Chapter 12 – Rule of Blood
(Published: 08.30.12 – Beta RavingScholar)
Sometimes being a cop was difficult, Dojima pondered. Actually, make that most of the time. All it took for him to be stopped was a sign delineating a private propriety, and he could proceed no further.
Sometimes he hated his job. Without a legal reason he couldn't trespass on private land, no matter what his suspicions were. The Emiya boy didn't seem to care about such things, but he had no proof that he went inside uninvited. Forcing his way in now was a bet he couldn't afford to take, not when he didn't know what was actually happening.
The best he could do was wait for something to happen; something loud and visible enough for him to see from the main road.
It was unnerving, but he had no choice. As a police officer, and the only one who realized the fishy events of Fuyuki, he couldn't afford to be suspended from service or even fired. No, for the sake of everyone he had to be careful.
For good measure he checked his gun. Fully loaded and with the safety in place. He removed his coat and threw it on the back seat, remaining only in his white shirt and black tie, the gun holster clearly visible under his arm.
He quietly lit a cigarette and sat back against the seat, hoping that he wouldn't have to wait long for something to happen.
Shirou put on his mask and hid the motorbike behind one of the many trees that lined the path. In the off chance that his tripping of the wards had gone unnoticed, going in quietly was the best option. Considering his track record so far, he didn't dare to assume himself so lucky as to have slipped past the security.
Moving through the trees he finally reached a considerably high wall slightly overrun by vines. Instead of jumping over the wall by reinforcing his legs he climbed the closest tree and surveyed the situation safely hidden among the leaves.
The western style mansion was a considerably big building with three floors above the ground. Considering the architecture, it was safe to assume that it had at least a cellar underground. If the Magus had a Workshop it was probably located there.
Now, the matter was finding out where the girls were kept. If Tohsaka had been just a normal person he would have considered checking there first, but no Magus would bring another into its sancta sanctorum, under any circumstances. It was also the most defended place of the entire structure. He wouldn't wander there unless he was absolutely sure that Yukiko and Tohsaka were kept there.
In front of the main entrance was parked the black van. Four men stood around it, completely motionless, eyes lost in the void in front of them. Mere puppets. The only reason for them to be still there was because the Magus hadn't dismissed them yet.
… They weren't looking out for him though. Did it mean that he had really managed to get under the wards undetected or was the resident Magus trying to lure him into a false sense of security?
That didn't seem likely. Since he arrived he hadn't used any Thaumaturgy, so the owner of this place had no way of knowing that the intruder was a Magic user, and that type of trap would work only against someone who could understand why four people were acting like mindless zombies.
So, maybe he had managed to sneak his way in. That didn't mean he could recklessly use his Magecraft. If he still had the surprise factor on his side he would do better to cash it in full. Should an open confrontation arise, surprising his opponent with magic could prove to be an invaluable trump card. That meant that he had to get inside and explore the building in an entirely mundane fashion.
Well, perhaps that wasn't a big problem to begin with. There were just a couple of windows on the third floor from where he could see some light. Unless someone was lurking in the darkness, waiting for him, it stood to reason that everyone who wasn't currently sleeping was in one of those rooms.
Without a noise he leapt from the branch and landed in a crouch beyond the wall. The four men didn't react to his presence, proving even further that no one knew of his entrance.
Some luck was quite welcome for a change, but that didn't mean he was about to push it. He avoided the front entrance and walked around the building, shooting glances through every window, just in case.
As he had imagined there was a back door, probably employed by the staff that usually manned such a big mansion. That brought up another matter, though. Magi didn't want strangers running around their homes, not even under their employment: thus, they normally used some sort of familiar to take care of basic house chores. Golems, homunculi and such creatures were intelligent enough to double as security should the need arise.
Once inside he would have to consider everything as a threat. No matter how lucky he had been thus far, he was not even remotely in control of the situation. Clearing his mind and putting his breathing under control he reached for the door.
