Garren paced around his study impatiently as he waited for Hunter to return, having witnessed everything with so many worries and questions bouncing around in his head. He had tried to talk to her throughout her fight, get her to respond or listen to what he had to say to the point he'd considered using one of his command seals but how would that affect their relationship?
He didn't approve of her attacking Saber's Master, if she actually was since apparently Reyven knew otherwise, and the all out rush to try and slay the woman at the end had somewhat mortified him. To the point he was almost appreciative of whomever was covering the woman. He understood eliminating the competition surely, but to go after another Master when in the middle of combat in another already...it didn't sit right with him.
Even worse was if the woman really wasn't Saber's Master, perhaps someone hired to give the impression or someone close who was willing to take the risk. It was beginning to appear their ideals may be a bit conflicting: her being one willing to take the surest, dirtiest route to complete her 'duty', whatever that actually was, while he was one to take a more honorable approach believing in battle etiquette and the like.
Garren frowned and ran a hand through his hair with a deep breath, still uncertain about so many things. Was he in the wrong to restrict her? While he understood her thought to do whatever it took to achieve victory, some of her methods just felt wrong to him. But then, there was always a reason for everything and he very much doubted she didn't just get to such a thought process by pure chance, especially with the way she behaved and spoke of her past.
After a few more paces, when a few more questions had been mulled over, Garren sighed and returned to his desk, a hand placed on his chin in deep thought as he leaned back far in his chair. "Why can't things ever be simple…" he muttered, staring at nothing in particular.
He hadn't expected to get a response, "Because if they were, everyone would have what they wish, deserving or no." Hunter stepped from the shadows and Garren stood up, hands on his desk not knowing if he should be mad now that she was here, or appreciative, that she had made it back.
"Hunter…" he began with a stern voice but he knew his face betrayed the impression of anger.
"I was not followed. I almost was, but I made certain they were dealt with," she said simply with the soft, almost emotionless tone of hers.
Garren couldn't help but pause at that but still gave a nod before he slowly sat back down, honestly not even knowing where to begin now that she was here. Finally he decided to simply squash his anger with her and focus on the important things at hand, starting with the fact that she actually was able to stand in front of him again.
"I'm glad to see you were able to make it back. Pretty eventful night…" he eyed where the cuts would have been on her clothing to find the cloth fixed but he couldn't help but see the gaping wounds and bullets she'd taken even if they didn't seem able to penetrate her skin. "Took a few rough blows…are you alright?"
She appeared to hesitate at that before nodding, "I am...a bit more resilient than I look," she admitted and he gestured for her to have a seat; an offer she was appreciative to take.
The two of them sat in silence for a few long minutes, the Hunter waiting for her Master to ask the questions he no doubt had, not to mention she would not even know where to begin given the situation. At last he spoke, "I guess let's start from the top: Why did you go after the woman you claim isn't Saber's Master and how exactly isn't she?"
"Aside from the lack of Command Seals...?" she replied raising a brow, she had not expected her Master to catch everything but being as observant as she was, she had confirmed the sight when she charged the woman. "My reasons for going after her…" she trailed off, even now hesitant to explain not only feeling she was lacking the words but because she didn't know how her Master would take them. "It is...difficult to explain…"
Garren frowned again and rapped his fingers on the desk, visibly somewhat displeased. "Hunter...Reyven, you gotta work with me here. The things you said, what you did, not listening to me while in combat...we have to work together or there won't be any hope for either of us finishing this thing."
Reyven nodded slowly and looked off a bit to the side. It was not necessarily that she did not wish to do as he asked, and she understood his frustrations, but for all the forbidden knowledge she'd accumulated in her lifetime and what she achieved, she still could not change human behavior. Hers or his.
"It is not a lie though," she admitted at last, raising her gaze to meet his. "Were it easy to explain then I would but you must understand to do may be more compromising than to not…" His brow furrowed but she understood it as worry and after a moment's thought she continued with a question. "Master, if you truly wish to know my reasons, understanding must come later and I must ask…" her tired eyes locked his with a dark and deadly serious stare, "How much do you desire the Grail?"
The question took Garren a bit off guard as they had already somewhat touched the subject of his possible desires from the Grail but perhaps not exactly what he was willing to do to get it. "Well, I believe I said last night, I can live without it I suppose but to be able to able to have any wish granted would certainly be a treasure but even to participate in this war feels like a fulfilling enough wish of its own."
Ah, yes, he has somewhat romanticized this whole thing even if hasn't quite admitted it, Reyven thought to herself, but perhaps he is yet malleable to the truth. There was still an instinctual hesitation from the Servant, knowing that humans could be unpredictable under the circumstances. "Master, what I am about to tell you is the whole truth, not a fantasy, not a romanticization, not a lie, or a blasphemy. Our end goals may be similar but you must understand that my sole objective is the preservation and protection of humanity as a whole and with this War my presence here means that that preservation is at great risk."
His brows creased with deep worry at the seriousness of her words and the implications of them and he sat a little straighter, folding his hands on his desk as he waited for her to continue. "I had wished to explain this later, when you might trust my words more or seen things to lead you to believe them for yourself but it would seem if you wish an explanation now then I shall give it."
