Though it wouldn't have taken much effort to capture Alex, Vahn noticed that the strength disparity between Fenrir and the Saber-Class Servant was negligible, at best. Given the outfit the latter was wearing, Vahn could guess what had been going on prior to their arrival in the Einzbern Forest. When the Saber moved around at high speeds, her short skirt was unable to hide the fact that she wasn't even wearing panties. With the cuffs, collar, and blindfold, it didn't take much imagination to guess that the Saber was either a pervert or had been seriously mistreated by her Master. Since she seemed much weaker than a normal Servant, Vahn assumed it was the latter. This moved Alex to the very top of his 'shit list' as, even at a glance, Vahn felt like the Saber-Class Servant was only around 14-15 years old. She had a petite and lithe body, standing only a single centimeter taller than Nobunaga in her 'default' form...
While putting pressure on Alex from a distance, Vahn watched as Fenrir sent a massive volley of ice spears towards the Saber-Class Servant. The latter deflected the two that were aimed towards her heart and head before dashing towards Fenrir in a burst of speed approaching 6,000km/h. Fenrir's own speed could easily rival this, however, allowing her to nimbly evade the series of swift strikes issued by Saber before twisted her hips like a bow and kicking the latter in the stomach. Since the 'maid' outfit Saber was wearing left the stomach exposed, it was easy to see that her skin was becoming pale at the point of contact as a layer of ice began to spread over her abdomen...
Since Fenrir had also deduced that her enemy was a 'victim', she was using non-lethal force to put pressure on her opponent. With the intention of subduing Saber, Fenrir continued to deflect the invisible blade of wind as the temperature in the surrounding area continued to drop even further. By now, the surrounding temperature had already dropped from 13 degrees Celsius to a sub-zero temperature of -18 degrees in a short period of time. At the same time, Fenrir was continuing to build up her magical power as a thick magical shroud protected her body. In one instance, when she had failed to completely redirect Saber's attack, the invisible blade was actually brought to a stop a few centimeters away from her skin before being rebounded by the anti-physical properties of the shroud. This gave Fenrir a lot more confidence as she began to pepper Saber with swift blows that steadily drained the mobility of the scantily-clad Servant.
Seeing how things were developing, Alex has a vicious expression on his face as he cursed, "This useless fucking bitch..." before holding up his hand and shouting, "By my name, Alex Everdale, I grant you the strength to vanquish your foe...!" With this exclamation, one of the Command Spells on Alex's forearm faded, coinciding with a powerful golden aura exploding out from Saber's body. It was possible to give a temporary boost to a Servant's combat capabilities through the use of Command Spells, to the point that it could even turn the tide of battle if used properly. As a result, the ice that had been building up on Saber's body was immediately evaporated as her clothes dissolved away into more proper battle attire. Now, instead of a skimpy maid outfit, she was adorned in an old-fashioned dress formed from royal blue and pristine white fabric, complete with an ornate white breastplate, two large gauntlets, a pair of greaves, and overlapping plates of metal that guarded her flanks.
From behind Vahn's back, Ereshkigal pulled on Vahn's cloak to get his attention before saying, "Rin says to save her. She is a friend..." The moment Vahn heard that this Saber was someone Rin knew, his anger immediately turned frostier than Fenrir's ice as he vanished like a phantom. At the same time, Ereshkigal pulled out a reddish-black spear that had a vicious and malformed bladed edge on one end and a peculiar coiling structure on the other. It radiated a ghostly aura and, though she knew Vahn wouldn't need her help, this didn't stop her from holding out her left hand as she whispered in a voice that would cause ghosts to shiver, "I am the Queen of the Dead, Ruler of the Underworld, Harbinger of Death. Come forth, domain of the dead. Grant my allies protection and mine enemies a place to rest. Protection of the Underworld...!"
Even faster than Vahn had closed the distance to Alex, the surrounding forest had instantly changed into what appeared to be a large graveyard filled with cages of various sizes. He felt his speed increase even further as he easily deflected the bullets fired toward him before slamming his hand into Alex's larynx. In a single swift motion, Vahn was holding the taller man several centimeters off the ground, ignoring his flailing attempts at escape. At the same time, golden chains were already keeping Saber from taking any action, even if she was actually able to shake them more than Vahn had anticipated. If not for the fact that her blue eyes were glazed over, showing that she was still under control, Vahn imagined she may even be able to break free with the surprising amount of power her small body was able to muster...
