over her new weapon, Zelretch flipped the crystal dagger and presented it hilt-first to Hakuno. "This is something I pre-prepared in case of emergencies. It is an inferior copy of my own personal weapon and Mystic Code. Despite being called the 'Jeweled Sword of Zelretch' by yours truly, it is actually more of a staff. Just like me, it can access the energies of the Kaleidoscope and compress it into a weapon. Just don't try to attack anyone with the blade itself or it will shatter and become worthless."
Carefully making sure not to look at the blade itself, Hakuno gingerly accepted the weapon and placed it in his bag for now along with the other supplies. "Since it is an inferior version, is there side effects to using it?" he asked.
Zelretch nodded. "Indeed. I would have just given you the original but that's only usable by me or those carrying my blood and I doubt you'd wish to become a thrall or Apostle Ancestor anytime soon. The backlash from this can overheat your circuits, both spiritron and regular and it can also rip and tear your muscles from overuse." He warned.
That was a rather reasonable drawback to using magic beyond what mortals normally could attain so Hakuno gave a nod of understanding while Mash looked up at Zelretch.
"Umm…Mr. Wizard Marshal, sir…is there anything for me?" she shyly asked.
To Mash, Zelretch gave a more understanding smile than the mischievous one from earlier. "Sorry my dear, but no. I make mystic codes as a bit of a side hobby but many of them are too powerful to be used and even as a demi-servant, it would not be of much use to you."
That deflated the pink haired Servants hopes quickly. She only perked up when Hakuno ruffled her hair and offered her a smile that she was quick to return.
"Tell you what, when we get out of this I'll see about making you one too." Zelretch offered, which Mash furiously nodded her head in a positive reaction.
With the distribution of items out of the way, now came the true reason that they were here; the dimensional anomaly that laid in the center of the room.
Once more with a yank and pull of his arm, Zelretch absorbed the anomaly and everyone that was fully downstairs watched the final moments of the Master known as Rin Tohsaka.
'Once more…someone I know but not the same person.' Hakuno idly thought to himself, remembering how in the Sakura Labyrinth there had been a similar incident where he actually DID fight another dimension's Rin and her Servant Archer, who bore an eerie resemblance to the one he himself recruited.
In the memory
Rin Tohsaka, last of her line, sat on a stool in her workshop. Her long black hair had been tied into two pigtails held up by black ribbons, while her attire consisted of a red sweater, an undershirt, a rather short black skirt that showed off her long legs, black stockings and finally brown loafers.
Caster, who had come down to see what was happening, let out a soft whistle of appreciation towards Rin's, in his opinion, exotic attractiveness.
She had on the same kind of eyepiece that a jeweler would use to look at the details of gems when looking to see its inherent gross and net value. In front of her was one of many Saint Quartz that had been placed next to her. To her side, a worn looking notebook and pen were laid down, full of notes she had taken on what she had dubbed the miracle stone.
For a single moment, she stopped, looked up and went back to her observations. A second later, her Servant appeared next to her. Dressed up in red and black, with tanned skin and white hair, he did not give off the same aura as a Servant. Instead, he looked and more like a Magus Enforcer to those watching.
For Hakuno, a pang of pity and regret filled his heart at knowing what would be this Servant's fate, both in the memory and soon enough in battle with them. All the more agonizing was that he looked exactly the same as the Archer he knew back on the Moon Cell, albeit with slight key differences.
"Yes, Rin?" The Servant called out.
"Archer, these gems that you found the other day…I'm close to figuring them out. They give off such a weird vibe at first, but once I push past it I see that it's pure, raw prana. It isn't supposed to be possible to crystallize such a thing, but even then just holding it and focusing your own prana into it, this gem instills within me…I guess it could be similar to hope? Like I can do anything if I put my mind to it, sort of like the idiot." She explained.
"She's good. She picked up on something in just a few days that it took my father's research team years to figure out." Olga Marie complimented, giving a positive light to her opinion of Rin. "Such a shame she was taken like all the other Masters. If we can reverse everything, I'll see about maybe hiring her onto Chaldea."
