Chapter 9: Three-ways Meeting
Authors' notes: And another chapter done. Thanks again to everyone who follow this little story of mine.
The large trees of the forest edge welcomed Saber and his Master once again with their towering height. Tokiomi's body was in a much better shape thanks to the good night sleep and rich food he had been given in the home of Tyr, enough that he felt comfortable to exercise his magic circuit in preparation for the upcoming encounter. While his jeweled cane and the years of magical energy stored inside has been absent since his awakening, he still was a competent magus and could lend his support to Saber should the need arise. Not that he expected a battle for now: the encounter with Archer was supposed to be strictly courtesy, the possibility of making an alliance. To fight so close to her territory would be a terrible mistake, especially since Saber had no tool to trap her in place and prevent her to move or call to help. Few demons have had the temerity to approach them, even though most of them had thrown curious gazes in his direction. Saber spoke to those and coaxed them out of information, once again proving his way with words was both insane and much more effective than it should have any right to be.
As for the news themselves… they were more concerning than he would have admitted aloud. A human accompanied with a powerful demon had been slaughtering demons and destroying their Domains one by one in another part of the city. Tokiomi knew it was another Master and suspected his goal: to feed their Servant the mana they could not provide themselves. Had this been the original war, such disrespect of the secrecy of the Gail War would have caused him to press Risei and enact a hunt with the rest of the participants, but it was meaningless in this ruined Tokyo. What was worrying was the blatant disregard for precaution such actions were showing. While most demons were lower phantasmals unable to rival a Servant, Tokiomi's encounter with the Divine Spirits Maya and Tyr clearly demonstrated they were not at the top of the power pyramid. Either this Master was incapable of controlling his Servant, too desperate to hide, or the worst-case scenario, their Servant was strong enough that they did not care.
The other worrying new was a sudden and massive spike of activity from the angels. Instead of keeping guard of their bastions like they did for decades, they had suddenly started to move in great numbers around the church. While the magus had the reassurance the angels would not interfere with the Holy Grail War, to be caught in the crossfire of their conflicts with the demons would be highly dangerous and counterproductive. If Archer was to offer a valuable enough alliance, her ability to watch over long distances would be a valuable asset to spot the places of conflicts and avoid them. That is, if she was amenable to work with. Despite Saber reassurance on the matter and the Archer class ability to act independently, if the opposing Master was set on the warpath there would be few actions to take except retreat. Saber's Charisma could help in the matter, though his Servant told him already his ability to… do what he called "negotiating" worked mostly against demons. When they reached the spot where the obnoxious demon had been defeated, Tokiomi had all his plans ready for however the conversation would turn.
"Soo, you've come."
A silhouette detached itself from the deeper part of the forest. An elegant blond woman in red jacket, several firearms hanging from her belt and back. Tokiomi easily recognized Archer from the description Saber and his circuit advisor made, before he used his vision as Master to confirm her class and abilities. Predictably, her stats were lower than those of Saber with the exception of her Luck reaching an outstanding A+.
"Hello, Flynn. Sorry for not bringing my Master here, but I cannot risk having her hurt. Don't worry, I don't intend to bring your Master harm either."
"It's okay, Nozomi. I'm glad to see you."
"Me too. Sorry for Napaea, she always gets too excited for her own good… So, how about we go down to business?" Said Archer, looking at Tokiomi in the eyes.
"Greeting, Archer. I am the Master of Saber, Tohsaka Tokiomi." The magus bowed slightly with politeness. "Would your Master be amenable to discuss a potential alliance?"
"Maybe. I'd like to be on the side of Flynn for sure, but I'm not so sure about you. What's your goal in this war?"
"To reach the Swirl of the Root, of course, as all magi thrive for. Is it not the motivation of your own Master, Archer?"
"Not really. I'm sure Nappaea told you I can't leave the forest for now, and neither will I leave my Master defenseless until I'm confident she is safe. Understanding what's going on with this war would be our most pressing worry at the moment."
"I see. Very well, as a sign of goodwill I shall explain the situation to you." Said Tokiomi, considering the information a meager weight in the negotiation. But soon after finishing to explain what he had learnt at the Church, he found the blonde frowning with suspicion.