As Vahn was about to threaten Alex, the latter attempted to throw a vial of red liquid with his left hand while another Command Spell on his right dissolved. Vahn responded by unceremoniously crushing the man's neck while snatching the vial before it could break against him. There wasn't much he could do about the Command Spell being used but, if Alex was taken out of commission, he wouldn't have to worry about them any longer. At least, this was the thought going through Vahn's mind before a mountain-like forced slammed into him from the side. His body was sent crashing through several of the metallic cages dotting the area while, standing in his previous location, a 253cm tall man shrouded in a malicious red aura could be seen. What stood out, even more, was the fact that, appearing next to the tall man, a doll-like girl with red irises was kneeling next to Alex as she muttered in an ice-cold voice, "Garbage..."
Though Vahn had previously broken Alex's neck, the young girl unceremoniously pulled off his arm with the same ease a child would use to remove a toy's. Alex couldn't even scream, reddish froth bubbling from his mouth as he seized in pain. Before he could die, the girl began transfering his Command Spells while muttering, "Berserker, kill them all..." This caused the monstrously tall man to release a cloud of steam from his mouth as he used a massive cleaver as if it was completely weightless. Since he had already sent Vahn flying, the Berserker settled on the next closest target as he moved with surprising agility towards Fenrir. She knew better than to try and fight him head-on and, fortunately, was never forced to as Scáthach appeared out of thin air before clashing explosively with Berserker...
Pulling himself out of a deep crater, Vahn coughed up a mouthful of blood before grimacing as he regenerated much slower than normal. He already identified the enemy Berserker as Heracles but none of the information they had included that his weapon had the 'Anti-Divine' property. As a result, Vahn ended up taking nearly six times the amount of damage from Heracles' already monstrous strength. By the time he had extricated himself from the crater, Vahn could see Scáthach going blow-for-blow with Heracles, neither able to get an edge against each other due to the latter surprisingly outpacing Scáthach. This didn't allow him to land any blows on her, however, as the difference in their skill, especially with Heracles under the 'Mad Enhacement', gave Scáthach an almost insurmountable advantage.
Seemingly understanding that things weren't going in her favor, the young girl made a pouting expression as she turned her attention towards the still-bound Saber. Even when Vahn was sent flying, he didn't let his [Enkidu] vanish since it would take more than a single surprise attack to completely break his focus. What he didn't expect was to hear the little girl shout, "These chains again...how do you have these chains!?" At the same time, her eyes began to flicker with a chaotic light as her body began to tremble, an expression of profound fear visible on her face. Following this outburst, a complex series of magic circuits became visible, covering the girl's entire body before a phenomenal amount of magical power began to radiate from her tiny frame.
In response to his Master's stressed state, Heracles released an earth-shattering roar as he cleaved towards Scáthach with enough speed and force to distort space. She used two spears to intercept the blow but was still sent backward, her feet dragging through the ground for several meters as she tried to bleed off the force of the blow. Though she had been able to read the move, Scáthach was forced to defend due to the fact that it was a blow beyond her ability to evade normally. Before she even slid to a stop, however, Scáthach pointed both of her spears towards Heracles as she uttered in a cold monotone, "Gáe Bolg, Dance of Slaughter..."
Adding to the two spears already in hand, a total of twenty red spears, each possessing a slightly different shape, appeared around Scáthach. The moment her words finished, each of the twenty-two spears turned into a phenomenon resembling red lightning as they instantly impacted Heracles' body. The vast majority simply deflected off of him but, with her [God Slayer] in effect, a Demi-God like Heracles couldn't completely withstand the assault of a person who had even slain actual Gods before she even reached the peak of her power. As a result, Heracles had three spears skewer his body, leaving a gaping hole in his heart, abdomen, and head.
The little girl, seeing her Servant injured in such a fashion, screamed out in a panicked voice, "No, I don't want to lose anything anymore!" Accompanying this shout, part of the surrounding graveyard seemed to come under the girl's control as large Golems began to take shape. Before they were able to fully form, however, Ereshkigal appeared with an expression not all that dissimilar to Scáthach's as she said, "This is my domain..." With that said, Ereshkigal's peculiar spear mowed down the nascent Golems, similar to a Grim Reaper harvesting souls. Though it was more than a little impressive that the young girl had wrested part of a Goddess' domain for herself, that wasn't even remotely enough to guarantee victory.
