Fate 1961 – Part 4
A Fate/ series fanfiction
Antartica, Mage's Association campsite
Creation magecraft. Also known as conjuration, the 9th department of the Clock Tower, under the control of the Valuay family.
Consisting of concretizing a concept, be it a thought or something more abstract, into the desired shape. It only followed three major rules : one, a recreation was always of inferior rank to its original, with only a few known exceptions ; second, a creation could never last forever, any creation had a time limit ; and finally, a creation was a personal tool, fit only for the individual that created it, for its inteded purpose. A creation could never be used to do something it wasn't planned to.
Yet, that unknown mage stole Cecil's research on paint creations. Although she was not the first to push this field forward, she had expanded it to a whole new realm of possibilities. And somehow, that mage had found a loophole to modify another's property.
What Cecil couldn't explain, was their motive. In the world of mages, how or what didn't matter as much as why. Anyone with enough spare time and power could make a breakthrough, but most mages had only one purpose : finding the Source. But her research didn't lead there. Creation magic was the clear opposite of this : making something was contrary to finding its origins, and even less to achieving True Magic. Creation screamed "Magecraft" to everyone.
The only mages interested in this field were so-called artists, trying to instead achieve beauty, rather than making a discovery. Or, for some people, it was simply their instinctive nature, like Not.
But that Calladius actively stole her work, and then entered in secrecy the most patchwork ritual from the East... Why ?
Not interrupted her thinking.
"Very well, then ! Now that our alliance has been settled, let's exchange a few information. I'll start, since I'm the one who led you here in the first place.
-I'm listening..."
Cecil still felt uneasy about this whole situation. Everything went by fast, and Lancer was too eager to engage in that contract. She couldn't help but think that her own Servant had a hidden agenda he hadn't told her about.
As for Saber himself, he was too on-point when pressing them for allegiance. It felt like he knew too much for a Servant. With an increased feeling of feeling trapped, she still focused her attention towards her long-lasting rival.
"Well, as I just told you, that man is named Calladius. Previously Cadmus, and before that Altaïr. Our acrhives stop there, but it is a certain fact that all of these mages are one and the same. His origins have yet to be determined, but his background is fairly terrifying, even for someone like me !
-His background ? You mean his aptitudes ?
-Oh, he's skilled alright, but no, I'm talking about the disasters that seem to follow him. Remember two years ago, when we were sent on a mission to free a few political captives planned to serve as sacrifices ?
-Yes. They were all dead."
Saber chimed in.
"So, you failed ?
-Yes, and no. When I say all, I mean all ; both the captives and mage faction had been completely buried underground and started feeding off each other. The case was never solved.
-Well, that's not quite true. The case was solved, you were simply not informed.
-So much for being the leader. And what does Calladius have to do with this ?
-Well, he was seen talking with the leader of that faction not too long before the events.
-So what, just... talking ? That seems hardly proof enough to link him, although it is suspicious.
-Every single person he has been seen talking to has died in what looked like accidents. For the past two hundred years."
Cecil frowned. Past the degree of coincidence, the link was clear as day between the mage and the accidents. But for such an indirect act to take place, it would need...
"...A curse ?
-Most likely, yes. Though it only affects those around him.
-Then why did my father not get affected ?
-Oh, but he did. He somehow countered it before dying, using his own creationism theory.
-Ah,and you're thinking that's the reason Calladius was after my work ?
-As much as it pains me to say so to someone as brilliant as you, no, that is not what I think. I think our mystery immortal intedns to use this knowledge to his advantage for other purposes.
-Then what ?
-I'm not quite sure ! Isn't that exciting ?
-You really are useless."
Cecil sighed. She hadn't advanced even a bit, and now she was bound to her enemies because of her Servant's oath...
Lancer, for one, had been strangely silent ever since swearing said oath. He was simply looking at the horizon.
Lancer, are you alright ?
There are Servants fighting over there.
WHAT ?
Judging by their respective powers, I think Berserker is one of them.
"Hey, that's rude, having a private conversation in front of your friends. Is something the matter ?
-We need to move.
