10th Day of the Second Moon
Sophia
Excluding the day of rain, the transportation operation was running rather smoothly. While Saber had certainly found the initial request to be an odd one, it fortunately didn't take much for her to agree; only that she be allowed to redesign the surrounding area as she saw fit, seeing as this would become a somewhat permanent encampment, at least for the short term. The end result was a constant cycling of transport crews through a permanently opened warp gate, carrying sand back to Babylon and construction materials to Baghdad.
Admittedly, I'd had my own reservation, mainly in terms of morale. In my mind, at least, there was simply no way soldiers would accept doing such menial work for days on end. Whether it was Roman discipline, or Saber's doing in someway, or whatever, so far I'd yet been made aware of any issues or complaints though.
But why was all this sand needed…?
Sure, the sand could be converted into other things, but what that… Atlas magus… had shown Assassin seemed rather… specific. Wood, soil, plants, water… what use did Assassin have for more of those?! The palace was full of that stuff already! Surely it wasn't for the city walls either!
Assassin, Assassin… what are you and your master up-
"Hey, Sophia, how's it going?"
I'd gotten so wrapped up in my own head watching the extraction operation I didn't even notice Johnathan approaching until he was only a few feet away and called out to me.
"Going alright, I suppose" I shrugged, turning to face him as he walked over and joined me at the railing under the shade. "Extraction operation is running smoothly at any rate."
"That's good" Johnathan nodded. "And Saber?"
"Running around redesigning the place" I pointed over my shoulder behind me. "That or training the soldiers not currently being put to work. I swear I only see her like two or three times a day. Not that I suppose I need Saber around, considering the situation. What brings you out here, anyways?"
"Just trying to get away from it all" he sighed. "Nice as the palace is, Assassin has finally figured out where the 'missing' construction materials have been going, and to say she wasn't pleased would be an understatement. Between Assassin and her master going at it with one another, and him and Rebecca going at it with each other the rest of the time, it just-"
"Becomes way too much?"
"…Yeah, that" Johnathan let out a slight laugh. "Seems he really wasn't kidding when he said his humbleness wouldn't last…"
"Rebecca didn't come with you?"
"Nah. Refuses to leave Caster alone with another master. Honestly, considering how… loose… this alliance currently is, can't say I blame her."
"…You really care about maintaining this alliance, huh" I turned my focus back to the extraction effort.
"I have to. Without a grand alliance, we have no hope of defeating Satanael."
"…What's with this big focus on Satanael anyways? For all you know he could be on the opposite side of the world."
"And if that's where he is, then so be it. That is where we'll go first."
"Sure, but why?"
"Because this is his world" Johnathan laughed. "It's like this is the one thing nobody seems to… get, and it drives me insane! He inherently holds every advantage because he designed everything! Sure, we have our 'empires', but they're still bound by the rules of this world. His rules. The longer he sticks around, the harder everything becomes!"
"So, what? You're only goal here is to take him out?"
"…I'm here to win. No point in trying to deny that. We're all here to win. Obviously, no alliance like this will last; I'm not stupid. It'll break down into the factions, then to the individuals. There's only one winner, after all. But… well, if anyone thinks they can beat Satanael alone, I think they're delusional, and just as we're building an alliance here, I have no doubt he'll try and do the exact same thing, and who wouldn't say yes to aligning with the creator of this war?"
"…It would certainly be… far easier to join Satanael in an alliance than try to fight him, at least in the beginning as individuals" I admitted as I thought it over.
"Exactly! Yet for every person that does that, trying to stop him becomes all the harder!"
Johnathan hung his head for a moment as he took a breath.
"…I just wish everyone could work together for once to take out the obvious biggest threat, is all" he said with a slight grin.
"I suppose that's understandable" I nodded.
…Of course, I doubted anyone failed to realize Satanael was the current biggest threat. But how big was the distance between him and the rest of us was the mystery. Just because Johnathan thought he couldn't be beaten without as many masters and servants as possible didn't make it true, and once Satanael was defeated, well… a new 'biggest threat' would exist. If everyone's goal was to win, as Johnathan believed it to be, then what was the point simply trading one threat for another? No, there was merit to fighting the other masters now, and even siding with Satanael now and try to deal with him later, through a mass betrayal or something; it helped secure your current position, which was vital.
Can't win in a future when you fail to exist in the present, after all.
…His concern with Satanael may as well have been an obsession, but it was also… genuine. Really, there was only one explanation for that, if one was to go with the common held belief that Satanael was, in fact, not anything more than another human magus.
"You know who Satanael really is, don't you" I questioned.
"I know no more than anyone else."
"Well, that's a lie" I laughed. "Which is fine; doubt anyone here is being completely honest. To be expected of magi, regardless of where they come from back on Earth. Makes sense you'd want to keep it a secret; puts nearly as big a target on your back as it does Satanael's, for how could someone who's knowingly been keeping his identity a secret be trusted?"
