GudaGuda Honnoji: IV

"The Chaldea group continued on their voyage through the barren landscape, avoiding traps and dangers from all walks of-OW!"

Demon Archer called out as she clutched her head, glaring towards the direction the stone had come from "What was that for!?"

Arkon lowered his throwing arm and merely stared at her in silence before he turned back around, not even bothering to explain why he had picked a stone off the ground and thrown it at her to begin with. He then turned towards Ritsuka before speaking once again, not even addressing the action he had just performed "Has there been any sign of pursuit?"

Ritsuka shook his head "Nothing yet, the Director would have warned us by now and I don't think any of you can sense anything." he looked around at them "Right?"

He got shakes of the heads in response.

"As I am now an Archer, my senses have been expanded considerably." Ash remarked "As such, I have an improved sense of awareness. I can say with great confidence that I cannot sense any approaching Servants nor can I sense a battalion of Noblite warriors."

"So we are relatively clear then?" Sakura Saber inquired before she hummed and nodded her head "That is fortunate, it means we have some time to rest before we continue on our journey, do we not?"

Demon Archer nodded her head "Yeah, I'm hungry." she looked around "Anyone got anything to eat?"

Ritsuka sighed and looked skywards "No. You rushed us at like three in the morning so none of us had the time to pack any sort of meal." shaking his head, the boy looked to Mash with a slightly hopeful expression "Right?"

Mash slowly shook her head, causing the Master's expression to drop and the Shielder to give him a sad look "Sorry, Senpai. If it had been later in the day, I'm sure I would have had more time to prepare something to take with us or have Boudica-san make something instead." she reached up, lightly scratching her cheek and looking away.

"Not your fault Mash." Ritsuka assured her as he pinched the bridge of his nose before lowering his hand and twisting it to bring up the communicator "Director? How close are we to the centre of the phased space or whatever?"

"It's concentrated ahead of you." Romani replied instead, the man rubbing his eyes and staring tiredly at the screen "Hey, Fujimaru-kun."

"Roman?" Ritsuka blinked "How come you're here? I thought you went to bed."

"I did." Romani nodded his head before he yawned and covered his mouth "T-then I got back up and came down to the command centre. I was only taking a quick nap anyway, I wasn't going to disappear while you were still doing something dangerous." he assured the Master with a faint chuckle before he slumped "Yeah…anyway, you've got some sort of town up ahead of you. That's where the highest concentration of magical readings are."

"So that's where the tampered Grail is then." Ritsuka sighed in relief "Good, good…so we're almost done then." he himself yawned before shaking his head "I'd like to get this done so we can get back to Chaldea and then just…slip into my bed and pass out."

"Fair enough. So how are you getting on so far?" The man asked as he leaned forwards and tilted his head to the side "I haven't been made aware but it doesn't seem to be going bad."

"Appearances can be deceiving." Arkon commented as he walked past Ritsuka, temporarily videobombing Romani before vanishing.

The doctor raised an eyebrow before he sent a puzzled look towards the Master who returned his look with a very strained expression of his own "It's been a bit of a challenge so far…for some more than others." he sniffed before his expression turned serious "Oh, Ash has found a calling in bomb making."

Romani blinked once.

Then twice.

"Oh…" He said before his face shifted into one that made it apparent he was very unsure of how he was supposed to respond to that "That is…um…good for him?"

Ritsuka gave him a bland look "Not really a hobby I was hoping he'd pick up but at least he's invested in something." he mumbled before shaking his head "Anyway, so how far away is the town or whatever?"

"About…three miles?" Romani winced at the bland look he got in response "Sorry, I can't help the distance. Guess its back to long distance walking."

"For some of us more than others." Ritsuka sent a glance over his shoulder towards Demon Archer, the girl still sitting atop Ash's shoulders with a smug look on her face and not a single concern in the world.

"By the way." Romani coughed into his hand, bringing Ritsuka's attention back to him "Have you figured out the identity of Demon Archer and Sakura Saber?"

"Demon Archer? Yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head before he paused "Sakura Saber? Not so much. She's definitely a Japanese Swordswoman but I don't know what else…we can't really say 'well, she can't be them because they were a man' anymore now, can we?"

"Not really." Romani gave a wry smile "We'd probably look a bit silly if we were to claim that now, considering we have King Arthur, Francis Drake and Emperor Nero to act as evidence to the contrary." he paused "And that's just the ones we know." he shrugged "Who knows how many were women that we didn't know about!"

"Honestly, I'm going to avoid thinking about it." Ritsuka admitted "Else I'm probably going to roll a whiteboard into my room and turn into some conspiracy nut and just spend my time pointing at a series of pictures with the words 'woman' in big red letters written in the middle of it."

Romani stared at him for a few moments before he spoke up "That sounds really specific."

"...It does, doesn't it?" The Master sighed to himself before waving his hand "Don't read too deeply into that. It's more like an imaginary whiteboard in my head."

"You too, huh." He chuckled quietly before he continued on "Anyway, you should probably keep on moving Fujimaru-kun. I'm sure things will only get worse before they get better."

Ritsuka snorted "Knowing our luck so far? Probably." he paused before he turned around and looked towards Sakura Saber "Do you think that Sakura Saber would tell me her true name if I asked?"

"Well, she didn't tell you her true name when you first met but you've spent some time with her now, haven't you?" The man hummed, crossing his arms in thought "I don't know…What do you think?"

"Maybe." Ritsuka murmured, placing his other hand on his hip "She might but…hmmm. I could ask, do you want to make a bet?"

Romani gave him a dubious look "A bet?"

"Yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head "How much do you want to bet that she's actually a really famous man whose gender was actually recorded as a mistake and - in actuality - was a woman all along?"

