I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the other fandoms. This work was inspired by the fanfiction Fate: Zero Sense.
"Here." Assassin and Hotaru stood in an alley not far from the church. Assassin had just handed the latter a water bottle. Hotaru took it gratefully.
"Is it true?" she murmured. "Has this thing really been using up my lifespan?" She seemed to have deflated, and her hair and eyes were normal once again.
"I believe so." Assassin took out the hook. "This object radiates energy. However, you are the energy supplier, and the only way to get this energy is through the lifespan." Hotaru's bottom light began to tremble. In a feeble attempt to get the girl to feel better, the servant tore a strip from her dress and wrapped it around her bleeding ear. "Here."
"Thank you." Hotaru sniffled and put a hand up to her ear. Her hand came back red with blood.
"Tell me your connection to Caster." Assassin put away the hook and stared at Hotaru in the eyes. "Why did you fight for her?"
"So..." she began. " a month ago, my family and I moved here. I was actually super happy here- I made friends, and our new apartment was cool. Then, a bit later, it happened. We were all out in the beach late at night. That is, my mother, my father, and my older sister. It was really nice out. The weather was warm but there was a slight breeze. So when my sister and I were playing with a frisbee, the wind blew it away. "
"I'm not sure I follow," admitted Assassin.
"Well, after that, I had to go get the frisbee. Hakuno-"
"Hakuno?" interrupted Assassin, a glimpse of confusion in her yellow eyes. "Your sister?"
"Yes," said Hotaru, looking down at her lap and refusing to meet the servant's eyes. "Hanuko said since I couldn't catch it, I had to get it. So I went reluctantly. The frisbee kept blowing a bit away, and I was really frustrated. Then Caster picked it up. I asked for it back, and she gave me a warning. She said, 'Your family has been murdered while you were away. I can give you the power to avenge them.' I didn't believe her, of course, but asked that she follow me. She obliged, and sure enough, when I got back, my family were drowning in pools of their own blood." The bottle in Hotaru's hand crinkled, and water shot up, drenching her face, making the tears running down her face almost invisible. "Th-they were just dead." Her body shook from sobs, and Hotaru suddenly seemed very tiny.
"You accepted her offer," filled in Assassin. "You took the earring and punched the murderers, killing them. Then, Caster took you in with a promise to take care of you. You were so winded, there was no choice but to accept. She had given you something so great that you needed to pay her back, so you attacked us and saved her." Hotaru nodded, breaking into a fresh set of sobs. "You don't have very long to live, but I can take you somewhere to stay in the meantime. I may come back to ask further questions." Assassin extended an arm, and Hotaru gladly took it. Together, they made their way out of the alley, away from the church, and somewhere safe.
(In a different hotel room than Kayneth's…)
"Master Kariya!" Berserker rushed into the room where Kariya lay on the bed, wheezing and coughing out blood. "I'm so, so sorry."
"Did you get rid of Archer, at least?" Kariya's voice was much more raspy than before, and Berserker gritted her teeth. She didn't want to tell him the news while he was in this state, but it was better than lying and telling him later on.
"No. Caster interrupted our fight, and Assassin and I joined forces to fight her." Kariya smiled grimly, and it was evident he was badly affected by the news.
"So Assassin is alive. What were the servant's powers?" Berserker thought back to the three servants she thought with/against, and the servants she encountered.
"Lancer and Saber appear to have the ability to sense other servants. They knew I was watching them. Rider seems very friendly, but I'm not sure how good that is. Archer was quick, strong, and had good reflexes, but I used Shiranui to block her attack."
"That explains the prana drain, then," said Kariya, remembering his servant's power to block any attack through the use of her fairies. However, the prana drain meant most of the time, the impenetrable defense was not worth it.
"Assassin can teleport," continued Berserker, "and her daggers change into other weapons. At least, the one I saw became a whip and a sword."
