Garren frowned as he continued to follow vibrations of his dagger. There hadn't quite been a spike like when he was redirected from following Rin but there had been a consistent trail, though he had yet to even come across anything.
The teacher sighed with frustration, "Come on, there's gotta be something here…" he whispered to himself, taking another corner. His thoughts were filled with worry for Rin, what she could have been doing, where she could have gone, what had happened to her. He cared a great deal about the safety of kids not to mention the ones that he taught and he'd been too hesitant to ask her what she was doing as he was onto something himself.
"Goddamn, why tonight of all nights…?" he was angry with himself and he couldn't get the thought out of his head but he knew he had to think like Reyven in this situation and she would have likely prioritized following possible greater threat...right? Gritting his teeth, he tried a bit harder to put the thought out of mind and focus on the situation at hand, noticing quickly he was working his way into a circle.
Deciding it best to keep his frustration to a minimum he tried to piece together what could be causing it when he heard a popping sound followed by something splattering and the vibrations going down his blade all but stopping instantly. Frowning deeply and holding the weapon in his other hand to shake his right one and get the odd sensation the vibrations had caused to go away, Garren headed toward where the sounds had come from.
Unsure of what could have caused the sounds or if there were other people around, Garren cautiously approached the corner of an alleyway and carefully peeked in to see there was no one around. He gave it another few seconds just in case someone did show up but when nothing continued to happen he took it as his queue to investigate.
It only took a few steps to see what had been the cause of the sounds and when he saw it he could barely contain his fear and disgust. "Jesus…" he staggered back and had to use the garbage can he stumbled into for support, trying to silence its sounds quickly while keeping down the rising contents of his stomach.
With the back of his hand to his mouth as he tried taking in deep breaths, Garren finally stood and let his head fall back before he adjusted his glasses and swallowed, turning to the scene before him and raising his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose. He took a few steps forward and once more he was greeted by the sight of bloody gore, splattered across the width of the alley and higher up the brick wall than what should have been possible.
Seen the chunks of flesh amongst the gory mess Garren had to choke back a gag before slowly inching closer to the scene, a dark part of him wanting to confirm it wasn't what he thought it was. He looked around the scene and didn't see any clothes of any sort, shredded or otherwise nor could he see any signs of bones or fur, just blood and flesh. Being careful not to step into any of the blood, Garren reached out to one of the chunks of flesh and turned it over with his dagger, finding whatever it was thick and seemed spongy and was strangely a dark purple.
He suppressed the sigh of relief he wished to release and stay focused on answering what this thing could have been if it wasn't a person. It was then he realized his dagger was vibrating a bit harder than when he'd approached the alley, touching the spongy flesh caused it to vibrate just a subtle bit more but in fluctuations, as though the mana running through it was fading. Could it have been a conjured beast then and for some reason whatever had been sustaining it was cut off causing it to...well, violently explode?
"Hrm…" this could have been what he'd been following, if it still gave off some mana then it likely had quite a bit going into it before it popped which would have made sense. But if that was the case then where had it come from...and what had caused it to stop…? Before he could come to any conclusion, his dagger suddenly lurched in his hand and began vibrating violently.
Blinking in surprise at what must have been a massive amount of mana output, Garren quickly stood and ran in the direction his dagger was pointing. He couldn't help but feel something was wrong, it hadn't reacted this violently all night and there was simply that foreboding feeling in him what he would find if he didn't hurry would not be good.
The blade led him into an alley but just as suddenly as the massive spike of mana appeared, it vanished and left him standing slowing to a job before stopping as he approached a corner. Garren caught his breath and looked around, noticing a set of stairs leading to an underground pub in about the direction his blade was pointing. Taking a deep breath and beginning to make his way down the stairs, he heard crying and shouting and his eyes widened as children suddenly began pouring out of the door and running up the steps.
"Wha-...?" he stopped where he was near the top of the steps and quickly put his weapon away as the first of the children noticed him and stopped, eyes wide with fear, causing the others to do the same.
A tense silence filled the air as he thought of what to say before a voice from the back spoke up in surprise, "Mr. Burch?!" The kids all turned to the girl and Garren quickly spotted who it was.
"Rin?"
"That's Mr. Burch, he's one of our teachers! It's fine let's go!" Rin began pushing the kids forward and they quickly ran up the steps, several of them clinging to his legs while they sobbed.
He couldn't help but place his hands on a few of their heads but caught Rin as she was about to go past. "Rin! What happened? What was down there?"
The little girl bit her lip and glanced down the stairs but didn't say anything right away. "It was the man who's been kidnapping all the kids around town."
Garren blinked but quickly recomposed himself with a serious face and crouched down to be eye-level with her, "Rin, are you sure? Are you absolutely certain?"
She hesitated before she puffed out her chest and held her chin high with a serious face of her own as she nodded, "Yes, I am."
Garren looked down the stairs had to think this over quickly. Now could be his only chance of catching that sick son of a bitch and making him pay for what he'd done. However someone should make sure the kids got somewhere safe and made sure the police were called...The teacher looked to Rin, "Rin, listen to me," she bristled but nodded, "I want you to make sure you call the police and that these kids are taken care of okay? I don't want anyone else getting hurt."
Once more she nodded and when he did in return and stood she blinked, "Wait, Mr. Burch, what about you?"
He was already several steps down the stairs, "I'm going after the person responsible." Rin hesitated for a moment and glanced back toward the street with the waiting group of kids and where her teacher disappeared into the doorway.
Finally she got herself together and stood proud again, "You heard him, right? Everyone, let's go!"
Lancer and Saber had kept their distance from the scene before them, unable to do more than watch as Hunter paced in front of and circled Caster. The sight was unnerving to the King of Knights. She had experienced firsthand Caster's insanity and the power he had wielded had seemed endless and yet with a literal snap of her fingers this woman had been able to disspell his monsters all the while claiming the magic he was toying with was hers.
