I forgot to put the disclaimer in for the past few chapters, so here is an updated one:
I own nothing, not even my inspiration. Go to chapter one to see the full disclaimer.
-or I could take the easy way out. Enjoy the newest chapter.
It was a few days after Caster's defeat, and Saber was still with the brunette. She sat on the benches, her clothes no longer as fancy as before. A simple school uniform now sufficed. The two glared at each other.
"I can grant your wish," said the girl is a soft, enchanting tone. Her violet eyes stared right into Saber's soul, making him freeze in place. "It's a simple matter for me to create a homunculus. After all, he was only a soul-"
"Shut up!" roared Saber. "You don't know a thing. He's more than that, and I won't take your offer! People can't be wished back to life." He said the last part quieter as if acknowledging a past sin.
"That is your decision." The peaceful, mind-numbing room transformed into a desolate wasteland. Black feathers littered the ground and the girl, now in her fancy outfit, was covered with them, so they blended into her hair. She raised a hand, and a purple light began to emerge. "And it is the wrong one. Impetus!" A string of golden letters wrapped around the orb as it reached Saber. Fortunately, the servant jumped out of the way just in time, though the ground where he had been standing on exploded, raining shrapnel on him. If he had been standing there, he…
...would be dead, he realized. If this was her home turf, I would be dead already. He swallowed when he realized this, but drew out his sword and called on his Noble Phantasm.
"ULTIMATE SHIELD!" he yelled. Metal plating began to cover his entire body, creating a nearly impenetrable shield. Now safe for the time being, he ran towards the girl, swinging his sword. His eyes, now red, tracked the girl's movements to a centimeter shift. Seizing an opening, he moved to cut off her head. The panicked girl raised her hand again.
"Impetus!" she yelled, and an orb attacked Saber again. Shaking it off, the servant attacked, taking note of the girl's surprise.
She must not have known what my skills would be when she picked me as Saber, he realized. Saber grinned, realizing what an advantage he had. The girl was backed into a corner, and he raised his sword. As he brought it down, a purple orb got in his way, blocking his sight. When Saber could see again, the girl was gone.
"Where are-!" he began to yell, only to feel a hand on his neck.
"Bye, Saber," said the girl sweetly, and his shield vanished. Saber fell to the ground, and he could only watch in horror as she raised her hand. "Impetus." With no place to run, the only thing Saber could see was purple and gold. This would be how he would die.
"Idiot." A black shape appeared out of nowhere and scooped up Saber. The purple orb shattered on the girl's- Assassin's- body, and she continued to run at light speed, with the other girl close behind. "You won't win now, Devil." The Devil came up above, frowning, but Assassin put in one final burst, carrying the two out. The two arrived in Saber's previous location, a dusty study.
"I assume you have questions," stated Assassin calmly. Saber nodded.
"Just who is that girl?" The brunette grimly smiled, jumping out the window and beginning to walk. Saber followed, eager to hear the tale.
"Well…"
Assassin scanned the ground. Explaining the situation to Saber had taken up about an hour, and the servant still needed to find someone.
"There are four versions of that girl," explained Assassin. "The first form is the fire, the naive version. Form two is the determined girl, one who is reliable. Form three is more similar to form one but can be classified as desperate in her determination. Finally, there is the one you saw."
She knew where form two and four were, so the most important part right now was finding the location of one and three. Not locating them might give a weakness for her to exploit. All she knew was that one had red glasses and braids, while three looked a lot like two, but was more powerful and closer to her. Two might be troublesome if not for Hotaru, who was very helpful in Assassin's task, even if unintentionally so. Of course, if she gave two access to her powers, then Assassin would be in a lot of trouble. For that matter, only one might not pose too much of a threat. There was only one who could pose a real threat.
"I promised the magical girls to save her." Assassin jumped high in the air, a sword in hand. "I won't lose to you, devil."
Rider and Waver flew on high in his chariot, marveling at the view. Or rather, Waver was marveling at the view, while Rider was looking out for servants and masters. He came to a stop when a dark shape was noticeable below.
"Oh! Is that not Assassin?" he bellowed. The two came to a stop before the brunette.
"What are you doing?" the girl calmly asked. Rider grinned wide.
