Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

[Erien]

[And found her drained, barely alive, but… hopeful]
She couldn't help you, and you wouldn't have her servant leave her side. But she was recovering.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

Today… today you would hunt down that Monster, today you would get answers from the Church, today you would end this war. But first… before any of that, you had people you had to check up on. You had so many to be worried about now, there was a time it was just Taiga and Medea, and far less for the later than the former. Then more, then more, then more. Ayako, Fujimaru, Illya. More and more. The city itself. It was stupid, trying to save everyone. You knew that, Medea had informed you of that more than once. You couldn't, you absolutely couldn't. There just wasn't a way with the forces you were fighting against. Brihannala, that Monster, whatever Ruler was here for. You couldn't deal with it, you couldn't save everyone. Not Fuyuki, and possibly not even the people you cared about. The threat was too great, the forces aligned against you too strong, you still… you still had no idea how to even hurt the Monster, truly. And that Archer had mauled you until Circe had shown up. To try and save everyone was idiotic.

But you were going to save them all. It's what a hero would do. You turn your gaze towards the ceiling, looking at the golden crown molding that joined the walls to the ceiling. It was a castle straight out of a fairy tale, it even had a little princess living inside of it. If that could exist, why not a hero that could save everyone? Was that such a greedy wish? Such a stupid ideal to have? It wasn't easy, you had already failed, you had failed many times and you knew you would fail again. You weren't strong enough, you likely never would be strong enough. But you would never stop trying either. To stop trying would make all those deaths pointless, to fall into a despair would… honestly probably lead to Ayako herself mauling you at this point. The ends of your mouth curl up slightly in a smile at the thought of that. Ayako.

That was something you hadn't seen coming, but then, what had you seen coming lately? Saving her brother was just a case of being in the right place at the right time. Now look at her, running around as a magical cat-girl.

… Some parts of this war were weirder than others admittedly. You would have liked to keep her out of harms way, much like you would have liked to keep Taiga and Sakura out of harm's way. But life had other plans for you. And Sakura was worse off than you had ever imagined. Such thoughts play through your mind as you walk through the halls towards her room. The halls were empty, but then, they always were. Unlike Raiga's mansion, which was a good deal smaller than this castle, this place was unpopulated. The size of it rather boggled the mind, considering only three people lived here. Were there more once? Was it an entire family? How many Einzberns had there been at one point? Or was it merely a show of vanity. Magus generally didn't hurt for money in any case. Generally. Your home, back when it existed, was one of the nicest in the neighborhood. Sakura's was glamorous as well. You let out a slow breath, forcing yourself calm, pushing yourself through the same sequence you would before drawing your bow as you reach for the door to Sakura's room.

Then you gently knock.

The voice heard through the door is rough and scratchy, but… curious. "Yes?"

"It's me, can I come in?" you ask.

"It's unlocked." Sakura replies.

You open the door slowly, and take in the sight of a room near identical to your own. Sakura was on the bed, the covers pulled up to her waist. She was sitting up, her back against the bedrest, looking at you. She was dressed in little more than pajamas, and not her own at that. A white frilly thing that you suspected was a spare from the maids, her eyes were sunken, her hair was tangled, her skin was pale. But she was smiling, and it was that that made you hurry across the room. You reach the edge of her bed, stopping just shy of it, an-

"Are you alright, Shirou?" Sakura asks first.

You pause at the question, you were surprised she would ask at a moment like this. But then, that was always Sakura, wasn't it? "I'm fine, tired… but fine. More importantly, how are you?"

Sakura's smile grows a touch, and her expression gains an almost impish quality. "I'm not more important Shirou, but… I'm fine." She adjusts herself on the bed for a moment, shifting her legs. "It's… better, now."

You smile, relief flooding you. "Caster… she said you would be okay, but I'm glad to hear that regardless."

Sakura nods. "I'm fine Shirou, it's… all gone now. But it will be a while before I've fully recovered." She looks you up and down for a moment, her smile fading. "Are you heading out today?"

A touch of worry has entered her tone, not panic, but worry. "We'll be heading out soon to find any trace of that monster, then to see to the servant at the church."

Sakura nods again, then presses a hand down onto the bed to try and get up.

You place a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Sakura, I'm not putting you into danger again."

"Shirou." Sakura says, her tone suddenly terse.

"Sakura, you're still recovering, please… Please don't try to force this. I know you want to help, but please, recover." You smile down at her. "I'll be fine. And you'll have Archer her-"

"No." Sakura says firmly. Her eyes flitting from your hand to your face. "No. He won't be here, Shirou. He's going with you."

"Sakura I-

"No Shirou." Sakura cuts you off. "I can't fight, I… I know that. I'm not in position to. But Archer will be going with you. I don't care what you think about it, I'm going to help you, even if I can't be there in person." Her voice was angry, an edge to it you had never heard. It wasn't a request.

"... Alright," you finally reply. "If you are sure."

