Cold Lake, Canada, 2043
"Lady Levesque, I don't understand. What are we supposed to find out here in the middle of nowhere?"
As annoyed as I was by all the protesting Otto was doing, I suppose he did have a point. Somewhat. Certainly, there were some magi families with ties to the Institute up in Canada. We needed a physical presence throughout the entirety of the Americas, after all. But even the Institute didn't have any members living north of Cold Lake.
…Seriously, leave it to the Canadians to name a town in the middle of nowhere Canada after the typical temperature, and the fact it's by a body of water. Cold Lake… Yeah, we were certainly feeling cold, that's for damn sure! Why the hell would anyone, even a magus, decide to live out here, of all places?!
"The war is only seven months away, and we still don't even have-"
"Otto, I get it, but please" I huffed, trying my best not to lose it. "Just zip it and keep your eyes open for the next turn right!"
"…Could at least tell me why you dragged my ass all the way up here with you…"
"There's supposed to be a magus living out here, somewhere, and I want him for the war."
"Why couldn't we just have someone already from the Institute? What makes this magus so special?"
"In theory, nothing… In fact, in a typical Holy Grail War, I'd want this magus as my opponent because he'd be easy to beat."
"Ok… so why do we want him for this then? Considering we'd be investing one of the invitations we got to give this magus a spot, I presume you want him as an ally?"
"That is correct. The reason I want-"
"Right turn here."
"-this magu- Damnit, Otto! The whole point of being the navigator is to tell me in advance of where I need to actually turn!"
"Well, sorry for being able to see fuck all in this weather, and the roads being basically non-existent… Honestly, fuck this country…"
"Sure, blame the country" I rolled my eyes. "To get back to the point, yes, I want him on our side, because I suspect in this war, in particular, his magecraft is going to be very, very useful."
"And what is this magecraft of his?"
"Healing. To be more specific, acceleration of natural regeneration and purification of biological matter. At least, that is what I've been told."
"Hmm… I suppose we would be lacking in such magecraft, when compared to the Association and their botany department."
"Yes, I and don't want to be entering a war without have some medical capabilities."
"What are you planning, then? This a formal invitation into the Institute, or…?"
"…That would be the ideal scenario, but even if I can only secure their cooperation for this war, that will be good enough."
"So, what are we looking for now?"
"Should be the first house down this… road…"
"Well…" Otto joined in my hesitation as I slowed the car down to a crawl. "If you qualify that as a house, this would be the place."
A house?! This place would barely qualify as a shack, let alone a house! Honestly, the place was tiny! Most magi in the Americas weren't super rich, sure, but… surely as a magus you could do better than… than this!
"We're already here, so…" I muttered through gritted teeth as I pulled into what I assumed was the driveway and parked the car.
"So let us pray this wasn't a wasted journey…"
Couldn't even tell where the driveway ended and the lawn started, thanks to all the snow! That, and how the hell was that shack even managing to stand upright with all the snow piling on the roof?! The only thing that gave me comfort that this wasn't the completely wrong place was that there was another car in the driveway that didn't look abandoned. At the very least, someone lived here. If nothing else, we could maybe get them to give us directions to the next house in the area.
"Your idea, you knock" Otto moved to the side once we reached the front door.
Giving him a death glare that was, admittedly, only half-hearted due to having far more important things on my mind, I let out a little huff and gave the door a good knock. After a few moments of no response, I turn to Otto. He proved to be less than helpful as he returned a simple shrug. Much as I did want out of the cold, I was adamant of having this trip not be a giant waste of precious time, so I gave the door another knock.
"Coming" a voice shouted back from inside the shack.
On instinct, I took the sound of someone being home as a good thing. But then I hesitated. That voice was clearly feminine, and to my knowledge, we were looking for a man, not a woman.
"Yes, can I help you" the woman asked as she opened the door, sounding polite but also confused as to why there were people at her door.
Judging from a glance, the woman was late thirties, early forties.
"Sorry for disturbing you, miss" I took the lead, switching into diplomacy mode. "We're looking for one Mr. Adar- …a Mr. Andrade, and was told he lived here. Would you happen to know him?"
"…That would be my father" the woman's tone immediately became guarded the moment I mentioned the name. "I'm sorry, but what business do you have with him?"
