DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from the Fate universe and its characters. The rights and credits go to the original authors.
Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.
English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'm confident in my grammar, but if there are any mistakes, then let me know and I'll try to figure out how to fix them as soon as I have time.
Hope you enjoy.
FATE/Break Dawn
-Chapter Four-
Down in the Zero
Planet: Earth
Timeline: [?]
Date: [?]
Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Shinto District – Central Building
(======)
Heroic Spirit Emiya moved, fast as the wind and determined like the most unyielding steel.
Jumping from building to building and running across rooftops was a child's play, hardly a box jump for him as a Servant. He moved at heightened speed, oddly relaxed in the wind as he dashed and leaped incessantly to avoid the volley of arrows raining down on him. All the while, as he ran from rooftop to rooftop, more and more explosions and bursts of energy began to echo behind him, but Archer paid no mind to that; his gaze solely focused on his target: the enemy Servant firing upon them.
In his arms, Artoria was squirming and shaking while he kept running at frightening speed, grasping his neck with her arms as she kept her eyes shut due to tension and fear. She couldn't even bear to gaze below or shoot a glance at their enemy, since she seemed to be afraid of heights. Emiya did not fault her. Heights had bothered him too when he was young; at least when he still had that small bit of survival instinct intact. But now, there was no fear in Archer's mind, no trace of tension or worry. Fight, death and combat were constants to which he was already used to – more than anyone could ever understand – and there was very little that could truly surprise him after everything he had experienced in his life and the endless hell he had been through.
Thus, it was with a few portentous leaps and a feeling of absolute calm in his mind that he landed above the Central Building's rooftop, the highest building in the city, righting himself with a slow motion and a neutral expression. As he gently released the young Master from his arms, however, his eyes remained focused on his target and Archer did not stop to observe the enemy Servant placed a dozen feet away, on the other side of the roof. A tense silence fell as the two warriors began to stare down at each other, studying each other, neither of them willing to break eye-contact and show weakness in front of the enemy.
Heroic Spirit Emiya narrowed his eyes. The Servant facing them now was not one he was familiar with, and definitely not one of those who he had encountered in his previous Holy Grail Wars. On the contrary, it was extremely different from what he was expecting to see.
The enemy facing him right now was a woman – a huntress – with cold, sharp eyes of gold containing a beastly glint. Her hair was of silver color, stretched out long and unkempt, and completely lacking in the silkiness that would be found amongst those of noble birth. She wore a black dress which was both elegant and creased here and there, and she possessed white animal ears on her head along with a tail on her back, both of which seemed to be symbols or after-effects of a curse from the past. Though blackened and covered by a mangy-looking pelt that raged with purple flame, her face and body were elegant and refined, so much so that the girl could be called a beautiful beast in human form, since it befitted her appearance completely.
But it wasn't her beauty what caught Emiya's eye. On the contrary, his gaze immediately fell on the dark and menacing pelt of a wild boar placed on the enemy's shoulder, along with the jet black, Western-style bow larger than the woman's own height grasped in her clawed hands. It didn't take him long to Structurally Analyze that weapon with his eyes, and once his head was able to fully register the information on the inside, there were no doubts in Archer's mind about the identity of his opponent. And it wasn't good news.
The Chaste Huntress of the Argonauts, and the disowned princess of Arcadia: Atalanta the Huntress.
Emiya narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Artoria, ready to defend her in case his opponent decided to attack.
Instead, the enemy Servant lowered her bow a little, fixing Archer with a cold gaze. Something wild and dark flashed inside her golden eyes, and her mouth twitched as she parted her lips to say something.
"You…" she spoke; her voice cold, emotionless, but still tinged with a bit of animal fury and rage. "Your scent is… peculiar."
Archer made no move. He just stared as the woman's entire body shook abruptly, as if a shiver went through her spine. Her expression twitched, her lips revealing sharp canines as her mouth set into a feral sneer. Behind him, Artoria grabbed her katana, assuming a defensive position just to stay safe.
"You smell like smoke, and iron, and blood," the huntress hissed again, fixing him with an expression mixed between sincere curiosity and wildest anger. Emiya's finger twitched slightly as he watched the enemy lean forward, taking a whiff with her nose. "I've never smelled a scent like this on a human before… interesting."
It was clear as day that the woman was not a normal Servant in Emiya's mind. Her empty and strained voice, her dark and menacing frame and even those golden eyes filled with fury and madness left no room for doubt about her current Class. All of that added with her feral complexion and behavior made it even more clear.
"The Berserker Class Servant," Artoria stated, reaching Archer's same conclusion.
Berserker Atalanta gave a snarl, but paid no mind to the girl's words. Her eyes remained fixed on Emiya all the while. "Indeed. But you… you don't strike me as a Saber or a Lancer. And your stance doesn't match that of a proper, single-combat type," she stated, smelling the air again and grinning in what could only be described as feral trepidation. "Then I assume I am to face a fellow Archer in this battle? Tell me, before I tear you apart and rip you to pieces!" she demanded with a hiss, like a feral cat spotting a luscious mouse.
Emiya said nothing, did nothing. He just stared at her, studying the enemy with narrowed eyes as his mind continued to process all the information about her appearance. More specifically, about the mangy-looking pelt that raged with purple flame above her right shoulder. Being it so clearly displayed on the Servant's body, it didn't take long for his eyes to understand what it was: Agrius Metamorphosis, the pelt of the Claydonian Boar itself. A cursed Noble Phantasm which caused Atalanta to become a Monstrous Human by wearing it on her body, giving her a condition almost equivalent to a Berserker A-Rank Mad Enhancement.
