Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate series or other related works. They are the property of TYPE-Moon. Please support the official release.
On reviews/PMs:
-KnightOfZaku: While Ruler won't be actively helping the Red Faction, so as to stick with her role as an Overseer, she's certainly hoping they end up winning right now.
-Caspeif: I wouldn't really consider myself a good choice to get advice from, but since you asked; Make sure to check out everything official you can regarding any character really. In the case of Mordred, that would be the Apocrypha anime, light novels, any scenes she appears in for F/GO, and probably something else I'm forgetting. Good things to remember are that Mordred puts up a prickly front and is very confrontational and prideful, but is willing to work under someone as long as they give her proper respect about it. In addition, when she grows to truly trust someone she can seem like an entirely different person with how upbeat she becomes. Hope that helped!
Seriously though, I can't believe this story's gotten over 15K views. Thanks to all of you for checking it out!
.-.
"Alright then, Batreaux," Saber said to her Master, "Show me what you've got, and we'll work up from there." The blond Texan nodded in determination and let his body drop down, slowly, so as to get the most out of the exercise.
"One… two… three… four…" While ensuring his descent was slow required control and effort on part of his muscles, fighting back against gravity to rise back up needed even more energy. For any exercise, careful and proper breathing was essential. "Five… six… s-seven…"
Much as he hated to admit it, Batreaux was already beginning to feel a burning sensation in his arms, indicating he had nearly reached the limits of his strength. How embarrassing, he thought to himself as he completed an eighth push-up. Physical prowess wasn't exactly his forte, but he should at least be capable of ten. Under normal circumstances he likely could've done at least twenty, but he wasn't used to the added weight.
"What, that's it?" Mordred asked from her position, seated firmly on Batreaux's back. She looked down at him with a look halfway between disappointment and amusement, holding a half-eaten hamburger in one hand. The burger was one of the… What was it again? Two dozen? He'd bought for Mordred after managing to track down a joint the previous night. Thanks to her Grail-given knowledge of Japanese, he'd managed to make the purchase rather easily, aside from a bit of shock at the sheer amount of food the cashier had displayed. He'd taken a few for himself of course, to help get Saber back to a level where she could safely materialize again to eat the rest.
"N-niiiinnneee…" He couldn't take the strain anymore and collapsed. Mordred stood up and offered him her free hand, which he eagerly took hold of.
"Come on man, you've gotta do better than that."
"S-sorry, Saber. I guess I just wasn't used to your added weight is all." An instant too late Batreaux realized his grave error and his eyes widened in fear. Oh, shit.
"Oi, what was that about my weight?" Mordred asked, a dark, murderous expression on her face. Batreaux could practically feel the malice rolling off of her. "Maybe next time I'll take my legs off the floor too, then you'll really feel my 'added weight'."
"Uh, that wasn't what I meant, Saber! I swear! The problem isn't you being heavy or anything at all, it's just me being weak!" Saber narrowed her eyes and took another bite of her hamburger before chuckling lightly. As his panic began to fade, Batreaux realized he was off the hook. "Seriously though Saber. I'm glad you agreed to help me exercise, but I kinda thought you'd be exercising with me."
"If it was anything other than a waste of mana, sure." Mordred sat back down on her bed in their shared hotel room. "Servants can't change our forms through any sort of ordinary means, so no matter how much I exercise I wouldn't get any stronger. And no matter how much I eat, I won't gain any weight either." Saber crumpled up the wrapper of her food into a little ball and threw it like a basketball towards the trashcan by the door. It bounced off the rim and landed by Batreaux, who put in the trash instead.
"Really? So absorbing mana's the only way for you to get stronger?"
"Yep. Hell, you wanna know why even the weakest Servants can take out the strongest humans no problem? It's 'cause unless you put some kind of mana behind it, you just can't hurt us."
"You're lying." Batreaux said in disbelief, "So even if the entire planet blew up, or if a nuclear bomb dropped on your head, you'd be fine if magic didn't cause the explosion?"
