Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
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Fate/Constellation
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Chapter Two - The Crippled Master
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
Chapter Two - The Crippled Master
The blonde girl dashes forward, hands raised high, still clutching that shaft of air. Whatever it is, you it's more than a match for Madoka's crystal arrows and the bark of her bow. Madoka's eyes widen, and without even thinking, you leap to push her out of the way.
You weren't fast enough.
At the last moment, you see the blonde girl swing her fists towards you, as though thrusting with an invisible weapon, and you instinctively raise your hands to block it, shield the archer in the pink dress. From the way it rattled and clashed, you expected something blunt, some sort of club of air swung to break you from shoulder to elbow. But it isn't a club.
The weapon slams into you, and you fall against Madoka, who hurries to catch you before you hit the ground. You're not sure what's happening – you see blood, spattered over the ground like someone took a can of spray paint to it. Your arm sends giant waves of agony pulsing through you, and that agony lends a gray filter to your vision, almost seeming to distort the air as you dully glance around. You can't move your arm any more, even if you wantto.
The blonde Servant and Tohsaka seem to have frozen in shock, the Servant lowering her weapon as though in a daze. Your eyes roll up, and you see the moon clearly, shining beautifully in the sky, amongst a blanket of stars. Just like you and Kiritsugu used to watch. After that, it all gets a little fuzzy.
You feel arms around you. Madoka? The blonde Servant? Maybe even Tohsaka? You aren't sure. You hear voices. "Saber, stop!" is a popular one, though it sounds tinny, like an echo of an echo, heard through a radio filled with static. Another voice calls your name. You're almost certain that one was Madoka.
You see swords and outlines of swords, and you see the sword, though its outline is blurry at best. Back when you were really young and just starting to train magic, you saw that sword all the time. But a few years later, it abruptly stopped. You aren't sure why it's come back now. Maybe it misses you?
An intermittent spark dances across your vision, suddenly you're face to face with Madoka, her staring worriedly at you. You wonder what she's worrying about. After all, with her around, there's no possibility that you might take serious damage. Just a brief touch of her palm on your forehead, as though checking for fever, and you relax in the knowledge that everything is going to be okay. It's almost like the hope you experienced just before summoning Madoka, except a hundred times more intense. At this point, it can no longer be called hope but a completely surety. Faith, maybe. You've never been very religious, but maybe it's time to start. Weren't miracles supposed to convert people...?
Fragments and visions swim through your mind. Stumbling through that lunatic hell, fire burning all around you. Lunch with Issei, using your tracing magic to fix a broken clock. Mock sparring sessions with Taiga, ones that she always won. Cheerfully cooking breakfast with Sakura.
The fragments vanish, and you are yourself again, lying face-up on a hard surface. Your eyelids are shut, but you can tell there's a bright light above you. You read somewhere that eyelids weren't opague, but translucent, which was why looking directly at a light with your eyes closed flashed orange instead of black. You experimentally twitch your left arm, and clench your teeth to bite back a scream at the pain.
Slowly, very slowly, you open your eyes. You're lying on the floor in your house, next to the long table used for meals. The bright light above you is the familiar white lamp bulb that you flick on and off every day. There's blood staining the front of your school uniform, but that's okay, because you can wash it later. More importantly, you glance around the room for Madoka.
There she is. Kneeling at the table, directly opposite from the blonde Servant. The blonde girl is watching Madoka with a still wariness that makes you want to laugh. Silly girl. There's no way Madoka would ever hurt anyone, so being paranoid about her is meaningless. Madoka, on her part, looks slightly cowed, and her cheeks look freshly wet.
Had she been crying? Huh. That's odd. Maybe miracles did cry after all. Or maybe they only did it when other people couldn't see.
You cough weakly, and both heads turn towards you immediately. The beautiful blonde Servant looks at you with a flat gaze, as though she's considering how to finish the job. Madoka looks at you with delight and... an emotion you can't describe. Something like trying very hard to score well on an exam, and then getting the top mark in class and celebrating. A mixture of relief, and joy, and expectation.
"Oh. The idiot's awake." The voice is smooth, but there's an edge to it that's hard to mistake for anything else.
Tohsaka Rin steps into view, her hair bound up into two tails in a style oddly reminiscent of Madoka. "Throwing yourself in front of Saber? What were you thinking?"
Saber. Another designation? A codename? Despite the Servant's beauty and grace, you can't really help but feel wary of her. She did nearly slice your arm off, after all.
"Shirou, I have to agree with her. Please don't do that again. I'm a Servant, so I'm supposed to protect you. Not the other way around." Madoka looks almost on the verge of tears again. Now that she's further away, without the strange rush of hope in your body, she seems more human, less like an alien spirit.
"It's okay. I'm fine," you tell her. You don't sound very convincing, even to yourself. You're trying to avoid looking too hard at your shattered left arm, the one with the tattoo on it. From the angle your neck is leaning, all you can see is that it's bound tightly with white bandages soaked with blood.
Madoka seems to believe you, though, since she smiles a little more and sits a little straighter. Tohsaka isn't that easy to fool.
"Idiot," she repeats. "Do you even know what you've gotten into?"
That. Is actually a very good question. "Not really. I'm guessing this is a magus thing, right? Then there's no use asking me. My father insisted that I stop training when I was twelve."
Tohsaka looks a little surprised. "Your father? Why?"
"Because it would put me in danger, of course! He didn't want me to get hurt in the conflicts between magi. I guess there's a fat chance of that happening now." You laugh a little, mostly at yourself. It was kind of naive of Kiritsugu to believe that he could stop you from getting hurt just by stopping your training. If a magus were to come after you, the fact that you're only half-trained wouldn't faze him.
Tohsaka lets out a dramatic sigh and rubs her forehead in an oddly endearing motion. "I guess I'll have to explain everything to you. You really are clueless, aren't you, Emiya-kun?"
You don't bother responding to that, since the answer's obvious. You let your head droop back down as Tohsaka starts explaining the concept of Servants, eager for an excuse to look away from Saber's stony expression.
-
It is darkest night in the streets of Fuyuki City, and nobody is awake to see you stagger across the bridge, leaning on the shoulder of a fourteen year old girl. A normal girl would have fallen under the weight you're exerting on her as you limp on the leg that isn't sprained, but since Madoka is a Servant(or, as Tohsaka dramatically put it, an "artificial god", not that you didn't already suspect something of the sort), she has no problem holding up.
The support she's giving you is less due to your strength in standing and walking and more in case you suddenly collapse. You feel lightheaded, a mix of heady emotions swirling around your mind. The sense of soothing hope that Madoka emanates does wonders for your morale, but it's a distraction when you're trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. There's the blood loss as well, and the nausea that gripped your throat when the scary-looking priest was talking about Masters murdering each other. Especially since you now know both you and Tohsaka are Masters, and will likely be forced to kill each other.
You limp below dim streetlights on Madoka's arm, straining to catch sight of Saber and Tohsaka just ahead, the latter often turning impatiently with her hands on her hips, waiting for you to catch up. The streets are unfamiliar, a gloomy maze. You've been to this part of town before, but never at night.
"We're almost at my house," says Tohsaka. "Hurry up! Didn't you hear what Kotomine said? For all we know, there's a Master lying in wait for us right now."
