28th Day of the 1st Moon
Rebecca
"Please tell me you've found a way out of this."
I couldn't stop the sense of panic from growing as we were escorted towards the palace. The city was far bigger than I'd imagined, the streets were more maze-like than anything, and guards, both stationery and on patrol, never once were out of sight, not including our escorts from the gate.
"I could try to make a grab for a sword" Caster responded through the mental link. "It's not as though I've never held a blade before, but I'm far from a competent swordsman."
"Shouldn't servants be able to overpower ordinary people anyways?!"
"The issue is much less fighting off the guards, so much as it is creating a scene and drawing out the master who rules here, along with their servant. If they manage to catch us while we're making our escape, I'm afraid there'd be little I could do at that point, unless they're as poor at direct combat as I am."
"Once we're in the palace we're sitting ducks! For as many guards there are out here, there's bound to be at least twice as many within the palace itself!"
"If I could put forward a suggestion, perhaps a diplomatic approach would be wisest? This may be a war, but wars are rarely won alone. Seeking an alliance with whoever this master is could prove quite beneficial."
"…I don't disagree with the assessment, Caster, but what are the odds-"
I'd been so focused on both the conversation with Caster and trying to put as much of the layout of the city that I could to memory that I didn't even notice we'd stopped moving until I walked right into Caster.
"Ow… sorry."
"Quite alright, master. Though I must say I'm not quite sure why- Oh."
"Oh? What-" I began to ask as I looked past Caster, only to see two people coming down the street towards us. One of them was wearing what appeared to be normal clothes from back on Earth, while the other one was in what looked to be full steel armor, though it shined like polished silver.
"That's a master."
"That's a servant."
The two of us spoke in unison as the head gate guard began walking towards the two approaching us, while the guard behind us lowered his spear and stood at attention.
"Looks like they've come out to greet us personally" I muttered as the one who looked like a master began speaking to the head gate guard.
"Yes, but it doesn't seem like their communication is that much better than our own with the guards" Caster noted. "Does that mean this isn't the master who rules this empire?"
"Why would there be a third master in the-"
The thought was interrupted by the head gate guard shouting back to the guard behind me something or other in their own language. I could only assume it was an order to return to his post, for as soon as the shouting finished the guard began walking back the way we'd come from. A couple moments later and the head gate guard walked past us as well, leaving caster and I alone with the other master and servant.
Now that the other master was close enough that I could get a proper look at him, I started to think that Caster maybe had a point of him not being the ruler of this empire.
"I didn't think this would be the empire of someone from out east" I took the initiative in the conversation.
"Spiral Manor, specifically" the master replied, putting on a friendly demeanor, "and you would be correct in your thinking. The ruler of these lands here is from Atlas."
"…I didn't realize the Spiral Manor and The Pit were working together in this war."
Neither the master nor his servant gave off any sort of threatening presence. Really, the other servant seemed to be much like Caster, in the extent that both were standing off to the side and leaving all the talking to the masters for the moment. The man was probably around the same age as my father. Perhaps a few years younger, but not by much.
"The Pit? I take it you're from the Clock Tower then" the man laughed slightly. "Though if you think there's some greater alliance at work between Atlas and the Spiral Manor, you've got the- well, it'd all be easier to explain once you're introduced to the other member of the alliance and have a clearer picture."
"You want me to just go with you?"
"Preferably" the man nodded. "Really, I'd like to invite you to join our alliance. The way the two of us see it, there's no reason to fight others until Satanael is dealt with. That said, I'm not going to force you. In fact, Lancer and I were just about to leave, until he sensed another servant in the city."
So, his servant was of the Lancer class… Thanks for the free information.
"I'm just supposed to believe you'd let me go if I refuse" I scoffed.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't believe me, all things considered" the man shrugged. "Wouldn't blame you for not believing me either. I'm not here to kill people though, if I don't have to. If you'd like, Lancer and I can leave first, and you can wait around until you feel safe leaving the city. The guards at the gate won't harass you, so long as you leave by the south gate. Don't think you'd have any problems with the Atlas master either, so long as you don't start anything. I's just that…"
"It's just what?"
"Well, him and his servant aren't on the greatest of terms, apparently" the man sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Really, his servant is the one running the empire here. Only met her a couple of times, but, well, I wouldn't say I'd want to deal with her before her master. If she gets to you first, I'd say she's likely to just get rid of you rather than try to engage in diplomacy. The guards were going to take you straight to her, rather than her master, hence why I thought I'd step in."
Pretending to think on the matter, I closed my eyes and spoke to Caster through our link.
"Your thoughts, Caster?"