"Remember what I said," he explained. "A festive gathering of servants!"
"Idiots," muttered Assassin.
The restaurant which Rider had picked out was small and dingy, and all seven servants (plus one master) had to squeeze into a tight booth. It was quite obvious how the wallpaper was old and peeling but had once featured endless rows of roses. In the awkward silence which followed, everyone found themselves staring at it as all the servants avoided one another's eyes.
"...so," said Archer. "Is the food any good?" After that, there was a bustling of noise when everyone took out menus and began to order food. In the end, everyone had an odd dish in front of them.
"At least the service is good?" said Lancer, though it sounded more like a question than a statement. Assassin nodded, and there was another silence. "But… servants don't really need to eat." Another silence followed.
"Well, fellow servants!" started Rider, eager to begin a conversation, "What are your plans for your wishes?" Lancer began.
"I died before I could save my friends, and I want to go back and rescue them." Lancer briefly smiled before becoming serious. "That's why I must win the Grail!" Saber nodded in the servant's direction.
"I, too, have a similar wish. I suppose this means we must battle each other, Lancer." The servant of the spear nodded and turned to Berserker.
"So, Berserker, we all know you want to save the Mato heir, Sakura, but what wish would you make given the chance?" The servant hesitated before a small smile blossomed on her face.
"My very best friend was going to die when I left her. I want to save her, no matter the cost. Even if I have to die, I made a vow, and we promised to be together forever." Berserker looked at her hands and twiddled her thumbs. "Ah… I guess I got kind of emotional, huh?" She smiled at the other servants. "Sorry."
"It's okay," said Assassin, though she frowned slightly, the corners of her mouth tugging down. "As the host, why do you not tell us your wish, Rider," she continued. The servant laughed heartily.
"I suppose so, Assassin! I only wish to live again." Waver frowned.
"But I thought you wanted to conquer the world?" The only master present tilted his hand and began to poke at his food. "Also, what is this."
"I will not have some wish-granting device give me the world. I will do so on my own merit." Assassin hmmed and tilted her head disapprovingly. "So what is your wish, servant of shadows?"
"I wish to kill a nemesis," said the servant emotionlessly. "She killed me, and I wish to kill her." Rider sighed.
"What a foolish wish," he lamented. The other servants nodded as well, but Assassin simply smirked.
"Oh? Well, we might as well ask Archer her wish. So, Archer, enlighten us." The girl looked up, grinning.
"Well, I can't say too much without giving away my identity, but where I lived, all humans were being killed. I failed to protect my friends, so…" Archer looked off to the side, something glimmering within her bright green eyes. "...yeah."
"Well," said Assassin, her yellow eyes amused, "you really all are foolish."
"What are you talking about?" asked Saber, feigning ignorance.
"Hm." Assassin transformed her dagger into a sword. Lancer jumped out of the way as the sword entered his vision, but was too late. Droplets of blood fell upon the white tablecloth, permanently staining it. Lancer put a hand to the wound in his side, grimacing. His weapon coldly spoke before Lancer charged.
"So you're a backstabber," he said calmly. He fell silent again, and Lancer gripped him tightly.
"Lightning King Quake!" Assassin barely had time to get out of the way as lightning ran through the ground next to her. Despite this, her leg got caught, and she hissed angrily. "Lightning King Drill!" Assassin vanished into the shadows as the spear came down on the spot she was just at. When she reappeared, her leg was just fine. The servant gestured with her hand, and shadows held Lancer in place. Once again, she readied her sword and charged.
"No need to fight!" exclaimed Rider, but shadows bound him as well. However, Lancer had broken free and lifted his spear. Assassin collapsed as the weapon entered her body. She vanished into the shadows again, not to come back.
"Phew," said Lancer, as his weapon turned human. "What came over her?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Berserker, who had transformed into Togo Mimori, used the ropes on her outfit to stand. "You all are sitting ducks." With that, she took careful aim and fired at Lancer.
"Why me?" wailed the servant before raising his spear. Saber raised his own sword and attacked. Unfortunately, Berserker summoned her fairy, and Saber was unable to harm her. When Lancer lay on the floor, unable to defend, the servant of madness turned her attacks on Saber.