Archer looked at the gems with a bit of a sigh. "So gems that feel like Emiya Shirou when you put your prana into it. I must be cursed." He complained.
Rin rolled her eyes at her Servant's drama and took the eyepiece off before stretching, indicating that she had been in the basement researching for quite a long while.
"Regardless of your bitching, we're still going through with the plan tomorrow. We already have our alliance with Emiya and Saber and with Rider being a general pain in our ass, we have to get into this Grail War seriously. Berserker and his pint sized pipsqueak of a Master held us back for too long." She declared as she walked across the room to stretch her legs somewhat.
As she stepped on what seemed to be an old summoning circle, the same one she no doubt used to summon Archer, something…shifted. It was just for a moment, but it was long enough for a careful observer to catch on to.
Archer sensed it straight away and looked at Rin with horror clear on his face. "Rin, step back!" he shouted as he rushed towards her.
"H-huh?" That was the only thing Rin managed to utter when the circle came to life underneath her.
"H-hey, what's happening?!" She cried out, unsure of why her inactive and should have been inoperable Servant Summoning ritual circle came back to life.
The moment Archer tried to touch the circle, a repulsing wave of energy slammed into the Servant in Red, forcing him to take a step back.
As another second ticked by, what sounded like a chorus of voices crying out a mantra in unison could be faintly heard by everyone in the room.
"I don't recognize the language, even with everything that Doctor Romani and the others taught me. It is very obvious that whatever is being said, this dialect is quite old." Mash observed.
"Archer!" Rin screamed, trying to use her command seal by the telltale glow of her hand, but for some reason it was ineffective. She also tried to get out but the same barrier that kept her Servant away trapped her within. Her efforts became redoubled when she found bits and pieces of her body starting to vanish and become see-through.
"Rin!" Archer cried out as he quickly summoned what seemed to be an odd choice of weapon. Despite his class a small, ornate dagger appeared in his hand. He hesitated a moment, as if debating whether using this weapon would do anything at all…but with everything to lose right in front of him, he struck.
It was that moment of hesitation that cost the Servant. Despite lightning quick reflexes, a bright glow emanated from the circle, temporarily blinding him right before the dagger could touch the barrier that had sprung up to prevent him from reaching his Master.
When it died down, both the circle and Rin Tohsaka were gone.
For Hakuno, it was a rather surreal sight to see in the next few moments, Archer crying out in what felt to be real pain before he vanished, no doubt going to the 'Emiya Shirou' mentioned earlier. Though unlike the Matou Mansion, it seemed that the Tohsaka Estate was spared from the flames. The question of why went unanswered.
Looking at his companions, Olga Marie had gone from a normal white skin color to an almost chalk white in paleness, no doubt horrified that a Master's command seal was somehow completely ineffective when it was supposed to break the laws of both time and space.
Mash looked sad more than anything, no doubt sympathizing with Archer over being unable to do anything when it mattered most as the same situation happened to her just a scant time ago.
Zelretch's face seemed to be curious, but the stony frown that crossed his lips said volumes about how he took his once and future apprentice being spirited away so easily.
As for Hakuno himself…all he could wonder is just how far this rabbit hole would take him in trying to get answers to questions that seemed to spawn even more questions than answers when investigated and solved.
"Guys, my ward is starting to fail and Archer is still trying to pepper us with arrows. We're done here, let's go." Caster called out, breaking the group from their musings.
Olga Marie flinched at the reminder of their possible death that was awaiting them, but she clutched her new Mystic Code weapon tightly. The fact that she could now fight back, even if it was not the right time to be using it, comforted her. They had one shot at this and if need be she'll use it against Berserker if there was no other choice, but she planned on saving every ounce of her strength for confronting Saber.
Mash took up a defensive position in front of everyone, ready to be the bulwark that protected all of them as they slowly came outside, only to be greeted with a score of arrows that crashed heavily into Mash's shield.
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" A deep, mature and familiar voice practically howled out.