"…I can't discern any hidden motives from him. Now, I'm not sure how this other master is going to react to things, and, considering the limited understanding I've gathered from you about the hostilities between different groups of you magi, there is undeniably a risk involved with entering what's likely to be the most guarded area of the city. That said, there's no guarantee we can freely walk out of here either, and getting in on this supposed alliance does have its benefits."
"Being what, exactly?"
"Well, we'd finally have a place to set up a workshop. Even if the alliance falls apart down the road, we'd at least have had some time to prepare."
"Oh, the alliance definitely won't hold once this Satanael is defeated. Each magus is likely to be after this grail for their own reasons, let alone the different factions having potential unified goals. Do we really want to be in enemy territory when it does though?"
"We already know there's two masters in this area, and we don't know how fast everyone else is expanding. If you think you can find some place to claim as your own, then perhaps it's not worth the risk, but otherwise…"
"…Alright, I'll hear you out" I opened my eyes and spoke to the other master. "But I make no promises on joining anything."
"Considering how long you were taking there, that's better than I was expecting" the man grinned, reaching out a hand. "Name's Johnathan, by the way."
"Johnathan? …Name like that I'd have expected you to be one of the Americans" I commented, causing the man to retract his hand and let out a brief, nervous sigh.
"Ah, yeah… Not much of a Chinese name, is it" he laughed a bit, though likely more so to himself than me. "Well, you wouldn't be entirely wrong, I suppose. Grew up in America, didn't move back to China and join the Spiral Manor till- well, never mind that. Not important."
The man turned and began walking back towards the palace, Lancer leading the way by a few paces. I shot a glance towards Caster and moved to catch up to the man.
"Anyways, not many people from the Spiral Manor actually joined this, so I figured it'd be easier to just go around using the name I had in America" the man continued as we walked.
"By not many, you mean…" I tried to press for more information.
"I want to say three, including me."
"What?! Only three people?!"
"The Holy Grail War is a western concept" Johnathan shrugged. "Invoking western religion by taking the name of Satanael only reinforced that point within the Spiral Manor. No one there really had any reason to believe this person, magus or outsider, was either a threat, or held a genuine method of resolving the leyline issue. As such, once us few who did decide to try and get in secured an invitation, the Spiral Manor offloaded the rest to different groups of magi across the rest of Asia. Most ended up in South Korea, if I'm remembering correctly?"
"What made you believe then?"
"Well, as I said, I grew up in America" Johnathan laughed. "Even before the American Institute came about, there were still spellcasters calling that place home. I grew up alongside two, and neither of them were from the Spiral Manor. The philosophies behind the different forms of magecraft may be different, and thus incompatible with your method, but that doesn't mean you don't, and can't, come across and study the ideas and practices. When it comes to western wind magecraft and… let's say shamanistic dark magic… I have some experience fighting both alongside, and against."
"You fought other spellcasters as a child?"
"Sparring practice. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that spellcasters aren't all that highly regarded within the Association, and my mother didn't exactly cut ties with the Spiral Manor in the best of terms. Combine that with the fact that America, and especially the United States, where we were, is very much Church territory, and there's enough reasons for spellcasters to work together, at least in terms of protection and combat training. I mean, it's either that or become a paranoid hermit, right?"
"I… I suppose? Wait, your-"
Stepping into the palace grounds, I was left speechless. It wasn't as if I'd never seen any beautiful sights before, but the palace here was a whole other level. To say it was a grand display of wealth would have been an understatement. It wasn't just a display of wealth, it was wealth. The size, the details engraved upon every stone, the lush gardens and flowing waters…
"…Wow…" I couldn't help but be impressed as I just shuffled along, trying to take in every detail.
Especially of the gardens.
"This is… I-I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like this" Caster spoke in agreement, though he sounded far more… excited than awed. "The scale! The design! The outer walls of the city were impressive as is, but this is- And the gardens here, how are they so well kept in the desert like this?! Where does all the water come from?! What plants are among the selection?! How-"
"Quite the sight, isn't it" Johnathan laughed as Caster and I looked on in wonder. "Mind you, this isn't even in the palace proper yet, or the main garden."
"You mean there's more than just this" Caster immediately jumped at the bit.
"So I've heard, not that I've ever seen it for myself" Johnathan shrugged. "Assassin is quite guarded as to who is permitted within the inner sections of the palace. Especially when it comes to the main garden. But who knows? Make a good impression on her, and maybe she'll let you see it."
Caster didn't respond, but just a glance was enough to tell that he was fantasizing about it.
"I thought books were your thing, not plants" I commented, turning to Caster.
"Books are truly special in my heart, but it's not as if a man can only have one interest! I may be a book lover first, but I am still an alchemist second."
