Chapter 2 - Interlace.
The elder of the Einzbern family, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, was indeed a clever and brilliant man. Even if there was not a single ounce of humanity in his senile eyes, he had guided the legacy of his family with methodic pride and a good use of their resources. Of course, he wasn't perfect as he had failed more than once in the past but he always looked for a way to achieve the greatest goal of the Einzber family. Ever since the time of the Great Holy Maiden of Winter, Jubstacheit has chased after the third magic with such obsession it grazed into obnoxiousness... But there was not a single homunculus or human that could deny his talent and his aspirations. He was one of the most powerful mages in the entire world and after living for more than a century, he had become a wise magus everyone in the Einzbern state obeyed and followed... The rest of the homunculus admired how he was able to take critical decisions even in the direst situations... But right now, that facade was completely broken as the Old Man Acht couldn't believe what his old and tired eyes were seeing in front of him.
The ground beneath his feet was shaking as the giant of metal made way through the forest, walking over the ancient trees as if they were nothing but twigs. In fact, he couldn't even believe that Illya was sitting in one of the shoulders of the monster as if she owned such creature... This wasn't supposed to happen. Old Man Acht had made sure Illya would summon one of the most outstanding heroes of the past... But that thing... That thing couldn't be a hero...
Jubstacheit had studied the legends and the myths across his long life and he was sure there was not a single rumor about a giant wearing a diving suit. Of Course, he also knew the Holy Grail didn't exactly choose the servants following a certain criterion. The Throne of Heroes was also filled with individuals that could be called many names... But Hero wasn't among those titles. Still, it was an undeniable truth that modern men and women couldn't become heroes... The closest thing they could get were the Counter Guardians of Akasha but those mindless puppets would never achieve the same divinity of the Heroic Spirits. The Diving Suit seemed to date between the Second World War and the Cold War but it still held many differences from the images he had seen in the books.
He also had to consider the anatomy of the Giant. That thing couldn't be considered human at all... Maybe he was another Demigod or demon but there were no myths regarding a futuristic metal armor. The only thing it could be related with were the Titans that lost the Titanomachia in the first days of the greek mythology. But Old Man Acht was sure none of those monsters walked across the land with a gigantic anchor by its side...
Illya was supposed to summon Heracles, not some random and forgotten creature... Either way, Jubstacheit could tell from afar that thing would definitely come in handy. Especially if it really was a Berserker class servant.
By his side, Sella and Leysritt watched the Titan with seeming stoicism but Old Man Acht could tell they were actually shivering in the inside as they watched their beloved lady in the shoulders of such terrifying creature. Sella had a peculiar twitch in her upper lip and Leysritt was gripping hard on her knuckles... None of them said a thing when the Titan finally stood in front of them and glared at them with those strange orange orbs that could be seen in its helmet. They stood there doing absolutely nothing but glaring at each other for a long time until Illya began coughing. Berserker turned to her and he gently put her on the ground in front of Sella and Leysritt. The maids quickly covered her with a blanket and guided Illya towards the castle. Berserker watched her disappear into the distance before he focused on the elder again... To his own surprise, the elder smiled...
"Interesting..." Jubstacheit muttered before he also headed towards the castle.
"Your summon was a failure, Illyasviel..." The elder began drinking from a cup of tea "You were supposed to bring the hero Heracles with the stone I gave you before I left you into the wilderness... Instead, you returned with some sort of monster cladded in a metal diving suit." Illya looked at the ground with small tears in her eyes "Despite that, I am sure there are things we can achieve with that monster... He is your servant, correct?"
"Y-Yes, he is my s-servant!" Illya stuttered.
"I see... But I suppose you haven't even discovered his name, have you?" Illya twitched "I thought so... Either way, I will be researching on my own but it will be preferable if you hear the information from him. I am fairly sure he is some sort of Heroic Spirit born during the Second World War due to the soldiers worshipping some made up deity. It is pretty common for desperate people on the brink of death to pray to whatever they find in order to survive or to simply keep their sanity... Still, if that were the case, it would be incredibly difficult to design a plan if you can't measure the true potential of your servant... I could also be advantageous since it is possible the enemies won't be able to find his weaknesses..." The elder glared at Illya and the girl shrunk in her seat "So many possibilities... If only Kiritsugu hadn't failed last time..." Illya gritted her teeth when she heard that name "Either way, head to the courtyard and meet with Sella and Leysritt. They should be there taking care of Berserker... You are dismissed." Jubstacheit said before he turned around and focused on his bookshelves.
