Fate/The Broken Thrones
Chapter 4: "Your a circuit... I'm a switch."
Authors Note:
So it comes to my attention that I probably should have addressed a few facts last chapter.
Basically, the character Cosmas is a EMIYA fan boy. He can actually project much like his idol...but he is far inferior in comparison, however he's good enough to fight well with his various magecraft.
The Archer summoned is not EMIYA. EMIYA will not be in here at all... in this route? Hahaha... you'll see. I need to place my ideas on the board so...
Also the reason why I'm updating today is because, quite frankly I won't have the time tomorrow.
But Tuesday and Saturday should be the norm. Please, please review. I know your people are there! The traffic page does not lie! Hehehe... anyway enjoy this chapter... despite it being but a short update.
"Should not a noble lady such as yourself give your name to another noble? I didn't catch it the first time. Would you mind?"
"Ilseviel Von Einzbern... why are you here Lancer's master..." The girl gripped the rests of her wheelchair with all her might. If this man wanted he could kill her in an instant.
Rider couldn't protect her and... she looked up to the woman taking care of her.
"Adelaide..." Couldn't possibly protect her against a servant, even if she was as strong as they claimed. Akasha yawned.
"Name's Akasha Tohsaka. This here is Lancer who you met a while ago. Wanna show me around the city? I'm really interested in seeing what the world is like."
He gave a slight grin and his eyes began to beam.
"Tohsaka? I swear that the Tohsaka's only have a single daughter. Also... why would I want to accompany you? What would I gain from it?"
"Well, I exist. That's all there is too it. As for what you would gain... nothing. Isn't it normal for the establishment of friendship to be done without any hidden agenda's or aims? Otherwise it would not be friendship."
Ilse blinked a few times. Adelaide also for but the smallest moment seemed to have been caught off guard before quickly regaining her composure.
"Your a circuit... I'm a switch. We are both tools of the family who have created this... as others have called, accursed war. I think one of Lancer's predecessors made a rather, expressive curse."
Ilse flinched. Then she realised what he meant, she had forgotten the Tohsaka's had used a boy to open Akasha... "Wait! You mean that I'm nothing more then some sort of magic circuit board and your the switch that turns me on!...That's so stupid! And... and just wrong!"
Akasha broke into thunderous laughter. "Well... if that's the way you want to see it... I knew nothing about what, two days ago? And... if I'm correct you've only recently been allowed outside. We both have only heard but never felt the weight of the this world. So I'm asking you to taste it with me."
Lancer sighed. His master... seemed very troublesome at times like these.
It somewhat reminded him of that magicians experimental mishaps. There was a war going on... yet Lancer couldn't refuse his Master's orders.
Ilse just stayed in the middle of the pavement with people occasionally staring at them as they continued on their merry ways.
She really didn't know what she should think. Strategically it perhaps would garner his trust and currently Rider couldn't fight, so having someone take pity on her would be good.
She then thought. "Pity... I think I'm pitiful?" She started to get frustrated. The Tohsaka boy was... infuriating. His personality seemed, wishy washy at best. It's like he's appealing yet also easy to dislike. She really couldn't tell. Her brain was running the thoughts around in circles.
Thankfully someone spoke at that moment.
"We graciously accept! However, on condition we merely ask for a small price. We wish to know Lancer's identity! Could you give us that? I am Adelaide Reuter by the way! It is a pleasure to meet such a noble magus and knight in this day and age!"
Lancer looked at Adelaide... she had done a complete one eighty, he believed was the modern term.
What annoyed him more, was that she knew. He could tell. She knew. She asked for his identity for no reason at all!
"You very well know who I am... that look in your eyes, it screams. I know it all!"
Lancer had a small outburst, but the woman only responded with a deep courtesy and a brilliant beautiful smile, like a doll.
Akasha looked slightly worried.
"So it is you. That great power... and your Luck at EX is a testament to your being... it is why you will not draw your blades against Rider. I am slightly concerned by your lack of using your left sword, since it is uncursed. Regardless my dear knight, Sir Balin. It is a pleasure to meet you in... the flesh would be the best way of saying this, right?"
Akasha and Ilse made a look of shock, then sudden understanding. Then a greater darker realisation dawned upon them.
"Your Sir Balin!... Crap. I forgive you, you pretty much can't use your Noble Phantasms unless you want to wipe out the country! I should have realised earlier..."
Akasha for once was fairly shocked. Ilse liked the fact the Tohsaka boy had lost his happy composure. Then she remembered why she was shocked. "...Thank goodness that we stopped the fight last time!...If those collided, I'd dread to think of the results, a miniature second Age of the God's could begin all over Japan!...Though that does sound entertaining..."