"This is all too convenient. There have been no humans anywhere in Japan for almost a century and this priest simply reappears? Just in time for this supposed grail war?"
"I understand your suspicions, Archer. However, the Church is a neutral entity in this war. The angels themselves are participating in the accomplishment of the ritual as watchers. Surely their intervention justifies the survival of a pious man."
"I have had enough experience with angels and their lord, and they are rarely acting out of the best interest of anyone but themselves. The war itself is suspicious, especially if they are involved."
"Come now." Said Tokiomi, finding his patience being tested as inexplicably intense irritation pointed through his emotions. "Without the Grail, your manifestation would not have happened, your Master would not be here. Is it not the proof the ritual is happening as we speak?"
"In case you did not realize, it's been a long time since materializing a soul has lost its status as True Magic by your standard, and there are being powerful enough to accomplish such feats here without the grail. This whole affair is far too suspicious to blindly trust the words of that so-called priest or that the grail is truly present."
Tokiomi was starting to think the Servant in front of him was playing a game on him. Testing his resolve? Preparing an ambush and riling him up to lower his guard? Trick him into entering in conflict with the Church? Maybe trying to form an alliance with it was a mistake. The circumstances may be different, but he was still going to fight and win the Holy Grail War, and if this Archer was trying to make him stumble in such a blatant…
"Master, please calm down. Nozomi has no ill intent, you can be certain of that."
The voice of Saber dispersed the magus' thoughts and focused his attention again. His posture as rigid and straight as always, Tokiomi broke the starring with Archer to look at his Servant, who was now addressing Archer.
"We can investigate another time. The other Masters will come for us regardless. It would be better to focus on why we came here for."
Archer visibly relaxed at the words of her old acquaintance, her frown turning into a more amenable expression.
"You're right. Sorry for dumping my and my Master's worries on you, Tohsaka."
"Your apology is accepted." Graciously said Tokiomi, reminding himself the benefits an alliance will bring. "Tell your Master I would be honored to meet and help them appreciate the situation."
"Duly noted. We can't the offer now, but…"
Archer's expression became stern. In a blink the shotgun on her back was in her hand and cocked menacingly.
"Whoever you are, come out. You can't hide from me here."
Tokiomi registered the weapon wasn't pointed toward him just as Saber had taken position at his side, his katana guarding him from the same direction, leaving his back exposed to Archer. But his attention was soon attracted by the silhouette detaching from the trees, soon arriving in clear view. A hooded figure of humanoid size strolling quietly, lowering his hood to reveal a human visage. An adolescent, almost a boy, with blue hairs and eyes and a relaxed attitude, his hands in his pockets.
"Good morning everyone, I'm Caster. Sorry to interrupt you, I just heard your voices and came in to check."
The magus almost believed him to be a Master at first. He looked incredibly ordinary and had no presence to speak off, barely feeling like a Servant. A quick look at its stats confirmed them to be very well within the scope Tokiomi expected for a Caster, pitiful in all regards save for Mana, which was still at an oddly low C.
"It's nice to meet you, Flynn, Nozomi, Master of Saber. Can I get in the truce as well? I just came to talk with the Fairy Queen."
Archer looked at Tokiomi, who pondered for an instant. The low parameters of Caster made him an unlikely menace, but he could very well hide a powerful Noble Phantasm. But with two Servants against him, there were little chance for him to do anything. And it may be an opportunity to either eliminate him afterward, gain information or add him into a greater alliance.
"Very well. Since we are already in good circumstances, I agree to a truce for the duration of this conversation." Said the magus. Archer nodded and put her rifle aside, while Saber lowered but did not sheath his blade.
"Thank you. Should I wait for you to finish?" Said Caster politely, bowing a little.
"I don't think it's necessary. What do you want from the Fairy Queen, Caster?" Asked the woman, still on her guard.
"I'd like to form an alliance with the Fairies. And by extension with you, the Fairy Queen."
"By extension, really."
"I didn't mean to say you were unimportant. But I wish most of all is the support of fairykind against the angels. Your assistance in the Grail War would be nice, but it's not something I think will happen for now." Caster spared a glance at Saber and Tokiomi. "So, what do you say?"