"ULTIMATE SHIELD!" he yelled, and metal covered his body until no human features were visible. All the bullets bounced off his skin, and he reached to Berserker. But one of her fairies cut him off, The servant was knocked across the room, but still grinned.
"Saber-" began Berserker, readying her weapon, but the other servant lifted a hand.
"Call me Greed," he chuckled as he attacked once more. Berserker took a step back, surprised, but her fairy continued to protect her.
"I WILL WIN!" she screamed, before shooting Saber point blank in the head. Stunned, the servant stood still for a moment, then got up. He raised his left hand, and a flash bomb appeared. Rider, who had been staying out of the encounter, got up to interfere, fiercely scowing. Waver's teeth chattered, and he hid behind his giant servant.
"Too late, old man!" taunted Saber/Greed as he threw the bomb at Berserker. Everything went white.
"You." Berserker got up, tracking Saber/Greed's movements. Her outfit now had sensors under the eyes, in order to let her 'see.' She raised her gun and shot at the servant.
A sword blocked it.
"Bye!" yelled Saber cheerfully, and escaped. Rider grumbled and picked up Lancer and Waver. They rode away, leaving behind a fuming servant, who turned to Archer, the only one left. The girl had her gun raised, and a net enveloped Berserker. When she pulled it off, Archer was gone.
"Damnit," muttered Berserker. Then, she too jumped away and escaped.
Rider and Waver soon came back to their temporary 'base of operation,' after disposing of Lancer. Waver had suggested killing off the servant, but Rider claimed that would be unchivalrous. They entered the house, heading to Waver's room. Rider read the way cheerfully, his red hair swaying in the slight breeze coming from the window.
BANG! A gunshot rang out through the halls, and Rider jerked around. The first thing he saw was Blaze, her violet eyes cold and focused.
"Girl!" he exclaimed cheerfully, reaching out. Then he saw the smoking gun in her hand, and his chest clenched painfully. His worst fear was confirmed when he saw Waver on the floor, a bullet in his brain. There was a puddle of some sticky red liquid around his head, and Blaze followed the servant's gaze.
"He never felt anything," she said coldly, as though she wasn't a murderer and those words would somehow make things better. Blaze raised her gun and reloaded it. Before she could fire, Rider punched her to the ground. He stood over her, his eyes filled with rage. "You won't have the satisfaction of killing me." As she said this, Blaze closed her eyes. "-because I can kill myself." A purple light covered her, and Blaze died.
In death, she looked resigned.
"Well done, Rider." Assassin appeared where Blaze had just been standing. "It is too bad Waver had to die, though." Rider relaxed when he saw Assassin didn't mean to harm him, but he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"What do you want, servant of shadows?" The brunette casually stepped onto Blaze's corpse, her shoes digging into the pale flesh.
"Would you like to make a contract with me, King of Conquerers?" Rider let his hand leave the hilt of his sword. He was fading.
"If you are willing to go so far, tell me your name, Assassin," hissed the servant as he feebly clung onto his existence. He saw Assassin smile coldly, much like how Blaze might have smiled, and extend her hand.
"My name is Riz Viscotti. Will you contract with me?"
"Yes," muttered Rider, his crimson eyes closing to the sight of a triumphant Riz.
Emika sat down calmly in an empty classroom. She was glad for Assassin- the servant had helped her after the defeat of Caster, though Emika was certain she was keeping something hidden. Now, she was apparently under the care of Saber, Assassin's new ally.
As she thought this, Saber appeared before her in an empty seat. His black ponytail hung down his back, and Emika longed for Hotaru. Assassin had claimed another ally named Rider would take care of her, albeit discretely, since he needed to pretend to be dead. Meanwhile, the servant of Kiritsugu Emiya would watch over Emika, though he, too, would need to be discreet, as Kotomine Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya were rivals.
"Saber," said Emika, nervously tucking her short black hair behind her ear. A few days ago, it had been cut, and she missed the covering over the nape of her neck. "Um…"
"Assassin needs you to do something." Saber seemed uneasy and bit his lip so hard it turned white in the area. "She says we're running out of time. So…"
"What?"
"You need to kill Berserker."