"She sounds powerful," commented Kariya. "If she teamed up with another servant, we would probably lose." Berserker was extremely powerful, owning a total of three noble phantasms (though, most likely, do to the prana drain of two of them, she would never get to use them all.) However, the other servants were probably also powerful, to the degree that a team of two could bring down the (possibly) strongest class, Berserker. "And what of Caster?"
"Caster has EX rank luck, and dodged everything we threw at her. She also appeared to have manufactured a magical item which drains away the life force in exchange for super-human powers which could take down a servant." Kariya gasped.
"If she created an army of such creatures…" Berserker nodded.
"She would be unstoppable. That is why we need to stop her." Kariya nodded in agreement. He briefly imagined Sakura coming across such a cursed object, but pushed the image out of his mind. Zouken would never let such a thing happen to the girl. He needed her, and such an object would kill her. "I suggest we-"
"Wait." Kariya stopped his servant. "The war's judge is making an announcement." Berserker's eyes widened ever so slightly. For a few seconds, the room was completely silent as Kariya watched through the eyes of a familiar. Eventually, he came back to himself, a small, grim smile gracing his lips.
"Kotomine Risei has ordered a cease-fire until Caster has been killed. The master and servant pair will be given an extra command seal." The moment Kariya had finished speaking, Berserker began.
"I assume it is because of her cursed objects." Berserker met her master's eyes. "Let us pair up with another master and servant to defeat Caster!"
"I would like to ally myself either way," admitted Kariya. "We cannot join up with Archer's, Assassin's, or, to some extent, Saber's master. That leaves only Rider and Lancer."
"I suggest Rider," said Berserker, thinking about the red haired giant. "He seems powerful and friendly enough. Together, we have a real chance." Kariya nodded in agreement.
"Do you know where they are staying?" Berserker grinned, and Kariya felt a shiver run up his back.
"Well, I don't know, but I know who does…"
Lancer knew it was a bad idea to check out a hotel room under Kayneth's true name. If they hadn't, he wouldn't be face to face with Berserker and a reluctant Kariya.
"Lancer!" she yelled.
"Y-yes?" he asked, definitely not shaking.
"We need your help in locating Rider. We will return you once we are done!"
"This is such a bad idea," moaned Kariya to no one in particular.
'Lance' chose this moment to walk in, further confusing everyone.
It took at least another half an hour to organize everyone, and Kayneth still hadn't come back. Therefore, Lancer accepted helping Kariya and Berserker locate Rider. Or rather, Berserker held a gun to his head and said if he didn't come, his brains would no longer be in his head. Laner couldn't exactly turn down an offer like that.
Anyway, Lancer hoped this whole business would wrap up soon. Berserker was unnerving, and this whole situation was just odd. After all, why ask another servant for help in the allying of themself with another servant.
"Thank you!" said Berserker when the three arrived at a small house in which Rider and Waver were staying. "Would you like to ally with us as well?" Lancer considered a polite way to say no which Berserker would not kill him for.
"I think… I hear Lance," he said weakly, backing away. Berserker sighed, and turned to the door.
"Idiot," she muttered, before knocking down the door. Kariya pulled up the hood of his sweater in order to hide his face, which should surely scare any humans living there.
"Berserker!" boomed Rider, who had came to the door with Waver. "Have you rethought my offer?" Berserker chose to ignore this comment and added her own offer:
"Let's ally up to take down Caster!" Waver gaped, staring at the servant of madness as though she was, well, crazy.
"Taking down Caster is good for both of us," explained Kariya. "If we join together, this task will be much easier." RIder turned to Waver.
"What do you think, master?" Waver's expression turned surprised, and he raised his hands in defense.
"Eh? You're asking me?" Rider laughed and hit Waver on the back.
"Of course!" Waver smiled. Rider was asking him for the decision? "I may make small choices by myself, but you should make the big choices like this!" Waver looked at Kariya and Berserker. He didn't exactly trust them, but they both had a common goal. The best choice, and the most sensible choice, would be to accept the offer.
