Fate 1961 – Part 3
A Fate/ series fanfiction
Antartica, unknown campiste
Archer woke again, a few hours later. The child she had seen before falling unconscious was now sleeping peacefully in a sleeping bag in front of her, while the other man with strange clothing choices hadn't budged from his position, hypnotized by the TV flames.
Sitting again, this time more slowly, she tried to recollect her thoughts and memories of what happened. Seeing her move, the shady-looking guy turned around slowly, almost like an automata, before a smile split his face.
"Why hello there, young lady. I hope you slept well after hitting that wall ? That man was no soft wool and kinda hit you like a whale, so I was hoping to help !
-Uuh, sorry, what are you talking about ? I was..."
Suddenly, the memories surged in. After her clash with her designed Master, he had ordered her to pretend...
Oh no... That's disgusting.
A shiver passed though her spine, awakening the pain of her wounds, but she didn't care.
With a groan, she foudn the energy to shout :
"What the fuck was that about ? Can't people just leave me alone for a while ?
-Do I need to understand that my company isn't required ?"
With sad puppy eyes, the other man scrutinized her face. Now that she was better, she could sense the very recognizable aura of a Servant emanating from him. Instantly on edge, she searched around for her rifle.
"To that extent ? I'm hurt, I really am. What do you think about sharing a bottle of wine with me, instead of that ?
-I don't see wine anywhere.
-Nor will you your rifle ! But there is this "Coca Cola" I've taken a shine to, and I believe it is of the same origin as you ! Am I not the most attentioned person you've ever seen, well ?
-I don't even know who you are."
Giving up on trying to get her weapon back, she reluctantly took the bottle handed to her by the other Servant.
"My name is the Great and Amazing Don Quichote de la Mancha, knight of great renown ! But exceptionnaly for this encounter, you can call me Ridy. That's short for Rider, by the way. Which is itself short for Riderino.
-Hold on, stop talking.
-Shouldn't it be "for a minute" ?
-Just shut up."
Having managed to dam the flow of words coming from the Rider Servant, she considered a moment what he had just said, and opened wide eyes.
"You...
-Yes ? Ah right, no talking, I forgot-
-You're that asshole Don Quichote ? Now I really want to kill you.
-W-wait, what ? Where did that come from- hey !"
Ignoring him, she had jumped on the Rider and was readying a punch. Just as it was about to land, however, Rider disappeared, leaving her to fall back on the ground. This time, the pain was a little too much, and she stayed down, unable to go back up. Nonetheless, she managed to see that the child had now awoken and had his hand pointed towards her, the other towards Rider who had reappeared on the other side of the dome.
The child puffed his cheeks before saying :
"N-no fighting, please !"
After settling down, Archer, Rider and the boy all sat around the TV to discuss. Archer was the first to talk.
"So, what happened exactly ? I made a fool of myself, as expected, then the Berserker rushed at me, I got crushed, and after that, I can't remember a thing.
-"The" Berserker ? That's a weird way to put it, but CORRECT ! That was indeed Berserker.
-Thank you, "Ridy", but that's not what I asked."
Rider turned to the child and whispered "See, my charm is already working !", to which the kid didn't answer, turning his attention to Archer.
"Well, Berserker got disinterested and you lost consciousness... Since no one was reacting, Rider asked me to transport you to our base to heal you.
-Why ? I'm another Servant, you shouldn't be helping your enemies out. And what do you mean, transport ?
-Oh, that's right, we haven't been introduced yet... My name is Akūka Shuniji. I'm from Japan... Well, it's more accurate to say that I've been tasked with, erm, participating by the Tohsaka family...
-Stop there, I don't understand anything.
-Ahem, right, that's probably n-not relevant to you anyway... The point is that my family, is specialized in transportaion magic, and uhm, yeah. We're poor, so I participated in the war for that reason. As to why we saved you, that's for Rider to explain, because he still hasn't told me but, I trust him..."
The kid's voice going nearly extinct through initmidation, Rider cleared his throat and continued on.
"That's simple, I can't let an innocent die out ! Especially if they are acting out of the ordinary and are being used by a superpower in an unsightly fashion.
-I knew it was going to show... But hey, you've never met me, how can you know that I was out of character ?!
-Oh, simple. Using my great deductive skills and careful inspection of your belongings, I, the Great Detective de la Mancha, have uncovered your deepest secrets ! By which I mean your True Name."
It took another five minutes for Shun to calm the murderous intent of Archer. After that, the weary ginger-hair asked in a tired voice :
"Oh, and what would you know about me ?