Garren had to mull over what he'd heard thus far and before she could continue he raised a hand, "Wait...just...hang on a second Reyven…" He took in a deep breath and thought about what she'd said thus far, hearing the severity of her tone and the simple fact he did not entirely take her for the type to mislead him. His curiosity was still picking away at him and the mysterious and vague nature of what she'd been saying had been egging it on further...however…
"Let me just get this clear, okay," he sat leaned forward a bit more against his desk, "You're telling me that you're after the Grail for your own reasons and I am just a means of helping you obtai-"
She shook her head with a deeply concerned expression, "No Master, not at all, you must understa-" Garren raised his hand with stern expression and Reyven reluctantly fell quiet with a tight frown.
When he was certain she would not interrupt, he continued, "I am just a means of helping you obtain the Grail...but, it is for a better purpose and that you believe certain things will come to light throughout this war that will help me understand it?"
"...Yes."
Garren chewed on his lip a bit in contemplation and slowly began to nod before sitting back in his chair, "Alright...I trust you." Reyven blinked with wide eyes, she had not expected him to simply go along with everything especially when he had yet to receive his explanation in its entirety. Not to mention the fact he said that he already trusted her and she could not come to terms with if that was out of foolish naivete or she had done something to warrant it simply so soon. Her expression must have been quite obvious, "Listen, I can tell you're not a bad woman, Reyven, really. While we may not see eye to eye in these coming days, it's like I said before: this is going to take the both of us working together and trusting one another to get through this so if you think something much bigger is at stake here than some lousy teacher's wish...Well, who am I to get into the way of that?"
Reyven did not know how to respond at first, wondering if he truly held the belief of having the utmost faith in her already, a concept which...truly felt so foreign and undeserving she thought it absurd. Perhaps it was because he figured since he'd summoned her they would already have that sort of bond and while he wasn't necessarily wrong, she did feel like she could trust the man in a few regards already simply from character. What had she done necessarily to bring this on?
Anyone else may feel humbled, but she knew herself better than he did and for him to come to terms and have faith in her after even such a short explanation...It was...she didn't know. Her first thought was foolish, but deep down...there was a part of her that appreciated it, to be accepted so easily.
"I...Thank you, Master...Garren…for understanding," she finally said, bowing her head in thanks before slowly rising back up.
He was giving her a small smile before he gave a nod and sat back in his chair again, appearing to return to thought for a brief moment. "So I'm to take it this means that at the moment it's imperative for us to focus our attention not on the other Servants and Masters but Saber's accomplice? Though I am still to assume we'll challenge and put down the others should they get in our way or an opportunity presents itself?"
Reyven closed her eyes and gave a low nod, "Yes, as the situation permits it."
That seemed to satisfy him and he cleared his throat, leaning forward once more upon the desk and exuding a more professional air, "Moving on though…" he opened the journal in front of him and began scanning pages. "It seems we learned a great deal tonight, every Servant revealed themselves in some way tonight other than Caster who yet remains elusive. Still though, we definitely have a lot more information than what we started with so what do you make of everything?"
"It is likely best to discuss what we know: with the names of our foes revealed we also know several of their Noble Phantasms and their abilities. Saber, the King of Knights, wields Excalibur though hides its identity and length behind Invisible Air and seems to have a certain affinity with similar magics that no doubt give her that much more an edge as well. She is very versatile and powerful and while I have studied her patterns from both afar and in person she still is a force to be reckoned with, unhealable wound or no.
"Which moves on to our next Servant: Lancer, Diarmuid of Fianna. He wields a long red spear capable of negating or at least breaking through spells and a short yellow spear which is cursed, able to inflict wounds which cannot be healed. He is a skilled fighter as well and seems very capable with either or both spears, as to be expected, and I have studied most of his patterns from afar, but more could always be learned. However, I personally advise that we avoid him should it be possible. Saber presents herself as a very large threat as well as our main obstacle and so long as he is alive she is in a crippled state, not to mention he is likely to fight twice as hard so he may yet finish his duel with her." The observation seemed to please Garren for he gave an approving nod and flipped a page in his journal, eyes flicking over his notes while she continued.
"His Master also seems of the arrogant type and appears to know Rider's Master, though you yourself say you may recognize him?"
Garren nodded and one of his hands was raised to cup his chin, "Yes, though I still can't place my finger upon where. With his accent I'm inclined to say that he is from the London, likely the Clocktower and from how he spoke to Rider's Master I might go so far as to say he's a teacher there, but I don't spend a great deal of time there when I do make my excursions to be able to place the voice to a name or face."
"For the moment, it may yet be enough, we shall keep an eye out for news which may yet signify something. I would make use of whatever contacts you are able to to figure out as much information as you can about other Masters. Perhaps contact this Clocktower and ask if there are any teachers on leave if that is the case and possibly more about what other families are known to be participating."
"Understood, maybe at the same time we'll be able to place exactly who has what class of Servant as well."
Reyven nodded her agreement, "Moving on to Rider though: he is Iskandar, King of Conquerors and he seems to be a very boastful Servant, though also has the power to back it up from what I could tell. What Noble Phantasm we have to glean from him is his chariot, mostly used for transportation it is still not something anyone would like to be in front of when it's charging. Given that while it is versatile and he himself is likely a stronger individual whom is skilled with a blade of his own, I still have a feeling he has something more beyond simply his chariot, a trump card to be wary of."