"That would all make sense if it were true, but I really don't know who Satanael is."
"…I've heard far better from far better" I rolled my eyes, though I was smiling. "You're not a bad liar. In fact, I'd say you're one of the better ones out there, but… not as good as an old friend of mine."
"You were actively friends with a liar?"
"Yeah? What, is that weird or something?"
"I mean, it's just… ah, never mind" Johnathan sighed. "Look, just… don't go spreading that around…"
"Don't plan to. Everyone has their secrets, after all. Besides, I can get much better value over you on such a thing in the future than anything I could do right now."
"Oh, lovely…" Johnathan let out a nervous laugh.
"That, and I may not have been in the Institute for long, but I've heard your name said here and there. At least, I'm assuming you're the same Johnathan they would talk about."
"Oh? They still speak of me there? I see… How is the Institute doing?"
"I wouldn't really know" I shrugged. "To be honest, I'm here just to fulfil my end of the bargain with Sortiara. I'm part of the Institute in name only, really."
"Huh? Interesting… Didn't think they'd be in so much trouble to try and recruit specifically for this…"
"Really it was my father Sortiara wanted. He was dead before she ever got to him though."
"So that's how you got to be here, but that doesn't really answer the question."
"Sortiara was simply trying to cover every possible basis. My family's magecraft is focused on… well, healing may be a simplification, but it gets the point across. Apparently, the Institute was lacking a specialized medic."
"Ah… yeah, that sounds like something she'd do" Johnathan sighed. "Glad to hear she's also taking this seriously."
"Hearing that makes me think she also knew who Satanael was from the very beginning. Would certainly explain a lot of her actions taken after I was recruited."
"…That she would have, yes…" Was all Johnathan would say.
"Not going to-"
"Master!"
At this point I was quite adept at suppressing the slight shiver that ran up my spine whenever I heard Saber call out to me. I liked Saber, genuinely. I thought she was amazing, even more so than history made her out to be, even if it was still a bit odd to think of Saber as a she instead of a he, considering what I'd been taught growing up. But her voice… get forced to listen to one of her concerts just one time, and that voice, no matter what it was currently being used for, would send a shiver or ten running up your spine as well, and that's no exaggeration!
Please don't be wanting to sing! Please don't be wanting to sing!
"Saber! Is something the matter" I asked as she made her way over and joined us in the shade.
"Not at all, master" Saber shook her head and smiled. "But with allies in our camp I would be remised in failing to greet them personally. How fare you, master of Lancer?"
"Better, now that I've escaped the madhouse" Johnathan laughed, pointing towards the warp gate. "And yourself, Saber? The extraction project hasn't left you running ragged, I hope."
"Of course not" Saber affirmed with a grin. "The task is simple for one such as I. In fact, it has given me plenty of time to redesign the camp."
"More like a city at this rate" I laughed as I looked around. "And the morale of the soldiers?"
"Some are certainly looking for a proper fight, but so far there hasn't been any issues. Fear not master, I will keep the soldiers in line."
"I have no doubt" I smiled. "Good work, Saber."
"Thank you, master" Saber looked rather pleased. "Ah! But seeing as this is the first time Lancer's master has visited, he absolutely must see the palace!"
"I'm sorry, the what" Johnathan sounded a bit taken aback, while I couldn't help but giggle slightly at his expression.
"Of course, it's beauty pales in comparison to my palace in Rome, and the palace in Halicarnassus" Saber continued with her boasting, completely ignoring Johnathan. "Nevertheless, considering the irritating restrictions, I am satisfied with how it's turning out, and for our current purpose it will suffice!"
Before either of us could respond, Saber took off towards the palace, continuing with her boastful explanations of its design and layout, and how it paled in comparison to the palace of her time in Rome.
"Well, best not to keep her waiting" I flashed a quick grin at Johnathan as I took off after Saber.
"…This sand better be worth it, or else Assassin really will kill us…" I faintly heard Johnathan mutter as he joined me in following Saber down the streets of Baghdad.
A/N
Holy shit it's been way too long... At this point I just have to stop trying to predict postings; jinxing the whole process I swear xD
No, but in all seriousness, my life has been REALLY busy lately, for both good and bad reasons. Things look to be starting to settle down now though, what with school finally being done with till the fall, now that I've finished my last exam! Hopefully that means a return to earlier form, but at this point I make neither promises nor posting predictions!
Coming back to this though, holy shit... haven't even looked on for about a month till now, and seeing the view count on both the stories I have here still going up, despite the lack of activity from me... I'm amazed. Hell, minor as I'm sure it is compared to other works on this site, I'm amazed by all the attention and support these works have gotten over time. It's genuinely amazing to me, so... thank you, all of you who are still reading what I'm putting out. Hope you continue to enjoy it, whenever I do post nowadays.
