Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate series or other related works. They are the property of TYPE-Moon. Please support the official release.
A/N: Sorry for the delay again, my sister got married recently so I had to deal with that.
I'm surprised this story's gotten as much attention as it has. 3400 views? Seriously, thanks.
On reviews:
-ffure21: Nice to hear people actually enjoy the oc characters so far. To an extent, I'm using this story to practice character writing for a personal project, so it's encouraging to note. As for why George revealed his identity so quickly, it's a combination of knightly honor and how for some Servants (like Astolfo) they don't really have glaring weaknesses that would make revealing their names as big of a liability. Elise doesn't like him having done that though.
-Dragoon Swordsman: Ahahaha, if only it could be so simple as red vs blue. There's certainly a big shakeup on the horizon. Not only are Kirei and Gil around, there's still the Shadow. And not all of the Servants may not be the most… agreeable.
Now that more characters are being introduced, I should mention this story will use elements from all three story routes, (primarily Fate), Zero, and Hollow Ataraxia.
Alright, let's begin.
.-.
Under the cover of the night sky and the pure light of the moon, a lone man makes his way up the stone stairway leading to the gate of Ryuudou Temple. The temple rests on the slopes of Mount Enzou, on the outskirts of Miyama, Fuyuki. It and the stairs leading to its gate are surrounded on all sides by a vibrant mountain forest, the leaves of the many trees a mixture of verdant greens and the oranges, yellows, and reds of autumn.
Behind the temple, the forest is broken by a single lake. The temple itself sits upon the nexus point of all Fuyuki's leylines, making it a sort of keystone for magical energies. An excellent workshop location for a Caster class Servant like himself. This man, walking towards Ryuudou Temple with intent to make it his base was dressed in a rather stylish disguise, with black dress shoes, grey pants, an orange checkerboard shirt under an open black suit jacket. He wears a silver pendant on his neck and black leather gloves on his hands. His brown hair is unkempt and spiky, yet still adds to the completion of his look.
Caster, or rather Caster of Red as his role was to be, had lost his Master shortly after being summoned in a surprise attack by an unknown entity he presumed to be a Servant of Blue, one of his enemies. He was in spirit form at the time, so thanks to that he'd managed to escape the area. His relatively weak abilities and low mana consumption likely helped in that regard.
While his mana consumption was low enough when not active as to let him survive longer without a Master than most other Servants, he needed to find another source of magical energy to sustain himself with if he wanted to continue 'living'. He had no interest in finding another human to be his Master, honestly he could care less for them. So he instead turned his attention towards the largest congregation of leylines he could find- Ryuudou Temple.
At that moment, Caster detected something that made him stop in his tracks. He looked up towards the temple gate and squinted. He could feel the presence of magecraft nearby.
It seems I've been beaten to the punch on this one. He thought to himself. A minor setback. Caster decided to circle around to the back of the temple through the forest instead, and attempt to probe any Bounded Fields he might come across.
As Caster disappeared into the trees, he failed to notice the figure who had been watching him the entire time. The indigo haired samurai known as Assassin of Blue smirked to himself as he watched Caster, stray leaves slicing in half as they drifted near him. Caster of Blue had ordered him to defend the temple gate and defeat anyone who tried to enter it. But the other man wasn't attempting to enter from the gate, so he could technically be ignored. That suited Assassin just fine. He quite disliked his Master at the best of times, so anything that inconvenienced her was welcome to him.
As Caster of Red moved about the right side wall of the temple, he'd been observing the Bounded Field surrounding it the entire time. Thanks to one of his personal skills, he'd analyzed the field and the structure of the magecraft that composed it. Caster tilted his head to one side and raised an eyebrow.
"Magecraft from the Age of the Gods…" he said. The field was designed in a way to specifically ward against spiritual beings such as Servants like himself. Entering anywhere but the front gate would weaken him considerably.
"For one Servant to go to such lengths… how appalling." And foolish. As impressive a mage the creator of the field was, they had overlooked a flaw in it. A miniscule, almost imperceptible hairline fracture was present, clearly a mark of damage. Whoever had made the fracture was an even more skilled magus than the creator of the field.
