Chapter 17 - Ambush
The church was silent following Berserker's ultimatum. All eyes were on Kiritsugu, who seemed as unconcerned as ever, continuing to draw on his cigarette with his other hand in his pocket.
Serenity knew better. Some magi who picked up the habit – especially those with Fire elements –occasionally did things like draw runes with the end, or make use of the smoke to blind or smother. In Kiritsugu's case, though, the cigarette was a distraction. His other hand had a light grip on his Thompson Contender, already loaded and ready to fire.
And despite the quiet in the hall, there was a frantic conversation inside the heads of the Master-Servant pair.
We can't show ourselves, Serenity sent, the communication fast as thought.
I had no intention of doing so, said Kiritsugu.
If we had acted sooner, we may have been able to stop Berserker before she put us in this position.
And before she had destroyed Fuyuki, were the words left unsaid.
Serenity fiddled with her knife, hidden up in the rafters.
This is a problem. If we do not clearly deny our involvement… even if we do, Berserker is not wrong to suspect us.
There is that. Turning in a dangerous Master to the Moderator is precisely the kind of step I would take if I were not sure of our ability to kill them by other means. Except that my real target would then have been one of the other Servants, temporarily focused on a different threat.
Serenity nodded.
Unfortunately, your reputation… we look guilty. And dangerous. If the other sides in the War decide we are the next biggest threat after Berserker…
Even so, Kiritsugu said.
Uncertainty is our surest shield… and this Caster worries me. She saw through our ruse far too easily.
Behind her skull mask, Serenity chewed her lip.
What will you do instead? Should you deny it anyway without letting me face Berserker? The other Masters…
Let them whisper, let them suspect. They cannot afford to focus on anything other than Berserker right now. I know you of all people are not worried about our reputation. A twitch of the cheek, which Serenity recognised as a smile.
Of course her Master would understand.
As you wish. As always, the talking I leave to you, Master…
Kiritsugu exhaled a large amount of smoke. "I do not deny it," he said, dull eyes fixed on nothing in particular. "I would be a fool to. You will not fight my Servant today."
"Oh?" said Berserker. "I thought you might try and wriggle out of the blame somehow. Taking it on your shoulders instead… how manly of you." Her smile gained a cruel edge. "Do the other Servants here feel the same?"
Kiritsugu said nothing.
"At least Saber and Archer fought to stop me. Yes, okay, there was a reward, but still. But
you… you didn't even try. You sat there and watched me – such terrible things I did – and did
nothing but make notes for your tattling. Was it cowardice or callousness that stilled your limbs and stifled your tongue? I would usually assume the former, but I know how magi are…"
"You cannot blame Assassin for your actions," said Rider, although she didn't sound very sure. "You bear that sin alone. Even if it was an ill thing to stand by and not even try to help…"
"I don't know," said Caster. "We're supposed to be heroes, are we not? The best and brightest of humanity! Would
you have let Berserker have her way with those poor people right in front of you? I for one would have at least tried to make a distraction. My Master would never let me hear the end of it, otherwise… he's really just a big teddybear, under that grumpyguts front he puts on- ow ow
ow, hey, Master, let go!"
Waver Velvet stopped tugging on Caster's ear, but stayed the same amusing shade of scarlet.
"We're not here to discuss Assassin's misconduct," he said. "Stay focused, would you?"
"Agreed," said El-Melloi. "My discomfort at how cavalier the Magus Killer and his Assassin seem to be with the rules can wait – Saber, at least, has a score to settle with you, Berserker."
Serenity was watching the other Masters. They all seemed to be in silent conversation with their Servants the same way she was with Kiritsugu – and she didn't like the way those conversations seemed to be going. Tohsaka's expression remained cool and calculating as ever, while Matou turned round in his seat to glare at Kiritsugu.
We've lost the room, she realised. Maybe they'd lost it the moment Kiritsugu pulled his hostage bluff. If there had ever been any chance of an alliance with the other Masters, there was none now. The question was, which of the other pairs would be first to take advantage of the new most obvious target?
Berserker smiled. "Oh? Come and do your worst, then, by all means. I'm not going to ask Saber to halt their unreasonable pursuit of me just because of Assassin. Just remember that I challenged Assassin, and was ignored – whatever excuses you choose to make, it's not me that doesn't want to fight in this War."
The Moderator struggled to his knees. His breathing was ragged, his clothes rumpled from where Berserker had shoved him to the floor, but he strove for dignity nevertheless. "What do you
want from us, Berserker? All this will earn you is more hate from the Masters…"
Berserker rounded on him, and he quailed. "Hate is all I have
ever been given from humankind! Who would treat an oni fairly, after all? Satisfaction, justice, fair treatment… these are not in the stars for me, I
know that already. No more than victory in this Grail War." With a disgusted look, she turned her back on the priest.