Faster than any bullet, a blue streak of line aimed right at Hakuno's face came deadly close to putting a new hole in him if Mash had not gotten in front of it and blocked it with her shield at the very last moment. Yet the sheer force the arrow made her stumble and nearly fall on top of Hakuno if he had not caught her by the mid-riff and helped her up.
A feral growl came closer and closer until Archer finally appeared in front of them. Unlike in the memory, his red coat was gone, leaving just black armor on while his hair that was spiked back was now matted down and looked messier than before.
The most unnatural change, however, was the black vein like lines running across the left side of his face from near his eyes to no doubt all across his body.
A black bow was in his hands and pulled taut against the string was, of all things, a spiral shaped sword. One that immediately became smaller, sleeker…an arrow pointed right at Hakuno.
"You don't have the right to enter that house. To step even one foot in there." He continued.
"Such sentimental values for once who has been corrupted as you have. Your Independent Action isn't just for show." Zelretch noted.
"Ghh…." Archer winced a bit, as if the words had physically hurt him. Hakuno, Olga Marie and Mash all glanced at each other and came to the same observation. Despite being corrupted, Archer is holding out against letting it take him completely as much as possible.
It made a disturbing amount of sense. From how he hadn't tried actively hunting them from the very start. The fact that he let them get away easily…if he had been as corrupted as Lancer, he would've kept trying to kill them no matter what, a loyal guard dog of sorts.
The whole thing was as sad as it was commendable that Archer was trying to hold on to the one thing left that seemed to matter to him.
"I can hear her ordering me to kill you. I've given all of you plenty of chances to either die somewhere else or leave. Now there's no mercy left." Archer concluded before suddenly firing the arrow.
From the absurd amount of energy it was releasing, they all knew if it connected, they would die. Mash's shield and defensive skill would not be able to protect them from something like that. Which was why Caster quickly stepped in, tracing a rune into the air.
"Eiwhaz!" he shouted and pointed at the sword turned arrow, which began to vanish millimeters before connecting to Mash's shield.
"Caster…" Archer muttered with a sneer on his lips.
"Yo, Archer! Seems like no matter what we keep running into each other. Let's finish an actual fight for once, shall we?" Caster taunted before looking at Hakuno.
"Master, let me have this please."
Archer's eyes narrowed. "So that's why you're still so powerful even now…"
Hakuno nodded as Zelretch pulled Olga Marie and the nearby Fou to the side where collateral damage would be at a minimum for them.
"Caster, Mash, to battle!" The Master ordered.
"YES, MASTER!" They both shouted before engaging Archer, who immediately leapt back, letting his bow disappear before summoning a familiar set of Chinese Falchion blades. One black, one white with a Yin-Yang symbol on the area where the crossguard would be normally located.
"At least you're not an idiot like Emiya Shirou. For once, a proper Master and a proper fight." Archer muttered to himself as he engaged them.
(Fate/Grand Order OST: Fatal Battle)
Just like with Lancer, Mash and Caster attempted to go on a more counter-offensive battle method with Mash using her shield to absorb any attacks Archer might use on them while Caster used his magic to attack from afar. Unlike Lancer, however, Archer would not fall for such an easy ploy.
As the Knight of the Bow, despite the use of the twin swords, he was more than capable of using his own technique to keep both Servants at bay. Slamming his swords into Mash's shield, he then summoned various cheap blades into the air beside him to shoot off at Caster with a mental command, preventing him from finishing his rune tracing while at the same time while taking pot-shots at Hakuno himself who had to hop and throw himself to the side to avoid getting perforated by blades.
The trio was already hard-pressed from the start with Hakuno grimacing as he could only rely on the abilities imprinted into his Mystic Code to help his allies and himself out. A quick message to the Regalia revealed that it was about eighty percent complete with the anti-virus cleanse with the remaining twenty needing quite a bit of time to finish. Time that they couldn't afford as both he and Caster fell behind Mash's shield when Archer attempted to do a wide ranged attack.
"Fuck this bastard has always been annoying…and holding back on me." Caster growled.
"Master, orders please!" Mash called out as her arms trembled underneath the force of swords being thrown at her shield.