Yet, even despite that, it appeared that the huntress was still rendered able of speaking and thinking. In all likelihood, Atalanta was an existence who, while being Demon Beast-ified due to the Pelt of the Calydonian Boar and having her status elevated to equal an A-class Mad Enhancement, was still capable of composed thinking due to the fact that she already possessed a beast-like state and body. She was decidedly a different Servant compared to the Berserker Heracles he had faced so many times before. And this couldn't mean anything good. He did not like surprises, after all.
Archer steeled his resolve and readied himself.
Seeing his silence, Berserker Atalanta gave a snarl, twirling her entire body into a combat stance. "…I see. As you wish, then. It matters not whether you are an ally of the Human Order or not. Today I shall devour you!" she roared, dismissing her bow in a dust of prana and positioning herself on all fours, like a lioness ready to pounce.
Archer made no move in spite of the threat. He turned towards Artoria instead. "Be careful. The enemy Master could be miles from here, or they could be in this very same building," he warned her in utmost seriousness. Then, he tilted his head and gestured to the right side of the rooftop. "Take cover behind those ventilation ducts, but don't lower your guard. I'll deal with the Servant."
The girl increased her grip on the katana, nodding her head resolutely. "Very well. I'll leave the enemy to you," she said, moving to take cover before the battle. She flashed him one resolute stare. "Right here and now, show me what you've got, Archer!"
Emiya's only response was a smirk.
As soon as Artoria ran away from them and took cover, the two Servants turned again and focused on each other entirely. They stared down at each other in complete silence, a broken man of tempered steel and a feral huntress rendered a beast; neither of them willing to move and attack before the other. They simply observed and waited, with their bodies stiff and their muscles tense.
Seconds passed, followed by sheer silence.
Then, it broke.
Faster than a man could blink, the battle began when Atalanta suddenly dashed against Emiya with a feral roar, spinning into a lightning-fast kick aimed to his head. The man didn't move, however, waiting for the right moment to react. In fact, even though many Archers were well-versed in close quarters, Servants of all classes – themselves included – still routinely made the mistake of assuming that fighting in close range would put Archers on the back foot. And just like in this case, most of the time they were proved otherwise.
At the last second, in fact, Emiya dropped, bending backwards at the waist, calling one of his favorite twin shortswords to hand and spinning out to slash at the enemy Berserker. Kanshou appeared in his right hand with a flash of black energy, darting towards the target with frightening precision. However, just as it was expected from a huntress of her caliber, Atalanta managed to dodge it, leaping away at the right moment and re-engaging from the right. Then, she dodged a second swing and slashed out with razor talons, with all the speed expected of her and a howl that belonged to a beast more than the devotee of Artemis.
Emiya parried the attack with his short sword, noting with distaste that the pelt seemed to protect Atalanta's bare hands from Kanshou's sharp blade. Then, just as he was about to make another swing aimed at her exposed belly, Archer widened his eyes and ducked under a quick slash, leaping away from the opponent with a jump before she could slash him in the chest. Atalanta growled and hissed in rage, following him closely with a leap and a bestial roar.
Once again, the two of them engaged in combat. Archer traded a series of slashes and blows with the Berserker, moving with great speed and precision that were due to countless experiences and deadly battles. Upon failing to hit the enemy with his blade again, he leaned back with his torso to avoid a clawed hand that almost threatened to tear his chest apart; and he suddenly spun on one heel, aiming at the opponent's left side with a swift but powerful kick. Atalanta blocked the kick with one arm, growling in pain and anger, but the power of the blow still knocked her off balance, throwing her away from Emiya with a wave of wind and energy.
However, not even two seconds later, she was on him again, attacking; like a feral beast unable to quell her frenzy. Emiya tried to leap away from her, but Atalanta met him halfway. With her razor talon alone, Berserker batted Kanshou's blade aside brutally in a fit of refound rage, and then she charged again, more furious and outraged than ever. In less than a blink of an eye, she had already ducked under another swing from Emiya's shortsword, attacking him furiously with her claws. The tanned Archer struggled to block and parry all the slashes, and nearly grunted in pain when Atalanta returned his former courtesy with a powerful kick that hit him straight in the chest, injuring him slightly under his black armor and forcing him to put some distance between them.
All the while, Artoria watched the battle with bated breath behind her cover. S-So this is a battle between Servants, she thought in awe, gulping with a tense expression.
Taking advantage of the distance and the sudden moment of respite, Archer took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. It was clear for him that he was at disadvantage here. The enemy was stronger than him, and much faster. Huntress or not, Atalanta was still a Berserker, and her parameters were elevated to match the standards of that Class. He could handle her current strength, but her speed was something else entirely, and he had no hope of matching it. Therefore, he needed to end this quickly, and he couldn't risk too much energy doing it.
Emiya smirked, straightening himself and taking a stance with his blade pointed at the enemy Servant, his face assuming a challenging expression while he relaxed his body. Atalanta snarled and roared at his blatant challenge, her golden eyes flashing in feral rage. "You dare to mock me!? I will tear you apart for that!" she roared, jumping on him with an impressive speed, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.
Despite the enemy's attack, he did not move. Emiya always played a 'dangerous' game in combat. He was familiar with countless fighting styles, but that wasn't enough to bridge the gap between him and other, more gifted Heroic Spirits alone. He could never hope to match the other Heroes' strength, nor to close the gap between their stats. And he was also well aware of the fact that he could never truly beat Atalanta in an honest clash of strength. Therefore, if he wanted to win, he needed to fight smarter, not harder, using the enemy's maddened state to his advantage.
Thus, he prepared himself with a mind of steel.
Just as Atalanta was about to crash on him and tear him to shreds with her claws, he parried her razor talon with Kanshou and then stretched out his other hand. In a flash of white, Bakuya appeared in his waiting palm, and Emiya quickly swung its blade towards the opponent's exposed belly, ready to slash and cut. The huntress widened her eyes with a hiss, but still managed to react promptly. Since her body was still in the air and unable to dodge, she did the only thing she could: she blocked the white blade with her other hand, moving her arms close to defend her body and avoid damage.
