UNNATURAL HISTORY

CHAPTER 2:

VESSELS AND VAMPIRES

"Excuse me, Arturia? May I speak with you?"

Harry, Barghest and the two Arturias looked to the hesitant Grey. Although now a woman grown, she was still a touch on the shy side. It came from being lauded as King Arthur's second coming, or rather, her vessel for being summoned. She did resemble the Arturias a little, her different hair colour aside, but she didn't look like a clone by any means.

"Of course, Grey," Arturia Pendragon said. The girl had come up to them in the canteen during lunch. "What of your guardian?"

"The Professor? He is speaking with Iskandar and Scathach, as is Hermione," Grey said.

Arturia Pendragon nodded. "I see. I encountered Waver as a teenager during one Grail War, with Iskandar as his Servant." She scowled, looking away. "At one point, I was forced to give his teacher, Lord El-Melloi, a mercy killing after Kiritsugu Emiya betrayed him. At another, I pursued Iskandar and Waver, having falsely believed them to have kidnapped the wife of my Master. Still, he showed considerable mettle for one so young. My issues are more with Iskandar, and rest assured, they should not get in the way of our fighting together. However, I can guess at another reason you have approached me, Grey. Harry and Barghest saw fit to tell me something of your heritage, and how you came to be."

Grey nodded, looking down at the table morosely, even as she picked at her food. "For a long time, I cursed your name. I was all but born in order to become your vessel. They, the people of my village, almost all of them, including my parents, thought it a great honour."

"An honour, to become my vessel," Arturia Pendragon said, scowling in disgust. "I would never willingly usurp another's place in the world like that. It would go against every tenet I hold dear. Do not misunderstand me, in life, I have done more than a few appalling things for the greater good. But I regretted the necessity of doing so, if only privately. And bloodline does not guarantee a good king." At this, her expression became morose. "Mordred was a potent example. She was a most excellent and leal knight until I rejected her as my heir, but she lacked many of the properties that would make a good king. In hindsight, perhaps I could have instilled such properties…but I was still in shock over learning I had a bastard child, and by rape with my own half-sister to boot. In addition, I gave few thoughts to a successor, intending, or perhaps hoping, to rule for many years to come. The Once and Future King, they call me these days. Perhaps the 'Once and Forever King' was closer to my intent. Yet maybe that would have led to stagnation."

"Perhaps," Barghest mused. "Morgan's reign as queen lasted for over two millennia. While there were many power struggles and wars, society itself did not change that much in my Lostbelt."

Grey, after a while, showed a shy smile. "Thank you, Arturia. I…I worried what it would be like if I actually met you, especially after the Professor wanted me to accompany him to Chaldea. But…I'm glad to have actually met you. But…I did inherit something of yours."

"Something of mine?"

"Aw, go ahead and spoil the surprise, Grey!" complained a warped voice, and Grey, after a sigh, fished out a small birdcage containing a small, cubical object with face-like markings on it. "Hey there, Arturia! Long time no see!"

"…Kay?" Arturia Pendragon whispered in shock.

"Well, not exactly. Your bitch of a half-sister copied my personality onto this Mystic Code. I'm more of a copy of Kay's personality. But seriously, Arturia, you've changed. Some of it's been for the better, and some of it…well, I'll leave it at that."

Arturia Pendragon scoffed, albeit with a fond smile on her lips. "Well, you haven't changed that much. But what is this I sense inside you, this…familiar feeling?"

"Add, that's his name, is a container for your lance," Grey said.

Arturia Pendragon's eyes widened, as did her sister's. "…Rhongomyniad?" She must have put some pieces together, because she then looked to her descendant. "You can wield it?"

"Hell yeah, she can! Now, Grey here is a shy little thing, but she can wield me like a pro!" Add said. "A shame she doesn't have Rayshift capability, because she'd kick some serious arse!"