-Allow me ! From your rifle, clothes and way of speech, I deduced you were from the 19th century US countryside ! Truly a genius moment, but the greatest clue was the straw hat. Combine all that, and you get the famed Tom Sawyer ! But of course, Tow Samyer isn't a red-hair nor a girl, but I happen to have read all of Twain's works ! Thus, it wasn't difficult for me to make a guess at your true identity, Huckleberry-san.
-Please don't call me that... But yeah, you're right."
Archer frowned. If what he said was right, the coincidence was slightly too big for a newly summoned Servant to read 19th century literature as the first thing they did, even if that Servant was indeed Don Quichote. Especially with a japanese Master. She turned to the kid :
"Is that true ? Did he really just, read the novels about us for no reason ?
-I... can't tell you that. I summoned Rider just before your fight with Berserker, so... he wouldn't have had the time ?"
Archer looked suspiciously at Rider, at which he only shrugged and laughed. The fact is that he knew about her, and no amount of suspicion could change that.
"But don't the novels depict me as a boy ?
-Well, I thought about it ! There's that one time where Huckleberry Finn dresses up as a girl to escape from -well, you know. That's a very progressive thing for that time, but I accounted for it in my reasonning !
-That's fairly impressive of you... You really know your stuff.
-I haven't gained the Bookworm skill, level A, for no reason !
-P-please don't casually reveal your secrets to a potential enemy, Rider.
-Ah yes, sorry."
As it stood, both of their identities had been revealed to each other, and Archer was not in condition to fight for a few other days if she left, a shorter time if she let herself be healed. Or in other words, she had no choice but to join the two of them.
She sighed. She doubted that Rider had actually formulated such a plan, especially considering that he was now trying to warm himself next to the TV which, naturally didn't emit as much heat as an actual fire, but she was forced to recognize that his actions fell perfectly in line with an alliance ploy.
"Alright, explain everything to me from the start."
Antartica, Caster's workshop
With a swift movement, the book returned to its original place on the shelf. Caster's research was going smoothly and his workspace had expanded since the previous time.
A pseudo-Reality Marble inherited from Dante's Inferno, Cocytus, had replaced the previously immaculate mansion. By the name of the surface holding the angel of death down to hell, Cocytus was a spell that anchored on a structure and slowly replaced it with a soil capable of absorbing and redirecting nearby leylines, making it a crossroad of great magical importance for a short time. Fairly costly, having a homonculus -if only an incompetent one- as a Master greatly helped.
Now the gothic castle was surrounded with a garden of sorts, made of rocky plants ith twisted figures. The roof was now open to the sky for the purposes of astrology.
But none of that really interested Caster. His main concern was the Grail ; it was, after all, his greatest objective as a Servant. Having studied the ritual along with one of its founding families, its flaws were widely apparent to him ; rather than fix them, however, he was more intent on exploiting them.
Summoning the Grail was inherently a paradoxical situation. You first needed to summon Servants which were provided with mana, fought each other and filled with their essence the incarnation of the Grail itself, with the need for a receptacle. Although the role of receptacle could be almost anything or anyone, Caster had understood very early that his Master would make a perfect placeholder.
One thing that bothered him was the lack of respect for the law of equivalent exchange. It wasn't such a weird occurence, that was a law broken time and time again. What bothered him was that it happened without explanation. It was almost like the Grail would manifest all by itself, and the actors of the War were just its pawns for this accomplishment.
Caster had a stroke of laughter, reminded of his Master's attitude towards being called a puppet. His naivety was truly something to behold. For a homonculus, whose life was short to the extreme and whose life had only ever one purpose, they really had failed this one, who had dreams.
Back on track, Caster picked another book and started reading. Still, this whole Grail thing didn't sit right with him. If it was as usual, of course, he would simply abide by the fixed rules, by which he meant none of them, and straight up use the death of Archer to acquire an incomplete Grail and use its reversed causal properties to win instantly. But this time, not only was Archer probably not dead, there was also one thing strange happening.
The Grail had not manifested at all yet. Usually, it's influence would appear to solidify the bodies of Servants and transcend the Will of the World that rejected them. That much Caster understood. But right there and right now every Servant was supported almost exclusively by their Masters and ambiant magical energy, which Caster was diverting as he was standing there...
Hm. That may end up being a problem.
Back to the problem. His initial theory was that this state of affair was due to the power of the Masters, being sufficient to sustain the Servants and making the help of the Grail unnecessary ; there was, after all, two monsters among them powered by entire countries, and from the lists obtained under the table by the Einzbern family, another master was a non-human, and one last was a Brand-class mage, making this hypothesis hold up. Obviously, he himself had a homonculus for Master, a literal pocket of magical energy walking on two legs. Invoking Cocytus was part of a test for the mana transfer, which he sustained well ; one more argument for that theory. Yet it was wrong.