Then she had driven the madman even madder with but a touch and had him under her control like a puppet. This woman was nothing but mysteries, from her very existence to the powers she held and seemed oh so content on remaining hidden. It had been just as Lancer said, she felt much more powerful than she was letting on, but if that was the case, why not remove the competition entirely? What was she trying to hide and why was she going after Irisviel?
"I've been thinking…" Lancer's voice startled her from her trance and she looked up at him to find he was also watching the scene before them with a hard gaze. He looked down at Saber, "There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two of you when we were first introduced, to the point you seemed ready to lop off her head on a moment's notice..."
She understood what he was implying, "You need not spend another moment on it, after you and Rider left last night she made her appearance and attacked. However she made it clear her primary objective was to kill Irisviel, claiming it was her 'duty' to do so."
Lancer's lips formed a thin line, but his features had softened some as he raised his attention once more to Hunter standing before Caster. "Saber, I imagine you fear for your Master because of this woman coming after her just as I would were she after mine…But in truth, I would think it wise to be fearful of your Master as well." Saber was quick to be taken aback by such a statement and Lancer wasted no time continuing. "If such a woman claims it is her duty to hunt madmen and beasts and can put someone as crazy as him upon his knees with only a touch, while also claiming the same of your Master…"
Saber's gaze slowly fell away as Lancer trailed off, lost in contemplation as she understood what Lancer was trying to get at, but also trying to comprehend for what reason Hunter would have it out for Irisviel. "I understand, Lancer...though that will not stop me from protecting her with my life."
He smirked and glanced down to her, "Of course, I shouldn't expect anything less," his features fell to a more somber one, "Merely something to consider."
Before anything more could be exchanged, Caster began screaming at the top of his lungs, causing the both of them to flinch in surprise. "LIES!" he remained on his knees in front of Hunter with a look of primal horror upon his face and in his eyes, no doubt wanting to try to get away had he any control of his limbs. "LIES! RELEASE ME UNHOLY BEA-urk!"
His cries were silenced when Hunter's silver blade embedded itself underneath his jaw while she looked down with only a small frown, pushing the weapon deeper as he struggled to raise his hands and pull it out. He didn't have to bother for long though for she twisted the blade and yanked it out before pushing him away to fall to the dark earth beneath him. There he lay gurgling on his blood and unable to move all the while the darkness and the eyes set in around him.
Hunter remained still where she stood, her twisted knife dripping blood while she watched Caster die on the ground before her. Saber frowned, not so much at the treatment of the man as the fact she had not acted to strike down Caster herself, wishing to both for his crimes and so they might yet gain another Command Seal. As it was she told herself an opening had not quite presented itself and at least he was rid of, in the end so long as no more children had to die she was content.
A deep breath audibly escaped Hunter as she tilted her head back, Caster's struggles ceasing at long last before he faded away to dust, "Another night...another successful Hunt…" Her voice seemed more melancholy to Saber than she might have expected from the woman or the words spoken themselves. It made the knight wonder if Hunter viewed this duty of hers more as a burden, but she supposed she'd never know unless she sat down and had audience with her.
Perhaps it'd be better to strike the woman down now though, with Lancer at her side it likely wouldn't be difficult and surely he'd agree as he already knew Hunter was after Irisviel. It'd remove her as a threat from the competition as well as the worry of her continuously hunting them down to come after her friend.
Before more could be spoken though she heard Lancer take in a breath and when she looked to him she could see his brows were furrowed and he had a tight frown upon his face, as though lost in thought. "Lancer, is something wrong?"
He straightened with a startled expression when she addressed him but it was one that fell away as he looked down and spoke with a subdued tone. "It's my Master, he's in danger. It seems he left me here and breached the castle himself." The words hit Saber hard and her mouth fell open some in worry as she comprehended his words.
They stood in a tense silence, both with serious expressions and neither making eye contact as the both of them no doubt were thinking over the endeavor and what it could mean for the situation at hand. At last Saber came to a decision, "The danger no doubt comes from my own Master." That raised his attention to her but he still had an expression of tense worry, "Lancer, hurry to his side. Go to your Master's aid."
The astonish was evident on his face, "King of Knights…" he bowed his head, "You have my thanks."
"Think nothing of it. You and I have agreed to settle matters in a manner befitting two knights. Let us keep our pride in tact." Lancer gave a nod and with that vanished into a form of sparkling dust. That must mean all has gone according to Kiritsugu's plan...Saber thought to herself and clenched her left hand into a fist, thinking how much could have been settled had the man and Lancer's Master not partook in a secret battle.
Speaking of...she turned to Hunter to see the woman still had her head tilted up, looking at the night sky through the branches of the dead trees with eyes ever half-lidded. "It's rather difficult to enjoy the smaller things in life when you spend the whole of it fighting...isn't it?" she asked distantly, not even looking to Saber.
The knight said nothing but didn't feel a threatening air coming off of her and so remained at ease, though glancing around she wondered where the woman's cane and flintlock had gone. "Saber…" the knight returned her attention to Hunter to find her attention hadn't wavered from the sky above. "You should assist your own Master, no? They could have sustained injuries against Lancer's Master."
Truly not knowing what to make of the woman before her, Saber simply gave an acknowledging tip of her head before backing away and turning to run through the forest. Yes, she would return to Kiritsugu's side eventually, but first she must ensure Irisviel was safe so long as this woman was around.
Of course though, so intent on finding her friend was she that she never bothered to look over her shoulder.
Garren cautiously slipped into a large, dark open chamber, his dagger held at the ready in his hand as he was able to make out the faint outlines of large pillars around and about. Thankfully it wasn't pitch, he could see a little bit around and about, but it'd be difficult finding his way around or making out the details of the room till his eyes adjusted more.
