Ch2: Escalation
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Unknown to schedules, nor known to proof read.
***A certain room in a certain Castle***
Lancer had perished. That was one obstacle out of the way, but the way he perished was unsettling. There was nothing the servant of the Lance could have conceivably done to save himself with the exception of a command seal. Those were musings of Emiya Kiritsugu mind as he checked the video footage of Lancer's last moments over and over.
Archer was undoubtedly a threat. A servant that simply comes and goes taking pot shots without warning could only be thought of as such. Saber could have easily been the one in Lancer's place if not for superior luck.
Using Saber to lure out opponents as he hunted down the enemy masters was no longer a viable tactic with such an Archer in the equation, but that was to be expected.
The servant classes were never equal from the start. From base parameters alone, Saber on paper was the strongest with the highest base stat total without inherent disadvantages. For the other servants to overcome Saber, they had to fight outside Saber's specialty and coerce Saber into their own pace, whether it was speed, range or cunning.
The Archer caught on footage wore a school uniform and with that asian face wouldn't be out of place intermixed with Fuyuki's populace which had some unsettling implications. It could be assumed her clothes were of the same nature as the suit he had bought for Saber, nothing more than something to blend into the modern world.
Thinking of potentially pragmatic opponents, Assassin has yet to show up.
A heroic spirit's strength is usually proportional to the age and grandeur of their legend which makes the Assassin class a contradiction for the best Assassin's are those that can murder without implications. The Hassan which the word "Assassin" is derived are the standard candidates where the class name itself acts like a catalyst, but that is not a certainty.
With the exception of Assassin, the servant specialised in killing Masters, the non-knight class servants with their lower base parameters are lower on the priority list.
The Berserker seen at the docks wielded no noble phantasm that could be seen. Though depending on the spirit contained in the class container, Berserker could be very formidable in battle, but they were the worst to field in terms of logistics. While the weakness of any Servant is the Master which binds them to the mortal world, the Master of Berserker could easily be finished off in a battle of attrition by depriving them of external mana sources. Berserker could not be fielded effectively by a normal Master without external sources of mana, either through consuming the souls of the local populace or consumable items prepared years in advance which are both susceptible to explosives.
Considering Saber's strong magic resistance, Caster was a non-issue.
Though Rider did not appear at the dock, Kiritsugu was currently observing him from a security camera in the castle's garden sharing a drink with Saber who was accompanied by his wife. Rider divulged his identity first which unfortunately convinced Saber to do the same. He was strongly contemplating just capping Waver Velvet who could be assumed to be contracted with Rider right then and there.
***A certain Castle's Garden***
"So you, the king, are a slave to what is right?"
"That is acceptable. A king is a martyr to their ideals."
"That is not how a person should live, but enough of that, there are more pressing matters to address such as the true Archer of the war."
"Are you implying that the servant I encountered at the docks is only masquerading as Archer?"
"Yes, I encountered the real one when crossing the bridge. If not for command spell, my fight would have ended right there."
"So a knight-class servant is capable of such a thing..."
"This also implies a pre-existing alliance was in effect long before this war had even begun, so I ask of you, will you join me and fight by my side?"
"You ask a fellow king that?"
"If I were to be honest, you are only a little girl, enraptured by a false idol of a king who serves others, but not themselves."
"To ensure their country's prosperity, a king should make any sacrifice."
"I disagree, but it seems, you and I will only continue to disagree."
Though Rider and Waver left on the flying chariot, the hole they made in the castle still remains which could prove to a potential security liability in the future.
Without fanfare, something snuck up behind Saber and Irisviel.
"If you truly wish to save your country, then make a contract with me and become a magical girl."
The same creature which accompanied who they thought to be Archer appeared before them without warning and Saber was already on guard. Irisviel could not help but think the small creature before them was of Einzbern origin, from the white fur, red eyes and the rings which adorned the projections from its ears.
Saber did not respond to the offer and instead sought out the creature's companion.
"Show yourself!"
"Who are you referring to?"
"Your master."
"I think you may have misinterpreted something. Akemi Homura is not my master."
"Then what are you?"
"I am Kyubey."
"What do you mean by wish?" Irisviel interjected. The connotation of Acht with 8 and Kyu with 9 was things that simply rushed to the forefront of her mind, especially given Kyubey's aesthetics.
"It is simply that, a miracle. There were times when we tried to contact Miss Arturia Pendragon in the past, but a third party had always intervened."
If that third party was Merlin, then there were reasons to doubt this creature, despite the reasons one may doubt the Magus of Flowers.
"Then who is this Akemi Homura?"
Kyubey tilted its head to the side.
"To be honest, we are not sure either as we ourselves don't recall ever contracting her. Though in this Holy Grail War, you would know her as Assassin."
Even with knowledge provided by the grail, the name Akemi Homura did not match the name of any known hero Saber knew. The name could easily be a false one. The one thing that Saber could count on was the fact Kyubey knew her name. She trusted that Rider wouldn't divulge her name to others as a fellow king even if he didn't regard her as such. She swung her sword and bisected Kyubey which was something even Kiritsugu would have approved of, yet that did not keep Kyubey from speaking.
"That's unfortunate. If you are going to refuse, then have the courtesy of destroying our bodies. It's quite wasteful."
Another Kyubey appeared to consume the one that was slain. Red eyes, white fur and a disposable wish granting devices; if the Kyubeys were what they claimed to be then Irisviel could not help but associate them with Einzbern homunculi much like herself.