But that was exactly what Emiya was aiming for. With a sudden twist of the hand, he twisted Kanshou in his hand and launched his free arm in a fast – extremely fast – horizontal lunge aimed at Atalanta's leg, opening a wide wound on her left tailor's muscle while barely avoiding a punch that threatened to smash his skull at the same time. The mad huntress hissed in pain, and then slashed at him with her clawed hands in a fit of rage. Archer managed to parry the attack with his twin blades, leaping away at the last moment to avoid a second punch aimed at his ribs. A burst of energy exploded as he jumped away from Berserker, and he twisted his body in the air to keep his eyes glued to Atalanta's frame.
"I'll kill you!" the huntress roared in fury, howling at the moon like a beast. "I'll have your blood!"
She wasted no time. In less than an instant, that long, dark bow from before appeared once again in Atalanta's hands, and the ferocious huntress took aim at Archer with an enraged face and a swift movement. Emiya barely had time to summon his own bow mid-air before a volley of black and purple arrows made entirely of mana rained down on him, all of them as fast as lightning and threatening to tear him apart like nothing.
With a grunt of effort, he aimed his own bow forward and fired even before he could land on solid ground again, and the arrows of black energy collided with the arrows of red energy in a blast of mana and wind that was absolutely blinding. For a couple of seconds, the night sky above Fuyuki City was illuminated with red and purple flashes for miles and miles away. The air shook and the wind moaned, enveloping the world in a flash of light and smoke that blurred everything for what seemed to be an eternity.
Archer dashed to the right, his eyes scanning through the smoke in direction of his Master. Artoria was still hidden behind the ventilation ducts, coughing and struggling to see amid all that smoke. On the other side, however, he could see Atalanta's frame running towards her, her face twisted into a feral expression of anger and blood-lust. Emiya widened his eyes as realization dawned upon him. She was going to attack her.
No way in hell. He couldn't let that happen.
With a great effort and an explosion of wind and prana, he gathered as much energy as he could in his legs and leaped forward. Then, before Artoria could even turn around to see what was happening, Archer appeared right in front of the girl and shielded her with his body. Atalanta crashed on him with an explosion of wind, her razor talons slashing furiously against his bow while the huntress screamed and raged. Archer flinched and hissed in pain when the enemy managed to slash him on the arm, drawing blood with a deep wound. When a punch landed on his face, it didn't take long for Emiya to realize that Berserker had used Artoria as a bait to force him to fight on close range again. He mentally cursed with a hiss of pain. He had been careless.
"Raaaaaaaarrr!"
Atalanta continued to assault him relentlessly, fighting like an animal, her wound on the leg completely forgotten. There was no form in her attacks, nothing for Emiya to recognize or preempt. She was kicking, and slashing and roaring like a mad beast, even attempting to bite him on several occasions. Berserker was fighting on animal instinct, and the only defense was instinct.
Next thing he knew, Archer felt the air leave his lungs as a sudden but powerful kick hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards at maximum speed like a living arrow.
"Archer!"
He could hear Artoria's worried cry, but he couldn't do anything. He crashed against a wall of concrete, cracking it with the collision as he struggled to regain control of his body. Then, with a great mental effort, he forced himself on his feet again and rolled out of the way just as Atalanta slammed on the spot he had been standing on just a few seconds prior, destroying the wall entirely with a crash of smoke and debris.
Emiya took a few steps back, summoning Kanshou and Bakuya again and using them to deflect and parry a few arrows darting towards him from her direction. The weapons cracked and exploded upon impact, unable to withstand such a massive blow of energy, but he quickly summoned them again, taking a defensive stance as he steeled his mind and regained focus. On the other side of the rooftop, Atalanta reappeared amid the smoke, staring at him with wide, enraged eyes filled with hate and fury.
"You!" she hissed, her voice more feral than human. "Who are you? A bowman using twin swords! What nonsense is this?!"
Emiya focused again, and his lips parted into a wide, rude smirk as he opened his mouth to speak to her for the first time.
"Hmpf. Funny hearing that coming from you," he spat back at her, sarcasm clearly present in his voice. "A huntress using her body to attack, fighting like a beast more than a human. You are no longer the proud and charming Hero who sailed along the Argonauts. So spare me your words, Chaste Huntress. I have no need for your lectures."
Atalanta's face twisted into a snarl of pure outrage upon hearing those words and realizing that he had already figured out her identity. If looks could kill, Emiya would have dropped dead instantly.
"How dare you?" she hissed. "HOW DARE YOU?!"
Her whole body shaking in mad fury, Atalanta charged at him again, her speed too outstanding and unmatched to describe. And yet, despite the current danger he was facing, despite his Master's cries coming from the side… Archer kept his lips curved into a smile, his mind calm and focused even as his eyes struggled to follow the enemy Servant's movement. He just remained still on the spot, raising his twin blades in defense and using them to block the huntress' charge with a grunt of effort.
But then, his plan went in motion once again. Just like before, it was time to use his dangerous tactics a second time. Thus, as soon as Atalanta batted his blades away, he left his stance too wide, his recovery too slow, leaving the perfect opening for her – who, in addition to being a huntress, was also a noted Pankration champion. So, as soon as she saw the opening, Berserker lunged forward with a roar, aiming for his torso to take him off his feet, pin him down on the ground and finish him―
―or so she thought.