There was a still silence, a tense and foreboding one and with the overall darkness of the chamber atop the fact he'd chased the murderer that was Caster's Master through all those winding tunnels and was likely here...Well to say he was a bit on edge wouldn't be false. A thick, acrid scent assaulted his senses and Garren couldn't help but gag and reel, pulling up his scarf to cover his mouth and nose. It helped the problem more than it did solve it but at least he could think now that the smell wasn't overwhelming him.
Taking deeper breaths through his mouth, Garren swallowed and identified what he smelled as coppery as well as the smell of rot and as much as he didn't want to think about it...he had to confirm it. Still being sure to keep his eyes peeled around him to the best of his abilities, Garren formed a ball of light in his hand, swirled it around to let it gain a bit more mass, and lobbed it into the air in front of him.
What he saw...his eyes grew wide, his mouth fell open, and he stumbled back to turn against a pillar and use it for support as he yanked his scarf down and vomited then and there. His eyes were squeezed shut and tears fell freely despite the fact, sobs hidden amongst his hurling and it was not long before he fell to his knees once he found it in him to stop puking.
"God dammit…" he took deep breaths to try and recompose himself and took out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes and glasses before doing the same with his mouth and nose. Hidden amongst his sorrow, rage was swirling and he used what little of it he felt to shove the handkerchief into his pocket and stand, looking around and listening closely to anything as he raised his scarf again.
"Where the fuck are you monster!" he shouted, the sound echoing around the vast chamber and a drunk laugh was what he got in response. The sound bounced around the walls and pillars and it made it difficult for Garren to pinpoint. He gripped his dagger tighter, hoping it'd be able to give him some warning in advance. He glanced to his command seals and whispered for Hunter to come, watching them glow before one faded.
"People keep using that word, but really they just don't know the beauty of true art." More whimsical laughter, it made him sick, but it was close. He heard a step behind him and quickly spun in time to see a man with a white shirt and purple coat over that lunge at him with a wicked smile.
There was a glint of light and Garren's eyes widened before he ducked to the side, letting the man stumble past him. He raised his own dagger in the way he'd trained and stood at the ready, aiming it right for the child killer. He wasn't quite as proficient with a knife like he was a sword, but when he saw the man straighten and turn with a smile, unperturbed by the fact he'd missed, all he held was a bloody scalpel so at least he'd have length on him.
"Killing kids isn't art you sick bastard," Garren replied with a look and voice filled with killing intent.
Once more the man laughed and ran a hand through his stark orange hair, "You say that, but you just haven't seen the true beauty of what's on the inside. Here, let me open you up to it!" Again he lunged and this time Garren merely sidestepped before lunging out with his own strike.
Surprisingly enough, the man was more nimble than he thought and his attack missed as the madman ducked and lashed out with another strike. Garren backstepped and made several quick attacks of his own, using the lightness of his weapon to his advantage. It was clear who was more proficient with their weapon as whoever this freak was only made wide attacks meant to try and cause as much damage as possible that also left him open while Garren made quick, concentrated, and calculated strikes that left little room to respond as anyone with even mediocre knowledge of short blades would know to use.
Still though, the man was fast and nimble and jumped away from his strikes before dashing in with a mad smile. Garren, furious just by being in the presence of the man who'd killed children he knew, whom he had taught, and annoyed by the fact he was less skilled with a blade than he yet neither had scored a hit. It was these things that clouded his mind, did not allow the logical and calculated thinking to take place and thus instead of dodging like he should have, he sneered and lashed out.
Caster's Master was quick to readjust and while Garren was able to easily himself as well, he still felt a biting in his arm that was multiplied as it was dragged across his skin. Backing up as they passed one another, Garren clutched his arm, pulling his hand away to see it was bloody but not too much so. He looked at the wound itself and saw while the scalpel had cut through his coat it hadn't gotten too much else due to its thickness.
One the other hand though, his own blade was dripping blood of its own and he looked back to the man in front of him and saw him inspecting his scalpel, which had some of Garren's own blood on it, apparently heedless of the open wound on his other arm.
"See? It's such a beautiful color, especially yours," he turned with a drunk smile. "You know, I've never really killed too many men before, I prefer women and children, but your blood is such a wonderful color that I just have to use it for something."
Garren sneered with primal disgust. How dare he. How dare this man talk about taking lives like it was nothing, like there was some higher purpose. Brag about killing women and children like it was the most fun one could have. It made him sick. It made him want to make the man suffer. "Just try it you son of a bitch."
Caster's Master simply began chuckling before he backed up into the shadows behind a pillar, disappearing from sight. Garren contemplated simply following but remembered this was his opponent's turf. As simple as the scenery might be, there could be more to it than he knew and if that included a small ledge in the dark it might not spell out well for him.
With that in mind though...Garren glanced around and kept his ears peeled before he raised his free hand and swirled his fingers around, light forming into a ball that he raised over his head where he continued to churn it and make its light reach further even if it did somewhat hinder his vision beyond.
"Ya know, I never got how no one understands me, except the big guy now that I've met him." Garren spun but even as he raised the light he couldn't see anything from where he thought he heard the voice come from. "I guess it's because everyone buys this notion that cutting someone open and taking a life is a crime against God or something." Once again Garren spun but there was only darkness outside of his circle of light. Where the Hell was Hunter?
"But the way I see it God loves everything, even murderers and war and death and famine and all that crap, ya know? After all, why else would the world be filled with all of that stuff if he didn't? And why else would he have filled us with such a beautiful color unless he wanted to see it spilled? Really, there are just so few artists like me out there who see everything for what it really is." There was an audible sigh and Garren turned again, at least trying to keep facing wherever the man was most likely to be. "But oh well, people are just ignorant, and it makes it even easier sometimes when you keep that in mind when doing these sorts of things."