With a growl, Hakuno decided at this point the best defense would be a good offense. Otherwise they'd be here all day and Saber would be back at full strength if Archer wasn't sapping away at the same energy source.
"Alright. There's only so many things he can do at once. We'll be going on the attack now. Mash, I know this can be a bit scary for you, but the Servant you're contracted with must have had some offensive techniques if they were able to make that sort of shield useful for more than blocking so use them. Caster, keep his focus thrown off with a constant barrage of your own. Mash will use her defensive skill to make sure you won't be harmed or at least mitigate any damage you might get. This Mystic Code also allows me to heal or throw up an emergency strength increase or speed increase but I have to use it sparingly. This is all you." He advised both Servants.
"What about yourself? This means that you'll be left open to attack." Mash noticed.
Hakuno gave his Demi-Servant a small smile. "If this goes well, he'll be so distracted that trying to be able to hit me will be the least of his worries."
Both nodded in understanding and Mash took the initiative by raising her shield up before slamming it down to the ground.
"Wall of Snowflakes!" She cried out, the defensive technique wrapping all three up in its protective layer before Caster rolled out and threw up a barrage of fireballs rather than trying to trap Archer in one place.
"Fools!" Archer cried out, already preparing to throw Mash's next attack off with his twin falchions before his eyes widened when a second barrage of fireballs were thrown straight at him. He was forced to quickly step back as Mash charged forward, her shield at her side as she roared out a battle cry of her own.
Using the shield as something of a bat, she swung the outer bottom portion of the cross-section at Archer, who could only parry with both blades rather than try to get an attack of his own in like before, due to a multitude of reasons such as the new distance the pink haired Demi-Servant was keeping him at, the rather unwieldy angle they were forced into because of this strike and Caster taking the opportunity to unleash one very big, very fast fireball of his own at them knowing Mash could take the hit.
Archer was forced to kick himself away from the two in a backflip before summoning several blades that were wildly thrown at them since he couldn't get a proper angle of where they were during his small retreat.
The moment his feet touched the ground and he looked up, a large slab of metal was thrust right at his face. Using the Wall of Snowflakes, Mash easily absorbed and dispersed the fireball summoned by Caster before continuing to press the attack.
There was no blocking this time around. Archer took the attack as Mash rammed him with all her strength before following up by literally jumping into the air with her shield in an uppercut motion, taking the corrupted Servant with her and leaving him wide open to Caster's fireball assault.
"Guh!" he sputtered as he was slammed back into the ground and rolled across the concrete for several feet before a nearby houses concrete fence broke the momentum as he both hit it and was sent through it.
He was a hardy Servant though and with their combination technique Mash was forced to leave Hakuno's side, leaving him wide open for an attack. One that Archer gladly took as he fired a newly remade Hrunting arrow at the sole human of the trio.
The corrupted Servant was expecting one or both of his attackers to back off and try to protect their master, allowing him a chance to gain an advantage once more. His plan ran into a large snag when neither took the expected action he was hoping from them.
He was not definitely not expecting as he leaped to the rooftop of the house he was rammed into to have Caster already waiting for him and slamming him with the butt of his staff. Nor did he have any time to prepare for Mash leaping into a follow-through by just letting gravity do its work and letting her shield slam into him and force him down to the ground hard.
Hakuno was prepared to use himself as bait in this battle and with the Mystic Code given to him earlier, he already called up the ability he knew he would have to use.
"Emergency Escape!" He cried out, the Mystic Code uniform glowing and granting him a very temporary, but large boost of speed. He used it by taking a running jump and leaping a good story or two into the air and slamming down behind another empty house. As Hrunting had no other ability but to follow him, it ended up dispersing when it rammed into the house while also providing Hakuno new cover to use.
Besieged on two sides while also having lost track of the Master and other hostages he could have used, Archer had enough and decided that discretion was the better part of valor at this point. Just as Mash and Caster were about to finish him off, he vanished into his spirit form and retreated.
"My next arrow won't miss!" He voice called out, lingering in their ears as Zelretch, Olga Marie and Fou came out of their hiding spot inside of the Estate.
