I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.
Sacrifice 2.0
The wooden doors opened noiselessly. Outside two figures peered inside. Slowly, one of them stepped in to look around. The whole area was barren of life, only illuminated by moonlight. The one inside turned around to face the companion.
"The priest does not seem to be here," Souichirou informed the Servant, "I shall search the inner rooms."
"No. I think we should leave him a surprise," Caster put forth with a devilish smirk, "Whether he is after another Servant or he sleeps inside, he will die if he comes near it." She quickly made her way towards the altar. She lifted her hands and waved them at the area in front of said altar as she started chanting. It glowed orange and slowly faded out when she ended her chant.
"There," she declared, sounding quite satisfied with what she just did, "We can leave now."
He waited for her to walk past him before following after her. "Will it work?" he asked as he closed the door.
"...I rarely used that spell," she mused as they started their walk away from the church, "I prefer more immediate effects. Although, your question may have a point." She paused in her stride to turn around and look at the church once more. "However, I think we shouldn't have any problem," she stated after a few seconds, continuing with her walk, "Since I didn't blow you up by accident, the spell worked."
"How so?" he asked as he fell in her steps.
"Hmm, I guess I can make this brief since you haven't the faintest idea," she surmised as they made their way down to the road, "I placed my spell in a magical container I created within the floor. The spell, I have no problem with. The container, a different matter. Since I have less experience with that spell, I can't tell if I put too much into it or put too little."
"I understand," he replied as they slowed down as they neared their taxi, "Too much and there is difficulty in its release. Too little, and it is released too soon."
"Yes, how right you are," she praised as he opened the door for her. Stepping inside, she told him, "Alright, time for us to visit your student. We need to have another... talk. With any luck, we can draw the others out and chat with them too."
"Please, have a seat," invited Caster as she gestured to the other side of the table. The girls just stood there, glancing at each other, not knowing what to do nor how to react to this new development.
The girls just stood there, glancing at each other, not knowing what to do nor how to react to this new development. Then, Sakura stepped forward and sat down, drawing fleeting looks of surprise on the other two. The blonde and the twin tails soon followed suit, seating themselves at the table.
Caster was now sporting triumphant smirk. "Oh, before I forget," she said before tossing a piece of raw meat to the side. Before anyone could say anything, something small and brown darted forward to claim it. A weasel.
"Lady Luck seems to favor me tonight," she stated as she watched it play with its food, "I was thinking of kidnapping the young man here if not for Tamin alerting me about a car coming down the road. It would have been very odd if the car stopped somewhere here and catch me carting him off. What a wonderful surprise for me to see you three stepping out of it. Now, I get to find out what you three know as well." Tamin then gulped down the little morsel and squealed a bit before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Now, let us get back to my questions," she then announced, "First, who did you go to visit tonight? Lancer or Berserker? Be sure to answer truthfully or things may get a little heated."
"Wait. Why are we supposed to tell you this?" protested Luvia a bit too quickly, having gotten over her shock, "We aren't even allies. Maybe if you would agree to the truce..."
"Is it wrong to scout out the competition?" Caster asked in return, "And I would rather have an answer right now. I am being quite generous here."
The three still looked hesitant until Shirou spoke up and asked, "... What happened to Illya?"
They froze. Seconds passed. "Umm... Senpai..." started Sakura very hesitantly, "There was a... Illya was..."
"When we arrived at the forest, Lancer was there with Bazett," took over Rin, "Illya was under attack... by Shinji and another unknown."
"You still don't believe it, do you," muttered the blonde aloud.
"Look, I still find it hard to believe that the shadowy thing Sakura saw was the fake priest," retorted the twin tailed magus, "It could have been just another magus. An outsider perhaps? Someone who wanted to join the War but wasn't selected?"
"To you? Maybe... but I know what I saw," the Edelfelt stated with finality.
"Anyway..." groaned out the former as she turned her attention back to Shirou, "Emiya... I'm sorry. We arrived too late to help."
Anyone who was observant could have spotted the increased pressure of the boy's grip as his whole body went rigid. A tremor and a shiver shook him. He was about to get up when a hand shot out and held him back.