A scuffing step. Garren spun, guarding with his dagger and catching the scalpel aimed for his jugular. He scowled and parried the blow down, shoving the ball of light into the monster's face. The man screamed and staggered back clutching his hands to his eyes, allowing Garren to advance and strike. Just as he was about to stab the man in the heart though, his opponent tripped and fell back where he began to try and crawl away.
"Where do you think you're going?" he shouted, "I thought you wanted to cut me open!" He kicked the man in the ribs and spat on him. "What about all that crap you spewed about God and showing me the true beauty of art?!" his voice cracked and the man just laid where he was. Garren held his forehead, pacing back and wondering what he should even do, if he should really stoop to the sick fuck's level or maybe knock him out and turn him in to the police. Then again what would that get the bastard? Maybe they'd slap him with capital punishment or maybe he would get out and start killing again. Surely if he'd managed to summon Caster he was a magus of some degree so what would be the point? He turned and on the edge of his ball of light he saw a small, bloody hand and though his stomach lurched, his features hardened and he made his decision.
"Fine...you're going to pay for what you've done," Garren brandished his knife and approached the still on-all-fours form of Caster's Master, raising his knife and getting ready to strike when he hesitated. Despite all his emotions, all his hate and rage and sorrow, he still hesitated and it was in this instant the madman chuckled and kicked his leg out, hitting Garren's shin. He hissed in pain and staggered back before he felt his legs swept out from under him and a brief sense of vertigo before he hit the hard concrete under him.
Though he tried to move, his opponent had already straddled his waist and pinned his armed hand down with his free hand, a smarmy smile on his face. He brandished the scalpel before Garren's face, "Now then, where were we?"
Reyven landed quietly on a branch, dispersing her weight through her landing just enough to not cause any noise as she watched Saber drop to her knees in front of the prone form of Irisviel, her target. Saber's companion opened her eyes at her beckoning, which confirmed she was still alive but it was clear by the blood that her wounds would not keep her that way long.
It was a shame, not so much that Reyven had not been the cause, but more that the woman would still have to die for a thing she likely never had control of from the beginning. That, and she would have to steal the dying or dead body of Saber's friend before her very eyes and...well even if it was for the better it was not something she'd take pride in doing. At the very least she'd allow them to finish their quiet exchange, barely capable of hearing them from this distance even despite her heightened senses.
To get ready though she withdrew a shaman bone blade, knowing it best to keep Saber in the war to not spark Lancer's ire as well as the fact it'd allow another distraction for the others while she took care of her own business. She readied the bone blade, knowing if she got the jump on Saber she'd be able to disorient the Servant and grab the body to make-
Reyven's eyes widened as Irisviel sat up with ease, a small smile on her face amidst the blood on the corners of her mouth. The Hunter's eyes narrowed as the woman lifted her hand from her wound and it was quite evident there was hardly even a mark under the torn clothing. She was perfectly fine, as though Saber's presence alone had healed her.
Reyven frowned, that complicated matters. Now it gave her all the more reason to try and separate the two; not only to make her duty easier but also to get her away from Saber's healing influences. In the end she sighed and adjusted her position on her branch, sitting leaning against the trunk of the tree with one leg dangling freely while the other was drawn up.
She studied the bone blade as she spun it around in her hand, "I see you are well…" she commented aloud idly.
Saber spun with a hard glare while Irisviel looked up at her slowly. "Hunter!" the Servant exclaimed and summoned her blade, ready to stand and fight.
"Don't worry, Saber," she replied solemnly, "I'm not here to fight, not at the moment, just to talk." She didn't look up from the bone blade but caught Irisviel catching her friend's hand from where she sat out of the corner of her eye. Saber appeared to relax some and Reyven finally turned to them, eyes meeting Irisviel's where they were locked for several seconds.
"Ma'am, please understand that while I claim it is my duty to hunt you, I do not hate you and I do not take pride in the idea of needing to take you life. However, it is as I have said before, I believe you already know the reason for which I claim what I do." If she did, she gave no motions or words of it, merely continued to watch her with gentle eyes. "My work is much more important than either of you might realize and there is much more at stake than a simple wish-granting cup. I have no need for wishes or boundless power. My life is my duty and while it is not one filled with glory nor one man will ever know of, it is better that way."
She heard Garren's words calling to her and the mana to do as he request fill her, the command seal compelling her even if she wished to comply. "Now my Master calls and I must go. Please think of what I have said," with that she held out the bone blade and dropped it so it landed on its point and cracked, green paralytic poison leaking from its weaknesses. "May you find your worth," and with that, she was gone.
Garren did his best to fight off his adversary, holding the man's hand back with his free one, the scalpel hovering between them. Garren had strength but his opponent had leverage and these powers equaled each other out well enough save for the fact he could only try to compensate and fight off the man's weight for so long.
There was a mad smile on the opposing Master's face as he slowly managed to get the small blade millimeters closer every few seconds and it would only be a matter of time now. Suddenly, to both of their surprise, a pair of arms wrapped underneath the smaller man's own and he was tossed away. Garren blinked and sat up some, "Hunter?!"
Sure enough, the silver-haired woman was stalking toward where she had thrown Caster's Master to the ground, the white cloth hanging down her back lifting some at her pace. "Alright you blood-addled fool…" she began, her voice calm and calculated just like it always was, though there was a hostile edge to it this time. The man sitting up on his knees to turn and slash at her only to miss and get backhanded hard enough to be put back on the ground for his troubles. She stomped on his wrist and he screamed in pain as she twisted her foot and dislocated it with ease before kicking the small blade away. She stooped over him and bent down, turning him over onto his back and lifting him by the collar with one hand. She stared into his eyes for several seconds, "It is blood you love, yes?" threw him unceremoniously to the ground and pulled off her glove before withdrawing her Blade of Mercy to slice her hand, turning it to show it to him as blood seeped from the wound.