"…An alchemist, huh" Johnathan came to a stop, before turning to face me. "Are you also an alchemist then, uh… sorry, I don't think I actually-"
"Rebecca, and, well… I wouldn't strictly call myself an alchemist" I began, feeling slightly nervous by the fact we'd come to a stop, "but I suppose such a label wouldn't be entirely inaccurate either. …Why- ah."
"Indeed" Johnathan laughed slightly, apparently having put the dots together as well. "Well, hopefully that won't cause any… major issues…"
"Why would such a thing cause any issues? Alchemy is a perfectly respectable field of study" Caster questioned.
"Well, modern day technicalities aside-" Johnathan began.
"Those from Atlas are basically all practitioners of alchemy" I took over the explanation. "But the alchemy they study is… different… from the alchemy that I or even you likely know, Caster. The issue is that they also see anything other than their version of alchemy as inferior rubbish at best, to not even being alchemy at worse."
"Well, I'll say… Alchemy is alchemy, in all its forms! Why, in the pursuit to create-"
"Alright, we get the picture Caster" I stressed, trying to get him to stop before he revealed anything more about who he was.
Although, pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone isn't exactly an unknown goal of European alchemy…
"But anyways, it's basically as your master described" Johnathan sighed as the giant palace doors before us swung open and we stepped into the palace proper. "Just… I guess try not to provoke him, if you can avoid it."
"It's not us from the Clock Tower that have the superiority complex in this case" I muttered.
"Never said that was the case. Not like I would know; spellcaster in America to Spiral Manor magus."
"Which reminds me" I began, trying not to get distracted by the elegant columns and splendid murals as we walked down the palace halls, "Didn't you say your mother cut ties with the Spiral Manor in the first place? How did you get back in, and why even go back in the first place?"
"…Desperation and… desperation" Johnathan's pace slowed slightly, but unlike last time we didn't come to a full stop. "For one, it probably helps to know I wasn't born into a magus family. I was an abandoned street kid, left behind due to the old child policies China used to have. The woman I call my mother just happened to pick me off the streets, but she wasn't my mother by blood or anything."
"But that… that would mean you're-"
"One of those freak mutations where a normal child ends up being born with magical circuits? Yeah, that was me" he laughed slightly. "In my case, exactly one magical circuit, and a garbage one at that. But for mother, it was enough. She just needed someone to take over her eventual legacy, and considering she'd already cut ties with both the Spiral Manor and her family, she- …I can't say for certain, but she probably just started roaming around China, looking for a freak accident like me. I suppose I was just the lucky one that she ran into first."
"I… I see…"
"Hm? Oh! Um, I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding. Sure, I doubt she took me under her wing out of the goodness of her heart initially, but she was a kind and loving person. I don't still consider her my mother out of pure obligation, you know? But anyways, with me not being a direct descendent of my mother, and with the leylines issue slowly starting to grow as an issue globally, I didn't face much opposition from the Spiral Manor when I requested to join."
"You ever meet your mother's family?"
"Sure, I've met them. Don't interact with them much at all though. Their focus in magecraft is vastly different to mine. There was some limited pushback from them when I was trying to join initially, but once I was accepted, we've all just gone about our own things. But as for the how, that's basically it: desperation for new magi to join and try to contribute towards solving the mystery of the dying leylines, at least within China."
"And the why?"
"As I said, also desperation. This time though, it was desperation to get away from the American Institute. Well, what was slowly becoming the American Institute at the time, anyways."
"That I can understand" I nodded. "The Institute is a problem, so not wanting to-"
"Oh, my problem isn't with the Institution in of itself. Honestly speaking, were I not with the Spiral Manor, I'd join the Institute before the Association, and not just because of the differences in magecraft."
"…You'd actually side with the Institute over the Association? Seems you're still a spellcaster at heart…"
"If that's what it takes to be a spellcaster these days, then sure" Johnathan laughed. "I've never cared what the Association types called me. I've heard the stories though: what the Association does, how it operates. Yeah… I could never work with people like that."
"But you're working with a magus from Atlas, and want me to join in this alliance?"
"Indeed, so very clearly I don't consider either of the two of you to be typical Association magi."
"Meaning what, exactly" I huffed, starting to get annoyed with his whole holier than thou attitude.
"Meaning you're here, and the Clock Tower lords aren't."
"You don't even know if that's true or not" I dismissed.