"All right, let's become allies," said Waver, holding out a hand. Kariya took it, his face still obscured by the hood. "You probably should stay here overnight to strategize, though. Next morning, we'll set out." Berserker and Kariya nodded in agreement, and followed Waver inside.
"These are my new friends," Waver told the Mackenzies, who nodded and beckoned the two inside. "This is, um…"
"Sumi," said Berserker to Waver under her breath.
"Sumi, and this is Kariya, her older brother." Waver sighed in relief as Martha Mackenzie took Sumi by the hand and led her within whilst talking to her about such and such matters.
"Hello," said Kariya, pulling his hood evan further over his face. He didn't want these kind old people to be frightened by his appearance.
"Don't cover your face," said Glen Mackenzie kindly, moving to pull down the hood. Kariya accidently lashed out, almost hitting Glen.
"Ah, Kariya was injured in an accident, so his face is disfigured. He really doesn't like people messing with his hood." Sumi, thankfully, had come back to rescue her master. Glen shrugged.
"Very well. I apologize, Kariya." Kariya gave what might have been a nod, though it was hard to say.
"Well," said Waver eventually, hoping to break the awkward silence, "should we go upstairs?" The other three nodded, and they ascended up the building.
Caster breathed heavily as she entered an apartment building, surprising the couple and their daughter who lived there. With a touch from her, the couple was collapsed on the ground, and the daughter was staring at their bodies.
"Leave," she ordered, and the daughter shrieked before running into her room and locking the door. Caster sat down and began to count her losses.
One- Berserker, Assassin, and possibly Archer knew her powers. This was not so bad, since they didn't know their full extent, after all.
Two- Hotaru was a lost cause. This, too, was not so bad. She still had given magical sticks to plenty of other girls, and she had already collected most of her negative energy anyway. Also, if Assassin decided not to kill the girl, Hotaru might run out of her lifespan and become an administrator for Caster.
Three- Assassin might know about the secret of the sticks. If she grilled Hotaru, the girl might have told her about the unfortunate situation she found herself in and her interactions with Caster. This was bad. Really, really bad.
And finally, four- All the servants were going to try and kill her. This was the worst thing of all. Caster would need to work very hard in order to continue with her plan as scheduled. She only had enough prana for a small-scale version of her noble phantasm. In order to purify at least Fuyuki city, she needed the entire lifespan of one more person.
She grinned and made her way to the room in which the girl had run to.
"What's your name~?" she asked sweetly. "I think we're going to be great friends…"
Saber paced back and forth, annoyed. Kiritsugu had refused to attack Caster, instead choosing to set up for an attack against the master of lancer! Did the girls Caster had killed not matter to him? Was he really so heartless?
The worst part was, Saber could not evan go out and hunt for Caster, as Kiritsugu still had three command seals! The situation seemed almost hopeless for him. At least he had faith that the other servants could dispose of Caster with relative ease.
He opened a simple notebook and grabbed a pencil. If he was cooped up here anyway, the best option would be to use the time wisely.
He drew a stick figure with two lines sticking out of his head and a line in his hands. In neat Xingese, he wrote:
'Lancer.' He then began to take notes on the side. 'Uses a lance with a humanoid soul.' He paused for a moment, then continued. 'Can also sense other people. Is not strong(?)' Apparently finishing with his listing of the servant attributes, he turned to another page, and drew another stick figure with short hair.
'Archer. Has a friendly personality. Pretended to kill Assassin in one blow. Is good at lying.' Once again, he turned to another page, and began to draw a larger stick figure with a cape when his pencil broke.
"Dammit," he muttered before standing up and picking up another pencil. He really didn't know much about the servants, did he?
