Capítulo 1701: 15
Chapter 15: Chapter 11 Night 4 (p1)
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
As I burst through the cloudbank below me, I feel Reinhard's Blessing of Clouds activate and I land gently on the clouds, now as solid to me as the ground far below. Beneath me, I can make out Trifas, and with my blessing that lets me see through mists and clouds active I now have a perfect overlook of the whole city. Speaking of…
'I've touched down, and am ready to start.'
'Very well, Master. We will wait for a minute for you to clear out the immediate onlookers, and will then proceed.'
A general positive acknowledgement back and then, through the clouds, I begin scanning the air above the city. Within seconds, my instincts draw me to Black's seeing eye golems and…well, there's quite a few. Thankfully, I don't need to waste time dealing with all of them.
"Ul Flura."
The cloud around me shifts, as blades of air spring into existence around me- the clouds might be solid to my feet, but they aren't actually solid and so the windblades now orbiting around me churn them up. With a through, I send the blades careening down towards specific golems. I'd have preferred to use Jiwald, the Light Magic lasers having rapidly become my favorite magic spell branch, but at least for now we we're going for subtlety. With Jiwalds, it would be possible for surviving golems to trace the lasers; but the Flura wind spells, while not hitscan, are effectively invisible and move erratically towards their chosen targets.
As I begin to cast again, the first blade lands and the golem is bisected from head to base. An instant later, the second blade cuts one diagonally, a third horizontally, and a fourth bisected upwards, from tip to top. With the attacks invisible and coming at all angles, working out where they're coming from should be impossible. I keep casting on the move, taking advantage of my infinite mana supply to launch launch blades of wind down into the flying golems all over the city.
'You can move now. I think you should be clear, though I'll keep it up just in a bit longer.'
Another positive burst back, and I get a move on, throwing out more wind-blades as I leap across to another cloud. I gradually move north, out of and over the city, and then loop around east until I can make out Black's Fortress, far below and south of me. Here I stop, and step backwards to let the clouds fully obscure me. Time to wait for the next stage of the plan.
-
Traveling after Atalanta, especially in spirit mode, was an… experience for Artoria. The Grecian Huntress was a shocking blend of speed and stealth and following her lead the three were able to exit the city seemingly without anyone noticing- the more mundane eyes of Black were unable to see them in spirit form, while the magical eyes of Black were in the process of being blinded; through her link, she can feel her Master's satisfaction as he continues his work. Mordred lets out a low, telepathic 'whistle'.
'He's, what, a couple kilometres up and still able to do that? Our Master is kind of a monster, huh. I don't think your shitty court wizard could have done that.'
Calm. It was a clear attempt at provoking a reaction; Mordred should know better than anyone else alive that Merlin would have had a thousand ways of solving such a problem. When it's clear there's no reply forthcoming from Artoria, Mordred also stays silent, something Artoria considers a blessing. By this point, they've cleared the city now and are in the woods and mountains south of Trifas. Here, it would be up to Atalanta to keep them clear of any observers- their Master was all the way on the other side of the city, dealing with his own matters, and shooting down any out here would have revealed their location.
Thankfully, though unsurprisingly, Atalanta is easily up to the task. The observers in the woods to this direction are, according to her, minimal, and easy enough to slip past. She can feel Mordred's now-wordless grumbling in the back of her mind, that this kind of thing wasn't her style, but Artoria puts that aside. Mordred would just have to operate with a degree of subtlety. Eventually, without incident, the three reach the edge of the mountain ridge looking down on the deep lake where Caster of Black's Noble Phantasm was located. Past that, she can just make out Black's Fortress, and somewhere in the clouds on the other side would be…
'Master, we have arrived. Moving into position now.'
'Wow, you guys did that fast. No problems?'
'None. Atalanta was as adept a guide as you surmised.'
To her side, Artoria can feel Atalanta's ears and tail twitch at the exchange, though her face remains otherwise impassive.
'Right then, good luck.'
'And to you, Master.'
The link once again closes, and Artoria nods to both Atalanta and Mordred before beginning her descent onto the surface of the lake itself. As she steps onto the water's surface, her instincts warn her that there's a sleeping monster underneath, one that won't wake up but that it would be dangerous if it did. Just as predicted. In the center of the lake, she plants herself, legs apart and sword tip-down, onto the water. Invisible Air causes the water to ripple around the blade, the enchantment working to keep the tip of the blade concealed despite the liquid around it.
She can tell, behind her and to her left, Mordred move into position, still in spirit form. It felt ironic that she was so soon entrusting her back to her betrayer, but…Artoria could acknowledge that Mordred did seem to genuinely be attempting to make amends. No, she did not feel she had to worry about another betrayal. Shaking her head, she opens the link towards all members of White; the Archer still on the crest of the hill, her…knight to her left and her distant Master.
'I am prepared.'
'Good to go over here, even if I'm bored as hell.'
'Right. We're set, Master, if you're ready.'