Not only were the other two Masters of unknown power and most likely didn't compare to the previous ones, the ritual itself should force the Grail to support the mages in its manifestation, whether it was useful or not. And if the Grail was indeed sentient and manipulating time as he supposed, it wouldn't simply take such a high risk as a Servant being unsustainable.
There was one last theory he had yet to explore. He could hardly contain his excitement at the thought, but there was a high chance that he was correct.
From beyond the end of the War, someone was meddling with the current events.
In another room of the castle, Karl was reflecting on his recent actions.
I've been reckless, he thought. Being tempted by Caster's sweet talk wasn't a thing he anticipated to happen. He still thought that, given the circumstances, it was the best thing he could have done, but in retrospect, it may cause him no end of problems. Following the main family's orders had always been his purpose, and straying from them even if it seemed a better plan didn't sit right with him.
Yet, he felt a form of excitation he never had before. Having made for the first time in his life a decision this important was a great step forward for this one-month-old individual. His view of things had dramatically changed from what it used to be, driven by his will of proving to himself and to his family his usefulness.
Strengthened, he took a moment to admire the changing landscape. The darkness had engulfed everything in a kilometer's radius, swallowing rocks, ice and snow alike to leave place to granite and black stone, as well as vegetals of another world. He wondered a minute whether or not it would stay the same even once the spell was deactivated.
Not that it mattered to him, anyway. Once this was over, he'd be free to stand in front of his father with pride.
Bounded Field of Cecil Die
"Well, talk about bad taste.
-Reminds me of that one count's castle I had to defend after killing him. He too, had poor judgement."
Both Lancer and Cecil were standing in the middle of the endless wheat field, watching through a mirror the menacing shape of Caster's castle. Cecil would have liked to say they stumbled across it by chance, but it was really the nexus of leylines going through this location that led her here. By all accounts, even with such a terrible display, their enemy knew what they were doing.
"I wasn't given any information on the other masters, so as of right now we only know of Not.
-Interesting tongue-twister you've invented here. Of course, there's also the two super-powers, but they won't count as they are not within reach.
-Yes... That leaves three other Masters to be specified. Caster's, Rider's and Assassin's.
-Do you truly believe this to be the work of a Master ?
-Could be Caster, sure... But we have no guarantee. I can't get us closer than this, either, or this Bounded Field would collapse in a matter of minutes.
-I see... Well, aside from Saber's groupe camping outside our campsite, and Berserker roaming about aimlessly, we still have yet to find any other group.
-I already know that. It's really not easy trying to identify a single magical trace out in such a clouded environement.
-Is there a reason that it's so impenetrable ?
-Size aside, Antartica is a land with the minimum amount of myths, and the highest amounts of mysteries... Hence the "fog". It's just not been explored enough to be permeable to the kind of tracing I'm using.
-The sixth continent... To think there were that many. Being reborn has, at the very least, given me a new perspective on the world."
With a nod of approval, she stowed the mirror away in her bag before spreading a blue powder around them in a circle, tainting the wheat an unnatural color.
"That way, we can find it again if need be.
-Shall we search for the rest ?
-Well, it would be wiser, but the Bounded Field will weaken if we stray too far. Let's mark a few landmarks, at the very least.
-Okay."
The pair walked around the field for a few more hours. Beneath their apparent tranquility, the both felt fairly agitated. For the war to be so still, they had a feeling something was unfolding behind the scenes.
Cecil especially, was thinking back about the traitor mentioned by Not. Although Not was a terrible agent and they had a past with each other, Cecil knew better than to think of this information as a lie. And the information that it was someone she knew well, in her mind, could only mean either her adoptive father, or Oronado. She hadn't gotten close to anyone else. Now, her adoptive father was definitely ambitious and had the personality for something like this, while the Oronado she remembered was a fairly weak boy with a tendency to get caught up in other people's problems. His only advantage in life was his immense talent for Creation.
If she had to pick one, it would be her father. Now, to search through her memory a relation she'd be aware of, pointing to treason, and somehow related to the Holy Grail War...
She could think of none.
She had never been this interested in her adoptive father's friends and intrigues, focusing her whole life on her studies. Becoming a spy had her confronted to many problems of the sort through the years, and she could now navigate her way around them well enough to survive. But the lack of knowledge was hurting her progress.
She was interrupted by Lancer,who gently tapped on her shoulder.
"I think there's something here."