(End Fatal Battle OST)
Mash gave a small sigh of relief at the fast but serious battle came to an end for the moment. She and Caster both went back to the Estate entrance, where Hakuno joined them a few moments later.
The moment he made his appearance Olga Marie walked over to him, placed Fou down and slapped him across the face with all her strength, turning his head to the side as Mash gasped in surprise.
"Director!" She cried out in surprise, Fou agreeing with a cry of its own only for Olga Marie to hold up her hand in a gesture for silence.
"WHAT. WAS. THAT." She hissed, every word accentuated with a poke to Hakuno's chest.
The Master sighed, already knowing what she meant. "A gamble that we had to take. Mash and Caster aren't meant for such straight-forward battles. Mash doesn't have the proper combat experience yet and Caster is meant for ambushes and pre-rigged battlefields. We would've suffered worse if they hadn't left my side." He reasoned out.
The hologram of the Chaldea Command Center flickered to life and Dr. Romani looked at them with his face set in a frown. "Director…" he tried to cut her off, but Olga Marie was having none of it.
"SILENCE!" She shouted, shutting both of the other Chaldea staff up quickly.
"A gamble. A gamble you call it." She said with a hollow, fake laugh at the end before she backhanded Hakuno across his other cheek.
"It was SUICIDE what you did. If you weren't fast enough, if Archer had used a different arrow, or worse, avoided the two entirely, YOU. WOULD. HAVE. DIED!" She howled
"You are the LAST MASTER LEFT. If you die, then all of us die. Did you think about that with your reckless ploy?! You said you were glad I was still alive, that you cared. What you did showed neither. Once you die, it's not just us here. Everyone left at Chaldea would have died too. History. HUMANITY. You can't do something so stupid like that again. Do you understand?"
Hakuno grimaced, his cheeks red with an imprint of her hand clearly visible on it. "Director…"
Olga Marie cut him off, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him forward until they were forehead to forehand. "DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?" she repeated.
At this point Hakuno frowned and rather than forcefully, he gently pulled Olga Marie away from him. "I cannot comply with that order, Director Animusphere. Battle is not something that can so easily be determined by staying in the backlines. I am not a Master that will run and hide in every battle. I am someone who will stand by my Servant and support them through thick and thin."
The Director made to retort, but Hakuno silenced her with a single finger pressed against her lips, making her already red face turn a rather interesting shade of crimson from both the indignation and boldness he was showing.
"If either Mash or Caster had fallen in battle because I was not there to assist them with what I can see, through my own eyes rather than through theirs or whatever fancy technology we might have had back in Chaldea, then I would be dead regardless. I don't want to die either, but if it ends up happening, I'd rather it be by their side than by myself so far away from them." He explained.
Mash blushed at the care he was showing towards her and Caster grinned at his resolve towards such a situation. At the end of his little speech, Fou jumped into his arms and rubbed his furry little head against Hakuno's chin to make him feel better, earning a small smile from the Master.
"Kids right, little lady. We Servants need our masters closer than what many assume. The further away they are, the more danger they're actually put into because there's only so many places one can hide in a place like this. A wide area attack or Noble Phantasm renders hiding worthless. At least close by we can have a better chance of protecting him. Plus he has his command seals, but it's not worth wasting it each time he's attacked because he chose to be away from us. We know our duty. You need to let him do his as a proper warrior should." Cu told them.
He then turned to Hakuno. "Us Celtic heroes would love to have a guy like you side by side with us in the thick of battle. Keep impressing kid." He complimented.
With her rant defused, Olga Marie could only let her anger smolder at the situation and silently turned around, refusing to talk to either of them. Instead she turned to the hologram. "What is it Romani?"
Romani looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "We've…we lost contact with the team sent outside to establish communications. Another five to the casualty list." He reported.
Any righteous anger Olga Marie felt before that was immediately blown away by the revelation. "W-what…?" she whispered.
Romani heard that and sadly nodded. "They didn't meet their regularly scheduled check-in twice and wouldn't respond to any hails. I'm not sending out another team to check on them. We're low enough on manpower. It's just not feasible."