"Well, I don't know about that, but you? Even if you hit me as hard as you could, nothing would happen. Give it a shot if you don't believe me." Saber got off the bed and stood in front of Batreaux in her rather… unique outfit. The prince had decided to wear a combination of what she wore under her armor and the clothes she'd borrowed, so while her lower half was covered by jeans, she had on the simple red, chest-covering leather for a top.
Batreaux stared at her in confusion. "Yoouuu… want me to punch you in the stomach?"
"Hell no!" Saber scoffed. "In my abs!" Saber rapped her knuckles against her abdomen a few times for emphasis. Batreaux hadn't noticed before, but he had to admit, Mordred's body, while slim, did have a rather well-defined musculature, especially her abs. Especially her abs. Batreaux felt a combined feeling of envy and admiration as he looked over his Servant's body.
I can't believe I didn't notice this before, but Mordred's actually pretty fit, huh… Damn, that's one of my weaknesses… Saber looked on with a smug smile on her face. She'd never admit it, but she was enjoying the attention, especially after being called 'average' the night she and her Master had met.
"That's okay Saber. I believe you. I actually have a second request, if you don't mind."
"Sure, what is it?"
"I'd like you to teach me how to wield a sword. I realize I won't really be a help against Servants anymore, but it'd still be useful against enemy Masters."
Saber's mood darkened as she recalled the events of the previous night, specifically after she'd engaged Archer on the bridge. Whatever the reasons for it may have been, Batreaux had knowingly put himself in a situation where he could easily have died, all to try and protect her. It was utterly asinine, but it and his panic as she had almost faded away proved his apparent care for her was genuine. It was an odd, new sensation.
"Yeah, the sword training ain't happening. I'm not the teacher type, and I mostly just fight on instinct anyway. And by the way, it's hard for me to admit when I've screwed up, so you better listen closely to this next bit." Saber took a deep breath and sighed, before looking Batreaux dead in the eyes. The intensity of her gaze made him shudder a little, even though she meant him no harm.
"I… misjudged you, Batreaux. After how easily you fell in line after my fight with Rider, I assumed you were a spineless coward. But what you did for me last night proved otherwise. You've still got a long way to go before I'd consider you a knight or hand control back over to you, but at least you're kinda reliable in a pinch. Got it?" A slight blush had spread over Mordred's face as she spoke, the experience clearly embarrassing for her. Her embarrassment only intensified after Batreaux's response.
"Well, thank you for the high praise, your Majesty. I'll do my best to continue exceeding your lofty expectations." He said with a bow. Batreaux himself was embarrassed by Mordred's praise and gratitude. If he was being honest, he would say he didn't think he really deserved it. It was probably because she had… never mind.
"Wa-wa-what do you mean, 'your Majesty'!?" Mordred cried out as her face burned bright red. Batreaux smiled at Mordred's stammering. It was further proof to him that he'd misjudged her at first as well.
"I just thought you sounded pretty kingly in that little speech is all. You're in this war to prove your birthright, aren't you?"
"W-well, I… yeah, but… Hmm." Saber looked down in thought for a moment, then brightened up and smiled at Batreaux. "So, why are you in this war? What are you fighting for?"
Batreaux grimaced a bit, which was somewhat concerning to Mordred. "I thought I told you before. I just want a quiet life by myself."
"You did, but I want to know why you went ahead and summoned me. You don't need the Grail's power to live a quiet life, and you don't seem predictable enough to do this kind of shit because destiny says so or whatever." Batreaux walked over to and sat down on his bed. Saber followed his lead, sitting down on hers. The two faced each other.
"I honestly don't know why. Probably something stupid like wanting to be a hero, or something else like that I don't deserve. At least at first. Now, I'd say it's because I feel like I can relate to you, Mordred."
He doesn't deserve to want to be a hero? Saber narrowed her eyes at him, thoroughly confused by the statement. "Eh? The hell does that mean?" Batreaux looked away from her and put a hand on his face.
"I'm sorry, Saber. I shouldn't have said that." Just as quickly as his mood had darkened, Batreaux was back to his usual self. It was a bit jarring to Saber, almost as if he'd had practice hiding his emotions. "Let's go over what we're gonna do today. Planning how we deal with the Blue Faction is important, but I think we should make time to have some fun too. What do you think?"