It was obviously locked, but it had been worth a shot. With Magic not being an option at the moment, a silent entry could be achieved only through some good ol' lock picking. From a pocket he retrieved a small box with all the tools he needed. There was more to being a hero than just fighting the bad guys. Shirou and Kiritsugu had many differences when it came to what they were willing to do to achieve their goals, but the redhead certainly couldn't say that he hadn't learned all manner of useful stuff from his foster father.
With a click the door opened and Shirou slipped inside without a noise.
As suspected he was now in the mansion's kitchen. The appliances were quite old, but that wasn't a surprise where a Magus was involved. Slowly and silently he moved to the next door and opened it enough to take a peek in the corridor illuminated by the eerie moonlight. No people, no familiars, no one could be seen. It seemed too good to be true, and in all likelihood it was.
He left the kitchen and moved forward, paying attention to every noise.
There was a lesson Shirou had learned from his father, probably one of the most important: once in an enemy's territory, when everything seems quiet and you don't feel threatened at all, in that moment, the enemy is right behind you.
It wasn't like he heard a noise or anything like that. He just suddenly felt like his life was in danger and promptly rolled to the side, just a moment before something passed where his head had been. He immediately scrambled back on his feet, putting up a defensive stance and searching for his silent assailant.
In the pale light of the moon that filtered from the windows at both ends of the corridor, something stood on four legs. Something with sharp claws and fangs, that reflected the light with an ominous glint.
"Grrwlll…," the thing growled menacingly, taking a step closer to Shirou and further into the light.
The blood froze in his veins when the creature was fully exposed to his sight.
Its dark fur looked like a dog's, but the creature was bigger than any exemplar of that species he had seen in his life. Its claws were several inches long, looking like they could cut through steel like a hot knife through butter, and its fangs reached almost all the way to the floor.
It was a creature designed to kill, but it wasn't its deadly appearance that made Shirou stomach twist. It was the face – a face - that made his blood run cold. A clearly human visage stared at him from a body that was anything but.
The realization of what the thing in front of him actually was fueled his rage and shook him out of his stupor just in time to avoid another attack from the beast.
A chimera. A beast made by combining parts from different animals, and in this case, people as well. They were not something common, not even amongst Magi. The difficulty of making parts coexist from different creatures severely outshone any effective usefulness, and the result would usually live for a scant few hours, usually without being capable of coordinating their movements.
But this creature was different. It looked like it had grown after it was put together, as each part integrated seamlessly with the others, resulting in a stable specimen.
It wasn't something that could have been achieved on the spot, but it had to be the result of several experiments.
How many people and animals had been harvested and pieced together? How many people had screamed in pain while their bodies were torn apart?
If there was a thing that could be called a monster, it was the person who sought such a result more than the resulting creature itself.
But that wasn't the time to be mull over such things. The bastard would get its own for taking Yukiko and Tohsaka, as well for this unforgivable atrocity. To do that, though, Shirou had to move past the chimera, preferably in one piece. Which could have turned out to be rather difficult if he kept not focusing on the incoming attack.
Four claw marks erupted on the tapestry, behind the spot where Shirou's torso would have been had he not ducked away.
Before the chimera had a chance to turn, Shirou had taken out his bow and shot three pointed arrows in rapid succession. Each and every projectile met its target as intended.
And then clattered on the floor uselessly.
That was bad. Whatever that fur was made of, it repelled normal arrows like they were nothing. Worse, it only served to enrage the creature even more, if the pained growl it emitted was any indication.
If things kept up like that he would have been forced to show his hand before getting anywhere close to the mastermind. If he used his mysteries against the familiars, the Magus could definitely discern what his abilities were and come up with an efficient set of countermeasures without giving Shirou a chance to do the same.
He had to employ a different tactic if he wanted to keep his aces up his sleeve. Therefore he switched to a stronger mean of offense without tapping into his Thaumaturgy, and for the first time that night he was thankful for the added weight at his side.
With a hiss of steel, Monohoshizao slid out of its scabbard, capturing the few rays of light upon its surface, almost challenging the beast to come forth with its enmity.
