Kariya hated the magus world.
Scratch that he despised it.
In an alleyway of Fuyuki City, Berserker and Brador were currently exchanging blows. Every blow that one inflicted on the other shook the buildings surrounding them. Their glee was evident as Brador laughed like a madman while Berserker howled into the night.
Dodging under a swipe of the Bloodletter, Lancelot responded with a swipe of his transformed pipe with the intent of smashing Brador's ribs. Dodging away from the strike the assassin smashed his Bloodletter into the floor. For a second nothing happened until the floor rumbled as multiple bloody jagged spikes erupted from the floor, trying to impale the black knight.
Howling he slammed both his pipes hard onto the floor, shattering from the force. The ensuing shockwave destroyed any frenzied spikes that Brador had produced, the remains showering the air. Not letting up the assault, Berserker grabbed the shards of frenzy, turning them into makeshift daggers, and released a barrage of them at Brador.
Laughing wildly, Brador destroyed the mini Noble Phantasms with a downward smash of his mace. He didn't expect to enjoy the match as he was enjoying it now. "More, more, MORE!" He exclaimed as he stared at his opponent with respect. Finally, a worthy opponent!
"Show me more!" He asked before settling into a javelin-throwing stance and launching the Bloodletter like a missile. Running at the assassin, Berserker slid under the projectile, letting the mace spear shatter the ground behind him, and readying his next attack to which Brador was readying as well.
Their fists meeting the cheek of their opponent's face.
Berserker's shadowy fist slamming into Brador's cheek, breaking some teeth.
Brador's fist punching Berserker's helmet, cracking a bit of the armor.
Both opponents were so caught up in their bloodlust that they had just resorted to punching each other in the face, waiting to see who was going to fall in the end.
For Kariya, each second was a living nightmare.
Each punch that Berserker received was a punch to him as the crest worms worked overtime in trying to provide magical energy to the crazed knight. Having just recovered from supplying Berserker at the docks, he had to suffer more now Berserker had lost all restraint.
Collapsing on the ground, Kariya leaned against the wall trying to control his breathing. It seems that the worms' toll had first been taken on his legs, for he could no longer muster the energy to move; allowing them to shake uncontrollably from the abuse. Feeling blood trickle down his mouth, Kariya felt like he was in the middle of a fervent dream. It was starting to be difficult for Kariya to focus on the battle that his servant was fighting.
Yeah, his servant.
Why?
Why did he join in the first place?
"Kariya," A soft spoken voice called out to him.
There Kariya no longer found himself at the alleyway. The night had given way to the sun as he found himself back overlooking the Fuyuki sunset. On his right was the women he adored.
Aoi Zenjou, his childhood friend that he loved above all else.
"You daydreaming again Kariya?"
"A-Ah yeah sorry," He didn't know how to respond to the sudden events unfolding. Her giggling response elevated his heartbeat to new heights. Yes, this was the women he loved.
The clash of metal colliding with brick snapped him back to reality as he witnessed Berserker slamming into a wall. Escaping the rubble, he tried to fight back but his movements were getting more sluggish as he tried to dodge Brador's strikes, with some success. However, Kariya knew that Berserker could not keep up with Brador's stamina.
Lancelot was running out of mana.
More specifically, he could not handle Lancelot's demands of magical energy.
"More." He muttered under his breath as he placed a hand over his heart. "More, more, more!" He muttered to himself as he forced the worms to consume more of his body, starting to now feast on important organs. He cared not for the consequences of his actions.
Because for Aoi he would give anything.
Even his life.
As Berserker became stronger from his master's self-sacrificing, now striking with twice the force. Kariya now knew he was dying as hallucinations of the past begun blending in with reality. He had to stifle a laugh at the notion of "your life flashing before your eyes" as it was becoming true for him right now.
"I'm sorry," He wailed as visions of the past were brought up, lamenting at what he had thrown away. Tears now trailing down his face.
When he finally realized the feelings he held for Aoi.
"I'm sorry," He repeated.
When they would spend the day blissfully together, without the worries of a magus life.
When he would treat her to her favorite ice cream, how her face lit up when she ate her ice cream cone.
"I'm sorry."
When he didn't try to convince Aoi to run away with him when he announced he was leaving the Matou family.
When he didn't say anything when Aoi announced her wedding to Tokiomi.
"I'm sorry," It was beginning harder to stay awake now.
When he noticed the bruises that Aoi had tried to hide when he spoke with her and said nothing about them.
When he couldn't protect Sakura from his grandfather.