-Ooh, a battle ? Exciting ! Then I'll stay right here."
Cecil tried to convey all of her murderous intent towards the fake girl with a look, but her preoccupied mind was elsewhere.
Lancer, we stay on the sidelines. Are they getting closer ?
I'm afraid so.
Then let Saber do the work, if that's what they want. We'll intervene if things go south.
Understood.
With slight relief that Lancer was still following her orders, she got up.
"We'll be over there. If you need us, well, try to keep us away from the trouble you bring upon yourselves.
-Sure, sure, miss Die. I'll do just that."
Not smiled innocently as Lancer and Cecil fled and hid as they did the night of the first battle.
A few minutes later, the roars of the mad Servant could be heard clashing against a powerful yet higher-pitched laughter than what you could expect. With a pack of potato chisps in her hand, Not crossed her legs and put her hand in visor, looking intently at the two fighters.
Antartica, plane not far from the Mage's Association campsite
"Ahahaha ! To think you'd be coming fro round two and instead found me, the Great and Mighty Don Quichote ! Barging into our home unannouced, how bold and impolite of you. Defeating you would be far too easy for a man of my stature, so what do you say I refrain from using my class abilities for this fight ?
-You... are nothing.
-I see you, too, are a man of few words ! Where has poetry and epics gone to, I wonder ? But no worries, I, equipped with my trusty sword of truth and heroism, will strike you down in a matter of minutes !"
Saying that, Rider unsheathed from a cup holder a neon tube that he lit using a button on the side, illuminating the tube in green. Positioning himself steady on his feet, he invited with a movement of his hand his opponent, who had yet to make any real move, to approach.
"Using my trusty lightsaber, that I inherited from time immemorial once belonging to some of the best knights of the galaxy, I defy you, kiddo, to a duel !
-You... pest."
Berserker kneeled, placing his hand on the ice, and crushed it between his fingers, lifting an impressive chunk of it that he threw at full speed towards the gloating Rider. Lifting his neon tube, the strange-looking Servant simply raised it towards the block and...
Upon impact, the ice exploded in vapor, bits of it still solid falling to the ground. The explosion sent Rider flying in the air, where he executed a series of somewhat impressive poses in free fall before plunging straight towards Berserker, his weapon stretched, shower curtain cape floating behind him.
Berserker screamed and sweeped the air where Rider was falling, sending him at high velocity towards the ground. The neon tube pierced his hand, leaving the flesh burned. With as much incredulity as he was able to show, Berserker looked at his hand, shaking it lightly as if to feel the air pass through it.
Rider penibly got on his feet.
Are you okay ?
Be reassured, Master of mine ; no such attack could ever hope to crush fiersome old me ! Is Huck fine ?
Archer is with me, but she's really trying to get back to you...
I entrust the yound lady to you, dear friend ! I will get back to you once I flatten this paper mache opponent.
Readjusting his hawaiian shirt, Rider examined his opponent while stroking his goatee. In the meantime, Berserker gauged the weird man with a calculating gaze.
Then, Rider propelled himself forward, arms wide open.
"No other choice ; you'll taste some of my true power !"
Before his "true power" could be unleashed, however, Berserker had seized his arms. Then, from the palm of his fists appeared shackles and a chain, shortening the distance between Rider's hands and causing him to rotate around his center of gravity, before falling flat on the ground. Berserker grinned.
"Puny weakling..."
Having lost his interest, Berserker walked away slowly, accompanied by the sound of chains.
No sooner had he disappeared that another took his place. Or rather, two of them, a girl and her bodyguard, approaching smoothly the paralyzed Rider who found himself unable to talk.
Not was babbling lightly to her Servant, as if the most mundane thing had just happened.
"And, you see, that's what you'd expect from a fight between two Heroic Spirits, not whatever you were doing with Lancer earlier.
-I'm sorry, but I'm not much for acrobatics.
-And that's a real shame, if you ask me ! What do I look like after something like this ? Anyway, here's our chance, so just get on with it.
-I'm on it."