Once again Shirou was surprised by the feeling the blade exuded. The inherent threat that he could feel was so intense that even the crazed beast became less aggressive and more attentive.
The two stood still, mindful of the threat they both represented. Silent appraisal passed between them like an unspoken truce had been established. It was an explosive situation, both waiting for the other to show an opening to exploit.
The first to move was likely to be the first to fall.
Nausea, vertigo and the unbearable feeling of intrusion stirred her from her slumber.
"She's waking up, Master," a distance voice announced without inflection.
"As expected," a male voice scoffed from outside of her blurred field of vision. "The amount of Prana coursing through her body is accelerating her metabolism. Your task is done for now. You are dismissed."
"As you wish, Master," the woman replied evenly before a mystical sound was heard.
Rin blinked, shredding the haze that clouded her mind with every breath.
"Where…," she mumbled drunkenly. She was lying against a cold, hard surface, staring at ceiling without the strength to get up.
Someone stepped in her line of sight. A man with bright red hair, dressed in white clothes decorated with silver lines intertwined in a complex patter. She could recognize a few runes in the design.
A Magus.
"Who?" she asked with a clearer voice. "Who are you?"
"I am Vincent Guilford of Guilford, Miss Tohsaka," the man introduced himself arrogantly. Just by speaking his name the Magus showed just how much self-esteem he possessed. She normally would have scoffed at such a display and relegated such a person to the lowest levels of her consideration.
She wasn't in the condition to do such a thing, however. Even in her slightly altered state of mind it was obvious that she was his captive. Her body didn't answer to her commands nor did her Circuits.
She was spellbound, no doubt about that, but there was also something else that bothered her.
Even though her mind was racing through countless ways to counteract the enchantments that held her down, she couldn't muster a single hostile thought toward the man that put her in such a condition.
A cold shiver went down her spine, though she didn't give any outward sign of her discomfort. Was she under some kind of mind-altering spell?
That was a horrifying thought for a lot of different reasons. For one thing, not being in possession of her own thoughts was a nauseating idea. Hypnosis was one thing, as it caged the consciousness of an individual in order to gain control of the body. Once dispelled, the subject would return to its normal self, often entirely oblivious to anything it might have happened.
Secondly, in order to alter even slightly the mind of a Magus required access to a level of Thaumaturgy well above average. The natural rejection of foreign energies would prevent any form of conventional control and most spells to that end would be nullified before they had a chance to take hold. Of course, being unconscious and drugged might have somewhat lessened her defenses, but sealing away just a specific line of thought was entirely too complex, too subtle to achieve even with the slightest interference.
"I know what you are thinking," the foreigner stated amusedly. "You are wondering what kind of enchantment I employed to gain a hold over your mind. Ah, Miss Tohsaka, if only you knew how utterly mistaken you are."
She frowned. Mistaken? How was she mistaken? She could almost feel the difficulty of focusing on a thought that involved bodily harm to the man in question. It was ridiculous to think that he had employed a mundane process to circumvent her natural defenses. Drugs could do wonders to weaken the mind, but they required constant use over a long time. Furthermore it was anything but a precise process.
"What do you want from me?" she finally decided to ask. Without enough elements to figure out how he did such a thing, perhaps thewhy would offer a better insight.
The man chuckled and walked away. Rin felt the binding over her body lessen somewhat. She managed to pull herself to a sitting position and take a look at her current predicament.
She was on a stone altar in the middle of a room. The floor was covered by a complex array of runes, drawn in blood. A Magic Circle. A huge and overly complex Circle that could be employed only for a ritual of proportional magnitude.
And she had been laying unconscious in the middle of it.
A shiver passed over her body, and this time it wasn't caused by an unpleasant thought, rather from a genuine feeling of coldness. She looked down at her body and it took all of her composure not to shriek at the top of her lungs.
She was completely naked, her young body exposed for the man to see as he wished. Faster than she thought possible she wrapped her hands around her torso and clamped her legs close.
