"It's been so long since I last left the Land of Shadows." The living Scáthach almost sounded wistful.
The doors of the Gate of Skye shut and faded away. Bazett and both Scáthachs had returned to the world of the living, specifically to the series of craters where mountains used to reside before Scáthach and Archer utterly obliterated them in their duel.
"This was where you fought Heracles?" The living Scáthach admired the rubble. "I thought this was supposed to be a secret war? This had to have drawn attention."
"I probably did." Bazett rubbed the back of her head in shame. "We probably could have been more discreet."
"It was my fault, not yours." Bazett's Scáthach said. "I got carried away by my warlust while fighting Heracles. It was the first time in a while that I had a good one-on-one fight, so I got a sort of high from it that made me lose inhibition."
"We are likely being spied on right now, aren't we?" The living queen said.
"Almost definitely." Bazett tried to sense for familiars, but she found nothing. Given the wide open space, any observers wouldn't need to get that close to spot the magus and her two companions. "We should move into the city. As we are now, a distant Servant could bombard us without needing to concern themselves with collateral damage. If we at least enter Fuyuki, then they'll have to restrain themselves."
"We should stop at the building we've been using as a base and get our things. We can relocate to somewhere in the heart of the city. That will disincentivize more audacious attacks, even if they know our location." Bazett's Scáthach sounded like a teacher as she spoke. "We may also be able to shake off our observers in the density of the city and establish a new hidden base."
"A fair plan. Let's move then."
Bazett amped herself with a Primordial Rune and ran towards the city, both Scáthachs right at her sides. The Sun was already setting when they left the Land of Shadows and so it was night when they reached the forest outside Fuyuki. It might have been better to wait until the next morning to leave, that would mitigate the risk of getting attacked, but each of the trio was anxious to leave as soon as they could. Hopefully the existence of two Scáthachs would act as a deterrent for a while.
The trio reached the former Edelfelt mansion Bazett had acquired from the Clock Tower. It looked no different from when Bazett had last seen it, but there was always the chance that it had been found and tampered with.
"Let's check for traps." Servant Scáthach said. "It shouldn't take too long."
And so, with trepidation, the three entered the bounds of the mansion's Bounded Field and scouted out the building. Finding nothing, it was determined to be safe.
"All seems as it should be. Let's rest for a moment before we pack up and go. We expended a decent amount of magical energy since we ran here as fast as we could." Lancer sat on a couch, Bazett building up the courage to sit next to her. Despite everything the magus and her Servant had been through, Bazett still instinctually braced herself to be repudiated. Instead, Scáthach leaned into her, their heads touching. Despite no longer being a virgin, Bazett still had an innocent heart that made her blush at the blatant reciprocation of her affection. Every time Lancer didn't reject her, the enforcer felt heartened.
"You must be glad to be home after your sojourn to my queendom." The living Scáthach sat in a chair across from the couple. "Though this isn't your primary home, correct?"
"This is just a house I got permission from the Clock Tower to use for the duration of the war. It was built during the Third War by the Edelfelts. They're actually a family with some experience in rune magecraft. I encountered members of their family on a few of my missions. They'd show up on battlefields to pilfer whatever treasures or knowledge they could get their hands on. They were a nuisance a lot of times. I'd try to capture or kill a target, but they'd get in my way trying to squeeze whatever they could out of everyone involved." Bazett was talking openly in a way she usually found impossible. Normally her every word was calculated to a degree, efficient and terse. Now she was just talking from the heart.
"Are they in such a poor state that they need to scavenge?"
"No, they're actually wealthy, even by the standards of old mage families. Their method of keeping up their opulence is by taking valuables wherever they can find them, whether they be from ancient graves or ruins or wherever else. They're often called hyenas by other magi." Bazett spoke with an upbeat lilt.
"Any chance of an Edelfelt being in this war?" Lancer asked.
"It's possible. Even if they don't have a Master in this war, they might show up just to try and steal a Noble Phantasm or two."
"Since we're on the topic of the Holy Grail War, we should decide now if we want to take action tonight, or just wait until tomorrow. We technically don't even know if the war is still going on."