There's a pause, and she can feel Reinhard take a deep breath, as if before a plunge.
'Well then, let's kick this off. Fire when ready I guess.'
-
A shout of fury carries through the halls of the Fortress of Millennia; not the now-usual rantings of Gordes or the occasional muttered threats of Celenike, but a voice that before now has been barely raised. Avicebron, the golem master and Caster of Black, bursts through the doors leading into the command room of the Black Faction to where both Darnic and Vlad III are sitting.
"Caster. What do you have to repo-"
"It's White! They've found it!"
"What do you-"
And then there's a distant blast, somewhere south-east of the Fortress. Caster of Black stills, and then angrily snatches one of the candles in the room. With a wave of his hand, the flames disappear as an image replaces them. The picture shows a woman, fully armoured, standing on the roiling surface of a familiar lake. Beneath her feet, water seems to pour as if she's somehow releasing water into the lake, and there, now exposed, is upper body of the Golem Keter Malkuth. She raises her eyes towards the observer and gestures briefly. An instant later, the image cuts out, and the candle is once again just a candle.
Avicebron doesn't wait for either leader of Black to speak.
"All tonight, I've been losing golems over Trifas. How I'm not sure, but why is clear- they wanted to get to the lake undisturbed so as to destroy my Noble Phantasm."
Darnic is about to speak but Vlad III raises his hand, and the Master falls silent.
"...Call all of the Black Faction. A challenge this brazen cannot stand."
-
Gordes is the first one to speak, looking at the image.
"...Yes. That's King Arthur."
Almost reluctant to back up his Master, Saber of Black merely nods once in confirmation.
"It's a trap."
The Archer Chiron speaks up, softly. Vlad III scoffs.
"Clearly it's a trap- they are trying to draw us out. However, I believe that we can overcome such a challenge, even with all their scuttling and traps."
"That's King Arthur, you know. My king was raised on tales of his…well, tales of hers I guess. Looks like she also has some gend-"
Vlad III cuts past the mad ramblings of Rider.
"It might not be easy, but this was never expected to be an easy war. But it is winnable. On my land, I will not lose, no matter if my foe is King Arthur."
Archer shakes his head.
"...White so far has operated with unnaturally good information; they uncovered the identity of Saber of Black with a glance, seem to have made our own city their base without a trace and have a working relationship with Ruler. They would know of your prowess- it was demonstrated for all to see to the Magus Association before the War started."
There's a small cough, and a voice almost unused to speaking draws attention. Saber of Black, seeing he has the floor, speaks.
"It also wouldn't just be King Arthur. Her Master was a Servant in his own right, and they'll have whichever Servant of Red has joined their side. I'm…also worried about something. Recently, I've been feeling a dangerous foe slowly awaken. It's possible that the Master of White is-"
"I will not just allow my Noble Phantasm to be destroyed while you bicker! If I must, I will send all available Golems as well as Spartacus! I'm his Master, after all, and a King should be good enough to draw his ire."
"No-one will abandon your Noble Phantasm, Caster. It's one of the keys to our success; we are not going to let White just invade my land and destroy such a critical resource."
Archer closes his eyes and shakes his head.
"So, we all charge off to fight King Arthur, leaving our Masters here? When the Master of White and his unknown Servant could then attack?"
There's silence at that. Avicerbron's eyes had been blinded all across the city, with no way to tell where the other members of White were located.
"We'll split our forces. One deals with King Arthur at the lake, and one guards our Masters here."
"...I will remain."
Once again, Saber of Black speaks.
"If the Master of White is operating alone, I am best suited to face him. If he does appear at the lake, I will move there."
"I'll remain as well. My archery can reach the lake and support that group from here."
And, needless to say, Avicebron would also remain; as fired up as he was about Keter Malkuth, he knew as well as any that he did not belong on the field, certainly not against a top-rank Servant. All he could accomplish would be to delay the foe for the five seconds it would take for him to be killed.
"I will lead our response, accompanied by Rider, and our two Berserkers. Even if the three members of White are all present at the lake, we will have both the advantage of numbers as well as ranged support from Archer, and Saber can move to join us when the location of White's Master is uncovered. If White has split their forces, we can overwhelm the Lake force while guarding against an attack on our Masters."
Everyone gives a nod of ascent, though Archer's and Saber's eyes are both troubled. Still, Vlad III turns to Darnic and Avicebron.
"Ready the golems and homunculi. We're departing this instant, to teach these overconfident invaders that they cannot trespass on my lands without consequence."
-
Movement from far below, through the clouds I'm standing on, catches my eye and I turn away from general scouting to focus there. I can't see into the fortress proper itself- my angle unfortunately has the main building in the way of the courtyard, but I can see the path leading out of the front gate. A column begins to emerge; ranks of armed and uniformed homunculi, flanked by golems. Some are the multi-meter tall variants I remember from Apocrypha, of bronze and stone, but there are other variants I don't remember- slightly smaller golems with more intricate designs, as well as several that are even larger than the combat golems.