Garren did not seem to concur with her thought based on his expression, "I suppose it could be my lack of combat experience but what makes you say that?"
The Hunter had to tilt her head and think some about the best way to describe it, "Try to look at it this way, it is clear he is a powerful individual with a powerful chariot, but he is also a proud individual whom at the same time does not intervene unless it absolutely necessary. Hence his appearance as Saber and Lancer were about to clash after she'd been wounded and when Lancer and Berserker went after her. Both times the odds were not in Saber's favor and it was likely she could have perished. Such a show of character means he mostly chooses his battles and thus truly hasn't shown a great deal of power aside from to make a point. It simply strikes me that he may yet have much more to show. Call it a veteran's intuition," indeed in her experience as a Hunter of Hunters, when it came to the blood-addled one took nothing at face value. Gascoigne for example, a Father from a church of distant lands and also a Hunter, crazed with blood so fierce he was able to transform into one of the horrid beasts often seen in high members of the Church. Or those that dabbled with blood or the arcane as she; one moment the battle could be going from a simple brawl to a subtle motion of adding bone marrow ash to a weapon capable of putting down even the mightiest of beasts.
Indeed, when it came to battles, always expect your opponent is capable of pulling out something which can end you in an instant for it will keep you that much more upon your toes. Nevertheless, the explanation seemed enough for him and he eventually nodded and allowed her to continue.
"As for Rider's Master...well, we even know his name, Waver Velvet, but he just a boy, likely one not truly grasping exactly what he is getting himself into and were it my opinion I'd prefer to let someone else deal with that situation were it truly necessary."
There was a sigh from her Master, "I'm honestly a bit glad to hear that, as soon as I saw that kid, even beside someone like Alexander the Great, and the way that mage spoke to him...well I know this might be war but that doesn't set my conscience anymore at ease about killing a kid."
She appreciated the mutual feeling from her Master even if she'd expected it. She'd seen enough dead children already and she did not want to take part in taking the life of another if she could. "That leaves us keeping distance from Lancer and Rider for the most part and the last three still unidentified but that we at least know the general power levels of."
"Tch...yeah, I don't know about you, but in this whole ordeal of a war, aside from you and Assassin there seem to be some pretty big hitters and at this point there doesn't seem to be just one Assassin and I'm not entirely sure what to make of that."
Reyven could only shrug, "I can understand your thought process Master, but please, if there is one thing you need not worry about me in, it is combat. Especially if it is one-on-one," her tone had a certain dark foreboding way about it and Garren couldn't help but sit back with his hands raised in surrender
"Sorry, didn't mean to offend, but the competition is pretty steep."
"Of that I do not deny," she replied with an acknowledging tip of her head, "but it is the ones you least expect that sometimes are those that present the greatest threat." Their eyes met and for a moment there was something in hers that Garren could not quite explain; something dark, something cold, ancient, it made him shiver but he said nothing. Reyven simply blinked and continued, "But yes, Berserker and Archer do pose themselves as quite powerful individuals. Where Berserker still has great skill in his madness, Archer has power that seems near infinite but as with every strength there still remains a weakness. Archer's is his pride, quick to aggravate and become ruthless, he may yet have the power to back it up but it is still something that can be used advantageously. With Berserker, aside from the usual frayed mind, he seems particularly thrown to madness when he lays eyes on Saber. Whether a personal vendetta or simply that his sudden furious outburst was triggered by something else I do not know but if the results can be repeated, it is something we can use to our advantage."
"I suppose so," Garren agreed with a nod, "Though he still seems like quite the bundle of fun to deal with if we just run into him on our own, what then?"
Reyven's features remained hauntingly flat and soft as she spoke, "I would not worry about that," a single finger tapped on the grip of her flintlock, "I know to deal with that sort especially well." A heavy silence fell upon the room as Garren and Reyven studied one another, the former wondering just what secrets his Servant held and why they seemed so hard to attain not to mention why she seemed so much more powerful than she was letting on.
At last he sighed, "Alright, if you truly think you know what you're doing then so be it. I still think it'll be wise to keep our distance from either of the two for as long as we can for our own sakes."
"As you wish, Master, though given our nature in this war it may yet only be a matter of time before one or more seeks us out even if we try to keep to the shadows. My transaction with Saber may not have gone as unwatched as I have liked after all." While she had good senses and could detect familiars and Servants fairly well due to her heightened senses as a Hunter multiplied by being a Servant, it did not mean that she could detect everything if it kept a good distance. Indeed, had she not been scouting for a place to observe she may not have even noticed Assassin. Or at least that one in particular, given she had to kill another one before she returned meant there were who knows how many more left to deal with. But that was fine by her, they fell relatively easily by her trained hand.
It was impossible to say whether the battle went as quietly to the others as she had liked but hopefully most of them had been too preoccupied to notice. "Maybe, but for the moment we'll take what we can get and deal with the problems as they arise. And with that in mind, that leaves our last contender and our unknown, Caster. Any pre-emptive plans as to how we might deal with them?"
Reyven frowned some in thought before at last giving a helpless shrug, "I have experience in dealing with the arcane, but I do not know exactly where their power may lie and I do not exactly have anything specific to deal with magic. Only after I encounter them will I know how to deal with them, but given how strong Casters tend to be perhaps this is another we can chalk up to avoiding for the moment lest the situation say otherwise."