She's right. Nowhere is safe, now that you've entered this mad game of life and death. The only person you can trust is Madoka. Well, and maybe her as well, since she didn't try to take advantage of your weakened state to kill you immediately. Tohsaka's been acting strange all night; she's nothing like she is at school. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that the school Tohsaka is nothing like the magus Tohsaka.
The walk there is slower than expected. Your glacial pace is part of it, as is the fact that both Saber and Madoka insist on using their enhanced senses to check every shadowed route at every intersection. But after about half an hour, Tohsaka's house finally looms into sight.
Tohsaka mutters something you can't hear as she unlocks the front door, and there's a tiny flash of green. Something magical, but you aren't sure what. Maybe a Bounded Field? You know that those exist, at least, but it's impossible to guess what sort of Bounded Field someone like Tohsaka might have defending her house. Yours is just a simple ward to raise the alarm if a stranger enters. Anyway, the wooden door swings open, and the four of you enter.
Although you've been mentally calling it "Tohsaka's house", it would perhaps be more accurate to say "Tohsaka's manor". Every inch of it speaks of high class and Western-style luxury, from the tall gilded mirror near the front door to the rich velvet sofas in the living room.
"Your house is amazing, Tohsaka-san!" says Madoka. You're startled by the sudden outburst, and immediately feel bad. Subconsciously, you've been thinking of her as a sort of divine being with no real thoughts or ideas of her own, but that isn't right. Even though Madoka is far from human, she's still technically a person, so you should treat her like one.
"Uh, thanks, Archer. It's been owned by my family for a few generations." Tohsaka sounds surprised too. Saber walks silently beside her, still clutching her invisible weapon watchfully even though all four of you are in a safe spot. Well, it's probably a sword, looking at the wound on your arm and the fact that she's been summoned under the Saber class.
You wonder if you're going mad. Using strange words like "summon" and "class" casually, entering into contracts with godlike beings, and Tohsaka Rin inviting you to stay over at her house...
"So, Emiya-kun, which guest bedroom do you want?"
You blink at that. You haven't been listening to Tohsaka as she points out the various rooms of her house. You don't really intend to stay long anyway, so that's useless information. After all, you have to rush back home to help make breakfast for Taiga and Sakura. "Uh, whichever one is more convenient. I don't mind, really."
Tohsaka smiles. "Okay then, you can take the west one."
After a hurried and awkward exchange of good nights, you leave Tohsaka and Saber, climbing up the stairs. You allow Madoka to change into spirit form, like Tohsaka showed you, causing her to evaporate into thin air from the legs upward, her wide smile being the last thing to disappear.
Then, yawning widely, you stumble into the bedroom Tohsaka pointed out. It's painted in azure, with a sleeker style of furniture and a proper Western bed, but you're too tired and befuddled to care too much. Without even removing your clothes or changing the bloody bandages on your still-numb arm, you simply collapse on the bed and fall into sleep as soon as your head touches the pillow.
-
And it's morning. You definitely didn't get enough sleep, and your arm's still unusable, though someone changed your bandages during the night and you managed to wrap a sling around it to avoid jarring the bone too much. Madoka's hovering somewhere in spirit form next to you – you can't tell exactly where, you aren't a good enough magus, but the feelings she creates are familiar enough.
Tohsaka Rin sits on the armchair across from you, looking worse than you feel. Her hairstyle has been completely messed up, and her eyes are still bleary from sleep. She gratefully accepts the teapot that Saber passes her, pouring steaming black coffee into a cup and sipping at it. She sees you staring at her.
"I'm always like this in the morning," she says.
Uh huh. She takes another sip of coffee. "So, what did you want to talk about? I have to hurry back if I'm going to be in time..."
She raises a finger. "Hold on. First, do you understand exactly how stupid what you did last night was?"
What? She's still angry about that now? But she seemed pretty calm at the church, and when walking back to her house. Why the sudden outburst?
"Look. Archer will disappear if you're killed. So if you risk your life to save her, that's a completely meaningless act."
"It's not that I wanted to risk my life," you reply, a little frustrated. Can't she see that trying to save Madoka wasn't even a decision that you needed to think about? "I was trying to protect her. Things just ended up like that."
Tohsaka sighs exasperatedly and covers her face with her hand. "I see. You seem to be misunderstanding. Well, I guess I'll come out and say it. I didn't take you to the church to help you win. I was trying to help you stay alive even if you were left on your own. But if you keep on with that attitude, it's going to be difficult to help you."
"...I see. Thank you for helping me out." You're surprised that Tohsaka's showing such concern for you. She must have been the one to change your bandages.
There's an uncomfortable silence, as though neither you knows what to say. Then:
"So, what are you going to do? You said last night that you didn't want to kill people."
You were hoping she wouldn't ask that question.
"Well, no. I can't kill anyone, but if I injure them, maybe they will calm down and stop fighting me." You aren't sure how, but you know that Madoka is nodding her head vigorously in spirit form.
Tohsaka sighs again. "Unbelievable."
"I know it's a stupid choice, but I can't think of any other options. I won't change my decision no matter how much you argue against it." You have a feeling that if you lowered your guard, Tohsaka would try to bully you into fighting the Holy Grail War for real, the exact opposite of what you want.
Saber interrupts, leaning forward. "Master. What we talked about last night. Does that still apply?"
"Oh, yes. Although I feel like changing my mind after listening to this idiot here," Tohsaka grumbles. "Well, Emiya-kun, would you like to team up with me?"
The unexpected offer catches you off-guard. "Team up? Like an alliance?"
She nods, then launches into what you're sure it's a pre-memorized speech. "Listen, the both of us have some sort of weakness in our Servants. For some reason, Saber can't seem to fade into spirit form, which means she'll be constantly sucking up all my mana. And you have an injured arm, so you'll be weaker. If we both ally together, we can make up for each others' weaknesses. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to have to fight me, do you?" She says that last line challengingly.
"Well..."
"So? Do you want to team up or not?"
[ ] Team up with Tohsaka.
[ ] Politely refuse.
The blonde girl dashes forward, hands raised high, still clutching that shaft of air. Whatever it is, you it's more than a match for Madoka's crystal arrows and the bark of her bow. Madoka's eyes widen, and without even thinking, you leap to push her out of the way.
You weren't fast enough.
At the last moment, you see the blonde girl swing her fists towards you, as though thrusting with an invisible weapon, and you instinctively raise your hands to block it, shield the archer in the pink dress. From the way it rattled and clashed, you expected something blunt, some sort of club of air swung to break you from shoulder to elbow. But it isn't a club.
The weapon slams into you, and you fall against Madoka, who hurries to catch you before you hit the ground. You're not sure what's happening – you see blood, spattered over the ground like someone took a can of spray paint to it. Your arm sends giant waves of agony pulsing through you, and that agony lends a gray filter to your vision, almost seeming to distort the air as you dully glance around. You can't move your arm any more, even if you wantto.
The blonde Servant and Tohsaka seem to have frozen in shock, the Servant lowering her weapon as though in a daze. Your eyes roll up, and you see the moon clearly, shining beautifully in the sky, amongst a blanket of stars. Just like you and Kiritsugu used to watch. After that, it all gets a little fuzzy.
