"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Flashback"
"Attack/Name"
"Narrator"
Jerusalem
Jumping down into the dusty courtyard, the Slayer pulled out his crimson sword. An ominous red light shone in the dull moonlight. A hooded figure ran the Slayer, a circle of light enveloping his extended arm. However before the figure could do anything, the Slayer dashed at it before slicing it in half.
Turning to face another corridor, he saw a group of more figures. Behind them were towering boulder-like golems which were glowing an eerie purple hue.
Cracking his knuckles, the Slayer burst forwards, his sword glowing as he sent out a wave of green and red energy, slicing through the group. The surrounding buildings were scorched, some even bowing inwards. Yet everything seemed to be standing as his attack was fairly weak.
Looking behind, he saw his companion run towards him. With an almost giddy smile, Marisbury stated, "That was certainly an entrance. The church knows we're here. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a few Servants summoned for the sake of defending this complex."
Nodding in agreement, the Slayer moved past the bodies of the ruined figures. Luckily none of them were human, only golems or puppets which were programmed for the sake of defending this place.
He felt as if the head of a puppet crushed underneath his boot, a slight pleasure rising in hearing something so familiar to him. Regardless of the familiarity, he pushed past the small corridor before reaching a wooden door. Deciding that stealth would be warranted, Marisbury stated, "Let's go inside, make our way through this complex inside the buildings."
Nodding, the Slayer followed the Mage as he pushed through the door. The room was only a small foyer, with two hallways each facing opposite the other. Left would be a dead end, as the hallway reached the end of the building. The right would take them parallel to the path they were on the outside, though they would be covered from aerial assault.
Rushing past Marisbury, the Slayer took the lead. He ignored the various wooden doors which whizzed past him, all of them most likely led to an office or storage room. At the end of the hall was a small room, the hall continuing past the room. Inspecting it, the Slayer saw a small staircase to his right hugging the stone walls. Deciding that was the best part, he led Marisbury up the wooden boards and hobbled together into a staircase.
Once they reached the landing, they saw another door at the opposite corner which led to a balcony outside. The only other path was yet another which stretched parallel to the one downstairs, only on the upper floor.
Opening the door, the two saw a small catwalk-like bridge that extended over the alleyway they were previously in. The building opposite looked to be a much larger one, extending four stories in height compared to the two buildings they were standing. To the left of the larger structure was a large circular-shaped building that was capped off by a golden dome, a small spire at the very top.
Both Marisbury and the Slayer decided that was the place they needed to go. The Slayer grabbed Marisbury, before jumping onto the roof of the four-story building. Upon landing, both began to run towards the larger structure in the near distance, ignoring the amount of noise they were making.
Suddenly the Slayer grabbed Marisbury, pushing him out of the way and almost off of the roof. With his sword in hand, he sliced a missile directly in two, the projectile exploding as he did. From the fireball, the Slayer walked toward the offender. On the opposite side of the building were a group of puppets and golems, one formed into a cannon-like structure. A red glow hummed from the Slayer's eye, the now raging fire only shadowing the rest of his body.
His sword, now glowing a brilliant red, began to leak energy from it. The Slayer dashed at a speed beyond human reason, splitting the cannon in two. The sheer force behind his swing launched the rubble away from the site, cracking the roof below the group.
If the puppets were able to feel anything, they would have run miles by now. However, as the mindless structures were ordered, they fired all they could at the man. Magic projectiles exploded across his body, yet the Slayer stood still. These things weren't even worth killing, though in larger numbers Marisbury could become a liability.
Disappointed, the Slayer let his sword loose as he grabbed hold of the chain. Ripping through the bodies of the puppets as he spun the chain around him. Reeling the weapon back in, he turned towards his companion. Walking over to the man, he looked up at the temple ahead of him.
Inspecting its walls for weak points, he jumped up with Marisbury towards a balcony, small plumes of dust rising from the ground. Marisbury had a satisfied smile on his face, before reaching the door and grabbing at the handle. However, his hand recoiled, putting a grimace on his face. Studying the door, he reached out as a blue glow emanated from his hand.
Within a few seconds, the door popped open. Marisbury turned towards the Slayer, stating, "As much as I know you can break through these walls and steal the ring for yourself, I'd still like to be a little stealthy about this. No need to cause excess collateral."
'Fair enough...' The Slayer thought to himself as he walked behind Marisbury, silently closing the door behind him to avoid suspicion. The room they had landed in was a simple study, with only two windows that lined the balcony door.
Opening the door, the two found themselves on a pathway that overlooked the center of the church. Below was the bottom floor, with ordained wooden benches and an altar near the back. The dome housed an intricate painting of biblical scenes which rivaled those in the Vatican. Attached to the center of the dome was a massive golden chandelier, which was currently off helping to hide their forms. Holding up the roof were eight columns, attached to the railing of the pathway they were currently on. On both sides were sets of elevators and staircases, the simplest albeit riskiest option.