A hint of worry could be seen on Mordred's face and in her green eyes, but she was willing to change the subject if he was. Oh, she hadn't given up on finding out her Master's motivations. She'd thought briefly about threatening him for the information, but decided against it for now.
"Well," she said, hopping over to Batreaux's bed to look at the list he was writing down, "Those burgers were great and all, but I'm still holding you to that promise you made about taking me to an expensive place." Batreaux nodded and wrote down 'Feed the black hole' on his notepad. Mordred frowned a little. "Oi. Anyway, I also wanna try out some of the arcades and batting cages around here. I still owe you some payback for that fighting game you beat me in before we left for the airport.
Batreaux wrote down 'Beat Saber again' and 'Pay tribute to the Dark Lord Christopher'. The last one bewildered Mordred and she took her arm off his shoulder after reading it. "What the- that had better just be your weird way of remembering Baseball, Batreaux."
"Yeah, basically. By the way, you want some new clothes? I was gonna buy a new jacket, and was thinking we could get you something if you want."
"Yeah sure, just give me a sec to put on a shirt." Saber walked over to the hotel room closet and pulled out a red shirt with white sleeves before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Wait, Batreaux thought, Was Mordred just wearing a bra this whole time? Huh.
"Oh, and I'd like to do some more exercise later. I know I didn't do too well just now, but this is as good a time as ever. Besides, it'd be nice for my health."
"Yeah," Mordred said as she stepped out, now wearing a full outfit. "I'd say you could stand to lose a few dozen pounds."
"Ouch. I'm not that out of shape am I?"
Mordred chuckled lightly at Batreaux's response. "Come on, let's go already."
"Alright, just don't lose your keycard." Batreaux pulled on an old white cloth jacket over a solid red shirt, thinking it would make a nice complement to Saber's own outfit, fastened his watch and grabbed his wallet. Batreaux opened the door and exited their hotel room, only for him to nearly run head first into a familiar, brown haired woman.
"Oh hey Bat!" Elise exclaimed, eyes lighting up at the sight of her roommate. "I didn't expect to run into you in Japan, or that your hotel room would be right across the hall from mine! Shouldn't you be back at home watching after your sister?~" She asked mischievously, putting extra emphasis on the word 'sister'.
Behind Batreaux, Saber popped her head up to look at who he was talking to, remnants of her last hamburger hanging from her mouth carelessly. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of Elise, then made a noise Batreaux could've sworn was like the hissing of a cat. To be fair, Elise's mouth did somewhat resemble a cat's herself as she noticed her friend's Servant behind him.
"Oh? Morgan's here in Fuyuki with you, Batreaux? Didn't you say she was staying with you for a vacation? Are your parents really okay with you bringing your baby sister all the way to Japan?" Underneath her mounting rage, Mordred could faintly feel her Master's energy darken through their link at the mention of his parents. That hadn't happened when he'd come up with the lie that they wanted her to live with him.
"To be honest Elise, my parents have no idea we're here. It'd mean a lot to me if you didn't tell them about this."
"Aww, you don't have to worry about that, Bat. But, you know," Elise leaned in closer to Batreaux and placed one hand on his shoulder. "You're a really bad liar~" she whispered gently in his ear.
"E-eh?" Batreaux stammered out as a chill went down his spine. He didn't get to see this side of her too often at home, but Elise could be quite frightening when she felt like it. "W-what do you mean, Eli-chan?" he said in an attempt to play cute.
"I mean, Morgan isn't really your sister. First, you said 'my' parents instead of 'our' parents just now. Second, I don't even know your parents' names, so how could I tell them you were in Japan? And finally, I think we both know what that tattoo on your hand really is, so just admit it, Batreaux."
Batreaux swallowed. Several seconds of tense silence passed between the two young adults. Behind Batreaux, Mordred's right hand hovered out of Elise's view, crimson fire wrapped around it as she prepared to draw Clarent. Finally, Batreaux sighed. "Alright Elise. You win. Come on in, if you want." Mordred reluctantly dissipated the fire from around her hand and pulled out the chair from the hotel room's desk, sitting on it backwards.