Taking her mirror out again, she looked around at the true landscape, a mountainside in which was carved a rough spherical room, unlit but showing clear signs of activity. Getting closer, she distinguished two silhouettes inside.
Antartica, mountainside
In the poorly-lit cave, Father Wilde was now awake since daybreak. Pretending to have been asleep, he was now watching the two individuals who had tied him up.
Even though he had been careful in his encounters, especially the one with the Einzbern Master, the last one had only spoken a word to immobilize him. Not a spell, but something fearsome enough that it would paralyze him.
The thing was, he could not remember what it was. And he was now in a precarious situation, having to watch not only for the curious mage, but for his Servant.
Judging by the pairs he had seen up until now, that Servant should have been Assassin. Yet, none of the expected signs could be seen, starting with his presence, that even he could feel strongly, unlike any other Servant he had met. Which made no sense for an individual supposed to be able to camouflage it completely as a human presence.
He didn't match the description that was made to him of the members of the Haschichin group, considered the natural-born Assassin Servants. He knew that proved nothing, as other Heroic Spirits could be summoned in this class, but in this context he had to doubt.
Said Heroic Spirit of unknown class was a teenage male, with light brown hair, looking relatively featureless, safe for his erratic movements. As for the mage, the priest had yet to see his face, although at this time of day it was a lost cause anyway.
Having not said anything ever since they captured him and dragged him to this cave, only the sound of the wind had resonated for the past two days. Then suddenly, the mage spoke in a deep voice.
"Welcome, visitors, and goodbye."
A flash illuminated the cave, allowing Wilde to catch a glimpse of dark, young skin under the hood that covered the face of his warden, and then all returned as it was.
He was starting to worry.
Bounded Field of Cecil Die
The flash took them by surprise. Unable to check on the insides of the cave, they had been completely shut down from this place, her mirror shattering and a hole digging itself under their feet. Lancer's quick reaction time had allowed them to take their distance before getting swallowed, but the implications of such a feat dawned on Cecil like a hammer.
This was her Bounded Field,a space of her creation. She had created it on the spot ; no one could have stolen the formula beforehand. Yet, that mage was able to alter it without incantations, circle, or runes.
That mage was top-tier, is where her mind was leading her. Probably of Brand ranking, maybe even more than that. In a one on one fight, she was unlikely to win.
Lancer shared her feelings, and decided to support her.
"Impressive, but don't beat yourself up for it. We'll confront the problem when we come to it.
-I don't think you really get it, Lancer. It's not just a matter of power ; that man had known of a similar spell or he couldn't have accessed it this way. But there's no one else in the Mage's Association who developed painted Bounded Fields like this one, the only recorded trace of it was Van Gogh's work, and it was the result of his craftsmanship, not a conscious phenomenon..."
Then it striked her.
"...If the only way was to have met me, then... He's got that info from someone who knows me.
-Is that about the traitor Not talked about ?"
Cecil thought about it some more. There was no way for her to know exactly who could have benefitted from this knowledge, but the traitor's identity was suddenly confirmed. Oronado had never gotten an interest in her research, excluding him immediately from the suspect list. She was almost relieved that her old friend wasn't the one who betrayed her, and at the same time,the rage of having had her work leaked to an outside threat was unbearably strong.
"New plan. We're going to talk with Not. I need to know what she knows."
Lancer didn't argue. From his persepctive, this was a fated development after knowing about the message. Although he was wondering what would happen in relation to Saber, he internally rejoiced from the perspective of an alliance.
Antartica, outside of the Mage's Association campsite
"Well, now it's obvious. They're not coming back. Your plan failed.
-Man of little faith. She'll get around to it eventually. She's a good thinker, even if she's slow on the uptake.
-I find it hard to believe.
-You don't even know her !
-Not what you said ; just the fact that you'd befriend a human."
Not and Saber were having this casual conversation around a meal comprised of frosted bacon and a single hard-boiled egg. Saber was the only one eating.
"Well, what do you know, even people like me get emotional some times !
-I don't trust that.
-Then fine, whatever..."
They had been staying here for tha past day, waiting for their "friends" to arrive. Saber was starting to grow impatient, while Not was simply staring at the horizon with disdain.
"What, you're unhappy that your Master is inhuman ?
-Not particularly. I'm fine with you.
-Aw, isn't that sweet of you ! Don't ever do that again. Our age difference is making it weird.
-Aren't you around 40 ?
-And you, dear, are well into your 500's, so stop there."
As they stopped arguing, the air around them started to deform, and soon they found themselves in-between the cold ice ground and a spring-like landscape. Cecil and Lancer approached them.
"Well look at that, you really outdid yourself with this one, Cecil ! A bit too shabby for my taste, but what do I know.
