On the Precipice Between Worlds. Chp. 4
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Wordcount: 2500
Commissioned by Marteddu
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Daunting.
If there was any word Fate would use to describe the prison, it would be daunting.
"Nanoha!"
"I see it!" The walls rumbled all around them. Bricks came to life, aglow with magical symbols, and came together into constructs that sped towards them. Sheer speed and mass worked together to form guided projectiles which incessantly pursued them, and if they did not break them with precision, or annihilate them completely, they faced faster, sharpened shards of rock. "Get down!"
Fate allowed herself to fall forward, catching herself with one hand, while she held Bardiche in the other.
While she had the skill to swiftly dispatch each creature, disrupting the system of each magical brick that made up the swarming construct, Nanoha's attacks were far more effective.
The long, winding halls that they were traversing nullified their advantage in maneuverability and speed, but it made the defenses easier targets for Nanoha's attacks, especially as they weren't particularly durable.
Fate arose after beam above her ceased to exist, but it was only so that she could charge forward, and access more rooms, before the hall ahead of them filled up with more foes. She trusted Nanoha to hold back those pursuing them from the rear, while she searched another set of rooms, cutting apart doors with Bardiche and scanning each room they encountered.
It was a testament to their skill and teamwork that they already searched half of the small prison in fifteen minutes, but Fate knew that they had to make things go more quickly.
Because, while the constructs were troubling, the others chasing after them were individuals they didn't wish to face.
"Sir, the anomaly has increased its pace to a run. I estimate that it will reach us in five minutes." Five mages from their current world were chasing them. Four gave off magical signatures that were equal to a cadet of the TSAB, but given the amplification and refinement of the magic involved in their current society, the four were most likely far more powerful than their signatures gave out. Fate estimated them to at be capable of fighting on par with her and Nanoha. However, against four equal foes, she was more than willing to take the risk with Nanoha beside her, so the only reason for their haste was the fifth signature. "It has sent us another message through tachyon manipulation. It reads as such: apologies, TSAB officers, but I'm getting quite tired of being yelled at! So, hurry up, lest I catch you!"
Zelretch was the name of the sender, and the being had been sending them messages through their Devices from the moment they arrived. That alone would be frightening, but that wasn't all. He'd done so, switched them back to respective rooms and back in an instant, and told them to hurry along before he evicted them forcibly from the dimension under his protection.
Without a doubt, Fate knew that she and Nanoha were facing off against a being of immense power, strength, and skill, who they could only avoid, and so she hastened her search after finding yet another six, empty rooms.
"Fate!" Nanoha yelled after her in surprise, but Fate simply continued forward.
"I'll be fine! Just keep up!" Speed and skill. While Nanoha had strength and endurance to spare, Fate trusted in the practice she invested heavily into refining her agility and dexterity. She couldn't do the same as Nanoha in dire situations, simply calling for immense amounts of power and piercing through it with immense force. Yet, here and now, that was an asset. "I'll be going through all of it!"
Though she knew that Nanoha would approve of her plan, as she leaned forward with Bardiche at the ready, she didn't at all expect how that approval would be expressed, until she heard the click of a cartridge being expended.
"Fate… I'm clearing you a path!" Fate barely had a moment to comprehend the words, as in the corner of her eye she saw Nanoha hold her device aloft, and that barely granted her the time to invest all excess power she had towards her Jacket "Raising Heart… WIDE BURST!"
Fate knew that she should've expected such recklessness from her partner, after all the years they spent together, but even now she was stunned by the simple, but elegant way Nanoha approached using immense power.
If their opponents couldn't withstand their attacks, and the Jackets could, why not simply use an attack that can wipe out as many of their foes as possible?
Raising Hearts attack came forth as a wave of energy that scorched the walls, but funneled itself through the halls a solid disc of pure, white power. While Fate withstood it with a grunt, feeling the drain upon her Linker Core as her protections sapped her energy, the incessant waves of constructs coming after them could not do the same.