'Movement. Looks like Black is sending a lot of mooks your way, but I haven't yet seen any Servants.'
Artoria's 'voice' chimes in.
''Mooks'?'
Before I can explain, Mordred takes over.
'Ah, it means smallfry, father. The kind you don't really need to worry about, who you can cut down to relieve stress without a care.'
'I'd prefer if you didn't-'
Atalanta cuts me off, voice calm but focused.
'I can see them and will keep watching and open fire as planned. And again, Master, I won't be following your preference in this. I get trying to spare the Masters and Servants because of your circumstances, but there's no reason to extend that to the homunculi. They're opposing my wish, willingly or not, and so their lives are forfeit. It's just bad luck for them. You and King Arthur can spare those you fight, but I'm-'
We'd had this conversation before, back in the planning phase, but Atalanta hadn't budged on this. And while I could either influence her via link or Command Seal…well, that wouldn't exactly be how I would want the foundation of what could be a long-term partnership to go. Whatever reply I was forming is cut off when a mounted man appears, seemingly having jumped the walls on his horse. Riding skills let you do Fire Emblem or Skyrim bullshit, I guess.
'Lancer's heading your way.'
There's more movement at the gate, but Atalanta's better angle there lets her see what's going on first.
'Three more Servants. I can identify Spartacus and Berserker of Black from before, and from your description the last one is Rider.'
'No sign of Siegfried? Chiron staying back I'd get, but Siegfried should be Black's Artoria counter.'
'None so far. And the gate's now closing- looks like that's all we'll be facing right now.'
So. I'm probably up against Siegfried, Chiron and Avicebron, while the other four are off to the lake. Siegfried…he had outmatched me in direct strength last time, thanks to my incomplete Reinhard mantling and his dragon-advantage. It's possible my own Loan had removed that last bit, but I wouldn't bet on it- relying on being able to game a punishment into an advantage was too risky. On the other hand, Reinhard should be much, much faster than Siegfried, and even back before I fully unlocked Reinhard's powers my dodge blessings had worked- I just hadn't been able to because of Atalanta being stuck behind me. Looks like keep-away would be the name of the game, as well as going for Siegfried's glaring weak point in this fight.
-
With the advance of Black's column traced and reported on from both Atalanta and her Master, it comes as no surprise to Artoria when the first ranks of homunculi and golems break the tree line, emerging into the clearing between lake and woods. She can feel every pair of eyes in Black's army drawn to her, standing motionless on the lake, and she takes the opportunity to survey her opposition. At the head of the formation there is a thin, pale man on mounted on a golem horse- Lancer Vlad III, from her Master's description. A little behind him she makes out the figures of Astolfo, Frankenstein's Monster and Spartacus.
There's a moment of silence as the Black faction's forces array themselves out, and the golem-horse of Lancer steps forwards. Vlad III raises his lance to Artoria, and his voice rings out.
"Criminal who has trespassed on my land, it is time for your judgement. Kazikli Bey: Lord of Execution!"
There's no tell from his body language, but Artoria's Instinct shouts a warning as the muddy earth that forms the lake bed tens of meters below her transforms into a hundred stakes, all rising up beneath her. Still, with her warning, the distance, and with the water slowing the spikes it takes all of a single step to avoid the mass of stakes that burst up where she had been standing. Behind her, she feels Atalanta raise her bow to the heavens as she begins her chant.
'With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection of the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis.'
Letting water-tinted mana fill her limbs and form a thin barrier around her, she meets her foe's gaze and bursts forwards. Despite her speed, Lancer's eyes track her; from the mass of stakes now-behind Artoria, fresh stakes emerge to chase after her, while from the shoreline a wall of over a thousand stakes surge forward, jutting towards her as if she were charging cavalry. This all occurs far too quickly for Black's homunculi to respond to, Artoria's charge carrying her across the lake in less than a second.
'I offer thee this calamity- Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow!'
The words can't be actually heard on the battlefield, coming over a kilometre away, but Artoria can 'hear' Atalanta's Noble Phantasm activation clearly. The effects, though, can be clearly seen by all, as light breaks through the dark of night as uncountable arrows rain from the heavens towards Black's forces.
Both clashes happen simultaneously, Artoria cutting down the stakes before her with a single swing and breaking through towards Lancer, while the torrential rain of arrows slams down into Black's army. The Servants, of course, have no trouble against such a dispersed attack; Berserker of Black's lighting jolts between arrows mid-air, while Lancer forms a shield of stakes above his head to intercept any shots. Berserker of Black is not even targeted; their Master had explained Spartacus' endurance and his Noble Phantasm. The golems and homunculi are not so fortunate. Even with Rider trying his best to defend the homunculi, leaping between clumps of homunculi to cut down arrows with his lance, the barrage still scythes through Black's numbers.
