Scraped from
here.
Index:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 segment 1 below,
Segment 2 here.
Chapter 11 segments:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Chapter 12 segments:
1 2 3 4 5
Now on FF.net!
As of Dec/31/2013, Chapter 12 segment 5 posted. Hooray!
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Why a new thread? Because:
NEW RULE NEW RULE: No personal attacks. At all. Attack each other's arguments or logic, fine. Start namecalling and I press the Mod Button.
Also if you want to criticism/suggest/bribe/influence me and you don't want your words eternally on public display, feel free to visit #sbcreativewriting on irc.dal.net - if that is greek to you then refer to the IRC thread sticky in the CrW forum.
Chapter 10
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The child staggered backwards, made a couple choking sounds, then fell. Before it hit the ground, a violet and green monstrosity erupted from its chest, spraying blood and viscera into the air. Saber had initially lurched forward to reach for the boy, but froze as she took in the gruesome display. Archer just sighed, closed his eyes, turned to Caster, and opened them again. What little emotion he had allowed to leak during the last minute vanished without a trace.
Saber slashed the beast in two, and turned back to Caster as it collapsed. Just as she opened her mouth to say something the two halves twitched and burst open, revealing two more identical monsters. Archer glanced over, then back to Caster. The mad mage spread his arms and bowed.
"You made a valiant attempt, Red Knight. You almost sealed off my assistance completely. Thankfully, Jeanne was never one for watching innocents die."
Archer slowly moved to put Caster between himself and the mess Saber was quickly escalating. Caster chuckled again.
"Indeed, it would have been quite tragic if she hadn't been freed from her contract with the World. Don't you agree, Counter Guardian?"
Archer stopped dead. His expression hardened for a moment.
Then, he smirked.
"Ah, Caster, you've made a mistake. If you hadn't just mentioned that, I still would have had a reason to hold back."
Caster gripped his spellbook with both hands, and lowered his voice.
"Perhaps. However I just needed to make something very clear. You are probably quite the hero yourself, are you not?"
Archer didn't respond.
"What do you think will happen if I unleash the full power I have available to me here?"
Archer shrugged.
"I don't know, why don't you try and find out?"
Caster shook his head.
"I don't need to, Beast of Alaya. When Jeanne was alive, while we campaigned, she
dreamed. Sometime glorious dreams of future victories. Sometimes terrible dreams, where she would be summoned to disasters and become a storm, leaving no witnesses in her wake. It didn't take much research to determine she was dreaming of her own fate after death. I can manufacture a threat to the World in a very short time. Of course, with six legendary heroes scattered around, any possible disaster I cause could be quickly mopped up, don't you agree?"
Archer was still.
"Of course you do. But that's not the question. The question is: what happens to YOU both before and after the threat is gone? Will you be yourself? Or will you turn on everything that lives and breathes and erase this city from the map?"
Caster held his gaze for a moment, then smiled.
"Of course, I have no interest in wasting so much raw material. So, I'll make you a deal. Stop interfering with me, and I'll endeavor not to invoke the Counter Force. Leave me with no hope, and I will make your final hours on this plane Hell."
Archer pretended not to notice the dozen creatures working their way behind him. Saber struggled on, heedless of the growing horde she was creating. Apparently she was turning the encounter into a contest of prana.
Archer spun and flung his swords through the mass of monsters, then projected two more pairs and repeated the process. Every monster he even nicked with the blades fell. He turned back to Caster.
"I get the feeling you'll do that regardless. In any case, I also doubt you could do such a thing right now, and I seriously don't believe you could pull such a feat off without attracting a lot of attention in the process. Go on, do your worst."
Caster squealed in rage and raised the book over his head. Just as it began to glow and activate, a figure dropped from the air behind him and a red lance tip sliced it in half.
Caster fell to his knees and screamed as all the monsters died. Archer released the projection of the various swords pinning the undefiled corpses immediately and nodded to Lancer. Saber marched towards them, but before she made it all the way over Archer noticed the spellbook Caster was hunched over had healed itself.
