บท 11: Vol. 1. Chapter 10. A trip to the Tower.
Altrouge sat in front of me in her 'teacher' mode. "Repeat after me: Kyō no tenki wa dōdesu ka?" She enunciated each word clearly.
I took a deep breath and tried to mimic her. "Kyou no tenki wa dou desu ka?"
Apparently, my attempt was mediocre, as I felt a swift smack on my head.
Altrouge retracted her arm quickly and started tapping the rolled-up newspaper in her other hand.
"No, like this." She sounded out the sentence again, slower this time. "Kyo-u no ten-ki wa dou de-su ka?"
Rubbing the spot she hit, I nodded and started over. "Kyo-u no tenk—"
The door burst open, interrupting me.
The two of us glanced over at the door, revealing my mother standing in the doorway, dressed in a navy business suit with silver highlights.
Her gaze was focused on Altrouge. "I'm taking you up on your offer," she said aloud.
The fuck? Is this an imposter?
Mother has been dodging her and Cath like the plague, and after the verbal thrashing she gave me for hammering out an agreement with Altrouge, I never thought I'd see the day where she'd take Altrouge up on an offer.
Altrouge's smugness was palpable as she dug her hand into her pocket.
"Good, I knew you'd come around." She said while rummaging around in her pocket, finally stopping and pulling out a folded piece of paper.
Throwing it to Mother, who caught it with ease.
"You'll find their last known location and presumed hideout on the paper," she said smugly.
Mother proceeded to pocket the paper, before outright dismissing Altrouge, and looked at me.
"Stand up, we're leaving," she said, making me blink in confusion. I glanced over at Altrouge, who gave a shrug in response, apparently allowing it.
Score!
Fuck this shit.
Learning Japanese is soooo boring, and she's such a grammar nazi, always judging me on my pronunciation.
Shrugging myself, I picked up Cath from my lap and placed him atop Altrouge's head, making him give a depressed "Mou…" as I moved him away from me.
Patting his head and fluffing his ears, I moved towards my mother. "Later, losers," I said as I closed the door behind us.
Glancing at my mother, I saw she was leveling me with a disapproving look.
"Where are we going?" I asked, making her give a resigned smile before responding.
"You'll be joining me on a trip to the Clock Tower," she explained, making my eyes widen.
Holy shit, finally!
I'm gonna act like one of those snobby nobles, and challenge some random poor sap to a duel, an beat the ever loving shit out of them. Full young master mode!
"When do we leave?" I asked with eagerness, which made my mother roll her eyes.
"We'll leave once you finish taking a shower and dressing yourself into something more presentable," she said while idly looking at my morning robe.
Not my fault that it's early and that the robes I have are super comfy.
Nodding, I turned around and made a dash for my room, as I had the perfect outfit in mind to wear.
~~Fate/False Order~~
"—re you even listening to me?" came the annoyed voice of my mother, snapping me out of my daze.
Removing my sight from the car window, I met the slightly peeved gaze of my mother.
I plastered a flat smile on my face. "I stopped listening when you went on your third rendition of how I should behave and what not to do," I explained, earning a twitch of her brow.
Slowly raising a hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose and released a sigh.
"Just don't do something stupid, and stay clear of the Department of Spiritual Evocation. God knows whatever terrible shit they do in their department, borderline Apostle research in my opinion," she grumbled under her breath, making me give a low chuckle.
I don't know if Mom has any legs to stand on regarding Apostles after harboring one for years, albeit unwillingly, but I digress.
Nodding, I didn't bother giving a verbal response and gazed out of the car.
There wasn't much to see, as the Lords of the Clock Tower had their own parking lot underground, and seeing as my family are the pseudo landlords of the Clock Tower, we have our own space together with them.
"Now I'll have —"
Tuning her out once more, time quickly passed until we slowly stopped at our allotted parking space.
The second we stopped, I waited for Amelia to step out of the car and open the door for us.
Stepping out, I buttoned up my white suit jacket before straightening it out.
Glancing around, I was greeted by the sight of a ton of expensive cars, from Rolls-Royces to Bentleys to Ferraris.