Marie had a small moment of silence for the lost crew who had survived only to lose their life a mere hour later and to think. "Add their names to the list. We'll build a memorial for everyone who was lost today and their names will be added to the list. If they were civilians, their families will be compensated. If they were magi…there's nothing we can really do." She decided.
The Doctor gave a nod of acceptance to her order and did as she asked, as he was already in the middle of writing down all the casualties Chaldea had suffered when he contacted them for the update.
That was when he noticed the Kaleidostick in Olga Marie's hands. "Oh? I didn't know you were into magical girls Director! You should have told me, I would've introduced you to many different shows, comics and even the website I go to, Magical Mari-chan!" he told her with good cheer.
The smile slowly slid off when all Olga Marie did was give him a deadpan look. "I have no idea what a magical girl is but I feel as if you're insulting me. THIS…" she stated, holding up the stick, "Is a Mystic Code granted to me by Zelretch himself. With it, for a temporary amount of time, I'll be supercharged enough to actively engage a Servant in combat as a ranged attack magus. I didn't use it against Archer because it would've been a waste of time and energy. This is only going to be used against Saber."
Dr. Romani looked at the stick with a bit of envy. "I see. How rare it is for such a thing to be given away so freely. Though having more firepower is never a bad thing, especially where you are right now."
"Indeed. Now if that's all, we have to get going. We're almost done examining the anomalies before we take on Saber." Olga Marie said with a bit of pride in her voice that their mis-matched team got so far, even with how angry she still was at Hakuno for the suicidal stunt he pulled earlier.
"Understood. Chaldea Command, Signing Off." Dr. Romani stated before cutting the connection.
With that out of the way, she looked at Zelretch. "How much further to the next one? I want to get this over with." She asked, true and utter exhaustion apparent in how she let her shoulders down and a haggard look came across her face while slumping forward in posture.
Zelretch pointed northwest of their current location. "About five minutes that way and I can take the one for Berserker on by myself."
"Then let's go. I've had enough of this."
The awkward silence would cling heavily to all of them for the entire walk there.
Emiya Residence
Five Minutes Later
Just as Zelretch had stated, the Emiya residence that held the master of Saber was not that far away. It was a relief for the rest of the group as it meant that they would not have to fight Archer again and with the Residential District clear of minor enemies, there wasn't any resistance getting there.
The Emiya Residence was more like another mansion, but just done in a typical Japanese architecture mix of modern and ancient times. Of the three actual residences they had visited so far, it was the only one that looked purely Japanese. Everyone noted that there was a minor ward tied to the house, but with the owner gone it didn't do anything to them so they ignored it.
Hakuno had to hold back his compulsion to follow proper Japanese etiquette of removing his shoes and taking a pair of house slippers before going inside as everyone else ambled forward with no hesitation. Fou had the courtesy at least of wiping his paws against an entryway carpet before entering though after jumping out of his arms to feel the place out himself.
The Master could only shake his head at the lack of respect the Magus community at large had for customs that were not their own.
Upon entering the main dining area, they were already face to face with the anomaly. Zelretch wasted no time in absorbing it as soon as everyone was in the room since they had even less time now than before with Archer liable to come back at any given point and more than willing to murder them upfront or snipe them from afar.
In the memory
The Emiya household was fairly modern, compared to the usual magus household. It was shown when the obvious Master came in wearing a track jacket with a long sleeved shirt, jeans and sneakers that were of common make. The magus community at large had inflated egos that told them they had to at least have upper class clothing to show off how much better they were than others. Strangely enough, despite his obvious Japanese look his hair was a spiky burnt orange and his eyes an odd golden brown color. His Servant, however, was somewhat unexpected to most.
Hakuno already had a slight inkling as to who the mysterious Saber of this Holy Grail War was. His hints had not been given in his time in Fuyuki, but rather back in the Moon Cell, where his Archer who went Nameless, Lancer Cu Chulainn and several others discussed previous fights that they had once participated in. Their memories all pointed to Fuyuki City and there had been only one Saber in both.
