Page K01 D) Search the temple alone

-Page K05-

The last time I've been inside the temple was two years ago, when Issei offered me to stay for a while after we walked home together. I would like to see how much has changed, so let's see what the inside of the temple looks like.

The head monk, his family and the guests live in the western building. Now that I'm here I can also check if the monks really aren't mind-controlled. I have no reason to doubt Caster, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

The building is mostly empty. Either the monks are in their rooms or doing their business in different parts of the temple. The only place I don't enter is Issei's room. The door with his name written next to it will only lead me to someone I don't need to talk to right now, so it's better for me to keep searching. Issei's older brother Reikan's room, their parent's room, their grandfather's room… There's nothing out of the ordinary.

BZZT

A single weird noise is heard moments after determining that everything was normal. The ordinary rooms of this building stay the same… except for one room: There's no name next to it, probably a guest room, but it's surrounded by many bounded fields. And all these bounded fields are suddenly inactive.

"What's this?" It's certainly related to Caster, but how? If I couldn't sense it before, does that mean that this is some hideous secret she tries to hide? What does my ally have hidden?

If my trust was well-placed, and this place is something like her workshop, then I'm treading into a magus' most valued territory. Disputes occur over entering other magi's workshops, and sometimes these disputes lead to multiple deaths and great destruction. It's not something I can do lightly.

On the other hand, it can also be something horrible: mana-drained monks, for example. Or perhaps a machine that slowly absorbs the souls of orphaned children! If that's the case then I need to confront Caster about it. It isn't something I can forgive.

No. I cannot doubt myself now. I must enter this place and figure out the truth. Through doubt I can figure out the truth behind Caster, either strengthening our bond or destroying it for just reasons. I calm myself, self-suggesting that I will open the door on three.

"One…" I put my hand on the door, and with a last sensual check I try to see if everything is truly disabled.

"Two…" Nothing comes in. Good. That means that this break-in won't be found out. I grip the door tightly, ready to slide away. And with a final push…

"Three!" …I slide the door open. I keep my eyes open, no matter what I might see. And there I see the gruels in front of me:

"Eh?"

What?

Is it something I expected? No. Could I've expected it? Somewhat, yes. But it still goes over any expectations I might've had.

"This, this is…" No doubt about it, this is Caster's room. But not her workshop. No, this is her, ahem, hobby room. For rather weird hobbies you don't want others to see.

I walk through the room inspecting each of the absurd parts that should not be seen normally. The biggest offender is probably to my left, where a bunch of child-sized costumes are worn by equally sized mannequins. Two of them strike my eye, as the sign next to it deems these her "top picks": One is a frilly maid outfit with accompanying headdress and apron, while the other is a standard school swimsuit with the name Cirno on it, belonging to class 9-I. Other outfits include a goth-lolita dress, frilly dress, another swimsuit, this one a two piece, a miniature version of caster's outfit… Truly a wonderful mess of outfits.

On the table in the middle is a model working kit. A welder, glue bottle, a few molds, paint in all the colors of the rainbow. And in the middle of it all stands a lone, half-finished figurine of my servant. It's of her Saber form, with an extra ahoge on top. I must admit that Caster paints well, this is truly a piece of art. I'll give her an A for her skill at item creation… but seeing the wall opposed from me makes me somewhat scared.

After all, there is a very creepy and weird affection for, well, my servant. Tons of figurines line up as an army of dolls, covering an entire cabinet. Every form of fanservice is invoked on these beings, an idol of lust for many. On the wall next to it are hundreds of photos, each taken in secret from when me and Cirno were together. There's a sleeping Cirno, an eating Cirno, a happy Cirno, all kinds of Cirno are displayed.

Caster, your hobby seriously creeps me out.

But the photos and figurines don't only show Cirno. It also has pictures of another small girl, and some of the figurines are based on this person. I take one of the pictures from the wall for a closer look at it. It's a kid I don't know, or at least don't remember having seen her. I think she's cute, but there's something off about her. Is it those eyes, with their inhuman edge? Or is it that look on her face that makes me go almost lunatic? It's offsetting, but there's nothing I can alter to make her appeal to myself more.

I put the photo back. There's no need for me to keep it. I probably won't even see her again. It's a shame that I won't meet someone like her, the idea slightly interests me. Will it be like having a second Cirno in the house? Or is it more of a third one, considering my guardian's usual antics?

