The Web of Strife Part 2
Although no one could tell, Strife's eyebrow was raised at the sight before him.
When he had requested that the two Grail Servants bring him "To their leader", he had expected to be taken to an impressive dwelling, fitting of a mage-lord. He wasn't expecting to be standing, arms crossed, in the dining room of, what he assumed to be a "traditional" Japanese house.
Flanking him on either side were the two servants, Rider, who was now dressed in a dark colored top and dark pants, and the interloper servant, who he had later discovered to be Saber, who chose to forgo her armor in favor of a blouse and a long skirt.
Both Grail Servants were keeping an eye on him, ready to spring into action if they thought he posed any threat to their young masters.
Their masters were indeed young. Four of them knelt across from him on the other side of a low table. Of the one boy and three girls, it seemed as if none of them had spent more than two decades alive. The boy and two of the girls were dressed in some sort of uniform, while the last girl, who appeared to be the youngest, was dressed in some sort of purple outfit.
The boy stood up, and walked over to Strife, (despite the disapproving glares of the females) grasping a white cup in his hands.
"Want some tea?" the boy asked.
Strife raised his eyebrow higher, "No thanks."
The boy merely shrugged, and retook his place alongside the other juvenile magi.
One of the girls, who possessed black hair, cleared her throat, "Well now... Horsemen. My name is Tohsaka Rin, Second Owner of Fuyuki City. I speak for our little Cabal here. Saber and Rider said you wanted to speak with me?"
"I do... Second Owner Rin."
"It's Tohsaka. Family names come first for Japanese."
Strife rolled his eyes, "Whatever. The point is I am here on Council business. You may not be aware of this, Second Owner, but you have an intruder near your lands."
Betraying no emotion, Tohsaka took a sip of tea, "The only intruder that I am aware of is you, and the creature that Saber killed. So, you are trying to tell me that there are more of those things outside Fuyuki?"
"You catch on quick Second Owner."
Tohsaka gave Strife a smile that held no warmth, "Thank you Horseman. Now then, what is this 'Council" whose business you are here on?"
Strife uncrossed his arms, "The Charred Council magus, who else?"
Now Tohsaka raised an eyebrow, "I'm not familiar with any 'Charred Council' Horseman."
Strife's palm went to his face, "Humans... street urchins on the most backwater of worlds know more than they do." he muttered under his breath. He knew they were for the most part ignorant of anything that happened outside the Third Kingdom, but he had expected that their Mages were at least informed about the greater universe.
Now he had to play history teacher.
...
...
...
It was going to be a long night.
It was indeed a long night, though not as long as Strife expected.
Tohsaka, for example, was already aware of the existence of worlds beyond Earth; she just was unaware of the politics.
Strife told Tohsaka and her fellows of the Great War between the First Kingdom, Heaven, and the Second Kingdom, Hell, and of how that war lasted for centuries.
He told them of the Charred Council, tasked by the Creator himself with maintaining The Balance, who had brokered a truce between the two great powers, and of their enforcers, the Four Horsemen.
He told them that the Third Kingdom, Earth, and their role in the upcoming End War. Once humankind stood equal with the First and the Second, the Third would be the deciding factor in the final battle.
Until that day, when the Seven Seals would be broken, Strife, his brothers and sister, were tasked with maintaining the Balance between Heaven and Hell, and ensuring that the Third Kingdom remained unmolested by the rest of Creation.
He then told them of Casses of Yselik, the Duchess of Depths, who had taken refuge here, on their Island nation, and how her presence could potentially prove harmful to the development of the Third Kingdom.
He told them of his mission to find Casses, and to bring the Council her head.
During his lesson Strife picked up information on his "hosts". The one boy was called Emiya Shirou, and this was his house they were now in. He was good natured, and apparently quite skilled at making tea and other forms of human food.
The other girl, Matou Sakura, was something of a mystery. Though she had different colored hair and eyes, Strife's keen eyes could see that she shared a number of facial features with Tohsaka. Perhaps they were related, maybe cousins or even half sisters?
The youngest girl, Illyasviel von Einzbern, was interesting. Though she played the role of a young girl, Strife could detect a sharp mind far beyond her apparent years.
"Now then Horseman," Tohsaka began, "we now know of your mission here in Fuyuki. But what we don't now is why you came to us. Surely one of your position doesn't need the permission of mere humans to go about his business."
"You have local knowledge that may be invaluable to me. Besides, it's only a matter of time before the Spiders decide to move into Fuyuki, making them your responsibility as much as they are mine."
Tohsaka was quiet for a moment before turning her head to meet the gaze of the Emiya boy. They exchanged a nod before she turned back to Strife.
"If you could please give us a moment to ourselves, there are some things we need to discuss before we commit ourselves to this mission of yours. You may wait in the next room."
Strife rolled his eyes, "Alright, but don't keep me waiting long. I have little pat-"
"SHIROOOOUUUU! I'M HOMEEEEE!"
Every occupant in the room (Strife noticed that the humans and Grail Servants had a note of panic in their eyes) turned their head towards the door as it slid open, revealing a young woman with auburn hair, a green dress, and (in Strife's opinion) a tacky yellow top with green stripes.
"Is dinner ready? I'm starving…" the woman trailed off as soon as she caught a glimpse of Strife.
"I didn't know we were expecting someone else." Strife said to no one in particular.
"Now Taiga, keep calm, this isn't what it looks like." Emiya said as he slowly stood up, holding both hands out in front of him while speaking in a tone one would use to placate an angry beast.
"What's it supposed to look like?" Strife wondered out loud.
Then "Taiga" started screaming before running behind next to Emiya and positioning his body between her and Strife, and then proceeded to materialize a wooden sword out of nowhere and pointed it at the confused Horseman, "Shirou! What is that scary manga looking thing doing here?"
Strife raised an eyebrow, "What in the name of the Abyss is a manga?"
Between Taiga's hysterics and Strife's innocent (for once) questions, no one noticed Tohsaka calmly rise from her kneeling position, and walk over to the loud newcomer, and then raising her right index and middle fingers to Taiga's forehead.
"Aaannnddd… sleep!" Tohsaka muttered.
Taiga dropped like a sack of bricks, no sooner hitting the ground before breaking into loud, obnoxious snores, a dumb smile plastered across her face.
The Matou girl looked shocked, "S-sister( Aha! That's how they're related)! What did you do to Fuji-nee?"
Tohsaka shrugged, "Just a little memory spell Sakura. She should wake up in an hour with no memory of the past five minutes. Her mind will fill in the gaps for her."
"I'm sorry," Strife spoke up, "What just happened? Why did you put her to sleep?"
Emiya raised his left hand and started rubbing the back of his head, "Well you see, Horseman… Sir, Taiga isn't a magus." He explained.
Strife shrugged, "So what?"
Now the Matou girl spoke up, "So, she doesn't know anything about the existence of magecraft."
"Why?"
"That's because for the past millennia, the magus society has strived to keep the mundanes ignorant about our existence in order to preserve our craft, even those who aren't members of the Association now better than to reveal the existence of magecraft to the mundanes." Tohsaka explained in a matter fitting of a teacher.
"… But this "Taiga woman lives with you."
Emiya nodded, "Yes, she does."
Not for the first time tonight, Strife's hand went to his face, "Of all the…"
Strife looked at the ceiling before speaking in an exasperated tone, "Of course you humans would use the system of power that get's weaker if the plebs find out. Literally no one else has that problem! It's almost as ridiculous as your relentless tendency to label yourselves by which patch of dirt you were born on!"