"That's a fool's gambit, Fujimaru-kun." Romani replied with a dry look before shaking his head "And forget about that for right now. Besides, I've suffered enough gacha." he paused before he looked away "Magi*Mari warned me away from that sort of thing-"

"Huh, sounds pretty reasonable-"

"Unless I'm spending money on her-"

"And he's back." Ritsuka gave a dramatic sigh as he rolled his eyes "Never change, Roman."

"So…we have no food?" Demon Archer asked with an expression of disappointment "What about drinks?"

"Drinks?" Ritsuka raised an eyebrow "You mean like booze?"

"...I mean, tea is also up there." Demon Archer remarked with a shrug of her shoulders "I don't have a problem with that. We have all those tea sets, may as well put them to use."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Demon Archer nodded her head "Besides." she grinned "I know a thing or two about tea!" she looked down at Ash "What about you?"

"I have no working taste buds."

"...Oh." Demon Archer pursed her lips and looked up and away into the distance "Well, that sucks. Sorry."

"It is hardly something I will blame you for, considering that you are neither from my world nor are you of Godly origin." He paused, then looked up at her with a raised eyebrow "Are you?"

"No." Demon Archer snorted dismissively "Me? I've got nothing to do with the Gods. Screw 'em."

Ash's lip twitched upwards "Indeed."

Arkon looked over his shoulder, glaring at the two of them from behind his helmet before he looked away and shook his head "Then we journey for the end of this endeavour?"

"Yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head as the group continued to move, the Master looking ahead and squinting at the distance "Roman says that the magical energy readings of the Grail are coming up from the town ahead of us. We'll probably need to search for a bit and they'll likely be…I don't know…something that is guarding the Grail that we need to fight."

Sakura Saber blinked "Truly? How can you be so sure?"

Ritsuka shrugged and pointed at his head "I just know these things." He lowered his arm before he flattened his features "Also this place seems like the sort to just do that. You find the end goal and then get jumped by some multiphase boss or whatever." he shivered "Or a tanky boss that just has a lot of mobs spawning around it that just interfere all the time."

Mash made a face at him as if trying to discern whether or not he was making a joke. When she saw no evidence of his face shifting from its current expression, she leaned back and realised that he wasn't actually joking and was making a serious comment.

"Senpai…you think there might be a Servant guarding the Grail?"

"Probably." Ritsuka sighed.

"Really?" Demon Archer squinted at him before she placed her hands on her hips "What sort of idiot would guard a bomb?"

"Well, this sort of…" Ritsuka stopped talking,

Then stopped walking.

He continued to stare ahead of himself for a few seconds before he slowly started to turn himself around, angling his head to look upwards towards Demon Archer with a mystified expression. He raised a single finger before he moved his pinky finger to his ear and then cleaned it out before flicking it clean "Sorry, can you just repeat that?"

"I said what sort of idiot would guard a bomb." Demon Archer repeated with a tone of incredulity "It's just…well…the moment it goes off then you're dead!" she paused "Unless your expendable or are doing some sort of suicide play in which case it makes more sense."

"Riiiight." Ritsuka replied slowly as he nodded his head "Sorry, what I mean is…what do you mean 'bomb'?"

"As in bomb." Demon Archer repeated, sending the Master a look that just screamed 'are you stupid or something?' before crossing her arms. "Duh."

"Demon Archer-san." Mash stared at the Servant with her own puzzled expression "How…do you know the Grail is a bomb?"

"Because I made it into a bomb." She scoffed "Obviously."

Ritsuka, Mash and Arkon silently turned their attention towards Sakura Saber. She remained silent before she gave them a pitying look and slowly nodded her head to confirm the Demon Archers words.

The group's attention slowly returned to Demon Archer, Ritsuka's face cycled through several emotions before his eyes clutched themselves shut and he released a deeply resigned sigh of exasperation. His hand moved away from his side and to the bridge of his nose "Wha…" he trailed off, shaking his head "...Why?" he asked in a hollow tone of voice.

"Why make a bomb or why make one from the Grail?" Demon Archer responded with a tilt of the head as she crossed her arms in front of herself. "Because the answer is yes."

Arkon leaned towards Ritsuka, dropping his head so he was in earshot of the Master "Can we be done with her now? Her flights of fancy have been downright chaotic and it would appear she is the source of our trouble. Even if killing her does not put a stop to the singularity we now reside in, we shall at the very least be free of her."

Ritsuka glanced at Arkon out of the corner of his eye, dropping his hand back to his side and thinning his lips before shaking his head in response. He turned back to Demon Archer and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow "Alright so you made a bomb to blow something up, right?"

"Yes." Demon Archer nodded her head.

"And you made it from the Grail because it would be powerful, right?"

"That too." Demon Archer nodded again, looking more prideful by the moment and completely oblivious to the growing expressions of horror that were being sent her way. Horror being the most tame reaction, Arkon was positively murderous behind his helmet.

Ash - meanwhile - had an odd expression on his face, his lip was drawn into a thin line with his eyes flickering between the girl on his shoulders and to Ritsuka as if he was considering something.

"The idea was that once I built the Grail Bomb, I could turn around my Grail War in my favour." She pressed a hand into her chest and gave a confident smirk before glowering in the direction of Sakura Saber "If it wasn't for the Man-slayer and her stupid knack for just warping around everywhere it would have gone off without a hitch too!"

"So, you stopped her then, Sakura-san?" Mash turned to the woman with a relieved expression, only for the girl to shake her head in response and give a more strained look.

"I cannot claim credit for halting her plans." She nodded towards Demon Archer "Her own failure is self-inflicted due to foolery." a beat "Unsurprising when you consider her true identity."

"Her true identity aside." Ritsuka raised his hand to cut her off as he turned to the individual with a puzzled expression "How exactly did you manage to bungle it?"