Saber's eye twitched lightly as Elise sat down on the edge of her bed while Batreaux sat back down on his own. "So, as you've figured out, Morgan isn't really my sister. She's actually my Servant, Saber. And for what it's worth, we've figured out your Servant is Rider, and that we're on the same side for now."
"Yeah, so that overly-chivalrous dickhead can stop hiding, for one thing." Saber called out, staring straight behind Elise. In response, blue mist shifted and Rider of Red faded into view, wearing the same jeans and brown shirt from when Saber and Batreaux first encountered him.
"Hello again, Saber." Mordred just snorted in response.
"Alright, so you guys know I'm a Servant. Whaddaya want? 'Cause if you try anything funny, I guarantee you ain't walking back out of here, even if I don't either."
Elise giggled lightly. "We're only here to talk Saber, don't worry. Besides, in your current state, there really isn't much you could do against us anyway." A very blatant, angry look came over Saber's face. If Batreaux and Elise hadn't been both friends and on the same team, Mordred would have been very tempted to wring the girl's neck. Hell, she was tempted to do it anyway. Perhaps what Elise said next was the only reason she didn't.
"I can help with that, you know. Your circuits, I mean." Elise pointed down to Batreaux's arm and he followed her gaze, imagining the glowing blue lines that would trace across it whenever he performed magecraft, most recently, during the previous night when he cast the explosion spell. "Let me guess, your arm feels like it's fallen asleep for a few hours after you cast a spell, right?" Batreaux nodded.
"Mmhmm. If I'm right, I'd say summoning Saber was the first time you ever performed magic. Makes sense if that's the case. Magic Circuits are a lot like muscles, actually."
Two pairs of grey eyes, one slate and the other stormy, locked onto each other. "I get it," Batreaux said, "It's like starting off exercise by lifting the heavy weights instead of working up to them with something small."
"Exactly. Your circuits are still usable, obviously, but unless you open them up properly, Saber won't ever get any stronger than she is now. Normally, that would happen over time anyway, but we don't have as long as that would take. So, I'm gonna open up your circuits for you, Bat~"
Saber raised an eyebrow after hearing that. She'd seen several types of rituals as a child, but only small pieces of them, and never a circuit opening. Her own circuits never really needed to be opened up, as they were actually a Magic Core. Saber was interested, and bewilderingly, a little envious?
"Uh, okay. How do we do that?"
"There's several ways," Elise said as she rolled up her sleeves and directed Rider to guard the door to the room. "For this though, I'm just going to transfer some of my mana through your circuits, then you'll transfer it back to me." Elise focused some mana into her hand's circuits and held them out to Batreaux. Another pang of envy struck Mordred as she watched the two entwine their fingers, though she couldn't explain why.
"Alright, Batreaux. Just focus, and make sure to breathe slowly." Batreaux and Elise both closed their eyes on focused on the other's presence. A bright cyan glow began to fill the room as the two began their task. A rush of warmth began to enter Batreaux's body from his left hand as his circuits began to light- Elise's mana. If mana could be said to be the power of one's soul, then the feeling of one's mana could give light to their true nature. At her core, Elise was a kind and caring person. As her mana flowed back into her through Batreaux's right hand, he began to wonder if she really had what it would inevitably take to win the Holy Grail War.
At that moment, Batreaux's momentary lapse in focus formed a 'crack' in his connection with Elise, a crack from which some hidden, strange power deep in his mind began to treacherously creep through. The cyan light emanating from where the two's hands connected began to turn violet. A burst of unknown panic surged through the watching Saber and Rider's bodies, and the two locked their own eyes a split second before Elise herself also took notice of this nameless wrong. Abruptly, she severed her connection with Batreaux, abandoning whatever remained of her mana within his circuits. It wasn't worth the risk of staying connected any longer.
A burst of concussive force blew the two apart and into opposite walls of the hotel room, and the two watching Servants hurried to their Masters' sides as a violet light quickly faded from Elise's eyes. Her heart beat like a jackhammer in her chest as she desperately tried to calm down and catch her breath.
