[]"Depends. Have you all tried fire hoses and strip clubs yet?"
-[] "Because if that doesn't work it's finding a Servant-grade sword-user-Magus from Ulster who can count for the deal he had with Fergus."
-[] "Or nukes. If everything else fails, we have nukes on speed dial."
You narrowed your gaze at him before stepping forward. Medb tensed up seeing you approach Hans while Lancer kept an eye on you. Even Cedric seemed wary of your body language as you closed the distance between you and his boss. Hans simply stood his ground before you stopped right on front of him.
He was a few inches taller than you were and you noted just how youthful his appearance was despite his age. He gave you a raised eyebrow as you huffed and crossed your arms right in front of him.
"Depends. Have you tried fire hoses and strip clubs yet?" You asked him as you met his gaze, "Because if that doesn't work it's finding a Servant-grade sword-user-Magus from Ulster who can count for the deal with Fergus."
"So you know of the promise Caladbolg's owner made with Setanta," Scathach noted from her seat.
"It's common knowledge, Teacher. It's nothing to be impressed by," Lancer replied behind her as he studied you from afar.
Hans closed his eyes and sighed, "Well, that's certainly two ways to defeat Ireland's greatest Hero. But deactivating Riastrad once it becomes active is our main priority."
"Wait... Once it becomes active?" Medb asked with a narrowed look, "Isn't he already..."
"No. He's not under the effects of Warp Spasm the entire time which is why his Master can control him. He only activates it upon entering combat," Scathach said as she crossed her arms and shook her head, "At that point, any trickery or mental attacks would be useless while he's under a frenzy."
"And even if he is manageable when not transformed, he gains access to Gae Bolg as if he were in the Lancer Class," Hans said as he handed you your books back, "Some of his stats have been lowered in terms of ranking when not transformed but he is still formidable."
Medb giggle behind you as she said, "So he can turn handsome again! Boy, that sure got me worried. I wouldn't want him to be a beast all the time."
"But it does pose the problem," Lancer cut Rider off with a sharp snarl, "He has the power of his Berserk form and the cunning of his normal class. Madness Enhancement just makes him unreasonable."
"Our current plan right now hangs upon making Cu Chulainn break his oaths," Hans explained as he raised his hand, "That will rob him of his power... But I suspect that there are countermeasures for that already."
"Or... Nukes. If everything else fails, we have nukes on speed dial," you said as you had a grimace.
Rider choked behind you before hissing, "Brie!"
"Oh. Oh dear. Did you tell her about that, young lady?" Scathach said with a raised eyebrow.
"Shut up, old hag! I told her I won't use it!" Rider growled before glaring at you.
Hans raised his hands and said, "Now, now... We're all allies here. Now I'd much prefer that it doesn't come to that but... It would be handy if it meant losing our lives or not."
"No promises," Medb said with a huff as she placed her hands on her hips, "Besides, it needs a lot of Magical Energy. Even if I drained most of the male population in the city, it'll still need more work. It's a Noble Phantasm I can't just deploy on a whim."
"Well that answers a few things. That would have been useful earlier," You said as you glanced her way.
"We are to move the planning on neutralizing Cu Chulainn at a later date. At the moment, Master, you have a job to do," Lancer reminded Hans with a steely tone.
Hans blinked before nodding, "I guess I do. Brie, Miss Rider, follow me. Let's get this over with."
.....
....
...
You knew you entered his workshop when you felt the short surge of prana fill the air. You took a special elevator going down the floor you were on straight underground. You could feel the floor beneath you rumbling as you stood with your arms crossed. For a guy wanted for treason, he had a lot of resources to pull from.
Now that you were at the heart of his base, getting out of here was going to be difficult if things go south. Though you should already expect that considering Lancer was breathing down your neck and was no doubt one twitch away from beating up Rider.
You'd prefer them doing that when you're not within punching range.
Hans kept his servant in check, you didn't doubt that but he seemed distracted by fixing his hair. You could see the streaks of white on his hair more prominently than the last time. Was it just stress or overuse of Magecraft? You had information about that effect in your head and it seemed like an interesting bit of trivia.
Rider remained silent, no doubt having enough sense in her to keep her mouth shut when Lancer was a few inches away. This elevator ride sucked... The music was getting to you too.
"Next time pick a better music," you advised the older man.
"Sorry," Hans sighed as he closed his eyes.
The doors opened to a blank room with a depressed surface at the center of the room. It was a blank white room where Hans stepped in and it immediately recognized him as the owner. You followed after him once Lancer got out and watched as you noticed a shift in the Workshop.
The floors were marble blue and the walls and ceiling were pure white. Images began to fill the walls, equations and lists of reagents filled your view before reorganizing themselves. You could feel it, it was like this place was alive. An absolute territory which all manner of Magecraft was performed.
Doors began to appear around the room, some being created from wood, others being made from stone, another was made from steel while the last one as wrought from gold. Lancer waited at the side while Hans placed his hand on his pocket and turned your way.
"This is my Workshop. It contains the products of my research and the core of my reason for seeking a Grail," Hans said as he stood before the golden door, "It's also where most of my equipment is."
"Your reason... You mean your means to get your sister back?" You asked him with a frown.
"Yeah," Hans said with a heavy tone. He nodded his head as the door behind him opened.
You followed after him once he went in and you were greeted by the sight of a crystal coffin. Your eyes widened saw what was inside it. You could feel a warm glow inside the coffin and were struck by a sheer power you nearly fell from.
The crystal coffin sat within a rock formation as if it had been carved out. But upon closer inspection the rock formation had modern debris like plastic and metal as if they melted into the surface.