"Emiya Shirou," started Souichirou without looking at him, "Nobody said that you could leave."
"But, Kuzuki-sensei! Illya..."
"Your sister is dead. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be."
Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. "Perhaps you've forgotten, Emiya Shirou. People die when they are killed," stated Archer, fully materializing in another corner of the room, "If you go looking for her killers, the same will happen to you."
"Archer, enough," commanded Rin, trying to reign in her Servant. He frowned before going back to his astral form.
"No... he isn't wrong," muttered the red head, much to the surprise of the three girls, "But, maybe... maybe if I were a more capable magus, we could have gone together... and Saber would be able to do something, and..."
"Interesting," spoke up Caster, "I was wondering why I was forgotten, but now I got something interesting to think about." The words brought about a certain wariness to the girls. "If the previous night's activities tired out Saber that much, perhaps I can end this War here and now," mused Caster with a certain glee.
"I cannot allow that," said Assassin, materializing behind the teacher while his sword at the teacher's neck.
"And what makes you think you can stop me, Assassin?" asked the Servant of Sorcery, "I already have something ready to secure my victory, should I use it now. I am quite sure all of you would die before me."
"What did you do, Caster?" asked the Tohsaka guardedly.
"A spell I put up before we captured your friend," the former explained nonchalantly, "A great explosion that would go off once I left that would have covered my tracks. The three of you returning early may have messed up the plan a little, but I can easily detonate it now if you wish."
"You used the same spell at the church," murmured Sakura, catching the Servant's attention.
"Maybe," she admitted, "Why?"
"He may have survived."
She narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you so sure, little girl. How do I know you aren't lying?" she questioned the Matou.
"We may have tried a few times," Luvia informed reluctantly, "I even had him run over with the uh... former, limousine that I had. It didn't work that well."
"So... maybe you need some confirmation that the fake priest is dead in the first place," offered Rin with a sudden surge of confidence, "After all, didn't you say you were going to put him to the pyre first before burning our Servants?"
Her smile now replaced with a frown, Caster said, "Yes, I believe I did say that. But what if you're wrong? What if the priest really is dead, hmm?" When she did not get a reply, she offered, "How about this? I will spend two days searching for the priest. And I shall only need two days for the rat. At the end of it, all of you will meet me at a specified place and time to fight me. Then, we shall settle this War once and for all. Are we clear?"
"Agreed," declared the twin tailed magus before anyone else could say anything.
"As an added incentive to show up," announced the Servant of Sorcery as she stood up, "Should you tuck your tails between your legs and run, I will burn this entire. Town. To the ground. So dismiss me at your pleasure."
Ignoring the horrified faces of the Masters, she sauntered out of the room, Souichirou trailing behind her.
"Stop! What is the meaning of this?"
The Servant turned around to see Saber. The girl was leaning against the wall as she steadied herself with great effort, barely on her feet.
"I suggest you save your strength, Saber," Caster told her with a smirk, "As to why? I'll let them fill you in. Good night."
She continued on her way out of the house, ignoring the Servant of the Sword's weak protests. Having sent away their ride earlier, the Master and Servant pair resorted to walking back to the temple in the cold dead of night.
"You walk a fine line, Caster," the teacher spoke up with intent to caution.
"When you work with fire as I have, you learn to take calculated risks," she replied, "Like I said earlier, Lady Luck has favored me tonight. After all, they can't even keep up when the topic's change."
As Caster left, the girls let loose a sigh of relief. Luvia sat in her place, mulling over what just happened. Rin got up and carefully ushered Saber into the room. Sakura slowly moved over to comfort Shirou when the boy slammed his clenched fists on the table, his head bowed over and close to his forearms.
"Senpai," she muttered with worry as one hand was placed on his shoulder while the other went to his back.
"I... I feel so helpless," he whispered lightly and quite tiredly, "If only... if only..."
"Not even a skilled magus can be in two places at once, Shirou," the Edelfelt told him, "I think only the Wizard Marshal can do that in some unknown way."
"Should I... maybe it was the right way... taking Shinji's offer..." he continued to ramble.