Sakura stares at you, then relaxes, her shoulder slumping, her breath slow. She falls back against the bed a bit, her head resting against the wood. Her eyes close for a moment, before they open, almost lethargically to focus on you. "Thank you." Her head then turns slowly to look out the window towards the garden, the snow is beginning to melt away now, the January snows fading. Greenery is showing through, evergreens and hedges that don't die away giving the scene even more of a fairytale air. "It's been a long week." She finally says, her voice quiet.

"It has, a very… very… long week." You agree. "Sometimes I wake up and wonder if things were back to normal and it was all a dream."

Sakura nods, but doesn't turn her head to look at you. "I… don't want it to be a dream."

"Sakura?"

Her head tilts down, looking at the bed. "It's… selfish of me, I know. People have gotten hurt, but…" She shakes her head. "It's better. It's better."

You move onto the bed and your hands wrap around her shoulders and pull her against you. She struggles for a moment, but only for a moment, letting out a long and shuddering breath as she presses her head against your chest. "It's alright, Sakura."

"No," Sakura replies. "No it isn't Shirou. I can't be greedy."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not right… people have gotten hurt Shirou, people will be hurt, and I don't deser-"

You tighten your grip, causing the girl in your arms to gasp. "Sakura, you stayed with me even when you found out I was a Magus. You've helped me, you deserve whatever you want. We… can't bring people back."

Sakura says nothing for several moments, then slowly turns her head, looking up at me. Her expression is one of curiosity. "Shirou, you are… dating… Ayako?"

"I am."

"And you are in a… relationship with Caster?"

You pause, thinking about that for a moment. "Yes."

Sakura nods, her chin digging into your chest. She stares up at your face, then, without another word, she snakes a hand around the back of your head and pulls you down, her lips meeting yours. She holds you there, it isn't the desperation of yesterday, it's chaste, gentle, and it only lasts a second before she pulls away, her eyes lidded but meeting your own. "Shirou, come back, okay?"

"I will, Sakura."

She gently releases you, and watches you leave in silence. You give her one more look, then smile.

She smiles back.

—

You pause outside the door, taking in a deep breath, then look at a mirror across the hall.

… Why exactly you, you wonder? You don't consider yourself particularly attractive. That makes four now. Five, technically, if you count Ruby. Which you don't, and frankly the fact you hadn't seen it for a bit was making you rather nervous. But still, you didn't get it. But it also wasn't important, what was, was breakfast before you headed out. With that in mind, you set off.

—

You weren't sure which of the maids had provided you a quick bite to eat, they were both glaring at you these days. But you didn't much care either: food, at the moment, was food. So you stood in the entrance hall, waiting for everyone else, idly munching on a bit of sausage. Mordred was standing just beside you, blankly staring out the window and muttering 'Arthur' from time to time, so you at least knew the world was still turning, always a question these days whether that was happening. Caster was in your shadow, precisely why you had no idea, but she was in your shadow. While Circe was… somewhere you were sure. Frankly you were afraid to find out at times.

"Morning," a voice calls from down the hall, and you turn your head to see Fujimaru and Shielder approach. The former was decked out in… what you could only describe as an orange and white jumpsuit of sorts, while Shielder was wearing her usual black armor. Behind them, following along with his hands behind his back was a man you hadn't seen before. But going by the fact that… well, you hadn't seen him before, and that he was moving in lockstep with Shielder gave you the impression he was a servant. He was dressed in black, black boots, black pants, and a black shirt with an open neck. His hair was brown and matted, with blue eyes that met your own as a small smile settled on his face. It seemed rather natural, and… beyond that, nothing else really stood out about him. A silver cylinder was on his waist, but beyond that he wasn't carrying anything else you could see, and you found yourself staring at him for several moments, a tingle of recollection brushing against your mind, before your desire to be polite overrides it.

"Good morning," you reply. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I normally do," Fujimaru replies in a tired sort of voice you recognize rather well. "Everything alright on your end?"

"As good as it can be," you reply.

Your eyes meet, and the edge of her mouth curls up in a smirk. "As good as it can be." Fujimaru repeats. She moves to stand beside you, leaning against one of the pillars that line the entrance hall before closing her eyes. "It's going to be nasty today."

"Probably," you agree.

"You might not survive."

"Decent possibility," you reply, taking another bite of toast.

"... Fair enough," Fujimaru says after a few seconds.

"My master places about as much worth on his own life as Hades would an individual gem." Medea says, rising out of your shadow. Without a word you offer the other piece of toast behind your back, and the servant takes it.

Jogging feet, and your head turns to see Ayako lightly running down the hall. In her hands was Ruby, the top half of it wrapped in… gauze so that not a single bit of the gem was visible. Ayako was wearing her normal street clothes, from where she got them you had no idea, but then… "Something… wrong?" you ask.

Ayako comes to a stop just next to you, placing her hands on her knees for a moment to catch her breath before standing up and flashing you a brilliant smile. "Nope, everything's fine now."