You stared at the coffin and felt an odd sense of familiarity.
"That's..?" You breathed as you held your chest throb.
"It's the incomplete record of my sister's soul. The previous Grail War I fought could only grant me this much upon my victory. But should I win this one, I should be able to recreate her in both body and soul. The Grail which we fight and bleed for may be wish granting machines but they are inferior compared to the original ritual in the Far East," Hans said as he glanced at you. He crossed his arms and said, "The Farcical Wars waged across the globe holds merely a fraction of the original Ritual's power. People need to win war after war, building up their wishes in order to see them completed. But without the Greater Grail of Fuyuki following its dismantling, this is the best shortcut I can think of."
"And if you lose this war, what then?" You asked him with a narrowed look.
Hans stared at the coffin before meeting your gaze, "Then I'll fight in another. Until I die or see my wish be granted. I think back to what you said. Wishes are worth fighting for no matter what they are. It's an admirable thing to say."
"I see. You'll have to work for that victory then," you told him with a firm tone.
"Once this is all over, let's have a good fight, Brie," Hans said as he held out his hand to you.
You looked him in the eye before clasping his hand and shaking it, "Sure."
......
.....
....
You had changed to what was like hospital clothes except your top only covered your front. You still felt decent as you sat on the metal bed but your back did feel a little chilly. Medb helped you change and was giving you an unhappy look.
You met her gaze and smiled, "It'll be fine. I'll be fit as a fiddle once we're done here."
"If anything happens to you-" Medb grumbled with a narrowed look.
"Nothing will happen. It'll be fine," you assured her but at the same time it was also meant to reassure yourself, "Just try not to get stabbed by Lancer."
Rider pinched your cheeks and glared at you, "Don't make your Queen worry, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," you groaned before the door opened to reveal Hans in his own white robes and rubber gloves.
He wheeled in a cart of tools before stopping nearby.
"It's time. The procedure will take a few hours. I've already sent Lancer to keep guard outside... Brie, I'll be suspending your pseudo-Personality and locking you a level beneath the surface of your consciousness," Hans said as he glanced at you and Rider, "Are you ready?"
"Yes. I want to go home already," you griped as you looked at your Servant. Rider huffed and walked out of the room, leaving you alone with Hans.
The man turned to you and said, "You two have been close."
"Yeah... We've been through a lot," you nodded with a small chuckle.
"Though I do I believe I owe you an apology," Hans said as he fixed his tools, the sound of metal clinking in this large room you were in rattled your nerves a bit.
"About what?" You frowned.
"Trapping you in that Bounded Field. Though I have to say the side effects are amusing. Who would have thought you'd gain a personality," Hans mused as he met your gaze.
You sighed and laid down on your front, "I don't even care anymore. Your fuck up made me appreciate Rider so I guess you did okay. Trauma aside."
"Appreciate... Though it would seem that your fondness extends beyond appreciation," Hans pointed out as he placed a hand on your bare back and you felt a sudden surge of magical energy.
"I... See..." You murmured as you started getting sleepy.
"I'm beginning the operation..." Hans said as the last thing you heard was the sound of a saw whirring.
.......
.....
....
Where... Was this..?
Was this a dream? It was dark. So dark. You can't feel anything. You can't hear anything. You can't see anything.
Rider? Where are you, Rider? Rider...
Slowly, ever so slowly, a scene began to play. It was like looking through the Water's surface, however.
You could see a young girl with orange hair. She had brought a roll of paper with her as she stood in what seemed to be an attic. She set the paper down and revealed it to be a summoning circle. This was... A Servant Summoning circle.
"I won't let Brother fight alone," the girl said as she clenched her fist, a faint bruise at the back of her palm.
You watched as the young girl brough forth a piece of a broken blade. She began to chant as magical energy filled the air. Your eyes widened as you witnessed the summoning process.
Her words were spoken as if you were hearing an alien tongue... Or your mind didn't just wrap itself around it? No... There were patches in the vicinity leading to the void. This was like a glitched recording. There were contents that didn't register in full.
You looked to see the circle burn red. Your eyes widened as a surge of power filled the room and you were greeted by the girl being knocked back.
The girl had your face... Except she was young.
You turned to look at her summoned Servant and only saw a black mass. It was shapeless, without any human form, and it was wary of its surroundings.
The black mass soon turned its gaze towards the girl before it. A moment later, the Servant started moving towards her, slowly adopting a more human form from its shadowy body. It stood before her as the moonlight from the windows shined down upon the two of them.
"Servant... Assassin. Here to heed your call. I vow loyalty to my new Lord. Are you the Lord that has summoned me?" The Servant asked.
The girl stood up and smiled, "Yes. Celine... That's my name. Please, Assassin. Help me save my Brother."
"I see. I will see it done, my Lord," Assassin replied before kneeling before the young girl.
.....
....
...
You opened your eyes and inhaled a lungful of air. You coughed and shot upwards as you tried to breathe. A pair of hands steadied you before you found yourself looking at Hans.
"You okay?" He asked before stepping back.
"I... Feel like shit," you groaned as you held your head.
"I did move a few of your organs around. But the worst has passed. You're free now," Hans said with an equally exhausted look. He looked like he hadn't moved out of the room you were in. You looked down at the blanket on your lap and noticed the amount of blood on the table.
He really did open you up.
Distant Dream
[] "I... Had a dream. Your sister... She didn't die in an accident."
[] "So are the Luctworth going to find out about what you did? Will they still think I'm on their side?"
[] "Get me my clothes. I'm done. I'm going home... I feel horrible."
[] "You didn't stick anything weird inside my guts, right? I'll know if you did."
[] Write in...
