Chapter 3: The Beginning III
The silver-haired man set his coffee mug down on the table. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"
"Well…" She had a pretty good idea who this guy was sitting across from her. But anyone could've asked her this question, and she'd give the same answer: "I want to be a Huntress."
"You want to slay monsters?"
"Yeah. I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I going to apply to Beacon. See, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, 'Oh, I might as well make a career out of it.' I mean the police are alright, but HuntsmenandHuntressesarejustsomuchmoreromanticandexcitingandcoolandjust!" She couldn't help but squeal. "Oh, you know?!" Okay, maybe this wasn't the best way to prove herself responsible after the whole stopping a Dust robbery thing, and scary blonde woman was giving her that look again, but she couldn't help herself! This was her dream!
Luckily, the man looked pretty chill about it. "Do you know who I am?"
And somehow, she was positive about her answer. "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."
A chuckle, then, "Hello."
"Nice to meet you."
He leaned a bit forward. "You want to come to my school?"
"More than anything."
The woman didn't look convinced, though- "Well, okay."
And with those two words from Ozpin, she felt like she was on top of the world.
"Give me that!" The girl in white snatched the case she'd picked up away, glaring at her all the while. "This is Dust," she opened it so she couldn't see, "mined and purified from the Schnee quarry."
She rubbed her head, head still spinning from Yang ditching her, tumbling into all this luggage, just being here at Beacon Academy in the first place… "Uhh…"
And the crabby girl apparently didn't have much patience for her. "What are you, brain-dead?!" She pulled out a vial full of Red Dust and slammed the case shut, colored powder leaking out. "Dust!" She started shaking the vial at her, scattering red stuff in the air. "Fire! Water! Lightning! Energy!" She was only getting crabbier… "Are you even listening to me?!"
And she couldn't even answer, because that Dust was tickling her nose… "Ah… Ahh…"
"…any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"…AH-"
"CHOOO!"
Rin Tohsaka snapped upright in her bed and let out a sneeze she could've never released in public. She sat there panting for a moment before looking worriedly up, but the room was fine. No sudden burst of fire, lightning or whatever kind of energy. "These dreams…" She rubbed her head before grumbling in a mock-higher pitch. "Oh, it's nice to make a first impression for once without exploding!" Rin huffed, back to normal. "For goodness' sake…"
Well, she had wanted to see the power of this "Dust" for herself…
Sighing, Rin shrugged off the covers and got up. At least her body didn't feel so heavy this time, meaning her Magic Circuits had made a full recovery from summoning her Servants. Servants… still a bit surreal to consider that twice as many Heroic Spirits would be called to Fuyuki. This had to be the largest Holy Grail War in the city's history!
And on that note, the Tohsaka Master had one more official piece of business to handle. After breakfast and getting ready for school (no point skipping for another day), she grudgingly dialed in a certain number and picked up the receiver. "Kirei, it's me." Rin didn't waste time cutting to the chase. "Register me formally as a Master. I've established a pact with Archer," a slight edge crept into her otherwise polite tone, "and Lancer X. How good of you, by the way, to omit the little detail of Masters having two Servants each."
"My deepest apologies, Rin," the decidedly unapologetic-sounding priest replied smoothly, "but I couldn't officially divulge such information to you when you had yet to be a Master. I might've given you a few hints about this Grail War's unusual situation…"
Rin's mind flashed back to the message Kirei had left her: "Only two standard slots remain, Archer and Saber class of our world." Her grip tightened on the phone. Sly prick of a priest…
And his infuriating voice rumbled on while she listened and her two Servants waited, Archer standing by the wall, Lancer X swaying in her spot. "And two knight-class Servants, you say? Quite an achievement. From what I understand, there doesn't seem to be any rhythm or deciding link of how these X Servants are assigned other than how they might reflect their Masters' characters. You acquired Lancer X? How interesting…" Her fingernails dug into her hand from Kirei's implications. "So, have you decided on your next move? Would you care to pay a quick visit? I have something your father entrusted me to give you."
"If you mean Father's will, I already solved it and collected what he left. If I need to, I'll come by and meet you then." Not that she had any intent of actually visiting him, fourteen Servants running about or not, and she promptly hung up even as he tried to say more.
Lancer X leaned her head into view. "So, that's the overseer guy for the Grail War? I take it you don't get along with him."
"Not particularly." Rin answered evenly while walking for the door. Her irritation towards the red-hooded Huntress had dimmed again since last night. Still, she wasn't quite ready to paint fingernails and braid hair with her. "Let's just say he and I have history."
"Can he be trusted?" Archer asked as they stepped out into the daylight. The familiar duo promptly transitioned into spirit form.
Rin led them outside the grounds before shutting the gate behind them, noting the Bounded Field was unchanged. "We can trust he wouldn't want to risk his position and that he'll adhere to neutrality." Otherwise, I wouldn't trust him to change a 500-yen bill.
She walked in the direction of Homurahara, which her Servants picked up on. 'Oh, are we going to see your school today?' Lancer X chirped curiously.
"Yup," Rin popped the "p" before blinking. She shrugged it off and continued. "I'm still a high-school student as well as a magus and Master, so I can't keep skipping."
As they reached a crossing, three other students in uniform besides Rin and a few other people, she felt a sense of wariness from Archer. 'Wouldn't it be a problem if someone launched an unexpected attack at such a public place and we need to defend ourselves?'
The signal for walkers flashed green, and she crossed the road and went on her way without rush or concern. "Masters avoid fighting each other out in the open, remember? There's no way anyone would try something in a place as busy as a school."
'Don't bet on it.' Lancer X's skepticism was tinged with something Rin couldn't quite make out. Regret? Anger? 'What if somebody's infiltrated it and is just waiting for their chance?'
"Doubtful. Only one other magus family resides in Fuyuki besides the Tohsaka's, and that family is long past its glory days. They don't have a master to offer in this Grail War." More students were ambling about the closer they got to Homurahara; Rin saw Himuro and Saegusa waiting together at the bottom of some stairs. Probably for Makidera.