"Heh." I let out a small laugh as I turn away and out of the chamber. I've no reason to stick here any longer.

Or not. Something shiny from the edge of my field of vision catches my eye. I turn to the origin of this light, and see a completely golden fleece. It's made from the wool of a shee-no, this is the wool of a ram. The wool of a ram, but more. There is the weight of history on it, and it embodies a hidden power I cannot see.

It is a beautiful armament, something ordinary men can never obtain, and only heroes can wield proudly over their shoulders. I take a step towards it. Touching it should be fine, right? Why can't I? Why shouldn't I?

Another step. It's a beautiful work of art, something all people would try to steal. I won't do that, as that's something a hero of justice cannot do… but still, it's so beautiful…

Almost within range. I want to touch it. I want to hold it. I want to keep it. I want t-

BEEP BEEP BEEP

A loud sound snaps me out of a trance. I feel something in my pocket vibrating, the same thing that's creating the bleeping noise. I pull it out, already knowing what it is. To activate it I just need to push the button, and that should contact me with Caster. I do as I think, and find myself face to face with an image of Caster.

"Hello, Caster. What do you want?" I ask politely, not wanting to invoke her ire.

The face she gives me contains no smile, nor any other emotion. It's plain and uninterested, fitting for the message: "Your servant and I have completed our final point of research. Now that that is finished I would like to start to prepare strategies for the war. Now you just need to come to the eastern temple meditation room." She sounds bored, and not really interested in this conversation. "You know how to get there."

"Well… not really. I haven't been inside the temple often." I stammer out, causing Caster to sigh.

"Listen, boy." She speaks, and I feel some deathly spike behind her words. "A master that cannot even find his way in allied territory cannot even be called third-rate. What kind of imperfect fledgling are you?" She continues to scold me for a while, but does give me the location of the room after her scolding is done. putting the slab of rock back in my pocket I exit the hobby room, hoping that Caster won't see the trespassing. Now to quickly go to the meditation room…

(Plus 1 affection point for Assassin)

(Minus 1 affection point for Caster)

(Plus 2 affection points for ?2?)

Following Caster's instructions I quickly arrive at the destined room. It's a simple room, normally containing nothing but a group of monks meditation, but now it's adorned by a simple table and four pillows, three of them already being used as seats. On the far end of the table are Kuzuki and Caster, while Cirno sits down opposite of Caster. I put myself down next to my servant, ready to start the talk about our great plan.

"So, Caster, Kuzuki," I ask to my two allies, "what is the plan for this war? We may have a numerical advantage, but how are we going to use it?"

Caster chuckles lightly, like I was asking a stupid question. "That's obviously why we are here. Let's first get a glance of the current situation: She raises her hand towards the table, and with a sudden flow of prana the table shifts form. The tabletop rises without moving. No, it's not rising, the table simply gets higher!

The table acts like it is split into thousands of tiny squares, each rising to their own height. When the magecraft is finished a geographic map of Fuyuki city is left on the table. It's an amazing piece of magecraft, forcing precise control of thousands of pieces… yet she does this with a simple gesture? Once more she shows why she is a mage from the age of gods.

"The base of operations that I use is right here." She lets her hand float over a relatively high part of the map that I easily recognize as this temple, and with another infusion of prana the wood colors green at that specific location. "Your current place of living and headquarters is around here." She holds her hand over the part of the map representing my neighborhood, and turns it green too.

Both me and Cirno nod, confirming that we live there. Caster continues her speech, starting with our rivals. "Other than your servant, boy, my Assassin, and myself, there are 4 other servants spread through the city. The only servant I have slight knowledge of their location is servant Lancer." With another wave of her hand she colors the entire right half of the table red.

"So he's hiding somewhere in the Shinto area?"

"Correct." However, I haven't been able to find the hideouts of the other three masters. This servant sounds like she holed up in this place the entire time without a care for the world around her… and I'm quite certain that is very true.

However, do allies not exist to pick up the things you cannot? She does not know the locations, but Cirno and I on the other hand…

"Two of the enemy masters are Matou Shinji and Tohsaka Rin, masters of Rider and Archer respectively. They're students at Homurahara too, so Kuzuki should know them." Caster turns to her master, who gives a curt nod.