Reacting once again, Emiya dropped under her attack, kicking his feet up into her solar plexus and throwing her over him. Then, as soon as Atalanta was sent flying above, he replaced Kanshou and Bakuya with his bow and fired a massive volley of arrows at the stunned enemy, mirroring the attack she had used against him before. The maddened huntress hissed and trashed in the air, using her claws and razor talons to deflect and block the arrows, but she lacked control while her body was mid-air. Despite her best efforts, a few arrows managed to scratch her arms and face, and – exactly what Emiya was aiming for – one of them managed to stick itself right inside the wound on her leg, making Atalanta scream like a wounded animal.
But Archer was not done yet. Now that he had succeeded, he needed to keep going. The momentum he was aiming for was difficult to stop; and if he wanted to survive, it was absolutely necessary to take Atalanta down before the surprise wore off.
So, sparing one single smirk towards his Master, he suddenly dashed forward at maximum speed and leaped away from the rooftop, crashing against Atalanta's flying body with a shockwave of wind and prana.
And all the while, the girl with golden hair stared with disbelief as the two Servants clashed and struggled against each other, falling at a dangerously high speed from the rooftop of the Central Building.
Artoria Pendragon widened her eyes and cried in horror.
"Archer!"
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/+/+/+/+/+/+/
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I cross my arms as Rin glares at me. Slowly, my Master turns to the boy and Saber again.
"I just, well…" she is stuttering, her eyes looking distant as she tries to dismiss something. "I owe him, you know? By accident or not, he used a Command Seal to stop Saber, so I have to go easy on him, to balance the scales. And until I've repaid him, I can't fight him with a clear conscience."
Her statement is sincere. I can see the decision inside her aqua eyes. Good grief, she really is a stubborn person. But the blame is my own, I should have seen this coming.
Seeing her resolve, I close my eyes and exhale a sigh. "Complicating things again, huh?"
Her glare barely fazes me as I return into spirit form.
"In that case, call me when you have repaid that debt of yours."
Saber's emerald eyes do not leave me as my body disappears to dust.
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/+/+/+/+/+/+/
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As they fell down from the building, the two Servants continued to fight relentlessly.
Emiya and Atalanta exchanged a series of failed grapples in the air, Atalanta slipping through his calves and Emiya twisting out of the crook of her elbow. He inwardly cursed when she managed to land a punch on his ribs, but he still kept his hold on her, unwilling to let go. Through the madness clouding her eyes, Archer could see that Berserker still registered the dangerous situation they were in, and that she certainly didn't want to let herself crash on the ground because of him.
Hence, she tried to disengage with a sudden jerking motion and a roar, but Emiya threw himself forward with a grunt, risking a few blows to his chest and belly as he slashed out to keep her in place, grabbing one of her legs as they continued to fall down from the giant building together.
Atalanta kicked him in the face, summoning her bow as the two of them kept falling towards the ground, facing the tanned Archer below her with a snarl. "Do you think you can win against a beast?" Atalanta roared with bestial fury, notching a massive arrow of dark energy on her weapon. "Rot!"
Emiya merely smirked. Good grief, these Berserkers… they just never learn. "Very well. I'll fight with all I've got," he said, fixing the enemy with a confident grin even as the ground became closer and closer.
The mad huntress roared, taking aim with her bow and chanting her incantation. "The burning shadow, the bow of the far side of the moon...take all of my hatred!" she roared as she activated her Noble Phantasm, her cry more beast than human. "Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!"
Just like that, her bow and arrow disappeared. Instead, the Tauropolos which she usually employed as an Archer class Servant was absorbed into her own body, which then was used to fire a single shot that was imbued with all her magical energy. Emiya widened his eyes as he watched Atalanta's body become blackened and loaded with magic, becoming the arrow itself, ready to explode upon contact. No, rather than an arrow, it was like she had become a living ballistic missile. There was no way he could leave unscathed from that.
Using Rho Aias was not an option, given the current situation and the lack of solid ground under his feet. Therefore, the only way to survive was to stop the attack before she could launch it completely. And luckily for him, he had just the way to do that.
Not quite true, but surprise attacks were one of Emiya's specialties, after all.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Emiya openly smirked as a sudden volley of "arrows" appeared all around him within a blink of the eye; said arrows made of swords and spears and halberds of different shapes and sizes, much to Berserker's inner shock.
Even without being fully deployed, in fact, his Reality Marble allowed for projection and reinforcement in the real world even during direct combat, greatly lowering the cost of reproducing them and allowing for numerous weapons to be prepared at once to be projected. These weapons could be summoned directly to his hands – like he had done before with Kanshou and Bakuya – or they could also be summoned to levitate within the air and fire upon the enemy as arrows. There was no way to stop this process once the incantation had begun, and it was something that only a certain Golden King and a few other Heroes could hope to match. At least in terms of speed and activation, of course.
And fortunately for him, Atalanta was not one of them.
Heroic Spirit Emiya grinned as his enemy widened her eyes in realization.
"Got you!"
All it took was a mental command. Then, as fast as lightning, his "arrows" darted forward like living missiles, directed at Berskerker's falling frame above them.
Deprived of her speed and bow and forced to fall through the air due to the current circumstances, the mad huntress had no way to defend herself and fully activate her Noble Phantasm in this situation. The only thing she could do was to raise her arms and try to defend herself with her own body as best as she could, using her razor talons to parry and deflect all the incoming weapons. And so she did.
Thus, Emiya's arrows and Atalanta's body collided mid-air with an explosion of energy and prana.
What happened next was a confused and loud succession of screams, roaring and explosions of mana. The air shook for miles and miles away, and the entire Central Building of the city shook and trembled due to the sudden explosion that happened near its walls, smashing a couple of windows along the way and shattering glass and concrete like nothing, making it rain down towards the ground and the streets below.
Archer grunted and hissed in pain as the shockwave slammed on him, making him crash against the Central Building. He summoned Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands again, sticking their blades along the wall of the building to stop himself from falling helplessly. He slid along the vertical side of the skyscraper with a hiss of effort, observing with narrowed eyes as the entire cloud of smoke and energy surrounding Atalanta's body continued to fall past him, unable to stop, crashing onto the ground with a second explosion that generated a small earthquake for a few seconds.