While the tan girl arrived to meet up with her friends, Archer's hum echoed over their link. 'So, basically, there's indeed one other magus going to school, but they lack the mana to become a Master, Rin?'
"Precisely."
'But that's just the enemy you know about, Rin.' His tone grew more scolding as they began to reach the open. 'What Lancer X meant, and frankly I agree with her, is that a magus you don't know might've slipped into the school…'
Rin was growing a little exasperated at being belittled again… but as she stepped onto school grounds, a wave of miasma washed over her. A sensation that seemed to reverberate across every place outside but no one else could pick up on. How could they without magecraft?
She was so rattled she barely heard Ruby's whisper. 'No, not again…'
Rin didn't waste time in slipping out of her coat and shoes and into her indoor slippers, then she made for a nearby exit few people ever used. Dark and quiet enough underneath some stairs so she could assess the situation properly. "That isn't just some bad air lingering about," she muttered crossing her arms while she leaned against the wall. "Could someone have set up a Bounded Field around here?"
'An incomplete one, maybe, but the process is still ongoing.' Archer surmised while still ethereal.
Lancer X had switched to serious mode herself. 'Doesn't look like anyone normal is aware of this. But anybody who's willing to set up something this obvious for us must be pretty confident.'
"Or they're a rank amateur," Rin countered. "It'd be generous to call this Field third-rate if we can pick it up this easily. A real magus hides and waits for the perfect chance to make their move."
'Amateurs can be dangerous, too, Rin, especially if they don't play by magus rules.' A fair point, the Master conceded privately, even if she couldn't help but think Lancer X deliberately chose the word "play."
But Archer spoke before she could figure that out. 'So, what do we do?'
Right. Disagreements aside, Rin was positive Ruby wouldn't condone something like this. And on that matter, they were in agreement. "First, third or last rate, I won't stand for anyone setting up this trash in my territory. We're taking them down."
'Sounds good! We going after them right now?' Sure enough, the Huntress was raring to go.
"As much as I want to, we can't, Lancer X. As soon as school's over, we'll examine the Bounded Field. Once we've determined what it specifically does, we'll decide on whether to dismantle it or not." She sensed another possible argument coming, but the sound of rustling papers behind Rin drew her attention. She turned around to Sakura on her knees and sheets of paper splayed out in front of her. "We'll talk later," she whispered before walking over.
Sakura tried not to wince as she began collecting the papers with one hand, the other holding her books. She, too, had picked up on the Bounded Field, and it was giving her a migraine. The more she tried not to focus on it, the more the pounding at the back of her head persisted. She almost didn't hear the footsteps until a familiar voice reached her, "Need a hand, Sakura?"
Rin knelt down beside the other girl as she turned towards her with a tired smile. "Good morning, Big Sister! You're back in today?" She nodded at that before picking up some papers of her own. "Oh, you don't need to do that."
"I know." Rin's own smile faltered a little when she saw Sakura trembling slightly. "Are you alright?" She reached over and placed a hand against her sister's forehead. "You haven't come down with something, have you? It's flu season."
"No, no, I just didn't sleep quite so good last night." Sakura giggled slightly before trying to wiggle away from Rin's persisting. "I promise you, if I were really sick, I'd have called in and let you and the school know."
Rin pretended to flinch at the pointed statement. "Right, sorry about not telling you in advance yesterday. I got a little caught up in the excitement. There wasn't any trouble?"
"Oh, no, the teachers and your classmates were all very sympathetic once I told them you'd come down with pancreatitis." Two fingers shot out before Sakura could duck away and tugged on her cheek. "Owowowow, I'm kidding! I just said you had a minor cold, I swear!"
"I always knew your cuteness was a deceptive façade…" Rin added one last twist to Sakura's cheek and then gave it a mock-scolding pat as she whimpered. She couldn't help but grin in relief, though; sporadic as Sakura's moments of mischief were, they were a good enough sign that she was alright. "So, are these meant for your class?" She lifted the papers in her hand.
Sakura accepted them with a shake of her head. "Kuzuki-sensei asked me to recollect them because he spotted a typo."
"Kuzuki-sensei's nothing if not thorough." Noticing her sister's eyes were drawn to the Seals on her hands, Rin nodded. "It worked… A little better than I expected." She showed them off. "Don't ask me why, but every Master gets two Servants in this Grail War, including me."
Sakura stared at the dual red markings on her sister's hands. "Two Servants…?" She was so taken aback by this development her grip on her load slackened before she noticed. She fumbled while trying to stop the papers from falling again, Rin stepping towards her for the same reason.
But a third set of hands swiftly snatched everything up and held it up for Sakura. "Phew, that was close." Sakura blinked at the silver-eyed girl with red hair and a red cloak suddenly standing beside her. A sense of power and warmth seemed to emanate from her. The hidden wizard's eyes landed on the silver buckle holding the cloak in place, then to her sister's hand.
Ruby huffed at the look her Master shot her. "I know, I know, stay in spirit form until you tell us to materialize. I'm just trying to help!" She then smiled at the other dark-haired girl standing wide-eyed next to her. "Sorry, didn't mean to shock you. I'm Ruby!"
While Rin palmed her forehead, Sakura managed to reboot her brain. "I-it's alright, thanks for the help." She reclaimed her papers and spared a quick glance around, as did the other two girls, but they were thankfully still alone. Class had yet to start for a few more minutes. "So, you're one of Big Sister's Servants?"
"One of them," Rin sighed while Ruby nodded brightly, "and you might as well show yourself, too, Archer. Seeing as we're now making introductions…" She seemingly frowned at thin air. "Oh, come on, your partner popped up already and nothing's happening."
"Yet." A deep voice rippled as blue particles danced around a humanoid shape, then a tall red-and-black-clothed man with silver hair and eyes was standing between Rin and Ruby. His gaze seemed to linger on Sakura's head, but she didn't feel like he was sizing her up or anything perverted. If anything, the look in his eyes was… Surprised? Relieved?
Then they blinked and became as cool as her sister's when talking to normal people. "So, who is this young lady if I may ask?"