"You ask what I want?" Berserker closed her eyes and clenched her fists, speaking half to herself. "I want to leave this city a smoking ruin, just to show I was here. I want to ruin every one of your lives, and hear your loved ones wail and regret you ever made an enemy of the oni kind. I want to use every minute of my borrowed time to mark my existence. I'll paint my name into this town, with blood, fire and scars if that's what it takes."
"We'll stop you," said Rider. Her earlier doubt seemed to have passed, and she sat ramrod-straight in her pew, the perfect saint once again. "It will bring me no joy to do so, but if a glorious death is truly all you aspire to, let us make that end right here. Let Father Kotomine go, and I will fight you in Assassin's place. I, for one, will remember you and what you have done for as long as I live. Let that be enough. The death and destruction… for the love of Christ, let it
end."
"Augh! You must not have been listening, Rider," huffed Berserker. "Myself, against four Servants? An oni is worth ten of you humans… but even I have limits. I wouldn't accomplish anything, I'd just be squashed. No! If you want to end me,
work for it. And I'll fight you every step of the way. Every trick I know, every bit of power I can gather… I will use it all to stay alive that little bit longer. I may not be able to win this Grail War. But I assure you, I can make sure this entire city loses."
Serenity stole a glance at her own Master. As always, he looked unaffected, but his hand stayed in his pocket, gripping his gun.
If today was only the start of Berserker's campaign of terror… the city was already on its knees after twelve hours. Where would it be after a day? A week? Berserker was tough enough, and slippery enough, that she could draw out the suffering for as long as it took. Serenity had no desire to see such a hell, but she'd made worse with her own hands – she could weather the most horrible scenes Berserker could create so long as she had faith. But her Master, her softhearted Master…
He would remain professional. He would observe the battlefield with cold, stoic eyes and make the best of the situation, then emerge victorious. And in the doing, his heart would break. The things Berserker would make Kiritsugu ignore on his road to victory would leave nothing but a shell of a man left to wish upon the Grail. Even if a better world was achieved, Kiritsugu could not be part of it.
"So… what now, Berserker?" tried the Moderator again, eyes pleading. "You've said your piece, you've made your accusation. Where do you go from here?"
Berserker laughed. "Oh, you think I've finished? Ha! More fool you, priest, I have barely begun! Assassin deserves all the scorn I have for them, and more, but
you are the reason I am here and not hunting for shadows."
She stalked over to the old man and hauled him to his feet.
"I said I would spin a tale, and I will. My attack on the tavern was the excuse. Assassin was how you heard about it. But why,
why post a bounty?" She seized the priest by the front of his robes and snarled up into his face. She snorted.
"Ugh, I'll just get to the point already. When Assassin came to you with reports of my deeds, you seized on this as the excuse to influence the shape of the War. Your friend, the Master of Rider, was under siege, by Archer probably. His defences, shattered. His home, imperilled. His Servant, tied down defending what was his." Berserker looked out over the church at the Servants gathered there. "It's like you said, Archer – Rider's Master hadn't the strength to win on his own… so he turned to his old friend for help.
"You gave Archer a wonderful distraction," she continued, nodding at the cat-eared Servant. "You pulled attention off Rider and her Master. You condemned me to death. Admit it." She extended one claw as if to caress the Moderator's face. With a flash, it ignited, and Father Kotomine's eyes widened in fear.
All present in the church were silent, spellbound by the display. Tohsaka and Kotomine Kirei seemed impassive, although Serenity thought she detected a spark of interest in the young Master of Lancer's eyes. El-Melloi seemed intrigued by the possibility, shooting glances over at Tohsaka.
Rider's hands gripped the pew in front so hard the wood had splintered.
And Caster… Caster was staring at Berserker with an uncomfortable intensity, at odds with her flighty attitude from earlier. Those blue eyes, so filled with intelligence… just how much did they see?
"Admit it! You did, didn't you!" spat Berserker. Her claw inched closer and closer to Kotomine's face. Sweat was pouring down the priest's cheeks, but Berserker's grip on his robes held him fast.
Serenity adjusted her grip on her knife. She had no special sympathy for priests – the number of missionaries to the 'Holy Land' she'd been ordered to kill would have Rider after her head if she knew – but to see any man so helpless before a monster was uncomfortable. Fire was a terrible way to die.
Not that her poison was any kinder.
The very tip of Berserker's superheated claw touched Kotomine's cheek. Flesh smoked, with an awful hissing noise barely audible over the howls of agony. He pulled away – but one old man could not resist the Servant of Madness, and Berserker hauled him back as if he were made of straw.
"Say it!" said Berserker again. "You think you're protecting anyone like this? Just give up already, old man!" Though Kotomine struggled, the incandescent claw grew closer and closer.
Do you think it's true? Serenity asked.