This time, he wrote 'Rider,' and listed a few traits:
'Powerful, friendly, cheerful.' He paused, drawing circles on the paper as he mentally scanned anything he knew about the red headed servant. He flipped a page again, drawing yet another stick figure, and donning her Caster. As he knew virtually nothing about the servant, and as she was going to die soon, he wrote only three words- 'lucky' and 'see Hotaru Ai.'
Then, there was Berserker. Judging from her fight with Archer, and then the one with Caster shortly after, she could block most attacks using the flame spirit she had summoned. Also, she appeared to be strong and fast, though she was taken out by a single punch from Hotaru Ai. Also, in a very un-Berserker like fashion, she used guns and was completely sane.
On the subject of Hotaru Ai, the girl was a conundrum. She had some relation to Caster, who had given her a magical artifact which drained the girl's lifespan. This magical artifact was, in fact, so powerful that a single punch was enhanced by it to the point one of the most powerful servants could be wiped out. Of course, Assassin might have been lying about the whole life-draining process.
Finally, there was Assassin. She must have some unknown power if she survived Archer's attack. Saber himself would have thought she was dead if not for two things: her soul had not been eradicated, and he had seen her fight alongside Berserker. She could also teleport herself and transform her daggers into weapons. Assassin was truly a worthy adversary.
Either way, all this planning would get him nowhere if he couldn't face another servant.
"Kiritsugu… I hope you know what you're doing…"
Archer stood before her master, smiling brightly. Her attitude was no longer the one she had earlier in the evening, but a cheerful, careless one.
"Assassin and I will attack Caster?" she slowly repeated, parroting the words of Tokomi. "I thought we were pretending Assassin is dead?"
"We were, but now Berserker, Caster, and potentially more servants know of her existence, due to her assistance." It was obvious from his tone of voice that Tokomi thought this was a foolish move on her part. Archer refrained from noting how she would have died if not for Assassin.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll go," said Archer with determination. "Such a crime on Caster's part cannot go unpunished!"
(Secretly, though, Tokomi was cheering on Assassin and Archer, not only because of the Grail, but because of Caster's heinous acts. When he saw one of her victims, he saw Rin, and he wished for the servant's death.)
Tomorrow morning, four servants would attack.
Caster grinned. That was plenty of time.
Next to her stood the daughter of the couple who she had purified. Her name was Emi Yatsuma, ironic considering the task before her.
"Now," whispered Caster to Emi, her face split with a devilish smile, "use your power." Emi stared at the bracelet on her wrist, decorated with a wing-shaped token. She raised her hand over her parent's dead bodies.
"Should I say the words?" asked Emi, referring to the script before her. Caster nodded and took a step back. The words were not necessary, of course, but it would help make sure her noble phantasm went smoothly. She could apply it now, so when the servants and their masters came to attack the next day, there would be no living soul in sight, excluding her pawns.
"They removed me from my position of God. (Sie haben mich aus meiner position gottes entfernt.) I won't allow it to end like this. (Ich werde nicht zulassen, dass es so endet.)" The arrow-shaped mark on Emi's wrist began to fade as her mother began to get up.
"This is my story of revenge. (Dies ist meine geschichte von rache.)" Caster picked up where Emi left off. Her eyes closed, then snapped open, revealing sperm-shaped objects seemingly attached to the pupil of the eye. "Not only that, but a story of forgiveness. (Nicht nur das, sondern eine geschichte der vergebung.) A Tempest. (Ein sturm.)" Emi collapsed on the ground, blood leaking from her mouth. Caster examined the girl. The tips of her hair were a light blue, a stark contrast to her blonde hair. Her eyes were also strange, as they were glowing and concealed an arrow symbol. However, for Caster, this was standard. What was really important could be found on her wrist.
She flipped over her right hand, and saw only a sliver of the gold mark. Caster stood up, absorbing the girl's energy.
"If you don't get up, your father is going to stay dead," she commented. Emi managed to crawl over and place one bloody hand on her father's head. The man slowly looked up and locked eyes with his dying daughter, who began to turn into black smoke. Realizing the course of action, Emi shrieked and kicked out.