Caster shifted himself into spirit form and flowed through the fracture, thereby bypassing the field's weakening effect. Not that it would mean much in the long run, but he would prefer to conserve as much power as possible.
Assassin watched closely as Caster exited the small clearing surrounded by trees within the wall and walked into the center of the temple's courtyard. A sour look crossed his face after feeling the presence of his Master nearby. The fake Heroic Spirit sighed.
Well, his intrusion was amusing while it lasted, I suppose.
Suddenly, Caster detected a large spike of magical energy somewhere up in the sky, and leapt backwards just in time to avoid a rain of purple light beams. The area where he'd been standing just a moment before was bright red from the heat, and the stone had begun to melt.
"Not only do you manage to pierce my Bounded Field, you detect and avoid Machia Hecatia Graea as well? You're quite interesting for such a lowly magus, intruder." Caster of Red looked up to see the source of the voice, a woman wearing a purple robe around her body and a dark blue hood to conceal her face.
"I presume from your display of magic that you are Caster of Blue, correct? I am Caster of Red. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Caster bowed lightly towards the other Caster.
Caster of Blue descended to the ground, her staff glowing with purple malevolence.
"I see. So you're in league with that other intruder then are you? The one that called himself Lancer of Red." Caster pointed her staff at the Red Faction's Caster and it crackled with violet lightning erratically. She grimaced beneath her hood. Now I understand, she thought. Lancer of Red was only here as a distraction, so his team's Caster could sneak in and try to steal this territory.
"Since you're an enemy… I suppose I should destroy you now." It wasn't a threat. It was a statement. Compared to modern magi and even other Caster class Servants, Caster of Blue was on another level. Very few Heroic Spirits, such as Tamamo-no-Mae, could match her abilities with magecraft. Wiping out Caster of Red would be as simple as snapping her fingers.
"Perhaps," Caster of Red responded. "But I imagine an alliance would serve both of our purposes much better."
Caster of Blue lowered her staff and dissipated the electricity magic. "You seek an alliance, Caster of Red? What are you playing at?" Caster of Red shook his head.
"I assure you I have no ulterior motive here. My Master is dead, you see, so I seek asylum here where the leylines congregate. As for my business, I only desire to finish the formulas I could not while alive. One such as yourself who can even cast High Thaumaturgy in an instant would be an invaluable ally."
"Hmmph. And why should I bother wasting the mana it would take to keep you manifested here? What benefit can you offer me?" Caster of Blue had begun to circle around her crimson counterpart, watching him cautiously. He would pose no threat to her in a direct confrontation, but he had managed to avoid her spells. In the world of mages, there was no such thing as too careful.
"I have a unique ability to completely analyze and repair anything that can be called a formula." Caster of Red began. He motioned over to the small clearing with a gloved hand. "For example, your Bounded Field. You've likely noticed, but there was a tiny fracture on the right wall. That's how I got in."
Caster of Blue was intrigued. In reality, she hadn't noticed, but it made perfect sense. That tiny break in the Bounded Field was likely how Lancer of Red had gotten past it. That infuriating Lancer. No matter what she tried, Caster was completely unable to affect them with any of her magecraft, and they mocked her all the while. If Caster of Red had managed to notice, he must've been a genius at structural design in life.
"If you'd like," he continued, "I'll repair it for you as a show of good faith. Essentially, if you allow me to stay here, then you will never have to worry about repairing your magecraft. I'll even help construct additional defenses if you'd like."
Caster of Blue had to admit, he made a tempting offer. With Caster of Red handling the upkeep of her various constructions, why, she wouldn't even need to drain mana from Fuyuki's citizens anymore! Even though she'd promised the Emiya boy she would stop, she didn't really mean it. The fool hadn't even made her sign a geas or anything.
Well, I may stop now, she thought, robe billowing gently in the night breeze. Even if just to take some heat off of me. I know I wasn't the only Servant taking mana from civillians. That thought unnerved her more than she would like to admit. Lancer of Blue had been the only Servant to not make an appearance or send a familiar when the Overseer, Father Kirei, had called a gathering to explain the new situation. Meaning Lancer and his Master weren't interested in the new alliance. Well, Assassin hadn't been there either, but that was simple enough to make up a convincing lie for.