"Agreed," Garren replied with a satisfied nod and took a minute to write down a few notes while Reyven waited patiently in the quiet. Finally he released a deep breath and sat back with one leg propped up upon the other, "I suppose that takes care of that with what we can plan. Maybe something will pop up that we can take advantage of but this is a war, suppose we can't exactly expect it to be too short but we'll have to see I guess." Reyven tipped her head in acknowledgement and Garren mulled over a few more thoughts in his head that he was beginning to think would better be brought up now rather than later such as her legend and powers and all.
"Doesn't leave us with much left to talk about for the night, is getting a bit late too, but I hope you don't mind if I just ask a few more things about...well, you?"
She had expected these to come eventually so she gave a simple, "Ask away," and waited.
"So...during your battle I saw you take a few hits and I saw them heal on their own not to mention how little damage you already seemed to take from the blows." He honestly had to hold back a shiver as he thought about how Saber had sliced her open across the stomach. With how much control and power she had over her strike, he was surprised that he didn't see Reyven's guts spill but the only thing she suffered was a cut that didn't even seem to go all the way through her skin deep as it had been. "What exactly...is that? You said it was a curse but…"
He saw the small, sad frown on her face but he had the impression it wasn't really directed at him but given how she had spoken of it during the duel he could only imagine it was a difficult subject. "It is and is not. My blood is what is cursed, beast blood," that got his brow furrowing but she continued. "All Hunters from my time hunted beasts, the best thing I can compare them to that you would understand are werewolves but they were so much more ferocious. Beast blood would turn a man crazy, adle his mind and make him crave nothing but more blood. Transform him into something...terrifying…"
Even only lit by the moonlight, Garren could see the darkness in her eyes, the pain, the horror and knew it could be nothing short of the truth, but that still left the question, "But if you and other Hunters have beast blood how do all not turn into...well, that?"
She blinked and returned her attention to him, "I never said it didn't but I will get to that. What makes us Hunters is our resilience to the blood. If we can resist losing our minds to the Beast then we use our tainted blood to our advantage. The blood makes us stronger than any normal human, faster, more resilient to physical trauma, and most of all, what wounds we do suffer can be healed with blood." Garren had to blink with wide eyes at that, wondering exactly how that worked but she did not wait for him to ask.
"As we also heal faster due to the blood, should we receive an open wound but strike our opponents to draw a splatter upon where it was before it cauterizes then it can be used to heal us. It was exactly as you saw when Saber and I fought, whenever she struck me I traded a blow and got some of her blood upon the wound. Because it is so rich and pure, not to mention filled with prana, it was almost like using a blood vial in its own right."
"Blood vial? Was that what you stabbed into your leg?" he asked, perplexed, but given everything she'd said thus far if blood healed them why wouldn't they be walking around with vials of blood?
A nod answered the question, "But the blood can also be our undoing. Not everyone is so strong as to be able to resist the call of the beast forever, strong as we may be, and for some it is so easy to be lost in the blood. It can be intoxicating to one with beast blood, even more so than alcohol, and those who become addicted to the blood lose their minds, wanting nothing but more and more to sate their thirst. These Hunters become blood addled, crazy, and it is the work of the Hunters of Hunters to put them down."
Garren sat a bit straighter, she'd said that during her fight with Saber, that classification. And when he'd first summoned her she had said her workshop was different from the rest, is this what she meant? "You've mentioned that before. You are one aren't you? Is that what the badge means?" maybe he sounded a bit too into the subject, but she was finally telling him things about her and it was so different, something he had never expected. He couldn't help but be entranced by the idea of a secret war being waged and it having never even been recorded in any history book.
She didn't seem to mind though, however distant she and her next words became, "Yes...but it is work with no glory, no honor. To kill your brethren, kill the only others which may help fight the nightmare made real...Kill those who were once your friends because they lost themselves to something so hard to control...even family…atop horrors not even the most depraved can think of..." She trailed off and Garren could see the pain and sadness swirl around in those tired eyes of hers and finally understand why they always seemed to be that way.
"Reyven…"
"But it is work that must be done and someone must do it," she blinked and returned her gaze to him after it had drifted off to the side during her speech. "And I'd rather it be me than someone else, but those times have long since past anyway. That is...until now. That is why I am here, for while I may be a Hunter of Hunters, I am still a Hunter and my duty once more has called me to be here to prevent what happened in Yharnam from ever happening again. A Hunter must Hunt, and this War I hunt the Grail but for you to understand the extent of why would take more than even what I have explained tonight." Her finger tapped on her flintlock again and it seemed intent on trying to scratch a mark in the metal bottom of the gun before relaxing.
"I have a means of making you understand here and now, but you would not be ready for it. It is doubtful any mortal person would, they'd be driven mad by what I could impart upon them in a moment no matter how ready they'd claim to be and I'd prefer not to do that to my Master and not only because it is likely I would never be able to finish my Hunt." Garren grew deeply concerned and he had no doubt his face showed it as he watched Reyven sit in her chair.
She was such a young woman who had obviously seen so many horrors and unholy truths he could never even begin to dream of, as she claimed, and yet here she sat, so calm, almost serene were it not for the darkness in her eyes. He could only pity her even if he knew she would never want it. It was just hard for him to even imagine that someone could see so much horror and death in their life that they had almost become impartial to it, but that she still fought so hard against it even now, especially for the reason that no one should ever have to see what she has seen and do what she had done, it spoke volumes about her character. It made Garren form an even deeper respect for the woman before him.