"Finish him, QUICK!"
Lancer's eyes widened and he brought his lance down as Caster rolled to one side and all the monster corpses exploded into a red mist. Archer cursed and started running back into the forest.
When the mist faded, Saber and Lancer lowered their guards, exchanged a few words, and parted as Lancer dashed for the castle in a near-panic.
*****
Tokiomi sighed and turned to Risei.
They were back in the Tohsaka mansion's study again, monitoring the battle for the forest as best they could. Mostly they parsed Kirei's reports, and occasionally Tokiomi could glean useful information from Archer's senses.
Information, such as the fact that he was apparently a Counter Guardian.
"I seem to have been asking the wrong questions, Risei."
Risei wore a mildly bemused smile.
"Next time, will you wait for me to arrive?"
"Yes, I have learned my lesson."
The two men sat in silence a few moments more, gazing at the different facets of Tokiomi's scrying gem array. Tokiomi cleared his throat.
"So. A Counter Guardian."
Risei raised an eyebrow.
"So it would seem."
It was everything Tokiomi could do as he suppressed a shudder.
*****
Archer dematerialized as soon as he was out of line of sight, and diverted his course back towards Kirei. They had a new set of problems, and a quickly shrinking amount of time in which to address them. After he was sure he wasn't being followed, he faded back in and activated his communicator.
"Kotomine. There is a complication." Kirei stiffened for a moment before Archer continued. "Has Assassin located Caster's workshop yet?"
An Assassin materialized next to Kirei and slowly shook its head.
"Not yet. Shall I prioritize it?"
"Yes. Have them do whatever they can."
*****
Assassin, collectively, had no intention of changing up its plans for locating Caster's workshop. It had already analyzed the patterns of the child kidnapping in the media and planted the bait in an appropriate spot, free of any incriminating memory to spoil their plan. It had vanished form their collective senses shortly thereafter. As such, they were more or less convinced they would have Caster's workshop located by that evening, if not earlier. It all just depended on how quickly Caster's Master woke up the fresh wave of . . . materials
Their Master's intense cooperation with Archer had them nervous. They were already uncomfortable with the idea that their master was a subordinate of a rival Master. Thankfully, that Archer deigned to treat them as professionals was a mark in his favor. It would have been . . . less than tolerable if he hadn't shown any respect.
That his tactics were . . . less than conventionally heroic didn't hurt either. Assassin was familiar with heroes, and knew that for every drop of glory there was probably a fistful of self interest or corruption. It's why their order thrived in its time; no shortage of work. Archer didn't purport to be anything other than what he was.
All in all, Assassin really couldn't see itself working with any other Servant in such a fashion. So, the strange orders suggested to Kirei were followed to the letter, with some amount of professional courtesy that assumed Archer knew what he was doing.
Archer's story about his future was, of course, very relevant to Assassin. As was his assertion that the Grail was corrupt. Archer's Master had seemingly dismissed such concerns out of hand, but Kirei seemed to take Archer's word for holy writ. Apparently some of the so-called prophecy he had spewed hit a chord. Assassin had not yet taken steps to follow up on that information, but it would probably be a priority after Caster was taken care of.
Disillusionment and disappointment were two very familiar emotions for any who held the title of Old Man on the Mountain. There were usually good reasons for the assassinations they committed at the time. Politics or economics, religion or sheer practicality. Hassan was known for one thing, and the Hundred-Faced Hassan, while not 'known,' could do many things. Assassin would get to the bottom of the situation it found itself in- and if the contract for the Grail was offered on false premise, someone would pay.
Not Kirei. He was oblivious. Still, someone knew more than they were letting on. Otherwise Archer would be more open with his own Master, rather than vaugely conspiring with Kirei behind closed doors.
All in good time.
*****
END OF POST, not necessarily end of chapter.