"That is true, but the Professor also pointed out to me that we may need someone to help the security staff and automatons," Grey said. "I may not be quite able to fight on the level of a Servant, but a possibility is Flauros or his comrades or master attacking Chaldea directly. If nothing else, I could buy time. I used Rhongomyniad to wipe out a pack of Magus-created Black Dogs, for example."

Arturia Fae whistled, impressed. "I mean, I saw our version of Rhongomyniad, but…Rhongomyniad won't let just anyone wield it. It's also a Divine Artifact, and there's versions of us on the Throne of Heroes who are capable of wielding it, I believe."

"Very well. It seems that, if you are willing, you will be a vital part of securing this stronghold, Grey. And for what it's worth, I am sorry for what was done to you. It may not have been my fault directly, but it seems that Kiritsugu was right in one respect," Arturia Pendragon said solemnly. "My reputation inspired at least one appalling act of cruelty and evil, though from it came someone whom I would have been happy to count amongst my knights, if not my family."

"…Thank you, Arturia…"

Olga-Marie Animusphere was having a working lunch of sorts, trying to figure out how to make up for staffing shortages. With her was Hermione, Waver, Roman and Da Vinci. The Animusphere was trying to put up a brave front as much as possible, but there was no hiding the fact that Lev's betrayal hurt her badly, she had acknowledged this even to herself.

"Roman, you will be remaining as Chief Medical Officer of Chaldea, of course, and unless duties prevent you, you will be helping oversee TRISMEGISTUS during missions," Olga said. "Da Vinci, I am now officially putting you in charge of Research and Development. While you were already unofficially in charge of that, it was Lev Lynor who was in charge on paper. Professor Velvet, Hermione, you will be in charge of planning forays into Singularities, and not just the major ones. Already, SHEBA has detected signs of nascent Singularities, less malignant than the seven we have already detected, but still potentially a threat to history. We cannot mount Rayshifts into them as of yet, but we need to keep an eye on them. They might be sources of extra supplies, minerals, food, and so on. As for Habetrot, while her capabilities as a Tam Lin are apparently excellent, according to Barghest, I feel she may best be suited for a support position here in Chaldea. A tailor may not seem like much, but she is a Fae capable of potent magecraft. Thus, she could, in collaboration with Da Vinci, begin creating Mystic Codes to help our Masters in battle. And now, to the Masters currently in cryostasis. Dr Roman?"

The orange-haired man nodded. "As it stands, 15 of the Master candidates who were in the Rayshift Coffins at the time the bombs exploded are most likely dead. They weren't frozen in time. Aside from Beryl Gut, though, this does not include Team A. Their injuries are severe and critical, but they could potentially be revived, IF we had the medical supplies on-hand. But we don't. Hermione has potent healing magic, but even then…"

"It'd be a coinflip as to whether I can heal them before their injuries overwhelm them," Hermione interjected. "However, there is one Master from Team A that we can remove from cryostasis as soon as possible."

Olga scowled at the reminder. She'd been told about Hinako Akuta's true identity and nature by Hermione soon after the Fuyuki Singularity had been resolved. "Can we take the risk that an Elemental like her, a vampire, someone close to a True Ancestor in nature, and the lover of one of China's most notorious warlords, can be trusted with undertaking the Grand Order? My father may have chosen her, but we know that my father was not the best person when it came to making the right choices for humanity."

"Be that as it may, Olga, we may have little choice," Da Vinci said. "We know you sabotaged Beryl Gut's cryostasis system, and we understand why, especially in light of his actions in the Fae Britain Lostbelt. But Beryl Gut already had a list of crimes as long as my arm. It's one thing to be a ruthless mercenary, the Moonlit World, to say nothing of the world in general, is lousy with such men, with the Magus Killer being a prominent example. It's quite another to moonlight as a serial killer for pleasure, to harm innocents out of curiosity or seeking thrills. The other members of Team A may have become Crypters in the other timeline, but that is different. If we revive any of them, including Hinako, I am sure they will remain loyal to Chaldea. Especially as we have disabled those hidden functions in CHALDEAS."