"Milady! Are you unharmed?" Rider asked as he knelt down to rest a hand Elise's shoulder.
"Batreaux! Hey, Batreaux!" Saber yelled at her Master, who had yet to open his eyes. She turned towards Elise and Rider with a frenzied, maniacal rage on her face. "What the fuck did you just do to him?!"
Mordred's armor snapped into existence around her with incredible speed and Clarent materialized so strongly it seemed to burn away space itself. Rider's own armor and the holy sword Ascalon appeared in a brighter flash of light than before, as the Guardian Knight skill activated in response to the threat against his Master. Mordred raised Clarent high above her head and she prepared to strike.
Fortunately, Batreaux happened to awaken at that moment. His grey eyes fluttered for a bit before he realized what was happening and scrambled to his feet in a panic.
"Wait, wait a minute!" He reached out his right hand towards Mordred, unconsciously activating one of his Command Seals. "Saber, STOP!" A burst of scarlet energy erupted forth from Batreaux's hand, and Mordred suddenly ground to a halt. If she had tried, she likely could've resisted the Command Spell's effect, but she was too overcome with a mixture of shock, anger, and relief. The Knight of Treachery forced her head to turn and glared at her Master over her shoulder.
The Command Seal Batreaux had used to force her obedience slowly faded away, leaving only a vague, bruise-like patch behind on his skin, its power exhausted. "I'm okay, Saber," he said slowly, "See? I'm perfectly fine. You don't need to hurt Elise. She didn't do anything to me.
As the power of the Command Spell over her faded, so too did Mordred's armaments. Her body still shook with rage, but it was no longer directed at Elise, who had managed to calm down and stand up herself.
"I have no idea what that was, but at any rate, your circuits should be working properly now, Batreaux. You should avoid casting any magecraft for now though. The Command Spell wasn't technically cast with your mana, so it shouldn't have any adverse effects, but…" Elise staggered lightly and shook her head. Rider moved himself to help her stand. "Oh, wow, I need to go lie down for a while. I'll…. see you later, Bat." Elise and Rider exited the hotel room to return to their own. Batreaux and Saber stayed quiet for a few moments more to listen for the door closing.
Then Saber decked Batreaux across the face again. "That's for making me worry about you, asshole!" Though the pain was still immense, Batreaux managed to remain standing this time, having expected something like that to happen.
"Two things. First, that's you being worried about me? Second, you were worried about me?"
"Of course I was, Batreaux! I felt this weird energy coming off of you, and then you didn't wake up, and I thought that witch had done something to you, so I freaked out, and… Gah! Why'd you waste a Command Seal on that anyway?"
"I wasn't about to let you kill my friend, no matter how good your intentions were."
"Ghhhh… You've got a point, I guess. I-I'm sorry, Batreaux. It's just, I've never actually had a friend before, so…" Someone else probably wouldn't have gotten Mordred's point, but Batreaux understood what she meant perfectly. And while it was heartwarming to know she considered him a friend, it was also depressing that he was apparently her only friend. Ever.
"Hey, I get it. And I'm fine anyway, so it's nothing to worry about, right?" Saber thought about it for a moment, and soon her usual confident smirk was back on her face.
"Yeah, I guess. But, man, you've gotta have some serious, quality circuits if that was the result of opening them."
"You think so?" Batreaux asked as the two stepped into the hall to begin their day for real.
"Hell yeah! Sure, it was weird, but I've never seen something like that before! Ah man, I can't wait to see what your mana tastes like now!"
"Wait, my mana has a flavor to it?" Considering Mordred's appetite, combined with how she hadn't been able to get enough mana from him before, the idea was a bit worrying to him.
"Aww, don't worry," Saber said as the two stepped into an elevator at the end of the hall, "I'm not gonna take so much I kill ya or anything. But yeah, it was kinda buttery, I guess? You probably eat a lot of fatty foods, yeah?"
"Hey, who knows? Maybe now my mana will taste like pineapple."
"Hahah, gross!"