"Then what do you think of mine?" Garren had gotten up and was walking over clutching his shoulder where he'd been cut, noticing the man's face had contorted with uncertain fear, as though uncomfortable with what he saw. Before anyone could say anything more, she pressed her hand hard to the open wound on the murderer's arm, never taking her eyes off his face even as it went from confusion, to discomfort, to pain and agony as he began to scream and spasm where he lay.
Garren blinked and took a step back, watching as he squirmed while Reyven held him down with one hand on the opposite shoulder, the other still pressed to his wound. Even despite knowing what this man had done, what he had wanted to do to him, Garren found it...very difficult to watch.
"Reyven…stop it..." he said quietly with a hoarse voice before she released the man and stood, swinging her foot back over him to simply watch the man clutch at his throat and claw at his skin. Garren couldn't take his eyes off the sight; fear, horror, disgust, discomfort, so many things filling him and he didn't know what to do.
"Reyven…please can you just-..." he said again, this time a bit louder, but she didn't move, didn't even blink as she continued to watch the madman scream in agony. His bones began to crack and he curled up before arching his back, his skin blotting in places, his hair growing dark and growing all over, his body contorting and distorting in unnatural ways.
He couldn't take it anymore.
"REYVEN!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and turned to her with anger in his eyes, seeing she did as well with a subtle expression of anger on her own face as well.
"What, Master? You wanted to see him suffer didn't you?"
That quelled his wrath immediately and he was left with a stupid look on his face as he turned back to the sight before him. "Y-yeah but this-"
"What? This is what, Master?" she watched him with a hard glare. "This is war."
Garren grit his teeth, "Reyven stop it now!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and raised his hand, command seals glowing.
He didn't need to wait, the instant the words left his mouth and without taking her eyes off of him, Reyven effortlessly snapped her gun up and splattered the screaming man's brains across the floor. Quick, simple, without hesitation. Like pulling off a bandaid.
Garren's heavy breathing sounded like thunder in the sudden silence when the booming echo susided. His knees shook and after a second it felt like his legs weren't there, dropping to his knees and gasping for breath while Reyven simply stared on.
Finally she began walking and paused as she was about to pass him. "This is what is at stake Garren. If we fail, prepare for that to happen to everyone you know and everyone you do not." With that she withdrew a flaming glass bottle and tossed it back onto the corpse. It went up instantly, a raging inferno that consumed the twisted body and kept it alight like a bonfire.
Garren remained where he was, still trying to find his breath and unable to take his eyes off the blaze. "Why...I thought the command seals allowed you to come instantly when called?" he asked, breath escaping him.
"I did. As it is, my Master was in danger from more than a simple madman with a scalpel." She dropped a familiar mask in the shape of a skull in front of him and he quickly recognized it. "Seems we have found out how the church discovered Caster's secret. Should you go to claim your command seal, I shall accompany you."
He just nodded slowly and there was nothing but the morbid crackling of the fire in front of him. She seemed content to let him sit for a while though before at last she spoke again.
"Come Master, Rider approaches, we should take our leave." He didn't know what she meant till she heard the boastful shouts and the sounds of a chariot in the distance.
"Yeah…" he said quietly and stood slowly, one hand still clutching his shoulder while the other held his dagger with a white knuckle grasp. He finally managed to tear his gaze off of the dying fire and turned, shuffling to the entranced he'd used when he arrived.
Reyven, on the other hand, stood where she was and turned to see the chariot enter the chamber through a large tunnel not too far away. Her eyes met those of the young Master standing beside a figure who could be entirely his opposite. She held his gaze for but a second or two before she turned to follow her own Master into the tunnel he had exited through.
Garren had led the way to where his car was parked, the both of them able to dodge the police despite his state. When they'd gotten there Reyven had simply walked ahead of him and opened the passenger door before walking around the car to slide into the driver seat.
Garren gave not a sound when he shuffled over and simply fell into the seat and closed the door, every action seemingly autonomous. He was just as present on the drive home as well, simply staring blankly out the window while Reyven drove in equal silence, though with the skill and ease of someone who'd been doing it their whole life.
Minutes passed and eventually they'd arrived home, Reyven parking the car, turning it off, and slipping out to walk around and open his door in a single fluid motion. He'd remained there for a minute but for a minute she stood holding the door waiting and eventually he got up and shuffled to the front door while she reached in to pick up the dagger he'd finally dropped on their way home.
She'd walked in behind him and helped him out of his coat before recommending he took a shower, which he agreed to after she helped disinfect and heal his wound with a small silver bell.
And here he was now, stepping out of the bathroom in naught but a towel and a hand over his face as he tried to get the images of tonight off his mind.
"Garren…"
He stopped and dropped his hand to look at the source of the voice to see Reyven sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back to the wall while she stared up at the ceiling. Given the situation he might have been a bit more self-conscious of the moment, but given the circumstances he couldn't find it in him to even think about that.
"Reyven…" he replied weakly, voice hoarse again. He cleared his throat but still spoke distantly, "Are you finally going to tell me what all this is for? What our end goal is in this whole mess?" Truthfully, if she said no he would just drop it for the night. He was in no condition to be arguing with her but she seemed to realize this too.
"Yes, I will, but in the morning. Right now you need rest; the authorities will also no doubt be showing up eventually should they find any hint of us around the scenes."
Garren simply sighed and nodded, feeling a heavy weight bear down on his shoulders and eyes all of a sudden. "Yeah….alright. Good night, Reyven," he turned and walked past her toward his room.
"Good night, Garren. May you sleep well and the nightmares never find you."