Demon Archer stared at him in silence before she raised a hand to her mouth and formed a fist, coughing into it once and darting her eyes away as she mumbled something under her breath. Ritsuka raised a lone eyebrow and angled his head slightly so his ear was facing her.

"Come again?"

"I…fell in." Demon Archer muttered with a touch of redness on her cheeks, whether that was embarrassment or indignation was not something that Ritsuka could accurately confirm but either way, it was all he could do not to laugh and scream at the same time.

"You…fell in?" Arkon repeated the words slowly before he tilted his head "Was…do you speak of the golden chalice we have all seen? If so, how did you manage the curious feat of falling into it?"

"It was bigger, alright!" Demon Archer exclaimed, spreading her arms wide "As in really big. Covered an entire warehouse sort of big. Anyway, I fell into it and it sort of messed me up. Really damaged my spirit core and made all of this." she gestured to their surroundings "How could fate be so cruel?"

"Indeed." Arkon grunted in a quiet tone of voice, crossing his arms and staring at her. Ritsuka closed his eyes and mentally started to count down from five, already knowing what was to come. "How could it not have simply killed you and be done with it?"

"And zero." Ritsuka whispered under his breath, pointing to Arkon "There it is. Anyway…" he opened his eyes back up and faced Demon Archer "So the Grail we're talking about, that is responsible for this whole mess…is also a bomb."

Demon Archer and Sakura Saber nodded once.

"Outstanding."

"Would the bomb have worked?" Ash asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Ash!" Ritsuka chided him with a frown "Don't-"

"Absolutely." Demon Archer cut him off, boasting with a smug look in her eyes "I would have claimed victory with total ease and eradicated all of my opponents."

The Saber shrugged in response "Very well then."

"Don't encourage her!" Ritsuka snapped at the Sarcher with a horrified expression, then pointed at the uniform wearing fool "And don't you encourage him! I draw the line at making bombs from Holy Grails!"

"So we can go back to making bombs from the tea pots?" Demon Archer asked with a twinkle in her eye and a giddy expression.

Ritsuka stared at her with a baffled look before he pressed his hands into his face and released a muffled groan of exasperation, turning on his heel and then resuming his march across the wasteland in the direction of the town Romani had pointed them towards.

Sakura Saber sent Demon Archer a scowl "Really? This is all your fault, you know."

"How?" Demon Archer blinked "If you'd let me blow you up, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with." she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Some people are just so inconsiderate."

Arkon hissed at her from behind his helmet, the man's posture constricted as if he was a cat waiting for its moment to pounce before the tension in his body simply departed, the man's limbs loosened up and he turned away from her and resumed walking, closely flanked by Mash and then by Sakura Saber.

Demon Archer watched them all depart with a raised eyebrow before she shrugged her shoulders and looked down at Ash "Can I have the binoculars again?"

Ash wordlessly held them up for her.

"Thank you!" She grinned as she took them from him and held them up to her eyes "Advance!"

"Buooooh!" Ash called out, marching forwards. Apparently it was necessary for him, Demon Archer had explained the basics that it was to alert his allies of his course of action. It made sense if he was unable to articulate properly and words could signal opposing Servants to their agenda. As such, other methods of communication were required that could also be used with non-contracted Servants.

Therefore, Demon Archer suggested that he simulate the call of a war horn.

Ash had little reason to argue against the notion, it made perfect sense from a tactical perspective. However, he wouldn't use such techniques in a role that required concealment, fortunately the wide open steppe negated any advantage of stealth and he was certain any foe would see him before they heard him.

"Halt!" Demon Archer raised her hand, the group stopped walking behind her as she lowered the binoculars "I spot a town ahead of us! This must be the location where the Grail is located!" she looked down at Ash "Come Retainer! To the local tavern!"

"T-Tavern?" Ritsuka coughed into his hands "Wha-"

"Indeed." Ash nodded his head "The logic is lost to me as well, why would we enter a tavern as opposed to searching for our objective?"

"Ah, I see my genius has soared above your head, my retainer." Demon Archer sagely nodded her head "Not to worry, I shall elucidate you! We could blindly search through a town in the hopes of finding the Grail, or we could question the locals to discover if there have been any strange happenings as of late. To do so - and avoid drawing suspicion to ourselves - we will need to blend in as best we can."

She grinned "Therefore, we pass ourselves off as travellers and walk into the pub and ask for information to cure us of our ignorance. Which will just so happen to be easier if we are seen to blend in with the other patrons of a tavern, a location where the denizens will undoubtedly have loose lips due to drinking in excess."

Ritsuka stared at the back of Demon Archer's head with a baffled expression "Wha…where did…How?"

"Ah, I see." Ash nodded his head in response, humming in affirmation "That does make sense. My inability to get drunk off unblessed alcohol will also work to my advantage in mingling with the patrons. I can drink in excess without concern for loss of information due to inebriation."

Demon Archer looked down at him "...Yes, that too."

She - in reality - just wanted something to drink and figured a tavern would be a good place to get some booze and some food. Demon Archer would admit that she was more than a little impressed at how quickly she had come up with such a flagrant bullshit excuse. Then again, she was a tactical genius so it just couldn't be helped.

"She has somehow stumbled over common sense." Arkon grumbled quietly behind Mash "Watch as she picks herself up, dust herself down, and then carry on as if nothing had occurred at all."

Mash frowned ever so slightly as she looked over her shoulder at the lordkin "Arkon-san, don't you think you're being too harsh on Demon Archer?"

Arkon stared at her in silence before he responded in an odd tone of voice "You say this after she had been revealed as the source of our woes? One whose ill-conceived plan and general incompetence has somehow spawned an entire race of freakish mutants that will now plague us…until…the…source…is…" the man slowly trailed off as his arms fell to their side and he stared off into the distance "...extinguished."