"Correct. Those two are students I teach History and Ethics." He replies dully before falling silent again. There's no emotion in his voice, and his movements are minimal. There's something I recognize in this man, something that reminds him of me, but it is something I cannot grasp… for now.

"Their locations are here and here." Cirno point at the two locations that we discussed earlier, and with her own gesture she turns them into an icy blue color. Caster looks at it, nodding in comprehension.

"I see… is there a chance that these two work together, considering how close they are to one another?"

A valid question. But the answer is a clear no. "Tohsaka Rin and Matou Shinji are not on the best of terms, to put it lightly. They aren't people who will get along, and the chance of either of them allying with Lancer or Berserker is bigger."

Caster looks at us, slightly impressed that we got all that info. "And did you perhaps also find out about Berserker, Cirno and his boy?" Huh, Caster is now on name basis with Cirno. Of course, there's no name like Archer or Caster to use for my servant that exceeds classes, but I kind of expected Caster to go with something like "woman", "fellow magus" or " miss light-blue hair".

"While we did meet her master briefly, we do not know her name nor her hideout." Cirno speaks clearly, making Caster look slightly disappointed. Clearly she hoped to get everything she didn't know. It's a shame, but we never got that knowledge. I can't row with oars I don't have.

"A pity." Caster pauses for a while, while all four of us are silent. Eventually Caster comes with her next question. "Can you tell me somewhat more about the other masters and servants, boy?"

Of course I'm willing to share my knowledge. I talk about my friend Shinji, about his arrogance, his lack of powerful magic circuits, and his naivety in battle. His servant also gets some mention, describing the fight we had on the way here with that quick-footed and emotionless servant. My teacher gives a nod at my explanation, probably deeming it as truth for Caster. They say nothing, waiting for me to continue.

So I do: I talk about perfect honor student Tohsaka and her dual-wielding Archer. What kind of Archer wields swords anyway? Next thing you know he actually fires those things from his bow!

And then there's Lancer… "I haven't met his master, and you know at least as much as we do about him, if not more." My assessment is correct, as Caster start talking about Lancer's true identity:

Cu Chulainn, the Irish child of Light. The hound of Culain, known for slaying armies, his warp spams, top student of warrior sorceress Scathach, and seducer of many, many women, proving clearly that he's not gay… although his relationship with his BFF Ferdidad does suggest something along the lines of bi…

His most dangerous abilities are his beast like speed, his knowledge of rune magic, and his Noble Phantasm. Caster explains in full detail the dangers of his legendary spear:

[Gae Bolg: Barbed Spear that Pierces With Death]. Its name is derived from the term for "Serrated throwing weapon", ga'boolga, and is a demonic lance obtained only by the most gifted of heroes. It's ancestors are Gungnir, spear of Odin, and Brionac, spear of Cu Chulainn's father Lugh.

The technique used by Lancer is that of a simple trust, but with the special ability of altering cause and effect. Instead of trusting the spear so the heart will be pierced, the heart is pierced first and only then comes the trust.

It's an attack that alters destiny to guarantee a kill, becoming unblockable the moment it is cast. Only ones luck and ability to deny fate can save one after the Noble Phantasm is activated. Even Caster claims that her magecraft cannot help her against the divine authority of that Noble Phantasm.

"Yes, it's a dangerous weapon, but I doubt that that is all to the spear." Cirno speaks up for the first time after listening to others speaking for quite a while. "I've seen Gungnir during my life, and while it is absolutely true that Gungnir has a relation to fate like Lancer's spear it is also a weapon of mass destruction when thrown. I doubt that Gae Bolg didn't keep that aspect of the spear."

"So you say that Lancer's weapon is two Noble Phantasms: one a trust to efficiently kill a single person and the other a throw to wipe out an army?" Cirno nods politely as Caster gives another wicked smile, continuing her questioning of my servant. "And you know of Gungnir… does that make you one of Scandinavia's heroes, Cirno?"

"too bad, but I'm not." My servant bows down and apologizes as if she has done Caster wrong. "All I have is that in one of the myths surrounding me I'm friends with a vampire who somehow acquired that Noble Phantasm."

"Hmm… a vampire, you say? Sure you don't mean a dead apostle? Those are different things."