Lancer of Blue had also been the one who appeared in the middle of her old Master's "workshop" that fateful day she met her beloved. That look in his eyes… He'd been sent to kill her, but Lancer had clearly believed a bleeding out woman to not be worth his time to kill. Yet, with her beloved Souichirou's help, she'd survived.
There's no telling when Lancer's Master will realize I'm still alive and send him back after me. And given how both Lancers have managed to effortlessly find and break into my workshop, I clearly can't predict them. Caster of Blue rested a gloved hand on her chin as she pondered the current circumstances.
.-.
Somewhere else in Fuyuki, said Lancer sneezed.
.-.
Still, Lancer of Red seemed stronger than Lancer of Blue had. With the enhancements she had given her new Master, she was confident the two of them and Assassin could take Lancer of Blue down if need be, but one couldn't be too careful. And Lancer of Red was another story entirely.
If Caster of Red was truly capable of improving her defenses as much as he claimed he could, then he would be a valuable ally. Caster of Blue smiled and extended a hand towards her former enemy. She could always dispose of him later when he was no longer of use.
"I accept your offer, Caster of Red." The brown haired man took the handshake and smiled himself. "Now then. If we are to work together, shouldn't we use our real names? Calling us both Caster might get confusing for my Master, after all." She certainly didn't want to inconvenience her beloved like that.
Caster of Red shook his head. "Unfortunately, I must decline for now." Caster of Blue frowned. Her new ally was smarter than she'd thought. She may not have full control over him yet, but one day she would. Just like she would that beautiful Saber contracted with the Emiya boy.
"Calling us Red Caster and Blue Caster should be sufficient for now, but if you really need a civilian name, for disguises and such…." He thought to himself for a moment.
"Call me Archie."
Assassin had been watching this scene play out from the temple gate the entire time. He was impressed with how easily the Red Caster had managed to avoid Blue Caster's attack. Assassin of Blue raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself.
Well now, things just got a bit more interesting around here.
.-.
Batreaux had seen a lot in his twenty four years of life. He'd seen car crashes, robberies, and gotten food poisoning from crappy taco trucks. He'd braved the depths of internet forums and imageboards and encountered all kinds of depravity. He'd seen things that really shouldn't be discussed in polite company and despite his revulsion at them was convinced he was on some kind of watch list.
Most recently, he'd discovered the existence of magic, summoned a cute girl who was actually one of history's most infamous traitors, and witnessed said girl battle against a dragon-slaying saint.
But none of that, not even the awe inspiring battle between heroes could not prepare him for what he was witnessing. The all-consuming void in front of him did not stop, did not wait. It devoured everything in its path, and yet hungered for more. In the face of this unstoppable black hole, Batreaux could only think one thing as he stared on in fear and awe.
How the hell is it possible for one person to eat so much? Batreaux considered himself a heavy eater, but if what he'd seen here was any indication, Mordred was something even further beyond. Already the Heroic Spirit had eaten enough to feed four men, and didn't seem to be slowing down.
"For fuck's sake, Saber! You're built like a bunch of twigs, how the hell can you eat so much?"
"Hey, I gotta get my strength back somehow," the Servant replied between mouthfuls. "And I can't get enough mana from you for that." Batreaux still hadn't really touched his first plate of food yet. He was still in shock at just how much food she could pack away.
For her part, Mordred was still angry over what had happened in her fight with Rider, and the fact the two of them were apparently supposed to be allies now, but that was fading as she ate more and more food. Batreaux was still under her command however.
"Alright, I get that but it takes some time, right? Where does all that food go?"
"When I get hungry, I get hungry." Saber said through a mouthful of cake. "Besides," she added after swallowing. "This stuff's a lot better than the shit we had to eat back in Camelot." Faster than Batreaux could see, the blonde ran back to the buffet and came back with a plate piled high with pizza and eggs.
Batreaux smiled. It seemed he and his Servant shared their taste in food, namely, they'd eat anything as long as it tastes good. That, and he was interested after she'd mentioned Camelot. Reading about the legends and viewing adaptations (of which there were surprisingly few accurate western ones) as a kid was one thing, but a chance to learn about what happened from someone who was actually there was too good to pass up.