"I say no. Why are you seeking conflict with the angels? As far as I'm aware, they aren't intervening in the grail war."
"That's true for now. I've learned they have been looking to start another little crusade on Tokyo and its inhabitants. The Devil's Auction, whom I made deal with, has serious suspicions they are looking to launch a total war this time around, and in that case, they will target anyone having dealt with demons, neutrality or not. I have my own reasons to oppose them, and I thought making this alliance was the best course of action."
"Sorry, but I still refuse. If the angels come, then I will fight them as the Fairy Queen, but I won't let myself or the fairies be roped into that war if I can avoid it."
"Well, I tried." Sighed Caster. "Can I just ask a favor then? I'm looking for a friend. A Black Frost called Frosty. If he is in your forest, can you tell him I'm here?"
"I… don't see why not. But I'm going to need a bit more details. Frosty is a popular nickname among the Frost."
"You will recognize him easily. He will tell you he fights in the name of love and justice."
Both Saber and Archer looked at Caster with surprise, as if the Servant had announced it would rain rabbits and leprechauns.
"You're joking."
"I'm not. He also really likes magical girls." Said Caster with a grin.
"I'm going to hold you on to that." Said Archer with disbelief and amusement in equal parts, before turning to Tokiomi and once again take on her business attitude. "Sorry, I must leave now. I'll speak about our meeting with my Master and contact you afterward, alright?"
"I believe it acceptable. Farewell, Archer." Said Tokiomi.
The blonde reciprocated the goodbye before leaving in her spirit form. Saber's sword was still low, but ready to be brought up at any indication of hostility. Sign that Caster didn't seem to be pressed to give, still as strangely relaxed as before.
"Before we call this truce off, can I ask something?"
"I am willing to listen." Acquiesced Tokiomi, unnerved by the casual attitude of that Caster yet showing nothing but the elegant and calm befitting of a magus. If Caster wanted a fight, he had to have some ace up his sleeve.
"What do you remember of ț̷̨̨̨̢̞̯̳̞̫̳̜̖̹͗̎͑́̐̑͜ḧ̸̲͍̰̦̬̖͕́͂ͅͅe̵̩͉̭̞̖̊ ̵̡̻̤̘̘̆̐̏̇͛̽̍p̸̹̿̍̅̓͂̈́̔̈́́͜͝͠r̸̡̠̱̰͍̳̈͊e̴͇͆̄̍̓v̵̢̡͚̲͒̉ȉ̴͍̝͔͚̩̲̪̤͕͑͋͌͋̆̄͗̆̚͠ŏ̸̧͔̣̞̘̮̥̰̮̤̯͚̯ų̶͚͈͍͚̥̱͍͕̝̜̦͋͛̌́́͑͌̈́̔̊͜͝ͅś̴̢̨͉̮̫̟͇̍̂͗́͊̒̈̚̕͜ ̸̲̹̻͗͒̎̅̄́̂̈́̑͆̿̓̿͝G̵̲̟͔̲̭̭͔̲̣̻͖͖͋̆͜͝͝r̴̠̅͑̀̆̎̕̕͠a̶̝̞̱̣̟̟̰̦̘͎͂͊̀̋̑̓̑i̷͚̹̱̝̝̻̤̿̈́͛̂̀ͅl̷̛̜̜͓̣̣̉̓͆̉͂̇ ̷̨̛̣̻̘͉͓̭̠̟̬͙͕̰̲́͗͗̑̎̌̾̎͑̊̚͝W̶̜̭͉̻͙͈͇͉͔̦͚̪̙͂̌̆́́̍͠à̶̡̢̪̤̬̯͓̳͙̣͓̤͚̳͆̃͐̑r̸̨̡̠͙̠̥̫̲̞̦̘̋̽̏̈́̓̋̆̐͘̚?"
Pain. A flash of pain tore through Tokiomi's head. No words, no thoughts. Blinding pain, searing pain through his head and back, a wildfire burning nerves and mind…
Tokiomi blinked. What just happened? The Servants had started their fighting. Caster used elemental spells almost identical to those Saber had demonstrated, although apparently much weaker. They flew with accuracy at Saber but the Servant's Magic Resistance nullified them, and he quickly reached the blue-haired boy and in a single stroke… the sword stopped abruptly on Caster's neck. A blunt sound signaled the punch Caster managed to land on the samurai, destabilizing him but not long enough and the next hit was blocked easily before Flynn stroke, again aiming for Caster's midsection, yet the hit didn't even dent his coat.