"I hope you are right. Still, Harry and his cohort, along with Fujimaru, acquitted themselves well in the Fuyuki Singularity, despite some near-disasters. They achieved swift rapports with their Servants. And of the remaining members of Team A, only Daybit Sem Void truly concerns me, aside from Hinako. His alien perspective concerns me in particular. As much as I despise Wodime for usurping my position as heir to the Animusphere Magic Crest, his conduct and ability were without reproach, and Ophelia, Pepe and Kadoc are all competent in their own ways." Olga shook her head. "Very well. I will authorise Hinako's Rayshift Coffin to be defrosted this evening, or, if that is impossible, tomorrow morning. If she's still willing to ally herself with us, then we need all the help we can get. But I want Servants on standby during the process, especially Scathach. The Gáe Bolg, if I recall, is notorious for its lethality, and Scathach is also said to have fought undead beings and various Phantasmals throughout her life. A vampiric Elemental should, hopefully, be someone she could deal with, if need be. As for blood to help her heal, we should ask Barghest or Melusine if they will help. Their blood should have considerable amounts of mana, beyond that of Magi."

"Only if she needs it," Hermione said. "I asked her about it once, and vampirism is merely a convenient way for her to gain a boost of mana quickly. She can draw upon her surroundings for mana much like Arcueid Brunestud could."

Olga nodded. "As for the remaining Team A Masters, I need you to do an assessment of their injuries through the Rayshift Coffins' medical sensors as best as you can. I want to see if we can feasibly revive any of them for the Roman Empire Singularity. At best, we should aim for having at least one other team of Masters to rotate in and out of Singularities, either during missions or alternating between missions. I don't want to risk our last hope without having redundancies. Do assessments of the other Master candidates, but Team A is the priority…"

That evening, a little before dinner, the Masters and Servants headed to the Command Room. Roman and Da Vinci were in the control room part of the Command Room, but Olga was with the gathered Masters and Servants. Thankfully, Barghest and Melusine were amenable to giving Hinako some of their blood to help her. The rest of the technicians had been dismissed for now, to try and mitigate the information that Hinako was a vampire.

Harry watched on with some trepidation as the Rayshift Coffin, looking battered and spattered with blood on the inside (at head height, he noted with concern), rose from the floor of the chamber. "Thawing procedures complete," Da Vinci's voice came from the PA system. "No vital signs detected so far…wait. Vital signs detected, but irregular. She's still alive."

Suddenly, there were thumps from the inside of the Coffin. "Let me out of this damned thing!" the muffled voice of Hinako Akuta screamed.

"Hinako, calm down! If you can hear me, there's an emergency internal manual release lever on your right-hand side. Can you feel it? Pull it."

The door to the Rayshift Coffin suddenly slid down, and a female form, clad in the skintight Rayshift Mystic Code, stumbled out. She appeared to be Asian, with long dark hair in twin tails. Her glasses were askew and broken, and as they watched, a massive crater of a wound on her head began to close up, even if the bloody smear on her face remained.

Hermione then stepped forward, even as Scathach readied herself. "…Hinako, are you lucid?"

Eventually, the Elemental nodded, though she clutched at her side in pain. "Sorry, I'm still healing, Hermione, I…ungh!" After grunting in pain, she looked around the devastated Command Room, and then back to the others. "What the hell happened? Who did this?"

"Lev," Olga said bitterly. "Only…it wasn't the Lev I knew anymore. He called himself Lev Lynor Flauros, and we have reason to believe he is less human than you or the Fae are. He smuggled in bombs. You were the first member of Team A, barring Mash, that we could revive, given your…nature."

Hinako, after a moment's shock, shot a sharp glance at Hermione, before chuckling. "And yet, you're desperate enough to overlook my being a vampire. Things must have really gone to hell."

"We stopped one Singularity, Hinako, but there's seven more. And the rest of the world outside of Chaldea is burning," Hermione said. "That's how hellish it is. Do you need blood?"