Though if Mordred was really a girl, who knows what can be considered accurate anymore. He thought.
"What did you eat in Camelot, Saber?" he asked, finally eating some of his pudding.
Mordred's eyes glazed over and her mouth curled into a frown, as if she was recalling some traumatic experience.
"Potatoes. Bread. Vegetables. Vinegar. Every single day. I don't think any of us liked it aside from Father. We all just pretended we did to spare his feelings." Saber shook her head. "Well, except Gawain. I think that overly chivalrous idiot really did like that slop. Hah! It's fitting if you ask me!"
"I take it you didn't like Gawain much?" Batreaux asked, resting his head in his left hand and a spoonful of macaroni in the other. Saber breathed out slowly, running a hand through her hair.
"I gotta admit, I looked up to him at first. Not as much as Father, but still a lot. He never really trusted me, though, and in the end he was right not to." She smirked. "Obviously, I'm the superior fighter between us. Maybe if the fool had accepted Lancelot's help he might've stood half a chance!"
Batreaux grinned. "Huh? Didn't Lancelot weaken him for you in the first place?" Saber glared at him.
"Oi, don't belittle my accomplishments like that." She protested with a slight whine in her voice. Batreaux laughed lightly.
"Seriously though. It's a good thing you agreed to come here. Chinese buffets may be kinda shitty and not really have much Chinese food, but they're cheap. And isn't that what really matters?"
Saber chuckled lightly to herself. "Hmmm? So you're saying this wasn't a bribe to try and get yourself back in charge?" Batreaux was actually a bit irritated by that. It was probably a joke, but the mere implication he'd try to bribe Saber was something he didn't appreciate.
"No way in hell would I ever do that, Mordred. If I end up back in charge, it'll be because I've earned your respect." Batreaux leaned back in his chair and looked at his Command Seals. He still had every intention to use them if he had to. "Besides, I think being your 'regent' might not be so bad."
Saber's mouth hung open in disbelief. She stared at Batreaux like he'd just grown a second head. "So you're fine being number two? Really? Should I even ask what your wish for the Grail is?"
"Honestly, I just want a quiet, peaceful life. I used to be a janitor, you know, so I'm perfectly fine doing the work other people don't want to. Someone's gotta do it."
"Unbelievable," Saber said. "To think the magus that summoned me would not only be third-rate, but not even have any ambition to improve…"
"It's not that I don't have ambition, it's that my ambition is not having to deal with the rest of the world's bullshit."
He finished his food and pushed the plate off to the side, next to the mountain of plates Saber had made. "Anyway, Saber. What's your wish, while we're on the subject?"
Mordred's face hardened and she became serious. She looked Batreaux straight in the eyes. "I want to challenge the Sword of Selection, just like my Father. I'm going to prove I'm a worthy heir once and for all."
Batreaux blinked at her. "I thought Caliburn was enchanted so only Arthur could wield it. But, well, you're so confident I guess you could pull it off anyway."
Saber smirked. "Well of course. I'm already the perfect heir. This is just so I can rub it in Father's face." She downed her drink and smiled. Soda, her Master had called it. It wasn't quite as good as ale, but it was really sweet and bubbly. She'd have to get Batreaux to buy her some alchohol later to compare the two directly.
"By the way…" Saber said, a light blush on her face. "What did you think of my moves earlier?" Batreaux was a bit surprised. Saber always carried herself with confidence, so he wasn't quite prepared for this sudden question. It almost seemed like she wanted his approval, which if what she'd said about her parents before was true wouldn't be too far off.
"Saber, I have never seen anything more amazing in my life." It was a completely honest statement. Saber blushed a bit harder.
"R-really? Amazing? Even though I lost?"
"You lost because I can't give you enough mana to fight properly. I'm sure if you were at full power you would've won easily."
Saber leaned back in her chair and looked up to the ceiling. Batreaux really thinks I did 'amazing'? she thought. Even though I lost? True, it's kinda his fault, but still… She looked over at the pile of plates she'd made and considered what her Master had said. Something clicked inside her mind.