"We should probably see Kirei, though it would be best to do that in the morning." Bazett stared at the carpet. Her body regained its usual tension.
"What's wrong?" Lancer moved to look Bazett in the eyes.
"I'm still unsure if we should continue participating in this war. I have no wish, and you gave up on dying. We have nothing to gain by winning. I can sustain you with my magical energy alone even after the Grail stops assisting with its own supply." Bazett wrung her hands. "I don't even know if I want to live as a magus anymore. I think I'd be happy just living as a normal person."
"I'm fine with dropping out of the war. I already got a good fight thanks to Archer." Lancer leaned back into the couch.
"You're really okay with that?" Bazett didn't want to force Scáthach into giving up on the war for her sake.
"I am. I could definitely have some fun fighting Archer or Saber or some of the other Servants, but I'd rather avoid fighting to make sure you don't get hurt."
"I see." Bazett's hand clutched her knee. "I'm sorry you have to worry about me."
"Don't misunderstand. Protecting you takes precedence over my desire to fight because I genuinely care about you more." Scáthach sat up and leaned in so close her face was just inches from Bazett's "You have brought me a happiness I haven't known for a long time, perhaps ever. I treasure you more than any fight. You reignited my will to live. If that does not tell you of how much you mean to me and how much I enjoy being with you above all else, then I don't know what else could."
"I see." Bazett smiled a wobbly smile. She was nervous thanks to having such a lovely face next to hers, but she was happy to know that the woman she loved cared so much about her. "I feel the same way about you."
"I doubt you could possibly possess a zeal for me that matches mine for you." Scáthach smirked.
"You say that like it's some kind of challenge."
"Perhaps it is."
"I would like to mention that I am still in the room." The living Scáthach had fallen into the background.
"I'm sorry for our rudeness. We shouldn't pretend you're not here." Bazett's building lust subsided for the moment. "Back to the war, we should see Kirei to let him know we're dropping out."
"If we go to the overseer and tell him of our withdrawal, he'll likely ask for the Command Spells back and will nullify our contract as Master and Servant." Lancer Scáthach countered. "Otherwise, Masters could claim they've given up, all while secretly waiting with their Servant to ambush whoever else remains at the end of the war when they go to claim the Holy Grail."
"We could simply leave the city without telling the overseer." the living Scáthach said.
"That could work, but I feel like that would be a betrayal of the war's rules. That might upset Kirei. I'd like to avoid that." Bazett considered Kirei one of the few people who she was on good terms with, so she didn't want to ruin that.
"Could you persuade the overseer to make an exception this one time and let you keep your contract?"
"Probably not. Like me, Kirei is a strict adherent to rules. Even if we were more than just good acquaintances, he likely wouldn't budge on this."
"We still have time to think about what to do. Right now, we should get going. We don't want to dwell here too long and give any potential pursuers time to corner us." Lancer was met with no rejections and so the group got ready to leave. Bazett packed up everything in her makeshift workshop and her luggage, which only totaled to a couple suitcases. That wasn't including the tube of Fragarachs she had slung over her shoulder.
Both Scáthachs changed into casual clothes to better avoid attracting attention when they were in the city, though their beauty would make that effort rather pointless. The living Scáthach wore a black blazer dress with high heeled boots that went up to her thighs while Lancer Scáthach had her hair in a ponytail and was dressed in a cream colored sweater with black tights. Both of them looked like supermodels about to head down the runway.
Making sure to cover any tracks both physical and mystical, Bazett and the two Scáthachs left the Edelfelt mansion and sprinted into Fuyuki. The three of them were moving so fast that the normal human eye couldn't perceive them, allowing them to avoid causing a commotion as they sped through the streets past plenty of civilians. Upon reaching Shinto, Bazett and company entered a network of alleys that they made several circuits through, looping through paths repeatedly and suddenly changing directions at times to disorient any wound-be pursuers. They shifted from one alley complex to another, repeating the process. Bazett and company did all they could to prevent themselves from being trailed. After that, they calmly left the more out of the way back alleys for the plaza at Shinto's center, the area currently filled with people heading home from work, or to bars and other attractions. Bazett could tell that the bombastic fight between Scáthach, Saber, and Archer had caught the attention of the general public. There were far more people in the city than there normally should. Curious folks from around Japan and even beyond were out and about Fuyuki in search of the source of the mysterious destruction. This was good, it meant it would be easier to blend in with the crowd.
