Land of Steel REMASTERED
Disclaimer: Fate Stay/Night and Campione belong to their respective creators. I don't get any money doing this.
Notice: This entire chapter occurs before Godou becomes a Campione and consequently, before Shirou comes into picture.
Chapter 9
"So, it appears that I am not the one who can teach you the way of the sword. Yet, you still have not achieved your goal. If it's like that, then I know a person who might be of help.
That idiot got into a fight and was soundly beaten up— He must be recuperating from his injuries. This is a letter of recommendation! If you show him this, he'll know what I want him to do!"
Tuscany Region, Italy
2008
Some time ago, I, a virtually no-rank freelancer Templar, decided to go out on an exploration mission. Solo. After getting nearly killed my monsters, getting nearly killed by traps, getting nearly killed by stupidity, getting nearly killed by — Wait, since I am not bothering you with the story of the exploration, the keyword is 'nearly killed'.
Anyway, at the end of the mission, I got my hands on a glowing metal radiating magic energy.
I am not too good at forging magic. Actually, the only magic I actually excel in is blood magic and contract magic, geas.
So, after asking around a bit, I found out that a Paladin who specialized in forging magic had settled around.
After getting to the specified location, I found out that the person I was seeking was actually Saint Rafaello, a Paladin who had mastered knightly techniques combining magic and swordsmanship and also an expert at forging weapons.
She had retired and was no longer a Paladin. Luckily, she was interested in using the unknown metal in forging equipment for me.
Unluckily, she wanted to know how a virtually no-rank freelancer mage managed to survive a solo mission. Just how a virtually no-rank freelancer mage got entrusted with the key with which one of the most difficult Templar Labyrinths could be accessed by Paolo Blandelli, leader of the Copper Black Cross himself, especially interested her.
I, who normally used the name Marie Blandelli, low grade Copper Black Cross mage, was forced to out myself as Ayaka Sajyou, the Japanese heir of a family that didn't exist in the first place.
0-0-0
Saint Rafaello decided to train me for a short while. I didn't really have any reason to refuse, so I didn't.
A month later, Rafaello-san said that even though I have perfect mastery of my weapons, I haven't been able to construct a stance for grasping my blades.
I prefer to use a dual-wielding style. Shaping my blood into single-edged scmitars is something I have perfected with time.
…Yet still, even though I have a genuine Divine Artifact, I am forced to create swords with blood magic.
The Artifact I am talking about is a sheathed sword. How much ever I try, I still cannot get it to unsheathe.
It's a Sajyou family artifact. Even though it's a Divine Artifact, a majority of its power is sealed away. Even it's true name has been sealed away. But even in its weakened state, I can use it as a magic focus to use blood magic with the strength to wound a Heretic God.
Its power is sealed away by its sheath. The blade will not unsheathe unless I prove myself as the Sajyou family heir.
Of course, I have no idea how to actually do that.
Unfortunately, even the former Paladin, Saint Rafaello, couldn't help me with that venture.
…Well, she forged my armour for me and even recommended me to the infamous Campione, Salvatore Doni. She has helped me too much already.
A person who has with even greater understanding of swords than even the Knight of the Holy Grail, the King of Swords. Saint Rafaello promised me that if I apprentice myself under him, by hook or crook, he will definitely help me.
0-0-0
Well, it's been a year since I apprenticed under Salvatore Doni. The Italian Campione is a bit of an idiot, but is still a good person at heart.
…That's one hell of an understatement.
Unable to teach me a proper stance and unwilling to give up, he still has been extremely patient with me, the failure of a swordswoman who cannot even use a proper stance.
Also, he himself could not unsheathe the blade. He said that if he tried too hard, the blade will break before he unsheathes it.
Of course, since he could not teach me with orthodox methods, unorthodox methods were required.
…In essence, exploring ancient crypts whose entrances were barricaded by magic on the level of Authorities, battling Divine Beasts and hunting forbidden grimoires, tasks usually accomplished by Campione and skilled Paladins. Tasks that would usually end up with rookies getting their guts splattered in various unpleasant ways.
He said that if I want to prove my worth to a Divine Blade, the defeat of monsters beyond the ken of humans will be the most effective method.