"Dammit, dammit!" He cursed under his breath as the pain was becoming unbearable now. Maybe he should stop now, the women of his dreams no longer in his reach. "No!" He denied as he clenched his fist, gaining the resolve to continue. All that mattered was that she was happy and if delivering Sakura free from his family's grasp would make her happy then he would sacrifice himself for that.
However, fate was not on his side today as the crest worms in his body could no longer supply Berserker with magic energy.
With a pained howl Berserker dissolved into a smoke of darkness, for he could no longer fight and had to revert back into spirit form so that he would not materialize back to the Throne.
However, that left Kariya defenseless.
Sighing in disappointment at having his fight interrupted, Brador walked up to the dying Kariya. "Well, well looks like you'll be the first to die tonight Kariya." Preparing to deliver the finishing blow, he raised the Bloodletter above his head.
"No, no, no," Even in his near dead state Kariya was still fighting. "Not like this!"
Until the sound of a trashcan falling over saved him.
Both of them looked up to see two girls staring at them, panting as if they had been running from something. For Brador they looked like a regular pair for sisters, but for Kariya...
It was Rin and Sakura.
They were clearly not Aoi's daughters but in his deluded state he had identified the children as them, no longer able to make a distinction between past and reality. Hearing Brador click his tongue he looked up and saw Brador's fist tighten around his weapon.
He was going to kill them!
Gathering up the last vestiges of strength Kariya stood up and socked the assassin in the face. Stumbling around from punching the assassin in the face, he saw that Brador was undeterred from the punch. Looking back at the trembling children Kariya made a choice.
While Brador charged the children.
Kariya threw himself in front of them, not caring if his mind had failed to tell him that they were not Rin and Sakura.
"Aoi I'm sorry," He lamented one last time as he closed his eyes, expecting the spikes of the Bloodletter to pierce him.
He was not expecting a punch to the gut however.
Collapsing to the ground, Kariya looked up at Brador as he was losing consciousness. Kneeling before him, Brador offered him a sincere smile that he would've never thought possible from the previous bloodlust he exhibited.
"Looks like Caster was right about you, sleep well because soon you'll face the big man himself next." Was all heard before darkness took him.
The moment that it had been revealed that Caster's forces had infiltrated his household, so too had the alarms in his workshop activate.
Rushing to his workshop, with Kirei on his right and Gilgamesh behind them killing any of the hunters that had gotten in the household, Tokiomi prayed that nothing bad had befallen his family.
It seems that his prayers were answered as he entered the workshop, seeing the defensive boundary field protecting his beloved.
Well half-answered as he saw that Rin was nowhere with her mother.
"Oh Tokiomi!" Aoi cried as she collapsed onto him, catching her last second as tears drenched his coat. "They took her! O God they took her Tokiomi!"
Their daughter being kidnapped was not good news as he told Kirei to order Assassin to search the household. Consoling his wife, he assured her that Rin would be returned unharmed. "Then what about Sakura!? She's in danger too!"
While Tokiomi loved his wife very dearly, she did not share the same views as him when it came to the magus lifestyle. No family could raise two magi, it could be only be one, and Rin was both older and held more potential than her sister. He loved both his children dearly but Sakura had a gift for magecraft and he would not allow it to go to waste. Shouldn't his wife be happier? That her child was going to be a great magus one day.
"The Matous will take care of her," Was all he said before leaving the workshop. He knew that they would be having another argument, similar to the time when he decided to give away Sakura to the Matou family. However, he was the man of the house and at the end of the day his word was law. If push came to shove, he wouldn't hesitate in teaching Aoi a lesson.
"Kirei report" Chanting a quick spell to dry off Aoi's tears on his coat, he hoped that Kirei had something for him.
"Yes, my master, one of the Assassins has located a sizeable group trying to escape the house. One of them is holding a bag that is big enough to hold Rin. They are escaping to the roof of the house."
"Then what are we waiting for? There are rodents to eradicate, believing they can enter into my domain without permission." Gilgamesh entered the scene, a still struggling Yahar'gul hunter being dragged by a chain. Looking down on the feeble hunter, he tightened the chain to choke the hunter to death.
However even from the King's watch a lone Yahar'gul hunter had been watching in the shadows. Relaying the confirmation that they had taken the bait, they moved on to phase 2.
"Inform the nurse that she'll be having visitors very soon."
The rooftop of the Toshaka Mansion was nothing special, it was just a plain roof that the Tohsaka family used whenever they needed to train their magic that might possibly damage the roof.
It was up there that the kidnapping group broke open the door. Four Yahar'gul hunters and one Yahar'gul Snatcher quickly moved through the door. "Dammit, dammit," One of the hunters muttered as he and another quickly barred the door from entry. Such a tactic was useless as an explosion blew both them and door to ash as Gilgamesh and Tokiomi walked in.
