I finally overcame writer's block and got my act together. Yay! Hope you enjoy.
It was Thursday morning.
Marcus had the news turned on and Archer was in the kitchen preparing food while Ian was showering in the bathroom and Assassin was sitting at the kitchen table. The past week was uneventful, with the exception of someone sending what seems to have been a Berserker to raid the Pythons' base. As soon as Marcus had heard about that, he immediately knew that Wesley was behind it.
He and Wesley had met a few time at Pastrami Jim's, the deli near the Wilkins Incorporated headquarters. He was a fairly decent man, if a little rough. Marcus couldn't blame him for siccing Berserker of Alpha on the Pythons. The guy's had to deal with them regularly attacking him for a year. Even if nothing really bad happened to Wesley, it still had him royally pissed off.
Speaking of Berserker's raid, the news was discussing that at the moment. Some people were being interviewed for their thoughts on the matter. Some were confused as to just what did that, some had some reasonable theories but not much to back them up, and then there were the idiots like this guy...
"I think that Wesley King guy did it. But here's the thing, that s*** that happened in the Pythons' base, he can't do that s***. Normal people can't throw table so hard they break against the wall. But if he were somethin' like the Hulk, then he could. Then he'd just need a really big knife and a gun, and that's how it happened."
Literally everyone in the room turned to look at the TV with dumbfounded expressions. Even though they had varying levels of knowledge about who the Hulk was, it still sounded very stupid. Marcus, being an American, had a good amount of knowledge of Marvel comics. Archer had heard enough about some American superheroes, like the Hulk, but he didn't know much because they weren't that mainstream where he grew up. Assassin just plain didn't know who the Hulk was, but the guy being interviewed sounded like an idiot.
"I think it was an alien." said another interviewee who happened to also be an idiot.
"Why would you say that?" the reporter inquired.
"Whenever I don't know what happened, I just say aliens did it."
Marcus facepalmed immediately, Archer sighed in exasperation, and Assassin scratched her head while trying to understand the logic behind that claim, or lack thereof.
At that moment, Ian walked into the room and Assassin turned to look at him.
"Daddy, what's a Hulk? And what's an alien?"
Ian then looked to Marcus in confusion. "What did I miss?"
Fate new dawn
Chapter 21: Parley
Marcus didn't leave before Ian left for school. He had stayed behind because there was something important that he needed to discuss with Archer. The two of them were walking into the basement, for the black-haired man had hidden something in there.
"As you should be aware, the Mage's Association does not exist on this world, right?" Marcus said.
"Yes." Archer nodded.
"Well, it would be more accurate to say they don't exist any more." Marcus said. "After the previous War ten years ago, I began to gather information on just what's going on with the Grail because something seems very wrong."
"Something highly unusual happened at some point, but I can tell you that this is actually the fifth Holy Grail War. Not the second."
"This world as a whole is extremely unusual really, Master." Archer deadpanned. "That series made by Nasu has somehow thrown the Throne of Heroes off its normal routines. It treats that series like it is naturally a part of our legends."
"Yes. Apparently, the Avenger of the last War shouldn't even have been possible to summon with a Fuyuki Grail-based system." Marcus said bitterly. "Weirdly enough, Grand Order probably wasn't even a thought at the time."
"But anyway, some associates of mine and I have been trying to solve the puzzle piece by piece." Marcus switched the subject as he and Archer approached a wall.
It was actually a fake wall and Marcus moved it out of the way to reveal a door with a variety of locks, making it very obvious that whatever was beyond was something drastic enough to warrant such an excessive level of security. Marcus began to undo all of the locks and once that was done, he opened the door to reveal a quite spacious room with a desk, some black boards, and shelves containing multiple boxes.
"You see, Archer, we have found many, many secrets. And from what we can tell, something wiped out the magi. But we can't tell just what happened." Marcus stated as he pulled a folder out of a box and gave it to Archer. "But from what we've determined, it happened during 1934."
Archer's brow furrowed. "The Third Holy Grail War... Figures. It seems that one seems to always be the one where everything goes wrong."
"Yeah. But whoever was responsible for this was very thorough. We haven't been able to find a single document that could give us a suspect." the CEO then sighed. "Not even making a trip to Clock Tower helped. Or, at least, what was left of Clock Tower."
"But something still is very wrong. At the end of the last War, when I found the Grail, it was cracked."
"Archer, I have a favor to ask." Marcus turned to Archer. "Would you mind sticking around after this War is over to help me get to the bottom of this? If we survive, that is."
"I may have given up on that 'Hero of Justice' nonsense that boy was so hung up on, but something is definitely very wrong." Archer said. "A cracked Grail cannot mean anything good..."
Ian stopped by Caster's base that night and was amazed to see how much it had changed. It was no longer a humble temple and was now comparable to a small castle. He walked up to the gate and knocked. A few seconds passed by and Lily opened the door.
"Oh, hey Ian." Lily said.