Illya waited a few seconds before she finally decided to leave quietly.
The halls of the Eiznbern state had always brought dread to her young heart and mind. As she walked through the corridors she began remembering the old days when the world was perfect and the Holy War was nothing but a tale in a book... She was the most beautiful woman Illya had ever met in her life. Just like her daughter, Irisviel Von Einzber was created with perfectly white hair and ruby eyes, her skin seemed to be made of fair porcelain and her body was perfectly shaped. Illya's mother used to act like a young girl, running around the castle whenever Old Man Acht wasn't looking and curiously investigating her surroundings... Irisviel was always by the side of that man. That tall and scruffy man with dark hair and dead eyes... The man Illya used to look up to and even love with all her heart... The man she used to refer as her 'father'...
The man that killed her mother and betrayed her family...
Suddenly, her head began hurting as if someone was stabbing her with a knife... She fell to the ground and began screaming in pain. The walls around her became distorted and a black mud began erupting from the floor. The paintings began crying blood and the windows exploded into millions of pieces... Illya felt the ground split in half beneath her and she fell into the quiet darkness
And then...
"Illya?" She opened her eyes and found herself on a soft and big bed. Outside, she could see a sunny and perfect day. "What happened? Were you having a nightmare?" Illya could recognize that voice, she turned around and saw her beloved mother looking at her with concern.
"M-Mama...?" Illya called with tears in her eyes "Is that really you, Mama...?"
"But of course is me, silly!" Irisviel laughed, touching Illya's nose "Who else would it be?"
"I thought... I thought you were dead... I though Papa killed you when he went to the Holy War..."
"What? There is no way your father would ever harm me..." Irisviel answered with a smile "After all, he wanted to kill us both at the same time!"
"Wha-" Suddenly, the head of Irisviel exploded and the blood bathed Illya "Wha... Ma-Mama... Mama?! Mama! No! Mama! Mama!" Illya cried while she held the lifeless body of Irisviel in her tiny hands "No! Don't leave me alone...! Don't leave me alone again...! Don't-" She stopped when she felt something cold touching her head. She lifted her eyes and saw the barrel of a gun pointing straight into her eyes... And a pair of dark eyes focused on her. "P-Papa...?
"Daddy loves you, my precious Illya..." Kiritsugu whispered with a sad smile on his face "Nothing else matters... I swear this is true... Good Bye... Illya..." And he pulled the trigger.
Illya felt how her body broke. She felt into the absolute darkness while she watched the events that took place in the Fourth War... Tohsaka Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei. Lord El-Melloi and Waver Velvet, Kariya Matou and Ryuunosuke Uryu... And there was him... Emiya Kiritsugu. The city of Fuyuki was surrounded by magic... Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, Berserker... And the Holy Grail a top of a mountain of corpses with a black sun in the skies.
Suddenly, Illya felt the how her body finally collided with the ground. She grunted in pain and tried to get up. Her eyes widened when she realized what was around her... Corpses. Thousands of corpses. All of them with the same white hair and ruby eyes... All of them looking at her with nothing in their visage... Nothing but a creepy smile.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Illya felt how a pair of cold arms surrounded her body "All those bodies... Left to rot inside the Grail... A sight to behold, right?" Illya slowly turned around and saw the face of Irisviel Von Einzber smiling at her "You don't have to be afraid, Illya. This is nothing but a dream... A nightmare, if you may. All of this is happening inside your head... Sooner or later you will wake up in the real world... But you will never escape the truth. You will never forget what that man did to us... You will never forget..." Irisviel's voice was a whisper "You will wake up... And you will kill that man and the rest of his blood."
"B-But..."
"It's okay, Illya. I know you are scared... But you have to remember... That man has another child... Somewhere in the city of Fuyuki... That man that abandoned us had the audacity to love another child when you needed him the most... And in two months, you two will finally be able to kill each other... How wonderful is that!" Irisviel laughed ghastly "You will take back what Emiya Kiritsugu stole from us... You will make him suffer... And he will be lost in the depths of eternity... And we will finally be together, my Illya... Just you and me... And the corpses inside the Holy Grail." Irisviel finished while she pushed Illya into the darkness.