Lancer does not have time to worry about that, though, Artoria has made it to the shore and it takes all of his strength and skill to deflect Artoria's blow, dozens of stakes shooting up into a shielding column. He lashes out with his spear in response, the stakes parting around his spear to let it through, but she casually slips away from the strike as well as the stakes that spring up by her feet. Thanks to her Master, she knows that a single wound from the spear would be dangerous, that Lancer could then cause stakes to emerge from within her. With Avalon, it was likely such a blow would not be fatal, but it was certainly to be avoided at all costs.
'With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for-.'
Two crazed shouts from her left and right, female and male respectively. Frankenstein and Spartacus launch themselves at her, but in their madness they are uncoordinated- Spartacus too slow and Frankenstein too fast. A burst of pure mana, water barrier dropping, and she's counter-charged Frankenstein. Mismatched eyes widen, but Black's true Berserker simply cannot change course to respond in time. The final member of Black, however, does, as Artoria's swing meets Astolfo's lance; the Rider having lunged desperately between herself and Berserker. As Artoria moves to overpower this new foe, her instincts blare a warning. Above and behind her, the wave of stakes from the lake has caught up, while new stakes flow towards her, attempting to engulf her.
Releasing yet more mana, Artoria flicks Rider away with a twitch of her sword, then completes the motion to bring her invisible blade up towards the incoming swarm. The Hammer of the Wind King blasts through the stakes, shattering them to pieces and sending those pieces flying. With the wind sheathe dispersed, all present can make out the holy sword Excalibur; even the surviving homunculi's eyes, having been uselessly trying to follow the fighting so as to intervene, are momentarily drawn to the blade.
'-I offer thee this calamity- Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow!'
"Again?!"
Rider's exclamation is timed perfectly, as two more arrows shoot up from the mountains behind the lake. Frankenstein's creation, blown away by the backdraft of Invisible Air, raises her mace to the heavens, and Lancer lunges towards Artoria with both spear and stakes, still using his stakes as something of an umbrella against the coming barrage. Like Berserker, Rider also doesn't attack Artoria at all; instead he leaps up into the air, to mount his hippogriff that springs into existence beneath him. As the beast rises to face the incoming wave of arrows, Rider calls forth a large black horn into his free hands and blows with all his might.
Artoria, focused on Vlad and his deadly spear, cannot make out precisely what happens next, but the wave of arrows is significantly less this time and fails to inflict any real damage to any Servant. The homunculi and golems are also mostly spared thanks to Rider and begin to slowly reform their ranks and charge towards the fighting, the smaller golems and some homunculi launching spells that flow harmlessly off Saber.
'With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection-'
There's no exclamation this time, but there is a wordless look of shock as Black's Servants notice the feeling for a third time and realize that Archer of White plans to relentlessly attack them with her Noble Phantasm from beyond their range. Lancer's composure slips with a snarl and, together with Spartacus, he again moves to engage Artoria. Simultaneously, Rider and Berserker of Black both pull back and east, away from the fighting on the shore and around the lake. The plan is obvious- for the only Servant capable of somewhat matching her to engage her, while the two others take out her support. Whether Spartacus had been intended to engage Atalanta and had disobeyed or whether he was being kept as another wall of endurance was unclear, but in any case, this would not do.
'Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow!'
Even as Atalanta's third use of her Noble Phantasm occurs, Artoria lets mana fill her body and she leaps back, away from Lancer's spear and stakes and back onto the center of the lake. Golden wisps trail around her sword, and a second later she sends it slashing downwards towards Rider and Berserker.
"EX-calibur!"
The beam cuts through the dark of night in an instant, turning the clearing into day. There's a pause of shock, as Black takes in the devastation. From the lake, a massive trail of destruction cuts north-east, punching straight through the mountain that had been in the path of the beam and continuing on as far as can be seen. Along the trail of destruction, Artoria can make out Frankenstein, seeming to have fallen just outside the beam. Of Astolfo, however, there is no-
"Wow, was I cool or what? I've always wanted to do a diving save!"
The hippogriff and Rider shimmer back into existence near where Frankenstein had fallen. Rider's eyes are fixed on Artoria and her blade. It seems the Rider had managed to activate his Noble Phantasm in time.
"That sword's no joke. It's definitely up there with Charlie's, no doubt. And it's kinda cool that you only pulled it out when there was nothing behind us that could get hit. If only your Archer was so cool…"
As Rider keeps talking, Artoria realizes something.
'Atalanta? Your Noble Phantasm?'
'Busy- Now! They- Seem- To- Have- Picked- Up- Master's- Trick!'
Artoria looks up and sees why. In the air overhead, arrows are flying back and forth, intercepting each other. No, that isn't right. The shots from Black's Fortress are all intercepting Atalanta's, even as Atalanta tries to reposition along the hilly ridge she's moving along. Chiron's terrifying accuracy was being used to shut down Atalanta's support while also revealing her location, as she tries to shoot back at the centaur. As for her Noble Phantasm, Artoria must assume that one of her complaint arrows was intercepted, like how her Master managed in their first encounter.