A sad smile formed on his lips as he studied her and he wished from this distance he'd be able to reach forward to hold her hand in comfort; he got the impression she hadn't had a lot of that in her time. "Okay, Reyven, I understand. From tonight I'll do everything I can to help you get the Grail and I hope you and I will be able to make it that far to get it. What's the lousy wish of a lousy school teacher before the something as important that anyway?" He could see a certain sadness form in her eyes, even in the small downturn of her lips, and given her nature he wasn't entirely sure what caused it but he continued. "I still might be stubborn about a few things but I'll try not to get in your way too much, just say the word and I'll do what I can to help you out."
"I...th-thank you, Master…" she replied so softly that he almost didn't hear her even in the overall silence of the room and bowed her head.
Garren gave a nod and stood, "It's getting late and it's been a rather eventful night, I think it's about time I get some sleep." As he passed her he placed a hand upon her shoulder and he could see her glance to it but say nothing as he gave a few light squeezes before patting it and walking to the door. He opened it and was about to step out when he paused, having almost forgot one of the questions that had been on his mind for a while. "Hey, Reyven," he began but she didn't turn around in the chair, "there's a question I've been trying to answer in my head for a bit now and simply haven't so I hope you don't mind if I ask...Generally the more famous or well known the heroic spirit is the more power they have as a Servant. You though, I've never heard of your name before or even now with all the research I've done and while I know you insist it's better that way, I have to ask: if you're as powerful as I detect you are, how is it I've never heard of you before?"
Silence once more fell upon the dark study and Garren waited patiently, not knowing if she would answer, but when a minute or two had passed she finally spoke. "Have you ever heard of the Hunter's Moon?"
Garren furrowed his brow and had to think on that one for a minute before he knew what she was referring to, "Yes, though I've heard it more commonly called a Blood Moon," he replied and thought he heard her make a sound of amusement. When she simply nodded though and didn't say anything for another two long minutes, Garren thought that was all he was going to get from her and sighed before he made to leave.
"That is your answer. Sometimes even the things that are common knowledge and seem mundane have a greater story behind them than you could ever begin to dream," she finally said, though her voice was distant and he had to stop and truly digest her words. "Goodnight, Master, you should rest, we have a long Hunt ahead of us."
He said nothing as he studied her against the light of the moon coming in through his window, the silhouette of her form sitting still in the chair he had offered her to sit in at the start of their conversation. At last he gave a nod, "Good night Reyven…" he wanted to say more but nothing that seemed fitting came to mind so he simply stepped out and headed to bed, his mind a tizzy with thoughts and more questions.
Reyven didn't move from her spot in the chair even minutes after the door to the study had closed and Garren had gone to bed. Eventually she drew her legs up though and wrapped an arm around them, holding out her hand and watching a small, ornately crafted wooden box slowly form in her palm. She stared at the small familiar thing for a long while, how...good it felt to hold in her hands again after all this time even with all the memories it brought back.
Slowly she reached her other hand out to open the lid, an all too familiar twinkling melody drifting out as she closed her eyes and cranked the handle to keep it going. Oh how far she'd come with it, how even in her worst throwes she would pull it out and it would soothe her. How even now it seemed to ease her ailing mind, if only a little with the memories which flooded her. Her Master, Garren Burch, how he reminded her so much of him...even after all this time. His appearance was uncannily similar, his quirks near the same even if in the end he was a better. Still, sometimes she couldn't help but-
"Arthur...Please!"
Her hand on the crank stopped and the melody slowly tapered out, her expression never changing as she looked at the worn plate upon the bottom of the lid. A single tear slowly fell down her cheek but she didn't stop it, letting it roll down to be stopped by her knees. A minute passed, then two, then three. She didn't really know how long she sat there in the silence of the study before she gently closed the lid of the music box and held it just as gentle in her hands before turning her cheek to rest upon her knee to look into the darkness of the room, her mind fluttering with thoughts.
Her thumb softly caressed the design upon the wood even though she didn't look at it, feeling every contour upon the surface of her glove. Oh how far she'd come, all the beasts she slew, all the madmen she killed. Not even Gods had been able to impede her for long. And yet...for all the strength she grew, all the feats she achieved, all the impossible knowledge she gathered...
It never made the hurt go away.
She closed her eyes and turned back to the music box sitting in her hands before opening them again to study it even though she already knew it better than she knew herself. She raised the box up to gently hold it against her forehead, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry…" she whispered once again, though for all the thousands of times she said it, it never felt like it was enough.
Finally, Reyven carefully tucked the music box away and lowered her feet from the chair, standing slowly and heading toward the door of the study to make her way back to the roof. Even if she had a few more hours, she didn't want to miss the sunrise.
"Kirei, if you are to learn what pleasure is, you must first look to the outside," Gilgamesh, the mighty King of Heroes, the first Heroic Spirit, set two wine glasses upon the table before Kirei and himself. To him this man was an...interesting one. So disconnected with life itself with no real interests or desires there was a part of him that made the Servant wonder how he'd even gotten this far in life. Of course though, there was another part of him that wanted to see for himself what would happen when this man discovered his desires.