The bodies grabbed her and began pulling Illya further into them. Illya screamed and begged for help... But she knew nobody would come. Her mother died and her father left her to die in the Einzbern castle... She was alone... Alone with nothing but her wrath.
Illya stopped fighting and allowed the darkness to take her... Nothing else mattered now... It was fine this way... She would listen to her mother and she would find that bastard. Illya would exterminate what was left of the Emiya family and she would not offer mercy. They would die while their throats were filled with blood and tears. Their souls would forever wander in the lands... Illya cursed them... Illya cursed Kiritsugu and his son...
...
...
...
"Beware the depths..."
Suddenly, the world shook. Illya watched how the corpses stopped moving and began looking around the in shock. The world shook once again but this time, something else happened... A giant anchor pierced through the bodies and allowed Illya to peer into the darkness. The Titan was standing in a whirlpool of water while he attacked the giant orb of corpses Illya was trapped in. His deadly anchor tore apart the corpses of the Grail and Illya was able to hear a creature screaming in the distance.
"What are you doing, you stupid creature?!" Illya heard the distorted voice of Irisviel scream in anger. "She is mine! She will avenge me! She will that man and his wretched son! You can't stop what has begun! You can't defeat All The World's Evil You can't-!" Suddenly, the anchor flew past Illya and hooked onto something above her. "NO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"
Illya watched how the anchor returned to the Titan with her mother on it. The Titan grabbed her mother with one of his hands and held her close to his iron helmet. Irisviel screamed and puked the same dark mud on the suit... She began laughing maniacally when she noticed how the mud began corrupting the diving suit... But the Titan seemed unfazed by her actions. The orange eyes in his helmet never flickered... And to the horror of Irisviel, something began stirring behind the Titan. The darkness split and Irisiviel was able to see hundreds upon hundreds of sharp teeth in what seemed to be an endless mouth. The creature roared and for the first time in his life... Angra Mainyu felt the fear... He felt the shaking taking over his body and soul...
"Do you hear them calling...?"
Irisviel yelled in panic and tried to escape from the grasp of the Titan... But her frail body did nothing but graze the armor. The Titan began squeezing her until Irisviel felt how her body was crushed. She lost her voice and instead, all she could do was scream in a high-pitched bellow. The Titan then launched her into the maw of the beast... Illya could still hear the screams of her mother while the beast of the darkness chewed on her. She closed her eyes and curled into a ball... And she waited... And waited... And waited... And waited until the screams stopped and the silence took over.
Illya didn't know what was going on... She couldn't tell if she was still in the same place or if she moved. The soft and warm parts of the corpses were replaced with a cold and hard surface... She was scared... She didn't know if the beast was still there... But she could feel her heart beating and her prana burning. Her soul was demanding her to open her eyes and peer into the world... And what she saw made her forget the fear and the wrath.
She was in the ocean.
She was surrounded by the water of the seas she had never seen in her life. She could also see fishes and other creatures swimming around her... At the distance, she also saw a creature with a human body and the tail of a fish... She kept looking around until her eyes met his... The Titan was completely focused on her. His giant suit was still tainted by the mud but that didn't seem to bother him that much... He was just there, peacefully watching over Illya... And then, he lifted his eyes and looked up... Illya did the same and saw the light of the sun peering through the water...
"Lady Illyasviel!" Illya blinked and she was suddenly looking at a giant hole in the ceiling of the castle "Lady Illyasviel! Get away from that thing!" Sella looked terrified but Illya didn't know why and Leysritt had her halberd ready. "Lady Illyasviel! If you can hear me, get aw-" Sella stopped when she realized Illya began shaking in the hands of the Titan "Leysritt! Attack that monster alrea-"
"You look so funny, Berserker!" Illya laughed loudly at the sight of her servant... He was covered in a pink foam and there were several bubbles all around him and above his helmet "Did you escape from your bath, huh? That is not good! Good children must always be clean and tidy!" Illya scolded while she patted Berserker's hand "Come on! I will be with you this time so you won't be scared... Let's go, Sella! Leysritt!" Illya called while she and the Titan walked away.