"Don't I" he raised a brow as he looked at me, the slight bit of confidence I'd had immediately leaving me. "Then let me guess. Perhaps some of the lords from the Clock Tower wished to join initially, but when all the lords gathered for a meeting to decide if they should commit themselves to this endeavor, they couldn't reach consensus. Given the rapidly spiraling out of control political issues within the Clock Tower itself, the larger Association group, and external powers, in the end none of the lords joined the war themselves, believing it to be too great a risk to their personal political positions and power within the Clock Tower were they to join while other lords stayed behind. As such, the invites the lords would have undoubtedly gathered were therefore distributed to upcoming magi across the different faculties, to serve as proxies for the faculty's respective lord. Do I have that about right, Miss Rebecca? If I'm wrong, please do enlighten me."
"I… That- I mean, um…-"
"Don't underestimate the Spiral Manor's spy network" he winked at me as I struggled to find something to say. "The lords are too self-absorbed to look at and deal with the bigger picture; the actual issue that will bring about the end of magecraft that they all seem to want so desperately to circumvent by reaching the root. So, what do they all do instead? Send proxies in their place, believing either in their ignorance or arrogance that any random magus from the Clock Tower can compete in this Holy Grail War and win by some virtue or other. By contrast, I know for a fact that the head of the Institute is participating in this war, as well as a hand-picked group of their top magi, standing in the Institute, and even the Institute as a whole, be damned. That is the difference between those of the Association, and those of the Institute, and why I'd join the Institute of the Association."
"…You… haven't told this magus from The Pit this yet, have you" I asked, dreading the answer.
"No, and I don't plan to either, so relax" he shook his head. "All this alliance is for is to defeat Satanael. Why would I help anyone from Atlas beyond that?"
"Yeah, ok…" I still felt a bit uneasy, but it didn't seem as though he was lying. "Ok, but… if you feel this… strongly… about it all, then why didn't you just join the Institute in the first place?"
"…It's… complicated…" the tone in his voice drastically shifted, as if recalling was bringing back a painful memory. "The Institute was an idea that I, the current head, and a few other magi across North America that w- …I'd come across and gotten to know, formed out of a desire to leverage the relatively untapped leylines and create a place where magi, from all ways of magecraft, could establish themselves without fear of having to play the political games of the older, established, factions. Of course, trying to establish another faction of magi, largely spearheaded by western magi, on a landmass under heavy Church control, meant there was going to be a war for its foundation. Slowly, over the years, our numbers grew to the point we believed we could effectively take on the Church, but the timing…"
"…"
"…A few months before, I want to say… Certainly no more than four… A few months before we were going to declare the formation of the American Institute, whispers started reaching members still in their former factions about a massive issue with the leylines. About how they were rapidly losing magical energy, and any magecraft performed was growing weaker at a rate never seen or experienced since the end of the Age of Magic. Everywhere, that is, except for the Americas. A bit of digging was all it took to confirm the rumors were true: the leylines were dying. Worse still, no one could explain why, or had a clue how to fix the rapidly expanding issue. That knowledge caused a split within the Institution, though it was far from even."
"What was the split over?"
"On the minority side were the people led by me. The people who believed that the Institute needed to take on an active role in solving the leylines issue once it was established. That this was the greatest threat to all forms of magecraft globally, and needed a solution found immediately. On the majority side was the group led by the current head of the Institute. She argued that the leylines of the Americas were fine, and that they should be fine for centuries, as the issue of the leylines was clearly one of excessive use. That if the Institute was the only faction of magi with leylines, then it would become the dominate faction of magi in the world. That the other factions, such as the Association which as ruled for millennia, could finally be torn down and put in their proper place. …Considering that most Institute magi were what factions like the Association would call spellcasters, and either effectively exiled or hunted for one reason or another, it wasn't really a surprise to me how it all played out."
"But you just couldn't agree with that path?"
"I just couldn't agree with such a path" he nodded in confirmation. "But with me being a practitioner of eastern magecraft, and being a spellcaster through and through, because I truly have no desire nor do I understand the obsession you magi have with seeking out the root, I didn't exactly have many places I could turn to and get out to go focus on what really matters. Hence, out of desperation, I went back to the one place my mother spent her whole life trying to escape, and later, avoid."
"…So that's how the Institute was formed…"
"Well, in a very simplistic way, in a sense" he laughed. "I'm certain it was all far more complicated than how I remember it now, over a decade later."
"…Do you know why-"
"Ah, here we are" Johnathan sighed as we turned a corner and a set of large doors came into sight at the end of a much, much shorter hallway. "Honestly, I have no idea why he thought it would be smart to set up his workshop this out of the way. Feels ridiculously excessive..."
A/N
Man, this took way longer than I'd have liked. In part that's because school just won't let up, and in part that was me focusing more on the Imaginary Scramble even in FGO than actually doing any writing, so... hehehe...
My b y'all xD