Now looking far more panicked than before, the little girl screamed, "Why are you bullying us!? I hate, hate, hate you...!" At the same time as her shouts, the young girl pulled out several small animal-shaped talismans before throwing them towards Ereshkigal. These rapidly grew in size before accelerating to a speed nearing 12,000km/h nigh-instantaneously. In response to this, Ereshkigal just held out her hand before sending a pulse of reddish-blue energy colliding with the bird-shaped projectiles. As a result, a large explosion spread through the area that caused the young girl to tumble backward a bit before curling up into a fetal position. Her own magical power protected her body but that didn't make the scene any less heartbreaking, at least from Vahn's point of view...
Though Heracles appeared to have been killed by Scáthach's attack, his body emitted a powerful aura in response to the explosion and, by the time it had faded away, his figure could be seen protecting the young girl like an immovable fortress. His eyes blazed like hot coals as he glared at Ereshkigal but, unlike before, he made no attempt to attack as Scáthach, Ereshkigal, and Fenrir were all surrounding him. Nobunaga had yet to make an appearance, as Vahn had given her the order to remain in hiding, but Heracles' instincts made him 'aware' that she was near.
With Saber's attempts to break free being the only real sounds in the area, things instantly became tense as Vahn walked over to stare at the turtling Heracles. Unlike the one he had encountered in his world, the legendary feats of Heracles in the Nasuverse made him worthy of the title of 'True Hero'. The fact that he was protecting his Master, even though he was a Berseker, caused Vahn to feel a great deal of respect for the man. Since he didn't actually want to make an enemy out of a little girl, Vahn held up both hands in a placating gesture as he said, "We're not trying to bully you...so long as you don't make yourself into our enemy, we would rather resolve this as peacefully as possible."
Instead of getting an answer from the little girl hiding beneath Heracles, Ereshkigal suddenly pointed out, "Vahn...Rin says this girl shouldn't be alive. She was supposed to have died ten years ago..." As soon as these words left Ereshkigal's lips, a truly monstrous tide of mana erupted outwards from beneath Heracles. Then, instead of a young girl with long white hair and ruby-red eyes, a dark-skinned little girl with runes covering her entire body appeared. Much like Rin, the overcoat she had been wearing dissolved away into nothingness, revealing an outfit that could hardly even qualify as undergarments. At the same time, her hair, which had previously been relatively straight, now became wild while two large white ears, not all that dissimilar to Fenrir, popped out from her head. If not for the two bull-like horns protruding from the sides of her head, combined with the bushy white tail poking out of her backside, Vahn might have mistaken her as a Vanargandr...
With her ruby-red eyes having now turned purple, the young girl snapped her head towards Vahn before releasing a feral growl as she launched herself toward him. Vahn's eyes widened in genuine surprise as he found himself unable to move, almost as if the space around his body had been locked down. He hadn't noticed this until he made an effort to move, creating a small gap which allowed the feral little girl to open her mouth wide, revealing two rows of sharp teeth before she bit unhesitantly into his throat. At the same time, Heracles had moved to engage Scáthach once again while Ereshkigal and Fenrir both moved to try and aid Vahn.
It was never a pleasant experience to have your throat ripped out, causing Vahn to feel a stange empathy towards Alex as, only a few minutes prior, he had crushed the man's throat. This thought didn't last, however, as he recovered his ability to move around the same time that the girl's teeth bit into his flesh. Vahn ignored the peculiar awkwardness associated with having to grab a little girl's nearly naked body as he hooked his hands under her armpits and yanked her away from him. This resulted in him losing a large chunk of his throat, followed by a gratuitous amount of blood, but the wound quickly healed only moments later. Even the chunk that the girl had swallowed 'dissolved' before it even reached her stomach while the blood around her face vanished just as quickly.
Though she responded by kicking him with her little paws, Vahn bore the brunt of her assault with a grimace while pulling out three links of [Enkidu] to lock down her movements. Almost as soon as the chains began appearing, a loud explosion spread through the area as Heracles had broken free from his battle with Scáthach and charged towards him with a phenomenal momentum. Before he could get anywhere close to Vahn, however, a pinpoint beam of reddish-black light slammed into Heracles' temple and sent him stumbling off course. Immediately following that, Ereshkigal stabbed the coiled end of her spear into Heracles' body, causing it to extend in a helical pattern that corkscrewed through his body before piercing into the ground below.