"Alistair."
Turning, I saw Mother with her arms crossed, fixing me with a stern gaze, before giving a slight sigh and deflating.
"Please, just don't do something stupid, and listen to Amelia," she said in a pleading voice, making me momentarily glance over at Amelia, who rolled her eyes.
Looking back at Mom, I nodded my head. Smiling, she reached in for a hug, which I naturally reciprocated.
Like hell I was going to not do something stupid. I had been basically confined to the manor for my entire life, so I might as well do what teenagers do best, and lash out at the first given opportunity.
Holding the hug for a moment, she broke it before looking at Amelia.
"Keep him out of trouble, will you?" she said with a smile, making Amelia give a muted nod.
Nodding to herself, Mother moved to one of the smaller doors before entering it.
Glancing at Amelia, I shot her a sly smile. "You do know that I am going to do the exact opposite of what Mother told me to do, right?"
Amelia gave a snort in response. "Go right ahead, Rosalind did something similar her first time out of the manor."
Squinting my eyes at her, I raised a single brow. "You're not going to stop me?" I asked skeptically.
At the question, she gave a low scoff while brushing aside some of her dark hair. "Sweetie, you can't make a worse first impression than your mother did," she said playfully.
That sounded like a challenge if I've ever heard one.
Nodding, I decided that I'd follow in my mother's footsteps, as any good son should. "So, where can I find the most easily offendable nobles? I'd like to have a peaceful talk with them," I said innocently.
Not even hesitating, she answered as if it was natural. "Policies would be the ideal place to go, but seeing as your mother just went there, I advise we simply walk around the atrium."
I glanced up at her with some level of confusion. I know she said that I couldn't be worse than Mom, but she's being an enabler…
Fuck it, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Nodding, I gestured towards the largest exit in the underground parking lot. "Lead the way," I said, prompting her to start walking.
She sent me an amused smile before walking past me.
Following her, we entered through the main door, which led to a very fancy baroque-looking staircase, polished stone, fancy red carpets, and old-looking chandeliers.
Safe to say, the Clock Tower does not lack in the monetary department.
Following her up the staircase, it led to a room with another large door.
Amelia walked up to a panel next to the door, pulled out a golden keycard, and placed it against the panel. A small flash of green light shone through the panel, prompting Amelia to put the card back in her pocket.
The doors slowly opened, revealing a large circular hall bustling with people.
The room seemed to be the 'hub' of the Clock Tower, as there were multiple large archways with distinct designs illustrating where they led.
Following Amelia inside, I started looking around for anyone who looked stuck up, or at least easily offendable.
Though after walking around for three minutes, my patience was starting to wear thin.
The problem wasn't that there wasn't anyone that fit my criteria, but that there were too many.
Like fuck, the amount of people who owned a monocle, cane, top hat or Victorian era style clothing, or all four, was laughable.
It made me wonder if any of them knew that we lived in the 20th century, because they all looked like they came from the 16th.
Glancing at Amelia, I gave her a nudge. "Point me at someone that I can easily annoy into fighting me," I said in a hushed voice, making Amelia give me a dubious look.
"You expect me to know the magi that are willing to fight annoying little shits at the drop of a hat by heart?" she said with a twinge of annoyance.
I met her gaze with a steely expression. "Yes."
My confident answer seemed to make her mouth twitch before she turned away from me to scour the hall.
Not even a minute had passed when she pointed in a random direction. "There."
Following her finger, I saw a woman in her mid-twenties, long braided brown hair with slightly tanned skin, wearing a blue unbuttoned suit but no shirt, only a sports bra.
Not quite who I'd pick, as she at least knew what year it was, but Amelia probably knew better than me.
Glancing back at Amelia, I gave her a nod. "I'll need some knowledge on her to annoy her to the maximum."
Sighing, she leaned in closer and started whispering into my ear. "She's Waletta Codrington, Enforcer and member of the Codrington family," she explained.
Nodding, I started whispering back. "They specialize in necromancy, right?"
The silent nod I got confirmed my suspicion.