"We're from the Association, ma'am" Otto jumped in before I could say a word.
That got the woman's attention. The moment Otto mentioned the Association, she stiffened up like a board.
…If nothing else, at least we knew for sure this was the right place now.
"The Association? What-"
"That's a lie, miss" I attempted to swiftly reassure her, this time giving a full death glare to Otto. "But it is true we are magi. We're from the American Institute of Magecraft, if you've heard of us?"
"…I have, somewhat. That doesn't change the question though. What business do you have with my father? Far as I'm aware he never joined the American Institution."
"Indeed, he didn't" I confirmed. "In all honesty, I hadn't even heard of your father until a couple months ago. But it is important we speak to him, if he's at all able."
"…If you're trying to recruit my father, then I'm sorry to inform you, but he's no longer around; passed away spring last year."
…I'd have been lying if I said I was surprised by the response. The moment she'd claimed this Mr. Andrade was her father, I realized he'd have been on the old side. Likely too old to be of any use in whatever this abomination of a Holy Grail War Tristan was planning.
Really… in a perverse way… him being dead is potentially better for us...
…Ugh, that's the kind of mentality Tristan would have. Gross…
"My apologies. Our intention was not to recruit your father, though we did wish to speak to him about an important matter. …Again, apologies if I am stepping over the line, but considering you know of magecraft, would it be safe to assume that you are the inheritor of the family crest?"
"…I was…"
"Then, if it's not too much trouble… might we be able to come in and discuss with you our business" I requested.
The woman went silent for a few moments. Eventually, though, she wordlessly stepped aside and allowed Otto and I to enter.
"Thank you kindly, ma'am" Otto nodded as we stepped inside. "Right cold out there."
"Yeah, well, place isn't called Cold Lake for nothing" The woman muttered, turning on her heels and walking down the short hallway we now found ourselves in towards what appeared to be a small kitchen. "Can't say I understand what Association magi would want to discuss with me though."
"Apologies for earlier, ma'am, but we truly are not from the Association."
"Association, Institution… might as well be the same thing. Groups of magi, obsessed with nothing but magecraft. Throwing their lives away chasing garbage dreams and delusions of grandeur…"
That… that threw both Otto and I for a loop. Magi… even those not part of the Association, don't hold magecraft in a negative regard to begin with, and certainly not to such an extreme degree.
"...If you are referring to the Root, I can assure you that is a uniquely Association based practice" Otto explained as we joined her in what was indeed the kitchen.
"The Root is just one form the garbage takes. I know magi outside the Association largely don't care about the Root; be in the Association if they did. My father wasn't interested in the Root either; doesn't change the fact he was obsessed with garbage. The only change is in form, not in substance."
…Ok… Can someone explain to me just what in the hell we walked ourselves into?!
"I'm sorry… I didn't realize you had such strong… opinions… on magecraft" was the best I could think of saying.
A big part of the reason for that was a large chunk of me wanted to rip this woman a new one for the things she'd just said. However, I knew I had to keep this peaceful if I wanted this to go anywhere like I'd originally hoped.
…Didn't look likely, admittedly, but…
"Look, all you magi folk might consider magecraft to be the most important thing you know, what defines your existence, and all that. All magecraft did for me was ruin my life. Why I'm stuck here, of all places. So yes, technically I'm a magus. I have my family's crest, and I can perform my family's magecraft as I was taught my entire life. I don't care for it though. Never have, never will."
"Right… again, sorry, I just didn't expect-"
"Oh, and if you're here because you want my father's work, might as well leave now, because I'm not giving it to you."
"And if we decide we want it anyways" Otto asked, for some damn reason.
"Then by all means" the woman laughed a little. "Doubt I could stop you; family's magecraft has nothing to do with fighting. Good luck cracking the cyphers though, provided you can even find the books."
"Otto, stop it" I growled. "We're not here for that and you know it! Antagonizing our host does nothing to help our case."
"Hmph… no fun."
"Yes, what are you two here for" the woman asked. "I still don't understand that part of all this."
"Well, to be honest Miss Andrade-"
"Please, just call me Sophia."
"…Right then, Sophia… My friend and I are here because we were hoping to enlist your father's aide in a matter of grave importance."
"And here I thought you'd said you weren't interested in recruiting him."
"And we're not, if he wasn't interested in joining us himself."