"Hey, Lily." Ian said. "I just wanted to check up on you. See how you were doing."
"I'm doing okay." Lily said.
"…I noticed that it seems like something's going on. Would you like to…talk about it?" Ian asked, trying to be cautious and not forcing the issue.
"…" Lily was silent for a moment. "My mom… My mom has cancer."
"Oh…" Ian said. "I'm sorry."
"I-It's fine." the blonde replied. "My adopted parents are some of the only people who have ever cared about me."
"I don't know if my birth parents loved me. They died when I was very little, so I might never know. I don't want to lose my mom. That's why I want the Grail. Because otherwise, she'll die."
"I know how you feel." Ian said sadly. "My mom died shortly after my birthday. She was a Master in the last War."
"Which Servant did she summon?" the half-blind girl asked.
"I've never asked that much about the last War." the black-haired boy admitted. "Though, I think Assassin was summoned during it. Uncle Marcus seemed a little surprised when he saw her, like he recognized her."
"We were, Daddy." Assassin said, materializing suddenly and surprising Ian and Lily. "Though, we don't remember much about it. Most of it is…"
"Hazy?" Lily suggested.
"Yeah. We can't remember much of last time clearly."
Abraham was taking a walk, looking to see if any of the enemy Masters were out and about. He eventually came across Ada, though he didn't recognize her due to the fact she was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up.
"I recognize you." Ada said as she stopped. "Saber of Alpha's Master."
Abraham was taken aback by this and Saber exited her astral form to stand protectively in front of him.
"Woah. Easy there." Ada said as Mordred materialized.
"You survived?" Abraham gawked. "But Wesley said that Caster's castle was almost completely demolished."
"I had an emergency exit installed just in case." Ada removed her hood. "But I'm not here to fight."
"I can tell you were looking for my Master or one of his allies." Saber pointed a sword at Ada. "If you don't wish to fight, then why were you seeking him out?"
"Parley." Ada stated.
"I'll contact my boss. He'll have to make the decision on this." Abraham said before pulling out a radio to contact Marcus.
Abraham lead Ada to where Marcus told him to take her; an out of the way alley. Their Servants were in spirit form and Saber was positioned behind the former Master of Omega in case she were to try anything.
"Hello." Marcus said.
"Holy s***." Ada muttered. "You're Marcus Wilkins!"
"Yep." Marcus said. "So, parley, huh?"
"I want to join you." Ada said.
Marcus raised an eyebrow in response.
"The Omega faction stabbed him the back." Ada said. "They sent f***ing Heracles and Cu Chulainn after Caster and I."
"Well, that does seem like a good enough reason." Abraham said.
"If you do accept, you'll have a second Saber, which is considered the strongest of the seven classes, right?"
"You do have a point." Marcus said. "We do need some more muscle after losing Lancer, who was our best option against Heracles, aside from our Berserker."
"I accept." he then stated. "What's your name?"
"Ada Winchester." Ada said.
"Welcome to the Alpha faction." Marcus said.
"Thanks." Ada said before turning around. "Oh, and Saber…"
Saber then materialized in response. "Yes?"
"Nice rack, by the way." Ada said.
Saber's face turned red while Abraham and Marcus gawked at Ada's statement. Of all the things to say to a legendary hero, Ada commented on Saber's breast size. The swordswoman was actually quite well-endowed, but still.
Ada then left the area.
Omake: The Sheep Who Cried "ROMA!"
It was a few days before Lancer of Alpha and Saber of Omega mutually killed each other in battle. Leeroy had called Ian and the two of them were now at a warehouse on the outskirts of Philburg.
"So, what did you want to show me?" Ian asked as Assassin materialized.
"So, did you know that Romulus was a shepherd?" Leeroy said.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well..."
A few days earlier, Lancer had somehow managed to travel quite a bit away from the city. He eventually came across a random sheep and began trying to shepherd it. And by 'shepherd', that meant he was trying to teach it to say 'Rome'.
"...Rome." the Divine Ancestor said.
"Baa baa..." the sheep replied.
"Rome!" Romulus shouted.
"Baaaaa!" the sheep called back.
"You dare defy me? Rome is that way! Rome!"
"B-Baa, baa!"
Leeroy didn't actually explain what happened, figuring it would be better to just show Ian and Assassin. "Lancer, show them the sheep."
Lancer came out of the warehouse with a sheep following him. Assassin then walked over to the sheep and hugged it, quickly becoming immersed in the fluffy warmth of its wool.
"It's so fluffy!" she said.
"Romaa..." the sheep said.
Assassin's eyes shot open and Ian's jaw hit the floor.
"Did that sheep just...?" Ian asked, stunned.
"Yes. It did."
"Romaaaa!"
"ROMA!" Lancer shouted.
"Daddy, this sheep is weird." Assassin said as she let go of it.
"How did you even manage that?" Ian asked Romulus, dumbfounded.