You feel arms around you. Madoka? The blonde Servant? Maybe even Tohsaka? You aren't sure. You hear voices. "Saber, stop!" is a popular one, though it sounds tinny, like an echo of an echo, heard through a radio filled with static. Another voice calls your name. You're almost certain that one was Madoka.
You see swords and outlines of swords, and you see the sword, though its outline is blurry at best. Back when you were really young and just starting to train magic, you saw that sword all the time. But a few years later, it abruptly stopped. You aren't sure why it's come back now. Maybe it misses you?
An intermittent spark dances across your vision, suddenly you're face to face with Madoka, her staring worriedly at you. You wonder what she's worrying about. After all, with her around, there's no possibility that you might take serious damage. Just a brief touch of her palm on your forehead, as though checking for fever, and you relax in the knowledge that everything is going to be okay. It's almost like the hope you experienced just before summoning Madoka, except a hundred times more intense. At this point, it can no longer be called hope but a completely surety. Faith, maybe. You've never been very religious, but maybe it's time to start. Weren't miracles supposed to convert people...?
Fragments and visions swim through your mind. Stumbling through that lunatic hell, fire burning all around you. Lunch with Issei, using your tracing magic to fix a broken clock. Mock sparring sessions with Taiga, ones that she always won. Cheerfully cooking breakfast with Sakura.
The fragments vanish, and you are yourself again, lying face-up on a hard surface. Your eyelids are shut, but you can tell there's a bright light above you. You read somewhere that eyelids weren't opague, but translucent, which was why looking directly at a light with your eyes closed flashed orange instead of black. You experimentally twitch your left arm, and clench your teeth to bite back a scream at the pain.
Slowly, very slowly, you open your eyes. You're lying on the floor in your house, next to the long table used for meals. The bright light above you is the familiar white lamp bulb that you flick on and off every day. There's blood staining the front of your school uniform, but that's okay, because you can wash it later. More importantly, you glance around the room for Madoka.
There she is. Kneeling at the table, directly opposite from the blonde Servant. The blonde girl is watching Madoka with a still wariness that makes you want to laugh. Silly girl. There's no way Madoka would ever hurt anyone, so being paranoid about her is meaningless. Madoka, on her part, looks slightly cowed, and her cheeks look freshly wet.
Had she been crying? Huh. That's odd. Maybe miracles did cry after all. Or maybe they only did it when other people couldn't see.
You cough weakly, and both heads turn towards you immediately. The beautiful blonde Servant looks at you with a flat gaze, as though she's considering how to finish the job. Madoka looks at you with delight and... an emotion you can't describe. Something like trying very hard to score well on an exam, and then getting the top mark in class and celebrating. A mixture of relief, and joy, and expectation.
"Oh. The idiot's awake." The voice is smooth, but there's an edge to it that's hard to mistake for anything else.
Tohsaka Rin steps into view, her hair bound up into two tails in a style oddly reminiscent of Madoka. "Throwing yourself in front of Saber? What were you thinking?"
Saber. Another designation? A codename? Despite the Servant's beauty and grace, you can't really help but feel wary of her. She did nearly slice your arm off, after all.
"Shirou, I have to agree with her. Please don't do that again. I'm a Servant, so I'm supposed to protect you. Not the other way around." Madoka looks almost on the verge of tears again. Now that she's further away, without the strange rush of hope in your body, she seems more human, less like an alien spirit.
"It's okay. I'm fine," you tell her. You don't sound very convincing, even to yourself. You're trying to avoid looking too hard at your shattered left arm, the one with the tattoo on it. From the angle your neck is leaning, all you can see is that it's bound tightly with white bandages soaked with blood.
Madoka seems to believe you, though, since she smiles a little more and sits a little straighter. Tohsaka isn't that easy to fool.
"Idiot," she repeats. "Do you even know what you've gotten into?"
That. Is actually a very good question. "Not really. I'm guessing this is a magus thing, right? Then there's no use asking me. My father insisted that I stop training when I was twelve."
Tohsaka looks a little surprised. "Your father? Why?"
"Because it would put me in danger, of course! He didn't want me to get hurt in the conflicts between magi. I guess there's a fat chance of that happening now." You laugh a little, mostly at yourself. It was kind of naive of Kiritsugu to believe that he could stop you from getting hurt just by stopping your training. If a magus were to come after you, the fact that you're only half-trained wouldn't faze him.
Tohsaka lets out a dramatic sigh and rubs her forehead in an oddly endearing motion. "I guess I'll have to explain everything to you. You really are clueless, aren't you, Emiya-kun?"
You don't bother responding to that, since the answer's obvious. You let your head droop back down as Tohsaka starts explaining the concept of Servants, eager for an excuse to look away from Saber's stony expression.
-
It is darkest night in the streets of Fuyuki City, and nobody is awake to see you stagger across the bridge, leaning on the shoulder of a fourteen year old girl. A normal girl would have fallen under the weight you're exerting on her as you limp on the leg that isn't sprained, but since Madoka is a Servant(or, as Tohsaka dramatically put it, an "artificial god", not that you didn't already suspect something of the sort), she has no problem holding up.
The support she's giving you is less due to your strength in standing and walking and more in case you suddenly collapse. You feel lightheaded, a mix of heady emotions swirling around your mind. The sense of soothing hope that Madoka emanates does wonders for your morale, but it's a distraction when you're trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. There's the blood loss as well, and the nausea that gripped your throat when the scary-looking priest was talking about Masters murdering each other. Especially since you now know both you and Tohsaka are Masters, and will likely be forced to kill each other.
You limp below dim streetlights on Madoka's arm, straining to catch sight of Saber and Tohsaka just ahead, the latter often turning impatiently with her hands on her hips, waiting for you to catch up. The streets are unfamiliar, a gloomy maze. You've been to this part of town before, but never at night.
"We're almost at my house," says Tohsaka. "Hurry up! Didn't you hear what Kotomine said? For all we know, there's a Master lying in wait for us right now."
She's right. Nowhere is safe, now that you've entered this mad game of life and death. The only person you can trust is Madoka. Well, and maybe her as well, since she didn't try to take advantage of your weakened state to kill you immediately. Tohsaka's been acting strange all night; she's nothing like she is at school. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that the school Tohsaka is nothing like the magus Tohsaka.
The walk there is slower than expected. Your glacial pace is part of it, as is the fact that both Saber and Madoka insist on using their enhanced senses to check every shadowed route at every intersection. But after about half an hour, Tohsaka's house finally looms into sight.
Tohsaka mutters something you can't hear as she unlocks the front door, and there's a tiny flash of green. Something magical, but you aren't sure what. Maybe a Bounded Field? You know that those exist, at least, but it's impossible to guess what sort of Bounded Field someone like Tohsaka might have defending her house. Yours is just a simple ward to raise the alarm if a stranger enters. Anyway, the wooden door swings open, and the four of you enter.
Although you've been mentally calling it "Tohsaka's house", it would perhaps be more accurate to say "Tohsaka's manor". Every inch of it speaks of high class and Western-style luxury, from the tall gilded mirror near the front door to the rich velvet sofas in the living room.