Until, as soon as he was close enough to the ground, he released the blades from the wall and jumped away, landing gracefully near the crash site with a sigh. He took a deep breath, assuming a serious expression even as he lowered the blades to his sides. He inwardly winced as his wounds on the arm and chest throbbed, but he paid them no mind right now. Then, he waited.
When the smoke cleared, he stared with an unreadable expression as his opponent stepped forward from the crater, hissing in pain and rage.
Despite his inner surprise, Atalanta had managed to block and deflect the majority of his weapons even during the fall, but that hadn't been enough to completely stop Archer's attack. The mad huntress's body was covered with cuts on her arms, face and abdomen, the wound on her leg bleeding and throbbing, and Emiya didn't let his guard down when he saw Atalanta step forward with a howl of rage, limping slightly on her injured leg and snarling at him with a mix of pain and outrage on her face. A sword was lodged in her right shoulder, cutting muscle and flesh apart, and the tip of a spear was still stuck and visible on her left arm. He inwardly sighed at the sight. It had been risky, but his previous attack had been a success. And that was all that mattered.
Atalanta coughed, spitting a bit of blood on the ground. "C-Curse you, Archer," she snarled, hissing like a wounded cat as she took another step forward. "Resorting to sneak attacks and fighting dirty... have you no honor?!"
"If it's a fair fight you want, you won't get one from me. I'm not one to hold back," Archer replied in a serious tone, unfazed. "Besides, you attacked us first. I'm not going to listen to your cheap words about honor."
Berserker growled, her teeth bared in rage. "I should have known you were more dangerous than you look. You scent is different than the others, and you fight like a man with a death wish," she said, her golden eyes shining with hatred.
Emiya didn't bother to reply to that. There was no need, for he knew it was all true. Instead, he shifted the topic to gather more information.
"Is your Master such a coward, then?" he asked with a sarcastic tone, sparing a glace to their surroundings. "I know that stooping to dirty tricks and avoid direct confrontation is a Mage's role, but honestly… did they send you here alone, or are they hiding somewhere close?"
The snarl on Atalanta's face was feral and filled with hatred. "Do NOT speak about my Master!" she barked furiously, strangely defensive on this particular subject. Emiya inwardly noted that but kept silent. "I won't allow you to bring us harm! If you only dare to come seeking for us, I will tear you apart!" she roared with possessiveness.
His smirk widened. "Hm? Is this a touchy subject? My apologies, Chaste Huntress."
"You bastard! I'LL KILL YOU!" Atalanta promised with feral fury, her whole body shaking in rage as she went on all fours, ready to pounce.
"By all means, then," was his immediate comeback. Archer readied his stance as well while the enemy Servant glowered at him, pointing his twin blades at her trembling frame. "If you want to keep going, I won't stop you. You are an enemy I must overcome eventually."
He said that, but both of them knew he held the advantage now. Atalanta was wounded, at least more than him, and she had already used a lot of mana upon activating her Noble Phantasm even if she had failed to use it against him. Not only that, but Emiya was aware of her True Name, and he had already outwitted her twice. If she wanted to continue, Atalanta was seriously going to need to be careful from now on, especially with her wounded leg which was surely going to compromise her speed, undoubtedly her greatest strength.
Despite all of that, however, Emiya was fully expecting her to jump on him again, but surprisingly enough… that didn't happen. Berserker was about to open her mouth and say something, when her head suddenly snapped to the left, gazing in a distant direction. Archer observed with narrowed eyes, without lowering his guard even as the enemy appeared to be distracted. It was clear to him that Atalanta was talking with someone thought the Master-Servant bond right now, and the best course of action was to wait and obtain more intel.
Until, the mad huntress relaxed her body and turned to him again, hissing in pain as her wounds throbbed suddenly when she straightened herself. "Mark my words: this isn't over," she stated through gritted teeth, her fangs bared in a growl. "I will face you another day… Archer."
With no further ado and a completely anticlimactic action, Atalanta retreated all of a sudden, her body disappearing in a dust of black energy in less than an instant. Emiya's sword fell to the ground with a metallic clang, and then dematerialized itself as well.
Archer waited a couple of seconds, keeping his guard up just in case. Then, feeling that the enemy had indeed escaped and that the danger was gone, he exhaled a sigh and dismissed his blades, relaxing his body while a dull and empty silence fell around him once again.
"Archer!"
He turned to the right, his lips curving into a smile as soon as he saw his young Master running in his direction, exiting from the towering building. When Artoria reached him, Emiya turned to her in full.
"Master, are you ok?"
"I'm alright," she panted, tired from having run several floors of the skyscraper on foot, probably. "What about you? You're wounded! And where's the enemy Servant?" she questioned.
Emiya examined himself, just to make sure. He had a few bruises on his face, and Atalanta's claws had made good on the promise in the glint of their edge, scoring more than a few marks into his breastplate and limbs. A few of them drew blood, and the wound on his arm hurt a little. Also, summoning his swords had been a bit draining, but that was nothing major. He had not fully activated his Reality Marble during the fight, and it would only take a little time and energy to recover from these injuries. Over all, despite the few cuts and bruises, he was in good shape.
"I can handle this much," he reassured her with a nod, before turning his head towards the eastern side of the city. "But I wasn't able to finish Berserker off. She was stronger than I expected."
Artoria exhaled in relief. Her face turned serious once again. "Did she retreat?"
"So it would seem," he confirmed. "I presume her Master ordered her to fall back. She wasn't in good shape, after all."