Cirno denies this other form, claiming that her friend is a true vampire, and not this dead apostle Caster is talking about.

"Oh truly, youngster?" Caster uses a new term for my servant, for once sounding disgracing about her, "You're a rather new hero here, aren't you? I doubt your legend is even over a hundred years old."

And Caster puts Cirno in mate, as she looks with amazement at Caster. How did she know that?

"You want to know, don't you, boy?" As if she reads my mind, perfectly knowing what goes on at this table. "It should be easy to understand for even a second-rate magus, but you aren't even that, are you?"

Spot on. This enemy is truly a magus among magi, knowledgeable of the world and self. Who is she? I flinch, unable to answer back.

"Can't the same be said of your master, Caster? Between our two masters, he is the better magi." But Caster is not the only one who stands out. My servant is currently in her Caster form, another person who exemplifies the limits of magecraft. These two equal each other. As they are now, neither will gain successive victories over the other.

"Correct." Seeing the point that Cirno made Kuzuki gives out the truth: "I am not a magus. I am merely a teacher who accidentally got involved in this war. The only reason I continue fighting is to help my servant fulfill her wishes."

"The same as me, huh?" So Kuzuki also go-did I just say that out loud?

"Oh really, boy? But are you not a magus? Do you not have your own wish to fulfill?"

Me, a magus? Calling me that is a disgrace to all real magi. I have no magic crest, I don't even have magic circuits! "I am not a magus. The only way for me to perform magecraft is by crafting false magic circuits, and I only summoned a servant by pure chance. I'm only a third-rate magus at best, perhaps even a fourth-rate."

"No… magic circuits…?" Caster stares at me, dumbfounded, before laughing loudly. Unlike her creepy smiles and her warm smiles, this one carries a totally different meaning. She's mocking me. "Hahahaha! Really, a magus like this! Hahaha!" She falls on her back before laughing some more.

"What's so funny?" Cirno and I speak the words at the same time, causing the two of us to flinch at each other. With Caster rolling over from laughter the only calm person in the room is my teacher, who is currently adjusting his glasses.

"You are an idiot through and through, boy!" The laugher finally goes down, and Caster sits back on her pillow. "Don't you even see that you do own magic circuits?"

The world shatters around me. The question pierces all my knowledge I had of magecraft. I have magic circuits? But… but… but… no, really? I have magic circuits?

Old man Kiritsugu never told me. Considering how much he was against me learning magecraft, it's not really a surprise. On the other hand, I've been studying magecraft for multiple years now and I didn't even figure out I have magic circuits. I can't even call myself a third-rate magus now, I barely count as fifth-rate!

"I…" I cannot stammer more out of my mouth, as all the muscles in my body are still tensed up. All other three look at me, Cirno with compassionate worry, Caster with a sadistic smile, and Kuzuki as indifferent as ever. Caster speaks up, continuing her explanation.

"I've used a bit of magecraft on you to measure your ability. It happened during your first invasion, to see if you were a threat. You have without doubt magic circuits, slightly above that of an average magus. However, the quality of your circuits are very low… but now it makes sense. You never used your circuits, they're completely rusted over!"

Uck… my stupidity really is huge. I am an idiot who wasted his biggest chance at heroics. It was right in front of me, but I never gripped it. Damn! I look away the rest, from reality, wanting to suffer in my idiocy alone.

My servant pats me on the back, giving a smile that says "Don't worry, I'm here to help". I smile back, relieved by seeing her face. Perhaps I failed once. However, I will succeed the next time!

"You loon of a magus, you interest me more and more." The servant of magic speaks up, with words uncommon of her. TO make the surprise greater she then gives me an offer I cannot refuse: "Boy, Let me see what kind of magus I can shape out of you."

"W-What?" First seeing Caster's "workshop", then I learn I have natural magic circuits, and now Caster offers to teach me magecraft. I believe that this is the most shocking day thus far. By a wide margin. A really, really, really, wide margin.

"She's a genius with magecraft, Shirou. One does not simply get someone like her to teach you. In my long life I've only known two, occasionally two and a half people who are better at teaching than her." Cirno's words are true. I knew that she is an amazing magus. But that's not the question.

"Why?"