He woke the next morning in his pajamas to the sound of the doorbell ringing. He blinked away his grogginess and stared blankly at the dark ceiling. His blinds had been closed it seemed. The doorbell rang again and though he went to stand, he already heard the door opening.
"Can I help you officers?" a distant and somewhat muffled feminine voice asked. Reyven?
Garren remained where he lay, mind blanking on while he let the conversation play out. "Yes, is this the Burch residence?" a masculine voice this time.
"It is..."
"Well is Garren Burch there? We just have a few questions for him." Another feminine voice, this one different from Reyven's.
"Yeah, one moment. Uncle Garren!" he heard Reyven calling out and a moment later the door opened to reveal her wearing her hair back like she always did but her hat was gone and she wore a black sports bra and her casual grey cargo pants and fingerless gloves. She looked like she'd been working out.
He blinked in surprise, both at the change of attire and her form. Nevertheless, he nodded and swung out of bed when she gestured with her head for him to come.
He walked through the house to the front door and squinted his eyes some as he opened the door and the sun's rays hit his eyes. It only took him a few blinks to see the officers a bit more clearly. "Good morning officers, is something the matter?"
The woman spoke up, "We just have a few questions about where you were last night."
As to be expected, "Alright."
The male officer took that as his queue, "Last night some of the missing children were found and several of them said you were there when you got out yet told them to go while you investigated. Care to...elaborate what you were doing that night?"
Garren thought how best to explain for a second before clearing his throat. "Well, to be honest I'd seen a lot of news about a lot of missing kids and being a teacher...well I wanted to try and do something. So I asked around, did some searching, watched some old broadcasts, and have been putting a map together." He turned to call inside, "Hey, Rae, can you grab that map I've been working on? It's in my study?"
"Sure," was the simple response from somewhere inside before he turned back to the cops.
"What about your niece? Was she with you that night?"
Garren shook his head and glanced back into the house before leaning forward some and spoke a tad quieter, "I told her I was just going to meet with some friends for drinks. She doesn't know anything yet."
They nodded and the aforementioned 'niece' walked up behind him, now wearing a tanktop, and handed him the folded up map, nodding to the officers before heading back inside. Garren held it out to them and the woman took it, opening it to look it over while her partner continued.
"And after? You chose not to accompany the children and you have yet to report anything to the police yet as to if you found anything."
The light smile he wore faded a little and he couldn't find it in himself to perk up again. "I take it you guys know where the kids were found?" A nod, "Well, in one of the closets I found an opening behind a moved stack of boxes and since I figured I could find the man responsible or at least his hideout I...well I did the stupid thing and went in."
That got the woman to glance up and raise her brow but she went back to studying the map. His voice grew more distant and his eyes unfocused as visions of what he saw the night before flashed before his eyes. "Like I said...I'm a teacher, an elementary one at that. When I heard kids were going missing I knew I had to do something. What I found at the end of that passage…" he trailed off, lost in the memory of tossing that ball of light. Finally though he blinked and looked up to see both the officers were looking at him, waiting for him to finish.
He cleared his throat again, though he didn't wind up speaking much louder, "Well, go down it now that you guys know where it is, but safe to say that being a teacher and seeing what was down there, I...contacting the authorities wasn't the first thing on my mind."
The cops looked between each other and the woman cleared her throat, "Can you give us any details? Did you at least find anyone?"
Garren was quiet a moment, "Yeah...there will be a lot of empty seats when I go back to teaching."
The man gave a slow nod, "And of the man responsible or his accomplices?"
Garren shook his head, "I didn't find anyone there, honestly I doubt I'd have made it home at all if I did but maybe you can get the drop on them now that you know where they are?"
The woman smiled and handed him back the map, "We'll certainly try sir. Thank you for your cooperation. We'll contact you if we need you for anything else," he nodded with the best smile he could muster.
"Have a good day sir," the man said tipping his hat before they both turned.
"You as well," he replied, his voice going hoarse again. He cleared his throat and looked down as he felt something else with the map and spotted a small business card with the name of a local hospital, no doubt thinking he might need the mental help.
He sighed and stepped back in, maybe he would need it after this but they had work to do first. Walking into the kitchen he saw Reyven sitting at the kitchen table with a book open in front of her and the small box TV on with a news broadcast about the children having been found.
"You did good," Reyven commented quietly, not looking up from her novel.
Garren gave a half-hearted laugh, "Yeah, if only I was acting for most of that." He didn't know what he wanted for breakfast but settled that it'd be the first thing he saw.
Reyven merely shrugged, "That just means it was that much more convincing."
He sighed and sat down with a bowl, milk, and cereal, pouring himself a bowl and noticing she also had one of her headphones in. Least she was putting the mp3 to use. "What about you? How has your morning been? Lacking an interrogation no doubt."
"The sunrise was nice…" she said softly and he looked to her for a second or two but she never looked up from her book, expression flat as it usually was.
Garren paused for a second at the statement, looking her up and down slowly before returning to filling his bowl with milk and getting up as he realized he'd forgotten a spoon. When he returned they sat quietly, just doing their own things while the tv continued on past the broadcast about the kids. There was a certain...peace about the moment, cool, fresh air and sunlight coming in through an open window, the both of them sitting contently absorbed in their own business, it almost made them feel normal to him.
Not wanting to really break the mood, Garren decided not to pay it too much mind and simply enjoyed it for what it was. At last when his bowl had been emptied and he cleaned everything up, he sat back down again and Reyven already seemed to know what he wished to say, closing her book and removing her headphone from her ear.
"So…" Garren began, thinking of the best way to get the conversation started.