He said this food wasn't a bribe or anything, he wants to earn my respect, he thinks I did a good job even if I failed…
Does… Does he actually care about me? Even just a little bit?
"Hey, Saber," Bareaux called to her. Saber snapped back to reality and flushed brighter for a moment before managing to calm herself down.
"W-what?" she said hastily, leaning over on one hand in an attempt to look cool and composed. Fortunately, Batreaux hadn't noticed the break from her usual demeanor.
"You done yet? We're not in a hurry or anything, but we've still got a lot to do to prepare for our flight."
"Y-yeah, if you're ready, then let's go."
The pair stood up and moved towards the register so Batreaux could pay for their meal now that Mordred had finally eaten her fill. A few times throughout he thought he'd seen employees and other customers staring at them with shock. It wouldn't really be surprising. Even the cashier seemed a bit perturbed, as if she was debating whether to bar them from the buffet or not. Saber adjusted her borrowed jacket as the two left the building and headed on their way home.
"Oi, Batreaux. Buy me some booze later, will ya?"
"Yeah… no. You're what, fifteen, seventeen at the most? There's laws against underage drinking you know. It's fine for me because I'm over twenty one, but I could get in trouble if you were drinking."
"You know I'm actually about ninety times older than you right? I only look seventeen."
Batreaux rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, but you don't have any kind of ID, and again, I don't want to go to jail. You're not drinking in public, Saber. I don't care if you're the one in charge or not. Wait until we get home."
Saber groaned and slouched over as they walked. "Fiiiiiinnnneeeee." Batreaux noticed that despite everything about her and what she'd been through, Saber seemed to have similar mannerisms to a child. He found that bit of innocence she seemed to retain endearing to an extent, but he was also a bit depressed by it.
The blond sighed and shook his head. He and Saber would take some time to relax and play some games when they got home, then prepare for their trip to Fuyuki.
Gotta take some time to relax while we still can. I may not be coming home.
What he had not noticed was the concealed Servant who had been watching them. Saber hadn't noticed either. Thanks to one of his Noble Phantasms, Archer of Red had a pseudo-Presence Concealment that could even rival the Assassin class. He'd accomplished exactly what his Master had sent him to do. He'd learned the identities of all Servants of Red, with two exceptions.
Caster.
And Lancer.
Though the most interesting thing he'd discovered was Red Master Saber's identity. Batreaux… his Master had mentioned someone like that before. Archer smiled lightly underneath the hood of his cloak.
Well now, Archer of Red thought to himself, Miss Rachel isn't going to like this.
.-.
This was an unexpected turn of events.
Not Rin's reaction to the situation, that was entirely predictable. In fact, the twintailed brunette seemed to be handling the news far better than Archer of Blue had expected she would have. He'd expected her to be in hysterics after learning everything she'd worked her entire life for had just gone up in smoke.
Thanks to Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka's plans for the Fifth Holy Grail War were completely meaningless. Seven more Masters and Servants were coming to try and kill them all and claim the Grail for themselves, something she hadn't even begun to prepare for.
To be fair, she had no idea the Grail even had a "reserve system" built into it in the first place. Archer didn't either. Still, the fact the current situation was completely out of her hands to have prevented did little to comfort the Tohsaka Master. If anything, it seemed to make the situation worse.
Not only would she have to defend herself against completely alien elements, she was forced to work with Shirou, who'd gotten her into this mess, and the boy's older sister Illyasviel von Einzbern, the psycho-loli who'd tried and nearly succeeded in killing her and Archer with her Servant Berserker.
Really, all things considered it was a wonder Rin hadn't broken down crying. Instead, though… She was screaming into her pillow, beating her legs against her bed. In between the screams that were impressively loud enough to hurt his ears, Archer could make out a few words, namely "stupid, idiot, Shirou, waste, bastard, destroy, Grail, Father, priest" in various orders and combined with some rather colorful expletives one wouldn't expect a high school girl to know. Rin was even throwing in some English words and phrases Archer likely wouldn't have understood if he wasn't a Counter Guardian.