That actually made sense.
Then, he said that he got that from an RPG.
I was forced to fight Divine Beasts, some Divine Ancestors and even encountered Heretic Gods and Campione.
Well, to my credit as a disciple and (grudgingly) Salvatore's credit as a master, I managed to get out of these perils in one piece.
Actually, while I could take care of Divine Beasts with ease due to my (painfully gained) experiences, Divine Ancestors were another matter. Their inherent divinity posed a bit of a problem for me.
Even so, I was able to carry on without much difficulty. When things got a bit too tough, Doni would cut them up with his Ripping Arm of Nuadha.
It is a popular saying that hardship builds character. If it's like that then I want to think that my character is harder than steel.
0-0-0
Anyway, three months ago, Doni decided that since a Heretic God was wrecking things up in Turin, he had to go defeat him. As the apprentice, I was supposed to follow him and learn from the battle.
When the Heretic God arrived, I was a bit awestruck and revealed myself. The Greek God of Wine embodying insanity, Dionysus took advantage of that, brainwashed me and made me fight against Doni.
When I regained consciousness, my right arm was sliced off and my left arm was broken. And that idiot Salvatore was beaming at me like a Buddha.
…It turned out that during my brainwashing, I somehow used such awesome sword skills that Doni was forced to use the Ripping Arm of Silver against me.
Even though Dionysus was defeated and his Authorities usurped, the bodies of the Divine Beast panthers commanded by him stayed around, unwilling to disappear on the defeat of their creator. Before our battle, I had placed a geas on them, stopping them from disappearing after defeat.
I started chewing out Doni for cutting me so badly. For God's sake, he vaporized my left arm. I knew that I should have been screaming in pain, but for some reason, it didn't hurt.
Doni just smiled, activated his Ripping Arm of Silver, cut a path to Tuscany and beckoned me to follow him.
It was so amazing that I stopped screaming.
0-0-0
It's been a four weeks since that ordeal. Due to being cut by an Authority, it appeared that magic wouldn't be enough to restore my human arm. Andrea Riviera, Doni's best friend, got the best Witengamot healers to recreate my arm from the Divine Beasts' flesh. Unfortunately, they took all the carcasses as payment. All that remained was a vial of panther blood.
It took a while to regain motor skills and overall comfortability with it. Even though I was completely healed in four days, it was an extremely discomfiting experience.
The phantom pain was the scariest. At least, that was how those healers said it was. Random pain in the eye, fingers, bones… anywhere except the arm.
"Yo! Ayaka—chan! Ready to start training?" Salvatore Doni's cheerful voice interrupts my depressing thoughts. I remember.
For one year, I've been through hell. My only desire was to learn a proper sword stance and convince the Divine Sword that I am the Sajyou family's true heir.
At this moment, I am the closest to achieving that wish.
"Of course." No matter what, I am going to unsheathe that blade and prove myself as the heir to the Sajyou family!
0-0-0
On the hillside bank of a small stream, a certain idiot was waiting. Wearing a casual T—shirt and short pants, one could easily mistake him for a tourist. Of course, the sword gripped in his hands ruins that effect.
Salvatore Doni looked at me with an eager expression.
"Well, it certainly took you some time to arrive. Anyway, shall we start?"
On the contrary, I am dressed in the outfit Saint Rafaello designed for me. It is completely the same as her outfit, without the scarf, because I don't think I can pull that off without getting strangled.
"Wait a sec." I put my hands on the sheathed katana. Even though I never use it except as a magic focus, my outfit has been adjusted to allow me to carry it around.
I place my arms on the hilt of the katana. Blade pointing downwards, I pour in magical energy as I pray—
"O, heritage of the noble family Sajyou,
Accept the blood of the heir and forge twin blades of the finest steel!"
On the completion of the spell, a miniscule amount of blood is drained from my body. In exchange, twin blood red scimitars are formed.
I pick up the blades and take a defensive stance. On Salvatore's recommendation, I've been using this stance until I find one suitable for me.
"Let's go."
Doni takes an offensive stance, keeping his sword in a downward arc.