Saber took his rapier out, placing it in front of him, before speaking distinctly to Rider :
"Please understand that there is nothing personal behind what is to come. If we are fated to meet again, please do not hold it against me."
Rider, still muted and still, raised an eyebrow, apparently oblivious to what his interlocutor was on about. But that wasn't the case of someone else.
As Saber casually walked to the defenseless Servant, he was met with a materializing canon from a rifle pointed towards his face. Reacting just too late, he took the incoming bullet straight to the shoulder.
With a pained expression, he looked at Archer, panting herself from her unhealed injuries.
"You ain't getting anywhere near a guy that's already down.
-Archer Servant. Why are you helping him ? He's your enemy.
-Wow, I barely just met you and you already sound like a piece of scum. Even Berserker has more honor than you.
-I do have honor ; it just lies elsewhere. Move away before I start hurting you."
Putting his claim into motion, Saber tucked his left arm now unusable and took a fencing posture. Being so close to Rider, Archer couldn't put more distance between the two of them, and was now at a disadvantage.
But right now, she clearly didn't care. As the two stared each other down, trying to bend the other's will, Shun slid across the ice to Rider.
"Hey, Rider, are you a-alright ? What happened...
-Look, boy, give it a rest. I can see you're clearly not fit for any of this."
Not crossed her amrs, speaking in her usual mocking tone, but with a more serious expression than before.
"Wh-who are you ? What do you want ?
-Who I am, at the expense of repeating myself, is not of importance. And what I want is obvious : you have a Servant, I have a Servant, there can be only one etc, etc... It would be stupid of us not to take advantage of the other guy's pity to finish his job.
-W... How can you say that ?! We're still...
-I don't like repeating myself. If you won't give the Servant over, we'll just ave to take it from you.
-Take... Rider ? But that's... No !
-That your answer ? Well then, I leave the meddling one to you, Saber. I'll take care of the Master. I truly wanted to avoid killing any mages, but there's nothing we can do !"
Clearly enjoying herself, Not walked a quarter of a circle away from Saber, facing the japanese child. Saber, with a nod, readied his next attack.
Antartica, Mage's Association campsite
Do we not intervene ?
I hate to admit it but Not is right. We can't ally with anymore Servants, and fighting is their best option against two Servants already damaged by Berserker... By the way, any idea why he's not killing them ? That's twice he's done it by now.
It may have something to do with his identity... Or maybe his madness is blinding his senses. Whatever the case is, he's still not been so much as fazed by the other Servants' attacks.
Yes, between a shot through the heart and... whatever happened with his hand. He's been tanking everything.
Cecil and Lancer were spectating the fight from a distance. Although Lancer had expressed wanting to fight as well, Cecil needed a little more time to process hat she had seen.
Rather than Berserker's absurd endurance, it was Rider's abilities that had surprised her. Even if she didn't hear any of the words said on the battlefield, she had seen him fight successfully with something that was clearly not a weapon, as if it was one.
She felt it was something widely different from her creations, and still different from any kind of Magecraft. Magical energy was definitely involved, but the neon tube was still what it was. There was no transformation nor did he use a different trick. The neon tube's very function and effects had been altered.
At this rate, he might be able to turn the entire war upside down.
Even though she wasn't really invested in it, she still played a part of seeing that Rider didn't provoke anything troublesome felt like something she was to be responsible of.
But of course, Not was already on this Servant's case. She knew her well enough to predict the outcome of her battle with the other Master. A complete, one-sided victory. In a fight to the death, she would not lose.
As for Archer and Saber, Archer's poor state left no doubts about the result either. Instead of focusing her attention onto the fight, she instead turned to where she supposed her Servant was standing in spiritual form.
Anyway, Lancer. Don't you have some explaining to do ? About that attitude of yours.
...
Lancer didn't answer immediately. After taking some time to reflect on the question, he finally reached the point where he could not stall any longer.
I have a very good intuition.
Oh no, you are not evading me like this. Explain yourself !
Fine, I'll talk. It's about my Noble Phantasm.
Cecil's curiosity increased even more. She had no idea why Lancer's Noble Phantasm was linked to his actions, but she was eager to find out.