"Right," Rin placed a hand on her shoulder with a soft smile, "this is my younger sister. She's currently housing along with my mother just outside the city, a precaution so no one can try using them against me while the Grail War goes on."
Sakura smiled, too, and bowed her head in greeting. "Sakura Tohsaka. It's nice to meet you both and thank you for aiding my Big Sister."
"No problem, it's what she called us up for," Ruby giggled while offering her hand. Sakura accepted it, marveling a little at how soft yet sturdy her fingers felt as they shook hands.
She repeated the gesture with Archer who seemed a bit hesitant. "A thankless job, but someone has to do it…" He drawled with a little smirk. "I see you're the nice sister. A pity."
Rin's smile evaporated. "Ruby." She gave the girl Servant a pointed look downwards.
Thwack! Archer tried to dodge, but her boot was too fast, and any doubts he might've had about his partner's self-proclaimed aiming skills were dispelled when she hit the exact same spot as last night. He bit down any sounds of pain to a grunt and glared at her while kneeling to cradle his shin once again, grumbling between his teeth. "…Will you stop that?!"
"I'm just following our Master's orders." Lancer X leaned towards him with her own pout. "And it wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer yourself."
"You don't know that…" Sakura couldn't help but giggle at their bickering and her sister's silent exasperation. It seemed like they were a bit more of a handful than Rin had anticipated. Still, she sensed that there wasn't any real bad blood between these… Heroic Spirits, that was the term, right? For reproductions of legendary figures, they were refreshingly human in their interactions. She also felt something… familiar about their presence.
There was one other detail that stood out to her. "Excuse me," both ceased their banter and turned to her politely, Ruby even letting Archer support himself on her shoulder. "Sorry if this is… too personal, but… your color scheme and your eyes…" Sakura fumbled slightly.
Thankfully, they understood, and after exchanging a look for two seconds, they faced her and said in unison, "Coincidence."
Rin then stepped in. "Alright, sorry to cut this short, Sakura, but you and I both need to get to class," she eyed her Servants, "and these two need to make themselves scarce again before somebody spots either of them."
"R-right," Sakura panicked a bit as she checked her watch, "I've got to get these papers to Kuzuki-sensei before the bell!" She hurriedly cast three bows in short order, "Thanks again for everything, good luck with Big Sister!" and powerwalked down the hall.
Rin watched her go with a fond grin before heading up the stairs, her entourage dutifully back in spirit form. 'Look, sorry about jumping out like that,' Lancer X began, 'but I'm glad we got to meet your sister. Sakura's really nice!'
"She is," Rin agreed before taking on a sterner tone. "But try not to interact with her too much anymore. She's not involved with the Grail War, and I want to keep it that way."
'Okay. By the way, I don't want to pry, but I didn't pick up anything… magical from her.' Another hum from Archer who apparently agreed with her.
Rin weighed the question, then sighed. "Sakura's not a magus. She doesn't have Magic Circuits… not anymore." She rose a hand to forestall any further inquiries. "It's a long story, and the important thing is, I'm not letting her get dragged into any of this."
'Sure, I get it.' Ruby, thankfully, dropped the subject and didn't say anything else. That left Rin free to concentrate on the upcoming classes and how deal with the Bounded Field.
However, neither girl noticed an incorporeal Archer stealing glances back to where they'd met Sakura.
One other student had noticed the Bounded Field that now enveloped Homurahara, and Shirou was plenty worried enough already. The morning had started out pretty alright, breakfast with Taiga, Bull, Shiba and Pakkun, mixing chocolate chips at his big sister's advice into his freshly made cookie dough and then setting it all into the fridge; he'd bake them when he came back from school so Maiya could enjoy them fresh when she came home tonight.
But while he was locking up after himself, he noticed a weird marking on the back of his left hand. Shirou dismissed it as a bruise from bumping into some junk, something that would fade away after a day or two.
Then on the walk to school, he saw two more houses right next to each other that had been thoroughly trashed. One looked like it had been ripped apart from the inside out, the other was half-burnt away. Shirou could still smell the ashes when he walked past it. None of this awakened any good memories in him, and he just couldn't accept it as yet another gas leak.
And finally, as he walked into the school, a weird exhausting feeling persisted all the way up to his classroom. Maybe I'm just tired, the boy considered, but it might be something else. Something doesn't feel right…
The unease in the back of his mind persisted throughout the day until classes ended and the sun started setting. Still, he managed to power through and even finish patching up any other broken appliances. Well, those that weren't beyond saving anyway. Issei was definitely grateful as they said their goodbyes.
With nothing really left to do, however, Shirou couldn't help but think about this bad feeling as he walked down the stairs. The more he thought about it, the surer he was that there was some kind of Bounded Field set up here. Kiritsugu had explained the concept, and Maiya had elaborated more about different types and how to deal with them. This doesn't feel like an early warning signal like the one at home, plus, it didn't exist yesterday. So, who set it up, and why?
The sound of giggles mixed with a familiar laughter disrupted his ponderings. Shirou turned to see Shinji sauntering out with a junior girl on either side; not an uncommon sight. Possibly new archery recruits. "Oh, you think that was amazing? Just wait and see…" Their laughter died out as the blue-haired boy caught sight of his friend. "Still wandering about, Emiya?"
"Not anymore," Shirou gave a slight wave to the girls, "was just heading home."
"Good for you, I've got my own fun for the evening set up." Shinji raised an arm to wrap around the girl on his right with his usual smirk. Said smirk flickered into a grimace, though, as his arm nearly reached shoulder level, and its fingers balled briefly into a fist.
It was only for an instant, so no one except Shirou picked up on it. "Everything okay, Shinji?"
"Huh?" He sneered at the boy who was already back up the stairs. "I'm feeling just great, Emiya. What's got you looking so worried? Was there an old microwave here you needed to euthanize?" His entourage giggled a bit, but it seemed mostly for effect.
And Shirou Emiya wasn't easily deterred. "You're looking a little stiff, come to think of it. I know you get carried away from time to time in archery, but it's nothing that would get you this banged up."