They either burned away into nothing, or their surfaces were utterly scorched and destroyed the magic compelling them, and with that Fate found her path forward cleared.
If more than a little scorched.
However, since the attack went both ways…
Bardiche chimed in just as the thought reached her.
"The signals are speeding up, sire. Oh, and a message for Nanoha-san has been sent. It reads: you best hurry! My colleagues didn't like that at all, even though I found it rather fun!" Fate took the news in stride, as she gathered her power, and surged forward. She expected Nanoha to follow her and try to match her speed instead of covering their rear, but she was surprised as her friend lagged behind, still following her but far slower than she ought.
"Nanoha!"
"I'll hold them off for a bit! Don't worry, I'll make sure to get to you quick, so we can get away fast!"
Fate wanted to argue with her friend, but knew better.
Given the cheer in Nanoha's voice, she knew that would be a waste of time.
It was better to quickly find Emiya Shirou quickly and evacuate.
…
The state of the cell room was deplorable. It was composed mostly of brick, had no bed, and reeked of blood. The sole source of light within it came from the dimly lit hallways, through a single grate which could only be opened from the outside. Those imprisoned within the cell would be chained to the wall, held up by their wrists, as they felt the bruises upon their body ache their only companion would be a darkness so deep that they wouldn't be able to see their own hand, if they were not shackled.
After seeing one such cell, Fate felt fear for the ally they sought, but when she opened the door and as the light streamed into the room behind her… she met the golden gaze of Emiya Shirou, undaunted, and unbroken.
And, she found herself surprised by the words that came forth from his mouth the moment their eyes met.
"If you kill me, you'll prevent conflict against the Clocktower. They'll understand you, and fear you less, if you do." If Fate hadn't steeled herself for battle, the words would've shaken her. Instead her mind thought of the situation at hand, broke it down, and evaluated it, while she undid the restraints of her ally and caught him before he could fall. Bruises covered every inch of his body, and he was permitted no clothes. However, despite the state of his body, his mind remained sharp. "If you rescue me, you'll fight against the Clocktower. That—
"We'll take our chances, especially if it means securing an ally like you." Fate took note of his ability to walk quickly, while creating a counter-argument, and taking into account the situation at hand. Given the actions of the Clocktower, how they cared so much about secrecy, she was sure that if she carried him, they'll target him without mercy as they retreated. Unfortunately, combat healing wasn't her specialty, and all the field techniques she knew for healing would take time they didn't have. "You acted on behalf of people under our protection. You risked your life, not only against your enemies, but against your allies for the sake of innocent lives. That makes you an ally the TSAB needs. An ally we'll protect."
Fate stepped in the hallway, and panicked for a second as she felt Shirou Emiya weaken in his grip over her shoulder. However, her heart calmed, as she saw a small smile of relief on his face, as though an incredible burden was lifted from his shoulders. Despite being battered and bruised, he looked tranquil while needing help just to remain standing.
"Heh, and Archer said trying to be a hero would just get me killed… I guess he didn't think about people like you, Testarossa-san." Fate took note of the melancholy that flitted across Shirou Emiya's eyes for a second. It was look of sorrow, hemmed at all sides by determination, but it faded before he met her gaze again. "I'll help you as much as I can. There's nothing you need to get for me. Take me with you away from this place as fast as you can."
Fate felt a measure of relief at those words, discarding plans running in her mind regarding how to influence her new ally in the middle of battle. Needless to say, she was pleased in the fact she didn't have to knock out a man who's been thoroughly beaten and held captive, so that she could steal him away unhindered.
The moment she finished those thoughts, Nanoha crashed into the hallway's floor, creating a massive crater as she gouged the ground stopping herself with Raising Heart.
Fate checked immediately, to see if the Zelretch was present, but found their feared anomaly to be at least a minute away.