Necromancy wasn't the best when it came to direct one-on-one combat, excellent for reconnaissance or creating a stronghold. But any necromancer worth their salt would know a few good curses, especially one that worked as an enforcer.
Giving a low hum, a small smile sprouted on my face. "You'll be my wingman, no?" I whispered, making Amelia give a low chuckle.
"Of course."
With my backup secured, I started making my way towards the woman with Amelia in tow.
Just as I was about to pass her, I purposely harshly bumped into her with my shoulder while passing.
"Oi!" came a disgruntled shout from behind me.
Turning around, I was met with an annoyed enforcer, giving me the stink eye.
"Watch your—"
"You're a rude one, aren't you?" I cut her off with a drawl.
She seemed to be caught flat-footed by the fact that I had cut her off, so I pressed on.
Looking her up and down, I gave a slight scoff. "Let's see, off-the-rack clothing, nondescript shoes, lacking fashion sense…" I gave a few theatrical sniffs before slightly pinching my nose. "And the slight smell of dog," I said distastefully, before gaining a look of enlightenment.
"You must be some poor first-gen enforcer," I said with mock sympathy.
Waletta's face seemed to darken at my words as her fists clenched and her eyes became razor sharp.
Placing a hand over my heart, I gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, I'll help you back to Policies, and I'll give your owne—I mean employer—a stern talking-to for letting go of his leash on you," I said sympathetically.
Waletta was now shaking with anger. "You…. you dar—"
"Alistair."
Amelia cut her off as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You seem to be a bit mistaken, she's a member of the Codrington family," she gently corrected, making me gently tap my head in understanding.
"Ah, my mistake, Ms. Codrington." I said with a genuine smile. "It seems you won't be needing my assistance to find your handler. I'm sorry for assuming that you were a first-gen. But with clothing like that… I'm sure you'd understand."
With that, I turned around and started moving away.
This was going well, but I feel like I need to add some Umph to it, so I'll channel some of my inner Gilgamesh, as that ought to do the trick.
No one is more insufferable than Gilgamesh. Only reason he can get away with it, is due to him being stupid strong.
So I might as well try gaining a similar reputation... maybe not, but it would be a fun one off thing, at the very least.
Almost instantly, a hand found its way on my shoulder.
"You brat! I'm not done with you!" came the angry voice of Waletta.
Quickly, I slapped the hand off my shoulder, wheeling around and fixing her with a glare.
"Mind your manners, Necromancer," I spat, before dusting off the shoulder she had touched. "Don't touch anyone with those disease-riddled hands of yours without their permission!" I said with derision.
Tilting my head slightly upwards to look down on her better, I let out a derisive scoff. "Or didn't your parents teach you any manners?"
My last comment seemed to do it, as she lunged for my collar.
"You BASTARD!" she yelled.
At the sudden commotion, multiple eyes locked onto our interaction, accompanied by a few whispered conversations.
As she held my shirt, I grabbed one of her hands and applied some pressure, making it give off cracking noises.
"Hands off, you disrespectful cur!" I spat, wrenching her hand off me.
She let out a small groan as I moved her hand away, before letting go of my shirt collar with her other hand, trying to pry my hand off hers.
"Let go!" she spat with vitriol, making me let go.
Promptly, I pulled out a handkerchief with my 'clean' hand and started patting at my collar, then cleaning my hand.
"God knows all the diseases your hands carry," I said conversationally while thoroughly cleaning my hand. "Disgusting," I muttered once I finished.
Once done, I threw the handkerchief to the side, which Amelia deftly caught.
"You need to learn to not disrespect your betters, mutt."
That seemed to do the trick, as I saw her fiercely bite her lip with her eyes cast down.
"Betters?" she spat with derision.
I silently watched as her anger spiked.
"I'll show you who's better!" she yelled, before pointing at me.
"You, me, in the Arena in ten minutes!" she proclaimed with a predatory smile.
"Then I'll teach you what it means to disrespect an enforcer!"
At her little speech, I gave a derisive scoff.
"Fine, but don't go crying back to your handler once I'm through with you." I said before turning around and walking off, Amelia following in tow.
Hook, line and sinker!