"Your house is amazing, Tohsaka-san!" says Madoka. You're startled by the sudden outburst, and immediately feel bad. Subconsciously, you've been thinking of her as a sort of divine being with no real thoughts or ideas of her own, but that isn't right. Even though Madoka is far from human, she's still technically a person, so you should treat her like one.
"Uh, thanks, Archer. It's been owned by my family for a few generations." Tohsaka sounds surprised too. Saber walks silently beside her, still clutching her invisible weapon watchfully even though all four of you are in a safe spot. Well, it's probably a sword, looking at the wound on your arm and the fact that she's been summoned under the Saber class.
You wonder if you're going mad. Using strange words like "summon" and "class" casually, entering into contracts with godlike beings, and Tohsaka Rin inviting you to stay over at her house...
"So, Emiya-kun, which guest bedroom do you want?"
You blink at that. You haven't been listening to Tohsaka as she points out the various rooms of her house. You don't really intend to stay long anyway, so that's useless information. After all, you have to rush back home to help make breakfast for Taiga and Sakura. "Uh, whichever one is more convenient. I don't mind, really."
Tohsaka smiles. "Okay then, you can take the west one."
After a hurried and awkward exchange of good nights, you leave Tohsaka and Saber, climbing up the stairs. You allow Madoka to change into spirit form, like Tohsaka showed you, causing her to evaporate into thin air from the legs upward, her wide smile being the last thing to disappear.
Then, yawning widely, you stumble into the bedroom Tohsaka pointed out. It's painted in azure, with a sleeker style of furniture and a proper Western bed, but you're too tired and befuddled to care too much. Without even removing your clothes or changing the bloody bandages on your still-numb arm, you simply collapse on the bed and fall into sleep as soon as your head touches the pillow.
-
And it's morning. You definitely didn't get enough sleep, and your arm's still unusable, though someone changed your bandages during the night and you managed to wrap a sling around it to avoid jarring the bone too much. Madoka's hovering somewhere in spirit form next to you – you can't tell exactly where, you aren't a good enough magus, but the feelings she creates are familiar enough.
Tohsaka Rin sits on the armchair across from you, looking worse than you feel. Her hairstyle has been completely messed up, and her eyes are still bleary from sleep. She gratefully accepts the teapot that Saber passes her, pouring steaming black coffee into a cup and sipping at it. She sees you staring at her.
"I'm always like this in the morning," she says.
Uh huh. She takes another sip of coffee. "So, what did you want to talk about? I have to hurry back if I'm going to be in time..."
She raises a finger. "Hold on. First, do you understand exactly how stupid what you did last night was?"
What? She's still angry about that now? But she seemed pretty calm at the church, and when walking back to her house. Why the sudden outburst?
"Look. Archer will disappear if you're killed. So if you risk your life to save her, that's a completely meaningless act."
"It's not that I wanted to risk my life," you reply, a little frustrated. Can't she see that trying to save Madoka wasn't even a decision that you needed to think about? "I was trying to protect her. Things just ended up like that."
Tohsaka sighs exasperatedly and covers her face with her hand. "I see. You seem to be misunderstanding. Well, I guess I'll come out and say it. I didn't take you to the church to help you win. I was trying to help you stay alive even if you were left on your own. But if you keep on with that attitude, it's going to be difficult to help you."
"...I see. Thank you for helping me out." You're surprised that Tohsaka's showing such concern for you. She must have been the one to change your bandages.
There's an uncomfortable silence, as though neither you knows what to say. Then:
"So, what are you going to do? You said last night that you didn't want to kill people."
You were hoping she wouldn't ask that question.
"Well, no. I can't kill anyone, but if I injure them, maybe they will calm down and stop fighting me." You aren't sure how, but you know that Madoka is nodding her head vigorously in spirit form.
Tohsaka sighs again. "Unbelievable."
"I know it's a stupid choice, but I can't think of any other options. I won't change my decision no matter how much you argue against it." You have a feeling that if you lowered your guard, Tohsaka would try to bully you into fighting the Holy Grail War for real, the exact opposite of what you want.
Saber interrupts, leaning forward. "Master. What we talked about last night. Does that still apply?"
"Oh, yes. Although I feel like changing my mind after listening to this idiot here," Tohsaka grumbles. "Well, Emiya-kun, would you like to team up with me?"
The unexpected offer catches you off-guard. "Team up? Like an alliance?"
She nods, then launches into what you're sure it's a pre-memorized speech. "Listen, the both of us have some sort of weakness in our Servants. For some reason, Saber can't seem to fade into spirit form, which means she'll be constantly sucking up all my mana. And you have an injured arm, so you'll be weaker. If we both ally together, we can make up for each others' weaknesses. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to have to fight me, do you?" She says that last line challengingly.
"Well..."
"So? Do you want to team up or not?"
[ ] Team up with Tohsaka.
[ ] Politely refuse.
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- Location
- Borneo
[x] Team up with Tohsaka
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
I hope the timeskips weren't too jarring - I didn't want to put everyone to sleep with the nth expository speech about what Servants are, the Holy Grail War is, etc. You all know that stuff already.
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
[X] Team up with Tohsaka.
- Location
- Borneo
Oly' crap, Madoka's NPs are OP!!
Though I'm worried her Divinity's going to get her in trouble when Gil uses Enkidu.
Though I'm worried her Divinity's going to get her in trouble when Gil uses Enkidu.
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Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
It's only one NP. As far as you know.
[X] Team up with Tohsaka.
EvilPorygon
Cookie Monster
- Location
- a phone
[X] Team up with Tohsaka.
Divinity A++ = Madokami
Divinity A++ = Madokami
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Team up with Tohsaka.
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
The choice is overwhelmingly clear, which surprises me - I thought at least one or two would want to go the UBW route.
Chapter should be up within 24 hours.
Chapter should be up within 24 hours.
- Location
- Ukraine
...Why? The Luck parameter on Servants denotes their ability to defy fate. That pretty much describes Madoka. You've even given her a skill akin to Pioneer of the Stars, with the description explicitly being "makes the impossible possible" so this looks confusingly contradictory.
Skarmory
Girl from the Black Lizard Planet
- Location
- Case Western Reserve University
Well, to be fair, all of her friends in the main timeline either become witches or die horrific deaths. In episode 11, when Kyubey talks to her, it's pretty clear that Madoka has been completely shattered by all of the events that have taken place thus far.
Madoka's ability to make impossible things happen is more based on her inherent divinity than anything else. Yes, she has the power to change fate-but to start with, her fate is absolutely horrific. The E rank luck likely reflects that.
- Location
- scrabbling
I would argue that Homura's Luck is quite high, but Madoka herself did very little of the 'legwork' involved in her actual act of changing the system. It was set up for her by others. Even the wish that actually accomplished everything was mediated through another being's effort.
Look to the Left
Back from the Void
- Location
- OH CANADA!!!
[X] Team up with Tohsaka.
- Location
- Ukraine
Homura never actually managed to change fate, though, be it Madoka's or her own. Until the movie, that is, but... let's not go there. The one who ultimately succeeds in the series is Madoka. It is through her power and her will that the system is changed. Certainly, Homura's actions were what had brought that potential into being and Incubators ended up being the catalyst that made it bear fruit. But in the same vein, Perseus' victory over Medusa, no, the mere possibility of him surviving that fight, was brought about by gifts of the gods rather than through his own talents. But regardless of that factor, he has A+ rank Luck for managing that feat.