Ilse then felt a sudden urge. She did want to accept the boys invitation. She just didn't know why...
Her mind began to fill with rather entertaining things... mostly what could be described as an enjoyable loving sincere torture, while the rest was to hand out with him today.
"We accept...uh... except I know nothing really. Adelaide is the only one with any idea. I just get pushed by her and Rider anyway."
Adelaide was keeping up her respectable noble act. Ilse had rarely seen this herself... other then the rather disturbing moment where Adelaide had licked Rider She remembered Rider yelling "What your doing is not allowed by the Lord! Get off me you she-devil!" Or something like that.
Ilse's imagination usually exaggerated things, she was fairly right this time however, bar the exact words that were used.
"Well, Sir Balin. Dear Master Tohsaka. Please, follow me. We should arrive at an acceptable venue for a leisurely activity. Please."
She stretched out her fine silky arm to the right. Lancer went behind her. Keeping watch.
/
"Swimming? An odd choice considering Ilse is paralysed. Well not actually paralysed. More of... too heavy with magic circuits to moved beyond some of her arm and her neck."
What he saw and felt next was nothing short of ridiculous. Perhaps sadistic.
For some reason Ilse was wearing one of those swimming uniforms for little children... then push.
Splash. The paralysed girl who never even tried to swim in her life was under the water screaming, yet nothing but a large frustrated gurgling sound could be heard and the thrashing of little white hands. Then another splash. Akasha realised that he had fallen into the water.
He too had no idea how to swim... or had any real reference. The pool was empty but the four of them, for some reason.
"Y-you! You intend to drown my Master and yours!" Lancer almost drew his swords before resorting to quickly taking the Tohsaka fighting stance. "Explain yourself!"
"Oh, I just thought that the two of them could benefit from this! Nothing makes buddies better then life threatening situations, no?..Oh well considering your history, you probably don't agree with that. Anyway, their not in any danger at all!"
Lancer's stance broke. "...Are you stupid! Even if you mean that truthfully from your heart... this isn't exactly the right context nor... urgh. And what do you mean they aren't in any danger!"
Akasha gurgled water. He hated the chlorine going down his throat and lungs. Yuck.
Then he realised. This was stupid. He can't drown. The water began to part around him and the white haired girl who almost drowned, now on the pool floor coughing out the water.
"... I just realised. Why don't you use magecraft to float mid air or something?"
They was an eerily silence from the girl. "Are you alive milady?" Yelled a rather happy Adelaide as a confounded Lancer stared at the scene.
The girl then screamed in a high ear piercing voice. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh! How did I never think of that before! I can still feel I can just move my body with magecraft! It wouldn't exactly be the same but..." She stared at Akasha, her limbs began to float a little and touch the ground's surface, pushing with some sort of unseen force, that cracked the pool floor.
She jumped and tackled Akasha. "Thank you so much!"
Her hands... float moved into his hair. "Ah it's so soft and... cuddly!"
Akasha raised an eyebrow. "Cuddly? My hair's cuddly? What an interesting... ack!"
A shoot of pain occurred throughout his body.
Ilse wasn't watching her strength, it felt like a rather rough bear hug.
/
It had token some healing magic to recover the damage. His body still ached a tad.
They were in a Chinese restaurant now. It was famous for its Mapo Tofu.
The story was that it was so good the eaters after taking a single bit ran out of the place and started screaming about the tofu and a rush of people would then go into to taste it if it was that good.
Akasha, Lancer and Ilse... learnt the truth, the good old hard way.
The restaurant itself was rather large with all the male and female attendants dressed in stereotypical Chinese martial art clothing. Not just the clothing but the hairstyles, the mannerisms and actions. They always added "Aru" to the end of their sentences, what was weirder was their vast enjoyment of it. They had all ordered the Mapo Tofu. It looked magnificent, a great mix of red and white to great a very satisfying looking dish. They all took a bite at the same time.
Ilse. Lancer. Akasha. They ran. They screamed. They all felt as if their very souls were burning in the fieriest darkest most wretched pit of hell!
They could but yell one word at the top of their voices. "Mapo Tofu!"
A bunch of befuddled passers-by shrugged and then walked in and saw Adelaide stuffing herself with the tofu at an extremely almost blinding rate, you had to focus extremely hard to catch up with the movement of her fingers.
And thus the fake legend continued.
/
"...It was fun." Ilse had stopped outside Matou Riders. Lancer looked rather infuriated.