The two ran towards the elevators, taking cover behind whatever they could. Luckily none of the church's forces were with them, most likely wanting to avoid damaging their temple. He turned as Marisbury opened the door to a staircase, following the man closely. After a brief run down the stairs, both made it to the ground floor.
Opening the door, the two walked into the vast chamber. The Slayer briefly looked up at the platform they were both at before turning back. Marisbury, in a hushed tone, stated, "Don't be fooled, this place goes much further down than those stairs would suggest."
It wasn't a hard thing to figure out, seeing as they were trying to steal a religious artifact, the church would have it stored in an inaccessible place.
Marisbury walked past the wooden stage with a preacher's platform, rubbing his hand on the dusty surface. Behind the stage was a massive altar, big enough to hide a secret from the masses, but not a nosy Magus. Rubbing his hand near the center, Marisbury began looking for any triggers; whether it was a button, lever, or some type of Magecraft.
After a few moments, the altar lit up with a fierce blue light. In the crossroads of several panels was a single dish-like piece, the light originating from the console. With an inquisitive look, Marisbury said, "This may take a while for me to get through, it's a fairly advanced form of Magecraft..."
The Slayer rolled his eyes as the white-haired man stood in place, his eyes closed from concentration. Deciding he had enough stealth for today, the Slayer gently, albeit quickly shoved Marisbury out of the way. With a surprised gasp, Marisbury watched as the Slayer shoved his foot into the backside of the altar, obliterating it and the seal on top of it. Once the smoke cleared, the Slayer gestured for Marisbury to follow, the Mage sighing in defeat.
Underneath the altar was a stone staircase, burnt-out torches lining the ancient walls of the passage. Mold and mildew gathered at the bottom, this place wasn't well managed. At the bottom of the stairs was a large puddle, obscuring the floor beneath.
The Slayer illuminated his sword, using the weapon as a light source for Marisbury's sake. The Mage looked at the puddle, seeing the Slayer already soaking his armored boots in the murky water. While he had no problems getting dirty, he'd still rather avoid it. Though a little water wouldn't stop him from reaching the ring.
The two reached the end of the hallway, seeing it split into two curving halls. Deciding they'd go right, the Slayer led them both down the curved hall and now sloping hallway. The water from above was flowing past their feet and to the bottom of the circular chamber.
Once the two reached the bottom, they saw a catwalk that lay directly underneath the mold hall they had just traversed. In fact, upon closer inspection, the whole chamber was underneath the temple above. This fact was made obvious by the fact the same eight columns stretched down here from the roof, helping to support the widening cavern.
Marisbury took a step onto the wooden bridge, however just as quickly as he did the Slayer grabbed him and threw him onto the wall behind him. The impact knocked the wind out of the Mage, falling to the ground as he witnessed the Slayer be engulfed by flames. The armored figure's body acts as the only buffer between him and the flames.
Looking at the source, the Slayer saw hundreds of puppets and golems flooded into the chamber from below. Peering over the railing, the Slayer saw a single spiral staircase that lined the stone walls of the room. At the bottom was a massive artillery cannon, the evident cause of the explosion.
Before the Slayer attacked, thousands of beams began to assault his body, lighting him up like a fireworks display gone wrong. Deciding he had enough, the Slayer twirled his sword in front of him, creating a whirlwind of red and green flowing energy that sucked in the bolts of magic.
Faster than anyone could hope to comprehend, the Slayer jolted through the center of his spiraling storm of red energy, slashing down on the bridge with a thunderous might. Turning behind he punched a golem in the face, obliterating its skull. Swiping his hand through the masses, he destroyed 3 more constructs. Quickly readjusting, the Slayer blitzes down the spiral staircase, ripping and tearing his way through the false army.
Suddenly a beam of light cascaded up almost as quickly as he backed up out of the way. He watched as the attack slammed against the stone walls, a soft pink glow bursting from the impact zone as though there were barriers surrounding the chamber.
He smirked beneath his helmet at this realization, which meant he could put in some more effort. Jumping off of the staircase, he held his sword above his head, red energy swirling on the blade before exploding against the roof in a magnificent green. Red lightning sparked from his blade as the flaming storm lit up the entirety of the room.
Below him, the artillery cannons began to join together in a bio-technological way. Pistons made from stone were slammed together as rocky panels covered the intricate machinery. The lone cannon fixed upwards sparked with an ominous purple glow, seemingly absorbing whatever energy it could from the army.
The Slayer looked below him, if he wanted to he would've destroyed the machine a thousand times over already, but this was most likely going to be the only chance for him to have even a small amount of fun.