For his part, the tanned Servant was surprised by the state of affairs as well. Though after being summoned he'd told his Master he didn't remember his past or who he was, that was a half-truth. He didn't remember much, but what he did remember was very clear. He remembered Rin. He remembered his own identity even though he pretended not to. He remembered his self-appointed mission to kill Shirou Emiya.
And he remembered the Fifth Holy Grail War did not go like this. In the timeline he came from, the War evolving into a Great Holy Grail War wasn't even a possibility. But all it takes is one small alteration and everything goes off the rails.
It must have been… when Shirou and Saber headed to Ryuudou Temple. He thought. Something happened differently to draw Caster out, and everything snowballed from there. The red-mantled hero was almost surprised Shirou would team up with Caster willingly after learning she'd been targeting civilians. But he supposed she could lie to him easily enough. It's not like he or Saber had the means to enforce any agreements she made with them after all.
"Hey, Archer! Are you even listening to me?" Rin's angry outburst seemed to have finished. The young magus was sitting up on her bed with the pillow she'd screamed into on her lap. Her face was still red and bore an angry scowl, one eye half closed as she glared at her Servant. The white haired Archer grinned. He'd heard her loud and clear. Anyway, sitting here feeling sorry for myself won't solve anything. What do you think about all of this, Archer? She'd said.
"I'm sorry, Rin. Could you repeat that? I was thinking about something else." Messing with his Master was one of Archer's favorite things to do. Messing with people in general was really. So when he saw a chance to provoke Rin, he couldn't help but take it. It didn't help that Rin was just so easy to tease.
"Come on Archer, this is serious!" Rin yelled, jumping off the bed to stand in front of him. "We need to think of some kind of strategy we can use for when the Red Faction gets here!"
"Why don't we just let Berserker handle them for us? It seems to have worked well for Shirou so far."
"You expect me to lower myself down to Emiya's level after he started working with that witch?!" Rin didn't like Caster. She was prepared to do almost anything to win the Grail War, but going after civilians was too far. Apparently Shirou did not feel the same, and thus she found herself in the current situation. That both angered and disappointed Rin. Shirou was always talking about how he wanted to be a Hero of Justice that saves everyone. Him teaming up with Caster made no sense to her.
"Relax, Rin. It was just a joke." Archer turned away from his Master to look out the window of the Tohsaka estate. The nameless hero recalled the first night of the war, when Rin had shown him around the city before the returned to the roof of the tallest building. Archer had taken that moment to demonstrate a small sample of his abilities. He remembered what Rin had said to him after that.
I'm impressed. You really are an Archer! Considering his eyesight, strength, and how many Noble Phantasms he could reproduce… The Counter Guardian may have just come up with a plan.
"I'll admit, I've never been in a situation quite like this before," he began, "But I know what we need to do to deal with our enemies." Rin's mood brightened a bit after hearing that.
"Oh? What's your plan, Archer?"
Archer opened the window, letting in the cold night air. The Counter Guardian was unaffected, but Rin yelled out and pulled a part of her bedsheets in front of her to block the chill. Archer drew his bow and Traced an arrow. He nocked the arrow and drew it back, before firing out the window. The arrow sailed off with incredible speed, flying far out of sight.
"I have an effective range of around four kilometers," Archer said, grey eyes still locked on where his arrow disappeared from normal human sight. "Based on what Father Kotomine said, the Masters of Red are likely to be foreigners. We use our knowledge of the city against them. When I've located a member of the Red Faction, I'll give you a signal." Archer closed the window and turned back to his Master, who was listening intently. "Then, you contact Shirou and Illya and have them get Saber and Berserker ready. I'll lead our enemy to their location with arrows, and we let them do the rest."
Rin had to admit, it was a solid plan. Not only could Saber and Berserker working together take down nearly anyone, it also left her and Archer in top condition for when they inevitably had to fight their current teammates again. The brunette nodded to her Servant.
"That could work." She said. "There's one problem though, Archer. What are we going to do about Lancer?" Archer narrowed his eyes. Ah yes, Lancer… better known as Cú Chulainn, the legendary hero of the Ulster Cycle. Archer held a special enmity for him, and he was an extremely dangerous foe, but…
"We'll deal with the Lancer problem later. Right now our priority is defeating the Red Faction."
.-.