"Why? There's simply no fun in teaching a perfect talent. Seeing someone like you doing your best to improve is much more interesting." In other words, she's a sadist who wants to see me struggle to get better, but also one who is genuinely pleased by hard work and effort.

"Fine then, I accept your teachings." There's no reason not to. She has shown me this much, and I know that she has the skills. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow evening. Tonight we discuss the last of our plans. In the midday we make preparations, and in evening and night we increase our at night."

"…" There's nothing left to say. All I need to do is complete the plan, get taught by this magus, and eventually save the city from this war.

"Caster, aren't you forgetting something?" I look at my servant, who boldly claims that there's a mistake on Caster's side. Did she forget something? Before I can ask the answer is given: "You are fully aware of our abilities and skills, but we know next to nothing about the skills of Kuzuki, Assassin and you. We're your allies, right, and not mere pawns, right?"

"Hmm…" A cold glare from Caster. She clearly isn't happy that this is brought up. I doubt that she is willing to tell us like this. Can I change i-

"Caster, tell them effective information." Out of all places it is Kuzuki who provides help. Upon his suggestion Caster sighs and starts to talk:

"As we all know, your servant is capable of switching classes. It allows her to fulfill any role on the battlefield. And what we need the most right now is a good vanguard. Your partners are a Caster and an Assassin. My servant cannot leave the temple grounds due to the abnormal summoning, and my best spells are used for support. My master also lacks magic circuits, his only ability in combat being his martial arts. We have no problem defending this place, but our effectiveness is greatly hindered away from the temple. We'll be the shield, so you two be our sword."

"Got it." I assure my ally of our help. We'll scout the city, and they secure our base. "By the way, Caster, is it possible for you to reinforce my house?" My own house sleeps better than the guest beds here, and I don't want to abandon my old man's house for no reason.

"I'll start on it tomorrow midday. In the meantime, after you went to school, I would like you to plant these on the southern leyline." With a flick of her hand the table shows a new line, this one twisting like a river through the southern part of the map. Caster points to three points on the map, which flash in bright magenta, and she shows me a special dagger:

It's a weapon of a foot long, transparent with a blue shimmer. Eternal ice, the weapon is completely made from that mystical ingredient. It is not meant for killing, no, this one's job is to…

"It's a prana absorber." Absorbing and storing prana; as if by instinct I know the weapon's ability, even though I've barely started with structural grasp.

"Well seen, boy. It's the solution for our greatest problem." She hands me the short blade, along with two other copies of the blade. "I want you to place them at these three points."

Caster falls silent waiting for a response while giving less than halve the information. My servant Cirno luckily fills the gaps I left:

"The biggest problem we face is the prana reserves of our masters. Even though most of my forms think of you as the absolute strongest master, from my perspective as a Caster you have many flaws, of which this is the most pressing problem. By using these daggers to absorb the prana from the ground we have a good backup prana source. Caster was planning to use this on her own, but she lacked the materials to create her own. Lucky for us I am more than capable of producing what's needed."

"Yes. You're a real asset, Cirno." The two women share a single laugh, and the room falls into silence.

"I believe we are done." Kuzuki speaks up from the quietness. "We will reinforce Emiya's house to the level of a secondary base, and you two will prepare the prana absorbers." He looks at his servant, asking with his gaze if Caster has anything left to say.

"Oh, one last thing." Yes, Caster remembers one last part, the finale of the meeting: "Can you leave some of that eternal ice here, Cirno? I can use the little spare time I have to make some more of these daggers."

"Oh, sure. Leave it to me." And with that all four of us seem to consciously know that this meeting is over. Kuzuki stands up first, followed by me and Caster, and Cirno stands up as the last one. I thank the two for having me over, and they invite me for tomorrow evening in return.

I move towards the exit, and by the gate I wait for my servant who is busy creating magecraft materials. After five minutes she comes floating by, no longer in her Caster form but back in her origin. We walk down the stairs, having had a good end of the day.

I look over the daggers I have been given. Pulling one out of the schoolbag I placed it in, I let its energy flow through me.

It's a slightly wet grip, which is not that surprising. It's made entirely from ice, after all. It's a piece of beauty, created by the forces of two great magi. I twirl it around, and feel the weight shift somewhat. Even though it is beautiful, and its blade is sharp, I cannot wield this in battle. There is no "good" or "bad" form for a sword. However, this one simply feels wrong to wield. Would I do so, I will throw out the contents of my stomach from the disgust, and kill myself in the process.