Mash stared at him with a hint of concern "Arkon-san? Is something wrong?"

Arkon remained silent "...By the Flames…" he whispered to himself before he slowly shifted his gaze to stare at Demon Archer "She is…this is…" he fell silent, slowly looking back down the ground in what could only be described as silent horror.

While Arkon suffered from a gripping realisation, Ritsuka found himself still baffled by Demon Archers sudden burst of intelligence before he then paused and squinted at her in suspicion. A glance to his right in the direction of Sakura Saber found him not alone in that assumption, as it appeared she was similarly dubious about the situation.

"...Alright then." Ritsuka coughed into his hand "When we get into the town, we'll split up into three teams." he raised three fingers in accordance with his words "Arkon and Sakura Saber, myself and Mash then Ash and Demon Archer." he looked around at the group "How does that sound?"

"Acceptable./Good." Ash and Demon Archer replied at the same time.

"Sounds reasonable." Sakura Saber responded with a faint nod before she looked down towards Arkon, soon finding the man on his knees with his fingers clenched into fists and muttering under his breath. Her expression scrunched up slightly and she found herself leaning away slightly.

Ritsuka stared at the man with a raised eyebrow before he crouched down "Arkon? You good?"

"...No." The man replied in a quiet voice as he stared at the ground before he released a long sigh, then pushed himself back to his feet, swaying slightly before righting himself "However, I shall recover. This is nothing more than a simple repetition of insanity…" he thudded a fist into his chest "A chance for me to right this wrong before it becomes a great plague, like with the Chaos Demons of Demons of old."

Ash stared at the man, tilting his head "...I do not believe these two are comparable in the least."

"Considering they are the mental spawn of this one-" He stabbed a finger towards Demon Archer with an audible scowl in his voice "-whom has described herself as a Demon King, there is little left to the imagination what is to be made of their subjects."

Demon Archer blinked "Wait…are you saying those little freaks-"

"""Noblites.""" Several voices replied at once in dull tones, prompting a faint twitch from the woman.

"Not calling them that." She replied quickly in a petulant tone of voice "Anyway, are you saying those freaks are demons because I'm called Demon King?"

"That is the obvious implication, yes." Arkon grunted.

"Huh…" Demon Archer blinked once, then cupped her chin and frowned "Well…hmmmm…"

"Would this not make her a Mother of Demons?" Ash looked up at the girl on his shoulders, raising an eyebrow "And therefore make her the equivalent of the Chaos witches?"

"W-witch?!" Demon Archer coughed out in surprise "I'm not a witch!" she looked down at Ash in surprise "Why would you even call me that!? I can't do magic!"

"Huh, me neither." Ritsuka commented from the side with a half smile before shaking his head "But that aside, let's just get this over with." he crossed his arms and looked at the group in front of them, his eyes lingered on Arkon for a few more seconds as the man was still looking shaken by some internal reveal "The moment we get into the town, we split up. Use the mental link to stay in contact and alert us if something goes wrong, alright?"

Ash furrowed his brow "Why do you stare at me when you speak those words?"

Ritsuka squinted harder at him "...No reason." he huffed out before he then realised something "Also no making bombs!" he pointed at Demon Archer "And fight to defend yourselves, no starting fights o-or whatever!"

"Hesitation is defeat!" Demon Archer cried back "I learned that from…" she paused, a slightly ashen look coming to her face before she shook her head and looked away "M-maybe later." she mutely whispered under her breath "Fine."

"Hesitation is defeat?" Ritsuka murmured in response, cupping his chin and giving a thoughtful look. He recalled hearing that before, or he had read it somewhere in a book of quotes. He dismissed it from his head for the moment, he'd probably recall it again at another time and the opportunity for him to call upon it would be long gone.

"As long as you all accept." Ritsuka nodded to the pair, then turned to Arkon and Sakura Saber "Patrol the streets, me and Mash will go for the market and ask around."

Sakura Saber smiled and nodded once "That is actually the sort of work I am most accustomed to."

"As am I." Arkon grunted in acknowledgement "I shall inform you of any and all issues."

With the plan in mind, the Chaldea group once again resumed their journey in the direction of the distant town.

"There is an Izakaya down the street." The rather nondescript man responded to the prompt from Demon Archer, not even looking bothered by the fact she was asking questions while sitting atop the shoulders of the tall blonde westerner.

"Thanks." Demon Archer waved him away, tapping the top of Ash's head and then gesturing off down the street. The Sarcher hummed in response and turned his body into the directions given and resumed walking. Occasionally glancing around and pursuing his lips as he saw their location "...Was that guy missing a face or is it just me?"

Ash blanked, furrowing his brows in an effort to recall any features of the individual they had just spoken with "I…cannot recall."

"Huh." Demon Archer thinned her lips and hummed "Maybe it's like a…um…Grail thing affecting them like with the little weird things." she suggested "Like me struggling to recall names and faces?"

"You believe that has somehow transferred over into a physical state?" Ash asked before he made a noise "I cannot comment on such things. Normally names and faces fading from my mind are an early indication of Hollowing, thus I make an effort to recall any and every piece of information that I am made aware of."

"So you have a good memory then?"

"It is a necessity." Ash simply replied as he glanced left and right, sure enough the people who walked past him also demonstrated a similar nature to them. Their clothing was plain and not liable to stand out, simple grey tunics while their faces were all blurred as if being viewed at a distance. Their eyes were difficult to discern and while expressions could still be read, he couldn't determine their genuine nature or not.

"Is this space genuine or a fabrication?" Ash asked after a few moments "It appears to be disjointed and rather…odd."

"Probably a bit of both." Demon Archer hummed "Inspiration mixed with my own experiences and mental state made manifest by the Grail…I mean, it's a little odd that nothing of my past is actually here." she realised with a frown "That is just…really strange. You'd think to see something like Mount Hiei nearby…maybe the Honnoji temple?"