In short, my Noble Phantasm has the ability to discern friends from foes and learn things that I cannot.
Seems completely unreasonable, how does that even work ?
Please don't ask me how it works, I just know why. And no, I'm not telling you. What I will tell you is that thanks to that, I learned something valuable.
Which is ?
Saber is on a time limit.
What ? What do you mean ?
So, I don't know the details, but Not is a non-human, right ? That means she isn't a proper mage, although she can use Magecraft... Essentially, she didn't receive Command Spells when summoning Saber.
That's... strange, the ritual should compensate for her nature, right ? Even if she wasn't able to use them, she should have received them, right ?
I just know what I learned about. So, piecing that with Saber's unwielding loyalty to Not and you get the perfect ally. We don't even have to fight them if all goes well.
I'm sorry but, still D'Artagnan is powered by Not, right ? Why would he disappear ?
He lacks the anchor that Command Spells give us. The only thing we need to be careful about is not let Not win any external Command Spells, and Saber won't be a long-lasting problem.
Cecil sighed, readjusted her invisible hair, and looked straight to the battlefield.
I certainly hope you're right.
Antartica, near the Mage's Association campsite
Saber leaned forward, and lunged his rapier towards Archer's chest. Jumping to avoid the sword, she aimed her rifle downards and shot twice in rapid succession. With a single movement, Saber deflected the bullets to his sides.
"You're agile, but not agile enough. Give it up.
-No."
Archer jumped again as she landed, this time using the thrust to fall behind her adversary and readied another shot. But once again, Saber whipped the air with his leg while rotating, hitting her quicker than she could shoot. Rolling in the snow, Archer felt a wave of nausea come from her wounds, stressed due to the pressure of the battle.
No point in holding back, now...
Under her breath, she said a word, her eyes locked onto the opponent.
"No matter how strong you are, I'll reject you [Sivilization]."
Her eyes shined briefly, while Saber felt fatigue overcome his body. He forced out an exclamation.
"What did you...?
-You're not escaping now."
Archer shot rapidly at him. Saber managed to knock down the first shots, but two managed to scrape at his body, cutting through his brand clothing. A wave of tireness hit him again, his strength leaving him.
"You, do you have eyes ?
-What are you, a clown ?"
Archer got closer to improve her accuracy, while keeping her fire constant. Her shots had already far exceeded what her rifle model could initially produce, but the incoming mana that she received went straight into producing mor bullets.
Eventually, his body riddled with bullets, Saber bent over, using his sword as a support not to fall down. Blood was seeping through his clothes and what remained bore traces of burning.
In the meantime, Not had been contemplating the frail boy in front of her. She wasn't kind-hearted by nature, some might veen say she was kind of a sadistic individual. But she was still not liking the idea of killing a child for almost no reason.
So instead, she settled on trapping him and keeping him for later.
She extended her arm in front of her and let it unfold. Her nickname, Sleeveknot, didn't come from nothing.
She was born a Jorōgumo, a type of spider monster from Japan. Her body, made of silk and string could be reformed into that of the human girl that everyone knew now. Although her kind was usually not inclined to mess with mankind more than necessary, she had taken a fancy to the arts of creation and fashion, and had extended her illusion far beyond most of her congeners.
She was born without a name, and with shapeshifting abilities ; that is why she approached the Clock Tower as a potential spy, in exchange for the mage education she desired. And she had never failed in her goals until now.
The thin string flew around in straight lines, catching on every possible surface, and surrounded the poor Shuniji. He looked at her arm split and unravel with a gaping mouth, before stuttering :
"Hu, hey, a-are you... W-wait, I think I...
-Yeah, yeah. You're japanese, so you'd know, right ? Don't bother saying it."
Straightening the string, she caused them to narrow around the mage's body, circling it and immobilizing his arms against his torso.
"N-no !
-Gotta be quicker if you want to survive ! Not that I'd want you to, of course."
She approached with a dangerous smile on her lips, while Shuniji started struggling against the web. However, the string did not break, nor did it weaken.
Master, I need to ask for permission to use my Noble Phantasm.