A sound behind her, and she spins to find- to find Lancer, still mounted on his horse, surfing towards her on a wave of stakes. Rather than waste time trying to stake her from beneath the lake, he has decided to bring the fight to her. Behind her, she can hear Astolfo suddenly break into an argument with thin air, something about "using human shields is lame", but Lancer's arrival, with Spartacus charging over the stake bridge after him, draws her full attention.
-
Mordred hates this plan. She's been forced to sit silently in spirit form, away from her liege and the fighting, all to protect Master's second Servant. Her Father is perfect…well, perfect in all the ways that matter, but leaving hi- her to fight four other Servants with just one Archer's support is wrong. Not that Father couldn't manage that- Father could beat a hundred crappy Servants without problem. It's just…
'Mordred! Servants- above- you! Both- on- Rider's- mount-.'
That annoying Archer's voice cuts across her brooding. Finally. How long did it take them to realize they couldn't beat Father in a fight and go after hi- her support? With her battle about to begin, she reaches out to their Master to let him know it's time.
'Master. I'm about to engage. Get yourself ready.'
'Good luck, Mordred. Remember what-'
'Yeah yeah. Worry about yourself first; that Saber you warned us about still isn't here, so you're stuck with him. Use a Command Seal if you need my help; I'd like to try fighting them."
Her Master might have replied, but the sound of wings above her cuts him off. Coming out of Spirit Form, red lighting spills out around her as she takes a deep pull from her inexhaustible mana supply, before shooting up from the forest like a missile, toppling the trees around her from the force of her charge.
-
Vlad III realizes that even now he is outmatched, even on his own soil. His opponent is just too fast, too strong, too tough, too well-informed, and above all is now on terrain that is simply too advantageous. Somehow, she can tell that his victory lies in his spear and so has done all she can to avoid it- letting stakes glance off her armour or her strange water-barrier if that will help her avoid his spear. At one point, her efforts to dodge the spear let a single stake slip past all her defences and cut into her leg, but it was instantly shattered off by her movement and the wound had already healed, fast enough that not a drop of blood had landed in the lake itself.
Her overflowing mana, seemingly able to heal wounds instantly, reminds him of the time spent theorizing about the nature of White's Master. And from there, he remembers Ruler's absurd statement that this top-tier Servant somehow has no Wish. That she's hired herself out, is working for another's cause.
"From your Noble Phantasm, I know you truly are King Arthur. Why work for Archer of Red-no, Archer of White? Do you not have a Wish yourself? Surely, as a monarch, you must have desires?"
Even as he says this, she leaps over a wave of stakes that strike up from beneath her, jumping as if she could tell in advance the stakes would emerge there. The stakes he sends into the air after her are cut to pieces, and she once again easily lands on the surface of the lake. Her sword cuts out, not at him this time, but at the stakes he's using as a foothold. Even now, he was constantly having to send out smaller waves of stakes to both shore and the ground below, not to fight his foe but to maintain his island of spikes. Spartacus has long since fallen into the lake; thankfully Spartacus was in no danger of drowning in this much water and would sooner or later emerge, but for now he was alone against this…absurdity of a Servant. He could easily retreat, leap away from the lake, but that would let his foe use her Noble Phantasm again, so…
"When I was a King, I ruled without desire, and have since accepted my reign as having ended. As a human now, what I desire does not require the grail. I have good food, I have comrades and companions, and a purpose. I have no need of the Grail, not as a King nor as a human."
Vlad III lets out a sigh at Saber of White's reply.
"You remind me of Ruler, and not just in appearance. I cannot understand how neither of you have regrets."
"Of course I have regrets. Over the past day, several of my own flaws have been highlighted, and I regret them just as anyone will regrets their failures. However, I also know that the pursuit of an impossible dream has value; even if it could not be reached by my hands, it may inspire others to reach for it in my place. Erasing that part of me would do no-one, not me nor anyone else, any service."
That statement causes Lancer's fist to clench, and stakes burst forth all around the lake's shore, converging on this inhuman monster.
"I should have known a perfect king like you would have come to a perfect conclusion, unable to understand those of us forced into the muck by the slander of humanity. Die, then, as a human who is no longer King."
Even if he could not defeat this foe alone, a monarch could rely on subordinates; once the Archer was dealt with, his own Archer as well as the other Servants could assist, and when White's Master was uncovered-
'It's a trap!'/''Lancer, the Master of White is attacking the fortress.'
Astolfo's panicked warning merges with Chiron's report as, to the west of the lake, red lighting shoots out from the ground under Astolfo's mount and sends both its passengers falling to the ground, while behind him at the Fortress of Millennia he can 'hear' wards blare out their warnings for a moment before they are shattered, something smashing through them at impossible speeds.
-
Diving from the clouds to the ground, I find, is an experience I don't especially like. Even though I know I'll come to no harm, kicking off the clouds only to reach the earth in less than a second still causes me to almost flinch. It would have felt better if I hadn't had the reactions to appreciate the descent, though of course that comes with the body that allows me to survive in the first place.