To stay in the populated area that would make attacking the trio difficult, Bazett found the nearest hotel to the melted Center Building that was attracting so much attention. It was packed with visitors from outside Fuyuki. Thankfully, there were still rooms available since this was a five-star hotel which meant it was too expensive for many of the incoming people to afford, especially since the hotel had raised its prices a touch to take advantage of the recent events that have caused so many people to flood into the city. Bazett was far from rich so booking a room at this hotel was going to use up a lot of her savings, but she did so anyway. The room was relatively close to ground level, a fancy two bedroom suite with plenty of extra space that Bazett began turning into her new workshop. Both Scáthachs used runes to set up a powerful, yet discreet Bounded Field.
"Everything's set." Lancer said. "Even though we've set everything up here, we shouldn't stay in this room too much. If we're being followed, staying alone in this room is the perfect way to ambush us while we're isolated."
"We should stay where a lot of civilians are, enough that enemy Masters and Servants won't risk attacking since they could cause enough of a commotion that the overseer will take umbrage." The other Scáthach said.
"This hotel has a restaurant. It should be busy with the dinner rush at this hour so we can go there for the moment." Bazett held her chin. "After that, I think the receptionist said there's a whisky tasting we could go to. There's also a spa, but that might seclude us too much."
"If worst comes to worst, we can leave the hotel and go to other buildings in Shinto with a lot of people for a while."
"Let's head to the restaurant. We can consider it a date." Lancer wrapped herself around Bazett's arm which left the magus a blushing mess as usual.
"Should I let you two be alone on your date?" The living Scáthach said. "I don't want to intrude."
"It's better you stay with us. We don't want you to be on the other side of the building if something happens."
Bazett and the two Scáthachs went to the hotel restaurant, a fancy dining area where the trio were seated at a circular table for three. A Scáthach sat at each of Bazett's sides. The room was gently lit, letting the light from the city shine through the large windows. The magus brought her tube of Fragarachs which she was thankfully permitted to bring in. A waiter passed out menus, gave everyone water, and pulled out a notepad.
"What would you all like to drink?"
"The water is enough for me." Bazett said.
"I'll have the imported Bourbon."
"So will I."
"Excellent choices. I'll bring you your drinks in a moment."
Bazett began looking over the menu. Her eyes were sweeping through each column of options.
"Are you looking for something in particular?" Lancer looked where Bazett was looking on the menu.
"I'm checking all the prices. I'm going to have whatever option is cheapest."
"Did renting the hotel room eat up too much of your money? We shouldn't have asked for the bourbon in that case."
"No, I just don't see the point of getting something more expensive than the cheapest option."
"If this time is anything like my own, then the more expensive options are, ostensibly, better tasting or provide more food on the whole." The living Scáthach was scanning through her own menu with a more leisurely eye.
"I understand that, but taste doesn't matter to me. Food is just fuel."
"What?" Both Scáthachs responded at the same time.
"Did I say something strange?" Bazett looked up from her menu to see that both Scáthachs were gawking at her like she had grown a second head.
"You said you don't care about how food tastes, that's what's strange."
"Is that not common?"
"When you say you don't care about how food tastes, do you just mean you aren't that picky, or that the taste is genuinely irrelevant to you?" The living Scáthach almost looked worried or something.
"As long as the food doesn't taste in a way that implies it is poisoned or nutritionally vacuous, then all flavors are the same to me. I mean, why does the taste matter so much? The purpose of the food is for energy and nutrition."
"That is a perspective so mechanical that even I have never encountered it in all my years." Lancer Scáthach was genuinely knocked off balance by Bazett's food opinions. "Even laissez-faire individuals who just go with the flow without complaint still possess internalized preferences. Have you never really eaten something that you found so disgusting it activated your gag reflex, or something delicious enough to give you pause?"