"No! I can't die here! I never wanted this to happen!" However, she soon had completely vanished. Now, a black and white figure with black braids and a black dress stood by Caster.
"Tempest has begun~! I wonder if the servants will get here in time, hm, Nana?"
Servant Skill Sheet #2
Servant: Caster
Master: None, formerly Ryuunosuke Uryuu
Identity: Rei, The King
Series: Magical Girl Site
Sex: Female(?)
Strength: C
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Mana: N/A (She gains mana from the negative energy of others.)
Luck: EX
Noble Phantasm(s): EX
Class Skills:
Item Construction- The skill to manufacture magical items
A+: Rei's ability is limited to creating magical sticks, which can be used by her to gather negative energy.
Magical Resistance- Grants protection against magical spells. This ability does not merely reject prana, but cancels the spell altogether.
D: Cancels single-action spells.
Territory Creation- The skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus.
B: Creation of a workshop becomes possible.
Personal Skills:
Magical Sticks- The ability to create the artifacts known as 'magical sticks.' When used, the user's lifespan is depleted and granted to Rei in the form of prana or 'negative energy.'
A+++: Rei can easily create such objects with little prana cost and reap the benefits.
Administrator- The ability to transform the user of the magical stick into a minion who keeps their magical power and are able to use it more easily.
B+: Rei is able to transform the young girl who uses her stick too many times into an administrator, who is brainwashed and forced to do Rei's bidding.
Noble Phantasm:
Tempest: EX: (Anti-army): A Noble Phantasm with the potential to destroy all of humanity. The range depends on how much prana Rei collects from her sticks. The ritual takes up too much prana to be provided by a single person. This ability allows her to turn humanity back into its original form, (sperm,) and create a new, perfect race with no sins, destroying old humanity in the process. Only those who are, in Rei's eyes, unworthy of purification, can withstand the attack and will be hunted down by her administrators. Any powerful magus or servant are also exempt.
Omake
Emika sat back in her chair as her mother, Akito Kei, pushed her along. Her father, Akifumi Kei, stood to the side, talking on the phone about something or other.
A bell jingled as Emika and Akito entered a small shop called 'Mystic Tokens and Charms.' The store owner, a portly, kind looking woman, came out and greeted Akito.
"Oh! Is this your daughter?" The woman beamed down at Emika, who shyly smiled back. She became very conscious of the coin in her pocket, which she had planned to ask the woman about. There was nobody better suited for the job, after all. "Why don't you check out one of the sections while your mom and I talk?"
"Actually," put in Akito, "My daughter was the one who wanted to come here. She wanted you to see something she found." The coin seemed to burn through the cloth into Emika's skin, and she found herself opening her mouth and saying:
"Actually, this is okay. It's probably nothing." The woman looked suspicious, and Akito sighed. She was obviously annoyed at having to wheel her daughter all the way there. Emika felt bad about that, but she couldn't change her mind now. "Sorry, mom."
"It's okay." Akito began to push Emika outside, waving goodbye to the woman, who scowled.
"No, I think I really want to see that object." The woman grinned and grabbed Akito's arm. "I have some tea boiling, and Emika can show me her object." Akito shrugged and began to re-enter the shop.
"How do you know my name?" hissed Emika. There was something awfully suspicious about all this… And Akito had never called her daughter Emika while they were there.
"Come in!" said the woman sweetly. Akito glared at her daughter.
"Don't be rude, Emika. I probably mentioned you once." She followed the woman to a small room. Emika's worst fears were confirmed when the woman locked the door and pocketed the key.
"Now, we wouldn't want anybody interrupting our little chat, would we, Emika? My name is Saiko." Saiko's eyes began to glow, and the symbol of a cross appeared there. The same symbol showed up on her wrist, and her hair tips became a dark green. Saiko changed her form from a kindly old woman to a young girl with red hair. She had a hairpin in the shape of wings in her hair, a bracelet with a wind charm on her wrist, and an anklet with wings as well. "Now hand over your object, Emika!"