From a different perspective, yes, it's Homura's ultimately effort that makes it possible, but doesn't that mean that Madoka is lucky to have her? She manages to create a miracle she has no way of bringing forth herself through a variety of factors, and that is the essence of luck in the traditional sense.
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Chapter Three - The Third and the Fourth
Hierophant
Unyielding Truth
- Location
- ?
[I've been sick the whole day and my beta has vanished, so I apologize if this chapter isn't up to scratch. Rest assured, the next ones will be better.]
Chapter Three - The Third and the Fourth
"Looking for something, Shirou?"
You turn to see a familiar boy with curly blue hair wave to you. Shinji Matou, an old friend. As understandable as his presence is, it still comes at an inconvenient time. You were just about to see if you could do something about the sigil in the dojo. One of the anchors that keep the structure of the Bounded Field around the school intact. It was the cloying smell and feel of sickly sweet honey that drew you to it, stronger than the other places you surveyed.
Of course, you can't do anything magic-related with Shinji around. It's been a day since you agreed to the alliance with Rin, and nothing's cropped up yet, but only a fool would let down his guard. No proper Master would attack in broad daylight, especially in such a public area, but you're well aware that the participants of the Holy Grail War might well decide to break the rules if it's to their advantage.
"Shinji," you reply. He approaches with his usual confident stride, flashing a grin at you.
"Ah, Shirou. Did you see it?"
"See what?"
"The Boundary Field, of course. Did you spot it by yourself, or did Tohsaka help you in finding it?"
...What? Did he just...?
As you scramble to form a coherent reply, you feel Madoka appear on the roof of the dojo, just above where Shinji and you are talking. She must be suppressing her aura, because you don't feel anything, but you know she'll have an arrow or two knocked to pin Shinji to the ground if he tries anything. Madoka doesn't have the will to fight that the other Servants you've seen have – particularly Saber, who spent most of last night's meeting arguing to take the fight to your opponents – but she isn't afraid to defend herself or you if attacked, either.
"Oh, let's not hide anything from each other," says Shinji. "I don't know which Servant you have, but you were forced to become a Master too, right?"
You weren't expecting such an honest admission. "I wouldn't expect you to be so open about it if you were a Master, Shinji."
He gives a careless shrug. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't intend to fight with anyone, unless they engage me first. I'm like you in that regard."
For a moment, you suppress alarm at the thought that he might have been spying on your late-night planning meetings with Rin, saw how fervently you and Madoka argued to keep to yourself and only retaliate if attacked. Then you realize that he probably guessed it immediately upon learning you were a Master. Unlike Tohsaka, the Master of Archer is exactly the same as the Emiya Shirou that attends school and helps the student council fix broken heaters.
At Shinji's words, Madoka relaxes and evaporates into spirit form once more, swooping down to invisibly take her place at your side. You can sense her smile from where you stand, and if you wonder if Shinji can too.
"It's actually lucky that I found you here," Shinji continues. "I wanted to discuss the possibility of cooperation."
"After school, you can talk to me all you want. Right now, there's too much of a danger that someone might overhear us."
He scowls at that. "Are you stupid? We can skip classes. Let's go, Emiya. Stop being a pussy for once." Disapproval radiates from the shimmering cloud of magical energy beside you at Shinji's words.
"Sorry, Shinji. The teachers might get suspicious if I started going missing from class."
"What are you -" Suddenly, Shinji breaks off and laughs. "Oh, I see. You were afraid I'd stab you in the back,weren't you? Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight against another Servant. Come on, Emiya. Let's go."
Actually, you hadn't even considered that possibility, but now that he's brought it up, it's something you can't ignore. But he's already starting to walk dismissively towards the school gates, forcing you to hurry if you want to catch up to him. You don't really want to miss what he has to say, either, given that he's been your friend for years. So, reluctantly, you follow the third Master in skipping afternoon classes.
Together, you ascend the hill road, towards the Western-style houses on the opposite side of your house. Rin's house stands at the very top of the hill, but the Matous have their house a bit below, as though shading it away from prying eyes. There's little conversation as the two of you walk. You don't feel like talking to him, either, after seeing him slap his little sister in public yesterday morning. You'd barely been able to persuade Madoka not to materialize to comfort Sakura, using her aura and natural happy personality to make her feel better. Heck, you'd even given some thought towards letting her do that. But in the end, keeping Sakura away from the world of magic was more important than providing some emotional comfort.
As you near the end of your journey, the Matou house looms closer. It's as big as you remember, almost gothic in design. Creepers snake around windowsills, but in a controlled manner, rather than the wild growth one would expect from an abandoned house. A fat, cylindrical building is attached to the main one, tapering upwards into a glass spire that glares down on the metal grating and neatly trimmed lawn on the outside of the house.
When you enter you're immediately struck by the feeling of darkness. The building was constructed to obstruct sunlight from entering, and there aren't many lights inside the house itself. If you weren't already used to the layout of the house, you'd probably smack yourself into the wall. As it is, you manage to navigate your way to the living room, arms outstretched to avoid bumping into furniture.
Shinji has gone in before you, not bothering to show you inside, but at the very least the living room is very slightly brighter than the other parts of the house. It's still dark, with curtains drawn over the windows, but they're thin enough that feeble trickles of light fade through, just enough to see.
You glance over to where Shinji is sitting sprawled in an armchair, and behind him, a figure that can only be his Servant. You can't tell the Servant's age, whether it's a man with boyish figures or a boy with the stature and presence of a full-grown man. He has neat brown hair, and a handsome expression that would have gotten the girls at school swooning over him.
Even though he's standing in the shadows of the Matou living room, his outfit still stands out. A black and gold cloak with an old-fashioned high collar that reaches to his chin, with a white shirt and long black boots. Rubies are studded on the clasp of his cloak and along the sides, a contrast to his sharp green eyes.
At his side, strapped to his waist, the Servant carries a sword. Well, maybe "sword" is the wrong word to describe it. It has no cutting or chopping edge, only a tip that elongates into a tall conical "blade". Red and gold, with emeralds inset along its length, you can't help but feel that it's more ceremonial than anything else. Still, you can't help but tense up a little at the sight of a weapon.
Shinji's smug grin is visible even from where you stand. "Let me introduce my Servant. His name is Rider."
"I thought we were going to talk alone, Shinji," you say. You try to keep the edge out of your voice, but the combination of the darkened room and that Servant's gaze boring holes through you creep you out.
"Oh, no, it's just a precaution," Shinji smirks. "I have to make sure you won't suddenly turn on me, so I have to have Rider by my side." He stretches his hand out casually and touches Rider, caressing him slowly from waist to thigh, as though he was tasting or measuring him.
Rider doesn't react at all, standing there like a statue and keeping watch on you with implacable green eyes. It feels like he's scanning you down to the microscopic level, watching even your fingertips shiver.
"Don't worry, Emiya," he says. "It's not that I think you'll attack me or anything. There's no way you would do something like that. But your Servant – that's a different story. It's not unusual for a Servant to be a bit disobedient of their Master, so think of this as insurance in case your Servant's a little too bloodthirsty for my taste." You aren't happy with that at all, but you would sound petty if you brought it up.
