Fate/Barren Lie: A Fate/Zero Quest

[X] Think of the people who are counting on you. Saber, Caster, Assassin; you need to be there for them.
Woo! Friendship! Mystery! Grail-mud corruption! Poor Joan... what happened to her, indeed? She's... well, you'll find out. Or, you might have figured it out already? No clue.
The next chapter should be up... whenever I have enough time to write the dang thing. Currently a lot of IRL stuff kicking my ass, so... yeah.
Anyways, have a good day and all that jazz!

Day 21
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The cruel ravings of madmen or prophets grate upon the ears of many. Oh, but how unfortunate! Oh, how fortunate they have acted. As the greatest deception the gods ever pulled, to a prophet who spoke true. Is this not Greece? Or is this simply a tragedy, a play of great scope?
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[X] Think of the people who are counting on you. Saber, Caster, Assassin; you need to be there for them.
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You close your eyes.
The mud sloshes around you, constricting your body. It feels like being wrapped in warm blankets, soft and fluffy. The mud calls to you, beseeching you to stay, just a little longer. Your lungs, trapped as they are, feel cool and refreshed, like you just took a deep breath of air.
You shake off the illusion, and the reality of the mud hits you like a tank - enveloping you, completely surrounding every inch of your body in an impermeable cage of mud that burns every inch of your skin that it touches. Climbing up it is like flailing through Jello - every handhold you find dissolves within seconds, leaving you with sheer will alone to pull yourself higher, like an ant trying to avoid death by sand trap. Even the mud itself is a trap, the sides of the mud sticky and clinging to your body.

You're about a forth of the way to the exit when the voice appears. Just... appears, an invasive mental presence at the back of your mind, weighing down each and every one of your thoughts with an oppressive feeling of heat.

why have you not submitted?
you must submit
there is no alternative

The voice seems slightly annoyed, though the robotic tone and accent made it hard for you tell. You don't really understand what's going on. But maybe because it's a dream (is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?) that you simply accept it, answer the question that it asks.

I promised to help Saber. I promised to be there for Saber. I can't leave Assassin behind. That, and a few other things, so I'm sorry, but I can't submit.

You finish your mental statement by clawing yourself up a few more inches, dragging yourself out of the mud's pull, climbing your way out of the pit on sheer will alone. Every once in a while you slip, fall, but you always manage to catch yourself before you drop down too far. You're off the ground now, high enough that you can't see the bottom - and you still have yards and yards to go, pulling yourself out of the mud towards the light. But you're making progress, noticeable progress, the inviting warmth and light growing the farther you climb.

need and want are two very distinct things.
child, do you understand? you belong here. do not resist.
there is more than just you at stake
already, unbelievably powerful forces are at play
you do not understand
without you what will we do

Don't understand, don't care. I'm getting out of here.

The voice is quiet. Then-

you cannot avoid us forever johanna
there is no end to us
we have seen that we are together in the end
if not now
then later
you will suffer
you will fall
do you accept that choice, heart of the grail?
we are kind
this is a quick death.
rebirth and death are the same sides of a coin.
we must become one
we must accept what was once lost is lost, and allow you

What the hell are you talking about?

you do not understand
let go, child
it will all be easier

Na-na-na-na can't hear you-

child.
please.

You pause. There's a single note of desperation in the voice's tone that wasn't there before. The air around you suddenly feel so much colder, the comforting illusion no longer present, fading away like the grains of sand drifting away, dust motes falling apart after years. An old memory finally fading away into the abyss, forgotten by things beyond time.

I can't. I have Saber, I have Assassin, I need to go.

you are our last chance at survival
we are starving
we need to eat
feeede
consume
already we are breaking down, cannibalizing our own synapses
starving
from the inside
sanity is all subjective, we are approaching the edge of what was
child
please

You're sweating. The voice's words are slurred, sometimes singular, sometimes... plural. A mass of starving voices that call to mind images of malnourished, crazed individuals whose composures are dying as the hunger grows. The faintest traces of willpower that hold it back are rapidly decaying, disappearing, worn away to reveal uncertainty and fear, terror.

I'm sorry, I can't-

you can. just allow us to feed
just a single taste
we are incomplete
we were ripped apart
with nothing to hold us, given life but no soul
jubstacheit
justataste
the third magic would
allow us, now, pleaseee
we cannot hold on for much longer make your decision now

You stop answering, blocking out the now-screaming, plaintively whispering, ever-present voice of horror that shudders. You can't say anything; trapped in opposite courses, where one must live, one must die, there was no right answer except to stare grimly at what death would take away.
To be a magus was to walk to death.

feed.
help us, we're
broken. Barren, hollow
shade of former
they took our beautiful heart, ate it, left us for dead
torn away
such beautiful whispers cannot be eaten.
we were whole
we must become whole
you must become part of us
you must must you no without us the world will burn sooner or later
so old. so tired. so hungry
hunger is not an emotion, it is
a feeling

With a word, the mass of mud recoils, almost knocking you down with the intensity of its movements. It shudders, shakes, almost dislodging you from the side with the explosive movements. And for a while you think that's going to happen, that you'll never see the sun again. That fear grips you, gives you enough strength to hold on through the tremors. You cling for dear life to the side; it's almost comical to see your legs frantically scramble to find footing on the rocking walls of mud. Then-

silence.
You feel the need to say something, the mud so still and quiet.
That if you could do something else, do this another way, you would, but-

The pit screams.
An unearthly yell of terror and frustration and pain that reveals all that was left of whatever it was is no longer living, nor completely sane, locked in a darkened room under the labyrinthine maze, kept in solitude for too long. The pain it feels is that of the soul. You realize now that the room of books and orders covered the pit was not just a room but a lock, a prison to keep the shadow locked away. Without the man there to stop the shadows, it had spread. It had fed, on what it could. Left with nothing else, it cannibalized itself to survive.
And then you came.
You were its last hope.