"Like hell I would," she retorted. "What did you do to the owner of this establishment?"
"Oh, that old woman?" Saiko laughed. "I just locked her up in a storage room and set it on fire! The look on her face was hilarious! If you're a good girl, maybe I won't do that to Miss. Mommy, right? Or to you, huh? How's that for a two-in-one deal?" Saiko bent over, laughing. Emika took out her coin slowly, keeping it out of Saiko's line of vision. This girl was probably a magical girl as well, so letting her see the magic device could have disastrous consequences.
"Over my dead body!" she cried out and flipped the coin in the air. When it landed, Emika had a gun in one hand and the coin in the other. Emika looked at it, trying to figure out how it worked.
"Ke ke…" Saiko moved at light speed to Emika, their eyes meeting for an instant. Emika pushed her wheelchair back, dropping the heavy metal gun on the ground with a clatter. "I've collected so many of these you have no chance! Ever since they started appearing a few days ago, I took all of them! Almost nobody has any now." Saiko raised her hand and shot a blast of energy at Emika, who flipped the coin and created an impenetrable shield. The two objects met, and both exploded.
"If that hit me…" muttered Emika. An idea forming in her mind, she flipped the coin, thinking about a copy of the object within a noose. She sneakily plucked out the copy, and used the rope to lasso the energy ball sent at her. The noose exploded as well, singeing Emika's hands, but her objective was completed. She also, out of the corner of her eye, saw that Saiko's cross symbol on her wrist was almost completely gone. Emika thought that was your 'magic usage,' so if you used it all up, you had no more magic to use. Emika's was still almost full, thankfully. "Hey! Seiko!" The girl stopped for a minute, her waist-length hair waving slightly. "I'll give you it."
"Excellent!" she chortled. "Throw it here!" Emika did so, and the coin copy landed in the palm of Seiko's hand.
"Now, let us go." Emika could turn the police to Seiko, and meanwhile she and Akito would be safe. This was the best plan with the least risk. Seiko wouldn't be able to transform forever, since her magic would run out.
"Oh, you thought I would just let you go? No no, Emika. I thought you were cleverer than that!" Seiko took a club with wings on the handle from the ceiling of the shop. Emika noticed with a sinking feeling that Seiko was flying. This meant she could change form, shoot energy rays, fly, move at light speed, and… what?
Emika picked up the gun again. Her first plan was a fail. Actually, her second plan was a fail too. This plan would probably fail too, but it was the only plan.
Bang! The sound of the shot echoed throughout the room, and the protests from the room where Akito was kept grew louder. Emika was just glad she had figured out how to use the object.
"You!" Seiko's hand had been blown into pieces, causing Emika to shudder. If she didn't get the next shot, there would be no other chance. "You little piece of-!"
Bang! The next shot hit Seiko square in the chest, and she became silent. Just in case Seiko had healing magic, Emika rolled up and hit Seiko with the club over and over.
She never thought she would be grateful that there were curtains over the windows. If there weren't, Emika would look like a murderer!
Which she was.
Emika bent over, tears streaming down her cheeks. She only looked up when she smelled smoke.
The club was on fire. That was it's ability.
She could make up an excuse later. Right now, she and her mother needed to get out of here.
Emika grabbed the other magical items and the key to the room. Unlocking the door, she was greeted with a relieved Akito, who hugged her daughter nearby.
"Is that smoke?" asked Akito, worry in her eyes. Emika nodded and grabbed her mother. Without sparing a glimpse at the corpse on the ground, the two rushed out, Akito calling the police and screaming as loudly as possible that there was a fire. Emika quavered as she heard the smell of burning flesh.
A magical girl is given their power by justice, right? But we… we are killers! So why do we have this power, still! I think this is so, so wrong.