"Are you mad, Emiya?" the twin tailed magus chastised quickly after having seated his Servant, "Have you forgotten what the grimoire did to Shinji? It might take you over too."
"But..."
"What we need to do... is to get Saber back to fighting form," concluded the blonde magus. Standing up, she looked at the other two girls and asked, "So... who will be doing the tantric ritual with them? I volunteer, of course."
"What? Now? Aren't you moving too fast?" protested Rin with vehemence, "She gave us two days. Two days! We should plan things out before rushing headlong into this."
"Rin... this ritual... would assist me?" asked Saber, suddenly interrupting the heated discussion. Getting nods from both girls, she continued, "Do not tarry... I would... like a chance to train Shirou." This brought the boy out of his moroseness.
"Saber..." he mumbled in surprise.
"In that case, I should volunteer as well," declared the Tohsaka with a bit of a blush. Turning to her former sister, "Sakura. Will you volunteer?"
Said person went red with embarrassment. "I-I-I don't know..." she stammered, "I mean..."
"What in the world are you three talking about?" questioned Shirou with a frown on his face, "What is a tantric ritual?"
"Firstly, remember our explanation the other night? About Servants and Command Seals?" reminded Rin.
"Yes..."
"There are several ways to replenish a Servant's energy," she quickly lectured, "Taking control of a leyline to tap it, consuming human souls and transfer of energy through fluids, among some. The first is out of the question, as the key leyline is at the temple and under Caster's control. The second, I doubt you would be willing to do. The third... I doubt Saber would be willing to drink your blood."
"That... is true," agreed Saber with a stern look, "I would not harm him just... to replenish my energy."
"With blood out of the picture, that leaves... semen," the former ended her talk by avoiding his eyes.
"Wait, if you mean..."
"Yes, Senpai. That... that's what she means," spoke up Sakura after being silent for so long, stopping him from saying that word.
"And I think the decision should be made between the three of us," added Luvia.
"Wait, why are you asking Sakura to volunteer?" the boy asked her in confusion, "Why are you and Tohsaka volunteering? Shouldn't you let me choose?"
"And who would you pick, Emiya?" Rin asked immediately, giving him a sideways glance.
"..."
"And that proves my point," she summed up to the blushing boy, who was busy averting his eyes. Turning back to Sakura, she repeated the question, "So... Sakura? Are you going to volunteer?"
"Or maybe she is much too embarrassed to say she knows about the birds and the bees," Luvia mused in a joking manner, wanting the Matou to hurry up and say her piece.
Slowly, the girl in question got to her feet, her eyes looking down at the table. "I... don't know anything about the ritual," she admitted, much to the other two's surprise, "Ever since grandfather died, I haven't been able to continue my 'lessons'. The other uncle doesn't have any training so he can't do anything about it either." Then, as she looked up to face them, "Which is why... I volunteer Rin-senpai to do it."
"Sakura..." the former sister muttered in shock.
"You are a reliable person... and that is partly the reason why," Sakura explained, her voice slowly getting hitched in places, as if holding back her tears, "I can trust you to remain focused on the ritual, to guide Senpai and Saber, and nothing else."
Suffice to say, everyone present was stunned by her words.
"...Uh, I shall bring Saber to her room," spoke up Rin, breaking the silence first. She pulled the Servant's arm around her shoulder and set her on her shaky feet.
"Sakura, are you sure about this?" asked Shirou with concern, "Should I really be doing this? I mean, even if everyone else agrees..."
"Senpai," she interrupted, "I know how it feels to be helpless. I... At least you can help Saber this way."
"Sakura..."
"Hey, Emiya. Stop wasting time," said the twin tailed magus, still supporting Saber while standing in the hall, "Come."
He got up and looked at the violet haired girl, then to the doorway, then to her again. With a sigh and a reddening of his cheeks, he went after the Tohsaka heiress.
Slowly, the Matou got up and mumbled her apologies as she left the table, heading to the room she shared with Taiga.
"That was a brave thing you did, Sakura," Luvia said before the former went out the room, their backs turned to each other, "I suppose I cannot fault your choice. Your reasons are sound, after all."