Berserker was wrong about us…
Kiritsugu didn't answer for a moment.
I think that's the wrong question. The question is, what does Berserker gain by raising the point? If all she wants is to cause as much havoc as possible, it shouldn't matter.
Sowing division? suggested Serenity.
Turn the war against Rider like she tried to do to us?
Mmm… maybe. But I can't help but feel there's more to this. Division or not, after this the whole War is going to be against her no matter what she does. I just don't see how she benefits.
On the dais, Berserker caressed Kotomine's cheek once more.
No-one does, thought Serenity, to herself this time. What a joke this War was turning out to be. Five Servants sat in a church and did nothing while the worst of them did whatever she wanted. Was any of it worth it?
Yes. For Kiritsugu's wish, anything was.
But the tension in her Master's face told Serenity he couldn't take much more of this.
We need to stop this, she said.
Why?
Because her Master was having a hard enough time reconciling his ideals and his methods as it was, without forcing himself to watch a man die by fire for the sake of pragmatism. Because even weighed against the happiness of everyone in the world, a tiny risk to their chances of success was worth it to prevent suffering happening right in front of them. Because Kotomine Risei did not deserve to burn to death.
She couldn't say that, though. Kiritsugu had spent far too long justifying his own actions by the yardstick of the ends.
Instead, she kept her tone professional and detached.
If someone else really is set to benefit from this, we don't need to know who it is to want to prevent it.
Serenity could see her Master weighing up her words.
…very well. Did you have something in mind?
Berserker's Master… or the man acting as one. He remains within my sights. Say the word.
A slight smile.
No need.
In a sudden flurry of motion, Kiritsugu's gun was out of his pocket, levelled at Uryuu Ryuunosuke.
"Berserker," he said, into the sudden silence. "Step away from the Moderator."
The young man – a child, really – put his hands up, a 'who, me' grin slipping onto his face. "Hey, buddy, no need for that. I thought this was a neutral zone?"
"Your Servant is attacking the Moderator," said Kiritsugu. "I think I will be forgiven, this once."
Berserker herself had stopped her torture, and was looking at the scene with interest. "An interesting choice. Go on, then, fire away – if you don't mind letting me kill this priest, of course. I'm sure I can kill one old man, even as I disappear. Sorry, Master, but please die beautifully."
"Always knew I'd leave a good-looking corpse," said Uryuu with a smile. He laced his fingers behind his head. "Death doesn't scare me. Not a lot of folks get to say they died to such a cool gun, you know? Thompson Contender, right? Man, those bullets are going to
mess me up." He laughed, but his eyes flicked to Berserker as he did so.
Caster's gauntlet made a series of taps on the wood of the pew as she drummed her fingers. "If he were going to fire, he'd have done it already," she said to no-one in particular. "You don't care about the Moderator at all, do you? But… hm. Worried he's not the right guy? That's probably a good decision. Not that I'd have any idea, of course."
Kiritsugu's aim was rock steady, but Serenity felt the sudden confusion through the link.
"Not helping, Caster…" muttered Waver Velvet.
"Well, it's a change to the deadlock, at least," said Caster cheerfully. "Go on then, Master of Assassin – the ball's rather in your court, I'm afraid. Berserker's called your bluff. What were you planning to do from here?"
She grinned, a cheerful grin, as though the lives of two men did not hang in the balance.
It's her, Serenity realised. There wasn't any reason for the thought. It was nothing more than a hunch. But Serenity had long since learned to trust her hunches. She didn't know how, she didn't know why… Caster just wasn't responding like she should be.
And Caster had seen right into the depths of Kiritsugu's heart. He wouldn't fire, for fear of making a mistake, breaking the deadlock and freeing Berserker to sow more chaos. Serenity knew it. Caster knew it.
But Caster had no idea what Serenity would do. How could she? No-one in Fuyuki had ever so much as glimpsed her.
She made the call.
The knife flew from her fingers like a bullet.
Even with everyone's attention on the tableau, no-one reacted in time. Only Caster, using some application of that oracular intelligence, seemed to have a clue – and Serenity relished the widening of the Servant of the Spell's eyes in the instant before the poisoned knife drilled into the side of Uryuu Ryuunosuke's head.
In the next second, Caster's surprise was replaced with a smirk, just for a split-second. Serenity looked at what she'd done in dismay.
Uryuu Ryuunosuke remained standing, a hole through his skull – and through that hole, brass gears spun and clicked in an intricate pattern. His outline shimmered and wavered, before the illusion failed entirely, leaving nothing but an ornately decorated doll, decorated in shades of gold and blue, where the Master of Berserker had stood.
All eyes were on the scene taking place at the rear of the church.
"A golem?" said Tohsaka dumbly. "Incredible… I've never seen such intricate work. Whoever made this must be a true visionary in the craft. I see we have all been underestimating the Master of Berserker."