It really was a good plan. Assassin or Saber had no permission from their Masters, so without their allowance, they were out, and Rider needed to remain hidden, so he was out as well. However, Emika, who had recently discovered a new power, was the perfect candidate to go and kill the troublesome servant. Plus, Berserker had recently wasted a lot of prana, so she was significantly weakened. Really, it shouldn't come as a surprise.
"I'm ready," said Emika. "Let's go."
Berserker looked at Kariya with worry. He had collapsed and vomited blood, all because of the servant.
"...sorry," she muttered. Why had she been so stupid?
Click. Berserker spun, eyes wide and terrified, to see Emika stood behind her, a gun in hand. Her clothes were the same as the day she killed Caster, but she hadn't learned to stop time yet. The gun was black and glittered in the light, and was aimed right at Berserker.
"Damn it," hissed Berserker before pushing Kariya to the ground, on the floor. The bullet cracked the wall behind them. "So you want a gunfight? Let's do this." Berserker looked with worry at Kariya, then smiled. "All right. I can't do the other one, so, I can do this at least! MANKAI!"
The world flooded with light, and Berserker floated in the air on a magnificent gunship. Her green eyes glittered, and she was obviously smug about the whole ordeal, causing Emika to frown.
"Ha." She raised a bomb. "Let's fight, Berserker." She threw the bomb, which Berserker shot into pieces with her many guns. Then, the servant turned her sights on Emika. The brunette girl gulped and cursed her capacity for not thinking things through.
Hey, Devil, you know how I'm a part of you, right? The girl thought. Now would be a really, really good time for a new power. As a rainstorm of bullets came down on the girl, she began to glow purple. The gears in Emika's shield turned, and a purple gem, previously not there, appeared on her hand. Most importantly, everything stopped.
Emika thanked the Gods- or rather, the Devil- for this. She raised her gun and shot bullets at Berserker, which would attack her when time resumed. She also raised a bomb and nestled it in Berserker's mouth, somewhere unexpected, which would blow up and hopefully kill her. Then, Emika hid and turned her shield, restarting time. The only thing she saw next was an explosion. Berserker probably couldn't even scream, and Emika couldn't help but wince. If Berserker was dying, she must do so painfully.
When the explosion ended, Berserker lay on the ground, her body twisted unnaturally and her hair burned shorter than Emika's locks, but she was alive. One of her fairies hung over her and began to slowly move toward Emika. So she ran. She ran and didn't look back. Her mouth was dry, and there were black spots in her eyes, but she knew she would die if she stopped for even a second. Eventually, the fairy left, and Emika stopped near the place where Saber had left her. Her feet were sore, and she plopped down into the dry dirt. Saber appeared in front of her.
"Is Berserker dead?" he asked, worried about the girl. Emika shook her head.
"But," she gasped, "almost. The Devil-" Saber's face was grim, and he put up a hand to stop her.
"Homura," he said softly. "I know the full story now. The girl's name is Homura, and her story starts with another girl named Madoka."
She had saved the other girl.
It wasn't pleasant, of course. She had to limit her barrier more, so anywhere beyond the lake was now uncovered. She really was thankful for the Shinju's power, the only thing which kept any part of her barrier around. Evan with that, she was running out of energy. That was why she needed the Holy Grail, the granter of wishes.
A huge energy source.
That world could be destroyed. After all, there were hundreds out there. She could only go to a few due to the loss of power, but they could all be destroyed for her sake.
Of course, Caster's death had supplied her with quite a lot of prana. Just enough to make sure Rider did not interfere, in fact. Assassin truly was infuriating, orchestrating Blaze's death and Rider's survival. It was a shame the servant had to be kept alive- for now.
So here she stood over a summoning circle, right arm extended. A catalyst was needed, of course, and one was supplied. An intricately carved white whistle lay in the center of the summoning circle.
Was this a desperate gamble? Of course, it was. All of this was a desperate gamble, even the very war. So she would bet all of her money on this. She needed to do this.
The summoning complete, she looked at her servant happily.
"Hello, Lord of the Dawn." Potentially more powerful than Caster, this man will be her key to success. "Let us form a contract."
Omake!
Hotaru hadn't told Assassin the full story of what happened that night when she met Caster. Of course, she hadn't intentionally left out something useful, though Assassin's opinion on that might differ.