Wait, she understood that joke?
.-.
"Awww, bastard! How the hell do you keep beating me?" Saber stared at the cabinet screen in shock as her character fell to the ground and the announcer proclaimed Batreaux's victory. Again. Every attempt Saber had made with each of the game's twenty-two unique characters ended in failure. Though she realized they were just playing a friendly game with each other, Mordred still hated losing. The cheers of the small crowd that had gathered didn't help her self-esteem.
"Heh. You see Saber," Batreaux said smugly while pushing up his glasses, "You might be superior to me physically, but when it comes to video games, you're in my house. Also, you're jumping characters too much. Instead, you should find two or three you like and stick with them."
"Even still! My Instinct skill should've been enough to outplay you!" Mordred finally let go of where she had a deathgrip on the console and Batreaux followed as the crowd dispersed and congratulated the pair; Saber on her determination to play twenty-two matches in a row, and Batreaux for winning said matches.
"Well, that skill didn't seem to help much against Lancer and Archer."
"Gettin' a bit too cocky there, ya know. Want me to beat ya up for real?"
"No, I wanna race," Batreaux said, pointing over to a pair of Initial V machines.
"Oh, you're on. Believe it or not, I actually am good at driving."
.-.
"Gah, I missed again! Come on you stupid bat!" Mordred continued to swing around wildly at each ball the pitching machine would send her way, and she would completely fail to connect each time. Her Master found himself in a similar situation, as while the young man did have hand-eye coordination, he had never played Baseball before, and was unused to physical labor in general, a conscious decision on his part. Still, Mordred felt a bit better about her own issues with the sport after seeing him fail as well.
The two began laughing after a while, and instead of competing to see who could hit the most of the numbered targets they were presented with, instead decided to see who could make the worst shot possible. So far, their 'score' was tied, with Batreaux winning at the fighting game, Saber winning at the racing game despite her… wild playstyle, (Something she took pride in regardless,) and neither truly winning at the batting cages.
However, on their way out, Batreaux caught an interesting sight across the street. Two teenagers, one with red hair that he assumed was rare among Japanese, and a European girl of the exact same appearance as Mordred, aside from a lock of hair that stood straight up on her head. Batreaux briefly did a double take to make sure Saber was still with him and sure enough, she was.
"Hey Mordred," he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any siblings, would you?"
"If I do, then no one ever told me, just like they never told me anything else important. Why?"
A sudden chill came over Batreaux, and deep in the back of his mind he knew not to mention the other girl to Saber. That did beg the question of just who she was.
"Eh, just curious. Some versions of the legends say King Arthur had a second child. I guess those ones aren't true then, huh?"
I bet if Father did have another kid, he'd actually have cared about him… Mordred thought to herself bitterly. "No, they aren't. What, do I not exist in some of them either?"
"Honestly… no."
To think people would hate me so much some of them would pretend I never existed…
"Hey, Mordred…" Batreaux said. He'd sensed his friend was starting to seem more depressed than usual, and recalling how similar she'd acted after their shared 'dream', decided to try and cheer her up. "What do you say we go get some new clothes, then find some food, huh?"
"Hmm. Yeah, alright."
.-.
"Damn, this place is actually pretty great! It may not look like much, but the food here is delicious!" Mordred happily devoured her fourth dish at the coffee shop she and Batreaux made their way to after picking out some new outfits. She'd decided to be adventurous this time and had ordered… well, everything. The girl's appetite was as strong as ever, and even though it wasn't quite as surprising to him now, Batreaux still marveled at how much his Servant could eat. Pork curry, mushroom pasta, salad, and now meat pie. All of it gone, and still more on the way.
"Yeah, it's pretty great. Kinda odd how close it was to the bridge though. And I am a bit disappointed they don't have mapo tofu here, but hey, whatever."
Saber swallowed the current bite of her curry and looked at him. "Really? I didn't take you for the type to like spicy food, Batreaux."