I'm past Yggdrmennia's fortress walls, having slammed through their detection and warding barriers effectively simultaneously and made landfall in the courtyard between main building and walls. Before me is a host of uniformed homunculi, all moving supplies or arming themselves, and none have been able to raise their heads from their tasks as the first note of whatever alarm the wards had been tied to begins to chime out. Before any of them can even begin to focus on me, both my hands go wide.
"El Shamak."
The courtyard disappears in black smoke- the magecraft interference wards unable to keep up with the unlimited-mana-backed spell. As one, the homunculi stumble as they become disorientated, losing all sense as well as control of their bodies. Immune as I am to Yin magic, from there it's a simple matter to zigzag between the pockets of homunculi, using my mana-draining and slumber-inducing touch to put them all to sleep. By the time the second note of the alarm has started, no-one other than me remains conscious in the courtyard.
And then I feel a presence enter the courtyard from the main building, dissipating my spell as they come into contact with it.
-
The first thing Siegfried saw, as he stepped out to confront the intruder, was a wall of black smog. The instant the fog made contact with him, however, it lifted all across the bailey and he could see the white-clad form of the Master of White standing there, surrounded by a sea of fallen homunculi. Siegfried keeps his face expressionless, while the Master gives him a somewhat pained grin.
"Could you give me a second to throw up some cover for them, or move away before we get down to it."
A second glance at the bodies shows that, to his shock, none of the homunculi are dead. At this, Siegfried returns his gaze to the Master and re-evaluates. Why would a dragon-. No. No matter the reason. This strange request is a fair one. Ignoring everything his own Master is saying, Siegfried gives a slow nod. The Master gives a grateful smile, and the earth around the homunculi shifts, flowing until each are under a hollow shield of earth with a hole at the top for air. Not enough to stop any attacks directed at them, or even some collateral of attacks, but enough that mundane debris should be deflected.
Now, to business. Siegfried raises blade, and the Master raises his still-sheathed blade. Though…
"Are you truly Fafnir?"
The confusion on White's face is apparent at the question.
"What?"
Not Fafnir then. Strange. He had felt the beginnings of the awakening of the great Evil Dragon and had assumed that it had to be the Master of White. Perhaps the Master simply did not know about it himself- the transformation was taking longer than Siegfried had assumed. In his mind, he hears the 'voice' of Archer.
'I'm ready. We should make this quick- the other Servants are in trouble. It seems like White has a third Servant, and their Saber is strong; defeating their Master might be easier.'
Without another word, Siegfried launches himself at the Master, as he had three nights ago, while Chiron launches a volley of arrows to pin the Master in place. This time, however, his blow fails to land entirely. The Master merely skips back and to the side, dodging his strike completely. The barrage of arrows parts around the Master, digging deep into the stone walls behind him but utterly failing to land. As Siegfried once again charges and the Master once again slips away, Chiron takes his time aiming and then launches a single arrow aimed at the Master's head, crossing the distance between him and his target at speed far faster than his prior supersonic barrage. Again, the arrow curves away, the passing of the shot not even ruffling their foe's hair.
'That's not good. He has some kind of automatic Protection Against Arrows skill. I'll help if you need it, I seem more useful by the lake and stopping White's Archer.'
'Focus on the lake; Dragonslaying is my duty.'
The Master has been silent during this exchange, having glanced up once towards Chiron before returning to Siegfried.
"This is a bit weird; I never planned on fighting you, you know."
White attacked the Black Faction and didn't believe he'd have to fight their Saber? He was speaking nonsense. Siegfried circles, trying to position the Master to have the wall at his back. While there's no illusion that the wall could hold the Master, at the very least breaking through it might slow him down, allow Siegfried to finally catch up to him to make use of his boosted strength against the draconic foe.
This charge, the Master doesn't try and retreat back. Instead, he slips past Balmung entirely, leaving it to cleave through the middle of the fortress wall. Now, Siegfried has to restrain a grimace. The Master seems to be content to delay Siegfried, to let the lake battle continue while never directly engaging Siegfried. Not the tactics of a dragon at all- they relied on their strength and endurance, their wings and breath. They did not avoid or dance around direct challenges.
Finally, despite Siegfried's best efforts, his Master's voice reaches him.
'Servant! Servant! When you landed that blow the first night, he was stuck protecting that Archer. He was probably already working with her then, but he's showed he won't dodge when there's something behind him he wants to protect. Use the homunculi he defended! Put aside your battlelust and listen to me!'
A chill runs down Siegfried's spine. What his Master has said about their first conflict isn't untrue. But the plan is abhorrent; his Master truly placed no value on the lives of homunculi, despite everything.
There was another option, though. One his Master might not appreciate, but that would allow him to fell the dragon before him, to fill the area with a burst that the Master could not dodge. Siegfried lets his initiative over the fight gradually move it away from the homunculi, 'forcing' his foe to dodge backwards and around the bailey until they are on the other side of the fortress.