Perfect, hopefully there will be a few spectators, with some luck, I'll be able to drag another into a fight once I'm through with her.
Thank you Altrouge for all the shit talking you put me through!
~~Fate/False Order~~
The Arena was a large room with pillars supporting the ceiling, providing some cover for the combatants.
Walking inside, I was greeted by the figure of Waletta dressed in a dark skin-tight suit, reminding me more of fetish-wear than a combat uniform.
As I walked further inside the room, I glanced up at the viewers' gallery, which was filled with random magi who had nothing better to do after hearing our little spat, and Amelia.
Approaching Waletta, I put my hands in my pockets and tilted my head, displaying a taunting smile.
"Any rules or winning conditions you wish to lay out?" I asked dismissively, as if they didn't matter, causing a vein to appear on her forehead.
At my words, she entered a stance, leaning forward. "Nothing too lethal, and the winner is decided when their opponent is knocked out. Do you agree with these rules?" She spat.
There was an interesting function with the arena: as long as you entered it of your own free will and accepted the agreed-upon rules, something similar to a self geass would be invoked, keeping the participants to their words.
Humming in content, I gave a slight nod. "They seem a bit unfavorable for you, but I will take this as you showing your determination and will accept them with grace," I said arrogantly.
The second I accepted, I felt as if I was bound by something, similar to the deal with Altrouge but less binding.
The instant the geass took effect, Waletta sprang into action, raising a finger that formed a dark orb at its tip.
I leaned back, almost lazily, and a dark flash of light shot past my face, missing by mere inches.
"Is that the best you've got, dog?" I taunted, watching her face flare with annoyance. "I expected more from an Enforcer."
She snarled and summoned another curse, this one a larger Gandr shot that hurtled towards me.
I sidestepped with ease, conjuring a thin wall of ice to absorb the impact. The ice shattered, but I remained untouched, smirking at her frustration.
Was it necessary, no, but it would annoy her and force her to do something different, yes.
Waletta then tried a different approach. She swiftly knelt on the floor, placing her hand on the ground.
Quickly, lines of cracked earth formed from her hand, zigzagging to my position.
With a lazy gesture, I clicked the heel of my shoe on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the floor was covered by a thin layer of ice, stopping the fissures forming on the floor.
"Pathetic," I called out, before conjuring three ice spikes above me.
Was it a rip off of Esdeath, yes, was it a fantastical waste of Od, yes, but God if it was powerful.
The mystery behind conjuring ice is relatively weak, as many magi know and use the mystery behind it.
However, few could theoretically pull off what I'm doing, due to the immense cost of constantly freezing large amounts of moisture in the air, but my magic core simply produced more Od than I knew what to do with.
Add the fact that my Origin stimulated any mystery I used, meaning that even when I use such a weak mystery, it would be strengthened, and yield greater effect then if someone else used it.
So, such a wasteful and useless form of magecraft was unnaturally viable for me.
And with the snap of my finger, the three shot off in her direction.
Waletta barely managed to deflect two with a hastily conjured stone wall, and dodged the third when it broke through her wall.
She was a tad competent, I'd give her that.
Her curses were decent, her transmutations quick, but her attacks lacked speed and raw power.
Standing still, I allowed her to regain her footing before spitting on her pride.
"Is this the level of compliance expected from an Enforcer? Do they pick up any stray pup needing a job? What a utter disgrace," I mocked, conjuring a thin spear of ice in my hand before launching it at her.
She dodged, but I could see the unease in her eyes growing.
The crowd above murmured, probably sensing the one-sided nature of the battle.
Waletta's frustration was palpable as she launched a volley of imprecise curses in my direction.
None of which I needed to move to dodge.
Realizing her long-range attacks were futile, Waletta shifted tactics.
She started to close the distance between us, flinging curses around me rather than at me to limit my movement.
I watched her approach, an amused grin on my face.
"Finally ready to get serious?" I taunted.
As she lunged, I summoned a barrage of ice spikes, sending them hurtling toward her.
Seeing the spikes, her eyes widened.
Desperately, she broke her lunge and launched herself to the side in a roll.