With Heracles' strength being absorbed by Ereshkigal's domain, the red light surrounding his body began to die down as he tightly gripped the spear in an attempt to shatter it with brute strength. This attempt didn't last too long, however, as Vahn, in a rather exasperated voice, said, "If you don't want your Master to be harmed, stop trying to fight..." By now, Vahn had one long link of [Enkidu] wrapping up the little girl's body as she writhed around, teeth snapping at the air as she never gave up trying to attack him. Since the chain was protruding from his palm, Vahn was holding her up by what could have been considered her scruff so that Heracles could see clearly. As a result, the giant Servant's movements immediately ceased as he stared back at Vahn with fiery red eyes...
Now that Heracles had stopped fighting, Vahn released a sigh of relief as he dangled the little girl at his side, looking towards Ereshkigal as he asked, "Does Rin know anything about this...?" Though he could tell that the little girl was 'possessed' by a Servant, much the same as Rin, she almost seemed like a Berserker-Class herself. The animalistic traits indicated there was something special about her transformation but, as Asterios also had similar traits, Vahn didn't want to make any assumptions. In order to stop her from trying to bite into his side, however, Vahn ignored this awkward feeling in his heart as he used [Enkidu] to gag the thrashing little girl. Even though she lacked the ability to break free from the chains, just the fact she was able to move at all made Vahn feel that his [Enkidu] was losing its effectiveness...
In response to Vahn's inquiry, Ereshkigal closed her eyes for a few seconds before answering, "Rin says her name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, the former head of the Einzbern family. She had lost her life in the previous war after the King of Heroes slew her...Rin does not know how she is still alive, nor what being has possessed her..." After saying this, Ereshkigal opened her eyes before directing them towards Scáthach, much like Vahn. Seeing everyone looking at her, Scáthach answered, there is a veil of mystery surrounding this girl that makes it impossible to see through her identity. All I can say for certain is that she is still in a sealed state, or else even our combined power may not be enough to restrain her..."
Since Scáthach wasn't the type to embellish things, Vahn suddenly felt like the little girl thrashing around at his side was far more dangerous than he expected. He didn't doubt that she was the same Illya that Rin mentioned as, across her eyes and chest, there were two serious scars present. The first looked as if a blade had cut through her eyes, including the bridge of her nose, while the latter was a messy scar that extended all the way through her body. It was obvious that something had pierced her heart in the past but, much like Scáthach couldn't see through her, even Vahn's [Eyes of Truth] could only see an amalgamation of mana obscuring the girl's internals. It was almost like she was one giant magic circuit and, if not for the ridiculous amount of vitality radiating from around her chest, Vahn would have assumed she was an artificial existence, not a living being...
As Vahn was thinking about what they ought to do with Illya, Heracles, and Saber, a soft voice suddenly spread through the area as a massive wave of pressure washed over everyone present. Vahn hadn't even sensed the arrival of the voice's owner before the words, "I'm afraid I will have to ask you to release that girl..." reached his ears. By the time Vahn had even processed these words, he, and everyone else present, found themselves bound in silvery-white chains. It felt like the majority of his power was instantly suppressed, to the point that the [Enkidu] binding Saber and Illya vanished entirely. This caused the former to immediately lunge towards the bound Fenrir while the latter, as if to get revenge for being tied up, took a huge chunk out of Vahn's thigh as she clung to his leg like a koala.
The same voice that had sounded out previously, now sounding somewhat amused, stated, "Now, now, let's all get along..." As these words fell, Saber was sent flying upward as if she was no longer bound by gravity while Illya was pulled free from Vahn's leg, left to dangle in the air as she reached out her hands in an attempt to grab him once again. It seemed as if she had developed a bit of resentment towards him but, after a small white light entered into her head, the young girl passed out in an instant before limply floating next to a man wearing flowing white robes, a white mantle, and black pants. He had one of the most complex staves Vahn had ever seen, complete with a dozen different trinkets and baubles that had been precariously attached to a twisted piece of wood that had been dyed black by means he was unable to deduce...
With everyone else bound, unable to even utter a word, the floating man allowed an amused smile to adorn his surprisingly handsome face, set with a pair of amethyst eyes that were framed by windswept white hair. He didn't give off the aura of an enemy but, as if everything in the world was beneath him, the man held almost absolute disregard in his gaze as it passed over everyone present. When he looked at Vahn, he suddenly asked, "Are you the anomaly...? How very curious...hmmm, I suppose I owe you a minor debt of gratitude. Seeing as this should have been your victory, I will allow you to take that girl with you. When she comes back to her senses, tell her I am sorry for what she had to experience..."