For indeed it was not a matter of if, for he had the strength, the intrigue and curiosity even if he did not think or would not admit it. So for now, Gilgamesh figured he'd...help the man along for he could tell there could very, very interesting results.
"I know, why not begin by joining me in my entertainment," he lifted the bottle of wine and poured some of the beverage into a glass.
"I have no time for such trivialities."
"Oh, don't be like that. You can do it between jobs Tokiomi assigns you," Gilgamesh stated in a casual matter-of-factly tone, pouring the other glass in front of himself. "To begin with," he picked the glass up with a ginger grip, "your job is to keep watch over the five...no, I suppose it would be six, other Masters. Isn't that correct?" That was another intriguing matter in its own right, he had heard the discussion about the eighth Servant, even the matter of their duel with Saber. He hadn't paid it too much mind though, disputes between mongrels held little interest to him, it truly was just the thought this war broke the mold a bit that was an intriguing thought. Even if he didn't spend much time on it.
Kirei had been watching him, but his eyes shifted for a moment, perhaps contemplating the relevance of the matter. "Yes, though the eighth is proving difficult to track. What of it?"
He paid the extra comment little mind, "You should investigate not only their plans, but their reasons for obtaining the Grail as well. Then, give that information to me."
Kirei's posture did not change but Gilgamesh could tell he was thinking it over, "That...would be possible with the Assassins…" oh good, he was coming around. "But Archer...what does any of that matter to you?"
Gilgamesh let his smile creep up a little more as he swirled his glass and gazed into his reflection in the arromic drink, "I already told you, I enjoy watching humans. One or two of them should be interesting enough to keep me entertained for a while," his smile fell a little to a more flat expression at his next thought. "Compared to that dull Tokiomi at least," the King of Heroes lifted the glass and carefully sipped his drink. The wine was still by no means the best he'd ever drank, but drinking it properly was still an art of its own, one he had mastered long ago to get the absolute most out of his drinks and he had to admit it certainly wasn't the worst thing he had ever tried. At least the humans could keep up a few decent flavors even after this long.
"Very well, Archer, I will accept. But, it will take some time to do it."
Gilgamesh smirked a bit and drank his fill of his glass, "That's fine," he set his drink down and began to let his body drift off to its spirit form in trails of golden dust. "I will avail myself of these drinks in the meantime," and with that, he was gone.
Kirei took a moment to sit in the silence, more or less just ensuring the Archer had taken his leave before relaxing his posture some. "My reason for seeking the Grail? I said far more than I should have," he said with slight amusement to himself though took his time to truly make sense of the encounter. He sat back a little more in the chair as he did so with his eyes closed, "I know it certainly isn't joy...hrmph…" He let a few thoughts and ideas exist in his head for a minute, contemplating previous thoughts and encounters up this point when a few of the more prominent ones began to stick out again.
However...he thought to himself, his eyes opening to stare at the ceiling. If I can learn about him will I be able to learn what I seek as well...Kiritsugu...Emiya? The man dominated almost all of his thoughts, what his desires would possibly be in this war, his wish, what tactics he might employ. Much more time was spent thinking on the mercenary than he thought was deserving but he couldn't get the thought of the man off his mind. He was a wild card, now just as much as this eighth Servant, this...Hunter. Ever since this evening what thoughts hadn't been about Kiritsugu Emiya were dominated by this new Servant.
She was almost a complete unknown, able to sneak up even on Assassin and dispatch them as well as hold their own against Saber and take several strong blows and still be able to walk it off. It was a pity that another Assassin couldn't get there sooner to hear some of the formalities, but everything he saw through their eyes screamed that something was not right about them. From her ability to heal on demand with a vial of red liquid, to her resilience, to the fact that even though the name and nature of her Noble Phantasm was revealed her name still remained a mystery.
Then there was the matter of her striking out against the supposed Einzbern Master, the homunculus woman. It spoke to her nature to be willing to play dirty like Assassin but still be willing to face direct confrontation like the average servant. And again there was that her Master's identity was not known either, just as Caster and his master had been an unknown till now, now they had to worry about finding Hunter's Master for even though he'd assigned an Assassin to her, she killed them as well before anything worthwhile could be gleaned.
There were just as many unknowns with this woman as there were Kiritsugu, if not more, and he did not like it. Not at all. At the very least, his father would announce the hunt for Caster in the early morning just before dawn broke, perhaps that would reveal a few secrets and intentions not only in those Masters they did know, but this wild card Hunter as well.
Reyven stepped into the kitchen a few minutes after watching the sun rise over the horizon to find her Master sitting with a stern expression as he watched the tv, one elbow propped on the table with his fist to his chin while his body sat facing her more than the television. She paused to see what he was watching to see it was a news report on the disappearances of more children during the night. The number apparently was growing staggering and given Garren was a teacher and a human with a sense of morals, she did not even need to look back to him to see the dark hatred in his eyes.
"They found him, you know…" he said quietly, not looking away from the screen, though Reyven turned to him, waiting for him to finish. "It's Caster...Caster and his Master are behind all the children disappearing. This morning the regulator from the Church called a meeting just before dawn and stated that Caster and his Master have been kidnapping and slaughtering kids and has put forth a new temporary regulation. All Servants and Masters are to hunt down and kill Caster and his Master for their disregard for secrecy and the Master of the Servant who deals the final blow will get another command seal."