"What have you done to me?" she demanded from the man, Guilford, who was now seated on a luxurious chair at the other side of the room. Only then she realized that her friend, Yukiko, was standing still beside her captor, her eyes locked on the white clad figure with obvious adoration. "What have you done to Yukiko?"
"Relax, Miss Tohsaka. I assure you that neither you nor your friend will come to any harm while in my care. In fact I believe that we will be cooperating a lot in the future."
"Don't feed me that nonsense. You kidnapped me. You brainwashed Yukiko. If you think I'm going to help you in any manner then you are more delusional than I gave you credit for."
"Yes, I can see how that would not put you in the mood to help," Guilford chuckled amusedly as he ran a hand through his hair. "Though you are under the assumption that you have any choice in the matter. Again, you are gravely mistaken."
"What do you want from me?" she inquired again, fury spilling in her voice.
"Everything," the man stated ominously as he leaned forward.
Tohsaka couldn't help but shudder.
Monohoshizao met the beast's claw in midair with a clash of steel, sending sparks flying into the darkness.
Shirou cursed inwardly and spun, allowing the chimera to sail beyond him. A few scratches on his arms and torso testified how close he came to being ripped to shreds. It was only thanks to a great deal of luck that he hadn't died yet.
No, that wasn't exactly true. Although he couldn't explain it, every time he came close to be cut to death, Monohoshizao was suddenly in the path of the razor sharp claws, saving his life at the last possible moment.
That was a ridiculous concept. The sword had no ability whatsoever. It was Shirou's arm that moved the blade, but he couldn't help but feel that, rather than it being him who wielded the sword, it was the sword that wielded him.
Every swing he took was more precise, cleaner and faster than before. The narrow space of the corridor was becoming less and less of a problem. His movements were smoothing out and only his relatively short height in relation to the length of the sword made using Monohoshizao a little awkward.
Slowly, he began gaining the upper hand over the Chimera. The beast was forced to defend, when just moments before it used to be on the offense most of the time. Step after step, swing after swing, Shirou pushed the creature until its back was against the wall at the end of the corridor.
It was bleeding from several cuts, but it gave no sign of feeling pain. Even now that it was backed into a corner, its eyes held nothing but absolute malice and no fear for its own well being.
With no way to retreat anymore, the creature went for the only course of action its limited intellect could find. In a desperate attempt it crouched and once more leapt at Shirou, with every intention of cleaving his head off.
As if cutting the moonlight itself, Monohoshizao hissed through the night and with a wet sound in carved a long cut in the Chimera's midsection. Blood sprayed on Shirou's head, but the boy was far too focused to be bothered by it.
The creature had yet to hit the ground again when the exceedingly long blade came for another hit, successfully cutting the Chimera in two parts.
Both parts slid on the ground until they stopped a few meters away. It should have been enough. Anything would die if it were cut in half, right?
Wrong.
The upper part continued to move. With undying tenacity the Chimera dragged itself toward Shirou, with only its front legs and nothing but killing intent in its eyes.
It could no longer fight, Shirou realized immediately. In all likelihood it would soon bleed out and stop moving altogether, but even in its weakened state it sought nothing but his death.
A pang of pity echoed in his heart. The twisted creature was beyond any help. The person it used to be was long gone. There was no salvation for it in this live.
Therefore…
He closed the distance, ignoring the danger the Chimera still represented. Monohoshizao stood vertically above his head splitting the night in two.
"I'm sorry," he muttered loud enough for the creature to hear, though there was no chance it could comprehend his words or his feelings. "Please, find salvation in death."
He swung down one last time, spraying his masked face with yet more blood. With a powerful groan the Chimera shuddered and finally lay still.
"I'm sorry," he repeated once more in the corridor now void of life.
He remained like that for a long minute, using Monohoshizao to support his weight. Taking a life was heavy, no matter how twisted it had been and no matter how much of a merciful act it was.
Finally, he pulled himself straight once more, wiped the blood off the blade with one swing and then returned it to its scabbard.
He couldn't remain there. There were still people that needed his help, and he wasn't about to fail them.
With one last glance at the corpse he turned and headed for the stairs.