At the moment, he isn't serious. If he was serious, then he would use that posture, the stanceless posture allowing him to use all his sword skills.
Wordlessly, we attack each other.
Doni attacks with a quick thrust aimed at my left shoulder. Backing up, I intercept the strike with my twin blades, and swing downwards with the blade held in my right arm, aimed at his stomach.
Backing away, Doni completely avoids my slash.
"Good. You are attacking faster, almost as if you predicted my attack. But still, no stance."
I feel strong, stronger than I ever felt before. We exchange sword techniques fruitlessly. It is almost as if I can predict his attacks.
Doni gives a smile, as if proud of my progress. "Interesting. Slowly but surely, you are definitely piecing together a stance! Let me accelerate your progress!"
0-0-0
Doni assumes his true sword stance. Even though it can be appears stanceless, but precisely because of that it was open to infinite changes.
And then he chants the sacred words—
"O priestesses of Bacchus, be drunk with wine of gods!"
The Authority usurped from Dionysus which causes magical energy to go berserk. The spellwords evoke nostalgia within my mind, unchaining lost memories—
Even though I know that it will cause things to go worse, I accidentally activate my magic. My blood burns. Dionysus' curse combines with the inherent divinity of my new left arm, created from Dionysus' Sacred Beast, the panther.
Oh great, just what I needed. An unanticipated Divine Possession.
A skill used by mainly Eastern Mages, allowing the body to channel divine power of a God. A Hime-Miko can, after much training, repress the will of the God and use the power for her own.
This isn't like that. Due to Doni's stupidity, he somehow made Dionysus possess me! Again!
My body will give up after 10 minutes. Then, Dionysus will possess me, Doni will fight me and my arm will get sliced again.
Doni is cautiously watching me. He hasn't activated the Ripping Arm of Silver yet.
"Ayaka! Fight it!" Those words somehow give me confidence. I regain myself. My eyes return to the sheathed katana laying on the ground a few meters away from me.
I inch towards it. Dionysus opposes me, knowing that the blade will be his doom. Closer and closer, I keep moving forward.
Finally, I grip the blade. Summoning my determination, I remove the blade from it's sheathe. It is surprisingly easy, as if the blade is mocking my two year long efforts to unsheathe it.
Holding it unsteadily, I point the naked blade toward my chest. The fluctuating magic energy, while making the blade glow destroys my blouse.
I stab the blade into my chest, between my breasts. It doesn't hurt at all. I pull it down to my navel, marking a glowing downward vertical line on my chest.
The katana disappears as something is marked on my chest.
As the spirit of Dionysus is expelled from my body, my body faints due to exhaustion. But even while losing my consciousness, being a geas using mage, I was able to detect a contract being formed.
0-0-0
"Yoo hoo! Hey, Ayaka-chan, wake up!" Doni is screaming, trying to wake me up. Using Japanese suffixes even while not using Japanese, how distasteful.
I struggle my way to the world of consciousness. Standing up, I ask the knight I am apprenticed to…
"How long was I out, Doni?" I ask without the respect that an apprentice should show to his master.
"Five minutes at most, Ayaka-chan." That's good. I was afraid I'd fall into a two—week coma like before.
"—Just call me Ayaka, please. Do you have to add the chan?" I plead him to stop butchering my mother tongue.
"It's so fun I just can't stop!" Just as always, my objections are overruled.
"Now, would you like to stop this and try again tomorrow?" He asks me with a somewhat concerned face.
"No way. I need to show you the stance I've created!" No way. The unexpected divine possession somehow unsealed my memories of my battle with Doni. I can finally show Doni that I wasn't a useless apprentice!
"Great. You are acting cheerful, just like when you first started." Yeah, when I was blissfully unaware of the horrors I was gonna experience.
"Just fix your shirt. I can see your breasts." I didn't even pay attention to that!
Embarrassed, I look at my chest. A sword shaped seal is branded on my chest. It appears to be created from my blood.
"Hey, Doni, what happened to my katana?" I cautiously ask him.
"The sword you couldn't draw? I disappeared after you cut yourself with it." Just as I feared—
Filled with curiosity, I start producing my magic and direct it to the seal—
"Come on, already! Are you going to take all day?" Doni's annoyed voice breaks me out of my fascination. I'll experiment with the seal later.