"You wish for the questions to finally be answered?" she finished for him and he simply nodded in response. "I suppose it is best to start from the beginning then…As I have said before, I am a Hunter, not just in class, but in duty. My blood is cursed, that which will turn man into beast and will corrupt the best of people. My duty is protect humanity by any means necessary and most often that is through the Hunt; putting down beasts that once were men and women, Hunters who have become addled by blood, and worse before putting an end to the very Hunt I partake in so the night might come to an end at last. The reason you know not of my name or legend is because many centuries ago a city known as Yharnam was plagued by the scourge of beasts because the miracle blood they used for healing was ancient, tainted blood that had ruined civilizations before it and its turn had come. I fought for my life several times as many Hunters had before me and managed to put an end to it at long last, expunging the city from history in the process.
"As it is, if it is possible for me to stop a Hunt from needing to begin at all then I will ensure it and that is why I am here now. What you saw last night is what could happen to this town, this whole world should we fail. The Grail that these magus fools keep pursuing sunders reality and time itself and tears apart the fabric of the cosmos. And now, with the last Grail War something happened to corrupt the Grail I do not know the specifics for all the understandings I may have gained, but I do know that whatever happened something corrupt stored itself within the Grail and because of what it has done to the cosmos the taint of the beast has worked its way into this corruption or the corruption itself has taken the form of the scourge but the point stands.
"Again, this is the best understanding I can come up with for what has happened as the Grail falls beyond even my realm of knowledge, but after that War I felt the scourge's presence once again outside of the realm where it should have been and I knew I had to intervene...so I did...and here I am."
Silence. Garren could only sit there, taking it all in as best he could, trying to make sense of it all. "So…" he began at last, brow furrowed in thought, "you willed yourself to be summoned when you felt me trying to summon a Servant even though all the spots were filled?"
Her gaze was unflinching as she met his, "Garren, I cannot explain everything to you just yet in a way that you would understand, but know I have a great deal more influence in this world than you might believe."
The cold seriousness of her words sent shivers down his skin and he swallowed before taking a deep breath, "Okay...well, what do we do then? You keep going after Saber's...compatriot, I guess, so what does she have to do with all this and what is the end goal for all of this?"
Reyven's fingers rhythmically tapped against the table, "The best way that I can explain this with your limited understanding of the mage world is that she is the vessel for the Grail, to have a presence in this world when the wishes are to be granted so it can direct its power to this dimension. Thus, we must ensure we have her in our control when there are fewer Servants and the Grail is summoned so we might seize it and put an end to this madness before any more atrocities must be committed. And that is also our end goal. No wishes must be granted or the corruption will be released and that means either the Grail or at least the corruption must be extinguished before that happens."
The tenseness that filled the air was crushing and Garren had to run a hand through his hair and take a shaky breath while attempting to just take this all in. Fate of the world rested in their hands, no pressure. "Okay, I think I'm following. How exactly are we going to get rid of either of these things if we do get our hands on it before anyone else?"
It was her turn to sigh, though with defeat, and she sat back in her chair, "I don't know."
Well...that's great. The confusion on his face was fairly hard to contain given she'd apparently thought out the rest of this, "What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"
She gave but a simple shrug, "I don't know. Until I can understand the nature of both the Grail and this corruption, whether they are ethereal, physical, purely magical, or a combination of these things, it is difficult to exactly prepare for what it could be and how to deal with it. The Grail transcends reality, it can be anything and trying to prepare for quite literally anything has its complications."
"Well do you at least have a plan?"
"For certain situations. If worst comes to worst I have a fallback plan that can likely encapsulate whatever might be thrown at us, but if that fails….well...let's hope it doesn't."
Waver lay staring up at the ceiling on 'his' bed, still able to hear the loud laughter of Rider and his hypnotized 'grandparents' downstairs, sighing with annoyance. Still, he couldn't help but let out a deep sigh and roll over, thinking about yesterday. When he'd run into Hunter she'd opened his eyes a little bit, not only with her words but also to the fact that she had been right, it wasn't exactly safe to just be walking around without Rider.
Thus he'd given in and had gotten Rider the pants he so greatly desired but in turn gave him the task of gathering water from the river splitting the city since he'd been thinking about something he could try to help them track down Caster. Sure enough they'd gotten some results and...well he had been surprised by the inspiring words his Servant had given him for his ingenuity and contribution to their cause. It was a bit of a change to be acknowledged like that, especially by Rider, but he'd appreciated it at the time and thinking on it again he still did now.
His thoughts circled back around to Hunter, realizing he owed some of that to her as well as the fact they'd gone out that night to locate Caster's hideout and found it even if he wasn't there. The thought of what they did find was not something he wanted to dwell on, but he remembered seeing her in the distance of that chamber, standing beside something that was on fire before she had turned and disappeared.
Honestly there was just something...mysterious about that Servant. Her intentions were a complete unknown, as was her Master, she hadn't killed him when she had seen him and had even sat down for coffee with him of all things, and according to what he had gathered she'd even managed to kill Caster and his Master that night. So soon after the command to do so was given. She was efficient, and that's what scared him atop all this mystery business. He hadn't gotten the details of how she'd killed Caster exactly but from what he understood it wasn't pretty and if he had to take a guess as to what was on fire beside her...well he wasn't sure he wanted to be in the sick murderer's place.
In the end, all that really mattered was that Caster and his Master were no longer a threat. That meant no more dead kids, and one less Servant and Master to worry about even if it was so soon into the War. Then again...he sighed and rolled back over to face the ceiling, "Now we're back down to six and one of them is arguably more deadly than the one she replaced….great."
Well, he supposed they'd just have to see how everything went, for the moment he supposed he'd head out with Rider sometime today as a congratulatory of some sort for his cooperation last night and maybe they could do a bit of looking into dealing with tracking down the other Servants.
Waver briefly wondered if they should make a stop by the bookstore while they were at it.
Risei Kotomine stood at the altar of the church waiting quietly for the Master of the elusive Hunter to show themselves as they'd no doubt be coming to claim their Command Seal. He had been alerted to both their presence and another's which he could assume was Hunter's even if it did seem equal in strength.