Shinji's smirk twitched slightly, but he tried to keep his cool. "Whoa there, you trying to see through me? Let's not get perverted here, you're not my type." He turned around in an attempt at dismissing his friend. "Go help some old geezer cross the street, will ya?"
"Was it your uncle again?"
From the way Shinji froze in his tracks, Shirou knew he'd struck a nerve. "Drop it, Emiya," the other boy practically growled over his shoulder. "You're starting to piss me off." The two girls were visibly growing uneasy.
Shirou stood his ground, even taking a few steps after him. "Just because he's family doesn't mean he can just walk all over you." He'd met the big one-eyed man named Masao Matou once or twice while studying at Shinji's home, and those moments alone, he could've done without. That one eye always looked down on him or Shinji like they were annoying bugs no matter what he said, and he gave off such an aggressive aura, Shirou couldn't help but brace for a fight during their short talks. "You don't have to be his punching bag."
"What happens in my family is none of your business," Shinji whirled about and strutted towards him, "and you've never actually seen Uncle lay a finger on me, have you?" He snapped a finger at Shirou's face. "Don't go making such baseless accusations, Emiya. It's considered impolite."
But Shirou just studied him carefully, noting the slight asymmetry of his slouching shoulders, the way his left foot dragged a little with each step, the right corner of his sneering mouth twitching… "Maybe it is none of my business, but your uncle's a violent man, Shinji. I just want to help."
"I'm fine." Shinji made to storm off before pausing, a thoughtful gleam crossing his purple eyes. "Look, if you really want to help me, Emiya, why don't you be a sport and tidy up the archery dojo for me? We left a bit of a mess behind," his head cocked to the left, "and seeing as you've got enough time on your hands to worry about my rusty old uncle…"
The girl with the ponytail spoke up. "Weren't you supposed to do that as Fujimura-sensei instructed, senpai?"
"Yeah, she did," the other agreed while Shinji tilted his head back to them, "and you know how she gets-"
He shot them a relaxed smile. "No worries. Besides, if I started cleaning now, we wouldn't make it to the shop in time afterwards." He then began to lead the pensive girls away with a careless wave. "I know I can count on you! Seeya!" One hastily added a thanks before catching up with the other two.
Left behind in the hallway, Shirou stared after his friend before walking towards the dojos. Truth be told, this actually worked in his favor: if he stayed behind to clean up after the archery club, he could investigate this Bounded Field a little more.
Besides, Shinji really didn't seem in good shape. Maybe this could help him…
He quickly reached the archery club and slid open the door. Taking a quick check to make sure no one else was around, he summoned two Shadow Clones. "Can you take a quick look around, see if you can find anything out of the ordinary?" His clones both affirmed and headed in different directions. Shirou wasn't sure himself what he needed to look for, a crystal or an incantation scrawled somewhere, but the clones had his knowledge and eyes. Three sets of eyes could see more than one.
So, he slipped into the dojo and closed the door behind him. The Shadow Clones would disperse on their own whether or not they found something. With Maiya's training, they could stay out of sight, and nobody else should be around soon enough. That left him with his own work here, and the dojo really needed cleaning after all. He balled up his sleeves, filled a bucket with fresh water, and dampened a cloth in it. "Same as always, this place…"
The floorboards were wide, but once he got down the rhythm, he scrubbed them all in no time. Shirou got to his feet again, his field of vision rising along with the movement, which meant he could spot the cobwebs shimmering with evening sunlight in the upper right corner. With a frown, he broke into a short jog and a leap that carried him up to the corner, rag in hand and feet attached securely to the walls. There was a time he needed to go barefoot in order to do the Tree-Climbing Exercise, but he kept at it to the point where he could channel his od through socks, his sneakers, even hiking boots. Just like Aunt Maiya and Kiritsugu…
He scrubbed the webs away with two sweeps of his rag, then added a third for good measure. Shirou shifted in his spot to check for more and huffed. "Oh for…" He pulled himself by his hands up so he could crawl along the ceiling. Which was sadly very necessary. "Really need to get a decent ladder…"
As night fell, the students cleared out, leaving only Shirou Emiya in the archery dojo (and his clones snooping around that area) … and one other student conducting her own investigation.
Rin had far more theoretical knowledge of magecraft, so determining the root of the Bounded Field was a cinch. The endpoint of her trail led her to the top of the roof, not far from where she'd had lunch by herself two days ago. "And this one makes seven," she noted crouching over a crimson-glowing glyph on the ground. It was a mixture of squiggling dark lines around one dark spot and letters surrounding two octagonal squares. "Looks like this sigil is the progenitor, too. I've never even seen anything like this kind of language before."
'I'm not too familiar about magic with "rules" like you guys. Is there anything you can tell of it?' Lancer X asked, her attention fully on the sigil and its effects.
"Well, I can determine its intent at least. You recognize it, too, right, Archer?" Rin glared at the blood-colored figures. "This Bounded Field is currently passive, but if it were activated, every last human inside the building would be literally melted away." Disgust emanated from Lancer X, a feeling Rin for once had no issue sharing. "It's called soul eating. A barrier filled with blood, terror and pain, ready to shred apart every body within and feist on the souls. It's a no-brainer who would go after souls like this."
Sure enough, they both knew who she was talking about. 'A Servant.' It seemed as though Ruby wanted to pace the roof or do something else, so stressed was she. 'Are there really heroes who would do something this awful?'
'Depends on your definition of hero,' Archer was significantly calmer, or at least he sounded that way. 'Don't forget, Lancer X, we Servants are spiritual beings at our core. Servants need to nourish themselves on soul energy just like humans can eat meat for nourishment. And naturally, the more we "feed" on, the larger our mana supplies.'
Rin's face scrunched in disgust. "Isn't it the job of Masters to provide their Servants with sufficient mana?"
'Yes, but that doesn't mean sufficient is enough. A common strategy for Masters is to acquire as much mana as they can to keep their Servant running full throttle. So, this Bounded Field is a potent tool for such a method, especially when the Master might have to provide for two.'
'Sure, and all it takes to supercharge a Servant, maybe two, is turning a school full of innocent people into their food?' Ruby was definitely pacing now in spirit form. 'Do the people of this world really not care at all about lives? Is winning all you care about?'