The maids stood there dumbfounded with not a single idea of what just happened in front of them... Their shock only lasted a few seconds and they ran after their little lady and her servant... Whatever that took place between Illya and the Titan didn't matter because the maids realized something else had happened...
Illya had smiled for the first time in many years ever since her parents disappeared in the city of Fuyuki... Their beloved lady was back...
And that was all that mattered...
Well, hello there...
I can see you guys did like this little story I came up with... By all means, if you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave a review. It helps a lot...
To be honest, this is something I came up with while I was working on the other fics and I am really glad you liked it... I will be sure to write more for you...
Now, I do believe I have to answer some questions... Well, Here we go...
The story will take place during the fifth holy grail war... In the UBW to be exact. I will use the core of the story but I will add a few surprises for you guys. It will certainly not be the same...
Now... I know there will be a lot of suggestion but I will be clear this time around... There will be no more champions. No alternate versions, no different universes or other stuff like that... Nautilus will be the only champion present and will fight the other Heroic Spirits and that will make the battles and the events different as the Titan of the Depths is completely different from the Ranging Destroyer...
So now comes the fun part! The stats!
I am aware that despite being one of the most imposing champions in the League, Nautilus is actually among the weakest. He doesn't really deal that much damage and his strong points are his defenses and his chain of crowd control. Taking this into consideration, I will say he has received a small boost in his powers due to his status as a servant... And also we have to consider I am using the lore instead of the game stats.
So here we go!
Servant Stats.
Spirit: Nautilus.
Title: The Titan of the Depths.
Class: Juggernaut.
Master: Illyasviel Von Einzbern.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
Strenght: A+
Mana: C
Endurance: EX
Luck: C
Agility: C+
Noble Phantasm: A
-Class Skills:
Unstoppable: EX
Upon being abandoned in the depths of the Guardian's Sea. The sailor that would be later known as Nautilus suffered a drastic transformation due to the strange and unknown powers that course through the depths. His mind was destroyed but his wrath was not consumed. The monster that was born in the darkness will not rest until his enemies are defeated.
Abnormal Resistance: B+
With his soul broken the Titan no longer feels the passage of time nor the other elements but there are some spells that could very well trick his mind and his awareness.
-Personal skills:
The Titan's Wrath: A
Using the power within his empty suit, Nautilus is capable of withstanding a certain amount of damage. This shield can only be activated a few times and requires great amounts of mana, something the Titan of the Depths lacks. It has the ability to block both magical and physical damage but it is useless against conceptual weapons and some high class Noble Phantasm.
Riptide: A
It is said that whenever the Titan of the Depths stomps the underwater floor, waves upon waves of explosions damage the vessels and other creatures on the surface.
Staggering Blow: B
Using the weight and power of his deadly anchor combined with his strength, Nautilus is capable of knocking out any enemy in front of him with a single blow. But these attacks can be blocked and even deflected by a more skillful opponent.
Ctrl+1: E
"Sometimes I think this anchor just weighs me down... Lalari... Lalara... Lalaru..."
-Noble Phantasm:
Depth Charge: Anti-Army. A
Nautilus literally destroys the ground beneath his feet and calls a powerful water whirlpool that consumes and destroys everything in a large area. Enemies within may die due to the powerful streams and the pressure of the water. After the damage has been done, the water concentrates in a pillar of water and drags everything into the depths.
The Weight of the Abyss: ? E~EX
Within the empty shell of Nautilus hides the darkness that corrupted and changed his body. He is capable of dragging any enemy into his hollow mind to be eaten by the same darkness that he found in the Guardian's Sea. Although powerful, this skill is very dependent on the alignment of the enemy. Individuals with Chaotic Evil and Madness may meet their demise against the dark creature but it is possible for them to escape... That is if they can endure being chewed by the creature while they are alive.
And that's it!
As I said before, Nautilus will be completely different from Heracles... And I did leave a small surprise on the stats.
I am still unsure if I did a good job on the stats... If you guys think there should be a stat, skill or noble phantasm that should be added, removed or balanced feel free to leave a review...
Until next time...
:3