For now, I'll just fix my clothes and fight Doni.
0-0-0
I am facing Doni with both of my blades drawn. Both our stances are identical.
Doni is using the stance he uses to fight Gods. Appearing stanceless, but open to infinite changes.
Just like before, Doni attacks me with a quick thrust aimed at my left shoulder.
Anticipating it, I deflect it with my left blade and counter with my right blade. My thrust hits only air; Doni has backed away.
"Tricky." In one single move, he figured it out. Well, less would not be expected from the one who calls himself the King of Swords.
If Doni's stance is one that allows him to initiate all his techniques, my stance is specifically designed to counter all his techniques and attack when he is vulnerable.
To allow that, I insert openings into my stance which make it worth attacking. Openings worth capitalizing on.
Neck, heart, arm, stomach, thighs…
This is risky as hell but worth using. Having figured out my stance, he must have figured its weaknesses. But no, he is playing along with me for now.
Countless moves have been exchanged. Not being as good as him, I am tiring out.
If I slow up, I'll get hit and lose. This suicidal sword style is cannot match Doni's transcended sword style.
The gap between our skills is wider than the divide between Heaven and Earth.
This is the final turn.
Deflecting Doni's thrust at my chest, I use my other arm to attack. Just as before, he backs away.
Taking the initiative, I attack with my left blade. Just as I prepare to swing my right hand—
With contemptuous ease, Doni has already disarmed me with a single armed thrust.
Before I can react, the tip of his sword has already tapped at my neck.
"You lose."
0-0-0
I feel a bit of regret after my defeat. Even though it was inevitable, for a moment, I thought that I had an actual shot at victory.
"Not too bad. Well, there are still some kinks in your stance, but we'll iron them out. It will take about a week."
At the moment, we are talking in a café. To celebrate my achievement, Doni decided to treat me to a coffee in the nearby village, Siena.
"Well, now that you finally have a stance, we'll need to get you a sword. Even though a perfect swordsman should be able to use a twig with the same amount of skill as the legendary Excalibur, you aren't the perfect swordsman."
While casually mocking me, Doni throws a key at me.
I catch it. The dragon shaped decorations on the key makes it look like it's rather valuable. "What's this?"
"The Chinese Campione has entrusted her subordinate cult with the job of safeguarding her armory. Go there, infiltrate and have a look around. When you find a decent weapon, take it and come back." Just as always, I'll have to ask Riviera-san for the full details.
"And I suppose I am provided diplomatic immunity?"
"Yeah, if you are caught, scream the youngest Campione is challenging their King!"
"And if they try to execute me?"
"I'll cut through space-time to rescue you!"
Confident as always. I can even refute his statement; for some reason I am actually convinced that this guy will do the impossible to save my ass.
I give a huge sigh. After finally achieving a sword-stance and figuring out the mystery of the katana (it has been replaced with the mystery of the seal), he wants me to attack the Chinese Campione's territory?!
"Yes sensei." I answer in Japanese.
Of course. Being an apprentice, I have to answer my master's demands to improve myself.
Even though my future is going to contain even more near-death events, I calmly sip the mocha coffee. More than a year ago, I apprenticed under this guy to achieve something.
Now, that the lofty goal has been finally accomplished, I can finally move forward to greater challenges.
Like figuring out the mystery of the sword seal, for example.
0-0-0—0—0
So, this chapter has finally been written. It was huuuuge. No, really.
Also, the quality was down by a margin. Also, you might have noticed that I didn't really focus on Ayaka's abilities. That's intentional, because I haven't really written them out.
She can't do something like reverse blood flow for a quick kill. That would be way too broken.
Also, she is basically Fem!Shirou, so she can't use geas contracts like Lelouch.
But she isn't weak either, because she has trained under Salvatore. Aah… what do I do? Such a hard to define character…
Fate fans must have recognized what Ayaka is going to steal from Luo Hao's vaults.
Ayaka's sword seal is some kind of Divine Artifact… Also, her arm is composed of Dionysus flesh… That could be promising…
Well, this AN ends on an inconclusive note. Bye.