Swallowing his feeling for the pitiful creature, Shirou began examining the creature's structure in his mind. He couldn't perform an in-depth examination without using his Structural Grasping, but at least he could make a few educated guesses on the crafter's abilities.
For one thing, creating a living being from parts of others wasn't, by any means, a simple task. It wasn't something that could be accomplished by a common Alteration. It definitely was something outside of the standard array of skill that every Magus possessed.
Therefore, the Magus in question had to be specialized in a branch of Magecraft that manipulated life, but he didn't know of any family that could do something like that.
What sort of craft could obtain such results?
"Rule of Blood?" Tohsaka inquired, still doing her best to cover her body.
"Indeed," the man confirmed with a grandiose gesture of his arms. "That is the name of my Sorcery Trait."
"What has it to do with anything? I think that's a trait that favored healing oriented Magecraft."
Guilford nodded approvingly. "You've heard of it, I see. Yes, Rule of Blood allows me to accelerate all and every healing processes. Even the transplant of a Crest can be eased with its employment."
"A useful support skill," she observed, though there was no real appreciation in her voice.
Keeping her cool and letting the megalomaniac go through his self-absorbed rant was her top priority. Magi usually didn't share in depth knowledge of their Mysteries, for obvious reason. If the man was fool enough to spill the beans of his own volition it was all the better for her. The more she knew, the easier would be breaking out of her bindings.
She was also getting less and less uncomfortable with being naked. She couldn't allow embarrassment to bother her if she needed to act swiftly, after all.
"Yes, that is what most people would think," the man smirked. Rin didn't like the way she stared at her body now that she had eased her posture. "But there is so much more than that."
She narrowed her eyes. She could understand the man being arrogant, but that was insane. You just don't divulge that kind of knowledge unless… unless he was absolutely convinced that she couldn't oppose him in any manner.
"No doubt," she said dryly.
"Mock all you want, little girl. You wouldn't be the first person to do so, or the last to fall prey of your preconceptions."
"Really? What are you going to do with it? Heal me to death?"
"Don't think that such a thing is beyond my ability. How difficult do you think it would be for me to accelerate the speed at which your cells reproduce? I could kill you with a cancer in a manner of minutes."
"Nonsense," she scoffed. "The natural resistance to foreign energies would nullify the effect before they it could escalate that much."
"That is a fairly good assumption," he nodded, though his constant smirk told her he thought differently. "Of course your body would get rid of all external influences like my Prana, but it certainly will not do the same with yours."
"W-what?"
"You see, the reason why Rule of Blood can ease a transplant is because it possesses an incredible adaptability." He pulled up the sleeve of his left arm, exposing the skin littered with needle marks.
"When I inject my blood inside another person, Rule of Blood equalizes the differences by acting as the host's own cells. If the host has received an organ or a Crest form another person, it acts as a medium between the two, nullifying the possibility of a rejection. In short, the host's body and circuits recognizes my blood as a part of its own system. But even then, the blood is still my own and reacts only to my command."
Rin froze, putting the pieces together. Having a foreign entity insider her, something that her body and Circuits couldn't identify as a threat, meant that her defense mechanisms were all but nullified. The man could very well live up to his threats.
"Why going through all of this trouble? Why involve Yukiko in this?"
"Well, there is a number of reasons for that. In spite of my amazing Sorcery trait, I'm not really a combat type. I can hold myself well during a battle, but I'd rather avoid taking the risk if I could. In addition to that I honestly didn't want to drag that troublesome guardian of yours into my business."
"Kirei?" she asked in disbelief. "You are quite a fool if you think that he would be interested if I disappeared or even died."
"Yes, well, it's not so much that he's your guardian that worries me. I just didn't want him to mess with me in his capacity of Manager of the Holy Grail War."
"What? The Holy Grail War is not going to start for another fifty years."
"Ah, I believed you already knew. How disappointing. No, Miss Tohsaka, the War is already about to start and…," he removed the glove from his left hand, exposing a shining hexagonal mark, with a flowery pattern within. "I'm going to be a Master in it. Caster, show yourself."