"Return Emiya to his cell, and return to your world, or die." The words uttered were spoken with complete confidence. Fate took stock of the woman before her, who had a metal glove in her right hand and a whip oozing with power in her left, and was clad in clothes befitting an aristocrat on horseback in beige and brown. Her booted heel, however, cracked brick as she stepped forward. "Agents of the TSAB… know that my authority in the Clocktower is absolute!"
Fate considered answering her question, until she realized that the other four signatures of the party they were trying to avoid was still approaching.
Despite the woman's flamboyance, pride, and declaration, she was still buying time for her allies to arrive.
So, Fate provided a different answer, by turning herself and Emiya towards the mage, with Bardiche abuzz with power and aimed from her hip.
"Bardiche, suppression!"
"Sir!"
Wounding or permanent harm was out of the question, as they were doing enough to harm relations already, so Fate decided that the best course of action was to reach Nanoha as quickly as possible.
"Tch! Miscreant!" Fate rushed for Nanoha, and Nanoha rushed for her, but instead of avoiding the flurry of magical bolds she found her opponent enduring it with a shield of air cast from her metal glove. Then, her instinct told her to step back, and she did so as their foe swung her riding whip. Where she would've been a second ago suddenly became occupied by a blade of wind that cut through brick with ease. "You've chosen poorly!"
Fate felt that she could've endured the attack with her Jacket, but Emiya would've surely died.
For a split-second, she debated on rushing forward, and hoping for the best, or finding a safer way to get to Nanoha… until the victim she was protecting spoke two words.
"Trace on!" There was a brief, utter phrase, and then came forth a blooming flower petal composed of power that took up the entire hallway. In an instant, invisible version of the air blade smashed into it, making it crack and wither, even as it began to steadily fade away due to lack of power. However, even as blood seeped out of his nose and pallor began to overtake him, Emiya met her gaze and commanded her out of her surprise. "Go, now!"
She moved out of instinct born of training, invoked by her ally, and so did Nanoha.
Their hands reached one another, their Linker Cores supported one another with casual ease, and the magic began to overtake them and their passenger.
As they fell back into their own world, and the gate closed behind them, Fate met the gaze of an elderly man with blood-red eyes as he turned the corner of the hall.
For a split second, the gate ceased to close, until the elderly gentleman oozing power winked at her… and it shut with greater speed.
She was aware of many things, of being back in the TSAB lab, Nanoha's flustered state, and of Yuuno's sudden barrage of questions.
However, the majority of her consciousness was overtaken by the sharp bark of laughter that came from the bleeding, bruised man she was helping stand.
"Dammit, Zelretch… this was your plan all along wasn't it?"
Fate was surprised for a second… until Emiya promptly threw up and sagged into unconsciousness.
While the mission was a success, it seemed as though their questions would have to wait.
…
Fate expected at least an evening before speaking to Emiya Shirou again.
Instead she found him at her desk, after she gave her report and got reprimanded alongside Hayate, Nanoha, and Yuuno.
Bandages covered him, but what she could see of his body was healthy… despite the fact that the doctors told her it would be a day before he could stand up again.
"I'm still hurt, but there's things that need to be done. I'll return to the infirmary after this." He answered her unasked question, while steadily writing away on one of her spare notebooks. She knew her computer password by heart, and didn't have it on a note next to her screen, but she had a feeling he wouldn't have tried. "I know that I need to rest, recuperate, and get my bearings, but there's many things that you can all do to save as many people as possible."
Fate didn't say anything for a second, allowing the familiar feeling of surprise at the actions of her newfound ally to fade away first, but the words she found herself settling on were the same ones she wanted to say the moment she heard his explanation.
"Thank you, Emiya-san. We won't let you down. We'll save everyone."
Her words made him pause for a second, before he met her gaze with the same, relieved smile he had since she told him why she rescued him.
"I know you will. You're good people. Heroes… good ones that I'm lucky to work with."
For some reason, the smile made her heart ache, but in the end, Fate decided to simply lock the doors and take the seat in front of her desk.
She let the stress of the day flow out of her, while listening to the sound of pen on paper.