Garren finally turned to her with a grim, serious face, "The way I look at it, we hunt down and beat the shit out of these child killers and if we can do so before the others then we can also deny one to the others since both at least Lancer's and Archer's Masters used at least one command seal just last night alone."
Reyven had a flat, soft expression as she listened to her Master and processed everything he told her and began turning a few ideas around in her head as to how to approach the situation. "Master, I must warn you, we must take this situation carefully should we wish to succeed in our goals."
Her words didn't seem to please him just as much as they confused him, "Reyven, what do you mean?" she could sense the irritation on his tone even if perhaps he did not mean for it to be there.
She closed her eyes and released a soft sigh before shifting her weight to one leg and crossing her arms as she opened her eyes and looked at her Master with a straight, serious face of her own even if her words following still held a soft and understanding tone. "Master, you must open your eyes to the bigger picture. It is certain there are those with morals like your own who will wish to devote all their time and resources to the Hunting of Caster, but man is fickle and there are those who would place winning over stopping this madman. Where we may hunt Caster another may hunt us, waiting to stab us when our back is turned for they will know our attention is not focused on them."
"Hunter…" Garren said with warning on his voice but she paid it no mind. She understood his hate and she would not put it past him to use a command seal, but he must see the world for the way it is not a naive notion or nobleness and honor.
"Master, all I am saying is that while there is an official truce I will not hesitate to deal with the other Servants as I find them." That didn't seem to please him either judging by his frown, but it was just as she expected given how he seemed he thought of honor and the like. "It is bad enough that all of us are going after Caster for while we may be after him, they may attack our flank because it is open and the opportunity has presented itself. After all, look at Assassin's Master, you say he is holed up in the church yes? But is it not clear that his Assassins seem just as much a threat? Something is not right here and it is best to take the regulators words with a grain of salt for it is very likely he may yet be corrupt." His features grew a bit less hard as she began to get through to him about the severity of the situation.
"However...this does not mean I will not hunt for you," that seemed to surprise him given her rant, "I have seen more than enough children die when it could be stopped and I will not let more yet fall if I can help it. Just do not expect me not to take advantage of an opportunity myself."
Garren's shoulders visibly fell a good few centimeters as relief washed over him and he had to release a deep breath, "Fwooh...I'll be honest Reyven, I'm beginning to understand where you're coming from, even if I don't agree with it. But….thank you," to that she gave a simply tip of her head.
"As it stands, there is still information which may be gleaned about our foes and possibly around regarding the disappearances of the children."
Garren gave a nod, his eyes wandering to the leather-bound journal and pen already sitting on the table. "I had a similar idea. I'm a familiar face around here and given that I'm also a teacher to some of the kids that have been kidnapped, some of the parents might be willing to share a few details with me that we could use, possibly leading us to Caster's hideout."
"A sound strategy. I can return to the bookstore we visited previously to see if I can find anything more on the names of those we know and possibly assist us in finding something about the names we do not."
"Okay, I think it's time we get going, best to take as much advantage of the day as we can. Meet up around 12 at the same diner as yesterday?" he offered, standing and scooping up his journal. "Oh! Before I forget," he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet to giver her a few bills she could use to get some books and then some if she so liked.
Reyven gave a nod and took the bills he offered to her, "That sounds fine, perhaps we can put together what information we may learn and put it to use toward tracking Caster."
Garren gave a smile and clapped a hand on her shoulder, "Alright, good luck Reyven. I'll see you around noon." He could see her make an attempt at a small smile before he walked past her and out into the fresh morning air. The smile on his own face faltered a bit as he thought of the dream, or rather, nightmare he'd had last night.
Dark, cobbled streets with tall almost lopsided buildings with designs that reminded him of some sort of twisted victorian London. Where one would expect to find puddles of water between the cobbled stone there was only blood and grime, the stench thick on the air as abnormally people with long gangly arms and long black hair sticking out between their clothing charged with pitchforks, torches, swords, axes, whatever they could get their hands on. All he saw was a pistol raise and with a bang and a flash the vision changed to another.
A dark, dank room of stone with grimy water at least five centimeters deep, perhaps a sewer system of some kind? He could see Reyven on her knees, a vicious cleave of some sort in the water beside her along with a pistol on the other side, like the one she wore. She was sobbing, hands shaking as she lifted a small, once white bow drenched in dirty water and...blood from the water. She just kept muttering, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry…" between her sobs, tears streaming down her face as she clutched the bow tighter and hunched over to wail into it.
The vision had changed again, her and another man with a large hat and a six-eyed skull mask and a olive-colored robe of some kind with a large collar. She held his head in his hands with her Blades of Mercy covered in blood on the floor behind her, a large scythe broken in apart not far away either. He couldn't hear the words they mumbled, but she took off his mask to reveal a man with a face half burned and bloodied, though a pleased smirk still played upon his lips, as though he or Reyven had done a good enough job at something to warrant it. They spoke in soft words and her body shook like she was crying, though it didn't take long to figure out she was, long after their conversation had stopped and his eyes looked out into the distance, peaceful and serene as the smile on his face. She held him closer to her body and sobbed before the vision was also pulled away into the dark.