Here, Siegfried comes to a stop, between castle and the Master. Eyes meet, and then Siegfried raises his sword high, choosing this moment in the War to reveal his trump card.
"...O sword, let thee be filled."
His voice, as he announces this, is detached, and as he does the sword above his head began to glow with an orange light. His foe looks at it in confusion for a second.
"Orange, huh. I thought Balmung was- never mind."
The Master tugs at his sword experimentally, and with a sigh uses one hand to return it to his hip while the other draws a second sword Siegfried had previously not noticed. Looking at the blade, it is easy to see why he overlooked it- while the first blade was obviously restrained by the sheathe, the second is a mundane blade of no clear merit. Hardly the weapon to bring to this battle.
That is, until he feels a jolt in the air as the mana from across the bailey, no, the whole fortress, flows into the blade. The sudden drain is so much that the temperature around the fortress drops precipitously, and the sword begins to glow with a blinding light as it swallows down the mana. With a thought, more ether is drawn from Balmung's gems to the blade in order to match this new output. As the attacks charge, the Master takes three long steps to the left, and Siegfried turns with the steps. Finally, both blades move as one; Balmung swinging out in a twilight arc while the Master thrusts forward.
"Balmung!"
-
Gordes, through his familiar's eyes, blinks away the lights, and sees a sight that makes him grind his teeth. His familiar's arc of ether had flown true, rushing forward in a twilight quarter-circle to prevent dodging. But the unnamed attack of the Master of White had defeated Balmung. The brilliant white light had warped the world, twisting and cutting space itself in two, punching a path through Balmung's wave. Moments after the world had been cut, secondary tremors had occurred as the world shifted and the displaced space warped back together, tearing up the courtyard and damaging the main building of the fortress.
All around him, he can hear alarms across the castle, and can even without seeing the damage can tell that the attacks have blasted through the walls behind them, utterly compromising the prepared defences of the fortress. It had been designed to withstand the attacks of Servants, yes, but not attacks of that magnitude within the Fortress walls. That had never been planned for. This should never have been happening.
At least it seems that the familiar had had the sense to avoid his foe's strike rather than rely on his armour- at the last minute, he had dodged to the side and away from the invader's beam. Gordes was only grateful that Siegfried's battle lust had not encouraged him to try and take the blow head on. Before he can properly reprimand his Servant, Darnic's voice comes in over the blaring alarms.
"All Masters of Black. We are retreating into the safe room beneath the castle, where the Grail is housed, until such time as our foes are defeated. Move there at once."
Retreat. Scurrying away to hide underground because of his familiar's failure at dealing with a foe his familiar should have had an advantage over. Because his familiar had once again disregarded his plan and order and done something worse than useless. No. No. Gordes will stay here, and this time make sure his familiar listens to his orders.
-
Siegfried can still feel the effects of blow that slipped past him, even with his dodge having him gotten clear of the attack. Balmung's slash had broken against the attack- the semi-circular nature of the attack dulling it compared to the thin, narrow blast that concentrated energy of his foe. Through the corridor of warped space, empty of the dust and debris whirling around, he can clearly see that the Master is unharmed.
However, Siegfried's attention is drawn to something else. The blade the Master had used is disintegrating, coming apart not even into rust. The Master, with a shrug, drops the sword and it vanishes into nothingness before it can touch the ground. Hand now free, he once more draws his sheathed blade. Still, if that attack did that- Siegfried hates to admit it, but he needs his Master here. He glances upwards for a moment, towards where he feels his Master, before turning back to his foe and reaching out across the link.
'Master. Please give me the energy for another Noble Phantasm with a Command Seal. I believe-'
'I'll give you a Command Seal, Familiar. Listen to my order and use the ho- ARRRRRGH!!'
The order cuts out, and Siegfried looks around in shock. The Master of White just vanished, a crater below where he had been standing all that remains and- there's a sound behind him, and he turns to see a hole half-way up the castle. A leap to the new 'window' shows the Master of White standing over his Master, teeth stained red after seeming to have taken a bite out of his captive's shoulder.
"Look, I know this looks bad but I'm not trying to insult-"
His opponent drops the Siegfried's Master and leaps back, once more through the walls, as Archer appears out of nowhere and lunges at him. Chiron is not using a bow or arrows, instead launching a flurry of punches and kicks and palm-strikes to force the Master back and away, out of the castle. White's retreat continues all the way through the castle, and when he winds up stepping back into open air, Chiron lunges and grapples his foe as they fall back down into the bailey the fight had begun at.
Sparing not one moment for his Master, writhing on the floor and clutching his shoulder, Siegfried rushes past and dives out the window to assist Archer. Landing, he finds both ally and foe, separated; Chiron sporting a lightly bleeding wound to his arm but seems otherwise unharmed, while the Master didn't manage to escape utterly unscathed. It seems that Chiron was somewhat able to keep up with the Master's absurd speed.