"Hmm… close, but I've met better liars" Miss Sophia sighed. "But sure, let's pretend I bought that for the sake of keeping this conversation moving. What's this issue of yours?"
"Well, let's start at the beginning. Are you aware that the leylines are dying out globally?"
That seemed to get her interest, surprisingly enough.
"Can't say I was… Too much to hope that your goal is to speed it up a bit?"
…This woman…
"Quite, seeing as our intention is to actually try and restore the leylines" I strained to keep the diplomatic approach going.
"A shame; would have considered actually helping out if that were the case."
"Well, I'm hoping you will help us in this endeavor. Regardless of your personal stance on magecraft, surely you can understand why the leylines dying out would be a catastrophic event?"
"I mean, not really? Like what, at worst magecraft finally dies out for good? Sure, traditional magi are going to be out of place and struggle to adapt to reality, but it's not as if the world is going to end. The majority of us have long since left magecraft behind. You know… where it belongs."
Ok, listen here bitch!
"While you may very well think so" Otto jumped in before I could say something I'd regret, "fact of the matter is most magi disagree with such a notion. As such, they are preparing a way to fix the leyline issue. A very dangerous way."
"Dangerous how? All magecraft can be considered dangerous."
"Yes, but not to this scale. Ma'am, have you ever heard of a magecraft ritual called a Holy Grail War?"
"…A what now?"
"…You're telling me that, for centuries now, magi have been competing in a magical, battle royale style event, using ghosts of famous people, to try and win a highly concentrated source of mana named after a religious artifact, to get their wish granted?"
"That… in a very loose sense, yes…" I winced as the woman finished. "It's all far more complicated than the brief explanation could ever really… explain?"
"Right… and you know that, how?"
"Because I was a participant in the last Holy Grail War, a couple decades ago."
"Really? …What did you wish for?"
"I… I didn't win… I was the master of Lancer in that war. Assassin and his master were the winners."
"So, magi don't have to die in these things?"
"That is correct. Only the servants are needed to power the grail. In theory, all seven participating masters could live, if they all agreed to not kill one another."
"So, what? Is this your plan then? Run another of these Holy Grail War things, and use the wish to fix the leylines around the world? Why would you want, or need, my father to help with that?"
"That's the thing, ma'am" Otto sighed. "We at the Institution are not the ones behind this Holy Grail War. In fact, no one seems certain as to who is behind this. All we know is that the other factions of magi around the world are preparing to participate in this thing, and so we are as well. Of course, we would like to win this thing, even if it's happening was… unintended."
"And as to why we wanted your father's aide" I continued. "The Institution has a varied background of magi, and thus forms of magecraft. However, it is still a new organization, and so it lacks the… history and depth, let's say… of other groups, like the Association. Specifically, we're lacking in magi with knowledge of… medical styles of magecraft."
"…I could see how that could be a problem for a normal war, yeah. But this is a battle royale type of thing; everyone for themselves" the woman pointed out. "You wouldn't be working alongside my father to begin with, really."
"Under normal circumstances, yes" I admitted, reaching into my coat. "However, this war is unlike either the ones that occurred in Fuyuki, or the one I participated in, back in Virginia. From what we've gathered, invitations such as these were scattered to all the headquarters of magi factions, all around the world. To be honest, I don't think there is a single magus that knows what this war will truly be like, or entail."
"You mean, besides the one who started this whole thing" the woman added as she reached for the gold page I pulled out of my coat.
"…"
"…Or… are you saying this wasn't started by a magus" the woman hesitated as she read over the page. "Because I don't know much about the larger world of magecraft, but I know the only thing my father feared besides the Association was the Catholic Church, and this… this will piss off the Catholic Church… Far as I'm aware, no magus in their right mind would do anything to intentionally attract the ire of the Catholic Church."
"…That is the current theory, yes…"
"Current theory? No, you know that's the case" the woman put the page down and turned to face me. "Which means you appear to have three problems, not one: the dying leylines, an unknown war that is rapidly approaching, and an outsider who knows far more about magecraft than they ever should have been able to discover."
"You actually sounded like you cared for a minute there" Otto snorted.
"…I know how my father would react to such news. I may not care personally, but even I know that this is a major issue for magecraft, perhaps even worse than the leylines."