"Oh, you should summon yours as well," says Shinji. "That way it's fair, isn't it? I mean, I showed you mine, so you should show me yours."
Heh. That entitled attitude... well, it's not like you weren't expecting him to say something along those lines. You gesture slightly, and Madoka appears behind you in a series of sparkling shimmers. She carries her bow in her hands, pointedly lowered, and her usual happy smile has vanished, turned to a worried look.
You're used to the rush of serenity through your veins as she appears, but Shinji isn't, and he involuntarily lets out a pleased sound, seeming to relax further into the sofa. Rider seems completely unaffected by it, however, and instead bends down to whisper something into Shinji's ear, before Shinji waves him away impatiently.
"What an interesting Servant you have. Well, I'll get to the point. Basically – "
You hold up a hand and cut him off. "Wait. First, I want to know something. How did you become a Master?"
Shinji laughs again, though with Madoka standing so close, it's more complacent than mocking. "It was easy. After all, the Matou family is a respected lineage of magi. I've known about Masters for quite a while."
Alarm flashes through your mind, but Madoka beats you to the punch. "Wait, does that mean Sakura-chan is – also a magi?"
A surprised expression crosses Shinji's face. "Emiya, tell your Servant to shut up. It's rude to interrupt a conversation like that."
"Nope," you reply. "She has a right to talk too. Besides, that's exactly what I was going to ask you."
"But your Servant – never mind. I'll leave disciplinary issues for you to handle privately. The answer is that Sakura knows nothing about magic. The Matou magic circuits have faded over time, so by the time I was born, the Matou blood is no stronger than that of an ordinary person's. Which means that the only thing we have left is our knowledge of magic."
"Then why doesn't Sakura know anything about magic?"
"Because a magus of an old lineage only passes on his knowledge to one person. If there are two children, the eldest son is the natural successor. It's like when titles are passed down a royal family." You swear you see Rider react slightly to that, a twitch of his eyebrows. Or was it just your imagination? "Obviously, that means I'm the successor to the Matou family knowledge. Sakura knows nothing about magic, since she'll never have access to it in her life."
"I see. Thank God, then." You feel relieved; magic was nothing more than a bloody conflict, and a gentle girl like Sakura would be ripped apart if she ever got involved with the Holy Grail War.
"Well, back to the main point. I want to cooperate with you. After all, we're both powerless Masters who don't know how to use magic. Together, we should be strong enough to beat Tohsaka." He glances at your arm, bandaged up and in a cloth sling. "Don't think I buy that story you gave the teachers about breaking your arm while cycling. I'm pretty sure that's a wound from a Servant. So you definitely have the will to fight if you're challenged."
Beat... Rin? No. There's no way you could even consider a deal like that. Rin's been a faithful ally to you, and it would be the height of dirtiness to betray her like that. Besides, you don't think even Madoka and Rider combined could beat Saber. That girl is like an unstoppable freight train.
So you shake your head firmly. "No way. Rin and I are already allies, so I wouldn't turn against her without letting her know first. Besides, I'm not in this to fight people. Like you said, I won't take action against someone unless they hurt me first."
Shinji's eyes widen a little at your addressing Rin by her given name, but then narrow. "I see. Well, I can't do anything if you're going to be stubborn. But let me ask... what about a Master that was hurting other people?"
Other people? "You mean the Master who set up the Boundary Field at school? I thought that was your doing."
"What? No. That wasn't my doing. I could hardly even sense it. I needed Rider to tell me it was there. It must be the work of the other Master at school."
"Rin told me there was only one. Are you sure there's another Master?"
"Of course. After all, I just told you my magic circuits have died out. So if she's sensing magical energy from another Master, it must be someone else. But I wasn't referring to the Boundary Field at school. I'm referring to the witch nesting in Ryuudou Temple."
"A witch?" Madoka seems to be disturbed by Shinji's use of the term, as she looks almost frightened. "Are you sure?"
Shinji ignores her and looks straight at you. "Are you really going to let her talk out of line like that?"
"Yep. I don't see anything wrong with what she said. Just because I'm supposed to be her Master doesn't mean I have to control her in whatever she does." Madoka shoots you a grateful look, but then looks frightened again.
Shinji snorts. "Well, have it your way. Anyway, Rider described the Servant to me as a witch, so I'll take him at his word. She's supposedly collecting souls from the city, so it'll be a problem if we don't do something about it fast. Didn't you see the morning news?"
People falling into comas, reports of a gas leak. If that was the fourth Servant, there's no doubt that she has to be taken down quickly before she does any more harm. You would be a pretty bad hero if you didn't do anything about it, especially since Shinji told you exactly where to find her.
Shinji must have seen something on your face – or maybe Madoka's face, because he looks satisfied. "Well, that's all. Rider, show them to the door. Don't harm either of them, they're my guests until they leave this house."
As the stony-faced Servant steps forward to guide you out, you can't help but feel a chill running down your spine, one that even Madoka's shared hope isn't enough to dispel. After all, she took a lance in the heart and went toe-to-toe with Saber without flinching, so how scary must this witch be if just talking about it makes her so scared?
-
It's evening, now, and the streets of Fuyuki City are already empty. People are getting spooked, not daring to leave their house. Even ordinary humans are able to sense when something's very wrong. Besides, the wind is particularly harsh tonight.
Rin sits across the table from you, leaning back in her chair, almost mirroring how Shinji sat when you met with him earlier in the day. "That's disturbing news, Shirou. To think that someone like Shinji is a Master, as well as reports of this strange Servant hiding in Ryuudou Temple..."
"I don't get it," blurts out Madoka. "It makes no sense for someone to hide all the way up there. Wouldn't a Servant want to stay close to their Master?"
"Unless," says Saber, "Their Master lived in Ryuudou Temple. It only makes sense. After all, Ryuudou Temple sits on the focus of a ley line."
Rin chokes a little on the tea she's drinking. She even splutters with grace, surprisingly feminine despite her usual gung-ho attitude. "You mean to say this house isn't the only focus in Fuyuki? How do you know?"
Saber's voice is flat. "You forget, I also participated in the last Grail War, in this city." She clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so you don't press her. "Well, I think the choice is clear. Since my Master is an experienced magus, I should have more than enough magical strength to deal with the Servant there. We know where the enemy is now, so the obvious choice is to attack as soon as possible."
"W-wait!" says Madoka. "I don't think we should attack immediately. That witch sounds scary... we need to protect everyone, but we can't get anything just by rushing in. I think we should wait for a better opportunity!"
Saber looks extremely annoyed. "That's the wrong way to think, Archer. If we keep waiting for a better opportunity to attack, we'll stay here every day while the enemy gets stronger and takes the initiative. We need to attack before we lose the advantage."
Rin places her hand on her chin, apparently lost in thought. "I think I have to agree with Saber here," she says. "It's simply too good a chance to pass up. Even if it's a trap by Shinji, at least we'll be able to lure him out and maybe even beat him. And if not, we manage to get rid of a dangerous opponent. I'm the strongest Master in this Grail War, and I have the strongest Servant, so there's no way we'll be in danger. Unless, of course, you decide to be an idiot again and jump in front of another Servant."