"Maybe when I was young. By the time I left my home to join the Mage's Association, I would just eat whatever was available without contemplating the way food tasted. I had resolved to strip myself of superfluous things that could get in the way of my duties."
"You've trained yourself to avoid spending brain power processing the tastes of things beyond whether they're edible or not. You're like someone who swallows things whole." The living Scáthach chuckled.
"Bazett, living such a spartan lifestyle isn't healthy." Lancer Scáthach put a hand on Bazett's. "You need to take your own wants into consideration, otherwise you're going to become like a machine, or you'll break down from the stress. You know how I've been telling you to stop looking down on yourself and all that?"
"Yes." Bazett turned her hand over to hold Scáthach's.
"Well you can't just not hate yourself, you also have to love yourself. Not be arrogant, but appreciate and occasionally pamper yourself. You're worth loving, or do you think I'm a poor judge of character?"
"I'd never think that in a million years."
"Then treat yourself. Pick something off the menu that sounds good. Don't look at the price. When you eat it, let yourself ponder the taste and savor it."
"Okay." Bazett smiled. "For you."
"Not for me. For yourself."
"Alright. For me."
"Good girl." Lancer gave Bazett a kiss on the cheek.
Bazett ended up ordering a steak, medium rare, while the Scáthachs both ordered spaghetti al nero di seppia. When Bazett cut off a piece of the piece of meat in front of her and put it in her mouth, she let her body be loose, her mind focused just on what was in her mouth. She felt every motion of her mouth and the way the springy meat tried and failed to resist her when she chewed it. The steak had a mild beef flavor, buttery with something else that Bazett couldn't place due to her inexperience with tasting things. It wasn't a powerful flow of flavor, instead being like a warm breeze on a sunny day, pleasant and calming. Having one of the asparagus stalks that were her side dish, Bazett was met with far more imminently powerful flavor. An impact that declared that what the magus was eating was undeniably a vegetable was accompanied by more of the taste of butter. Bazett learned what it truly meant to taste something. It was like she had gained a new sense. Her horizon of experience had extended.
"How's your steak?" the living Scáthach asked.
"I don't know, but it tastes."
"It tastes." Lancer parroted as both she and her doppelganger snickered.
"I just don't have anything to compare this meal to yet." Bazett pouted. "This is my baseline."
"Sorry, your response was just so cute." Lancer Scáthach composed herself. "I'm glad you're appreciating the steak."
"Thank you for convincing me to taste things. Even though I don't want to be a magus anymore, the more mundane pleasures of life are still foreign to me."
"In that case, I'll just have to teach them to you."
Bazett's body became warm as she and the two Scáthachs continued their meal. Even beyond the romantic feelings between the magus and the queen, it was also just a pleasant moment of simplicity. Eating a good meal in a calm setting was something Bazett had long since given up, but now she had rediscovered this type of happiness.
In the middle of the meal, both Scáthachs jerked their heads to look towards the same thing. Bazett followed their lead, only to see nothing. They were looking at an empty area of the room. The enforcer was initially unsure of what they were detecting, but Bazett decided to use senses beyond her sight and ability to sense magical energy to look for this unseen thing. Pushing away all unnecessary information, the magus heard a repeating sound. Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps. Someone or something invisible was walking towards Bazett and company's table. The unseen thing was heavy of foot, failing to entirely hide themselves because of that. They might have been Assassin, but they were a poor one in that case given they can't even mask the sound of their footsteps. Then again, they somehow managed to completely hide their magical energy, so perhaps they did have skill in stealth. The inconsistency between the ability to entirely conceal their magical energy while their footsteps could be heard made it difficult to determine the nature of this approaching entity.
The invisible being arrived at the table and became visible. Before she could process the individual's appearance, Bazett first sensed their magical energy and its magnitude. It made the enforcer jump in her seat and her head throb. There was so much mana contained in this Servant. They were definitely not an Assassin, they had too much magical power. To have so much energy appear from nowhere was nauseating for Bazett. It was like suddenly getting waterboarded. The Servant themself was a male, one so large he could be called a giant. He had a ruddy beard on his blank face and muscles that made him seem immovable. He was wearing civilian clothes in the form of a black suit and red tie. In his hand was a conical hat that was giving off enough magical energy that it was either a powerful Mystic Code or a weak Noble Phantasm. The Servant made no moves to attack. Neither did either Scáthach. Bazett was on edge, but she didn't want to act hastily and cause a brawl in such a crowded room.