Before the man's words even finished, he had already vanished into thin air, taking Illya and Heracles with him. At the same time, Saber's body was just now on its downward arc as the chains that had bound everyone dissolved into nothingness. Since the latter was unconscious, Vahn reached out to try and use telekinesis to grab her, only to realize that her [Magic Resistance] negated it completely. As a result, Vahn used [Shundo] to catch her surprisingly light body just before she slammed into the ground. It was only when he had the surprisingly beautiful Knight in his arms that Vahn had started to recover his senses enough to mutter, "What the fuck just happened...?"
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir gets a minor victory?','*Bullying Intensifies*','Vahn gets a taste of his own medicine...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
With everything that had happened, Vahn made the executive decision to return to the Tohsaka Manor in order to get their bearings. Before that, however, he had noticed several things that were worthy of attention, even if they caused even more questions. The most notable amongst these was the fact he now had an additional Command Spell, bringing his total to seven. Though he didn't have much use for Command Spells, it never hurt to have extra in the event that he would need to empower or teleport one of his Servants. As for other things that had caught his attention, Vahn noticed that the Saber in his arms was almost identical to Gray.
The only thing that differentiated them was that Saber looked much younger while the color of her hair and eyes were different. However, the internal structure of their body was more similar than even twins like Tiona and Tione, the only 'major' difference being that Saber's heart was set with a powerful gemstone, much like a True Dragon. Even with this, however, it was easy to see that the two had some relation to each other, a fact that provided some insight into Gray's tragic past. Vahn felt she was either a clone or, based on the dual-networks that previously existed in her body, a girl that had been modified to emulate Saber's body...
Without making his speculation known, Vahn actually got a surplus of information that seemed to verify his conjecture as, after returning to her human form, Rin looked at the sleeping Saber with a pained expression as she muttered, "It looks like our fates are still intertwined..." Then, seeing Vahn looking at her, Rin furrowed her brows deeply before explaining, "This Saber-Class Servant is the same Artoria Pendragon that I told you about previously. She has been summoned during the previous two Holy Grail Wars and served as the Servant of Shirou during the Fifth. I should have known she would have been summoned this time around as well...haaaaa..."
After her preliminary explanation, Rin went into much greater details as she recounted some of the events she had kept secret regarding the previous Holy Grail War. This included the fact that Artoria was a 'living' Servant, meaning she had a 'real' body that was unable to assume a Spirit form. At the same time, this meant that she had a distinct advantage over almost every other Servant as, instead of having her memories erased, Artoria retained her memories from previous Wars. This would have been a blessing in most other circumstances but, after having failed to obtain the Holy Grail twice, Artoria had apparently given up on her dream. Rin revealed, somewhat apprehensively, that Artoria had previously developed feelings for her former Master, Shirou Emiya. She had died putting her life on the line to take out Gilgamesh at the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War so it was rather tragic for her to be brought back to fight in the Sixth...
With her explanation finished, Rin stared listlessly at Artoria's sleeping face, apprehension clearly visible deep within her eyes. She didn't delude herself into believing that Artoria hadn't been forced into a difficult situation during the weeks leading up to, and following the start of the Grail War. The way she had been dressed when Alex summoned her spoke volumes about her treatment, including the fact she had been forcibly manipulated with Command Spells. When Artoria learned that Shirou was already dead, betrayed by his own allies, Rin imagined that the proud King of Knights would not be very 'enthused'...
Unlike Rin, Vahn's own anger had subsided a great deal at this point as, after inspecting Artoria's body very closely, he noticed that she was still a virgin. He had no idea how this was possible but, remembering the mystical silver chains that bound them previously, Vahn felt it had something to do with the strange man who had put a taken Illya and Berserker away. He seemed to have some kind of relationship with Artoria and, as Vahn could sense no malice at all from the man, it didn't seem as if he was an actual enemy. If anything, Vahn got the same impression from the white-haired man that he got from Scáthach, minus the aura of death.