Lancer of Blue sneezed again. The Irish Servant was currently doing what he usually did whenever the priest didn't need him to do his dirty work- fishing. With brown boots, black pants and a Hawaiian shirt, he held his fishing pole out over the waters of Fuyuki's docks, a lit cigarette in his mouth.
What, again? He thought. I know I'm not sick or anything, so what the hell? Lancer thought back over recent events while listening to the relaxing roll of the waves. Stupid priest. First that bastard kills my real Master, then he sends me out to do recon work. The worst part is he won't even let me fight! A small tugging on the line indicated a fish had taken the bait. Quick as a flash, Lancer pulled his line out of the water, only to find the fish had somehow managed to slip away, his E rank Luck at work.
Man, she was pretty cute, too. Lancer hadn't gotten to see much of his real Master's body thanks to the priest and her suit, but what he did get to see, namely her face, was fairly pleasing to his eyes. Her short fuchsia hair was rather nice, and he thought the suit even suited her well.
His thoughts turned to the recent fights he had been allowed to have. He'd tested most of the other Servants in some way, but that's all he'd been allowed to do before the priest called him back. Test. It was annoying. Right as the fights started getting good, he had to abandon them. It didn't help that the priest intentionally gave him an amount of mana that was just under what he needed, so on occasion he had to go after civilians to maintain himself. It wasn't something he really minded all that much, but he didn't like it either. It worked, though.
Lancer's thoughts turned to his most recent fights, with Saber and Archer. He had to admit, he was intrigued by the fact Saber's master managed to survive being stabbed, and Saber herself had made him release a bit of his Noble Phantasm's power. It was especially strange that Saber's Master had survived, since the wounds inflicted by his spear are supposed to be impossible to heal.
Archer, on the other hand, kinda ticked him off. Maybe it was the way Archer fought or just his general attitude, but he and Lancer did not get along.
Why's an Archer using swords, anyway? Lancer thought. What was with that red half jacket? Is he gáe or something? His Master looked too young to fight in this war. What's next, a little girl?
These were the important questions that filled Lancer's mind as he continued to fish. It briefly crossed his mind that his lance, the cursed Gáe Bolg, was made from the bones of a sea monster. Maybe if he actually caught any fish next time he could use the bones to craft a smaller spear, or at least some kind of cursed toothpick.
Lancer sighed, reeling in his line and picking up his still empty bucket of fish, and the blue haired warrior turned to leave the docks. He hoped something interesting would happen soon so he could have a real fight. So far, following the priest's orders had been pretty boring.
I wonder what Teacher's up to right now.
.-.
Kirei Kotomine stared at the Servant who had appeared at his church dead in the eyes, his expression not changing the slightest bit. Ruler stared back at him in exactly the same manner.
So, this is the Ruler class Servant that the Holy Grail itself saw fit to summon? This… complicates things.
Though he'd long since embraced the evil in his heart, Kirei knew at once who had been summoned to serve as the Ruler. Anyone who'd worked for the Church as long as he had would. Ruler was a beautiful woman with long violet hair tied in silk ribbons on either side. Chainmail lay draped across her shoulders, covering part of her long pure white dress, itself with an area cut out on her chest and abdomen to resemble a cross.
Iron boots protected her feet at the end of deep blue leggings, gauntlets of the same metal protected her forearms. In her right hand, Ruler held an ornate staff that also resembled a cross. The staff was held at an angle, and her left hand rested on her hip, just above her belt buckle.
Ruler exuded the kind of presence that Kirei Kotomine himself should have, yet did not. Where the priest of Fuyuki's mien was dark, oppressive, and malicious, Ruler's was bright, comforting, and supportive. The fact that the two's clothing could be said to match these auras in their coloring at least was purely coincidental. Yet, one look into Ruler's eyes that shone like sapphires would reveal she was still quite capable of delivering her sermons with steel instead of speech should the need arise.
"My greetings to you, Saint Martha," Kirei said to Ruler, with all the politeness and goodwill he could muster. It was simple enough for Kirei to keep up his façade around Rin, who despite her father's best teachings still acted based on her emotions rather than logic more often than not, but a saint who had personally traveled with and learned from the Messiah would be… more difficult to fool. That said, Kirei was anything if not tenacious, so if deceiving one of the world's first saints was what he needed to do to fulfill his wish, then deceive her he shall.