Saber looked very intently at the gear mechanisms, then leaned over to whisper in El-Melloi's ear.
For a moment, Serenity saw a flash of annoyance cross Caster's face. "Ah. Yes. Berserker's Master. Indeed. Also, actually that's a clockwork homunculus, so technically- ow!" She broke off after her Master kicked her under the pew, and regained her cheerful disposition. "Now, let's see… a thrown dagger, non-reflective but lighter in colour than I'd expect. Looking at the angle, it came from the rafters… good afternoon to you,
Assassin."
Caster turned her head to look at where Serenity had been. Serenity had moved on since then, of course, but it was still uncanny.
"No? Not even a little hint?" She pouted. "I don't suppose you'd care to demonstrate again?"
There was no way Serenity was going to pass up a straight line like that. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, and there was still a hostage situation that needed to be resolved.
Three more knives ripped through the air.
At Berserker.
Fast as the oni was, Serenity could throw knives faster than any arrow, completely silently and without warning. Berserker hissed in pain as they scored lines of blood on her hand, cheek and bare shoulder, and spun to place the priest in between her and the source.
Serenity was already in the shadows behind her.
The fourth knife plunged itself into the base of Berserker's neck, between her shoulder blades – but only penetrated a quarter-inch.
Tough, Serenity thought. She could throw her knives straight through plate armour if she got the angle right. To really cause any damage with her knives she'd have to put her weight behind it in close combat… and that was just a stupid plan.
No matter. Kiritsugu had quietly slipped out the back of the church as soon as Serenity had begun her attack on Berserker. He was out of the firing line for any retaliation – the worst Berserker could do now was kill the Moderator.
Luckily, Berserker didn't seem all that interested in making good on her threat, instead looking around for Serenity. Serenity had already dematerialised, and repositioned herself up in the rafters.
All she had to do was wait.
"Where… where are you, Assassin?" growled Berserker. Already, her face was flushed, beads of sweat forming. Her words were very slightly slurred. "Come out and fight!" She shook her head to clear it, blinking. Her grip relaxed, ever so slightly, on Father Kotomine's robes.
That was all it took.
An explosion of pure white light hurled Berserker into the stone wall behind the altar, leaving the priest untouched. Rider was on her feet, the portrait of an avenging angel. She pointed her cross-shaped staff, shining with that same holy glow, at the downed Berserker.
Caster sat back, an intense expression of frustration on her perfect face. With all eyes on Berserker, Serenity was the only one to notice her sigh.
The next second, Berserker launched herself at the Moderator.
"No!" Rider yelled.
With a wrench, space dislocated. Berserker vanished. Kotomine Risei went with her.
Archer vaulted a pew and was out the door the next instant, and out of sight the instant after. Rider and Saber were hot on her heels, but Serenity remained, watching Caster.
"I suppose we'd better go try to retrieve the Moderator," she said to her Master. "Tally-ho!"
With a smoother distortion of space than the violent break Berserker had used, they were gone.
Now would be the time to kill the remaining Masters… but no. Tempting as the thought might be, they were needed to chase down Berserker before she caused more havoc.
Worse, Serenity suspected even she and Kiritsugu would need help in dealing with the most dangerous Servant in the War – the one who'd somehow subverted the Servant of Madness into doing her bidding.
---
Just north of Kotomine Church, there were suburbs, where the countryside slowly turned into the more modern Shinto. Despite the horror of the day, they were quiet.
Risei appeared in mid-air, and fell.
Before he hit the ground, he was seized by small but strong arms, and shoved roughly against a wall.
He cried out, but found a tiny, red-clawed hand clapped over his mouth. His cheek throbbed where the Servant in front of him had burned it, and he thrashed trying to squirm away.
"Silence, fool!" said Berserker. "You will reveal us. I need to warn you about-"
The oni jerked aside, cursing, as a green arrow blurred through the space her head had been.
"Already?" She lunged at Risei, and he flinched, but all she did was hustle him around a corner. "Listen. I have been controlled, and you have been deceived. My escape removed all persistent effects, and my head is clear – but we have only moments."
"Controlled?" Risei was having trouble catching up. Berserker stomped her foot in impatience.
"Yes! I am not so stupid as to make an enemy of the entire War and then appear in front of them like some theatre villain!"
There was a whistling noise, and Berserker swatted two more arrows out of the air.
"Curses!" Berserker seized Risei's wrist, and picked him up bodily as if he were no more than a child. "Come, Moderator of the Holy Grail War. We have much to discuss, but we are pursued!"
Wind whipped at Risei's robes as he was carried on the shoulders of the Servant of Madness, who was apparently not quite as mad as previously believed. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the agony in his cheek.
Maybe this war would turn out to be worse than the Third after all…