"Apologies for startling you. I am Caster." The giant bowed forward.
"Hello." Lancer said. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
"My reason is complex. You see, things have greatly changed since you left Fuyuki. If you would allow me, I'd like to explain to you the current circumstances of the Holy Grail War and present to you three an offer."
"And how do we know you aren't trying to stall us to set up an ambush?"
"Because the ambush is already here." Caster was blunt. "They are distant enough that they're out of the range of your senses, but in a moment they will move in close enough that you will detect them. They are three more Servants for whom I am partnered with. That said, they are merely insurance. I have a genuine offer to present to you. My Master wanted to just kill you three, but after much effort, I convinced her to attempt a peaceful resolution."
"And why would you be so kind?" Bazett was unnerved by the idea that three more Servants were approaching who were all working together.
"If we conquer you with violence, only one of you will be able to be brought to our side. With diplomacy, all three of you can join our ranks."
It was then that the three other Servants were close enough that Bazett could feel their magical energy. Caster wasn't bluffing. One was on the building's roof, another was on the ground at the structure's bottom, and the third was flying around the hotel at the same level as the restaurant.
"You would really attack a building full of people?" the living Scáthach said.
"Consider everyone here hostages. They are an extra incentive to not defy us." The giant pulled out a chair and sat across from Bazett at the table. He looked at the hat in his hand for a moment. "I have to thank Archer for letting me borrow Hades' Cap. Now, shall I enlighten you three about the events of the last few days?"
"Go ahead." Bazett grit her teeth.
Caster went on to explain how a Lesser Grail named Irisviel von Einzbern was turned into a Black Grail, a proxy for the Greater Grail's will. Inside the Greater Grail was Avenger, a Servant that desired the annihilation of humanity as a whole and would achieve it if it managed to incarnate as a Beast. Caster was one of multiple Servants from the Fourth Holy Grail War who the Black Grail revived as Alter Servants. The other Masters and Servants formed a coalition to face the Grail and destroy it before humanity was wiped away excluding a select few who would be ruled over by a golden Archer Servant. The fact the Holy Grail War had escalated to this point, and the fact that such an evil existed within the Greater Grail at all, was chilling. A world-ending threat was really happening, and Bazett was involved in the events surrounding it.
"We really missed a lot." Lancer said. "You said you had an offer for us. Obviously it's to join the Greater Grail's side in exchange for not dying."
"Indeed." Caster nodded. "You will be allowed to live as heroes in the new society that rises out of the mud. You can either accept the offer, or everyone in this building, including you three, dies."
"If we join you, everyone in this building will end up dying in the long run anyway. They're all already dead." The living Scáthach was unfazed despite the dire situation. She made a good point, but it still caused a pinching feeling in Bazett's stomach to think that everyone in the hotel was going to die, probably before the end of the night. "These people's lives hold no leverage in persuading us to your side, you're just trying to make us panic. The only question is whether we can reasonably survive all four of you attacking, assuming you don't have even more allies hidden away to take us off guard."
"I admire your intellect. So, I assume you think you can win, or at least escape."
"I do." Lancer said.
"As do I." the other Scáthach agreed.
"And you?" Caster asked Bazett.
"It isn't a question of whether we can win." Bazett took a breath. "It is a matter of there being no other option but to fight. There is no way I would ever side with you when you plan to exterminate the majority of humanity. I honestly can't believe you'd even think we could be convinced. Do you not grasp the weight of your goal's implications?"
"Of course I do, it is because of that understanding that I side unflinchingly with Avenger. I live to conquer, and to overtake the world with curses and create a new unified society is the pinnacle of conquest." Caster stood up. "It is unfortunate that negotiations fell through, but I will still conquer you, for you are worthy of conquering."
From outside, a dragon's roar instilled a primal fear in Bazett that paralyzed her while electricity danced between Caster's palms.