There was a pause "Actually, perhaps not that one. That would be a bad idea to bring me there."

"Why?" Ash asked with an innocent tone.

"...Reasons." Demon Archer responded in a vague tone "Reasons that may or may not include my death."

"Ah, I see." Ash nodded his head in acceptance as they continued their walk forwards "I have had many of those, therefore it is understandable."

"Ye-what?"

"Did I not say I was unkindled?" Ash blinked "Hm. Before becoming a Servant, I was of the race of ash that would rise again and again after being slain. Therefore, I have died many times and in many different ways."

"...Oh." Was all she responded with "Did it hurt?"

"Which death do you refer to?"

"Just in general."

"That depends on the death." Ash remarked in an uncaring tone "I have been burned alive by dragons, torn asunder by wyverns, eaten by mimics, stomped on by giants, gutted by knights and stabbed to death by hollows. My senses are muted but even they do not dull the pain…It is an experience I do not wish upon any soul."

She looked down at him and frowned. "That why you can't taste anything?"

"Yes."

"How come you still have it then?" She asked with a touch of confusion "Aren't you supposed to be in the prime of your life?"

"I am in the prime of my life." Ash shrugged his shoulders at her "All…hmmm…" he mentally counted in his head for a few moments before he responded to her "Six months of it."

"...Huh?"

"I spent a month in my original home, then when I was summoned to Chaldea I spent my remaining time there."

"...That's just depressing."

"Is it?" Ash stopped walking, staring off into the distance "...Perhaps. However, I shall not cease until I have achieved Ritsuka's objectives and I can think of a worse manner in which to live. I could be Hollow."

Demon Archer shrugged "Fair enough…haven't even drunk anything and you're already at the sob story." she snorted gently and shook her head "You've missed a few steps."

"Is there some common procedure? When I drank with Siegward we did toast before drinking but those were mere speeches. Discussions were not truly common between us."

"I thought you said you can't taste?"

"I can taste Siegbrau, courtesy of Siegward." Ash responded in a simple tone "I do still drink it on occasion as it is one of the few things I can still get some taste from…" he paused, a flicker of confusion passed across his face - not that Demon Archer could see - as he came to an odd understanding "But I…cannot explain why I still drink…"

"Because its good." Demon Archer grunted in response "Why else do you need a reason? If your mind is well rested then you tend to work better."

"...Do you?"

"That's what I found. Can't expect people to work under you if they're always miserable can you?" She grunted in response "Then again, they'll find other reasons to be miserable and I was a little more inclined for them to actually do their jobs but I didn't beget them some mild enjoyment."

Ash was silent "...I drink because…it keeps my mind sharp? Is that not paradoxical?"

"Do you want an explanation as to why you drink? Because I can't give you one."

"...I am not sure one exists." He paused, "I shall cease doing so."

"Stop drinking? Why?"

"It is not necessary for me to do so-"

"How do you know it isn't?" Demon Archer asked with a tilt of the head, Ash looked up at her upside down expression "It could be very necessary to you. From the sounds of things, it's necessary for you to remember the taste of something human. You'd be damned sure I would never give up anything that reminded me of a time where I could taste food and drink."

"But I do not recall a time when I can taste food or drink-"

Demon Archer slapped him lightly on the top of the head "All the more reason, doofus! If you can't remember then you shouldn't let this one thing slip through your fingers!"

"...But I do not need to distract myself-"

"From the sounds of things, you didn't even notice before just now did you?"

Ash paused, opening his mouth before he closed it again "I…did not."

"Did you ever find yourself distracted by it before?"

His head slowly shook.

"So why would that change now?"

"Because I am aware of it now."

"And? I'm aware of how to breathe, that doesn't mean I put a conscious effort into doing it at every opportunity. It just happens and then I continue on with whatever I was doing." She rolled her eyes "If I went around huffing and panting like some kind of dog, then I'd look like an actual fool. As long as you aren't drinking booze from a barrel like some common drunk, then what's the harm with a single drink every now and again?"

Ash stared up at her, then slowly lowered his head and returned it to street level "What…if I were to demand more?"

"Did you demand more before?"

"No…I only took what was offered to me."

"Then just stick to that." She sighed, crossing her arms "Right now, I am offering - also telling - you to take us to a drinking house. Whether or not you can taste sake, it's the principle of the matter as well." the girl shivered slightly "Maybe I missed out on inspirational speeches, I should give them more often!"

"Should you?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow, or at least that is what Demon Archer could infer. He made no attempt to hide his incredulity in his tone.

"Meh, I'd be good at it." Demon Archer argued back "Besides, as my Retainer aren't you supposed to cheer me on in this sort of thing? There's a reason I'd rather have a 'yes' man than a 'why' man."

"Did you not complain about your brother being one who always agreed with you?"

"Not that sort of yes man!" Demon Archer growled petulantly "Damn it! Now you're twisting my words against me!"

"Am I? I believe I have done remarkably little thus far."

"Tch. Just keep walking while I think of a way to win this argument. Consider it on pause until I find an actual response to you."

"Ah, a fight you shall come back to later and pull a resounding victory from?"

"Yes."

"I have had those before."

"Yes, but mine isn't because you ripped me in half or something, is it?"

"...No. No it is not." Ash admitted "That only happened to me five times though."

"Conversations with you are like a rollercoaster."

"A what?"

"A thing modern humans ride on, it goes really fast and they do it to have fun."

"Why does going fast mean you are having fun? The only time I went at increased speeds was after being hit very hard, falling through the air or was grabbed by flying Demons."

"...What rank is your luck by the way?"

"E. Why?"

"...No reason, just checking something is all. Your answer makes perfect sense by the way."