"Watch yourself, Lancer X," Rin stood up and glared in the direction of her Servant, "I would never stoop to something this revolting."
Archer, too, sounded rather offended. 'Neither would I. I was just explaining the mindset of select individuals. I never said I agreed with it.'
After a moment, the "pacing" ceased, and a spiritual sigh echoed out. 'Sorry, that was… I just don't like this kind of strategy. I didn't mean to imply anything about you guys, it was wrong of me.' The sincerity of her words dampened Rin's indignation a fair bit; it also confirmed that age irrelevancy aside, Ruby Rose had been a young hero in life. Young enough to retain her innocence as a Heroic Spirit. It was… 'So, how do you wanna handle this, Rin?'
The Master was further pleased at her Servant deferring to her, even if it was because she understood magecraft the best amongst the trio. "Well, I can't completely shut down the Bounded Field, but I can at least nullify this sigil. That'll disrupt its workings a bit."
"Aw, do you have to erase it?" A male voice made her freeze. "That's too bad." She turned to the left and gasped.
Crouching atop the roof's water tower was a man in blue armor with silver highlights. Two silver pauldrons were strapped over his shoulders while two long earrings of the same color dangled from his lobes. His hair was blue and mostly tied back in a long ponytail save for four short strands hanging over his forehead, the ponytail hanging over his left shoulder. Two red eyes stared bored down at Rin while his sharp face shifted into a smirk.
But the real thing that drew Rin's attention was the long crimson spear effortlessly balanced over his neck. Her fists clenched as she realized who this man most likely was, but she kept her voice even. "Would this happen to be yours?" She nodded sharply at the sigil.
"Nah, cheap shots like this I leave to mages and Masters." The man released his spear with the left hand and set it with the right atop the tower, a light ring chiming from the metal. "Guys like me just fight when and where our orders take us." He winked, but not at Rin. "Isn't that right, Invisible Buddies One and Two?"
She snapped a glance to the side, but to the naked eye, no one was there. But she knew better, and so did he. "If you can see Archer and Lancer X," she muttered warily, "then that makes you a Servant." She glared again at his weapon. "You're the Lancer of our world, aren't you?"
The blue-armored man's smile only grew. "I guess it's pretty obvious. But if you can puzzle that all out, I take it you're my enemy, then, girlie? But if one of your Servants is Lancer X…" He chuckled before baring his teeth in an excited grin. "Looks like I've got some luck in this War. I wouldn't have thought I'd get the chance to duel with a colleague so soon."
As Lancer stood up on the tower, Rin looked about. The roof wasn't very big, and each side ended in a metal fence. We're boxed in. Fighting here wouldn't be in our favor.
"Not bad," Lancer hummed above her. "You might look ignorant, but you seem to have a good grasp of the situation. Man, I guess I missed my shot." He twirled his spear one-handed before pointing it out as red energy danced along its length. "Fun though this is, I shouldn't have opened my big mouth."
Faced with an unknown but obviously powerful enemy, Rin made the most sensible choice: She turned on her heel and sprinted away from him. Stealing a look behind her revealed Lancer already hurtling towards her. She barely ducked under his first slash and desperately rolled under the follow-ups. Rin knew, though, that under normal circumstances, a human couldn't hope to match a Servant in combat. Lancer was just playing with her.
She forced down her agitation and concentrated. Es ist groß… Her legs hummed with mana as she aimed for the fence. She was planning on Reinforcing her legs and nullifying her gravity to jump off the roof, then let one of her Servants catch her. Es ist-
"Hang on, guys!" Ruby's voice in her ear rattled her concentration, then her vision turned all red.
Lancer halted in mid-thrust as a swirling mass of rose petals appeared out of nowhere, seemingly sucked up the girlie and blasted over the fence and out into the yard below. And all within one second. He reached the edge to see the girlie stumbling behind two Servants in red, the smaller one having the steadiest footing. Petals danced around her while she glared up at him. "Cute and quick… I like her already." Then Lancer leaped after them.
Rin fought off her dizziness and blinked away the red spots in front of her vision to find Lancer X's cloak rippling in front of her. "Nice move," Archer rumbled to her right, "but stay sharp. His partner might be nearby."
"Right." Lancer X pulled out that red contraption of hers as the other Lancer dived in, but her partner was the first to intercept.
"Archer!" Another blink, then Rin could see perfectly again. She hoped she wouldn't have to travel by Petal Burst again anytime soon, but for now, her concentration was on the battle.
Archer stood in front of his team, a black curved blade in his left hand that immediately drew Ruby's attention. A white triangle pointed out from a partial yin-yang symbol while the blade itself had some red hexagonal design along its side. Giddiness rose inside her. It's about time!
Lancer smirked at his first opponent. "Here we go. I like it when people don't dodge around the business at hand." He crouched and gripped his spear with both hands.
"That makes two of us." Lancer X stepped forward a bit, her own weapon yet to be unveiled.
"You're definitely a Lancer, little lady." He ignored her glare to focus on the man. "But your buddy isn't giving off a Saber vibe. Who do we have here…?" Archer gave no answer, drawing a laugh from him. "You don't strike me as a duelist first, either, so I guess you're Archer." He eased up his stance a bit. "How about you take out your bow and let your cute partner dance with me? I like duels, but I'm not picky about it being one-on-one."
Lancer X tensed a little only to stop at a pointed look from her partner who then nodded towards their Master, all while still keeping an eye on their enemy. Rin wondered about his behavior, "Archer…?" before realizing he was signaling for them to wait for her orders. "Really?" Then again, this waswhat they'd talked about after their first argument.
And Rin Tohsaka was a woman of her word. "Archer, Lancer X, I'm not helping you in this fight. Here and now is the chance to prove your strength!"
Archer smirked and tightened his grip on his blade. Blue gale winds gathered from beneath him and rippled around his body.
"You got it!" Lancer X's smile was wider, and the energy that emanated from her was naturally red in color.