Her appearance was that of a petite and somewhat dainty woman. Her golden blonde hair done up in a styled bun, her bangs parted on either side of her face with one ahoge sticking up to ruin the perfectionist vibe that it gave off. Her green eyes spoke of a deep wisdom that was found only in a life of blood and hardship even if her clothing was more modern fair consisting of a button up dress shirt with a blue ribbon tie, long blue skirt, black tights and brown boots.
The two were sitting in the traditional Japanese seiza style, folding their legs underneath their knees while sitting on a pillow so as to not strain their legs and were eating dinner that her Master had made.
By the number of plates sitting next to the Saber Servant, she was a voracious eater.
"Saber, you should save some for Tohsaka. She said she wanted to drop by tonight to discuss strategy. I have a bad feeling that this war is about to escalate beyond what that priest can contain and if we want to make sure to save everyone, you shouldn't gorge yourself." He chided, though more so he seemed worried that there wouldn't be any food left for others rather than being serious about how much she was eating.
Olga Marie gave a silent snort at hearing a Master wanting to save civilians. They were more often than not collateral damage in any Holy Grail War. One could no more save everyone than they could contain a tsunami. She already knew this Master was not a proper Magus.
"Hunger is the enemy, Shirou. You know that." Saber replied simply, nonplused at the look of despair he gave her. As they continued eating, eventually Saber finally set aside her chopsticks and looked towards her Master.
"Do you think we'll really be able to win? To save everyone we can?" she asked.
Her master looked at her straight in the eyes with a serious look on his face. "I swore to my father I'd take up his dream of being a Hero of Justice. I won't let it falter now. I don't like the thought of killing others just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The way he spoke of this made it seem like he had a particular example in mind with that statement.
"Your scuffle with Caster was a valuable lesson, albeit with a high price attached to it." Saber pushed forward.
With that statement, everyone looked at the hooded Servant who just shrugged his shoulders. "Technically he was dead. He hadn't been a Master at the time, he saw me and Archer fighting and per obligation I killed him. Quick thrust of the butt of my staff through his heart. He survived and I tried to kill him again via frying him to a crisp when Saber interfered." He explained.
"How does someone survive having their heart ripped out?!" Olga Marie shouted with frustration, tugging at her hair with how nothing was going right in so many ways. It seemed as if people couldn't even have the dignity to die properly when they were killed.
"Archer's Master apparently saved him if their Alliance means anything." Caster guessed.
Saber's Master had stayed silent the entire time, rubbing at his chest area where his heart would be. "Well ever since I summoned you he's left us and everyone else well enough alone."
"Caster Class Servants don't do well in straight up fights Shirou. Chances are, he is preparing a fighting arena to lure us to that would be to his advantage." Saber explained.
"Well that's true and – hey, did you just eat another two bowls when I wasn't looking?!" Shirou shouted at her.
"I have no idea what you mean." Saber denied, despite there being clear evidence of two extra empty bowls of food stacked on top of the previous set seen earlier.
"Ugh…well, at least there's enough for one." Shirou muttered as he stood up, only to fall right back on his knees, a look of pure pain on his face as his left arm seemed to heat up out of nowhere, steam literally coming out of the pores of his skin.
"Shirou!" Saber shouted, her dress immediately becoming replaced with an elegant set of armor with a blue color scheme in the dress underneath. In her hands, a golden sword glowed, one that spoke of holy power and hope.
"That sword…the Heroic Spirit in me knows that sword. It is very familiar." Mash noted, causing Hakuno to look at her shield with a more critical glance now. If the Heroic Spirit knew the Holy Sword, it cut down the possibilities to a dozen and reduced it further still by the known users of weapons in that group.
The magic circuits on the left side of his body were now visible, uncaring of the fact that Shirou's face was grimacing in pain before a look of calm acceptance came over him out of nowhere. So sudden was the change that Saber hesitated in reaching out to him.
"So, this is thine body of mine. Adequate for thy purpose. A mind so focused…so full of blades. Surely this body is made of swords." Shirou spoke, though his voice tremored and sounded lower…older than what he actually was.
"Who are you? What have you done with Shirou?!" Saber demanded, pointing her blade at her possessed Master.