It was an interesting ability they had, similar to Berserker, she had some sort of curse or ability which masked her true strengths and powers except for when she was releasing mana and even then it came with varying results. Truly she was a mysterious one as her identity was also still an unknown even with the name and nature of what was likely her Noble Phantasm was revealed during her encounter with Saber according to Kirei. An eighth Servant too, quite the oddity, but she was quite specialized in dealing with threats from what he'd heard of her defeating multiple Assassins at their own game as well as killing Caster by turning his own magic against him.
He'd been conflicted as to if he should even give them the Command Seal all things considered, but she was a Servant and she'd eliminated Caster just as he had said was to be done even if Archer didn't even get a glimpse of the fight, but he supposed opportunities would likely arise once more in the future not to mention possible necessities.
Finally the door creaked open and Risei glanced over to where Kirei stood not too far to his side with his eyes closed and his head bowed before turning his attention back to the large wooden doors. In stepped a male figure with a bland grey hoodie and blue jeans, their hood up and their head bowed to mask their face in the shadows of the dark church and he was closely followed by the familiar figure of Hunter. She closed the door behind her and walked in pace with the man up to where Risei stood.
Though trying to catch a glimpse of the man's face, it seemed like the prospect might be pointless as it appeared he wore a mask under his hood as well. Alas, perhaps Assassin would still be able to follow them this time without Hunter noticing.
They stopped in front of him and a tense silence filled the air for several beats, "We have come to claim our Command Seal for killing Caster." It was Hunter that spoke, watching him with eyes that spoke of hostile intent should he try anything.
Risei replied with a small bow of his head, "Of course. The Church thanks you for your part in eliminating the threat which Caster and his Master presented to the integrity of the Grail War." Hunter simply tipped her head in acknowledgement and he turned his attention to her Master, "Can you hold out your hand?"
The man removed his hand from his hoodie pocket and held it up to reveal a bird with its wings splayed wide and above its head. Well, it would look that way were one of the wings not faded away. The priest couldn't help but wonder the cause for that but nevertheless pulled up his sleeve to reveal the tribal-like tattoos which covered his arm. He held his first up before the mysterious man's hand and, with a transfer of mana, one of the markings on his arm glowed and faded away while the missing mark on the Master's hand glowed and the wing was whole once more.
When the task was complete, the Master flexed his hand before stuffing it back into his hoodie. "We're going," Hunter said with finality and her Master turned, walking a step ahead of her while she kept her eyes locked with Risei's before spinning and walking out, the white banner on her back and the black attire oddly reminding him of that of a priest's. Surely she couldn't be one herself though with the sorts of techniques she implemented but when it came to Heroes of history he supposed anything could be possible.
When they had stepped out and the door was closed Risei stood where he was for several seconds before he turned to Kirei, watching him straighten with something different amongst the features of his usually placid face. "Is something wrong my son?"
Kirei didn't reply for a few seconds, "The man wore a mask from one of my Assassins, it seems they wanted to make it quite clear about where their trust lied with us."
"Mm…" Risei looked back to the door in silence for a few seconds, "and are you able to track them?"
"Maybe this time, but even now they are proving elusive with some kind of odd blue liquid which masks them from sight and detection…" There it was again, that slight change in his facade only he as his father would notice.
"Do not worry, Kirei," he began walking toward the back room, "they cannot evade Assassin forever. We'll have vigilance of them as well soon enough."
Kirei remained where he was even as his father disappeared into the dark of the church, staring without focus, once more lost in thought. Hunter...she was proving herself just as much a nuisance on his mind as Kiritsugu. Where he had no reason being here, she seemed to be leading her own charge going after the Einzbern homunculus, possibly with her Master just going along. What was she trying to accomplish and why was she here to begin with? Too many questions. Not enough answers.
He'd find out their secrets eventually, it was all a matter of just continuing to try and keep patient with this matter and let it play out how it may.
AN: Hello again everyone. Pardon if this one is a bit late compared to the usual schedule I suppose. Was rather ill last week continuing into this one and while I wanted to write badly despite of the fact it was just a bit too difficult to form the right thoughts and I wanted to give the best I could in the time I did have on top of betaing for a rather lengthy story so thus the extra wait. As it is, still a bit on the iffy side but hopefully this chapter isn't too bad and suits you guys well, though pardon again if there isn't too much advancement of the story, still trying to build up the confidence to try and truly separate this from the normal plot but I do have a few key points planned so look forward to that. Really it's all about filling the gaps with interesting things as well and that's where I pray I don't flail about too badly.
In the meantime though, thank you all so much that favorited and followed, not to mention those that left reviews. I'm glad to see this story picking up a bit of steam and I can only hope to hold all of your interests with the story I choose to weave. I do appreciate every little thing I get more than each of you might believe even when you just click that button to follow because honestly it just tells me that I as a writer am doing my job enough to capture your interest and hold it enough for you to want to see more and even small things like that I appreciate. Even to those of you reading those who don't do those things but return every time you see the story has updated just to see how things are progressing along or what have you. It's the small things that count and I am thankful for each of them.
Anyway though, thank you all so much once again and if you see fit to leave a review telling me how you felt, what worked, what didn't, and/or share some ideas then I'd be more than glad to read them as it only serves to benefit the story. Oh! Also, on a final note, to those wondering if I'll be including anything from the First Hunter's DLC, I might consider it depending on where the story is by the time it's released and what it has to offer but for the most part don't expect to see too much or for me to just wait for its release because Reyven's story has already been told, this is the now. If there's any important artifacts or weapons that I feel she'd use you might see those pop up but again, it's not my first intention to include anything. Well, once again, thank you all for getting this far and I hope to see more of you all in the near or far flung future. Best of luck to all and I hope you all have the most of wonderful days.