"Master Flynn, physical and Gun attacks are useless." Came in the voice of the mechanical ghost.
Saber jumped back and made a gesture. A pillar of ice erupted under his foe without effect, the ice breaking at Caster's contact. The enemy Servant dusted his coat before dashing forward and Tokiomi saw with incredulity Saber unleash a barrage of weaker spells identical to those Caster had previously used, each of them differing and each failing to damage the boy. The magus focused attentively. There was something different between the way Caster and Saber nullified those attacks.
"Elemental attacks are useless." Constated the ghost in circuit, once again citing the obvious.
When Caster reached close quarter, where the Heroic Spirit of the sword demonstrated a total domination in both speed and strength, yet none of his assault seemed to be able to hurt the enemy servant. Tokiomi was growing more unnerved, realizing exactly the difference. Saber's Magic Resistance cancelled the spell as soon as it entered in contact with him, but Caster was taking them directly and purely and simply unaffected. It wasn't Magic Resistance, but some sort of supernatural protection. A Noble Phantasm most probably, and the likely reason why the Servant had approached them so confidently. Saber retreated once again, and Tokiomi realized his Servant was now just before him. Caster had done nothing but gain terrain from the start of the fight. The magus readied himself…
"Megido."
A violet orb was propelled from Saber's left hand above right after he muttered the spell, the unstable mass of energy flying above Caster before exploding. Nearby trees crashed down and splintered, the ground caved and fractured. Yet as the blinding flash dissipated, the boy was once again unharmed, a smirk on his lips.
"Incredible. Almighty has no effect as well. Master Flynn, I suggest a retreat."
"Agreed. Hold on tight, Master."
Before Tokiomi could say anything, the samurai grabbed him in bridal carry and ran. Everything became blurry as the Servant moved at such speed the magus could barely make for the road and buildings as they instantly left the forest, zigzagging all around the place. Only a general use of reinforcement on his body prevented Tokiomi from feeling dizzy when Saber finally put him down and allowed him to recognize the general area surrounding the Domain of Tyr.
"Are you alright, Master?"
"I am fine, thank you Saber." Said Tokiomi, dusting his shirt of the few leaves and the dirt that had fallen on him. "While he appears weak, Caster's apparent invincibility is troublesome. Do you perhaps know him?"
"While he appears to recognize us, he is not someone we have encountered before. Scanning results are inconclusive. I cannot identify the enemy's identity or attributes, Master Tohsaka, and no form of attack seems able to affect him. Master Flynn's Noble Phantasm might be required to deal with Caster." Voiced the gauntlet artificial being, with a tone that resembled dejection.
"I see." He said stroking his goatee. Considering Saber's Noble Phantasm was so powerful its potency could not be properly measured… "Are you certain you may not be overestimating our foe?"
"He was unaffected by an Almighty spell. No foe I faced in the past had that kind of power." Said the samurai with finality.
The violet orb. Tokiomi remembered it, something different from all the offensive he had seen before not in its effect, but in its nature itself. The spell itself had been simple, almost strangely so, yet it contained an incredible amount of power for such a quick casting. Almighty, as in a different norm of power than ordinary. It couldn't be any of the Five Great Elements… True Ether. Pure Magical Energy from the Age of Gods. It was the most likely possibility he could think of.
"Would it have affected you despite your Magic Resistance?"
"Yes." Replied Saber with finality.
Tokiomi mused for a moment over this information. He was most certainly a worrying one. Their opponent had not been simply resistant, as Saber noticed: not a single scratch had even appeared on his clothing. There must be a weakness of sort, the magus was convinced. Even the most fabled heroes and monsters all fell to a crack in their supposed invincibility: the legendary Siegried or the Nemean Lion alike were defeated after all despite being apparently impossible to wound...