Lancer watched them seemingly casually, but in truth, his body and senses were on high alert. He waited to see which one would make the first move, half-expecting it to be the cutie. But it was Archer who disappeared and suddenly jumped to slash at his left. Lancer blocked the blade and parried its next attack, then swung in himself. The red Servant managed to divert both of his blows before sprinting to the side.
As for Lancer X, she preferred a fair one-on-one herself, but that didn't mean she wouldn't step in. Especially because she sensed Archer wasn't the stronger duelist here. So, she leaped forward herself; even without using Petal Burst, she reached the other Lancer instantly.
Lancer saw a flash of something crimson in his counterpart's hand as it raced towards him, but he was already shifting away from the thrust, still keeping the Archer in his peripherals… only her move wasn't a thrust, but a slash. A slight mechanical sound was the only warning he got before a large, curved blade bit into his neck, and he barely managed to parry it with a twist of his spear. Lancer X flipped away from his riposte, spun her weapon around her back, and then the blade was sweeping in for his left leg.
Only momentarily surprised by his partner's reveal, Archer quickly crossed the distance to strike at Lancer's back, but the blunt end smacked his blade away. He deflected two more blows before hopping back to let Lancer X's blade swing in again. The air itself trembled from the force of two crimson blades meeting one another, and twin diagonal lines split the ground between them. One Servant of the Spear wore a confident, slightly cheeky smile, the other an ecstatically broad grin. A third tried to take advantage of the lock, but Lancer pushed the scythe away and pounced upon Archer again.
Rin tried to follow their movements, but even with Reinforcement, she could only just keep up. Their weapons were like blurs, and the most she could tell was the damage made on the field just from their armaments clashing. One uppercut-like blow from Lancer X sent their enemy flying into the air, then a yelling Archer struck hard enough to blast Lancer into a wall. "This is how Servants battle…?" The sole human present mumbled in awe.
The three combatants separated for a momentary lull in the battle, though none of them were out of breath. But this meant Rin finally got to see Lancer X's weapon as more than just a red streak, and the two native Servants were eyeing it just as curiously.
What she gripped behind her back wasn't a spear, but a red scythe as tall as the girl's own body. The handle was all metal with some odd features near the handle, like a rectangular box and a tiny cylinder, and ended in a twin prong on one end. The other had an absolutely massiveblade; seriously, it was broader than Ruby's entire torso! The inner edge glinted silver in the moonlight.
Ruby Rose spun Crescent Rose gracefully around from behind her, as if she only weighed as much as a marching baton, and held her in front with both hands and a confident smirk. "Like my sweetheart? She's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"
"…A what?" Two voices chorused.
Archer had been silently staring at Lancer X's weapon, or maybe trying to stare would've been more correct. His eyes kept flickering open and shut the longer they were aimed at the oddly complex armament, much to his private irritation/confusion.
But now he echoed his partner's smirk as she planted the front of her scythe towards Lancer. "She means…" Lancer X pulled back a metal part on the handle. And only then did Lancer realize there was a small hole at the end. "It's also a gun."
A loud Bang! rang out as something surged from the scythe's hole towards the other Servant of the Spear. Instincts and a certain Personal Skill allowed him to evade the rifle bullet despite his shock, but then Archer was slashing at where he'd bent his body.
While the two male Servants were duking it out, Rin stared at the crimson weapon, smoke wafting from its end. "…I thought you said you were a Lancer."
"I am! And besides, you wouldn't let me show her to you up till now!" She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms while somehow keeping hold of the scythe… gun… thing. "It's not my fault there's no Reaper class for Servants! Stupid system, scythes are awesome…"
Then in a flash of rose petals, she was jumping into the fight just as Archer's blade shattered.
Multiple thrusts from Lancer finally broke that black toy, leaving the other man wide open. "Game over." Lancer drew back his spear for the final strike, only to break it off when a scythe he was growing more familiar with rushed in towards his torso. He brought up his spear to block it, but then Lancer X pulled the trigger, and while the round it fired was aimed opposite from Lancer, the force of its shot still sent the blade slashing into his abdomen. Lancer ducked under the swing and retaliated, noting how red energy crackled against Lancer X's neck where his tip scraped along.
Meanwhile, Archer muttered something drowned out by the cacophony of battle, then his second blade appeared in his right hand. Ruby's Aura had protected her throat from getting pierced, but Lancer's blow was still powerful enough to unbalance her for a split second, enough for him to thrust again. This time, Archer's blades swooped in to protect his partner. Lancer skidded backwards from the twin slashes against his spear before straightening again to deflect three bullets from Lancer X who was peering through her scope. "A dual-wielding Archer playacting a swordsman and a scythe-wielding Lancer who's a crack shot, too." He sized up his opposition anew. "What a pair you make!" Then he charged in for the next bout.
Privately, Cú Chulainn was ecstatic. This bout with the two was turning out as challenging as the one he had two nights ago with that metal-armed lunatic. Whoo, that was a wild time!
Rin continued to watch this two-on-one clash, gradually growing more accustomed to its pace. By now, she had adjusted her Reinforced eyes enough to keep track of their movements for the most part. Archer was the most visible while both Lancers were like gusts of wind at times, her Lancer discernable through the petals that danced around her. As for the Servant of the Bow, every time he lost or broke one of his blades, another would appear in his hand. And they were adjusting to each other, Rin noted, even while they fought together.
Then Lancer X ejected some kind of red box from her scythe and inserted another one in, except this one bore a symbol of a black circle surrounded by squares. She stabbed her blade in the ground, took aim at Lancer and pulled the trigger, the resultant Bang carrying a sort of purple shockwave. And the next bullet he deflected nearly sent him sprawling. Lancer X beamed at her curious partner. "Gravity Dust."
Archer nodded with a hum. "Impressive. But I doubt that trick will work twice," He warned as he leaped forward to press the advantage.
"We'll see." Lancer X then pointed Crescent Rose behindher and fired again. Rin actually stumbled slightly from the ripple of the gravity disruption while her Servant used the recoil of her shot to clear the distance to Lancer faster than Archer. He rolled backwards underneath her gravity-powered swing only for Archer's white blade to dig slightly into his back. Grunting, he unleashed a seemingly erratic flurry of stabs and swings that shattered his male opponent's right weapon (again) and forced them back.