"So yes, in short, we wanted your father to join in this war with us, and serve as both a master for the Institute, as well as our medic, so to speak" I sighed.
"…Who are you people again?"
…What…?
…Was this woman serious?!
"As we've said before, we're-"
"No, I know you're Institution people" the woman waved her hand in front of her face. "I'm not asking that. I'm asking who you are, as people. Well, I know this guy here is called Otto, but you've yet to introduce yourself. Who are you, exactly?"
"…My name is Sortiara Levesque, and I am the founder and head of the American Institute of Magecraft."
"…The head herself travelled all the way out here to meet you, father" the woman muttered, mostly to herself, after a few moments. "Look at that, you're moving back up in the world…"
"So, now that you understand, will you help us" Otto cut straight to the point. "Since your father is no longer alive, but you are the inheritor of his work, we would ask you to serve in his place and-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it already. Give me a minute to think about it..."
Otto and I respected her request and went silent as she returned her gaze to the gold page. I couldn't say for certain, but I could have sworn I saw her scowl soften up as she read over the front page of the invitation again.
"…Ok, I'll help you people. On conditions."
"…Those being…" I prodded.
"First condition: I want out of here. It's cold, and miserable, and I hate it. Don't care where, but I want out of this frozen hell hole."
"Ok, I don't see why that isn't possible. What else?"
"Second condition: my own wish. I'll help you Institution people in the war, but I'm competing for this cup thing too, and I don't care about the leylines. Now, if I can squeeze it in as part of my wish, then sure, you have my word I'll do it. But I have my own wish that I want, and if I win, that is taking priority over fixing the leylines."
"Ma'am, that would defeat the whole point-" Otto began to explain.
"This isn't negotiable, you two. You want me in this thing, you will accept my terms."
"…"
"…"
"…That… is fine…" I finally sighed.
"Lady Levesque, you can't be-"
"I said it's fine, Otto" I turned to silence him. "After all-"
"You'll all turn and eliminate me the moment it's only Institution people left" the woman finished, as if she'd read my thoughts. "Yeah, I know. It's obvious that's the only way the second condition would ever be accepted. But that's fine; never expected to win this thing in the first place. Why I threw in the first condition. Honestly, I might even just tap out myself at that point; will have to see."
"Right" I nodded. "Then I suppose all that's left is sorting out your catalyst."
"…My what now?"
"Your catalyst" Otto took over explaining. "Typically, masters in a Holy Grail War will get themselves a catalyst to influence the kind of servant they summon. Now, in the previous wars, a catalyst was not strictly necessary to have, but-"
"But this war is requiring each master have one, I take it?"
"That is correct, yes."
"Right… so then, what would pass as a catalyst?"
"Anything that has ties to a Heroic Spirit. Of course, you don't actually need to go and find yourself your own catalyst. Seeing as you're fighting with the Institution, we will provide you with a catalyst. All we need to know is what kind of Heroic Spirit you'd be interested in trying to summon for yourself."
"Well, how would I know? I only ever studied history back in school, and that was a long time ago now."
"Understandable, and quite common, truth be told" I admitted. "Most magi don't actually know much about history, at least when it comes to knowing famous figures who could likely be summoned as servants in a Holy Grail War. Also, even if you had a specific Heroic Spirit in mind, we'd likely be unable to… fully meet your expectations. We are a new organization, after all; the Association has been hoarding artifacts for millennia now. Now, Otto's network can get you a catalyst from a specific region and time period, of that I have full confidence. Really, that's what we're look for: what civilization, or time period, would you be looking for. More… things along those lines."
"Ugh, that's still hard…"
"Sorry, but we really do need to know today. It will take time to secure a catalyst, and we don't know when they'll actually be needed for use, so the earlier the better."
"Alright, then… Well, then I guess I'll go with Rome. Don't care about the specific time period; just something from the Roman Empire."
"Ah, Rome, an excellent choice" Otto nodded. "Consider it done. Though, if I may ask… what is the reason as to your choosing Rome?"
"Nothing in particular, really" the woman shrugged, before a slight, wistful smile form on her face. "Just that…"
"...Yes?"
"Well, an old friend once told me: when in doubt, bet on Rome."
A/N
Cranking some posts out now, as I'm off to cottage country this weekend and thus won't be able to post/write late. Hope y'all enjoy o7