After mulling over his words for a few minutes, Vahn decided to try and console Rin by placing his hand on her shoulder and explaining, "I don't think things are as bad as you are assuming. Unless Artoria has the ability to regenerate back to a 'default' state, I don't think she experienced what you may be imagining. Though I don't doubt that she was treated terribly, I think that man may have intervened somehow..." These words only seemed to confuse Rin so Vahn gave a wry smile before clarifying in a low voice, "She is still a virgin..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Rin issued a confused 'Eh?' before furrowing her brows and saying, "That is impossible...unless...?" Perhaps it was her desire to find a silver lining in the situation but Rin's mind instantly jumped to a possibility. She knew that Artoria certainly had the means to completely heal any wound, but that was only if she possessed Avalon. Since she lacked it at the time she lost her virginity to Shirou, Artoria should no longer be a virgin. Though not as big as Vahn, Shirou was far beyond average in size, a thought that caused Rin's cheeks to tinge red for a brief moment in recollection.
Feeling a strange 'twinge' in his brows, Vahn frowned slightly until Rin explained, "Artoria's body is preserved in a state just before her death. When she is summoned to take place in the Holy Grail War, it transfers her mind into a body that matches her state prior to being summoned. Since Saber is a virgin back in her halted timeline..." Without needing Rin to explain further, Vahn finished her sentence, adding, "She is always a virgin after being summoned anew...that is a bit..." In a way, if Artoria hadn't been protected by the white-haired man, her fate would have been inarguably more tragic. If she had to deal with the thought of losing her virginity to a despot like Alex, any trauma she may have developed would be amplified considerably...
Now in a much better mood, Rin released a sigh of relief before almost immediately furrowing her brows once again, directing an accusatory gaze at Vahn as she asked, "How did you know that Saber was a virgin...?" This caused Vahn to shake his head in mild exasperation before explaining, "My eyes can even see the structure of mana in a person's body, do you think I can't see other things? Besides, just by being in contact with a person I can pretty much understand the structure of their body in an instant. My words about being a capable physician with few equals weren't just me trying to brag..."
Rin blinked a few times as she tried to make sense of what Vahn was saying, the implications of which were a little frightening. It meant he had a better understanding of her own body than even she did, causing Rin's face to become ruddy when she remembered their time together just a few hours prior. Vahn certainly seemed to know how to handle her, giving a frightening amount of credibility to his words. Still, knowing he could essentially see through her clothing whenever he wanted, Rin couldn't help but ask, "Is that when you're eyes turn blue and start glowing...?"
In response to Rin's question, Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] before making a point of eyeing her up and down. This caused her face to turn even redder as she pointlessly covered herself, exclaiming, "Now isn't the time for things like that...!" To this, Vahn stroked his chin thoughtfully before saying, "I don't know about that...I don't imagine Artoria would be waking up in the next hour or two. If you wanted, we could head into the Sub-Space Orb and-." Before Vahn was able to finish, Rin pulled out one of her jewels before lobbing it towards his head like a baseball pitcher. She didn't empower it with her magic so Vahn made no attempt to dodge, frustrating Rin further when it just rebounded off his head without actually coming into contact with his skin...
Releasing an amused chuckle, Vahn rose to his feet and said, "We should head into the Sub-Space Orb regardless. Staying outside is a literal waste of time..." Then, turning towards the 'air', Vahn said, "Scáthach, I want you to guard the Manor and inform me if anything happens. We'll resume our normal schedule once the sun comes up. Since there are still a few hours until then, give us some time to settle Artoria in before she has to witness watching me get my head blown off..." With his new Command Spell, Vahn knew that he had been made the Master of Artoria. The troubling part of this revelation, however, was that Artoria's body seemed to consume energy nearly as quickly as Fenrir. Though the core in her heart actually provided slightly more than she naturally consumed, meaning she could almost stay manifested indefinitely, Artoria was a major liability if her reserves dipped below a certain threshold...
Since their training was supposed to take place after the sun came up anyways, Scáthach didn't offer any argument against Vahn's words. If nothing else, she was reliable when it came to 'doing what one should'. As they were still during the 'active' hours of the Holy Grail War, she would follow his orders, assuming she hadn't determined it would be a good training opportunity to do otherwise. Thus, without even bothering to appear before them, Scáthach moved through the Manor like a ghost before coming out on the roof in her Spirit form and taking a seat.
Assuming Scáthach had listened to his orders, Vahn picked up the sleeping Artoria, eliciting a small frown from Rin. This caused Vahn to give her a glance out of the corner of his eye while making a mental note to 'remind' Rin that her jealousy was somewhat ridiculous. She knew he didn't 'belong' to her and, regardless of her efforts, it was impossible for her to ever monopolize him with the presence of Fenrir and knowledge he would one day return to his world. Vahn felt her anxiety was a bit senseless as, unless she herself wanted to leave his side, it was pretty much a guarantee he would always treat her well. When they got to the Sub-Space Orb, he was going to cook her up some delicious food and, once she dropped her guard, 'deal' with her properly...