"Are you sure it was a good idea to send Ash-san and Demon Archer-san alone, Senpai?" Mash asked him as the two of them wandered through the streets "They seemed…" she hesitated for a moment as they tried to find the right words.

"Chaotic?" Ritsuka chuckled, "Probably, but that's sort of why I did it." he remarked before he returned his attention to their surroundings, placing his hands on his hips and thinning his lips as he did so "...You notice anything off about this picture?"

"Do you mean the Noblites manning the stalls Senpai?"

"...Yeah."

"I did notice them, yes." She nodded her head in a sage manner before she leaned forwards and squinted at one of them "I believe that one is wearing an…apron?"

"Y-yes." Ritsuka snickered, his lip wavering as he tried to stop himself bursting into laughter "A-a tiny little…a-apron."

Mash sighed and stared at him "Is is really that amusing, Senpai? They could still be dangerous."

"O-of course." Ritsuka coughed into his fist, composing himself "You're right Mash." grunted, clearing his throat "We came to find something suspicious and we have succeeded. Now let us approach the Noblite brigand of farmers and t-try to…" he wheezed, covering his mouth and looking skywards "I can't…I really can't…they're chopping vegetables with their stumpy little hands!" he got out in a fit of giggles, wriggling his own fingers as he did so "T-t-they have tiny knives!"

"Senpai…"

"T-t-t-the tomatoes look so big compared to them…" He pointed across "T-that one is cutting tuna wi-with a knife that looks like a sword! Pfffffthahahaha!" he hunched over, placing one hand on his knee to support himself.

Mash stared at the laughing Master with no small amount of concern before she cast a glance around her, frowning as she realised that no one was paying attention to the events that were occurring around them at all. The almost faceless individuals just walked past them as if Ritsuka wasn't currently laughing as loud as he could.

They weren't immaterial, Mash had spoken to one of them earlier to ask for directions to the Market and yet they didn't so much as gaze until they were interacted with. The Shielder paused as she realised something, cupping her chin and staring at each and every figure walking past them "Wait…Senpai!" she called out as she turned to the downed Master "The people here only interact with you if you interact with them first."

Ritsuka's laughter slowly dwindled, the Master rose up and wiped a tear from his eye as he did so "S-so…" he coughed twice "They don't do that?" he tilted his head "Wait a minute…" he paused, frowning "Collectables…nondescript locals…reused assets…" his eyes slowly widened in horror "Dear lord…I've figured it out Mash."

"What is it, Senpai?"

"...We're in a video game." He replied slowly "That's where we are."

"Or a town that's just been programmed with bare basic responses." Da Vinci's voice crackled through the communicator with a hint of amusement to it "It's just working with simplistic commands based off of the mind of Demon Archer, this entire region was born from her head so it is understandable it wouldn't be complex. As long as the Grail exists here, so would this space. However, it is still akin to a…" she paused, deciding on the right words "Think of it like a doll house."

"Oh…that makes more sense." Ritsuka sighed in relief "Sorry, I had a red pill moment there."

"You're fine." Da Vinci's roll of the eyes was audible. "Just because it's not complex and does follow a very simple set of commands does not mean you've wandered into Pallet town."

"Yeah well…" Ritsuka cut himself off, turning his eyes onto the communicator in surprise "Da Vinci? You…you made a reference!"

"You were always getting sad that no one understood what you were saying." Da Vinci chuckled again "Also the Throne does inform us of the current world situation, any wonder that includes current trends?"

Ritsuka let out a sigh of relief "Well, either way we've established that we probably aren't going to get much info from…" He trailed off, stepping backwards and allowing the Noblites to waddle past him while dragging a card of tea pots along with them "...info from here." he finished, raising an eyebrow and exchanging a glance with Mash.

"Perhaps, but you never know." Da Vinci replied in a suspicious tone of voice "If this is the location the Grail is within, it is natural to assume that there is some sort of guardian here. Remember, it is born from Demon Archer's mind so there might be some part of her that would not be willing to relinquish it to us."

"So you're saying there might be another Demon Archer?"

"One who would be more powerful." Da Vinci finished in a grim tone "Considering that our own admits she lost a great deal of her power when she fell into the Grail. Some of it would have gone into making these strange Noblites, but that alone wouldn't be enough to explain the discrepancy."

Mash widened her eyes "You mean like Jeanne-san and Jeanne Alter from Orleans?"

"Buona risposta!~" The genius cheered "Top marks to Mash! That is exactly it. The version we have is the more agreeable whereas the version that remains is the one who holds the Grail, they will do whatever they can to maintain control over this place and that includes summoning Servants and altering their personalities with differing names."

"Like with Arash." Ritsuka frowned "But Demon Ar-Oda Nobunaga hasn't done much fighting so we don't know her capabilities and even if we did, our one would be weaker than the other."

Da Vinci was silent for a moment before she responded again "Hey, I don't have all the answers here. You're the Master, just think on your feet like you always do!" she cheered once again in an overly positive tone of voice "Good luck, Mr Protagonista!"

The communicator turned off, leaving Ritsuka and Mash with equally blank expressions.

There was a grunt as a figure was slammed into a wall, an armoured hand against their neck held them there with another coiled back and clenched into a fist, ready to deliver a punch to the individual.

"Speak, Jester." Arkon snarled through his helm "For what purpose do you approach us?"

The man - painted white wearing a teal blue skin tight suit, chequered purple tights, a red undershirt opened up around their chest, a feather purple cape and long pink hair covered with a red top hat - merely choked in response as Arkon strangled him.

Sakura Saber tapped him on the shoulder once "I believe he cannot answer you."

"Hm? Oh, yes." Arkon loosened his grip ever so slightly, allowing the clown the opportunity to speak "Now then, my question?"

"Hmhmhmhmhm!~" The man made an amused noise "So cruel! So demanding! I am a simple jester!" he gestured to himself "Not in any position to answer your questions beyond spreading joy am merriment!"

Arkon pointedly looked him up and down, then to Sakura Saber in a silence. The woman slowly shook her head in response, prompting Arkon to return his gaze to the jester "We know you to be a Servant although what manner of court fool could leave an impact in history, I know not unless you were a king slayer-"

"I'm a pacifist!" The clown chuckled back in a joking tone of voice "I'd never, never ever do something to hurt someone."

"Then for what reason did you approach us in this alley?" Arkon inquired as he made to tighten his grip "Speak, or I shall snap your neck and be done with it. Until I have reason to assume otherwise, I shall treat you as hostile."

"Oh, no, no, no!" The man exclaimed, shaking his head vehemently as they slowly held something up with their left hand "I merely came to deliver a present to you! Welcome to this small and joyous town! Kuroda Mephisto is my name, and I shall chase away all your fear!"

Arkon glanced at the beetle shaped construction made of golden metal with some manner of clock built into the back of it. He frowned behind his helm as he snatched the item out of the man's hand with his right arm "All I fear is the notion you are not hostile." he grumbled quietly "I already put up with another fool in all but name, I need not another trying to overshadow her."

He continued to examine the strange device in his hand "...What manner of contraption is this?" he asked as he held it up. Kuroda Mephisto merely smiled widely in response.

"Party favour! It might bring down the house! Kehahahahahahaha!" He threw back his head, giving off a boisterous cackle as he did so, prompting Arkon to raise an eyebrow and lean his head back away from them in mild disgust.

"...Is this some sort of common occurrence?" Arkon found himself asking aloud "Is this land cursed to suffer fools?"

Kuroda paused, staring at Arkon in surprise before he tilted his head. "Is the man who walks in the land of fools surrounded by fools not the greatest fool of all?"

Arkon stared back at him, lowering his right arm to his side and blinking repeatedly behind his helmet as the words registered in his mind. "...No, it makes me a man stranded in a sea of madness…" he nodded towards Sakura Saber "With few in the way of sane company."

"Thank you." Sakura Saber gave a prideful smile before she paused and scrunched her expression up in concentration "Do you hear that?" she asked aloud as she looked around.

"Hear what?" Arkon inclined his head to her "What am I supposed to-" he cut himself off as the noise trickled into his ear.

A gentle ticking sound.

"What in the pits of Izalith?" The knight muttered in confusion as he looked around as well before he raised his right arm and stared at the device in his hand "...Why does this make noise?" he asked, turning his head to Kuroda "Answer me, fool."

"Why? It's a party favour, like I said!" Kuroda grinned back with a sharp smile and barely withheld laughter "The sort of party favours that are to die for."

Sakura Saber's eyes widened as she stared at the device and kicked away from the ground, a startled shout emerging from her lips "Throw it away no-"

Ritsuka and Mash turned their heads skywards as the distant sound of thunder "Did you hear something?"

"I…I think so?" Mash replied in an unsure tone of voice "I can't be sure. It might have been the market playing tricks on us." she excused further with a shake of the head as she turned to Ritsuka once again "What do you think, Senpai?"

The man frowned ever so slightly, placing his hands on his hips. "Might as well investigate it…I'll call Arkon, see if he's heard anything." closing his eyes, he activated the mental link "Arkon? We heard a sound, is everything good on your end?"

"-hate this fucking land. I hate everything involved in it. When I get my hands on that court fool, I'm going to immolate his skull and-"

Ritsuka cut off the link, thinning his lips and blinking repeatedly before he turned to the Shielder. "...It was obscene." he replied to her "Also I think he is responsible for it."

Another thunderous noise ripped through the town, this one sounding considerably closer. Despite that, the citizens made no effort to do anything that could be seen as self-preservation. They simply continued about their business as though nothing was going on.

Shaking his head at them, he turned towards Mash and jerked his head in the direction of the crashing sound before he broke into a gentle jog. The Shielder brought her own armament into existence and started to follow after him, the pair moved through the crowded streets with remarkable ease.

"Watch for other Servants." Ritsuka warned as they moved "We don't know if it's a group or not, I'll alert Ash."

Demon Archer grunted as she jumped down from Ash's shoulders, shaking her legs as she tried to get feeling back into them.

"Damn." She quietly muttered as she stared at her legs before she looked towards the Sarcher "Is this suffering from success? My legs went to sleep."

"Legs can sleep?"

"They better wake up if they know what's good for them!" She snarled at the limbs before she raised her head "Alright then!" she grinned "Lets go!"

Ash shrugged his shoulders, following her as she slid open the door and stepped into the rather dingy room, the Sarcher spared a glance across the counter before his eyes fell upon a man at the far end. Draped in sky blue cloth, the man had what looked like a skirt down to his ankles with a piece of similarly coloured fabric over his shoulder.

Oddly, the man also wore an open faced helmet with a three pronged metallic attachment on the front of it. The helmet itself had a smooth top and wide cheeks to it which made its general shape look somewhat like an arrow. The attachment on the front looked like a 'w' shape with the central spoke being considerably larger than those that flanked it, both of them curving inwards as well.

The man released a hum as he shifted in his seat, resting his right arm on his knee and turning his head to look in the direction of the entrance.

The man was middle aged, a thin dark moustache rested above his lip with a short pointed beard descending from his chin. His right eye stared at him, hazel coloured orb shining with mild interest while the left eye was welded shut courtesy of the large scar running across his face from his cheek to his forehead.

Ash figured as though the man was another Servant, considering his distinct appearance which then meant the question was whether the servant was hostile or not.