Unbeknownst to the duelists, Nozomi had observed the fight from the cover of the forest. While part of her yearned to help Flynn, she reasoned he was the last person in the world to need help against a single opponent like Caster… yet as soon as the fighting truly began, she witnessed the blue-haired boy be completely unharmed by any of the attacks of her friend. She almost pulled up her rifle but seeing even an Almighty spell fail utterly to damage the boy, Flynn retreat and Caster leaving, she decided to return to the enchanted lake at the heart of the Fairy Forest.
"That's not fair, ho! You chea-he-ted, ho!"
Materializing near the border of the clearing, Nozomu smiled at the complaint of the Jack Frost playing with her Master. Before the small girl was a snowman decorated with mushroom as hair, foliage as clothes, branches as arms and may details made of different elements of the forest. By comparison, the much bigger snowman before the Jack Frost was almost naked.
"You never said anything against familiars. And you used magecraft too, so my victory is absolute!" Proudly declared Illyasviel, four birds apparently made of her hair and magic flying around and carrying chestnuts they dropped at her feet before she added them as buttons to the "mantle" of her work. The small girl was unable to run or even walk for long distances, her body unable to sustain the physical effort. Without those familiars, she would have had no way to gather all those elements for her snowman.
"She's right! And she did much better than you!" Argued a Hua Po, her rainbow wings fluttering with delight.
"It's so cool! I want to meet someone like that!" Approved a Nappaea hovering around the snowman.
"And you can eat it too! It looks delicious!" Doubled-down a Goblin, staring at the chestnuts with envy.
"Don't worry little guy. You'll do better next time." Said Nozomi to the dejected Jack Frost as she entered the clearing.
"Reall-he? You're right, ho! I'll he-mprove and win next time, ho!" The Jack Frost jumped joyfully before running off in the forest, followed by the rest of the small fairies.
"Hello again, Archer. How did it go?" Asked Illyasviel, her familiars disappearing as they became strands of hair again.
"Not too bad. Flynn is still the same as ever. Sadly, his Master is a self-righteous man to the core. He completely ignored my warnings and without Flynn, I think he would have broken negotiation here and there. Fortunately it didn't come to that. Now I think he will accept to ally with us."
"Hum hum. Perhaps we won't have to kill him then." The smile her Master sported at this declaration eerily reminded her of Toki, that same brutal and almost innocent way of saying things. "Did he give you a name?"
"He called himself Tohsaka Tokiomi."
"Tohsaka?... I know that name. He was the previous head of the Tohsaka family and died during the fourth Holy Grail War."
And Illyasviel fought in the fifth happening ten years later, remembered Nozomi. Whatever was the common point between him and her Master beyond them being magi, she was not certain to like where the answers started to point.
"Is it a problem?"
"It would have been fun to mess with Rin, but I don't care. We will use him and if he dies, I will just contract Saber in his stead."
"I guess that's a way to look at things… Alright, I'll text Flynn. Let's see… Ah. As I thought, our old numbers are still functioning." Smiled Nozomi, tapping on her phone. "And sent."
"Are you sure it's safe?" Asked her Master, eyeing the phone.
"It really is." She said, her smile dropping. "It's not all that happened, though. Caster came in as well. I'm not sure if he spied on Nappaea and Flynn, or just stumbled upon us by chance. Anyway, he asked me if I would send the fairies fight the angels for him. I refused, of course. After that, I left and observed the fight between Flynn and Caster. Even if Caster was outclassed, he seemed completely invulnerable no matter what was thrown at him, leading Flynn to leave the battle with his Master."
"Perhaps he is like Berserker, who could only be damaged by attacks of high rank."
"I don't know if that's it. But anyway, I don't think it's a good idea to ally with him. He looks the sort of person dragging others into his own plans."
"… Okay. I'll let you handle this, Archer."
Nozomi smiled at the trust Illyasviel was placing in her.
"Let's go. I'll return to materializing my Noble Phantasm, and you need some sleep."
"When will you be finished?" Asked the little girl with a mixture of impatience and curiosity.
"This evening. I knew setting it in the Fairy Forest would quicken the pace, but I didn't account properly for how much mana you are giving me. I may even be able to use my Authority beyond the limit of the forest."
Taking Illyasviel's hand, Nozomi started to walk with her, despite the girl's small grumble about being an adult. She couldn't help it, just being near her Master made her sisterly side flare up with protectiveness…