"…indeed. You managed to wound her twice despite her speed," the girl with golden hair mused out loud in amazement. She graced him with a wide smile filled with pride, and Emiya tried not to be too distracted by how familiar she looked with her hair mussed from running and falling into her eyes and her skin flushed. "I was really impressed by your abilities, Archer. I'm glad I haven't summoned a lazy warrior."
Emiya snorted. "Of course. What did I tell y―"
"But I still couldn't help but notice how reckless you were during the fight," she cut him off sternly, fixing him with a stare. Archer blinked, surprised by her firm tone, watching in silent stupor as the smaller girl glared at him with her arms placed on her hips. "You purposely left yourself open on several occasions and tried to sneak past Berserker's guard, using tricky and underhanded methods to deal blows. You didn't play fair, basically."
Archer paused for a second, momentarily taken aback by her insight, before scoffing a little and crossing his arms.
"It was the only way I could keep up," he defended himself with a sigh. "And besides, you can't afford to play fair against everyone out there, Master. We're facing a War. That kind of mentality will eventually bring our demise."
"…I know. I'm not criticizing you," she said, lowering her tone. Her face still betrayed a bit of displeasure, though. "I just… I don't want you to put yourself at risk. If you can't keep up with an enemy, then…"
"I won't run," he cut her off, dismissing her advice even before she could state it in full. Artoria's head snapped up to him in shock. "Master, whatever happens, I'm your Servant. Servants are tools used to fight for their Master and defend them. Thus, my one and only priority is to safeguard you. In order to do that, I will do what I must. No matter what," he stated seriously, staring straight into her eyes with a resolute expression.
Artoria blushed a little, but she held his gaze firmly. "I don't want to be protected all the time," she countered back. "I can fight too. I will assist you in the next fight!"
"Not against a Servant, you won't," Emiya shook his head sternly. "I know you're strong despite your age, Master, but I won't allow you to fight a Servant directly. Your sword will be useless against them. If you want to assist me, then next time we face an enemy focus on the other Masters instead. We were lucky this time since they didn't show up, but things could be different from now on. You must always keep that in mind as long as this War continues."
The girl paused at that. She looked like she wanted to protest, but wisely decided to relent in the end. Artoria knew that Archer was right, after all. His argument was absolutely logical. There was no way for mere humans to compete against Servants, and the only way she could make herself useful during the fights was to focus her efforts on the enemy Masters. That was her role. A role that today she had failed in full.
She hadn't even tried to search for the other Master during the battle, after all. Actually, the thought of looking for them hadn't even crossed her mind. But next time, however… things were going to be different.
That, she swore.
Artoria clenched her fists, lowering her head after a small pause. "All right. Then from now on, I'll fight in my own way too," she stated with a serious voice, her face a mask of resolve. "I promise."
Emiya nodded in approval. "Good. I expect great things from you, then," he smirked with a sly tone. Then, upon noting the silent concern in her eyes, he sighed. "And you don't need to worry about me, Master. I am more than able to stand my ground against stronger opponents. What you saw today was just a test, a mere fraction of what a real fight is. Next time, I will make sure to be even more careful and precise."
The girl blinked in confusion. "A test?"
The tanned Archer nodded. "Correct. Berserker and I did not unleash our full potential. Berserker had more power and speed but less dexterity than me. She was extremely capable, but appeared to be hardly exerting as much effort. In other words, we were still testing each other out; pushing for an opportunity to make better use of the clash. What you saw before was only a fraction of what two Servants bring to the War."
Artoria had a hard time swallowing that particular pill. She almost could not believe her Servant's words. Archer and Berserker were so fast, so obviously powerful. They had almost damaged a great portion of the city's highest building… and yet, what she witnessed a few minutes prior had merely been a testing ground? A jab here? A poke there? Unbelievable.
It seemed that a battle between Servants could be way more frightening than what she had imagined.
Emiya patted her head, rousing the girl out of her stunned silence.
"At any rate, I'd appreciate if you could heal my injuries now, Master," Archer said to her with a sly smirk, pointing at the wounds on his chest and arms. "The night is not over yet, and we still can't lower our guard. We don't know what might happen from now on, don't you agree?"
"Y-Yes, of course. I know that," the girl stammered in a fluster, trying and failing to quell her embarrassed blush.
Emiya watched her with a smile, shaking his head in amusement.
"Let's keep moving," he suggested.
.
/+/+/+/+/+/+/
.
"You know, you get hung on the weirdest things, Tohsaka."
Rin openly pouts. "I know that… but I have no choice. I hate to be indebted to someone."
I nearly scoff when Rin turns away from them. She clearly is blushing. Even the boy seems amused.
"You're a decent person, aren't you?"
"Smooth talk won't make me go easy on you!" she warns him, her waspish voice retuning again.
"I know. But I don't want us to be enemies If I can help it," he says with that annoying smirk of his. "I like people like you."
Her face flares a deep crimson as she stutters incoherently.
Hidden on my position above, I don a hand over my face in exasperation.
.
/+/+/+/+/+/+/
.
Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Mion River – Riverside park
(======)
A little over an hour had passed since the previous fight ended. Right now, Artoria walked through the quiet and isolated streets of the sleeping city with a careful and cautious step, closely followed by her Servant who had returned in spirit form in order to retain and preserve energy. The two of them continued to patrol the city in silence, walking towards the northern exit of the newer side of Fuyuki, leaving Shinto District behind and heading towards the river and the great red bridge that towered in the distance, connecting the two main areas of Fuyuki City.
Until, as soon as they reached the park nearing the Mion river, Artoria stopped.
"By the way, I forgot to mention something earlier," the girl said all of a sudden, stopping in her tracks.
Emiya raised a brow at her. "Hm?"
The girl broke from her reverie, a pink flush coming to her cheeks as she turned to his invisible frame with a scowl. "You know who Berserker is," she accused matter-of-factly, her emerald eyes shining with irritation. "You said that she sailed with the Argonauts during your fight."