Akasha smiled slightly. The pain of the super hot tofu wasn't gone just yet.
The girl floated in a way that it simply looked like she was walking. Adelaide courtesied again, turned and they left, whistling a cheery tune.
"That woman. She has problems. She first looked like she would murder us in an instant. Then became... psychotically joyful. What a strange woman... and Master, try not to associate with other Master's too much. I was on guard almost the whole time. Refrain from these foolish impulses."
Akasha sighed and stretched his hands.
"Lancer... it's fine. Really. I can take care of myself... for the most part and for the rest. I have you, man. You realise that your my only friend so far. So I wanted to try to make another. Maybe my whims are stupid but I would never betray the desires in my heart."
Lancer rolled his eyes. The comment was tiresome and yet stung him in a way.
They went to the top of the buildings roof and Akasha went to sleep.
Lancer stood watch over his Master and the city. Then he felt it.
A horrible, calming and once familiar feeling. The feeling of sleep.
"Why...?" Before his metal covered body fell to the ground. The rattle of his armour glided across the night skies peaceful air.
/
I'm in a field. In my hands this accursed beautiful blade. Engraving of the fairy folk upon the blade and a golden and blue hilt. Beautiful. Beautiful. By my feet a young Irish man dressed in full armour. Dead. Dead. Slain by my own hand. Sent by my once loved King. No, I still loved him even then. Even throughout all my life. I loved him.
The hazy red cloud and skies above... parted away from me. As if I was some sort of vile sin that not even the heavens wished to grace their shade on this bloody noon.
The young man's blood dripped off the blade. My ash flame like figure... stood triumphant and full of pride. That was how I was back then. The modern term is... jumping the gun, I believe.
The taste of metal and blood was still fresh in my mouth. The impacts had been drilled into my body. The lust for battle was still in me. At the time I had thought nothing of fate... I ignored any warning and fought and did whatever was most "just" and "right".
The air was growing ever hotter as a small hot gust of air drove past my hair in this once beautiful field. I had taken the life of another young man, then I was happy.
Now I lament the action with every fibre of my very being... or the thoughts of my conscious perhaps?...This event was another deep moment in the downward spiral that was my life.
Here she comes. The horrid tragedy repeats itself. Night after Night. When I had doomed the land I began to regret all the horrors I had done. This was one of them. One of the worst of them too.
My body was shivering that he had came from the King. I felt... so lost. So forsaken.
This was certainly not the start... but I had survived every ordeal in the name of justice and my great beautiful King. It felt like I had been betrayed.
Here she comes. Here she comes. God, if you can grant me any wish let me be rid of this horrible dream... no give me the chance to correct my faults! England should not have suffered for my false holy wrath! Lord, can you here me please!
Here she comes.
Her face was white, young, with a few tiny freckles. Her hair was a deep beautiful red. Her lips were pure looking and graceful. Her dress was a majestic green. She dropped to her knees and began to cradle her lover's dead figure. She looked up at me.
Hatred and sorrow was all I could see... then she drew his blade, before I could even think I saw it buried within her flesh!
Her blood further tainted the fields. It was bad enough I had killed someone so promising and young, but to cause the death of his lover too? To end two lives protecting one?
That... wasn't what a knight did! A knight... a hero of the people sacrificed himself for the futures... the sakes, the dreams and ideals of others!
That's, virtue right. That's virtue right! That... is this really virtue?If that's what it takes to be a perfect knight then... could I not be a simple man? Please... Lord tell me what I did wrong!
I remember. Ever since I questioned this in my mind...the weight of the accursed holy blade doubled... not tripled, not even that it felt as if a very broken... a very twisted world was in my very bloody, unworthy hands.
I had never questioned a single action I had ever done till then! Oh, blissful ignorance!
I screamed. I yelled. I cursed with all my might. Darkness wrapped around my soul... doubt ate away at my mind... and my blades were filled with sin and a horrid prophecy...
...What! The corpse of this woman... it's beginning to stand!
She's drawing... the blade from her body! Her eyes... they've turned pitch black!
A horrendous blood lust is seeping from her every pour! She's making a horrid murderous demonic smile... my body won't move! Sin... sin...sin!
"Balin... this is for every damned soul of Britain!" She yelled in a high pitch inhuman voice!
I...can't think...the field is turning as red as the blood spilt on the most monstrous battlefields!
She charged. She cackled like a mad witch. But not at me.
I turned to where she went when she had glided past me...
Master! Master Akasha... is in my dream?
End of Chapter 4