"Just a blacksmith, who has been called to forge a blade." The possessed Shirou stated simply as a circle of fire erupted around him.
"It seems as though our conversation has come to an end. A shame, for such a beautiful sword is something I would dearly love to explore myself."
Before she could retort, the circle of fire turned into a pillar of flame, consuming the young man before being snuffed out as if it never existed in the first place, no trace of a fire even having been there was seen.
"Shirou!" Saber shouted in despair as she fell onto her knees, a haunted look on her face.
"Again…I failed again…Irisviel…Shirou…" The proud Knight Maiden intoned with her voice coming out as equally hollow as her eyes looked.
"If you feel like you failed…perhaps I can be of assistance?" A cultured voice spoke out of nowhere.
"That voice…I know that voice." Olga Marie stated right as the memory ended.
"Wait! That was Lev! Please, can't it go any further?!" She cried out, looking at Zelretch with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but no. Though if that was Lev Lainur, he has a lot of explaining to do." Zelretch stated with a cold look on his face.
"H-huh?" The heartbroken Director was confused at why the Wizard Marshal looked so angry.
"Think about it. If that was him, then this was BEFORE the fire started that turned this city into a necropolis. Saber had been tainted by something or someone and this is damning evidence as to who was the most likely culprit." Hakuno rationally pointed out.
Olga Marie shook her head in denial. "No…no that isn't true. That isn't Lev at all. He's the reason why Chaldea got to where it was now. All of our equipment, theories, even the base location…all of it was done by him. Why would he want to undo his work like this?" she argued.
"When you take out what is impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Zelretch spoke with certainty.
"No…NO. We are going to beat Saber and find out the real truth. I refuse to believe this theory unless he says it himself!" Olga Marie steadfastly kept to her own theory.
"We will find out soon enough regardless. It's time for us to split ways. Go west for about ten minutes. There's a temple there as a landmark. Right behind it, go north for another twenty minutes and you'll reach Saber's cave lair."
Having said his piece, Zelretch walked to a nearby sliding door and opened it before looking northeast, where deep in the forests, a nearby European style castle-like home stood peeking out from the forest of trees.
"I have to finish this…"
Looking behind him, he saw Mash gently escorting out the still in denial Olga Marie while Hakuno and Caster shot each other a look of understanding as to what was going to happen next.
"Nobody gets away with ruining the Kaleidoscope."
A/N: Well…this story has blown away all my expectations.
As of writing this, I'm just a few views shy of 7,000 with also just a few people shy of 200 follows and 170 favorites. In two months!
I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Onto brass tacks though. I can already hear the mass cries of voices in the air once they've read about a third of this chapter.
"CLZ, NO!" They cry out.
CLZ, YES. I am going there.
Several people complained about Olga Marie and Mash being glorified Cheerleaders for the last few chapters. That's because they kind of are. Even in the OVA Caster Cu basically stole the show because he was the most competent of the bunch and everyone else kind of stood there like a lump.
I, on the other hand, am going to give these two a more proper and epic role in the upcoming fight. Mostly because the next three chapters will be nothing BUT fights. The small little scuffles will now give way to larger scale duels. So now Olga Marie has every reason to get in there rather than staying behind a small rune shield that would have broken from a single tap of Saber Alter's sword.
Even if it is at the cost of whatever sanity she has remaining because the call of the Magical Girl is strong in her.
Lastly and this is something I've been somewhat hesitant on. We all know that Fate started out as an eroge. In just about almost every spin-off, its roots show in one way or another. (Looking at you Prisma Illya M-rated lesbian kiss scenes from ten year old lolis.)
There will be lemons in this. HOWEVER, would you all prefer that on this website I keep to the central story and post the lemons on an alternate website, such as Archive of Our Own?
Or should I charge ahead and keep the entire story intact and you see Hakuno in bed with a bevy of beauties? Cause the first one is coming up soon!
Leave reviews explaining your choice. No flames please! Just constructive criticism!
Also I don't own the Fate Series. It belongs to Type-Moon, Nasu and all those other good people that help make it grow strong!