Red eyes were locked on Archer while he called forth another Bakuya, Kanshou awaiting its mate in his other hand. "That's number sixteen," Lancer frowned at him. "I've disarmed you sixteen times, but you keep whipping out more."
Looks like he's getting impatient. And aside from R-Lancer X, this scene feels a little familiar… He considered the situation and decided to prod a little. "What's the matter?" Archer shifted a bit away from Lancer X. "You don't strike me as the type to wait and see, and don't start complaining now. You were the one who suggested facing the both of us."
True enough, Lancer was sporting a bit of mileage from their dual assault. A nick by his throat, some cuts along his legs, chest and back, and his left pauldron was a bit cracked. Still, none of it was life-threatening. "Crafty fox," he clicked his tongue, "trying to bait me? Well, I might as well just ask now. From which land does your legend come from? I've never heard of a guy with a bow using two swords, either."
Lancer X stayed silent, herself a little curious. Those two blades she'd watch Archer use the whole time were already cool enough, especially in their symmetry. It was like they were built married! And Archer hadn't even drawn his bow yet! Wait, did the blades combine into a bow? No, this world didn't have mechashift weapons…
Anyway, her partner didn't seem willing to talk about his missing identity. "As for me, I have a good idea who you are. They say Lancers are comprised of only the fastest heroes, and you're at least on par with my partner's natural speed." Ruby silently conceded the point while Archer continued his analysis. "That puts you at a level not even three spearmen of our world's history can boast. Factor in that wild animal's agility of yours, and that leaves us with only one."
"Flattery won't get you everywhere, Archer." Rin noted how unconcerned Lancer seemed about them being this close to unraveling his identity. "Though I have to say, you, little lady," he turned to Lancer X who looked a bit peeved at the "little" moniker, "you are a lot more impressive than him. That weapon of yours sings with passion and is a true beauty at that. Not once have I seen or heard of anything like her."
Lancer X's irritation gave way to a bashful joy. "Aw, thanks! That spear of yours is really cool, too!" She rubbed the back of her head. "And, yeah, I might've gone a little overboard with putting Crescent Rose together-"
"Hold up, hold up, you built that?" The blue Servant whistled in genuine respect. "A warrior and a craftsman. Er, craftswoman, sorry."
But she waved it off, happy to gush about her creation. "Sure, I made her myself, it's kind of a normal thing back where I'm from. We all design and build our own weapons when our training really kicks off. Didn't you guys make yours?" She stared at both of the native Servants so earnestly Rin wanted to laugh. How can a girl be so skilled and composed one second, and so adorably childish the next?
One look from those eyes, and Archer found himself wanting to answer. "It's… complicated."
As for the other Lancer, he shrugged while hefting his class weapon. "Afraid not, this here's a hand-me-down from my teacher. And I can't tell you more than that, what with us being enemies and the matter of our True Names." Rin sighed to herself; that would've been too good to be true. Still, they'd picked up a little more data from this. Guess Lancer X's perkiness had its uses. "A pity, this is the first time I meet a warrior who specializes in scythes." The blue Heroic Spirit rested his spear atop his shoulder. "In another time, we might've been able to come together for a night, compare weapons, but this will have to do."
Protective fury abruptly surged inside Archer at the blue dog's words, but he took a deep breath to leash it. "Come together for a night…" Hah! Over my dead body. …Wait, what am I thinking?
Lancer X, though, didn't notice the implications (such as they might've been) and sighed back. "Yeah, it's a real bummer we Servants have to go all slash, stabby, fight-fight-fight as soon as we see each other. I'd have liked to get a better look at your spear." She shrugged. "Oh well, sorry, but I've got a job to do."
"So do I." Lancer waved off her apology and sank back into his stance. "And fun though this is, if we keep going at this pace, one of you is going to kill me sooner or later."
"Then maybe you should call in your own partner," Archer taunted even as his eyes scanned the vicinity. "It's impolite for you to keep him hidden when you get to dance with mine."
Lancer grimaced. "Would if I could… But that ship has sailed." Rather than elaborate, he drew his right foot back and extended his left while brandishing his spear. Crimson power emanated from the point like flames and traveled up its length. "You'll just have to settle for me. Let's see if either of you will meet my greatest strike."
Lancer X twirled Crescent Rose once before pulling her back. "Bring it on, I've seen worse."
Archer readied Kanshou and Bakuya. "I'd have to take you down eventually anyway."
Not good. On the sidelines, Rin was much less confident than her Servants. Her eyes were locked on that blazing spear. So much mana… He's definitely ready to invoke his Noble Phantasm. She bit her lip. There's got to be something…
Then the Servants' ears, inhumanly sharp as they were, picked up a scraping sound.
Shirou had finished up with the dojo about a minute ago, but he was no closer to figuring out what was going on in the school. His clones hadn't found anything concrete, either, even after sneaking into a few rooms (and doing a little extra cleaning). By now, they'd released themselves and the lack of anything concrete from their memories made him sigh. "Oh well… I might have to let Aunt Maiya know about this. She may have a solution… but it wouldn't be right to drag her here right after she gets back home."
Besides, Shirou was growing up. He shouldn't have needed his aunt's help to solve a problem, particularly when she had so much on her own plate… He set down the water bucket and yawned. "I'll check it out a little more tomorrow. Maybe I'll find-"
Clang! He started. What was that sound? Shirou walked towards a window as it intensified. It was like some blacksmith was hammering on a piece of metal, but more… erratic.
Outside, a huge cloud of dust had been kicked up with sparks of red and blue bouncing all over the place. Shirou thought he could something red drifting about once or twice as he stepped outside near the track field. The closer he got, the more he could make out:
Two men and one girl fighting each other…? And were those real weapons they were swinging around? "Who in the…?"