In response to Vahn's thoughts, Sis chimed in with her own, saying, (*Though I can't help but feel you're getting a little out of hand, it is much better to see you like this, Vahn. Still, you should know better than to bully girls too much. Rin is still just a normal human, with modern sensibilities, so don't take things too far. If you put too much pressure on her, you can't be surprised when she breaks...*) Though she spoke plainly, it was clear that, while she wasn't exactly telling him to restrain himself, Sis was cautioning him against taking things too far. At the same time, her reminder about Rin being a 'normal' human seemed to indicate that, if he did intend to push her, it should only be after changing her into something 'more'...
---
After entering the Sub-Space Orb, Vahn made good on his intentions to cook up a feast after setting Artoria to rest inside of Lakshmibai's room. Though Rin had wanted to use her own room at first, she was very aware of the smell lingering in the air as the circulation inside of the lakeside residence wasn't the greatest. As a result, Lakshmibai offered up her as-of-yet unused room while Vahn pulled out an entire kitchen's worth of appliances to prepare their meal. He hadn't been cooking much ever since they started using the Sub-Space Orb so Vahn felt that Rin's poutiness might be due to the fact he wasn't sating the beast within her stomach any longer. As a result, he spent nearly two full hours preparing a meal, creating more than a dozen mana-rich dishes that even the Servants would be able to enjoy.
As expected, Rin was in a much better mood after sitting down at the low dining table that Vahn had brought out for their use. She had also been able to secure the spot to his left while, as usual, Fenrir sat on his right. The other side of the table was occupied by Nobunaga and Lakshmibai, both still 'glowing' after the time they had spent together prior to the evening's events. Nobunaga seemed to be in high spirits as she filled her gullet with delicious food and alcohol while, almost the complete opposite, Lakshmibai sat rather quietly with her head slightly lowered. Whenever Vahn would look directly at her, she would lower her face even further, a pink hue touching her cheeks as if she had yet to recover from the state he had left her in previously...
With how Lakshmibai was acting, Vahn felt as if the tensions in his body were steadily beginning to build since there was just something about a strong woman acting bashfully that riled him up. There were still close to twenty-six hours until his 'thrashing' was scheduled so Vahn had a lot of free time to use if he chose to spend it in that manner. Though it made him feel a little shameless to think about such things at a time like this, Vahn felt he wasn't entirely to blame. Due to the expectations and 'willingness' of the girls around him, Vahn believed that any man in his position would fail to show even half the restraint he had imposed upon himself. He knew that, with just a few words, almost any of the girls in the room, Rin included, would whisk away with him without any real resistance...
As if to volunteer herself, Fenrir leaned into his side, staring up at him with her scarlet-red eyes glimmering in the room's lighting. This brought a smile to Vahn's face and, for a brief moment, he was very tempted to excuse himself from the meal to go spend some quality time with Fenrir. One of the things that kept him from doing so was the fact that Nobunaga had a 'vengeful' look in her eyes, clearly intending to get even with him after what he had done to her earlier. At the same time, Rin had 'gently' elbowed him a few times before reminding in a stern tone, "Saber should be waking up soon..."
Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn decided to distract himself by asking, "So, what do you think about that Illya girl? Even if she died in the previous war, I think it's pretty obvious that she has been resurrected. I could sense a powerful vitality in her body while her internal structure was actually impossible to discern..." In response to Vahn's words, Rin frowned deeply as she thought about Vahn 'inspecting' Illya's body. Though the latter was actually older than she was, the fact she seemingly hadn't aged a day in the last ten years gave her a 'very' youthful appearance. Since she had also seen the scars on Illya's face and chest, Rin knew it was undoubtedly the same person she nearly allied with during the Fifth Holy Grail War...
To answer Vahn's question, Rin took a few more bites of her meal to calm down before answering, "The Einzberns have always excelled at creating Homunculi, Golems, and other Artificial Humans. In fact, compared to any other known family within the Magus Community, they have attained the highest mastery in their form of Magecraft. A long time ago, their ancestors had been able to reach the Root, the origin of all things, obtaining what is colloquially known as the 'Third Magic'. Since they have allied with several other families, it is known that the Third Magic, whose true name is Heaven's Feel, has the ability to allow the soul to survive outside of the body. Though they currently lack the ability to realize the Third Magic, it is possible their research had allowed them to preserve Illya's soul after her death. As for acquiring a new heart and repairing the damage to her body, those are a simple matter for a family specializing in the production of Homunculi..."