Ouch. There wasn't any need for her to remind you of that. Still, everyone's looking expectantly at you now. You have to tell them something.
[ ] Agree with Saber and Rin, and prepare to attack Ryuudou Temple.
[ ] Agree with Madoka, and decide not to fight for now.
[ ] Write-in(nothing too long or silly).
{Status page updated}
Chapter Three - The Third and the Fourth
"Looking for something, Shirou?"
You turn to see a familiar boy with curly blue hair wave to you. Shinji Matou, an old friend. As understandable as his presence is, it still comes at an inconvenient time. You were just about to see if you could do something about the sigil in the dojo. One of the anchors that keep the structure of the Bounded Field around the school intact. It was the cloying smell and feel of sickly sweet honey that drew you to it, stronger than the other places you surveyed.
Of course, you can't do anything magic-related with Shinji around. It's been a day since you agreed to the alliance with Rin, and nothing's cropped up yet, but only a fool would let down his guard. No proper Master would attack in broad daylight, especially in such a public area, but you're well aware that the participants of the Holy Grail War might well decide to break the rules if it's to their advantage.
"Shinji," you reply. He approaches with his usual confident stride, flashing a grin at you.
"Ah, Shirou. Did you see it?"
"See what?"
"The Boundary Field, of course. Did you spot it by yourself, or did Tohsaka help you in finding it?"
...What? Did he just...?
As you scramble to form a coherent reply, you feel Madoka appear on the roof of the dojo, just above where Shinji and you are talking. She must be suppressing her aura, because you don't feel anything, but you know she'll have an arrow or two knocked to pin Shinji to the ground if he tries anything. Madoka doesn't have the will to fight that the other Servants you've seen have – particularly Saber, who spent most of last night's meeting arguing to take the fight to your opponents – but she isn't afraid to defend herself or you if attacked, either.
"Oh, let's not hide anything from each other," says Shinji. "I don't know which Servant you have, but you were forced to become a Master too, right?"
You weren't expecting such an honest admission. "I wouldn't expect you to be so open about it if you were a Master, Shinji."
He gives a careless shrug. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't intend to fight with anyone, unless they engage me first. I'm like you in that regard."
For a moment, you suppress alarm at the thought that he might have been spying on your late-night planning meetings with Rin, saw how fervently you and Madoka argued to keep to yourself and only retaliate if attacked. Then you realize that he probably guessed it immediately upon learning you were a Master. Unlike Tohsaka, the Master of Archer is exactly the same as the Emiya Shirou that attends school and helps the student council fix broken heaters.
At Shinji's words, Madoka relaxes and evaporates into spirit form once more, swooping down to invisibly take her place at your side. You can sense her smile from where you stand, and if you wonder if Shinji can too.
"It's actually lucky that I found you here," Shinji continues. "I wanted to discuss the possibility of cooperation."
"After school, you can talk to me all you want. Right now, there's too much of a danger that someone might overhear us."
He scowls at that. "Are you stupid? We can skip classes. Let's go, Emiya. Stop being a pussy for once." Disapproval radiates from the shimmering cloud of magical energy beside you at Shinji's words.
"Sorry, Shinji. The teachers might get suspicious if I started going missing from class."
"What are you -" Suddenly, Shinji breaks off and laughs. "Oh, I see. You were afraid I'd stab you in the back,weren't you? Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight against another Servant. Come on, Emiya. Let's go."
Actually, you hadn't even considered that possibility, but now that he's brought it up, it's something you can't ignore. But he's already starting to walk dismissively towards the school gates, forcing you to hurry if you want to catch up to him. You don't really want to miss what he has to say, either, given that he's been your friend for years. So, reluctantly, you follow the third Master in skipping afternoon classes.
Together, you ascend the hill road, towards the Western-style houses on the opposite side of your house. Rin's house stands at the very top of the hill, but the Matous have their house a bit below, as though shading it away from prying eyes. There's little conversation as the two of you walk. You don't feel like talking to him, either, after seeing him slap his little sister in public yesterday morning. You'd barely been able to persuade Madoka not to materialize to comfort Sakura, using her aura and natural happy personality to make her feel better. Heck, you'd even given some thought towards letting her do that. But in the end, keeping Sakura away from the world of magic was more important than providing some emotional comfort.
As you near the end of your journey, the Matou house looms closer. It's as big as you remember, almost gothic in design. Creepers snake around windowsills, but in a controlled manner, rather than the wild growth one would expect from an abandoned house. A fat, cylindrical building is attached to the main one, tapering upwards into a glass spire that glares down on the metal grating and neatly trimmed lawn on the outside of the house.
When you enter you're immediately struck by the feeling of darkness. The building was constructed to obstruct sunlight from entering, and there aren't many lights inside the house itself. If you weren't already used to the layout of the house, you'd probably smack yourself into the wall. As it is, you manage to navigate your way to the living room, arms outstretched to avoid bumping into furniture.
Shinji has gone in before you, not bothering to show you inside, but at the very least the living room is very slightly brighter than the other parts of the house. It's still dark, with curtains drawn over the windows, but they're thin enough that feeble trickles of light fade through, just enough to see.
You glance over to where Shinji is sitting sprawled in an armchair, and behind him, a figure that can only be his Servant. You can't tell the Servant's age, whether it's a man with boyish figures or a boy with the stature and presence of a full-grown man. He has neat brown hair, and a handsome expression that would have gotten the girls at school swooning over him.
Even though he's standing in the shadows of the Matou living room, his outfit still stands out. A black and gold cloak with an old-fashioned high collar that reaches to his chin, with a white shirt and long black boots. Rubies are studded on the clasp of his cloak and along the sides, a contrast to his sharp green eyes.
At his side, strapped to his waist, the Servant carries a sword. Well, maybe "sword" is the wrong word to describe it. It has no cutting or chopping edge, only a tip that elongates into a tall conical "blade". Red and gold, with emeralds inset along its length, you can't help but feel that it's more ceremonial than anything else. Still, you can't help but tense up a little at the sight of a weapon.
Shinji's smug grin is visible even from where you stand. "Let me introduce my Servant. His name is Rider."
"I thought we were going to talk alone, Shinji," you say. You try to keep the edge out of your voice, but the combination of the darkened room and that Servant's gaze boring holes through you creep you out.
"Oh, no, it's just a precaution," Shinji smirks. "I have to make sure you won't suddenly turn on me, so I have to have Rider by my side." He stretches his hand out casually and touches Rider, caressing him slowly from waist to thigh, as though he was tasting or measuring him.
Rider doesn't react at all, standing there like a statue and keeping watch on you with implacable green eyes. It feels like he's scanning you down to the microscopic level, watching even your fingertips shiver.
"Don't worry, Emiya," he says. "It's not that I think you'll attack me or anything. There's no way you would do something like that. But your Servant – that's a different story. It's not unusual for a Servant to be a bit disobedient of their Master, so think of this as insurance in case your Servant's a little too bloodthirsty for my taste." You aren't happy with that at all, but you would sound petty if you brought it up.
"Oh, you should summon yours as well," says Shinji. "That way it's fair, isn't it? I mean, I showed you mine, so you should show me yours."
Heh. That entitled attitude... well, it's not like you weren't expecting him to say something along those lines. You gesture slightly, and Madoka appears behind you in a series of sparkling shimmers. She carries her bow in her hands, pointedly lowered, and her usual happy smile has vanished, turned to a worried look.
You're used to the rush of serenity through your veins as she appears, but Shinji isn't, and he involuntarily lets out a pleased sound, seeming to relax further into the sofa. Rider seems completely unaffected by it, however, and instead bends down to whisper something into Shinji's ear, before Shinji waves him away impatiently.
"What an interesting Servant you have. Well, I'll get to the point. Basically – "
You hold up a hand and cut him off. "Wait. First, I want to know something. How did you become a Master?"
Shinji laughs again, though with Madoka standing so close, it's more complacent than mocking. "It was easy. After all, the Matou family is a respected lineage of magi. I've known about Masters for quite a while."
Alarm flashes through your mind, but Madoka beats you to the punch. "Wait, does that mean Sakura-chan is – also a magi?"
A surprised expression crosses Shinji's face. "Emiya, tell your Servant to shut up. It's rude to interrupt a conversation like that."
"Nope," you reply. "She has a right to talk too. Besides, that's exactly what I was going to ask you."
"But your Servant – never mind. I'll leave disciplinary issues for you to handle privately. The answer is that Sakura knows nothing about magic. The Matou magic circuits have faded over time, so by the time I was born, the Matou blood is no stronger than that of an ordinary person's. Which means that the only thing we have left is our knowledge of magic."
"Then why doesn't Sakura know anything about magic?"
"Because a magus of an old lineage only passes on his knowledge to one person. If there are two children, the eldest son is the natural successor. It's like when titles are passed down a royal family." You swear you see Rider react slightly to that, a twitch of his eyebrows. Or was it just your imagination? "Obviously, that means I'm the successor to the Matou family knowledge. Sakura knows nothing about magic, since she'll never have access to it in her life."
"I see. Thank God, then." You feel relieved; magic was nothing more than a bloody conflict, and a gentle girl like Sakura would be ripped apart if she ever got involved with the Holy Grail War.
"Well, back to the main point. I want to cooperate with you. After all, we're both powerless Masters who don't know how to use magic. Together, we should be strong enough to beat Tohsaka." He glances at your arm, bandaged up and in a cloth sling. "Don't think I buy that story you gave the teachers about breaking your arm while cycling. I'm pretty sure that's a wound from a Servant. So you definitely have the will to fight if you're challenged."
Beat... Rin? No. There's no way you could even consider a deal like that. Rin's been a faithful ally to you, and it would be the height of dirtiness to betray her like that. Besides, you don't think even Madoka and Rider combined could beat Saber. That girl is like an unstoppable freight train.
So you shake your head firmly. "No way. Rin and I are already allies, so I wouldn't turn against her without letting her know first. Besides, I'm not in this to fight people. Like you said, I won't take action against someone unless they hurt me first."
Shinji's eyes widen a little at your addressing Rin by her given name, but then narrow. "I see. Well, I can't do anything if you're going to be stubborn. But let me ask... what about a Master that was hurting other people?"
Other people? "You mean the Master who set up the Boundary Field at school? I thought that was your doing."
"What? No. That wasn't my doing. I could hardly even sense it. I needed Rider to tell me it was there. It must be the work of the other Master at school."
"Rin told me there was only one. Are you sure there's another Master?"
"Of course. After all, I just told you my magic circuits have died out. So if she's sensing magical energy from another Master, it must be someone else. But I wasn't referring to the Boundary Field at school. I'm referring to the witch nesting in Ryuudou Temple."
"A witch?" Madoka seems to be disturbed by Shinji's use of the term, as she looks almost frightened. "Are you sure?"
Shinji ignores her and looks straight at you. "Are you really going to let her talk out of line like that?"
"Yep. I don't see anything wrong with what she said. Just because I'm supposed to be her Master doesn't mean I have to control her in whatever she does." Madoka shoots you a grateful look, but then looks frightened again.
Shinji snorts. "Well, have it your way. Anyway, Rider described the Servant to me as a witch, so I'll take him at his word. She's supposedly collecting souls from the city, so it'll be a problem if we don't do something about it fast. Didn't you see the morning news?"
People falling into comas, reports of a gas leak. If that was the fourth Servant, there's no doubt that she has to be taken down quickly before she does any more harm. You would be a pretty bad hero if you didn't do anything about it, especially since Shinji told you exactly where to find her.
Shinji must have seen something on your face – or maybe Madoka's face, because he looks satisfied. "Well, that's all. Rider, show them to the door. Don't harm either of them, they're my guests until they leave this house."
As the stony-faced Servant steps forward to guide you out, you can't help but feel a chill running down your spine, one that even Madoka's shared hope isn't enough to dispel. After all, she took a lance in the heart and went toe-to-toe with Saber without flinching, so how scary must this witch be if just talking about it makes her so scared?
-
It's evening, now, and the streets of Fuyuki City are already empty. People are getting spooked, not daring to leave their house. Even ordinary humans are able to sense when something's very wrong. Besides, the wind is particularly harsh tonight.
Rin sits across the table from you, leaning back in her chair, almost mirroring how Shinji sat when you met with him earlier in the day. "That's disturbing news, Shirou. To think that someone like Shinji is a Master, as well as reports of this strange Servant hiding in Ryuudou Temple..."
"I don't get it," blurts out Madoka. "It makes no sense for someone to hide all the way up there. Wouldn't a Servant want to stay close to their Master?"
"Unless," says Saber, "Their Master lived in Ryuudou Temple. It only makes sense. After all, Ryuudou Temple sits on the focus of a ley line."
Rin chokes a little on the tea she's drinking. She even splutters with grace, surprisingly feminine despite her usual gung-ho attitude. "You mean to say this house isn't the only focus in Fuyuki? How do you know?"
Saber's voice is flat. "You forget, I also participated in the last Grail War, in this city." She clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so you don't press her. "Well, I think the choice is clear. Since my Master is an experienced magus, I should have more than enough magical strength to deal with the Servant there. We know where the enemy is now, so the obvious choice is to attack as soon as possible."
"W-wait!" says Madoka. "I don't think we should attack immediately. That witch sounds scary... we need to protect everyone, but we can't get anything just by rushing in. I think we should wait for a better opportunity!"
Saber looks extremely annoyed. "That's the wrong way to think, Archer. If we keep waiting for a better opportunity to attack, we'll stay here every day while the enemy gets stronger and takes the initiative. We need to attack before we lose the advantage."
Rin places her hand on her chin, apparently lost in thought. "I think I have to agree with Saber here," she says. "It's simply too good a chance to pass up. Even if it's a trap by Shinji, at least we'll be able to lure him out and maybe even beat him. And if not, we manage to get rid of a dangerous opponent. I'm the strongest Master in this Grail War, and I have the strongest Servant, so there's no way we'll be in danger. Unless, of course, you decide to be an idiot again and jump in front of another Servant."
Ouch. There wasn't any need for her to remind you of that. Still, everyone's looking expectantly at you now. You have to tell them something.
[ ] Agree with Saber and Rin, and prepare to attack Ryuudou Temple.
[ ] Agree with Madoka, and decide not to fight for now.
[ ] Write-in(nothing too long or silly).
{Status page updated}
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