"Thank you," she muttered before leaving the room, a lone tear escaping her eye.
The Mion River.
It divides the city of Fuyuki into two as it empties into the sea. While in the beginning, it was pristine, years of carrying the waste of the city have slowly dulled it. Two main storm drains, one for each side, pour its payload into its waters. At the entrance to the drain exiting the Shinto district, a pair of red eyes stared out into its vast expanse.
"So, it is morning," he thought to himself. He then turned around to walk inside. It did not take long to appear at the first junction. It was large and spacious, much like the other one he had visited ten years ago. In one corner was a bed. The wooden frame was still sturdy and the mattress still held together, since the metal springs have yet to poke through. The sheets that once covered it, however, were half burnt and left behind smoky remains. The smell still wafted through, mingling with the dry smell of grime. He stepped up to it and looked down at its sleeping occupant.
He then turned around to walk inside. It did not take long to appear at the first junction. It was large and spacious, much like the other one he had visited ten years ago. In one corner was a bed. The wooden frame was still sturdy and the mattress still held together, since the metal springs have yet to poke through. The sheets that once covered it, however, were half burnt and left behind smoky remains. The smell still wafted through, mingling with the dry smell of grime. How fortunate that the bed was retrieved on time, or it would have been eaten by the voracious flames. He stepped up to it and looked down at its sleeping occupant. Well, more like unconscious.
The ragged sheets barely covered Shinji. His body were covered in burn injuries, but most of them were somewhat healed, especially around his torso. His chest was slightly raised higher than normal, pulsating even. The operation was extremely difficult and taxing on the mind. Magecraft can only do so much and the gaps were filled with shadow work. At the end of it all, the heart of the Grail was now housed in the boy's frail body. Breathing was shallow. Then again, the boy was resting after all.
Eddie looked around. "Where is that book?" he wondered as he looked over the place, "Does it have a mind of its own? Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. It once was Caster's, after all."
"W-w-where..."
"So... he wakes..." he muttered quietly as he gave the boy a look over. He warned, "It is best not to move too much if you want to heal properly."
"The book... the book..." the boy moaned.
As if on cue, the air beside him shimmered and the book slowly emerged from the ripples in the air. It was glowing, the hues alternating between red and purple.
"Please... up..." he pleaded.
Eddie tilted his head, wondering if there was a point to this. Shadowy arms reached out from under the bed to move the boy, with extreme care of course.
"Thanks..." Shinji hissed out as the book alighted on his map and opened. The glowing pages flipped through until the middle section. The boy then stared at it. The former Servant couldn't fathom his behavior. Slowly, two symbols became visible on the opposite pages. Greek letters for Alpha and Omega.
"Now what would this mean..." he mused inwardly. Is this book making a mockery of his former Master's profession? It only proves that it truly does have a mind of its own. It seems that Caster's creation carries a bit of him within. Hopefully, it doesn't intend to bring Caster back.
"I... agree..."
The former narrowed his eyes. What is the boy agreeing to? He didn't see any words on the pages, just the two symbols. Has the book driven the boy mad?
Said person placed a shaky, badly burnt hand on the pages
With suddenness and absence of warning, a pulse of power slammed Eddie into the wall across the room. Shaking his head to regain his bearings, he was able to catch sight of pages flying out of the book. They attached themselves to the struggling Matou, slowly enveloping his body, eventually covering him from head to toe and drowning out his screams.
What is this?
He cautiously drifted over to the wriggling mummy. The book, with only the spine and the cover remaining, tore itself to pieces, The nine scraps were them wrapped around the waist of the now still body of the boy. As he neared, it slowly levitated before being enveloped in the same glow as before. This time, he was able to stand his ground instead of being blown away like before. Now, instead of being mummified in page-like bandages, Shunji wore pale colored skin robes held together with a darkened sash of the same. The boy then moved the hood off his head. His mop of dark blue hair was restored to its former glory as if never burned and he had a rather crazed grin on his face.
Eddie narrowed his eyes. The bump on the boy's chest has disappeared. "What have you done, Matou Shinji?" he asked, slowly preparing to react should the answer be unfavorable.