Emiya reappeared again in a dust of blue. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his smirk to a minimum. "I did. So what?"
The glare she returned him was almost withering. "Do you not consider your Master worthy of sharing such an important information?" she demanded with clear irritation.
Mistake. Another opening. "Of course not. I merely thought that you would have figured it out already, just as I have. If I'm mistaken, then I apologize," he replied with absolute calm, his voice amused and his face smug in spite of her anger.
Artoria flushed, her eyebrow visibly twitching. "You're teasing me."
"And you're pouting," he returned, crossing his arms with a smirk as she huffed. Then, he sighed. "But I do apologize for not telling you. I sincerely thought you had realized her identity as well. There was only one woman in the Argonauts who could use a bow and move with such speed, after all."
The girl with blonde hair blushed, huffing again with a pout. "H-Humpf! No matter. Just tell me already. It could be useful information for the battles to come," she ordered, trying to keep a strong face in spite of the slight shame she was feeling inside. Artoria Pendragon knew a lot of things about legends and history, but she wasn't exactly the best at guessing this kind of things. Honestly, she felt like sulking in a corner right now.
Emiya flexed his shoulders, exhaling a silent breath as he stared at the river. "Her name is Atalanta, a huntress who was famous for her swift feet in Greek legends," he explained seriously, grabbing his young Master's attention once again. "She is a very skilled warrior with the bow, perhaps even more skilled than me, and her speed is almost unmatched. We were lucky tonight since she was forced to retreat, but I'm sure that woman is going to be hard to overcome in the future."
His Master mulled over the information with a nod and serious frown. "But how were you able to guess her name so quickly?" she asked, still unable to understand that.
He smiled. That was easy. "I recognized the Noble Phantasm on her shoulder," he answered with a half-truth. "It was the pelt of the Calydonian Boar, the Magical Beast of Calydon that was let loose upon the earth and brought down by Atalanta. That, coupled with the speed and bestial strength she has showed during the battle, left no room for doubt. That's how I was able to guess her identity, Master."
"I see," Artoria mused, deep in thought. "She's going to be a tough opponent, isn't she?"
"Undoubtedly. Servants of the Berserker Class are perhaps the hardest opponents to kill, and she's going to be no exception; especially since we still haven't learned her Master's identity."
"On that we agree," his Master said with a sigh, putting a hand to her chin as she pondered for a moment. "Maybe we should have followed―"
She stopped, her voice dropping instantly.
Both Master and Servant stiffened all of a sudden.
They felt it. They felt it at the exact, same time.
A magical source of energy.
A source of prana.
A signature of prana that was extremely close.
Emiya reacted promptly. With a movement fast enough to be invisible, he moved and quickly positioned himself in front of Artoria, his bow in hand and a black arrow already notched into it, aimed to the right side of the park. The girl behind him did the same, unsheathing her katana in a swift movement and taking a stance behind her Servant's tall frame, looking both tense and resolute at the same time.
Heroic Spirit Emiya and Artoria Pendragon narrowed their eyes, looking to the right, beyond a small mound in the middle of the park. Towards the direction of the approaching energy.
A man in his early thirties greeted their vision.
He was tall, slender, with long loose hair of black color and a face that bore a tremendously sour expression. He was wearing a dark blazer and a red scarf around his neck, and he was walking towards them with his hands raised in a non-hostile gesture, his body looking as stiff and tense as they were.
As soon as he was close enough, Archer narrowed his eyes. Just like what happened with Caren Hortensia before, he instantly recognized him with a single glance. He knew who this man was, since he had met him during his life… and that was something that left him baffled for a split-second. He wasn't expecting to see this man here, of all places.
"Would you please tell your Servant to relax, Miss Pendragon?" the man known as Waver Velvet broke the silence with a low voice, his tone firm and resolute but still tinged with a bit of nervousness as he eyed Archer with a wary expression. "I'm not here to fight. I swear."
Archer did not comply. He kept his bow and arrow aimed at the man, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.
However, the tense silence was interrupted when Artoria finally took a step forward, fixing the approaching man with a cold stare. "Lord El-Melloi II," she greeted, both her voice and face tinged with slight confusion. "I wasn't expecting to see you here in Japan. I must admit that I'm surprised."
The man lowered his hands, a strained smile forming on his lips. "Some things happened," he admitted with a chagrin. "Let's just say it's a long story."
Emiya shot a glance at the girl with golden hair. "You know him, Master?"
Artoria nodded. "I do. He's one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, representative of the Mage's Association and current Lord of the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory. And also… a friend of the family," she explained, her emerald eyes still glued to the man who stopped about ten meters away from them. Her gaze narrowed on him with clear confusion. "He would often come to my house when I was little to teach me the fundamentals of Magecraft. We shared a somewhat friendly relationship despite the odds."
Lord El-Melloi II cracked a smile. "I'm glad you still remember our sporadic lessons, Miss Pendragon."
"And yet, now he's an enemy Master," Archer spoke coldly, his bow still aimed at the man's head. His eyes, however, were now fixed to an empty spot next to the Lord of the Clock Tower. "If you're here to talk, why don't you tell your invisible friend to show himself? And no tricks. One wrong move and I will pierce your head faster than you can blink."
The threat was direct and crude. Archer did not care one bit. Better to be safe than sorry, after all.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Sorry, my bad! I knew it was a stupid idea to remain hidden!"
Both Emiya and Artoria tensed upon hearing the new voice. However, before one of them could say something, a new figure suddenly appeared next to the Lord of the Clock Tower in a shower of white dust. Master and Servant narrowed their eyes, watching with clear suspicion and apprehension as the newly-appeared Servant offered them a sheepish grin with his arms raised, much to Waver Velvet's exasperation. The man was openly shaking his head right now.