The cannon began to charge, the purple light contrasting the Slayer's swirling storm. Finally, the machine burst forth, a brilliant show of purple and white combining together to create one of the most powerful magic-based attacks humanity has put together so far.
Time seemingly froze as the beam drew closer, the Slayer slamming his sword down to face the magic attack. Before anyone could acknowledge what had happened, the Slayer sent his attack, a single ray of green. A red light emanated from his blade before fading into the green, red lightning spiraling around the center. The beams didn't even have a chance to lock as the ground below was drilled miles into the Earth's crust, an earthquake shaking to the Mediterranean 32 miles away.
Stowing his weapon away, he looked up at the roof. Luckily for the secrecy of his attack and Marisbury's life, the ceiling was relatively unharmed as his light show before the attack wasn't allowed to do so. Flying up, he joined Marisbury who was calmly observing yet engrossed in the battle.
As the Slayer planted his feet down on the still-standing passageway, Marisbury asked, "I can't help but ask if that's you're Noble Phantasm?"
The Slayer looked at the Mage in confusion, visibility tilting his head. Marisbury laughed softly, before commenting, "Oh, you aren't a Servant. So it'd make sense that you don't know what it is.
Never mind then, let's hope that ring hasn't been obliterated." Marisbury added before the Slayer nodded, grabbing onto the man before flying them both down. Flying through the crater, the two saw a large passageway, half the width of the downwards crater, the entrance resembling a squashed half circle.
After setting themselves down, they both found themselves observing the hall. At the apex of the hallway was a row of fluorescent blue lights, every few meters the hall was segmented by steel supports holding up the earth above them.
Their steps echoed as they moved down the stone hallway, creating an uneasy almost liminal atmosphere around them. However, both disregarded the slight unease, in the Slayer's case he never felt it. After what felt like a mile, though in reality was only a few hundred feet, the two made it to a massive steel door.
The physical structure alone looked durable enough to resist most modern weaponry, but the added magic made the door resistant to some weaker Servants. Marisbury had no hope of breaking through, however, he wasn't the one who was going to bust through. Looking over at his companion, the Slayer nodded before plunging his glowing sword through the door.
On the other side, the awaiting guards saw as the door began to glow orange before a sharp ray of energy punched through. However before the attack could damage the room, the stream of energy was silenced.
The Slayer walked through the smoking hole, observing the sentinels pointing their weapons at him. With a smirk on his face, he swung his sword at his side, creating a disk of green swirling flames. Taking this as a threat, the puppets shot bolts of light toward him.
Seeing this, the Slayer sliced upwards, deflecting the closest bolt before swiping down and doing the same with another. Thrusting his sword forwards, he launched himself forward through the small army before slicing around him in a circle, his chain reeling his sword around him where his arm couldn't reach. The circle of light around him bursts outwards, destroying the puppets closest to him.
Suddenly, a titanic weight dropped from the ceiling above, creating a massive cloud of dust. Turning slowly to see what the source was, the Slayer saw massive mechs drop in a circle around him. Each has purple lights shining from their face, chest, hands, and feet, showing the amount of Magic within the constructs.
Before anyone could react, the Slayer threw his blade at one of the larger units. Its salamander-like head exploded before it could do anything, however, he didn't destroy it using the faltering mech as a mount. Another large bipedal mech, composed of two bulky digitigrade legs carrying a boxy 'T' shaped chassis with various weapons strapped on, began to fire both magical and conventional weaponry at its crippled ally.
The stone golem crumbled away, its blade-like arm falling off in one chunk, smashing smaller units below. Before the mech was fully destroyed, the Slayer jumped off toward the other unit. Plunging his blade into the hull, he fired a ray of energy into it, destroying the mech in one fatal blow.
Jumping down onto the ground, the Slayer swung his blade around the room, taking several passes. After only a few, the room lit up like a galaxy full of exploding stars. Deciding that was enough, the Slayer pulled his sword back toward his body, grabbing the hilt as it zoomed into him.
Taking a deep breath, the Slayer looked at the Mage walking through the broken door. Marisbury inspected the rubble, though there wasn't much to look for in the first place, as all he saw were scattered boulders strewn around the larger chamber. Running over to the Slayer, Marisbury commented, "Looks like another intensive fight, hopefully, the ring wasn't destroyed."
The Slayer shrugged in response, thinking to himself, 'Wouldn't call that intense...'
However, he let the man remain ignorant of that as he walked over to a machine at the end of the room. A strange gas hissed from the machine as it sensed Marisbury, deploying one last magic barrier to defend its obvious contents.
Marisbury sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to open the barrier. The Slayer huffed, stepping forwards before slamming his elbow into the machine, doing what he could to not damage the ring. Before long, the Slayer tore through the metal hull, exposing a blue glow coming from an illusive light highlighting the treasure within.