Hinako shook her head. "Not at the moment. I'm still badly injured, but I can still draw upon the mana from both the reactors and the leylines. The process is slower, but I can manage." She looked down at the floor, where the other Coffins were currently under the floor. "Wodime, Pepe, Ophelia, Kadoc, Daybit…did Beryl make it?" On seeing the negative responses, she chuckled painfully. "There's some poetic justice in the world after all. Hang on, isn't that the kid you kicked out, Olga?"

"Yes, Ritsuka Fujimaru. He's now Mash's contracted Master," Olga said. "Ironic, isn't it?"

Hinako chuckled painfully again, only to cough up blood. However, she was standing up a little straighter. "Is this the first time you've met a vampire, Fujimaru?"

"Yes, actually. I mean, I heard about True Ancestors and Dead Apostles, but…they said you were not quite one of those. But, you're one of the good guys, right?"

Hinako scoffed, even as she licked blood away from her lips. "Fujimaru, do you know the name Yu Mei-ren, or Gu-Bijin? The consort of Chinese warlord Xiang Yu?" As Ritsuka's eyes widened, she waved. "Hello."

"Ummm, you're looking good for someone who's over two thousand years old?" Ritsuka said uncertainly.

At that, Hinako couldn't help but laugh. It was bitter, sardonic laughter, but laughter all the same. Eventually, she said, "Oh Mash, don't ever let go of this one." Then, she looked to the others, her gaze hard. "I will make something very clear. I only allowed Marisbury Animusphere to blackmail me into joining Chaldea because it gave me a chance to be reunited with those I cared about. I care little for the Human Order, as I care little for humans in general." But she closed her eyes. "But aside from summoning my beloved, and what few friends I have made over the millennia, there are a few people whom I have come to enjoy the company of, including a few in this very room." She looked pointedly at Harry and his family, along with Mash and Hermione. "In addition…if the world has been destroyed by malice, then I, as an Elemental, an A-Ray, should help put it to rights. You humans may have been ruining the world, but its outright destruction by others is still intolerable. And someone wanted to kill me. It's far from the first time, but…I have made each and every one of my would-be killers regret their folly. Lev and his master will be no different, especially as they sought to thwart my reunion with my beloved. So…here is a more formal declaration."

With that, she stood up straighter. "Hinako Akuta, formerly Yu Mei-ren, member of Team A, reporting for duty!" she said, snapping off a salute.

True, the salute was mocking, and the declaration was made in a sardonic tone. But there was something nonetheless sincere in the declaration. Harry hoped that they were right in giving this ancient being a second chance. Then again, given his relationship with Barghest, he'd be hypocritical if he didn't give Hinako a chance.

And if nothing else, they had another Master to help them. Their odds had improved, he hoped, especially with a millennia-old vampire on their side. He just hoped it was enough for what was to come…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Grey had had a heart-to-heart with her ancestor, Olga has discussed matters with her underlings, and Hinako has been revived!

Grey and Arturia never seem to meet in canon, well, outside of some light novel that will probably never be localised (then again, no Nasuverse light novel has been officially translated, AFAIK: given all the shitty isekai works being translated, WHY NOT FATE/ZERO OR FATE/APOCRYPHA?!). But I thought it'd be nice for them to talk. True, Grey isn't looking much like a Saberface, but she's still affected by what her family put her through. Arturia, of course, would be utterly horrified at such a thing.

As for Hinako being revived, I did this for Primordial Song, so I thought I'd do a similar thing here. Unlike that story, Hinako is on better terms with Harry, due to his friendship with Hermione not being strained. She's still a cynical misanthrope who despises humans in many ways, but she does see some better qualities in them. She's doing this for the few friends she has (even if she's a bit iffy on calling them friends), as well as revenge for trying to kill her.

Incidentally, her true nature will be revealed to the rest of Chaldea gradually.

No numbered annotations this time.