However, Emiya's focus was glued only to the enemy Servant now, studying him with eyes of steel. He appeared to be a young man with black and white hair and blue eyes. His attire consisted mainly of a black and white tunic with blue accents, black pants, thigh-high armored boots, and a short white cape with a black edge. Aside from his boots, his left arm had a gauntlet, and he also wore a set of faulds at his waist. A sword scabbard hung at his left side, and red marks coated his right gloved arm. Archer watched him with clear suspicion. He had never seen this Servant before, and his previous memories showed no recollection of him either. Who was he?
Seeing their obvious wariness, the new Servant laughed nervously. "Ah-ahahah… relax, relax! We're not here to fight! My Master and I just want to talk, I promise!" he said with a youthful voice, sweat-dropping a little in front of their obvious distrust. Artoria looked more tense than ever, and Archer had his bow pointed at him even now.
Lord El-Melloi II sighed warily with a shake of the head. "He's right," he said all of a sudden. "I am a Master just like you, Miss Pendragon. However, we haven't approached you because we want to fight. On the contrary, we are here because we have something to discuss with you," he explained in utmost seriousness, placing one hand above the hip.
Artoria exchanged a silent glance with Emiya. The tanned Archer hesitated for a few seconds. Despite his better judgment, he lowered his bow a little, but still kept a close eye on the duo.
"Can you prove what you're saying?" Emiya demanded out loud, fixing the man and his Servant with a cynical stare. "How can you guarantee that you have no intention of hurting my Master? Give us proof, and then we'll hear what you have to say."
"Archer!" Artoria exclaimed.
He shot her a glance. "We cannot lower our guard, Master. I won't trust an enemy without proof," he explained seriously, ignoring her irritated stare.
"He's right," Lord El-Melloi II agreed, nodding with a solemn expression. Both Emiya and Artoria turned to stare at him, taken aback by his words. "Your Servant seems to be wary and vigilant, Miss Pendragon. It's a wise strategy. Certainly a better one compared to my Servant's carefreeness," he sighed, staring pointedly at said Servant with annoyance. Upon seeing his sheepish grin, he donned a hand over his face. "Good grief, why do I always end up summoning such exuberant Kings?"
"Now, now, Master! A Holy Grail War is like an adventure, and an adventure must be enjoyed to its fullest!" his companion declared with a cheerful tone, patting Waver on the shoulder (much to his growing exasperation). Then, he flashed a mighty grin at Emiya as well. "You should relax too, Archer! I give you my word that no harm shall come to you and your Master tonight. We just want to discuss peacefully. What do you say?"
Emiya narrowed his eyes, momentarily stunned by the Servant's bluntness. But still, after a long while of pondering, he lowered his bow with a smirk. "Hmpf. I'll take your word for it," he grunted, but he still did not move from his position in front of Artoria.
The girl seemed as stunned as he was. She coughed into her hand to regain her composure. "Can you really prove that?" she asked, perplexed.
"Of course! After all, we're here to offer an alliance!" the cheerful Servant declared with a grin. Then, he seemed to hesitate in confusion for a second, shooting a glance to Lord El-Melloi II. "Um, we are here to offer an alliance… right, Master?"
Waver Velvet sighed at his antics (again). "Yes, Rider. That is the plan," he admitted with a weary tone.
"Good, good! Then, as future companions, it is imperative for me to reveal my name to our possible allies! An alliance cannot begin without due introductions!" he stated confidently, the grin on his face both captivating and carefree.
The Lord from the Clock Tower widened his eyes in panic. "W-Wait! I never said―"
Too late.
The Rider class Servant grinned with a proud expression, placing his hands upon the hips. "Well then: my True Name is Charlemagne! My class is Rider!" he declared with confidence and without an ounce of hesitation. Thus, upon seeing the stunned silence that fell after his declaration, he scratched his neck a little with a sheepish smile. "Well, I have one more major name, but let's save that story for another time, shall we?"
Artoria and Archer stared at him in shock, the former with her mouth agape and the latter with wide eyes.
Emiya studied him with confusion for several seconds. This Servant must be either extremely powerful or incredibly stupid to casually reveal his True Name so easily, he thought with a sweat-drop.
However, Archer knew better. Even if that Servant's attitude led him to believe the second hypothesis, the confident look on his face as he stared right back at them made him believe otherwise. If he had to be honest, Emiya was ready to bet on the first one.
That man – Charlemagne – was an extremely powerful foe. He had no doubt about it.
Lord El-Melloi II donned a hand over his face with a silent mutter, while Artoria and Archer stared at Rider with obvious shock.
And the King of Franks shot them a stare filled with confidence and fun.
"Now then, did I persuade you enough to discuss with us, Archer?"
NOTES
The battle between Emiya and Atalanta Alter is inspired by an illustration in FGO called "Destiny of Fighting Each Other" drawn by Yasuda Suzuhito.
Writing fight scenes for Heroic Spirit Emiya is harder than what it seems. In the majority of the stories I've read, people tend to make him either too powerful or too weak. It's hard to find a middle ground with him due to his powers. His parameters leave a lot to be desired, but Emiya is by no means weak, and is capable of holding up to many Servants even without his Reality Marble (he did manage to kill Heracles six times without revealing his identity in the Fate route). His greatest weapons are dexterity and adaptability, due to the countless experiences and encounters he went through during his deployments, and he is deemed as a Heroic Spirit that's unconventionally strong even in the Fate wiki. I'll do my best to keep him balanced in this story.
Also, why in the world is Waver here again? And how did he manage to summon Charlie, of all people? We'll see soon enough.
As always, please forgive me for any eventual misspellings and grammar mistakes. If you point them out to me, I will gladly correct them as soon as I can.
See you next time.