"It's actually my favorite food, honestly." Batreaux was wearing a black polar fleece jacket and enjoying the welcome warmth and insulation from the winter air it provided. His companion Mordred had picked out new dark red jeans and a black, fur trimmed leather jacket. She'd also selected white sneakers. All-in-all, Mordred was feeling pretty good. That said…
"Hey, Batreaux. Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Well, you said yourself that food helps you get mana, and I have the money for it, so why not?"
"Okay, but that doesn't explain the clothes," Saber said after finishing a glass of milk, "Or how easily you seem to have handled being in contact with, well, me."
"…I'll be honest, Mordred. When I was a kid, I used to hate you. Or rather, I hated what I thought you were. Then, when I grew up I realized how stupid I was being. Even if you were evil, you weren't completely responsible for everything that had happened. After all, your mom's the one who came up with the plan to have you kill your father in the first place."
Saber put down her utensils and looked down to her side, thinking about his words. "So then, this is all…"
"Yeah, to an extent. You could say I'm doing all this stuff for you as a way of making up for how I thought of you before we actually met. That seems kind of pathetic though, so let's just say it's because you're my friend."
"Right, but… You were doing stuff like this even before I said we were friends. And earlier today you said you could 'relate to me'. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but I'd like to know what you meant by that."
Batreaux thought to himself silently for a moment. Saber seemed to realize that his rationale for breaking off their conversation earlier was a personal one, as she was willing to let it slide without further elaboration. That wouldn't be fair, though. He thought. "Alright, Saber. I saw part of your memories, so it only seems fair I tell you what I meant.
"…. I was bullied a lot as a kid. It got pretty bad, to the point I still have scars. It probably contributed to my hatred of you, if that makes sense. I know what I've been through can't even begin to compare to how bad your life must've been, but… I know what it's like to be alone. So if you really consider me your friend, then for now at least, neither of us is alone."
"Wow. That… That's bullshit."
"W-what?" Mordred leaned forwards over the table, a calm but angry expression on her face. Batreaux could tell it wasn't directed at him, at least.
"If it got so bad you have physical scarring, even now… Batreaux, it stopped being just 'bullying' at that point. That sounds more like attempted murder." After a moment of silence between the two, Mordred's eyes slightly widened in realization. "Oh God. And I've been lording myself over you this entire time. Shit, man, you've probably been reminded of that several times by now…"
"Really, Mordred. It's fine." Batreaux said as he leaned back in his chair, "I'll admit it was a little irritating, but it's not a big deal. Like I said before, I don't mind working under you."
Mordred grimaced. She wasn't hungry anymore. I wonder how much of that outlook is natural… Ghh. Humans really are bastards. Her Master clearly still wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she was glad to let it go for now. "Alright, let's get back to the hotel. I don't really feel like eating anymore and you seem done."
Batreaux nodded and the two stood up and headed for the exit, where he paid for their meal. A man in sunglasses accepted their money and saw the two off with a wave. Once outside, the two took a moment to let their eyes adjust to the light before beginning their walk.
"By the way Mordred," Batreaux said, "I got these for you before we left for Japan. It's technically illegal for you to have these, but as long as you keep them to yourself we should be fine." Saber accepted the item and raised an eyebrow upon noticing Batreaux had handed her a carton of cigarettes. She opened the pack and removed one before placing it between her teeth and the carton in her left pocket. A quick snap of her fingers and a tiny bit of power from her Mana Burst skill ignited the cigarette with crimson sparks.
She took a deep draw before her face screwed up. Mordred hacked and coughed the smoke out of her lungs. She may have technically been a dragon, but even so it tasted foul. "Oi, what the hell is in this thing?"
"Basically poison," her Master said simply. "It shouldn't really have an effect on Servants though, and as long as people know what they're getting into I couldn't care less what they put in their bodies. Better this than something like hard drugs honestly." Mordred shrugged her shoulders before putting the cigarette back in her mouth. She could probably get used to the flavor soon enough.
"You want one?" she asked.
"No thanks," Batreaux said. "Personally I don't really care for anything like that except alcohol. The day you see me smoke is the day I die."
"Suit yourself."
.-.
Hey boss, Lancer of Red spoke to their Master, voice unusually serious, It happened.