She appeared out of thin air, materializing in a purple robe that covered her entire body. Even her face was mostly hidden under a hood, but there was no mistaking her gender or her nature.
Even without her Circuits, Rin could feel the overwhelming presence of a being that was not human.
A Servant. A goddamned Servant had been summoned.
"How…," she muttered in disbelief. The summoning of a Servant meant that the Grail War was about to start, but even disregarding the fact that it was happening fifty years too early, she couldn't explain why a Magus who wasn't part of one of the three founding families had received a Command Seal before she did.
"Honestly, I'm not privy to the reasons behind the Grail's current activities," Guilford admitted. "But I'm not one to look in a gift horse mouth. I just took advantage of the situation and decided to set up a proper course of action before the other participants were selected."
"All of this…," Rin asked. "It was all to get to me?"
"Indeed," Guilford admitted. "The members of the founding families are the only ones that are sure to be picked for the war. I certainly couldn't touch the Einzberns, and the Makiri line has long since died out. Still, getting to you directly could have been problematic, and it would have forced me to reveal my participation in the game far too early. Reaching you through your friends was a little more complex, but far less risky."
"You decided to eliminate me before I had the chance to summon my Servant. Too bad I have yet to receive a Command Seal."
"No, killing you was never my intention. Besides, so long as you receive a Command Seal everything is as I've planned."
"Do you intend to take it from me and summon another Servant yourself? You can't possibly have enough Prana to sustain two of them, and even if they sustained themselves by devouring other people's energy they would still severely weakened."
Guilford chuckled and shook his head.
"No, no. You've got it all wrong. I have no intention of taking your Command Seal away from you. Like you said, it would only weaken both Servants and it would cause the other Masters to team up against me."
"You… you can possibly be implying that I'd fight with you."
"With me? It never crossed my mind. For me? You most certainly will."
"You are insane. I will ever work for you. If you are stupid enough to believe that I won't find my way around the spells you cast on me and turn my Servant against you…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he interrupted her rant. "It would be troublesome if you did such thing. Fortunately for me you won't even try to free yourself from my control. Let me give you a practical explanation."
He stood and walked toward her. She defiantly tried her best not to show her discomfort at being naked while he was so close. Her resolve held true until his hand touched her face.
Then the world exploded inside her.
Out of instinct she swatted away his hand and fell backward and off the altar. Ignoring the pain from her head hitting the floor she backed away until her back was against the wall.
Her body was trembling, but it wasn't out of fear even though she was scared senseless.
"Felt that, did you?"
"What have… what have you done to my body?" This time she couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. There was no helping it. Her heart was thumping madly in her chest and her body was feeling intensely hot.
"Oh, it's not that difficult to understand. I already gave you all the hints you need to come up with your own answer. Still not getting it? Well, allow me to explain, exactly, just how powerful Rule of Blood actually is."
He ignored her defenseless form and returned to the middle of the room, sitting almost casually on the altar.
"The power of Rule of Blood lies in its incredible healing factor. Normally it would be safe to assume that it would heal the person who I inject it to, but that would be a mistake. Even while in another's person body, my blood still answers to my commands. And the instruction I gave to the blood I put inside you was to heal me."
"Heal… heal you? How can it heal you if it's inside me?"
"You surely know that there's more to blood that just carrying oxygen and nutrients through the body. The immune system, for instance, has the purpose to protect its owner for harm. Now, how would my immune system protect me while it's inside you?"
Rin paled. She was so white that she looked like she had no longer any blood in her veins. It was pretty much what she wished for herself at that moment.
"I see you understand now. The reason why you can't think of a way to harm me is because your body is already changing. It takes longer for the mind, especially of a trained Magus, but as time goes on you'll be less and less inclined to be hostile to me. In a week's time you will consciously act to protect me, and in a month you won't even be able of even thinking of refusing my orders."
"That's not possible," she answered. "Even with a high rate healing factor there's no way that your blood alone can do that."
"Of course it isn't," he admitted. "Powerful as it is, it's just blood. But there are certain advantages to having summoned a Magus from the Age of Gods as a Servant. Caster's knowledge of long lost Magecrafts allowed me to devise a Ritual that makes every single blood cell a receptacle of my will."
"No… I won't allow that," Rin clenched her jaw. "I will never allow that."
"Ah, defiance," Guilford sighed wistfully, shaking his head. "That look never gets old, especially because it never lasts. Miss Tohsaka, you already felt the effect it has on your body. It's not even been an hour and you already react to my touch. Soon enough you'll yearn for it, you'll seek me out of your own volition, you'll do anything to earn my attention. You will essentially be in love with me. Utterly, desperately in love. Just like Yukiko can attest to. Isn't that right, my pet?"
"Yes Master," Yukiko chirped happily. "You don't have to fight it, Rin. It's wonderful to be loved by Master Vincent."
"I refuse," Rin growled. "No matter what happens I won't give in."
"You are welcome to try. Let us see if you are going to be of the same opinion in a month. In the meantime…."
He stopped whatever he was about to say, eyes wide. His gaze moved sharply from Rin to the only door of the room.
"How interesting," he mused dryly. "It seems we have an unexpected guest. One of my Chimeras has been slaughtered. Caster, would you mind explaining why I wasn't informed of this?"
"My apologizes," she said softly. "But as I was entirely focused on the ritual I may have missed the signal from the wards."
"Can you track him?"
"As per your command, the Boundary Field I set up around this mansion is exclusively perimetric. Anything stronger than that would have been detected from afar. I believe you didn't want unwanted attention."
"Tch. Useless woman. I will send my Chimeras after the intruder, then. It the meantime we'd better move our guest to her new room. Caster, escort them. I'll make sure that this trespasser knows exactly the price for stepping inside my house uninvited."
"Master, it would be wise if you allowed me to deal with this nuisance."
"Don't play me for a fool, Caster," he said looking back through narrowed eyes. "I'm not yet convinced this person managed to sneak inside without your consent. I'll take care of it myself."
"But Master, it might be dangerous. The enemy could be a Magus. Another Master even."
"Don't be ridiculous. Have you detected any use of Prana? Besides I know exactly who the little rat is, though I wonder if his appearance is purely a coincidence or if Adachi was stupid enough to actually double-cross me. Never mind. I guess I'll have to find out myself.
He stalked out of the room, slamming the door violently behind him.
Rin watched the exchange between Master and Servant carefully. She was definitely scared by her current circumstances, but she wouldn't allow them to hamper her judgment. She hadn't lost yet.
She was surprised, though, when the Servant threw her a bundle of clothes. Her clothes.
"You'd better get dressed, little Magus. Unless you prefer to walk around like that."
Rin grumbled, but complied nonetheless. She could preserve her modesty, at the very least. With her body covered once more, she focused on her current predicament. Even though she couldn't directly fight against that pig of Guilford, she could at least try and escape. If she managed to return to her home she could come up with a solution.
There were a number of way to counteract Guilford's meddling that didn't involve the use of her Circuits. She had a decent number of jewels charged with Prana in her workshop that she could use to start up just about any enchantment.
And once she was free she would immediately address the issue of not having a Servant. She didn't care for the class she'd summon so long as she'd get to give that pig a piece of her mind. And her foot.
Yes, Tohsaka Rin's revenge would be something terrible to witness, but first she had to get out of there. With Guilford looking for the newcomer she could think more clearly. They took away all the jewels she had hidden inside her clothes, but they had severely underestimated her.
She had to refrain from smirking. Things were worse than she had imagined they would be, but Guilford wasn't the only one who planned ahead.
XXX
AN: All right, another chapter is out. I suppose that at this point you should be able to understand what was Guilford unforgivable sin in Caster's eyes. You might be curious as of why the Grail is dishing out Command Seal so early before the war and not in the correct order.
if you want explanations, either wait for the story to eventually explain it (very far in the story) or ask for details in my Forum. No need to increase the word count with a long explanation.
That will be all for now.
See ya.