There was nothing but abyss here, a blackness that stretched endlessly and felt all-consuming and empty. Within it he had begun to hear whispers, whispers which grew louder and louder and as they did...eyes had begun to open in the darkness. Crazy, frantic, dead, bloodshot, and still, they filled the blackness and the whispers overwhelmed his senses until the cry of a baby caused all whispers to cease immediately and the eyes to suddenly snap to him, each carrying with them some ungodly knowledge that threatened to overwhelm him before he had suddenly woken up because of the call from the Regulator.
Garren was already walking down the street while he was thinking about the dream and when he heard a door close in the distance he turned to see Reyven in her casual attire walking down the front steps, hands in her hoodie pockets. He couldn't even begin to imagine what horrors she must have seen in her life, what loss she must have experienced, if the dreams even began to touch the surface of it all. However, from that night he couldn't help but wonder now every time he looked into those always-tired eyes of her, what sort of resolve she must have to keep going despite all that.
Waver Velvet was grumbling quietly to himself as he looked around the history section of the local bookstore.
"We're supposed to be after Caster and that idiot keeps putting us both in danger, all because he wants to go outside…Ordering a shirt...what was he even thinking?" Waver groaned and rubbed at his temple. Rider was a walking headache even at the best of times, hardly listening, just doing his own thing because he felt like it. It was a wonder Waver even got him to listen about staying in the house during the day if he wasn't going to be in his spirit form.
The boy sighed and returned his eyes back to the shelf, glancing down the aisle to only see a girl with silver hair and a weird hat, a black hoodie, and grey cargo pants browsing the rows as well to his right. He had to double-take as the silver hair reminded him of Saber's Master but as he studied her a bit closer he couldn't see the resemblance, she'd probably just dyed her hair or something. Something however did keep his gaze locked on her for a few second longer than he'd intended though and when she glanced over and raised a brow he quickly gave her an apologetic grin and nervous laugh before returning to looking at the books with heated cheeks.
That was a bit embarrassing...he thought to himself but cleared the memory away for the moment, focusing on the task at hand and returning to his self-ranting thoughts about Rider. Sure he wasn't necessarily a terrible guy and would take charge when it mattered, but he acted like a buffoon all the other times and he was almost certain the guy was going to get him killed. At the very least he could gather a few books about some of the names they did know or about the areas they were from just in case there were some small tidbits that they could use to their advantage.
Trying not to dwell too much though, Waver was having some difficulty looking for something he could use. Sure for the most part myths and legends were often shared world wide, but every time he found a bookstore around this city he always had some trouble finding exactly what he needed. Of course, when looking for European folklore one wouldn't expect it to be as easy to find in Japan of all places all things considered, even if western society did have its fingers in pretty much everyone's business at some point. Still, as he traced his finger down the line he figured he was starting to get somewhere and just as he figured he was about to get something he could use, The Sword in the Stone, his finger came to a stop on the same book as a finger covered with a brown leather glove.
Waver blinked and felt his face heat up a bit as he looked to his right to see he was pretty much standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the woman who had been standing down the line and she once more had a brow raised at him. He watched her eyes flick to his hand and she tipped her head curiously, "Interesting tattoo," she commented casually. At first there was a suspecting hesitation from him but he considered she certainly didn't look Japanese nor did she sound it and was likely visiting overseas. Of course she might be interested in reading something she's familiar with in a foreign land, idiot.
Waver instinctively drew his hand back and covered it with his other before realizing how stupid it must have looked while she pulled the book from the shelf and started flipping pages. He smiled and laughed nervously again as he rubbed the back of his head, "Hah hah, y-yeah, it's, uh, kinda a long-"
"Though it isn't very safe for Masters to be wandering around without their Servants."
AN: Hey everyone, back again with another thank you. Sorry if there isn't a lot going on in this chapter, I kinda wanted to add more but at the same time I didn't want it to get too long and I don't really want to just rush everything you know? Pardon to those of you not entirely fans of the slow pace but I will try to work on it. There are just certain things I want to be able to get to to make this more interesting than just "oh, there's another servant, they're just kinda there in the normal battles and don't really add much to the original story" sort of thing. That and to me characterization is just as important as plot but maybe I could spend a bit less time on it.
I want to be able to take it down a line of its own at some point possibly but we'll see if I'll have the will to do that and apologies again if I can't really pull that off to the best of my abilities but I'm not really the best writer out there. Nevertheless, I hope you guys still can appreciate what's here for what it's worth and if there's something you feel I can work on or a way to assist then it would be more than welcome, it'll only serve to better the story in the long run. Will admit that I look to other stories around here and wonder what it is I might be doing wrong by comparison to the others but I'm me so that probably has a lot to do with it.
Hopefully some of you got some enjoyment out of it in some way and I'll get to working on the next one here shortly. Honestly I'm surprising myself some with how quickly I'm churning these out, call it good or bad, but since writing is one of my bigger stress relievers and I haven't been able to write in ages, I'm appreciative I at least am able to get things out for once. I'm also possibly thinking about putting together a stat sheet if that intrigues any of you but up to you all if you wanna see it. Thank you all so much for coming this far even if to you it might not be much. I appreciate every follow, fave, and review I see and it means more than you know and am noticing as well as glad to see returning faces. Best of luck to all and you have my best of wishes from me as well.