'Archer. Did you discover anything?'
'He let me grapple him so he could bite my arm. Just from my experience with medicine, I can tell his bite isn't poison, but... I'm going to need to examine your Master. Other than that, like me has a degree of precognition, and is competent at unarmed combat. Though with the last, it's like his skill isn't natural- compared to his swordplay, it's as if he has a skill that grants him unarmed prowess.'
'And his speed?'
'He's faster than me, and I think he isn't yet going all out. I can see why Archer of Red joined him.'
That's a strange thing to say, and Archer must feel Siegfried's confusion over their link.
'Oh, I've discovered the identity of Archer of Red, or rather White. I'm fairly sure she's Atalanta- a hero who Rider of Red would work with, focused on forestry and archery and who is tied to animals. If this Master is truly faster than Achilles, he might have just raced her to have her join him.'
As this exchange finishes, the Master of White stands there, sword behind his back.
"Chiron. Of all the Master-Servant teams of Black I'd like to talk to, you're number…two? Probably. Could I speak to you and your Master? I have an offer for Fiore that-"
Chiron's eyebrows raise, and he shakes his head.
"No, of course you may not. We are foes fighting in a Grail War. The time for negotiation ended when you attacked our land. No, it ended when you joined the War."
At that, there's a slight smile on the Master's face that neither Siegfreid nor Chiron like, a sense of smugness that had not been present before. Still, he responds casually.
"Ok, I'll try again later."
The hairs on the back of Siegfried's neck raise at that. Chiron continues, seemingly unperturbed.
"If you're willing to talk, you should explain your vampiric impression. I didn't take you as the type for petty barbs at our leader."
"I tried to say that it wasn't an insult. As for what that was, I'll tell you in ten minutes or so."
"Ten minutes, is it?" Chiron gives a nod to Siegfried, and both ready themselves for combat. "We'll just have to win before that time."
"That's…going to be hard for you."
And just like that, the Master of White is again gone. Once more there's a crater below him, this time angled straight up. Siegfreid's eyes trace the path to find the Master already high in the sky and still rising towards the clouds above. A few futile arrows chase after him, but all turn away before they reach him.
"Well, nothing else for it."
Chiron mutters to himself, and moves his right hand off the bow.
'I'll bring him to earth, but his words…I need to investigate his bites. Once he's down, you'll need to keep him down, at least until we can form a plan.'
Chiron doesn't wait for Siegfried to respond, knows he doesn't have time, and without a chant unleashes his Noble Phantasm. A light, a small star still shining from the firmament, cuts down and slams into the airborne Master. The power of the attack wouldn't be able to seriously injure the Master, but it does reverse his momentum and send him crashing down towards the earth. The two Servants pull away; Chiron heading back to the castle and towards Saber's Master, while Siegfried moves forward, to where the falling Master will land and preparing himself. He will have to attack continuously, never once letting the Master get space or distance to disengage, abandoning all defence and trusting in his armor.
Notes:
AN: WHOOO BOY. This was a bit, and I can't help but feel that a lot of action and not much character interaction is just not my strength- the way this had to deal with so many different angles at once made it feel worse than either Artoria v Mordred or Rein+Artoria v Atalanta+Achilles, where at least things were relatively clean. And that's with this split in half; I had planned on doing the whole of this fight in one chapter, but that very quickly became apparent as impossible, and so this battle gets another chapter of focus. Though that might be delayed if I feel the need to significantly rejigger this chapter, as I'm still not all that happy with it as is.
Atalanta shows a bit of her darker side here, in having no real mercy for 'useless' people in her way (and Rein doesn't outright overrule her because, as Kairi pointed out, Rein has some people he values more than others, whose companionship he places above the actual-lives of the still-to-him 'faceless mooks'), and after a goodish run of character chapters Mordred gets the short end of the stick, stuck having to wait and then ambush two comparatively weak Servants while Artoria dramatically duels Black's leader while running the clock down and keeping focus on her.
As for the castle battle, Siegfried and Chiron try their best but Reinhard is just too good and has too much stuff stacked up. Even with Siegfried's bonuses to strength and endurance, he has no way of matching Reinhard's bursts of speed (scalable to Reid's literal-lightspeed burst reactions to lasers). Chiron can do better there, but he's pulled two ways and can't just engage Rein from a distance- he does land the Antares Snipe, but that's a one use/night homing starfall Noble Phantasm and nothing remotely normal. Balmung v Astrea Swordplay runs into the Balmung v Clarent problem of "AoE Wave v Focused Beam" from Apocrypha.
If people are confused about the biting, Treasure Hoard is an exceptionally nasty addition to Rein's kit, putting fights where he lands a bite and draws+swallows blood on a five-minute timer before victory by default. Rein's plan was to bite whichever Servants were defending, pull back out of any reprisal for the timer to tick down, and then return having already won, but that didn't quite work out thanks to Chiron.
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