The other two hunters looked at each other and nodding at the same conclusion they had arrived at before rushing the servant.
"Mongrels," Was all the King said as he shot two more swords from his gates to which the hunters didn't even try to dodge from. It was suspicious that they weren't even trying to put a fight, almost like that they had a plan in place. Whatever it was, Gilgamesh pushed such thoughts from his mind as he summoned a set of chains to ensnare the Snatcher, dropping his satchel.
Emerging from the depths of the satchel, Rin started to run to her father, who was at the other side of the roof. "Daddy!" She cried.
It was only when she was halfway that everything went wrong.
Specifically, when Gilgamesh started to hear a lullaby
Not just any lullaby, it was one that he knew very well.
It was a Sumerian lullaby.
Rin's happy cries were cut short as a shadow dropped in right on her, covering her with its shade form. The wraith was covered by a black cloak, tattered wings that emphasized the grim reaper look that the shade had. Standing from its kneeling position, the shade lifted up its head to look upon its visitors.
Only for the head of the shade to be invisible, the only indication of the head being there was the shawl that adorned it head. Standing up to its towering height, the shade revealed its multiple scythe arms menacingly.
This was Mergo's Wet Nurse, a shade that took care of infant Great Ones.
Gilgamesh could feel Rin's life force still beating within the shade's cloak. He could also feel the divinity rolling off of the shade. "So, Caster sends a worthy mongrel after me."
" Oh, were the previous Yahar'guls not to your liking oh King of Heroes?" The Wet Nurse's raspy voice resonated throughout the roof.
"Hmph and what challenge would regular humans give me, The King that stands above all else?" He challenged.
The Nurse laughed, though it sounded more sinister than amusing, as it stared at the King. "You belittle humanity O great king," She mocked before throwing two arms up in the air, a purple ball of shadows gathering up. Letting its arms drop the shadowy ball dispersed and covered the entire roof.
"You think humanity is weak," Its voice echoed as the shade disappeared into the darkness, its presence now seemed to be everywhere now.
"I shall teach you how essential humanity truly is in your tale, King of Uruk ," The shade taunted as the smoke dispersed as Gilgamesh found himself standing in a place that he never thought he would see again.
No longer was he standing on the pale stone tiles of the Tohsaka Mansion
Now he found himself standing in his throne room back at Uruk, the chiseled walls that made his throne room illuminated by torches. Looking everywhere it was the same as he had remembered it. The fine tapestries that lined the walls, the fine red carpet that lead up to the throne, and the lights of his city still being magnificent past the balconies of his castle.
"For who is Gilgamesh without Enkidu?" Hearing the voice near him, he turned his head toward the exit, expecting to see the towering shade. He was not ready to see his only friend standing by the doorway instead.
It was not the same Enkidu that he had grown to cherish.
No longer was it the same flawless green haired clay being that he loved. Now it was a mockery of them that stood before him.
"You dare mock me with this!"
"Mock you, no we wish to enlighten you," From the fake Enkidu, the Wet Nurse spoke. The bastardized version of the clay being was nothing like Enkidu. Flawless skin was now chipped, blackened. Their once white sclera was now a black void with the only contrast being their turquoise pupils. Smoke billowed out of their mouth whenever they spoke to him. The only thing that remained the same was their long green hair, though he wished that wasn't the only thing that remained the same.
"For without humanity this would be the Enkidu you would have faced."
Tensing his fist, Gilgamesh tried to deny the facts that the Wet Nurse was present him. "No" he thought.
"Oh yes, for without the kind soul of Shamhat to teach Enkidu what it meant to be human then the beast you see before you would've been used for what he was created for, your greatest opponent; not your greatest friend"
No!
No!
NO!
"I refuse to believe that!" He roared as he activated the full might of Gates. Swords, lances, axes, and many more joined his side as he launched them all at the abomination that stood before him
He would not acknowledge the fact that this was the Enkidu that he would meet if it wasn't for humanity. He had always thought that Enkidu was who they were because of him, not humanity. For in his eyes, humanity was feeble. What worth was there to be found in their insignificant lives?
And done! Chapter 6 is done! To be honest I wrote this pretty fast as I was struck by this bolt of inspiration to write this chapter. Next chapter involves Rider's and Lancer's battles. After that will be Saber's and Kiritsugu's battle.
I wanted Gilgamesh to undergo this change, that all characters will go through, and the only path I saw was his eventual change from his archer to caster form. Hence the Enkidu appearance (don't worry other fate characters relevant to other servants will appear)
Welp that's it for now and as always...
May the Cosmos shine in your favor this day!