Her sister's real, full name was Hakuno Kemika Ai. And Kemika (as they called her) was still alive.
Here, Hotaru was at fault. She knew of the name 'Akemi,' and Caster had said a girl with long, black hair was tracking Hotaru's sister. Assassin seemed to be this girl, so she didn't disclose any further information about this.
Hotaru had gone to get the frisbee, and she had met Caster. The servant had warned her of her family's demise, but when she brought the brunette to her family, Hotaru saw something wrong.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Caster appeared to be absorbing her mother and father.
Unsure if this was just a trick of the light, Hotaru could only watch, horrified, as the 'evil men' tore her sister apart with knives. The rest has already been told- she killed them and watched Kemika 'die.'
In other words, there were two changes in the account Hotaru gave Assassin. First, Hakuno's middle name. And second, she didn't fully trust Caster.
Now, Hotaru was with Rider, and hopefully safe. Unfortunately, when there's a Holy Grail War, nobody's ever really safe in Fuyuki. Especially in one such as this.
Hotaru stood in an alley, examining a lock of dark hair. In the fading light, the black might be mistaken as brown by another, but just by feeling the silky texture, Hotaru knew whom this lock belonged to. After all, the girl whom it belonged to had her hair brushed by Hotaru almost every night, and she loved the feeling of the inky black hair running over her rough hands.
"Kemika," she muttered.
Kemika hated her new haircut.
She had acquired a pair of scissors and had chopped off all of her beautiful, shiny locks, leaving a mess one could, at best, proclaim ugly. Her neck felt unusually bare without it, and for a moment she was in another person's body, thinking the same thought-
She missed the covering over the nape of her neck…
Kemika shook her head. What was that?
For some reason, she didn't want to turn herself into the authorities. She didn't know why this was, but somehow, that prospect seemed bleak. She would rather stay out here for-
The remainder of the Holy Grail War.
Yes. That thing. Something odd was happening, and she had a big part in it, as far as she could tell. After all, there were the odd powers that suddenly flashed to life. She remembered cutting her hair in front of a half-shattered mirror, and the drama which ensued.
Kemika stood in front of a mirror, a cold feeling against the back of her neck making her shiver. Black hair fell to the ground in pools, and she planned to pick it up later.
"Hello," said a brunette casually as she walked by. For some reason, Kemika froze. This girl… her aura. The girl grimaced, and suddenly had a whip in one hand and nearly took Kemika off her feet.
"H-huh?" asked Kemika, jumping to the side. The scissors clattered to the ground, and Kemika stiffened again. The girl raised her weapon again.
"I apologize, Homura," she said heavily and brought it down. Kemika screamed and then was stunned as everything froze. Whimpering, the girl gathered her possessions and ran.
That girl was important too. When she went into the other girl's body, she often saw the girl. 'Assassin,' she called her. A fitting name, at least, as far as Kemika knew of the girl. There was also 'Saber' and 'Rider.' And…
'Hotaru.' The girl Kemika had seen- the one who occupied her last memories.
Why was this important? It was because the girl Hotaru stood before Kemika now, a lock of black hair clutched in her fist.
"Kemika," murmured the other girl.
(The final servant, the one whom will be known as Fake Rider, stood. He had a task to complete, after all.)
Finally! I got this chapter done, and there's a new servant summoned by Homura.
For anybody who wonders why she didn't originally summon him, it's because she didn't have enough energy and time. When Waver summoned Rider, she couldn't erase him, but she stole Caster's extra prana from her killings and used it to summon this servant.
Also, if anybody wants to see, here is a list of who the servants really are. Spoilers ahead!
Caster(deceased)(skill sheet released)- Rei, Magical Girl Site
Berserker(alive)(skill sheet released)- Sumi Washio/Togo Mimori, Yuki Yuna/Washio Sumi is a Hero
Assassin(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Riz Hawkwood, Puella Magi Tart Magica
Lancer(alive… for now)(skill sheet released)- Ox Ford, Soul Eater
Saber(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Ling Yao, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Rider(alive)(N/A)- Original Fate/Zero servant
Archer(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- Emma, The Promised Neverland
Fake Rider(alive)(skill sheet not yet released)- ?, ?