"If you ever change your mind Miss Arturia Pendragon, the offer remains indefinitely. It is your choice after all."
As Kyubey left, Saber was contemplating hunting down Assassin if she was near the castle, but such a thing would leave Kiritsugu exposed. With the default presence concealment skill, trying to hunt down Assassin could be a complete waste of time. If Assassin knew as much as Kyubey, then it wasn't hard to imagine she already knew that Irisviel was not her Master. Even though Rider had long since left, Saber could still sense a servant nearby.
With that telepathic link, Saber left the responsibility of the decision on Kiritsugu.
"Master, should I engage?"
"Engage them. I'll use a command spell if I need you."
Saber followed the nearby servant's signature and was met with quite the deranged looking individual accompanied by kids.
As Saber was pre-occupied with Caster, Kiritsugu had to entertain the other guests.
***The prior day in a certain hideout***
In front of Ryunosuke was a little boys and girls performing a ballet while screaming.
They weren't doing it voluntarily; in fact, they had no control of their bodies whatsoever.
When the performance was done, the performers exploded in showers of red and silver.
The silver coalesced together into a humanoid form and bowed. The red headed Master of Caster gave a resounding applause.
"So cool, that's how that robot from the future should have done things in that movie. So Blue Beard, why didn't you think of that?"
Caster wasn't very impressed and neither was the puppet master very proud.
"I'm sure I have demonstrated what it takes to join you."
Such were words Kayneth forced himself to say. Kayneth was desperate, he needed an ally. He scouted out the other masters, but it was apparent that none of them would accept him as an ally, especially that third generation Waver Velvet. The Tohsaka were clearly allied with the Church and the Einzbern with the Magus Killer.
When Kayneth approached the Overseer at the Church earlier that day, he was offered safe haven, but from their conversation it was clear, who the Overseer favoured. The head of the Tohsaka was the mentor for the Overseer's son.
Kayneth had trusted the Overseer for the Holy Grail War to be an impartial to the whole conflict despite family ties, but Asians always did hold those family ties with high regard considering their convention of putting the surname first.
At that point, Kayneth had conceded that the Holy Grail War was nothing more than some Asian conspiracy. The only reasonable ally, was the one clearly not a part of the conspiracy, which was of course the serial killer.
Even if the serial killer was crass, he had a servant. Besides, the simpleton was quite easy to entertain.
"I dunno. I need to see some more."
It seemed that Kayneth needed to provide more entertainment, but it was inevitable for someone of Kayneth's lineage to be recognized.
Behind the Lines
***The prior day in a certain Church***
As Kayneth stormed out of the Church, Risei Kotomine was left alone at the Church save for one individual. The odd creature that occasionally accompanied his son's contracted spirit.
"His rant on Asians was quite perplexing; do you have any clue as to why?"
It was perplexing to Risei as to why Kyubey was conversing with him.
"Well, our religion did originate from the West so he may have a few things he disagrees with us."
"I can understand how some may argue for racial superiority out of pride in the scientific and industrial revolutions, but it is for that very reason that he is a magi who abhors the fruits of such revolutions that he remains a mystery. The idea of Eastern supremacy was shattered with superior western technology during the Opium Wars so that man who prides himself in mysticism is quite the contradiction."
"Magi can be perplexing, but at the same time, it seems that they are more greatly affected by the more mundane world than they would like to admit."
Unbeknownst to Kayneth, Kirei and Assassin were tailing him, keeping note of his activities. With presence concealment, not even a mage like Kayneth would notice her. From that rant, it was inevitable for Kirei to meet Kiritsugu, the man he believed held the answers. He simply hoped that answer would differ from his servant's based on what he gleamed off her memories.
Archer had taken a new vantage point, ever ready to provide his "allies" with heavy "artillery support". "Allies" was a term that should be used lightly as Archer would forever remain vigilant of Kirei's actions.
From his life as Emiya Shirou, Archer knew the type of person Kirei would eventually become. Archer hated the man just as much as he hated Emiya Shirou, or at least that's what he wanted to believe.
The young Kirei in his view was not unlike his younger self in some respects. Someone lost who clung onto something beautiful in hopes of becoming happy one day. Kirei clung to the Church not unlike how Shirou had clung to his borrowed ideals.
The Kirei and Archer of the 5th Grail War were both monsters who once sought to become the ideal "good" man that they both envisioned, whether that was an "Ally of Justice" or a respectable priest. The only difference between them was that one clung to an ideal to the very end and the other abandoned theirs to realize a personal truth.
Archer possessed a supply of sarcasm almost as impressive as his arsenal of blades. Archer acted the way he did in the 5th war because he liked to tease others, but the Kirei he remembered took it to the extreme.
Archer did not want to think the manner of monster Shirou was with his ideals peeled away and for that reason he had to be erased. That was the "fact" that Archer tried to embrace in order to convince himself the necessity of his self-destructive desire, while trying hard to suppress another important fact.
While Kirei was someone who derived pleasure through the suffering of others, Emiya Shirou from the very beginning was nothing more than a person who did not want those in his view to cry, but if Archer accepted this, his wish would become nothing.
"I know I am a sinner. I knew I could never be freed from the very beginning, but I believed it was the right atonement. I have always refused salvation because I knew it would never be given to me. It truly was a life with absolutely no value."
Such was the "truth" Archer had accepted.
"You can think of me as an "enemy of justice"."
That was the way Assassin had introduced herself and that was how she peaked his attention. As someone who had become to despise the "ally of justice", a part of him wanted to see how this war would end.