"Yes, I felt it too. I would imagine several of the more powerful or experienced Servants gathered in the city noticed as well. Our priorities have shifted."
.-.
And indeed, two Servants did notice the disturbance. Within the walls of the indoor swimming pool Exciting Splash, the King of Beach-goers Gilgamesh, or Gil as his patrons knew him, looked up from his desk and raised one golden eyebrow. The release of power on its own didn't interest him in the slightest, what caught his attention was the feeling of it. It was entirely unlike anything he had known before. Such an experience did not happen often for the original Golden King, why, within recent memory only two individuals had prompted such a response.
Whatever the source of this power was, the fact remained that it being unknown to him meant it was something that did not exist in his treasury, and therefore something he did not own. This warranted investigation. "Minazuki! I am heading out into the city for a while. You will, of course, be compensated for the time I am away." The king's faithful Assistant Manager nodded as his boss stood up and looked out over his domain.
Of course, many patrons were enjoying the various current, wave, and racing pools, along with the slides and diving boards. All of them king sized, of course. Gilgamesh had even added a set of waterfalls modeled after those from when he reigned over Uruk. Out of the corner of his eye, Gilgamesh noticed the lavender haired figure of Ruler, currently dressed in a black bikini and sunhat, leave the artificial beach and head for the changing rooms. He grinned to himself, for the woman with the divinely sculpted body that rivaled his own in beauty had certainly taken notice of the strange power as well.
Hmm. Perhaps it would be a good idea to allow Ruler a headstart. The King of Heroes grinned again. Surely he of all people had the time to put on a show for his subjects. "Minazuki! One more thing before I leave. Set the largest wave pool to its highest setting. I will show these mongrels who the King of Waves is!"
.-.
Do you think he'll be able to handle it? From what you've described of it, that power isn't something to be taken lightly. Lancer's mercenary Master paused to take a long draw from his cigarette and thought. Eventually, he answered his Servant.
"There are only three possible outcomes to this war now. Either he manages to suppress this power, in which case we will inevitably win. Or he dies before that can happen. And that is not an outcome I am willing to accept, Empty One."
Oh ho? And what would the third ending to our little journey be?
Lancer's Master was silent once more. In his years as a magus, he had traveled the world many times over and gained many unique experiences and skills. Batreaux was not the first youth he had encountered to hold such a strange potential within him, but there was a very real, very dangerous possibility he would be the last. He would not accept the boy's death. Which meant in reality, there was only two ways the Holy Grail War could end.
"The final outcome…. Is that he fails to suppress this power, and it overwhelms him. Should that happen, the utter destruction of this city and every living thing within it is a low estimate of the havoc that could be unleashed." Lancer's Master returned his attention to writing down what the Servant had learned of the Blue faction the previous night, specifically of Archer and Berserker.
Archer: Proficient in several different forms of combat. Prefers the use of twin Chinese swords. Can fire swords as 'arrows.' Threat potential: Unclear.
Berserker: Relies primarily on raw physical ability, but retains immense skill, especially deadly when paired to his even greater strength. Noble Phantasm possesses regenerative properties, can seemingly return from death immune to what previously killed him. Deaths currently: drowning, electrocution. Limits of regeneration unclear. Threat potential: Extreme.
Hmmm. Yeah, that sounds preeetty bad, Lancer said, shifting his attention back to the topic of Batreaux's awakening, but I think me and that gold guy could handle it if we teamed up. Got any plans just in case?
"Pray, Lancer. Pray to what few gods you haven't earned the ire of. Should the worst come to pass, even your powers won't be enough to stop it."
.-.
Fate/Stay night: Dai Taisen
Episode 8: Winter Days, Why We Fight
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Sorry for the delay, (again) I've been looking for a new job recently so that takes up a lot of time. Also wasn't quite sure about certain sections in this chapter. I hope they don't come off as too forced. I did do my research to make sure one of them fits in with the greater Fate lore, so don't worry, there's a reason for it.
Hope you've all got your FP ready for ya boy Angra Mainyu in about a week. Personally I hope to NP5 him.
Q/C/C in the review if you leave one, see you all later.