You hear a grunting from Ruby, and you glance down to see it wiggling in her grip.

Well then.

You look back up to see Ayako staring, open-mouthed at Fujimaru. No, not Fujimaru, the man standing behind her. She stares at him, attempting to catch flies, then leans in close to you. "Is… is that who I think it is?" she whispers.

"The man…? I don't know him."

Ayako gains a rather scandalized look. "Shirou, come on, seriously, right there. That's Luke Skywalker. Why is Luke Skywalker here?"

You look at Fujimaru. "I would assume he was summoned… is he famous or something?"

Both of the human women present turn to look at you with skeptical expressions, and you have the distinct impression you've said something wrong again. You are used to that now at least however, so you simply return to eating your toast.

"SHIROU!" a voice calls out a few minutes later, nothing much happened in the intervening time besides the fact that Ayako had become transfixed by the sight of this 'Luke'. You turn your head to see Illya.

She wasn't there a moment ago, nor did she run. She's just there now, sitting in the arms of her servant who rather quickly sets her down onto the ground so that the girl can wrap her arms around you.

"Good morning, Illya."

Her head tilts back, red eyes searching your face like it held all the secrets of the universe. Then she grinned from ear to ear. "Are we leaving?"

"Indeed, we need to find any trace of that Monster first, then we're off to the Church to deal with that other servant… if she's even there."

Illya nods. "I'm ready!"

You smile. "I'm sure you are."

—

Archer, Rider, Shielder, Berserker, Fujimaru's new Saber, Medea and Circe. That, along with yourself, Illya, Ayako and Fujimaru made for a rather sizable force. And yet… It had helped little in tracking down the beast. Though signs of it were everywhere. You stood atop a skyscraper, Medea on your right, Circe on your left. Everyone else was gradually filtering in as well. Rider had done the most of the work, when she had begun her search… to say you couldn't see her was putting it lightly. The woman was the wind. But regardless. Nothing. You see its effects. A series of 'gas leaks' all over the city, collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, the remains of smoldering fires. East, South, North and West. Without any sense of rhyme or reason. But it wasn't present at any of them it would seem.

How many people had died, you wonder? While you sat around dealing with other issues. How many innocents?

A hand placed against your shoulder, and you glance back to see Caster shaking her head. No, she was right. There wasn't a point focusing on it. What could be changed now? All you could do was prevent it from happening again. Prevent any of it from happening again. There wasn't going to be another Fuyuki fire. There wasn't going to be anymore Rin's, there wasn't going to be anymore dead priests, women in stores, screaming children and crashing cars. There wouldn't be any more. You were going to kill that Monster. You would do it with your own hands if you had to.

"To the church, then." You say simply.

—

You had only been to the church once before… and that was not a night you'd easily forget. The damage was repaired now. The rivets that had been driven into the earth are gone, there was… no sign anything had ever occurred at all. It was noon, and finally starting to warm up a bit. Snow glistened, melting on the roof, and you had to admit the building was rather pretty. But another part of it, another part of it was-

"Well this place is fucking ominous." Ayako mutters.

That. The whole thing had a strange air to it, and the scent of magic and… blood, strong in the air. You take a step forward, your shoes crunching in the frozen grass. The church stood alone on the hill, nobody was here, nobody was around. You had landed on the front lawn with little fanfare, nobody was there to greet you, nobody was seemingly watching you. The servants were on alert… but there was nothing. The church stood alone, like a watchtower, and you take another step forw-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcPaBt_pFA

A hand on your chest, your body hurtling back. Medea wrapped around you. The scent of ozone, a flash of heat. A crater erupting where your foot had been only a moment ago. Shouts fill the air, Ayako and Illya. And your gaze snaps up to the roof, where a woman was now standing.

… Brihannala. Black hair shifted in the breeze, she stared down at you all impassively, a silver and gold bow held in her hand. Then, she drew it back-

Just as the doors to the church burst open, and the Monster charges out, howling and roaring. Your head snaps down to it, transfixed, with only enough time to parse that before you are yanked again, an arrow shrieking by and bifurcating a tree.

"Master." Medea says tersely,

Right. Just two servants that had repeatedly mauled you. Neither you knew anything about except they were hideously powerful. A monster that terrified you, was inhumane, alien, and seemingly unkillable. And a woman who had nearly murdered you if not for the intervention of Circe. It was a terrible duo.

… But you were far less alone than you ever had been.

—

Present.

Ayako empowered by Ruby.
Fujimaru, Shadow Servants along with Shielder and Saber.
Archer, separate from Sakura.
Illya, with Medusa.
Shirou, with Mordred, Medea, and Circe.

Facing them is Cu Chulainn and Brihannala.

One command seal remains for Mordred, two for Medea.

—

[] [Focus on Brihannala]
Overwhelm the archer, we have numbers.

[] [Focus on the Monster]
Take out the Monster, now. We have power here.

[] [Split]
Half and half, we can't afford to leave a servant unattended.

[] [Write-in]
All of the above votes are valid for write-in additions.

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/BOMT8qaI7WE?si=YUgKmu6B6CXERl3j

[X] [Split]
-[X] Have Circe, Archer, Medusa and Shadow Servants engage Brihannala.
-[X] Have Shielder, Luke, and Mordred engage Cu Chulainn, with Medea acting as support. Ayako switches between support with Medea, and getting in close when she has the opportunity.
--[X] Make a copy of that bow Circe showed you, and pass it to Ayako. Ruby is powerful, but having something she's more familiar with on hand could help.
-[X] Have Illya, Shirou, and Ritsuka stay back, survey the battle, and take potshots.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

It would be wrong to say you had a plan for this situation. You barely had a plan for anything these days. The world itself seemed to move against the very concept of you having plans. You were reactive, chasing, catching up and failing. You were frequently too late, or were surprised, caught off guard or simply overpowered. But today, today unlike any others. You were on the attack. So, while you lacked a plan… you did have an idea of how things would go.

You say nothing as the servants rush forth. What left was there to say? A flash of air, the world igniting, Ruby swinging through the air to remove the front of the church. Medea releases you, dropping you to the ground next to Illya and Ayako as Rider turns into the wind itself. Brihannala leaps back, narrowly avoiding Rider's blades swinging for her neck. They disappear then, the sound of clashing weapons and the flash of light being the only sign either are still there at all. Even as the Red Archer and Ritsuka's 'shadows' move in. Ruby swings around again, a large chunk of the grounds disappearing as you stab out an arm to catch your girlfriend from the recoil. The air around you shakes as the beasts roars, swinging its fists with abandon, its many eyes darting from spot to spot, keeping track of all the servants around it. Medea moves, casting you one last look before she takes off, her cloak billowing open in the wind.

Your hand stabs out to the side, and the mantra leaves your lips without you even thinking about it. The bow appears in your hands, a simple thing, but filled with history. Then you hold it in front of Ayako.

She stares at the unfamiliar bow for only a moment, then takes it, nocking it back. An arrow appears of its own accord, and she looses it a second later, then another, then another. A wicked grin forms on Ayako's face as the arrows shriek in flight, puncturing the flesh of the monster as it lets out a roar that shakes the trees. A massive fist crashes against Mash's shield, sending the servant tumbling back, but Mordred is there in the moment between moments, red streaks of light flashing as her blade carves into him. The beast hurtles itself forward, threatening to crush your Berserker, only for the ground around him to erupt in blasts of energy, Medea flying by, beams of light dancing through the air to hem it in or carve deep tracks through its flesh. She's faster than before, stronger than before as well. And you only have a moment to process that before Medusa comes to a skidding stop just nearby. Her face covered in blood, her daggers still held tight in her hands. Another shriek of arrows, this far louder than that of Ayako's. Mordred goes flying back, and a flaming arrow jutting out of her breast, the knight tumbling end over end on the ground, sword flying.

"Medusa!" Illya shouts, her fist raised. "Kill her!" Illya was different now, her body alight in magical markings you couldn't even begin to understand. But then Medusa was gone, an eruption of air and a popping of your ears marking her reengagement. The Archer turns, moving her bow from where it had been pointed at Circe to instead point it at Rider.

She's too slow. The clash of metal upon metal sounds as she barely turns the bow in time to catch Medusa's daggers, but not her leg as the purple-haired servant spins in the air, sending the archer flying across the battlefield. Circe's staff spins in the air, a mocking laugh sounding from your teacher as golden beams of light scour the ground.

… Right.

Your hand stretches out again, and you let out a breath. "Ο κόσμος αλλοίωσις, ο βίος υπόληψις." A familiar staff appears in your hand, its construction is known, its history is known, its power is known, and you point it at the monster. "Αερο!"

The Monster, its fist raised to the man in black stumbles back from the force of cutting winds. And a beam of luminous green flashes from the man, severing the Monster's arm and causing it to howl in rage and pain.

"Pashupa-" Brihanalla shouts, but is forced to leap back as Medusa closes the distance once again, blades singing. They disappear from view, once more, a half dozen servants, if only three really engage the archer at once. Twin blades of black and white carve through the air, forcing Brihannala to jerk and dodge, all the while Rider forces herself into any gaps as Circe forces the archer back and further back.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Ruby shrieks, and you turn your head to see the stick wiggling violently as Ayako has it drawn back against the strings of the bow. With a twang the string releases, causing it to surge ahead with a scream as it crashes into the Monster's hide. You open your mouth to question that-

But you are instead busy shoving Ayako out of the way as a knife narrowly misses her midsection. The priest!? He is among you now, long but thin knives held in his hands. You only have a singular moment to process that he was among you before he is swinging for you. Fujimaru dives into the way, the woman raising an arm to attempt to block it to no avail, the blade skids against the jumpsuit before sliding down and into her gut, causing the woman to fall back onto the ground with a pained gasp. Kirei swings around, his blades raised-

You didn't plan, not much. You had always been rather instinctive. But that didn't mean you didn't have contingencies, and as his blades sang towards your neck, you shouted. But it wasn't a spell.

"MORDRED!"

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7OhTeJEBik

Kirei only has a moment to widen his eyes before a knight of legend has appeared in the midst of you all. A gauntlet crashes into his face, causing the man to go spiraling back. And it's either instinct or luck that causes the knifes to raise just in time to keep her sword from slicing into his midsection. Kirei stumbles back, unsteady for but a moment, before he leaps forward, knives flashing at his side as he closes the distance with berserker. The man was fast, inhumanely so, and Illya dives out of the way of the clash, even as Rin watches impassively from the side.

His blades raise, his face impassive.

Only to pause, his arms falling limp as his side as a thin knife juts out from his neck. His eyes flit down, looking at the half foot of steel erupting from his throat. Then he falls forward, a wet gurgling sound being his only vocalisation before he collapses onto the earth, his knives falling away with a clatter. Rin stands there, a blade slick with blood held in her hand.

"Agni Gandiva!"

You jerk your head to see a red streak of light tearing towards you.

"MASH!"

Shielder appears in front of you, her shield slammed against the ground. The arrow hits a fraction of a second later, crashing into the large cross with a deafening bang. Shielder yelps, her feet digging back against the ground, the arrow isn't stopping. You move without even thinking, your shoulder crashing against the back of the shield. A heavy pair of gauntlets around your shoulders, and you know Mordred is pushing as well. Then another, then another. Mata Hari is pushing to the right of Mash, Taiga just beside her. The woman lets out a shout of exertion as she digs her shoes into the earth. The ground breaks around the lot of you, erupting, tearing, burning. Mash screams, pushing as hard as she can.

… And then it's over.

The arrow falls to the ground, aflame, but harmless. A deep crater on the front of the shield being the only sign it had been a threat at all. You look past the shield, past the smoke, past the flames. To see Brihannala standing atop what remains of the roof, staring down at the lot of you impassively as she fades away.

A roar sounds, desperate and angry, but by the time you turn your head, the beast is little more than a flailing mass of blood and butchery. Glowing wounds from Saber's burning blade cover it, and it charges forward once more, but it makes it only halfway to the man before it too is gone. And then… and then there is nothing. No more sounds of combat, no more shouts, no more screams. Just flame, and ruined earth.

The hill, what was left of it, was in ruins. Craters pocked the ground like a battlefield from one of your history classes… school, now that wasn't something you had thought about in a fair bit. You stood unsteadily, your body tired, your muscles aching. You couldn't focus on your victory, not when someone close to you was lying on the ground just nearby. You pay only a moment's attention to Taiga, only a moment's attention to the people with her. And instead you look to the woman laying at your feet. Fujimaru was grinning from ear to ear, looking rather smug all things considered despite the bleeding wound at her side.

"Now we're even," Fujimaru groans.

"Even?" you ask in disbelief.

Fujimaru nods, then lets out a slow breath. "I'll be fine, Rasputin is kind of a shit shot."

You blink slowly, processing that statement. "That was Kirei."

"No, right now his name is 'dead asshole'." Fujimaru replies, then grunts as Shielder begins to pull up her shirt to bandage the wound.

"Master." Shielder complains without further words.

You smile, then look over the scene again. Ayako was panting but fine, as were you for that matter. The servants were in various states of mauled, Mordred was battered but fine… the man in black. Luke, you believe Ayako called him, was spotless. Medea and Circe were fine as well, though Medea you note was favoring one leg over the other… something you missed in the fight. Beyond that… not much more in the way of injuries… a small miracle, but then, you had spent quite some time building up this force.

You turn your attention then to Taiga. Helicopters roared overhead, the sleek black designs of Raiga's 'fleet' circling the area. She wasn't alone, Mata Hari was there of course, holding the same blade 'Rin' had been just a few moments prior… and three others were standing behind her. The same three you had seen back at the skyscraper that Rin was staying in. Why your teacher was here you still had no idea, but at the moment you felt rather tired, and weren't much in the mood for questioning sudden freak appearances.

"I thought Raiga wanted nothing to do with me anymore?" you ask tiredly.

"Raiga is no longer in charge," Taiga replies simply, staring at you.

You open your mouth to respond, but you don't have the opportunity. Taiga's hands wrap around the back of your head and pull you against her. Holding you tight. "Thank you, Shirou." She whispers.

There is no hesitation, you wrap your arms around her in return. Holding her there. You separate a moment later, Taiga smiling at you, you smiling back. "Is it over then?" Taiga asks.

"No." A new voice, one brimming with exhaustion responds.

You and Taiga both turn your heads to see the tall man, Ruler, standing just nearby. He hadn't been there a moment ago, he looked at you, the man looked haggard, bruised, and bleeding. "I couldn't stop it. I can only apologize."

"Stop what?" Taiga asks.

The world's end was the answer to that question. The ground shook, and you watch, all of you watch, as the center of Fuyuki disappears in fire. A tower was erupting from the earth, raising itself out of the ground with an eruption of lava and smoke. It's a jagged, ugly thing of black metal. Battlements upon battlements, no light reaches it, in fact the city goes dark as it begins to rise, the power lost. It continued to rise, jagged, spiked towers of the cruelest construction, darker than even the deepest shadows cast by the night. Then it stopped, it was dozens of stories high, dwarfing every other building in Fuyuki, and from it glowed a baleful light that illuminated nothing as Fuyuki burned.

You stare at it in disbelief, watching, saying nothing. Transfixed.

Then you take a step, your eyes shifting away from the tower, watching as building after building caught fire. Screams and shouts filling the air. Panic filling the city. It was an impossible thing, it was an impossible situation. It was not something man could build, nor mage. And with it came the end of everything.

In moments the center of the city was gone entirely, replaced by flame and black smoke.

Nobody spoke, nobody was capable of it. Some were shocked, others were stoic, none spoke.

…

And you began to walk, one foot ahead of the other, making your way towards the center of the city. There were people that needed you.

"Master."

It's… Caster, Medea. Her arms are wrapping around you. You are still walking, but no longer moving forward anymore. You turn your head up slowly, seeing her. Then, for some reason you can't quite explain.

You begin to cry.


View: https://i.imgur.com/M4EnwwJ.png

Wasn't it enough? How much more did you have to do? How much more did Fuyuki have to suffer? How much more did the people you love have to suffer?

"Master, we must regroup and gather information." Caster says quietly. "Alright?"

…

—

[] [Continue on]
No more waiting, this ends now.

[] [Head back to the castle]
People were injured, and you needed to take stock of the situation.

—

Sorry for the shorter length, I'm still very sick. Art is done by the amazing BSpence.

https://www.artstation.com/bspence

 

[Erien]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

[Assassin]

There was a pull, a shadow, an unceasing calling of a thing dwelling within the deepest recesses of the blackest minds. It lingered at the heart of humanity, an ineffable friend, a companion, an angel on the shoulder and the devil lingering 'round the ear. Greed, mammon, cupidity and hunger. A desire for more, a desire for plenty, a desire for desire itself. An endless, exhaustive chase that lasted until the very end of days for these pitiful…

Insects.

The hand danced along the wall, and where it did, it peeled away, rotting, decaying, dying then dead. Faces stared through the gaps in the framing, magi, pleading. Pitiful little creatures who desired and wanted and pleaded. So they came, they asked, they begged, they swore and oh so deliciously gave away everything. And they received precisely what they deserved.

A creature moaned, and the shadows smiled. A hand danced out, tickling along the chin of the man… What was this one's name? Ah yes. "Mr. Flauros. Isn't this precisely what you wanted?" the fingers dug into the flesh, snaking through the skin, past the mouth and nose, and the darkness chortled as Flauros screamed. The flesh bulged, and tears flowed freely… until the hand pulled away, the flesh warping, twisting, bleeding around the digits. "Now now… don't cry, I still need you alive after all."

It had been such a simple thing, an opened door. Its 'master' had been summoned by yet another 'master', which in turn… allowed… its arrival as well. Oh how he had screamed and fought. He knew the methods, but didn't have the will. But then, he never did. "Patience Flauros, patience. It shall not be much longer." It stepped away, walking towards the window, overlooking the city burning. "This form shall no longer be required, and you shall have… everything you ever wished for."

"I never wanted this."

The shadows pulled him forth from the wall, and he faced it. "Do you not?" the darkness asked. "Does the demon not want destruction? Such… simple little desires and goals you have. Repeated time and time again throughout history."

"You are a demon." The Magus bit out, the shadows tightening around his neck before he could say 'as well'.

The shadows grew, the light fled. "Now now Flauros. One such as yourself needs to save such base terms for yourself. I am the nightmares that plague reality. I am the little whisper in the dark that pushed Lev to failure."

Flauros found himself shoved forward, eyes meeting that of the 'servant'. The darkness cackled, and the demon that was once man screamed in terror. The laughter grew and grew, the corpses in the walls falling over themselves, skin ripped from flesh, organs burst from bodies, and the shadows played and danced.

And so did the 'man' in the black suit, spinning and laughing, laughing as Fuyuki burned and the demon known as Flauros screamed.

—

[Head back to the castle]
People were injured, and you needed to take stock of the situation.

"Master, we must regroup and gather information." Caster says quietly. "Alright?"

You think you nodded. You think people said things around you, you think Taiga had hugged you. You vaguely recall getting on the helicopter, you vaguely recall shouting voices. You think Illya had said something to you. You weren't sure you had ever really stopped crying. But you had recovered, you had to. You couldn't exactly place when, but your thoughts, your proper thoughts returned to you once the helicopter landed in the plaza of Illya's castle. Who had directed them there you weren't sure, but as the door opened to a chill noon, your wits returned.

You drew in a shuddering breath, looking at the people around you. Medea was floating above the ground, not putting weight on a mangled, damaged looking leg. She would fix it, you knew she could. But she apparently had greater concerns at the moment. Her eyes met yours, no words passed, but then, they didn't need to. You walk over, gently moving your arm around her shoulder. Then together, the two of you make your way into the castle. Fujimaru was just behind, walking steady despite the bandages wrapped around her midsection courtesy of Shielder. The servant is question following after her like a sheepdog. Archer follows along after that, clutching one of his arms. He looked rather shocked, all things considered, but then, so did a lot of people.

Mordred was last, gone was the laughter, the grin, and everything else she wore in combat. She was back to her usual, expressionless self. She was also covered in blood, but you were fairly certain most of it wasn't her own. The castle was as you left it, what was new was the maids being out front, both armed with rather dramatically sized weapons compared to their relatively lithe frames. But then, they weren't exactly human, were they? Sakura was there as well, leaning against the door for support.

Her eyes met yours as you passed, her mouth opening, a question unasked.

You didn't have an answer.

Instead, you were focused on the man standing in the middle of the lobby. The man who looked about as shell shocked as you were.

Ruler.

—

He was missing part of his chest, a gaping hole now sat in his uniform, not dissimilar to Mordred. Though, unlike Mordred, this was causing some obvious discomfort. The group, and quite a sizable one at that, was now standing in the lobby of the castle, and all, as one, were staring at Ruler as he began to speak.

"The tower you see in the city… used to be the Clock Tower of England."

…

Nobody responds. Three quarters of the people in this room don't know what that is, the rest… including yourself, don't really know how to respond to that. Except you, and that's perhaps just due to how tired, annoyed, aggrieved and defeated you are that you don't bother with your filter. "I'm glad they've decided to come see the mess they've made."

The man's eyes flit to you, and, to your surprise, he smiles. "If only." He straightens, though the act causes him some visible pain. "A servant was summoned, separate from the Grail War. A Magus wished to invade and take over once it was down to the final shots of the war. Instead, his servant has taken over him, and the tower, and what little Magus remains alive inside of it."

"Ruler, was it for this purpose you were summoned?" Medea asks.

Ruler nods. "The servant seeks to take control of the planet. I have been unable to determine their interest in the grail… I have yet to face them, not truly. I attempted at first to deal with the beast in Fuyuki, but I was unable to injure it. I then attempted to force the tower." He says nothing then, but the wound says enough.

"How foolishly brave." Circe says. The first thing she's said in a while actually, the witch seems rather lost in thought.

"Perhaps," Ruler replies. "But I believe I could stop him before he made his appearance within Japan. I failed in that endeavor."

"So what, he's going to start attacking now?" Ayako asks.

Ruler shakes his head. "His position is well defended, and he is in one of the most dangerous buildings on the planet. He will wait for you to attack."

"Good." Taiga says.

Multiple heads turn to her as she says that. The woman is standing near the back, arms crossed, a flat expression on her face. "Let him wait, we need a breather anyway while we get things in order." There was an edge to her voice now you had never heard. Controlled, deeper, and revealing no emotion. She sounded like Raiga.

"Do we know who he is anyway?" Ayako asks.

"He claims the name Oberon, though I do not believe that to be their true name." Ruler replies.

"Fuck."

Now all the heads turn from looking at Ruler to looking at Fujimaru. Her eyes widen briefly, realizing that everyone is now looking at her. And she looks rather sheepish for a moment. "Oberon is an asshole, and I doubt anyone pretending to be him is any more pleasant."

"He quite tends to be, yes." Circe replies, causing Medea to shoot her a rather confused look. "Regardless," Circe continues. "A gentleman does not make such a statement without expecting to be granted an audience. We shall have our time to rest and recuperate, he will likely wish to make an example of us." Her eyes flit from you, to Ruler. "You, tell me, do you have any idea of the forces at his disposal?"

"A team of servants, though of what sort I cannot say." Ruler replies.

"What a great well of information you are," Ayako says bitterly.

Ruler says nothing to that, a guilty expression on his face.

"Do not lambast men for their need for heroics. Few men reside within the Throne of Heroes for being tepid and making wise decisions." Circe replies. "You," she points to Ruler, "along with the two of you." She points to Archer and Caster. "Come with me, your injuries must be healed and information must be gleaned."

"Circ-" Medea starts, but stops abruptly as Circe shoots her a look.

"Leysritt, prepare a lunch. We have…" Illya looks over the assembled mass. "Many guests!"

The maid nods her head and hurries off, Illya following after her a moment later, a bright smile on her face and a skip in her step. It was slightly clashing with the fact that she had Kirei's blood on her. The rest slowly filtered out, some with slightly more shocked expressions than others. You simply stood there, tired, aching all over. Nobody seemed to be much in the mood to talk, or really do much of anything. That remained true for yourself honestly, everything was… just happening a bit too fast. Taiga was sending away 'her' people, letting them go check on their families, and using the helicopters to rescue trapped people. Ayako had wandered off back to her room, partially out of a need to get rid of the massive amount of dirt on her, and partly because she didn't seem to want everyone to hear her argument with Ruby that was now starting since she fired the stick from the bow.

Sakura was standing off to the side, looking rather awkward for a few moments before Taiga's servant appeared just beside her, taking the girl gently and seemingly guiding her back to bed. Something the woman needed going by the stumbling steps she was taking. And you watched her go, wishing there was more you could do, until there was a tap on your shoulder.

Looking back you see Fujimaru, standing there with a grimace on her face as Shielder fiddled with her bandages some more. "Wanna watch the news?"

—

You lean back against the chair, forcing your body, if not your mind to relax. It was hard to do, with the television still blaring the news about the military locking down the city. Evacuations were already starting, the 'gas leaks' no longer a plausible explanation when a giant tower had appeared in the midst of downtown, crushed multiple highrises, and spewed forth lava that the fire department was apparently having an absolutely delightful time trying to contain. It was, frankly, a surprise they hadn't started shooting at the thing. But confusion seemed to be the rule of the day as far as the news was implying.

… You knew the feeling well enough.

"I haven't seen a television displaying normal programming like this in five years." Ritsuka says.

"This counts as normal programming for you?" you ask.

Ritsuka laughs, it's a short, bitter thing, she winces a moment later, a hand darting to the bandages at her side. "You'd be surprised." She then leans back against the seat, letting out a shuddering, pained breath. She hadn't bothered to remove the jumpsuit… thing she was wearing, but given how tight it looked it was probably doing a decent job at holding the wound together anyway.

"You said earlier that you had paid me back, when you took that injury… what did you mean?" you ask.

Ritsuka looks to you for a moment, then to the wound at her side. "You saved my life… a long time ago."

"From the woman who looked suspiciously liked Illya's servant."

"That's roughly…" Ritsuka pauses for a moment. "Four different people. Three of which are in Chaldea at the moment."

"I thought that was a dream I was having… had quite a few weird ones shortly after I helped Caster." You reply, trying to recall it. You had recognized her, and remembered the dream, but so many things had happened since that even that was becoming rather foggy. "Are they nice?" you ask curiously.

"One's a work in progress, one's addicted to sweets, and one is constantly hiding from her sisters." Ritsuka says, looking towards the ceiling. "Not bad I suppose. Well, two are hiding from the sisters, though one is a fair bit more guilty about it.

"How's that work?" you ask.

Ritsuka, slowly, shrugs. "Different points of history, different pasts. The Throne of Heroes, where servants come from, isn't exactly picky. And the way we summoned things… well, it didn't need to be from proper history."

"Any duplicate Caster's then?" you ask, wondering how her past could have changed. Though… she had stated she rather didn't want that, not anymore.

"No, there's just one… for both actually. Circe and Medea." Ritsuka replies… then pauses. "Well, I guess there is one other Medea, but she's so different I don't usually lump them together."

You nod your head, then look past her, to where the three that had come with Taiga are engaged in conversation with the woman in question in a corner. The rather rough looking man was looking rather annoyed, namely because everytime he lit a cigarette one of the maids would put it out with a spray bottle.

The scene brought a small smile to your face. It faded away as you glanced at the television again.

"They still haven't done anything." Ritsuka says quietly.

"No, but going by what Ruler said… they are waiting for us to come to them."

Ritsuka grunts. "A giant tower filled with opponents… he's probably waiting at the top, hoping we'll wear ourselves out."

"Could always try to go in through the top," you muse.

"It's the Clocktower. You enter through the front door or not at all. Trust me." Ritsuka replies.

"We're going as soon as everyone is fixed up." You say, staring still at the television screen. "I'm not willing to wait any longer." You move a hand to your hand, running it through. Dirt fell off, remnants of your fight. Letting out a breath, you stand, and begin making your way out of the room, but you pause, turning slightly. "Thanks Fujimaru."

The woman grins, but says nothing, and you continue on. Back to your room. The face in the mirror is a tired one, sunken eyes, slightly gaunt features. You had lost some weight since the war started, not to mention some sanity. And you stare at your reflection, thinking.

When there is a knock on the door.

—

This is likely the final social vote of the quest. Next chapter we shall be talking to just about every character Shirou is close to, the vote is for who gets the most focus. So feel free to pick favorites.

[] [Medea]

[] [Circe]

[] [Mordred]

[] [Ayako]

[] [Taiga]

[] [Illya]

[] [Sakura]

[] [Archer]