"It is an honor to have a companion of the Son of God Himself preside over this Grail War. I am Father Kirei Kotomine, the pastor of this church and the Overseer of the war. Please, know that as your brother before the Lord, I wish to offer you any assistance I can."
Ruler suspected Kirei was not being entirely honest with her. She could sense a kind of darkness within him, located around his heart- that is to say, there was only darkness there, the priest quite literally did not have a heart. Immediately Ruler was wary. She would keep her concerns to herself for now. It would not be wise to make an enemy of the priest this early into her mission. The brown haired Inquisitor grimaced internally, but kept his outer mask firm. For a brief moment, he thought Ruler would discover his deception and begin to investigate the premises. That would not do for his plans.
Just as quickly as Kirei's doubts formed and had mentally readied himself for battle, they vanished with the smile on Ruler's face.
"Thank you for the offer Kirei, but despite us both being Overseers of a sort, I'm afraid I can't accept your help at the moment." Ruler spoke with a voice gentle and sisterly. Even if this hadn't assuaged Kirei's fears that Ruler would learn of his plans, he would have been soothed by her words regardless. "There is something different about this Grail War that I must confirm for myself first." The priest bowed lightly and escorted Ruler to the exit of the church.
"I understand completely." He responded. "Know that should you ever decide to seek assistance, the doors of this church are always open to you."
With the superhuman abilities of a Servant, Ruler took off into the night, searching for an area where she would not be disturbed as she surveyed the battlegrounds. Unknown to Ruler, the golden haired figure of Gilgamesh watched her leave from a shadow around the church, a growing smirk on the Zero Archer's face.
Eventually, Ruler settled on the rooftop of Homurahara Academy's main schoolbuilding. After a quick survey of the land to make sure no one else was around, Ruler closed her eyes and began to focus.
Immediately Ruler detected the presence of the seven Servants of Blue. Lancer, Rider, Caster, and Berserker's existences all felt as they should, but three of them were different. Saber, Archer, and Assassin had strange, conflicting feelings to them. They were Servants, yet not Servants. This confused Ruler, and she resolved to meet them in person to find out why.
Ruler's then felt two more Servants, those belonging to the Red Faction. Lancer of Red's presence was that of a Servant, yet different. There was an element belonging to it that only be described as "divine". The presence was similar to, yet different and weaker than the feeling Ruler would get as she had walked by His side in life. Lancer, Rider, and Berserker of Blue also held the same feeling, though their divinities differed still in their origin.
Caster of Red held a different feeling, one she could not quite place.
Finally, Ruler felt two more beings that should not exist in the War. The first was dark and unmistakably malevolent. It held a feeling that could be said as the opposite of that of Ruler's own class. The second was powerful. This being's power was on a scale comparable to that of Berserker of Blue, and the power Lancer of Blue still hid within. Lancer of Red was another who held a similar amount of power to them.
A glittering, shining, golden existence, Ruler could feel this stranger's presence as being back at the Fuyuki church. It held a feeling that was the same as the darkness she felt before it, the same that she had felt from Kirei Kotomine, though it was deeper, more subdued.
So he did lie to me, Ruler thought. The once-serene face she held twisted into a scowl as Ruler opened her eyes. She dispelled her staff for a moment and punched her right fist into the palm of her left hand, paying no mind to the sound caused by the impact of the metal. Extrapolating from the information she had, Ruler came to a conclusion that made her angrier.
There's sixteen Servants other than me involved here, she thought.
Saint Martha truly had her work cut out for her.
Fate/stay night: Dai Taisen
Episode 4: The Saint Of The Waterside
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I will readily admit this took too long to get out. Between schoolwork, my sister's wedding, and other matters I didn't really get to work on this very much. That said, a month is my absolute limit for working on chapters of this story so I'm glad I was able to at least get this out before November. I would like to thank everyone again for about 3400 views on this story.
I feel like I'm forgetting something, but oh well. Standard procedure applies, questions, comments, concerns in the review please.