For the first time since he's seen him, Marisbury had an antsy look on his face, studying the contents within. The Slayer chuckled to himself seeing the man's childish giddiness, before looking inside the sarcophagus. Slowly reaching inside, he felt the cold air from the machine reach him, though it'd do nothing to stop his pursuit.
Inching closer, he snagged the ring between his fingers. An invariable amount of time quicker than he entered, the Slayer pulled back with the ring still clutched within his hands. Marisbury had a look of awe in his eyes, before asking, "May I?"
The Slayer dropped the ring in the Mage's hands, watching the man inspect it as though he were running a pawn shop. With an eager smile, Marisbury stated, "Finally, the ring..."
The Slayer didn't know why such an artifact was so important, perhaps it would help summon the Servant you wanted. Regardless, he looked as Marisbury stowed it away before saying, "We should get out of here, I have no doubt you could take the church down in a day. But I'd rather not cause too much collateral damage."
Nodding, the Slayer pointed his weapon east, towards the Dead Sea before firing off a single bolt of energy. After only a few moments a tunnel was drilled through the Earth, big enough for both of them to walk side by side. The only downside was that the Mage would have to wait for the temperature to subside.
"Well, that was certainly quite the adventure," Marisbury commented as the Slayer sealed the tunnel. Turning back to face the Mage, he watched as the man studied the lake before them. Signing, Marisbury started, "I've already sent a message to my transport, they'll be picking us up soon enough.
Though in the meantime, I should explain myself." Marisbury added, the Slayer nodded before the man continued, "First, I've already explained what Servants are. People who are turned into Heroic Spirits can then be summoned by a Master as a Servant. As well as The Holy Grail War, an event where seven Masters and seven Servants compete in a magical battle royale to win the Holy Grail.
Though I haven't explained why I'm participating in such an event. You see I have a company called Chaldea Security Organization, and we specialize in handling temporal anomalies and other existential threats to humanity." Marisbury explained, the Slayer thinking, 'Sounds like me...'
"However it isn't a military, but rather a sort of magic organization. You see we use a wide array of instruments built to observe the Earth's timeline, past, and future. We look for disturbances in the timeline, both natural and artificial..." Marisbury added, as though he was alluding to something. The Slayer nodded, understanding his organization, though Marisbury wasn't over as he continued with, "To put it simply, I need the resources to be able to run my company.
Even an oil rig and a nuclear power plant aren't enough to run my facility, so I'm wishing for the resources to be able to run my company." Marisbury finished, the Slayer remaining expressionless even behind his mask.
Before either could break eye contact, a ray of light shone down from above. Turning to look at it, both saw a massive, white, EH101 hovering over them, its floodlights aimed toward the two. Marisbury smiled in relief, waving towards the craft with a sense of familiarity.
It was obvious this was Marisbury's transport based on the reaction. Sand blew away from the craft as it landed, its side door opening to reveal several soldiers within. One occupant who stuck out amongst the rest was a scientist or a Mage like Marisbury.
"Have a good time, Marisbury?" The man said he was a taller man, yet of a similar build to Marisbury with blonde choppy hair. The Slayer's companion nodded, responding, "About as good as stealing a holy artifact could've been."
The Slayer stood, waiting for them to notice his obvious presence. Luckily it didn't take long, before the man asked, "And who is this? I didn't think you'd be able to summon a Servant so quickly."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance at being called that, though he'll learn to accept it soon enough. Marisbury chuckled, before answering, "He isn't a Servant, just a companion I met. Though it's safe to say he's with me."
At that the Slayer climbed on, ignoring the stares he got from everyone. Though they didn't do anything irrational, regardless if they did or not, he'd be able to put them down before they could even complete their thoughts.
Stowing his thoughts away, he watched as the door was slammed shut before the blades began to spin above. Watching the pilots flick various switches, he felt the craft rise before flying away from the desert.
As the craft flew south, he remembered one detail which neglected while he was with Marisbury. He never found the Gore Nest, either it was exceptionally well hidden, or Merlin lied about the whole thing. This meant Merlin sent him here specifically to meet Marisbury, knowing that he would be a key figure.
He would've laughed had he not chosen to stay silent, not at Merlin, but rather at the fact he didn't feel necessarily angry. While it did mean he wouldn't be able to hunt down the Gore Nests, he also knew that something was important about the Mage before him.
A/N: A little bit of a break from DxD, technically a filler episode yes I admit. But I thought focusing on the Slayer as Fate/Grand Order develops would be refreshing since we haven't had a whole chapter with him.
Until the Slayer and Sekaino meet, this will be how F/GO will be developed. For now, we'll be moving back to DxD to see how Sekaino, Issei, and the Gremory Peerage are developing.
Also the two mechs were meant to resemble both Metal Gear Ray and Metal Gear Rex respectively.
Word Count - 4,072