"Rome is the world. All of its citizens shall exalt it so long as the world exists." the bronze-skinned man replied.
"I expected you'd say something like that..."
Current Status of Participants in the Holy Grail War (Alpha Faction)
Ian Clark- The nephew of Marcus Wilkins, the owner of a large company. He operates on a desire to make his mother proud, even though she died during the previous War. He has psychotic tendencies, but at the same time, still has a conscience. They aren't very strong, but he still does take pleasure in killing people. He is unaware that he actually inherited these tendencies from his mother.
Assassin of Alpha- True Name unrevealed. A strange girl who was summoned as Ian's Servant. Jenny Clark summoned her during the last War in as a Berserker. She is psychotic and enjoys killing people, but doesn't seem to grasp the impact of her actions. An innocent murderer. She wants
Abraham Irving- An ordinary college student. Although his main goal in life is to become a chef and maybe open his own restaurant, his goal for the Grail is to heal his lung cancer.
Saber of Alpha- True Name unrevealed. A swordswoman from some point in Japanese history. She doesn't seem to have a particular wish for the Grail and just wants to fight strong opponents.
Marcus Wilkins- Ian's uncle and the victor of the previous Holy Grail War. He wants to make sure that another disaster like the one that occurred at the end of the last War does not occur again. Everything regarding Jenny's activities during that War fills him with regret and he is afraid that Ian will end up the same way. He also seems that something is very wrong with the Grail and wants to find out what happened to make it so.
Archer of Alpha- True Name unrevealed. An unknown Heroic Spirit whose identity seems to be indecipherable. Although he is an Archer, he prefers close combat with two Chinese falchions, Kanshou and Bakuya. He doesn't seem to have any wish for the Grail, but has agreed to stay behind after the War, should he survive, to help Marcus figure out what is wrong with the Grail.
Leeroy Jenner- Ian's childhood friend. He lost his parents in an accident, which also crippled his younger sister. Kimberly. Leeroy wants to use the Holy Grail to heal Kimberly. Unfortunately, he was eliminated from the competition when his Servant, Lancer of Alpha, died fighting Saber of Omega.
Lancer of Alpha- His True Name is Romulus, the Divine Founder of Rome. He spends every waking moment reminding people that he founded Rome and believes that the history of the world is also the history of Rome. He holds a great deal of regret over the fact that his brother Remus died as a result of a dispute during Rome's founding. When asked what his wish for the Grail is, he will respond that he is ready to welcome it as a part of Rome. He and Saber of Omega, Remus, both died fighting each other.
Serena Gracelyn- Marcus's bodyguard. Her sister, Valerie, was in an accident and fell into a coma. Her wish for the Grail is to wake Valerie from her coma. During the siege of Fate Morgana, Rider of Alpha, her Servant, was killed by Lancer of Omega and Serena was grievously wounded by Jeffrey Stanford. She narrowly survived the stab wound and was hospitalized.
Rider of Alpha- His True Name is Saint George, the Dragon-Slaying Saint. He ended up forming a rivalry with Rider of Omega. He is disinterested in the Holy Grail, knowing it is not the real one. But, he is willing to help his Master obtain it to wake her sister from her coma.
Lily Wright- Lily was born blind in one eye and her parents died when she was very young. After a few years in an orphanage, she was eventually adopted by a couple who weren't able to have any children on their own. Although her adopted parents loved Lily as if she were their biological daughter, she was often bullied at school for being half-blind.
Caster of Alpha- True Name unrevealed. She is a Servant with a good deal of mystery surrounding her, with her exact identity being unclear. She cares greatly for her Master. She actually only answered the summons on a whim.
Wesley King- A thuggish man who is greatly irritated with the fact he is stuck living in a gang-infested part of Philburg. He wants to use the Grail to get enough money to move somewhere far better than the slums. He is also greatly irritated that he ended up stuck with an insane Servant who wants to destroy everything he deems 'oppression'.
Berserker of Alpha- His True Name is Spartacus. He wants nothing more out of life than to defeat tyrants and oppressors. Unfortunately, his Mad Enhancement means that he is more likely to topple any government he sees than just seeking out the ones that are actual oppressive states and accuse something ridiculous of being tyranny. He claims to not need to Grail because his rebellion is eternal, whatever that means. For some reason, he is convinced that the members of the Omega faction are oppressors.
I hope you appreciated that segment, KnightOfZaku. This only covers the Alpha faction while there will be another next chapter covering Omega.
So, Marcus reveals that something is wrong with the Grail, Lily tells Ian why she fights, and Ada has defected to Alpha. Things haven't quite gone to hell yet, but it will very soon. The next chapter will show some more of Louis' hunt for Assassin and cover Ada's reunion with Emily. Then, things will really start to get bad.
ZenoZen: We all have our own tastes. And thank you.
Leave a review. Constructive criticism will be accepted. Flames will be used to make s'mores. Jyaa-nee!