"Matou Shinji... I am him... and I am not him," the boy declared with glee, "Ah! But I know what you want! The heart, right? It is still here, safe within me." He then gave his chest a pat for emphasis.
"I see..." he replied, still feeling suspicious, "And what do you mean by being Matou and not being him?"
A dark chuckle ensued. "The book and I are now one. I have gained all knowledge within it!" the boy declared with a manic glee, "You cannot imagine how much power I now have at the tip of my finger. I. Am. Power! I can certainly take on the mantle of sorcerer if I wish, and none can stop me!"
"Fortune has favored you, Matou. What about the heart?" he reminded.
"Of course. Of course. I have not forgotten, fake priest," said the boy as he waved it off, "Not to worry. I shall remain here until the Grail is summoned. Then the time comes, I shall remove the heart myself and release the Grail."
"I shall hold you to your word," the former Servant informed him before sinking into his own shadow. It was time to see what the other participants were doing. It reminded him of the War ten years ago, when his death was faked to enable him to spy on the others. How fitting that he should employ the same methods again.
Commentary:-
Hello again. Here is a new chapter for your perusal. I hope it is to your liking. Let's get into it.
Starting with spell mechanics. Not the most interesting of choices. If you were wondering about why Caster talked about the spell details, I was basically referring to game bugs. Yeah, a game bug that messes with the timing of the spell. If all goes wrong, you have the trap triggering prematurely. I believe it was patched, but here's to knowing more. Then, we move on to the lengthy discussion... and more revelations and information being tossed around. Also, Caster throwing down the gauntlet. So, at the very least, they have one day to prepare for the fight. And... after that fiasco, the decision. Oh, the decision. I have no words to describe this one. A good amount of blushing from the Masters present, I'd have to say. And finally, Shinji. Oh, Shinji. I think the boy's gone off the rocker. He has gained power while the book has gained a body. We shall shudder at the thought of Shinji commanding the forces of Chaos. But, is it truly him? Or is it the book?
Oh, and one more thing...
"You'll pay for that Edelfelt!" declared the angry Tohsaka as she got to her feet, her face now brushed with dust and dirt.
"I didn't know you were that eager to meet the ground again, Rin Tohsaka!" yelled the now smirking Luvia. Her uniform was also dusty, and except for the torn sleeves, she was none worse for wear.
A burst of cheering brought them out of their angry haze. Puzzled, the both of them looked at Rider, the culprit. Clad in black from head to toe, he was being quite loud and uproarious.
"All right, Lulu," said the burly Servant, "Keep on at it. Show her what you got!"
"It sees my Master is quite capable," the stoic Servant in red commented as well, though if one could look closely, there was a very slight twitch on the side of his mouth.
"Will you stop calling me that!?" yelled the blond, already feeling beyond embarrassed, "And stop cheering and defeat them, Rider!"
"Hey, not my fault your name is too long," the guy claimed as he shrugged his shoulders.
Rin just sighed as the two Master's separated and put themselves behind their respective Servants. "Archer, I leave this to you. Show me what you are capable of," she ordered calmly, also feeling quite embarrassed to have behaved like that in front of their Servants.
"Oh well, fun while it lasted," said Rider as he cracked his knuckles. He reached behind him and grabbed the large battle axe that materialized together with something that looked like an electric guitar.
Archer said nothing, just materialized a pair of swords. One black, one white, with the symbol of Yin-Yang decorating the guard.
"Huh? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of archer?" commented Rider with one brow raised, "You know how to use those?"
"Hmm? This is coming from someone who fights with that on their back?" asked Archer in return, pointing at the guitar, "I would have thought that would get in the way of the fighting."
"What? You mean Clementine?" the Servant replied as he looked at his treasured guitar, "She's been with me through thick and thin, through Hell and back. Been with me through every fight. I have no problem fighting with her by my side."
"I see. Well, here I come," the Servant in red stated as he rushed forward on the offensive.
And there's Omake Rider! Well, I do hope you had a good time, in chapter and omake. Read, review, and come again!