I put the blade back and turn to my servant. For once she doesn't look too happy, her face staying way too calm, way too neutral. No laugh, no angry pout, but emotionless.

"Is something wrong, Cirno?"

"I don't like this." Cirno normally doesn't complain, so this is unique. "I don't mind allying with the likes of Caster and Assassin. Fighting them is probably not going to be a good fight for someone of my level anyways. However, the way they, and by that extent us, fight this war? Even though our victory is absolutely secured, I feel wrong about this. This war we fight… we lack a fatal amount of pride in our power."

She's a warrior. Even though she looks so petite and childish, she is a legendary hero who fought for her ideals. Would I be willing to forsake my ideals if it grants me the ability to absolutely save someone…

Ugh. Don't think about that. I will grasp both, anything else is out of the question. So it should be the same for Cirno too. "Fight honorably." Not a command, simply an advice. "Fight with pride, but don't let it blind you. Accept help, but don't let it counter your ideals." I smile at Cirno, my smile trying to give the sun a run for its money in brightness, "We will win this war with honor and keep our alliance. Anything less is unsatisfactory."

"B-But…." Cirno looks flustered, unable to respond. "I… can I really?"

"Can you?" I laugh, laughing at this foolish question. "Of course you can. After all, aren't you the strongest?"

"Heh." She grins again like normal. Good. She's cured of her doubts. "You're absolutely correct. The strongest servant; the strongest master. When we work together, everything is possible.

"Absolutel-" I stop, my body freezing in fear. A towering black giant stands on our path. It's a massive man, his looks simply forcing others into submission. At his feet, not even reaching half his height, stand a small girl, looking like a small fairy in a desolated landscape.

"Good evening, Onii-chan. Looks like we're destined to meet again." She speaks gently, with the respect and manners of nobility. I recognize the girl as the same one we met in the shopping center. Then that… thing… at her side… is that Berserker?

"I don't believe I've introduced ourselves, right?" She bows slightly like a European princess, refined to the point of perfection. "My name is Illyasviel from Einzbern, and this is my servant Berserker. It's a pleasure to meet you, Onii-chan."

Incredible. The power this servant emulates is incredible. Speed, Strength, Constitution, Knowledge, Wiles, Skill; No matter what I name, this is a servant what has no lack in any of these stats. He may be a berserk warrior, but if one needs intelligence to be powerful than humans would not fear the wild or the dark. As dangerous as a wild beast, surpassing that even. If not for Cirno's claims I trust I would easily write him off as the strongest servant.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅" A roar no human can ever produce comes out of the mouth of this beast, like an engine that is ready to go. He is willing to kill me. Recalling my earlier talk with her makes it clear that I have two options. I can fight, or I can run. However, the latter would mean that Cirno has to fight that monstrosity alone.

I ask for our possibilities. We have nine different ways of combat at our disposal. We should have enough to deal with this threat, right?

"Hmm… I can use Saber… Berserker is always possible too… and there's the possibility to use Ruler, but I cannot use that if you stay on the battlefield."

"Three options, huh…" I think over our possibilities. I am knowledgeable with the Saber form, and have seen its power. It was amazing, truly amazing, but can amazing beat terrifying? The other two options are either to have Cirno stall for time with Ruler while I return to Kuzuki and Caster or to fight fire with fire, in this case Berserker with Berserker. But can Ruler stall for long enough? And is there a Berserker more powerful than this one?

"Hmm? Do you two have any last words?" Our little opponent asks with a cold smile. Cirno and I have nothing to say anymore, so we give each other one more glance before focusing on the two before us. "None, it seems." She speaks serenely, like she is detached from the rest of the world. "Then I can start killing you now."

Massive bloodlust fills the air, bigger than I have ever felt. The giant stares at me, through my body and right into my soul. And so the last words before the brawl are spoken: "Get 'em, Berserker." The monster roars loudly once more before charging at us.

I have to decide now, and Cirno waits for me in anticipation. The form to use for this battle is:

A) Use Saber form - Go to page K06

B) Use Berserker form

C) Run away and use Ruler form - Go to page K08.

Status Screen Improved!

-Page K05 end-