Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fanfiction.
Chapter XIV: Infiltration
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"You…"
His eyes shot open as if coming back to life. He took a moment before realizing where he was and who he was looking at.
"Who are you?"
It was a young boy and a young girl, seemingly his age. The boy had black hair while the girl was a redhead, just like himself. They had similar facial features, including the bone structure of their faces, eye color and the command seal on the back of their right hands. Not to mention the judging glare they shot towards him. He didn't know whether this was reality or a dream, but he knew for sure that he was face to face with Chaldea's Master. Yes, the human who stood against Gods, Demons, and fought to save humanity… No, to live.
"Who are you?"
The third voice was that of the young Shielder. The girl who took on the full force of Ars Almadel Salomonis. She was none other than Mash Kyrielight.
His lips moved to speak, but nothing would come out of his mouth, as another presence would drown out the idea before it materialized into words.
A fourth, then a fifth, sixth, seventh… Hundreds of new faces, some he had seen, others never before. They all stood behind their Master firmly, and glared at him with the same judging stare.
"Listen, o peerless, mighty Heroic Spirits who have gathered here! Even if you were sworn enemies, even if your times never crossed paths, now is when you entrust your backs to one another! We are not here to prevent the incineration of the human order, but to open a path for our contractor! My true name is Jeanne D'Arc! In the name of the Lord, I shall become your shield!"
The Heroic Spirits cheered and roared. Basking in the happiness and glory that is to be a "Hero".
That was "The Grand Order".
…
…
…
Seeing slaughter that is unbearable to see.
Hearing noise that is unbearable to hear.
That clairvoyance which can see through the past and future embossed all truths.
I (the king) have no ability to close my eyes.
I (we) have no ability to shut our ears.
-Repulsive.
Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive. Repulsive.
This utterly disgusting truth will be shown.
This absolutely hideous way of living will be remembered.
In such an execrable environment, thinking of how to resolve the situation is a natural consequence.
But how? Even in a place where filth is cleaned up, humans would just breed more filth immediately.
"Ah. So that was what drove this Emiya Shirou."
He grinned to himself, talking to himself rather than the countless other ears ready to hear his response.
"Asking me who I am… As if you don't know already…"
He raised his face and looked at the countless Heroes standing opposite of him.
"I am a fake. A vessel made to serve a purpose. A cradle for someone else's wretched desires and revenge."
He smirks again, looking at them challengingly. These fools who dared call themselves Heroes.
"I am the broom used for the cleanup. The hammer to strike the final nail in the coffin. The end of a tragedy which spread for millions of years."
He lifts his arms up, his eyes fixated on the two aspects of Chaldea's Master.
"I am… the human who will achieve what God couldn't!"
The scenery wavered. The next thing he saw was a strange white humanoid creature. It had a large ruby embedded on their face, a pattern of red jewels forming a skirt of sorts around their waist and two exceedingly large but straight horns coming out of their head.
"Thou hast seen it, O brother of mine…"
Shirou's eyes widened upon realizing he was staring at his creator, the Demon God Pillar Phenex themselves. Then, another presence appeared next to them, the one they were addressing. A strange man with the head of a crow, wearing a green suit.
"It matters not. Phenex."
The crowman spoke with the same slow and distorted tone that was Phenex's.
"But Raum, if we don't… Our Master… He…"
For the first time ever, Shirou heard despair in Phenex's twisted tone. The crowman was apparently called Raum. Shirou knew who Raum was, a Demon God Pillar just like Phenex.
"I said I'm not doing it. If you wish to avenge him, do it without my help. I have my own methods of dealing with Chaldea."
The crowman walked away after that, leaving behind Phenex who just stood motionlessly.
"Idiocy… Idiocy! Why must we be separated?! Can't we understand that our strength comes from union?!" Phenex was speaking with a tone of disbelief and rage, "If we're destined to perish… If we won't band together without our Master, then… then…! I'll take as many as I can with me! I'll destroy the Human Order! As many times as I can! Be it in this universe or the next!"
Shirou understood that this was one of Phenex's core memories. Which meant that everything he saw up until now, was a dream of sorts.
He jolts up to find himself sitting down on his futon in his room.
"A dream…?"
No, it was too realistic. That last bit was a memory, but what about the start?
Shirou scratched the back of his head. He remembered what happened for him to get back here. Saber must've brought him back home after he had passed out due to Mana Deprivation.
His hands clenched as he bit his own tongue.
"That piece of shit priest… He knew I would go for Sakura. He deliberately warned me in front of everyone to make me unable to use Saber's Noble Phantasm, should push come to shove with Zouken."
The redhead brought his hand up then flared his circuits into life. Shortly after, Doujigiri Yasutsuna, Minamoto No Raiko's Katana manifested within his grip without so much as a strain on his circuits. A grin drew on his face.
"Just wait for me, Ananias. I will cut that foul tongue of yours when your time comes."
Reclining on the sofa, Shiki Tohno stared at the ceiling as noises of cluttering and rummaging were heard in the next room. From which, Tohsaka eventually emerged and stood opposite of him.
"We're just about ready." She announced, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just need a little thing from you and we can get going."
Shiki sat himself up and stared at the pigtailed girl with anticipation, "What?" he asked goofily.
"The diamond, you dork." she explained as she extended a hand forward in demand, "Hand it over."
"Oh…" Shiki reluctantly placed a hand inside his coat and handed the small jewelry box to the girl.
She swiftly grabbed it, then opened it to check on the pricy stone which was inside.
"What the—"
The jewel inside was glowing with a strange radiance. Alerted, Tohsaka dropped the box on the table.
"What's the meaning of this?" She inquired, turning her head to glance at Shiki who was just as surprised as she was.
The light emanating from the diamond formed a screen, upon which a silhouette gradually materialized.
"Hi, hi! How's it going, Shiki-kun!" a very familiar voice resonated from the light source as the silhouette became clearer. Shiki immediately recognized both the voice and the background. "Sensei?!" he practically shouted, a mix of confusion and embarrassment evident on his face. "What are you doing in my room?"
"Sensei? What on earth do you mean by that? Wait, you don't mean—" Rin's thoughts abruptly halted as she realized she might be looking at Miss Blue of the Clock Tower, the Fifth Magician herself.
"Aozaki-sama, did it finally work?" another voice emanated from the diamond, and a new person appeared on the screen in the background. "Should I go and call Akiha-sama?"
Shiki was shocked to see Kohaku there as well, and his surprise escalated when the red-haired woman gestured for her to go, prompting her to call out Akiha's name after leaving the room.
"Alright! It worked, thankfully, eh? Who are those I see with you, Shiki?" the Fifth Magician joyfully inquired. Shiki could only facepalm in confusion, while Archer and Caster who only just materialized exchanged glances.
"Sensei, what's actually going on?" he asked with a serious tone, attempting to make sense of the situation. "I thought you said the diamond was meant to be used as a bargaining chip, not... whatever this is."
"Oh! Don't worry, this has nothing to do with the diamond. The box is what I'm using as a communication focus. Now, introduce your friends to me, would you?"
"I—" Shiki was at a loss for words.
This woman was full of tricks, wasn't she? 'You're on your own' my ass.
"Sigh, as expected of Aozaki-sensei. Well, we're kind of in a hurry, so I'll give you a brief rundown—"
"W-W-WAIT!" Rin, who had been silently observing, suddenly interjected with embarrassment. "What do you mean give a brief rundown? Introduce us properly!"
"Hoo..." Aoko commented on the scene, causing Rin to freeze in place. "What is this, Shiki..." Rin felt a chill run down her spine
—Did she just offend a Magician?
"... She's cute! I already like her! What's your name, young lady?" Aoko exclaimed with a smile, leaving Shiki to facepalm as his plan to quickly end the communication vanished into thin air. Rin couldn't believe her ears, feeling as if she were carrying the weight of a truck on her shoulders while desperately trying not to burst into laughter in front of Miss Blue. Her face turned red, and so did Shiki's. It seemed all the effort he had put into presenting himself as a respectable figure in Tohsaka's eyes had vanished in a fleeting moment.
"Well... And who is the other beautiful maiden standing in the back?" Aoko asked with a smile, prompting Caster to introduce herself with an elegant bow.
"Good to know you, Aozaki-sama." She lifted her dress up with one hand as a sign of respect as she bowed, "I am a Caster-class Servant. My Master is Shiki-san."
"I see, I see! I won't ask how you managed it, but you actually obtained a Servant! Way to go, Sh—EHUEEE—" The red-haired woman was abruptly flung out of the frame as another young woman took her place, calmly sitting down. The scene caught Rin's attention, alerting her to the disrespect shown to a Magician. As the young woman's features became clearer, Rin immediately recognized her and their eyes locked.
"Oh my..." the black-haired girl commented on the view. "You leave us for a week, and I see you've already surrounded yourself with other girls. You truly are the worst, Nii-san."
Shiki felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard her words, hearing Archer snort behind him. He knew she was joking, but even that sent a cold chill through his bones. "Good to see you too, Akiha."
"Hold on a sec, Tohno-kun." Rin's eyebrow twitched as she spoke, interrupting the two siblings. "Akiha-san, was it? What do you mean by 'other girls'? I'll have you know that I don't group myself with random girls or boys!"
Akiha's eyebrow arched in question. "Is that insecurity I hear? As far as I know, a 'decent' person doesn't go around telling others they're decent. Although, I would believe you if you said you were weird instead. My brother has a habit of ending up with the strangest people, after all."
"Oh, you—!"
Aoko reappeared in the frame, causing Rin to swiftly revert to her previous composed state.
"Calm down, you two," the redhead interjected. "You'll have plenty of time to bicker when all of this is over... probably!"
"Heh, from what I've been told about this Holy Grail War thing, I highly doubt that this girl would be of any help to you, Nii-san," Akiha remarked, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "But I digress. Go on, Aozaki-san."
Rin bit her lip. That... stung a little. She didn't even know this girl, and yet...
"Wait," Shiki spoke up, capturing everyone's attention. "Akiha... That was uncalled for. She helped me and took me in when I had nowhere else to go. She's proven herself to be strong, and despite everything happening in this city, she still manages to maintain composure and act accordingly."
Akiha was taken aback by her brother's praise for someone he barely knew. "What are you trying to say?" she asked, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Listen, Akiha, Rin is not just some random girl. She's proven herself as a capable ally and a trustworthy friend." Shiki spoke with a gentle yet determined tone addressing his sister, "And Tohsaka, Akiha is my sister. She cares about me deeply. I understand that you both have your reservations, but please, we have other things to worry about."
Caught off guard by Shiki's earnest words, Rin and Akiha glanced at each other, seemingly uncertain of what to say next. They shared a silent moment of contemplation before Akiha sighed and relaxed her posture. "Fine, Nii-san. If you vouch for her, I suppose I can give her a chance." she backed down yet her gaze was unwavering, "Tohsaka-san, I apologize for what I said earlier. Please, ignore my previous comments."
Tohsaka felt a little better, she gazed right back at her and with a determined expression; "Apology accepted. I also spoke out of turn. I got worked up for a comment which wasn't even directed at me." She spoke her feelings without hesitation, yet kept her composure in the presence of a Magician.
Shiki standing up for her against his own sister? That meant something.
"Thank you, Tohno-kun." She whispered shyly before smiling, but only for a moment. She quickly cleared her throat and looked towards Aoko's side of the screen in anticipation once Akiha went quiet.
"So…" Shiki resumed the real subject of this talk, "Since we're running short on time, I guess I'll give you a quick rundown of what happened during the last couple of days… I'll skip over the details, we can go over those later…"
He then proceeded to explain to Aoko and Akiha what happened after the first had left him in Fuyuki. Tohsaka interjected every now and then, to emphasize or explain certain terms to Akiha, who obviously was very new to this kind of stuff. During the talk, Caster and Archer also added their own perspective of what happened from their respective points of view. Once they were done, Aoko's hologram showed her placing a hand under her chin.
"This is way too different than the way things are supposed to be." She clicked her tongue and was visibly distressed before she looked at Shiki with determination, "Listen, Shiki. You must kill Chaos. Aim for his Spiritual Core."
That sentence made both Archer and Caster tense up. The first walked to the side and spoke in a triggered manner, "Wait a second! If Shiki kills Berserker through stabbing his Spiritual Core using his eyes, it might have unforeseen consequences on Chaos's Spirit Origin! He might very well be completely deleted from the Throne of Heroes!"
Archer's statement made Rin's eyes widen in shock, "You mean the concept of Chaos would be…" she mumbled before she noticed Archer's nod, "That's… Wait, isn't that good? He's a Dead Apostle isn't he?"
Shiki noticed Aoko's discomfort, the Servants tensing up, and Rin's shock. He had no idea what caused all of this and raised a hand in question, "What are you guys talking about?"
Aoko cleared her throat, demanding attention. "A Spiritual Core is the essence of a Servant's vessel. You can say that it's the core of their current manifestation. If it gets destroyed, the Servant instantly dies." Archer and Caster nod along as she speaks, creating an air of seriousness in the room, "What Archer said is that, there's a possibility of you just 'deleting' a Servant from existence if you slice through their Spiritual Core using your Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."
Shiki's eyes widened as he heard her say that, "Delete them? Like, completely remove them from reality?"
Archer nodded and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at him, "Normally, when we Servants get killed. We just return to the Throne of Heroes. But, if you do land the killing blow… There's no telling how much damage you can do to the 'Concept' of that Servant back in the Throne of Heroes…"
Shiki's eyes glimmered at Archer's explanation, "Then, just like Rin said… Isn't that a good thing?" He looked at Archer with a confused expression. Surprisingly, it was Caster who spoke up next.
"Master… Since the Throne of Heroes is beyond time, if you 'delete' the Concept of a Heroic Spirit, you'd be going against the Will of Humanity itself." Caster mumbled in a quiet voice, Archer was rather tense while she spoke too. "If Berserker was deemed worthy enough to become a Servant at the Throne of Heroes, then deleting him might have extreme consequences on all realities. Not just ours."
And with that, both Rin and Shiki faced Aoko with both surprise and disbelief clear on their faces. However, Miss Blue's face remained neutral.
"Excellent deduction. Caster and Archer are right, Shiki." She chirped happily, "However, there's one important thing which all of you failed to realize..."
Her expression was suddenly serious again, prompting everyone to pay attention.
"Chaos isn't really a Servant. He can never be a Heroic Spirit in the Throne of Heroes." She announced with a smile on her face.
"W—What do you mean?" Inquired Rin with a shocked expression, "He's definitely a Servant! Even the Overseer acknowledged him as Berserker!"
A sly smile appeared on Aoko's face as she looked at them from the other side of the communication, "He is using the vessel of a Servant. At first, I had my suspicions when I heard Chaos died, but after I came to Misaki and found his den… There's no doubt about it…"
Everyone stared at her, dumbfounded.
"He was planning this all along. He used a similar technique to Roa's Reincarnation, and hijacked the body of a Servant… He was never a True Servant to begin with."
"Careful, Master…" Caster warned with a serious tone, "Make sure to follow the trail of snow I leave behind. This forest is riddled with traps."
Rushing through the Einzbern forest, Caster proved herself an extremely useful asset. She was able to locate and formulate a path around all the traps which spread all across the place like a thick net.
Shiki only nodded as a response, his mind was still stuck on what Aoko revealed to them about half an hour ago.
"Say Caster…" He called out with a worried expression, "Do you think Tohsaka and Archer will be fine?"
The plan was that each would approach the Castle using a different path to avoid suspicion and detection as a group. They would meet Bazett at the front gate, then quickly assume their positions and start closing in on Berserker, but with the forest having this many traps? Shiki couldn't help but feel worried.
"Don't worry…" She assured with a caring smile as she continued paving the way through the traps, leaving behind a neat track of snow which glimmered under her elegant dress, "Archer-san has amazing eyesight, and Tohsaka-san is a capable Mage. I'm sure she won't have any issues navigating this maze."
Her tone indicated confidence, even if deep within the Duchess's heart, she felt a little worried for their allies' safety.
"I see…" Shiki said, feeling a little anxious, "We'll just have to hope for the best…"
Caster simply nodded, there was a clearing ahead. It seems they're almost out of the forest.
And surely enough, they were indeed out of the forest. Up ahead, they could see the large stone castle, it was large and seemingly rundown.
"This is…" Shiki mumbled as he stepped forward, sensing a strange feeling, "Something isn't right… Stick close, Caster."
"I agree." Caster spoke with her eyebrows furrowed, holding her straw doll to her chest and stepping closer to him.
Slowly, they walked towards the castle. The closer they got, the stronger the sense of uneasiness grew in the air. They started hearing gurgling, gnawing, tearing, and piercing. Shiki was familiar with such sounds, he knew exactly what was going on ahead.
"Caster." He whispered as he gestured at her to hide next to him behind the nearby wall. The stench of blood was clear in the air. His expression suddenly growing serious made Caster frown as she also understood.
Peeking from the corner, Shiki's eyes glowed bright as his circuits flashed to life. Lifehunt enhanced his vision, revealing the existence of four nearby familiars, hiding in the bushes. Shiki scanned the area. He saw a hidden path between the bushes and trees, marked with a trail of blood, as if something was dragged there.
His expression only darkened more when he noticed the movement of the creatures hiding in the bushes matched that of feasting animals.
"Master." Caster called out, tugging his wrist, "what do you see?"
He slowly pulled his head back into cover, "We'll be detected if we go up ahead." He explained with a passive tone, "We must find another way to proceed."
Caster eyed him with a cold expression on her face, "How many?" she asked, determination clear in her voice.
"Four. Hound Familiars." Shiki replied mechanically, then hesitated, "They're… eating…"
The Duchess's eyes glimmered in response, "Then it won't be a problem. Please, follow me."
She hurriedly takes his hand and pulls him behind her.
He only let out a muffled gasp before following along obediently. Her hand felt soft and warm on his, which was surprising considering how cold it is around her.
Shiki shook his head to clear his mind, he needed to focus on the mission. When he looked again, the straw doll which Anastasia always held with her was floating above them, spraying some kind of icy dust.
"So long that Viy is above us, no enemy would be able to see past the wall of snowflakes." Anastasia whispered with a confident expression, "Let's hurry, Master."
A red streak dashed from one tree branch to the other with nimbleness. Archer carried his Master and hopped through the forest, using his enhanced vision to detect and avoid the countless traps which littered the place. Rin couldn't help but be stunned by the density of the net of defenses, it was absurdly thick. Like, the ground was basically a minefield.
She let out a sigh before pointing at a clearing nearby which seemed relatively empty and safe.
"That's close enough, Archer." She commanded her Servant with a hint of urgency, "Put me down."
Archer raised an eyebrow, but didn't debate. He swiftly obeyed and landed, placing Tohsaka on her feet.
"We're pretty close, but why did we stop early?" He inquired, waiting for a clarification.
"I just have a bad feeling about this." Rin answered with crossed arms, "Let's continue on the ground."
Archer shrugged and smiled in his usual sarcastic manner, "As you wish."
The red bowman reflected upon the events which occurred up until this point as they walked.
He had to admit. This entire Holy Grail War had gone to shit the moment he found out Illyasviel was living with Shirou. All the knowledge he had from his previous life was useless to him now. Now that he knows Magicians and Dead Apostles are actually involved, it became almost funny to think that this was even the same war.
Suddenly, the air felt tense to Archer. He looked ahead, the walls of the castle were already visible to his superior vision. Yet, he could tell that something was amiss.
"Master. Familiars ahead." He announced as he placed a hand on Rin's shoulder, stopping her in place.
Rin felt the tension too, even prior to him alerting her. She swiftly hid behind a tree as Archer himself dissipated into his spirit form.
Tohsaka's nose picked up a stench, then her ears heard the steps of hooves. She slowly peeked from behind the cover, her eyes widening in surprise as they caught sight of a jet black Bicorn. Its eyes were red rubies and its mane was silver. One would call it a majestic steed from the Age of Gods if its horns weren't coated in red blood and what was possibly, human flesh.
Around the nightmarish creature were three medium sized hound familiars. They sniffled around, as if looking for something.
Rin immediately hid herself back behind the tree, breathing as softly as she could. Her eyes were still wide from the horror which the Bicorn had instilled in her, and in that panic, she failed to notice the pair of red eyes which appeared in the darkness behind her.
Four leaps in and Bazett could already tell they were walking into a trap. Now if only that Tohsaka girl and Shiki guy carried mobile phones around…
"Master." Scathach called out from behind her facemask while looking at the short haired woman, who wore a pressured expression. Lancer felt it too, the moment they lifted themselves off the ground to avoid the trap, they triggered a whopping NINE Bounded Fields of Alarming. It would be a miracle if they didn't get detected. This forest wasn't just a minefield, it was a literal fortress. "We have no choice but to proceed. Due to the density of these Bounded Fields, I doubt there is any way around them."
Bazett ended up biting her own tongue and nodding, "We stick to the plan." She announced with a serious tone, "Avoid conflicts until we group up with the others."
The plan of a surprise attack consisted of them making it all the way to Berserker BEFORE he knew they were there. However, it doesn't matter if they're detected entering. He still won't know where and who is intruding on his domain so long as they don't engage his familiars.
Holding onto that idea, Bazett and Lancer continued making their way through the forest with skillful dashes and leaps. From branch to branch, clearing to clearing. Until they eventually arrived at an unusually empty clearing.
They perched themselves on a tree, thinking of whether to traverse the clearing or circle around it. The Einzbern Castle was right there in sight, this clearing separated them from the walls.
Lancer swiftly scanned the area with her crimson eyes, before they widened in surprise.
"Wh—"
A cold gust of wind brushed past, ruffling the leaves on the tree they were using for footing. There was a moment of silence as Lancer slowly nudged her Master before pointing at the corner of the clearing and gesturing at her not to make a sound.
Bazett's gaze followed Lancer's pointing finger. Her eyes slowly widening as she saw the Black Wyrm laying in wait between the bushes. Its jagged horns merging with the darkned twigs of the dead trees and its scaly hide barely visible under the shadows.
"That's..."
She could only whisper before clenching her hands into fists and shaking her head.
This Nero Chaos, just how many types of Familiars does he have?
"Master."
Lancer's voice spoke to her telepathically, not to cause unnecessary noise.
"That is an Ice Wyrm, it is a Mystical Beast from the Age of Gods..."
The Queen of Shadows looked somewhat nervous as she explained the situation to her Master.
"We shouldn't engage with it unless absolutely necessary. While I won't have trouble dealing with it, you may not be able to withstand its ability to control the temperature of the area around it."
Bazett Fraga McRemitz looked at Lancer with surprise, before shaking it off and taking on a serious expression.
"We don't want to fight it." She announced with a confident tone, "We just have to sneak past it."
Yes, fighting this foe would not only he disadvantageous to them in such an area, but it would also ruin their entire plan.
"Well said, Master." Lancer smiled under her mask, "Then in that case, follow my lead."
The Sealing Designation hunter and her Servant slowly made their way around the clearing, trying to completely avoid the lurking Wyrm. Leaping skillfully from one tree to the other, it tested their stealth skills to the maximum level, and after a bunch of close calls, they finally made it to the walls of the Einzbern castle safely.
Author's Note:
Hello people. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this chapter. I've been busy lately but i finally graduated Highschool! Now I have slightly more time to write.
Reviews section!
leftpoizon chapter 15 . May 24
Good shit man. The story is good, but it can become shitty if the constant addition of new faces begins. How did my ass burn because of the constant interludes in many fanfiction, when in fact it's better to do more action - more interactions between the main characters, more events that move the story, and not reveal another dull something that was called a character, but so far the balance is almost perfect. 9/10
Author: Thanks friend. I'm not planning on adding anymore characters at the moment. If I do, I'll be sure to integrate them into the story nicely.
blazing ice creamchapter 16 . Jun 16
what Shirou can unleash the name of the noble phantasms he creates. granted he did use it in heaven feel once use nine lives on Hercules and Excalibur on the grail at the normal ending on heaven feel
Author: Really? I mean, isn't Nine Lives blade works a technique of sorts? I did not really look into it so I may be wrong. As for Excalibur, I'm still very confused about it. Though I don't think that Shirou can really Unleash that sort of firepower, for example, say Shirou copies Medusa's chains, I highly doubt that he'd be able to use Bellerephone.
Guest chapter 9 .Jun 30
WoW definitely a bad-ass-hole Shirou love it!
Author: Glad you liked em, just wait for the upcoming chapters, you'll see the badass-ry even closer hehehe.
Bureno chapter 16 . Jul 5
Really like this story! Hoping for more Shiki and Scathach interactions, with Shiki letting slip in front of her that she looks like Aoko. That'll pick her interest
Author: In the original fic (Pre deletion and rewrite) there was a funny section with that interaction. I'll put it here for you.
Old section (Pre-rewrite) : Scathach/Shiki interaction (Teaser?)
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Shiki left the room after that 'accident' with Caster, he felt relieved rather than angry or disturbed, as he finally bonded for a bit with his 'mysterious' servant.
He had no knowledge whatsoever of Russian history, which made him, once again, trust someone he knew near to nothing about with his life.
[Not the first time, I guess.]
He walked down the first set of stairs, still lost in Bazett's house, until gold hems materialized in front of him revealing non other than Scáthach, or in his case, Lancer.
"Oh. Good morning, Lancer…"
He greeted with some sleepiness lingering in his voice.
"Good morning. I was told to inform you of the absence of Master and lady Tohsaka, they went to investigate a disturbance that Archer sensed later into the night yesterday… How are you feeling?"
Lancer spoke, a bit of concern slipping into her voice at the end.
"I'm better, I can fight again if that's what you're asking."
Shiki spoke matter-of-factly after rubbing the back of his head slightly.
So, Rin, Archer and Bazett left him alone with Caster and Lancer, he would have felt ignored if he didn't know for sure that he needed that portion of sleep. It is true that his 'anemia' no longer bothered him, but, for some reason, he could feel his life force being drained away whenever he starts perceiving 'Death'... And with what happened yesterday, his glasses being rendered completely useless simply because of Chaos being nearby… This was new, even when his Nanaya instinct took over, it wasn't able to do such things…
"I'm glad to hear that, I suppose we will be heading back to see the overseer after they return so that you may claim your reward…"
Lancer drove her purple hair back as she turned away and started walking down the stairs, and just for a brief moment, with the light shade entering from the nearby window, Shiki thought it was his sensei in front of him.
"Hmm? Are you okay?"
Lancer asked when she noticed his pause.
But how didn't he notice this before? Lancer looks exactly like his sensei! Well, maybe with the exception of the hair and pupils' colour, but other than that, they look exactly the same!
He jumped in place as he realized he was literally staring, he also noted the interrogative look on her face before he bowed in apology.
"S-Sorry! I just realized that you look exactly like one of my acquaintances…!"
There was silence for a good second before Lancer spoke again.
"I'm intrigued, why don't you tell me more about this person that looks like me? You can do that while you have your breakfast… Trust me, you don't want to meet that priest on an empty stomach."
"S-Sure…"
Lancer smiled before she simply walked down the stairs, Shiki could only follow.
It would be a lie to say that Shiki expected to find pre-made food in the kitchen, he noticed before that Rin never actually bothered to make anything to eat, it was usually Archer who handled the cuisine work, but since he was on watch yesterday… Then again, he knew next to nothing about Bazett...
Shiki stood in a corner pondering what to do, before he was alerted to Lancer's action.
She simply walked in, put an apron around her waist, and opened the fridge scavenging for ingredients like it was the most natural thing a heroic spirit of the past would do.
[Another servant that cooks? What is this... Is culinary knowledge a requirement to become a Heroic spirit or what?]
"So, How is she like? This woman that resembles my appearance. Is she strong? What sort of relationship was between you?"
Scáthach said while cracking some eggs on the edge of a frying pan.
"Oh, her name is Aozaki Aoko, she is the reason I'm still sane and talking to you today. She is the one who gave me these glasses that serve as Mystic Eye killers…"
Shiki answered as he leaned on a table opposite the open view kitchen.
"Ah, Miss Blue, I've heard rumors about her but never got to physically meet her… Interesting, I can see why she was interested in and eventually helped you with your Mystic Eyes. They are a special case… even among the other Mystic Eyes of Death Perception cases. Yours are the only ones that keep evolving all the time, I examined you when you were sleeping and those eyes are most dangerous indeed, they are getting stronger with each use and seem to be… agitated by something else within you… Should you keep using them regularly, there will likely come a day that those glasses, as strong and well-crafted as they are, will simply not be enough to forcefully deactivate your eyes like they do now."
Scáthach commented as she shook the pan and turned off the stove for the milk and Coffee that were already boiling.
"You may want to regulate using your eyes even more if you do not wish to walk around with sealing bandages wrapped around your face all the time. How many sugar cubes in your coffee?"
"One please, and yes, I noticed that the glasses simply won't do at some point. But the future will have to take care of itself, now, I must win this War. No idea who Miss Blue is though. To me, she looked really the red type."
Shiki directly replied without hesitation.
"Hoh, that's the spirit, Caster is quite fortunate to have found a Master such as you. Miss Blue was a nickname she earned in the clocktower though so I don't think that you heard of it before."
Scáthach commented as she set the table.
"... Speaking of Caster, won't she be joining us?"
"Us…?"
Shiki asked, but immediately recoiled when he noticed that she placed three plates and cups.
She was going to join him for breakfast, even though servants don't need food or get hungry.
"Yes? Is something wrong?"
Scáthach asked out of concern, the thought that Shiki didn't like to eat with servants crossed her mind just now and made her feel uneasy.
"N-Nothing…! I um, I was informed that servants did not need food… I didn't expect you to be different is all."
Scáthach let a smile draw on her face as she took a seat on the chair opposite of Shiki. She had her own reasons for doing this after all.
"Hm, it's not that I'm different… It's true that we servants don't require food or sleep, but we can still taste food and enjoy a good night's sleep like a regular human would.
But cast that aside for now, you can start eating if you like, or summon Caster to join us, note that there is something that I need to tell you, or to be fair, show you."
Lancer took a sip from her cup of coffee as Shiki had a mental message conveyed to Caster asking her whether she wanted to join or not, she refused kindly and gave the excuse that she was working on something.
"Caster is busy, sadly she won't be joining. Sorry Lancer."
Shiki replied, then he picked up his knife and fork, cutting the fried bacon diagonally before taking a bite.
"Shiki. Which heroic spirit do you think I am?"
Lancer spat out the question bluntly, to which, Shiki almost choked on his food.
He spent a good second coughing before he took a sip from the cup of coffee, and finally, he was able to breathe normally again.
[Ahh, what a terrible way to die in this war, choking on a fried egg.]
"Sorry about that, Lancer, but if you expect me to pull off Sherlock Holmes and figure out your identity then sorry again, can't do that. I am not educated enough in mythology or history to figure that out."
Shiki replied after a pregnant moment of death like silence.
"Hmm, I understand, but that was simply a test of your servant. Archer somehow figured out my True Name as soon as he saw my spear, and he did not take long to reveal it to Caster. But if she did not tell you, that means she is the honorable kind… Or, simply didn't have time to do so yet... Mmm, very well. I will tell you my true name simply to put a few things in context…"
Scáthach continued taking small bites from her Bacon and eggs between sentences, while Shiki listened carefully.
"My name is Scáthach, I am the queen of shadows from Celtic Mythology. While history books don't tell you much about me, I am supposed to be immortal. How I died and when I died to become a servant, I have no idea. But that was my wish fulfilled, believe it or not, being Immortal is a curse, not a blessing. Though, even a curse has benefits… Being Immortal allowed me to see many things normal humans couldn't, and I have seen or rather heard of your eyes only once before…"