-Yes, what you know is exactly the reason I'm here."
The women stare at each other in a locked eye contest, while their Servants exchanged a look of exhaustion. Cecil was the first to look away.
"Fine, I'll ask. What do you know about that one Master who seems to know a little too much about what I can do ?
-That's what I'm talking about ! You're still the best detective around after all.
-Considering we're less than fifteen around here, I'm not taking the compliment.
-So picky... Well, what don't I know about this guy ? I've been assigned his case ever since getting into contact with the Clock Tower. Believe it or not, but your daddy's been very naughty.
-I can imagine. But I'd rather not. You're telling me I've been exploited for the sake of that unknown guy ?
-Not exactly unknown, his current name is Calladius. And yes, obviously ; why do you think I've spent so much time getting in the way of your missions in the past ? Aside from having a little fun, obviously.
-Because you're a pest, that's why. And what do you mean, current ?"
Not crossed her legs, unamused.
"Wow, you've grown to be so respondent, all of the fun of picking on you has gone away. And it means what it means, that's not his first name. According to our archives -or should I say, your archives-, he's more than four hundred years old. Hell, he might even have met you !"
Not winked at her Servant, who had already heard all of this once before and managed to be as unresponsive as possible.
Cecil and Lancer, on the other hand, reacted in very different ways. Lancer, used to myths of immortality but surprised that one such individual would be their enemy, was showing signs of nervousness. The mage, however, was completely taken aback.
"I'm sorry, did you say four hundred ? That's more than any mage has ever gotten though the use of Magecraft, with the one exception of the Clock Tower's director.
-Yes, well, why do you think I'm studying his case ? The thing is that he is very... volatile. I am yet to capture him in my web... Until this moment, that is. This war is the perfect opportunity.
-I see where you're coming from now. You're worried about taking him on by yourself, so you're asking for my help ?
-Hmm ? I thought this was the opposite : you came to seek my help defeating him. Is that not what is happening ?"
Unable to retort, Cecil swallowed the witted comment she had in mind and reconsidered her options. Or that's what she intended to do, until Lancer said :
"Indeed.
-Lancer, WHAT ?
-As it stands, even ignoring this Calladius, we are not going to survive, let alone win this war. We have spent the last two days hiding.
-Yes, well that worked ! Partially.
-It is not sustainable. We need allies, Cecil."
Understanding that he was serious, Cecil bit her lip. He was right, but going to the extreme of asking for Not's help, was a bit much for her.
This time, though, Saber was the one who interrupted them.
"One second. As my Master said, and even though we approached you with the intention of creating that alliance, I have some reserves.
-Speak of your concerns, Saber ! I'm interested."
Not smiled gently at him.
"Well, I trust my Master's instinct regarding miss Die. What I'm worried about is you, Lancer.
-Me ? What about ?
-I've analyzed the way you fight. You fight to win, not for pleasure. I've known many soldiers like you and they all, without exception, ended up betraying the man they had swore allegiance to."
Facing this direct hit from a man he had only sparred with once, Erec got on the defensive. Without any rebuttal, Saber continued.
"Now, I doubt you'd betray your Master. But an alliance with someone who you know to be your enemy at some point ? You seem eager to conclude it, yet I find it hard to believe.
-So what you're asking for is a guarantee, then.
-Exact. What I expect from you is an oath of loyalty.
-What's the catch ? An oath has never bound anyone to their word, only in their own minds.
-Indeed, it would be true were it not for my Noble Phantasm."
Declaring casually that his Phantasm could bind another Servant, Saber got up and faced Erec.
"I expect our identities to be revealed upon sealing this contract. At this point, keeping my Noble Phantasm to myself would be pointless. It is more efficient with subordinates, anyway, and my Master is unwilling.
-Of course I am, you braindead salmon.
-Why a salmon ? Actually, nevermind. So, your say ?"
Erec thought for a while. Crossing eyes with his Master, he finally nodded.
"I accept. Tell me the procedure.
-All I need is your name, and all you need is mine. My True Name is Charles de Batz, alias d'Artagnan.
-...Of course. My name is Erec, Knight of Camelot."
Lancer put a knee to the ground, while Saber unsheathed his rapier.
"Very well, Erec of Camelot. Do you wish to become my subordinate, and follow my orders on this battlefield ?
-D'Artagnan. I submit to your sword and your command for the coming battles.
-Then, I dub you Musketeer of the King."
As they exchanged their oath, a golden light surrounded the split environment, surrounding the two. Meanwhile, Cecil watched as her Servant formed an additional contract with another.
Yeah, she thought. This could not get any worse.