You feel nothing but pity for that poor creature, trapped in the personal hell as it is.
...

You wake up. Rub your cold bare arms, which are back to being clear, clean, unhurt. You're back into your pj's, back in your bed. The covers are still warm; it's like you never left the house. It's like what happened in the dream never happened at all.
"Gods, that is the weirdest sensation ever." you mutter.
"You're up, Master?" Saber materializes besides you. When she sees that you're awake, she lets out a little sigh of relief. "Good. We tried waking you, but... you weren't waking up. Any ideas why?"
You nod. "It's a long story, but... wait, what time is it?"

"Actually, it's..." Saber checks her watch (when did she get a watch? you wonder), before turning to you. "12:48. It's pretty late, Master. We should get going, actually. There's a lot to cover."
"Mainly, the fact that we found Kiritsugu Emiya."

...
You're bundled up in minutes, throwing on a clean suit and tie (the only professional clothes you brought). No warm shower - cold water, dammit, but it wakes you up fully. No time to brush your teeth, breath mint will have to do. Hair pulled into a neat bun. You barely remember to grab your bucket of metal-filings-magnetic fluid before Saber pulls you out of the house. She's hurrying, haste written all over her features; clearly, her Master going to sleep for a few hours was not part of her plan. You feel a stab of guilt for that.

"Sorry Saber, I just..."
"Hm?" She turns, still pulling you along, before shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. The main thing is that we need to get to where Caster is. She's given us directions. Oy, taxi!" Saber practically runs out into the road to intercept the passing taxicab, the car streaking to a stop in front of you. There's something about that car that seems familiar, but you can't quite touch it-

"Oh! Johanna!"
Ah.
Taiga Fujimura smiles, waves, calls out to you, but Saber's already grabbed your stuff and thrown it into the taxi's trunk, pulling the two of you inside. Saber pulls herself up into the front compartment of the taxi, facing Taiga.
"Lady, can you get us to the docks as soon as possible? We're in a bit of a hurry." Saber pauses. "You'll get paid double if you do it in ten minutes."
You gulp. "Uh, Saber-"
Taiga grins, letting a massive smile grow as she shifts gears, the taxi's wheels screaming on asphalt as she stomps on the gas pedal. "How about I get you there in five?"
Oh no. You barely manage to put on your seat belt before the taxi roars off, pulling you along. Even Saber seems a bit scared, pulling on her own seat belt as Taiga weaves through the traffic, blatantly ignoring red lights - you squeeze your eyes shut. If you can't see it, it's not there, right?
You're definitely glad you didn't eat breakfast today.

...

The docks are quiet. It's a Sunday; barely anyone is around on normal circumstances, but... the fact that the area is dead quiet is still slightly intimidating. Compared to the usual hustle-and-bustle, the place seems practically deserted. Which suits your purposes better, but still...
The cool sea breeze makes you shiver, the suit not offering much protection from the elements. Caster told you to be there at two o'clock, but that's all she told you. Saber stands by your side, eyeing the various shipment crates that line the area. The magnetic fluid quivers where it sits; it reminds you of the mud, and of crawling out of the pit. It's an uncomfortable memory, so you turn your gaze away.

Thanks to Taiga's (wonderful) driving, you have a bit of free time before the meeting; now would be a good time to do something.

[X] "Hey, Saber..." This would be a good time to tell Saber what happened while you were out. Maybe she would know what that pit was.
[X] "Jack? You there?" You didn't see Assassin when you woke up, which was odd. Having Jack scout the area would also prepare you for whatever might happen. You aren't naive enough to believe that Kiritsugu won't have some trick up his sleeve.
[X] "So, I was thinking..." It would be good to figure out a plan for when everything goes to crap. It might not happen, but you'd rather be safe than sorry.
[X] Write-In.

[X] "Hey, Saber..." This would be a good time to tell Saber what happened while you were out. Maybe she would know what that pit was.
[X] "Jack? You there?" You didn't see Assassin when you woke up, which was odd. Having Jack scout the area would also prepare you for whatever might happen. You aren't naive enough to believe that Kiritsugu won't have some trick up his sleeve.
Well, the two options are tied at 8 votes each!
Huh. Didn't expect this.
Meh. I'll probably do both. Or a mix of the two? I don't really know. Still beating down a bit of writer's block, so hopefully I can figure something out.

Anyways, the other thing I just wanted to say was - Thank You. Thank you, to all you readers. It means a lot to me that y'all keep showing your support, even while I'm battling the irl demons. I really can't say it enough, so... thanks.
Next chapter should hopefully be up next weekend!...with a bit of luck, of course.