His throat felt dry all of a sudden. These guys were swinging at one another fast he might've thought he was hallucinating, but the damage all over the field was veryreal. Then they paused and started talking. It was too far away for Shirou to hear them, but the conversation ended in the blue guy straightening while the spear held suddenly lit up like a candle. This fight seemed to be getting intense, and a little voice in the back of the boy's head was asking if he really needed to stick around and watch. He stepped back…
And his foot scraped audibly against the dirt.
And then red eyes glared at his spot as the man in blue turned around. "Who's out there?!" He didn't look happy, and that spear of his was looking pretty sharp, so Shirou spun around and ran. He wasn't sure where to go, only that staying in this spot was a really bad idea.
Lancer X's eyes snapped between the boy running into the school and Lancer already in mid-lunge. Her Semblance activated even as she assessed these two facts, but by the time she re-materialized in front of the enemy Servant amid fluttering petals, she already knew what her next move was.
Dirt flew beneath Cú Chulainn's feet as he halted in place, grunting from his imperfect block of his female counterpart's scythe. Its blade was suspended centimeters from his right pectoral, but those pleading yet determined silver eyes bit into him even more. "Don't," Lancer X stated, not begged. "He's just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Rotten luck for him." He didn't like it, but he had his orders. "Trust me, I'd rather continue our bout than do this." Lancer then stomped forward with a push, unsettling Lancer X enough for him to spring over her. He then barreled into the school after the witness, noting she was one step behind him. Something furry(?) struck his side, but he shrugged off the impact.
Rin could only watch one of her Servants take off after Lancer as she ran to the other one. "A student?" She had only just made out the telltale brown of their uniform. "Somebody was still here at the school?"
"Apparently." Unlike his partner, Archer had remained at his spot. Partially to guard Rin in case any other Servants were hiding in the shadows, partially… "Guess our lives just got saved." He dispelled his blades. "Lancer's probably going to take him out because he was a witness. Maybe Ruby can save him." Inwardly, he doubted it. Fate wasn't so easily changed…
"Go after them, Archer!" a panicked Rin ordered him. "I'll catch up with you too!" She then broke into a run towards the school entrance. Damn, how could I be so stupid?! She berated herself for forgetting the basics. The first rule of a magus is to not let witnesses live. I never liked that rule, so I've always taken extra care, but… She made it to the doors, an unexpected thought at the forefront of her mind: Come on, Ruby!
Inside the school, Shirou ran panting as fast as he could up the stairs and into the hallway where he'd argued with Shinji a few hours ago, trying to look for a place to hide. All the classrooms were deserted, of course, but they were locked, too. Where could he duck into that the spear-slinging guy wouldn't find him in three seconds…?
As he glanced behind him, the man in blue skidded to a graceful stop in front of the hallway. His spear's tip glinted dangerously from the moonlight. But then a larger, curved blade hooked around it and pulled it away while two boots slammed into the man's chest, sending him grunting into the wall. Shirou watched baffled in between catching his breath as a red-cloaked girl turned to him, her silver eyes sparkling with worry. "Get out of here! Hurry!"
That sounded like a very good idea, now if only his legs would cooperate…! The blue man was back on his feet and glaring at the girl as she swung her scythe at him. The hallway was too narrow for a weapon that broad, though, so he easily lunged inside her swing and rammed his shoulder into her. As she staggered back, he leveled his spear towards Shirou, only for a small, pale shape to barrel into his stomach. It landed in front of him with a growl Shirou recognized. "Shiba…?"
"Shirou, run!" The mohawked hound yelled at him before darting away from a slash of the spear. The blue man glared down at him in confusion, thereby failing to notice the bigger dog sneaking up from behind. A snarling Bull then pounced onto his back and bit down hard into his left shoulder. The man cried out in pain, staggering from both the bulldog's weight and bite.
Lancer X blinked in shock at the new development. "Doggies…?" Then the smaller fella leaped up, his own jaws clearly aiming for Lancer's throat. But a stroke from that red spear smacked him through the window with a pained yelp, then the native Servant grabbed the bulldog's mouth, pried his jaws open just enough, and heaved him into Ruby as she made for another attack. She stumbled from the sudden weight, then the spear's tip cracked into the left side of her head. If it hadn't been for her Aura, her skull would've been split in half.
"Shiba! Bull!" Shirou had made it halfway through the hall when he saw the two dogs get hurt. Bursts of smoke signified their summoning ending, but his worry of if they were still alive let alone okay halted him in his tracks again. Then the girl in red went down, and the blue man disappeared. The boy's eyes darted about, trying to find him…
"Hey…" He heard the man's voice and spun around- Sh-shnk.
Shirou's mouth hung gasping open. He couldn't move his arms or legs. His whole body felt like it had lost all its strength, and he could only stare down in the hole in the chest that just appeared… Then that spear appeared in a shimmer of blue as it stabbed into him.
Lancer X pushed herself back to her feet only to see Lancer materialize and run the boy through. "No!" She sped down the hallway as her counterpart pulled his spear out and flicked the blood away, the boy falling to his knees between pained gasps. He would've faceplanted if she hadn't reached him. "No…"
"Sorry." Lancer stared down at them, hopping away from the girl slashing her scythe one-handed at him. "Not much luck going around tonight." He winced from the bite on his shoulder. "Not much at all… I didn't want to do that, little lady, but he saw us, so he had to die."
"Y-you didn't have to kill him!" Ruby angrily retorted while blood spilled through her fingers and onto the floor. "We could've just wiped his memories or-or…"
Lancer shrugged his right shoulder, too much pain in his left. "I'm afraid I don't know much about erasing minds, and he's guaranteed not to talk if he's dead. It's the boy's own fault for having no luck or power… but two damn mutts." His good humor had evaporated. "It was fun battling you, little lady, but to make me do a lousy job like this…" The Celtic Heroic Spirit glared behind him. "This is no task for a Heroic Spirit. …Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm going."
Lancer X in her anger only then realized he wasn't talking to her anymore. She gently set down the boy, shifted Crescent Rose into rifle mode and took aim, but fast as her actions were, he was already dissipating. "Man, why did I have to be saddled with a scumbag for a Master…" His voice became an echo, and it was soon only her and the boy.