She paused, annoyed.
I swear, Saber, you really have the worst of timings.
She took a look towards the two fighting Servants, Saber down on a knee and Archer menacingly close to him.
Tch. If that's what you need... I truly expected more from you. Consider the acrobatics next time.
Thank you.
Back to her own business, she turned again to Shun... Or rtaher, the empty ring of string that used to hold him.
"I've got you now !"
The voice of the yound boy, coming from above her, took her by surprise. As she lift her head, she saw the other Master floating up in the air, holding his arm and charging a primitive offensive spell.
Reconstituting her arm, she jumped back as the magical bullet hit the ground where she had stood.
"Not bad, kid, but try to be careful with this robe ; it is really expensive, you know.
-I-I'll try not to hit it... But please, leave me and Rider alone !
-And what after that ? If you don't fight, you have no hope of getting the Grail, you know ?"
Shuniji thought about it. Although he didn't look like it, he too was quite gifted for a mage. Born from a minor family in Japan, specialized in transportation magecraft, he was the seventh son of his fratry and thus born stronger than most of them. Having to look after his older brothers and sisters, some born without any power, he had to bow to the Tohsaka family for some recognition and work.
Exploited for his innate talent and the knowledge of the Akūka clan, his life was not enjoyable. When he was asked to join this war in stead of the Tohsaka heir, who couldn't compromise themselves, he thought that obtaining the Grail could help him save his family from ruin.
But then, on the night of the first battle, he summoned Rider. With only knowledge as a catalyst, the one that appeared late in the war was none other than Don Quichote... or so he presented himself to be. That is when Shuniji had realized that he had other options. Quichote had inspired him by asking him to save his enemy, and through his general uplifting personality. He taught himself to stand up to others instead of bowing to them, and he had just done so by escaping Saber's Master.
The Grail was no more in his sights. Right now, what he wished for was to learn more from Quichote and Archer, and to finally be free.
He shook his head.
"I don't care. Just stop coming after us-
-Can't do that."
The string that had tied onto his ankle while deep in thought pulled him down in an instant. With a rapid incantation,he managed to shorten the distance to the ground and didn't hit his head quite as hard as he would have otherwise, but only to find Not bent over him, looking as creepy as one could be.
'Ho, well that's interesting... Space manipulation and levitation, that's new. What are you affiliated with, Individual Fundamentals ? Modern Magecraft ?
-I'm not with t-the Mage's Association...
-Well. It's truly a shame."
With a look almost pained with sadness, she reformed her hand into a blade.
Thank you.
While Archer put the rifle against Saber's forehead, she asked in an angry tone :
"Any last words ? "
Saber breathed in deeply the cold air, his strength completely gone. The only thing that kept him standing somewhat was his rapier, firmly planted into the ground.
"...One for all, and all for one.
-Hm ? What was that ?
-[One for All, All for One]."
Speaking these words, a golden light started to wrap around him. The wounds resorbed,the spilled blood disappeared. The only trace remaining was the suit's poor state, and his tireness that would not leave him.
So my Noble Phantasm is of a lesser rank, huh... Well, no matter. I can still fight it.
Lancer. I need your help.
What is this for ? I sensed my strength decrease just a second ago.
And I need more of it. I'm under the effects of a weakening Noble Phantasm.
I understand. Do as you need.
Archer, blinded for a few seconds by the light, shot on instinct. Her bullets, however, ricocheted off the rapier that now stood between herself and the swordsman.
Now standing in front of her was Saber, as he was prior to her going all out.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me."
Escaping to a distance, she planned on starting again, but too late. Saber, in a hurry and still powered by this strange light, has already caught up to her.
At first, she did not feel anything. But soon, the physical pain of a fresh wound added itself to what she already experienced.
Saber's rapier had pierced her heart. The two Servants crossed eyes. Knowing that she was doomed to disappear, she managed to turn her weapon around and placed the cannon right to the back of the other's head, locking him in place in a grim embrace.
"You son of a bitch... I'll take you down with me !"
The last thing she heard was a gunshot, followed by the sound of flesh being impaled.