"Y-you know what?" Demon Archer stammered slightly as she turned on her heel and walked back towards the door, Ash noted that her complexion had paled considerably and she looked as though she was prepared to bolt at the first sign of movement. "Let's go find another-"

"You are not thirsty, fool of Owari?" The man called out in a voice of thinly laced amusement "While this establishment does not serve the greatest…" his left hand reached out across the counter and picked up a small white cup and brought it up to his lips before taking a short sip from it. "...The sake is still good."

A dry chuckle escaped his throat. "Besides, to drink with the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven is a rare chance." He looked towards Ash for the first time and chuckled "Bring the lost child as well, I welcome you to join me."

"I-I'd hate to pressure you-"

"Sit." The man spoke in a stern tone.

"Alright then." Demon Archer agreed swiftly, marching towards the counter almost immediately and jumping up on the stool several rows down from the unnamed man. The action elicited a chuckle from him before his eyes darted towards Ash in a curious manner "Will you not sit as well?"

Ash thinned his lip, then saw Demon Archer sending him an almost pleading expression not to be left alone. Eventually he relented and nodded his head, moving towards the pair and sitting himself down in between the two of them.

The man watched the action, his lip twitched upwards before he shifted back in his seat to face the front "Have some sake." He told the two of them before he gestured to the bar man with a nod of the head.

"...Thanks." Demon Archer mumbled in response, resting her hands on the countertop, her eyes flickering down towards the man every few moments.

"You need not be so concerned, Fool of Owari." The man chuckled to himself, his eyes moving to her from the corner of his remaining eye "Though you did grind Ashina into dust, it was after my time. I have no intention of taking your head here."

The tension in Demon Archer's body abruptly left her, the girl letting out an audible sigh of relief.

"Your friend though…" He trailed off, lone eye falling on Ash and gazing into his emerald green eyes "Hmmmm. I can see it in you…the shadow of Shura." Demon Archer took in a sharp breath as Ash squinted at him.

"Shura?" The Sarcher asked with a tilt of the head.

"Those who kill walk the path of becoming Shura…some lose themselves to it entirely. Becoming those who kill solely for the pleasure it brings them." He squinted at the Sarcher "Tell me…do you kill for joy, perhaps?"

Ash tapped on the countertop "...I would not kill indiscriminately for joy."

"...As you say." The man replied ominously "Ensure you keep to that, else I shall have cause to slay you."

"I would encourage you to as well."

The man's lip twitched upwards once again "While your permission did not factor into my decision, it is welcome to hear regardless. It means you know what becoming Shura would entail." he took another sip of his drink "That is a good thing to remember."

Ash turned his attention to the table as he saw a bottle placed in front of them with two small ceramic cups.

"Here." The man leaned over, uncorking the bottle and pouring into both cups "Since I invited you, I shall be a gracious host." he chuckled amusedly "Besides, I find drinking and talking go hand in hand."

Demon Archer leaned across and stared at the man in surprise "You want to talk?"

"Why would I not?" The man raised his eyebrow at her "There is much to discuss, not least of all this odd place and the strange little things that roam this town." he stopped pouring and placed the bottle down "Especially considering the appearance they share."

Demon Archer made a strangled noise and nervously looked away.

The man snorted "I suppose not even death is a cure for foolery." he picked up his own cup once again and brought it to his lips "Whomever said otherwise has never met yourself, or maybe your own brand of foolery manages to survive even the end of one life and into the next."

"Is it really stupid if it works?" Demon Archer countered easily.

"Yes." The man bluntly replied with a half lidded look aimed at her "It just makes you stupid with exceedingly high luck. Foolery is not to be praised, it is to be stamped out else it is encouraged." his eyes narrowed "You should be thanking your luck as we speak…I have not forgotten the burning of Hiei."

"Those monks knew what they did!"

The man gave her an unimpressed glance before he turned to Ash and tilted his head "And what of you, lost child?"

Ash frowned "Lost child?"

"That is what you are, is it not?" He spoke as though the answer was obvious from the very beginning "I can see the battle in you, the turmoil that plagues your mind."

Ash frowned "Turmoil? There has been battle thus far but I have not seen-"

"You misunderstand." The man chuckled as if knowing better "Not all battles are so far reaching. Some are waged within us." he pointed to Ash's eyes "I can see it in you…a child who knows naught but how to swing a sword." his expression darkened "I see…a sword with a face, are you?"

Ash blinked at the man "I…would not describe myself as a tool-"

"A tool would not describe itself as such, that does not mean it isn't."

Ash frowned before shaking his head "Regardless, I am content with the purpose I serve."

"I did not judge your life, I merely spoke of what I see." The man reminded him before he looked down at the empty cup "But I have yet to meet a katana that drinks sake." he chuckled.

Ash opened his mouth to respond before a voice cut through his mind.

"Ash? Me and Mash are headed for Arkon. We think he's being attacked by a Servant, get yourself and Demon Archer over here."

"On it." Ash slowly rose from his seat and turned to the man "We shall have to depart."

"I will not halt you. Think on my words before you depart, however." He reminded Ash "To be a sword…or to be a man, there is nothing to say a duty cannot be carried out as the latter."

Ash thinned his lips before shaking his head and moving for the door "Follow me, Demon Archer."

"On it." The girl got off the chair, waving to the man "See you, Sword Saint."

"Farewell, Fool."

Ash slid the door open, rushing around the corner with Demon Archer stepping after him.

Right up until a hand slipped over her mouth, a cloth muffled her scream of surprise before her eyelids gradually started to drop. The figure slowly dragged the unconscious Demon Archer into the darkness of a nearby alley before they stepped out.

An identical woman to the unconscious Archer emerged into the light, flicking their hat once and chasing after Ash as his form became more and more distant.

AN: What a chill old man who drinks sake.

I'm sure he's no one important.