As she spoke about Illya, Rin began to feel somewhat heartbroken as she imagined what kind of life the girl must have been living over the last decade. She was actually the half-sister of Shirou but, just as they were going to ally together during the previous war, Illya had been brutally murdered by Gilgamesh after the latter took down Heracles. Remembering how panicked Illya had become after seeing [Enkidu], something that had surprised her as well, Rin felt even more heartbroken than Vahn. She knew exactly why Illya had gone into an enraged state after that strange transformation as, from Illya's perspective, [Enkidu] was the most precious belonging of her most hated enemy. Not only had Gilgamesh ruined her chance at a happy life with her only surviving family member, but he had also killed her cherished Heracles before ultimately robbing her own life shortly thereafter...
Remembering Gilgamesh, Rin felt the scar on her abdomen begin to burn painfully as a deep and throbbing heat spread through her body. Fortunately, almost as soon as the pain appeared, Vahn's hand had snaked around her side before coming to rest right above her scar. The heat was replaced by a gentle and relaxing warmth that caused Rin to release a contented sigh as she leaned against him without even thinking about it. It wasn't until she saw Lakshmibai staring at her with unblinking pale-pink eyes that Rin realized what she was doing, slapping Vahn's hand away from her waist in the process.
Though Vahn was tempted to tease Rin for her behavior, he instead turned his head towards the wall, facing the direction of Lakshmibai's room. It didn't take Rin any time at all to guess why he would do such a thing, asking, "Is she awake?" To this, Vahn gave a small nod before rising to his feet and saying, "Shall we go meet our new companion?" Though he said these words harmlessly, Rin's face became serious as she said, "Vahn, if things are taking place chronologically from Saber's point of view, it wouldn't have even been a month since she separated from Shirou. Once she finds out about Shirou's death, I know she will be pained...even if she is the one to ask, please, make sure you consider the matter properly before doing anything. Saber is the type that accepts heavy burdens on herself, even if it brings her great pain as a result..."
Knowing what Rin was implying, Vahn released a tired sigh before helping her rise to her feet. Once she was standing, Vahn raised her chin with his hand before gently caressing the side of her face and neck. These actions seemed to confuse her a great deal, especially after what she just said, so Rin felt more awkward than anything, at least until Vahn said in a calm tone, "I'm not going to make a promise I may not be able to keep. Your worry for Artoria shows that the two of you must have had a strong bond...however, if she decides for herself to follow that path, I will support her. If she is half the person you've made her out to be, I can guarantee she would be far more stressed out if I had her wait here while we fought without her."
Hearing Vahn's words, it was Rin's turn to sigh as, even without Vahn pointing it out, there was nobody as aware of Saber's personality than she was. In fact, during the previous Holy Grail War, she had been the one to essentially 'force' the relationship between Saber and Shirou. Before that, she actually had 'sex' with Saber herself while, after things developed further, all three of them shared the same bed numerous times. Since all of this took place over an extremely short period of time, barely covering two weeks, Rin could still vividly recall the unstable nature of her heart during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Even if she tried to insist against it, there was no way Saber would take her words at face value after what they had both experienced together...
Seeing the conflict in Rin's eyes, Vahn decided to bring her back to the present by giving her a gentle yet extended kiss on the lips. They actually hadn't kissed all that often, a strange thing to consider since they have already had some long and intense sex sessions. This was a combination of the fact that Rin actually seemed to feel a little guilty when they kissed while, even more than sex, Vahn felt the act was particularly intimate. Sex was a way to link hearts and bodies, yes, but a kiss was akin to a pure expression of affection and, when the emotions were strong enough, love. As a result, Rin seemed to calm down considerably as Vahn pulled her into his embrace until she was standing on the tips of her toes. After nearly three full minutes had passed, Vahn loosened his grip a bit, allowing their lips to separate before he placed his forehead against Rin's and said, "Let's go...I imagine Artoria will feel a little better after seeing someone she recognizes..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Secrets Revealed...?','Poor Illya o_o...','Never underestimate the suspension bridge effect...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK