Chapter 6
The primarch of the Alpha Legion sat on the floor like a mere mortal whilst Saber knelt in front of him. The roof was dangerously close to his helmet's ornaments. He was back wearing his Pythian Scales, the True one this time. Previous ones had been a mere forgery of the original conserve mana but now he felt far stronger than he had been.
"Why do you keep insisting on revealing your True Name?"
"I have said these many times before, Alpharius is not necessarily my name. I have been called many things in my life, Alpharius is simply my most frequent persona."
A flash of annoyance flickered on her calm face.
"So, you live on lies and treachery, I am ecstatic."
"If it helps you sleep, I can say that I have had enough treachery for my life after I supposedly betrayed my father."
"You did what!" Saber shouted, face contorted in unbridled fury, "You betrayed your father and I am supposed to entrust my Master's safety to you?"
"Father, Creator, same thing." Alpharius waved back lazily. "I did not betray him; in fact I am loyal to him. It is a shame that people place so much faith in surface appearance. I publicly broke my oaths to join the traitors' side. I could have done so much more, I could have defeated the loyalists within mere Terran weeks, yet I kept my true loyalty secret, finding out those who were more willing to betray my vision and weeding them out of my Legion."
"Weeks are a long time compared to your boast that you keep make Master a ruler within a day."
"It's more than just this world, I meant the entire galaxy."
"What's a gal… Oh."
Alpharius laughed at Saber's expression of horror.
"Yes. That was not a boast, it was a statement. Also, are you sure it is wise that we should leave Rin Tohsaka with Emiya? Her mind is somewhat unstable."
"Well, I am certain you agree with me as you have obeyed my wishes."
Alpharius nodded grudgingly as his ears picked up the departure of Rin from Master's room.
"When you said the galaxy. I assume that means that you are a Hero from the future. I suppose the Throne of Heroes does pull from across time."
"So, tell me, what class are you?"
"What class do you think I am?"
"Lancer?"
"No," Alpharius said, "Lancer is Cu Chulainn, Berzerker is Herakles and Assassin is a modern era sniper. Please, continue."
"How?" Saber glanced at Alpharius' cold eye-lenses, "How did you find out half of this Grail War's identities in such a short manner?
"It is obvious, additionally, I gained information when I consumed Herakles' heart. The rest were just observations."
Saber pulled a face of disgust, "Did you have to eat his heart?"
"What? I was hungry," Alpharius shrugged whilst waving his hand dismissively. "Please don't look at me like that."
"Servants do not need nutrition and that was horrible to watch."
Alpharius laughed as their Master walked into the hall. He certainly did look better compared to when they had brought him in. Apparently, his body had some impressive healing powers that closed the wounds rapidly. Alpharius hadn't personally seen it and relied on the words of Saber.
"Greetings, Master," They intoned simultaneously. Emiya recoiled from their performance before mustering himself.
"Hello Saber, Alpharius. I am afraid that I am going to school today."
Alpharius slammed the floor, barely controlling his fury. Saber jolted as Emiya attempted to stare down Alpharius. A useless endeavour when he could smell his fear-sweat. Had he not reined in his anger, the planks would have shattered.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are a fool?" Alpharius sneered, "Allow me to be the first, you are incredibly foolish. Your education means nothing to importance of the Holy Grail War. If you treasure your lessons, then I could hypno-indoctrinate your entire syllabus. There is no advantage of you leaving this property save for patrols."
Emiya scratched his head, a very human action that denoted guilt. His tone was apologetic even as it antagonised both of his Servants.
"I am sorry, but I must. Taiga is working at the school, and she needs her lunch."
Alpharius glanced at Saber, somehow having an entire conversation using only facial expressions and body language before coming to a decision. Alpharius grimaced and looked away as Saber delivered their verdict.
"Very well, Master. You may attend your school however at least one of us must accompany you."
Compromises were half hearted measures that satisfied no one. Alpharius could see the rising indignation in Emiya, was this akin to parenthood? A child refusing to see the logic of adults, deliberately turning a blind eye to any other outcome beside their own. The primarch was amused. He praised the Emperor for not allowing his brothers to feel any sexual attraction, the idea of a juvenile of his own mortified him.
"No."
"No? That was not a question. It is a statement." Alpharius adopted a chiding speech pattern, both reasonable yet frustrated, "You can either chose Saber or me."
"Saber."
Saber gave a half smile to Alpharius out of the corner of her mouth. Evidently, she enjoyed being favoured over the primarch, but Alpharius accepted the judgement. He would conduct his own reconnaissance onto the other Servants, namely Berzerker, Assassin, Lancer and Caster. If his Master could form a power bloc by the girls' attraction to his naivety, then their chances of winning would be more than threefold. Any Alpha Legionnaire would pursue his course of action to shift the odds to their favour.
"Wait. You are missing something, Master."
"What?"
"How are you going to explain our existence to your Taiga? I am very certain that she is unaware of the supernatural and I would like to keep it that way."
Emiya pondered the question briefly before answering, "I'll introduce you as my father's associates. Taiga doesn't know much about his past, he never talked about it before he died."
"So be it," Alpharius nodded, "I can retrieve some information to make the backstory passable."
"Would it be possible for you to take off your armour? I mean, I am not sure Taiga would take it well to see an armoured knights in the house, especially one being unnaturally tall. Saber looks normal in those clothes. Where did you get them Saber?"
"Rin Tohsaka was kind enough to lend them to me, Master."
Alpharius bowed his head apologetically, even sitting he was taller than the regular mortals standing up. It meant that he was forced to duck under the frames, practically crawling through the house. Thankfully, he could now start to change size in a relatively safe environment where height did not dictate a combat advantage.
Motes of light bleed from the Servant, Alpharius shrank down. No longer a primarch dominated the room, instead he was now clad in the tight synth-skin of a Vindicare. Still taller than Emiya and Saber but now of a more believable height. Saber's casual clothes was less practical than Alpharius' own, but it did not matter. Saber had to blend it with the non-combatant population whilst Alpharius did his own business.
"Excuse my leave, I have matters to attend to."
"Actually, Alpharius. You promised that you would save Sakura. What happened?"
"She is residing in of your guest room. At this moment, she is at school. Her family is incapacitated for now and are unable to look after her. The burden falls upon you. I believe she was rather happy with the arrangements."
"Did you kill them?"
"No, I did not kill them."
Alpharius bowed to his Master before walking outside. Privately, he knew Emiya should have slept longer but the few hours were all they could afford. Alpharius flexed his muscles, adapting to his new form as he pondered his actions. He had not lied. His actions had not killed them, rather a proxy but that was the literal truth. He had purposely intimidated his Master to grant him the freedom of exploration.
Well, perhaps he should leave a guard behind to prevent infiltrators from entering whilst they were all out. Yes, that did make sense.
Out of a shadow too shallow to contain it, an Alpha Legionnaire pulled itself out of the abyss. It was utterly silent, none of the grinding servomotors or the soft whine of a power pack. A reflex coating made it difficult to distinguish from the surroundings, but it wasn't too hard for Alpharius, it was a poor imitation of the wraith-slipping of the Raven Guard, but it was suffice.
Through serpenta, he gave the directives for the Alpha Legionnaire.
Protect Master Emiya.
Eliminate hostile Servants.
Do not be seen unless necessary.
The Alpha Legionnaire nodded, slinking back into the shadows. It would complete its mission to the death, all that Alpharius could ask for.
-
Alpharius dismounted from the bike and gazed at the temple. It was as expected, well situated on a hill and thick forests to deter large concentration of infantry. He plucked out his chosen weapon, the Instrument, racked a bolt and moved up. Something was off. There had supposed to have been men of religion here, but everyone had left, citing the need to conduct a pilgrimage to cleanse themselves. They had been good, creating paper trails for investigators to follow. Except Alpharius was not a regular mortal and wielded far more power than any one in this era would every have.
Who ever they were, they certainly didn't want anyone's attention, but such matters were Alpharius' purpose to the Emperor. Alpharius silently slipped through trees, pushing his sensory organs despite the repulsiveness that such sensitivity brought. Every living creature that moved made itself known to Alpharius. His mind instinctively understood and identified treats as he stalked.
The pungent scent of chem-sweat filled his nostril through the grille vents, causing Alpharius to halt. It was far out, originating from the temple's gates, but still a Legionary Astarte. Multiple Legionaries, Imperial Fists judging from the scent. That fact complicated matters. His pride stopped him from approaching the temple from the forest. No better taunt to the Sons of Dorn would be walking to their lauded fortifications brazenly.
So that was what Alpharius did, discarding his slender form in favour of his primarch armour. Full regalia and ornaments to truly anger them.
The primarch climbed the steps with impunity, an arrogant swagger that mocked the defenders.
A Legionary came from the Temple gates, no mere Legionary. Alpharius hesitated for a microsecond before resuming his climb. Sigismund was here, wielding the Black Sword no less. Several Templar Brethren surrounded him, clad in black and white. Colours of mourning, akin to the colours of the Abaddon's elite Justaerins. Or maybe colours of a repentant? He had known there had been some friction between Sigismund and Dorn but was it this bad? Alpharius mused softly to himself whilst pulling out the Pale Spear.
"Greetings, First Captain of the Seventh Legion, how fares you day?"
"Traitor!"
"That is not how to greet an old friend," Alpharius smirked at Sigismund's tone. "I thought we were better acquainted that this?"
"Death to those who have forsaken their oaths!" Sigismund leapt at him with the Templar Brethren at his heels. Alpharius mourned Sigismund's emotive death. He used to be far more talkative than this. Happier to engage in a duel. Truly, the Heresy had shattered all notions of the past.
Alpharius met them on a stone platform that briefly broke up the monotone staircase. Sigismund hit first, a peerless swordsman among the Legions, his blade scraping away the haft of the Pale Spear whilst Alpharius twisted to slashed at a Sword Brother. The Imperial Fist's shield was cleaved in half and the hand holding with it. Unfortunately, Alpharius couldn't press on to stab into the vulnerable chest, but he was forced to defend himself was Sigismund and the other two Templar Brethren.
"Ha! Show me your fury, your hunger of battle. Champion of the Emperor? Hilarious."
Sigismund growled as he continued to attack Alpharius' guard. Four of the finest of the VIIth Legion against Alpharius, fine odds. Especially consider how weak he was in this form. There was no respite under their perfection, their craft had been honed for centuries against a myriad of foes before being adapted to counter fellow Legionaries.
Spears were beautiful pieces of art, perhaps less versatile than swords but still respectable polearms. Alpharius relied on momentum, a rhythm to the dance that he could follow with his limited reactions. Sword thrusts were batted away or evaded but the Imperial Fists acted in concert, never allowing Alpharius to focus on a single Templar.
Alpharius gave ground, slowly falling back down the steps. The uneven terrain would work to his advantage with his greater reach, but it was uncomfortable for both sides to fight on a steep slope without mag-locking their boots. He would need every advantage when pressed like this.
Sigismund swept an arc at Alpharius' head, overreaching for the briefest of moment in his attack. Of course, Alpharius took in invitation and jabbed at the soft seals of Sigismund's Mk II power armour. The First Captain was forced to abandon his attack, instead rolling his blade into an underhand cut to drive away the Pale Spear.
Immediately, the rest of the Templars homed in with devastating strikes, formatted to prevent Alpharius worming his way through but did so anyway. A fist caught a blade, jerking it out of the grip and stabbed it into the Templar, all whilst Alpharius fended off the other two. Blood was already clotting the cut when Sigismund renewed the assault.
The wounded Templar tore out his sword, spraying his lifeblood across the steps. Uncaring of his own wounds, the Templar threw himself at Alpharius. The primarch could almost admire the courage of the Legionary to conduct such a suicidal action however this was not out of intrepidity but rather fanaticism. A deluded faith of honour and ideals that would not be found in the Alpha Legion.
Still, Alpharius responded by whipping the Pale Spear's lethal tip, slicing apart artificer armour effortless. The Templar fell to the Earth into two dissolving chunks, having fulfilled his purpose. This time, the other Templars ruthlessly exploited the opening again, stabbing their power swords into the Pythian Scales.
Spark hissed and fizzled to nothingness as the unholy blend of ancient technology combined with warp sorcery fought against the corona of energy that wreathed the weapons of the Imperial Fists. The two blades grazed the surface whilst the Black Sword punched through Alpharius armour. Sigismund pulled it out as soon as it reached its apex, barely fast enough to raise his arms to protect himself from a backhand swipe of Alpharius' hand.
The First Captain was launched off his feet, propelled into the air metres high before landing. The stone stairs crumbled under the impact, cratering with Sigismund's twitching body in the centre. Blood trickled from the cracks of the ruined face plate as it gazed at the sky.
Alpharius would have freely admitted that this was his preferred battle; short, quick and a touch of dramatics to impress. The other two Templars tried to stop him but the absence of their Captain meant they were laughably out-matched. His spear made short work, cutting them down to tatters of liquifying flesh and armour.
Master would start to notice his absence and worry. That was unacceptable, a violation of his self-imposed challenges. The primarch gave a sigh as he knelt besides Sigismund. The First Captain struggled feebly against his wounds, crawling painfully to reach the Black Sword. Impressive to survive a blow of a primarch, most likely concussed as a result.
"Fair game, Sigismund," Alpharius smiled, "I thoroughly enjoyed that, perhaps we can meet again?"
Patting Sigismund's pauldron, Alpharius twisted away, only to be caught by Sigismund's weak grasp. The First Captain looked desperate, confused why a traitor would spare him but Alpharius deigned to give him an audience. A few moments as a reward for wounding him so.
Sigismund's words came out raspy and punctuated with wet coughs.
"Why? I am... An Avenger. Kill me. Free me from my failure."
"You have not failed; you are here for a reason, and I would like to see you fulfil your purpose in Father's designs."
"I failed the Emperor… When I laid… broken… at the feet of Abaddon… I had only one wish… to kill all traitors… So, why am I here?"
Alpharius stopped smiling.
"Recover as fast as possible, Sigismund. I fear we have a great obstacle in our way that will be in the interests of us both to unite."
AN: Apologies for the long delay but it's here now. Hopefully I can have a steady update plan of at least one chapter per a month.
If you have any questions or comments, please do review! I does hearten me to see your opinions on this work.
Hydra Dominatus!