Her agility was surprising but ultimately insufficient.
One spike grazed her arm as she exited her roll, drawing blood.
She hissed in pain but pressed on, her eyes locked onto mine, displaying deep anger.
Smiling with amusement, I flicked my hand, conjuring a cluster of runes made out of ice in the air.
With a flick of my wrist, the runes glowed, turning into a small blizzard of icicles heading in her direction.
She conjured an earth barrier just in time, but the blizzard blew through it, sending her staggering back.
I didn't let up, sending a few more ice spikes in her direction, forcing her to run behind one of the arena's pillars.
"Come on, mutt, surely you know a few more tricks!" I jeered, finding some amusement in her struggle.
Something told me Waletta didn't find my words appealing, as I saw the ice floor surrounding me start to crack in a line, from the pillar she was hiding behind, hurriedly heading to my location.
Seeing this, I leapt into the air, while conjuring a thick pillar of ice beneath me.
As the cracks reached the spot I stood at earlier, giant stone spikes sprouted from the floor.
Glancing at the pillar she stood behind, I raised a hand. Ice began to generate in large amounts above it, forming into a giant, six-foot-long ice spike.
Swinging my arm down, the spike slammed into the stone pillar, causing the room to shake.
Waletta stumbled away from the crumbling stone pillar in desperation, her combat outfit now sporting small tears with some spots showing shallow cuts.
Seeing me, she started running in my direction, firing curses as she went.
Her curses became more erratic, desperation creeping into her movements.
She attempted to cast a binding spell, but I intercepted it with an ice lance.
I could see her resolve wavering, her energy flagging as she struggled to keep up with my assault.
"You're pathetic," I said, my voice dripping with disdain. "I find it hard to believe that the Clock Tower is even capable of capturing sealing designates, or killing Apostles with fodder like you around."
She screamed in rage, charging at me with renewed anger.
Finding her reckless charge amusing, I snapped my fingers, creating another cluster of runes.
In a flash of light, the runes dissipated, leaving a small blizzard in their place.
The temperature plummeted, frost started forming on Waletta's skin as she tried to fight through the storm.
I could see her movements slowing, her strength sapping away under the relentless cold.
Conjuring a rune of binding, I launched it at her. The rune made contact, forming icy tendrils that slowly wrapped around her limbs.
She struggled against them, but resistance was futile.
Wishing to end this soon, I conjured a few less dense ice spikes. Quickly, they flew towards Waletta, hitting her extremities and shattering on impact.
With a small shriek, she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Had enough yet, mutt?" I asked, before jumping down from my pillar and deciding to walk up to her.
With Waletta weakened and on her knees, I decided it was time to end this little spar.
Arriving in front of her, I knelt down to her eye level and shot her a mocking smile.
"Is that all you've got? How disappointing," I drawled, kicking at her midsection, hoping to knock her out in one swift move.
But with surprising speed, she bent backward, connecting a hand to the ground, emitting a slight glow.
Quickly, I leapt aside as four stone spikes sprouted from the floor where I had stood.
Glancing at the spikes, I felt a flicker of annoyance build in me.
All my attacks had been powerful, but they wouldn't have been fatal.
Incredibly painful, yes, but they were aimed at spots that would be non-fatal and nothing I wouldn't be able to heal on the spot... other than the giant ice spike, but that wasn't aimed at her.
That attack would have probably crippled me for a few months, but killed any other magus.
Glancing back at her bound form, I decided that I'd give her a proper beating before she fell unconscious.
Walking up to her, I started my combo with a kick to her midsection.
She cried out, but I showed no mercy, landing blow after blow.
Bicep, inner thigh, kidney, shin, solar plexus—each strike was precise, calculated to cause maximum pain without delivering a lethal wound.
She curled in on herself, desperately attempting to defend herself, but I was relentless.
"Pathetic," I muttered, kicking her into one of the arena's pillars.
She slumped against it, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Walking up to her, I glanced at her slumped form.
"Oh? Unconscious so soon?" I taunted, leaning down to grab her by the hair.
Her eyes remained shut, making me click my tongue in annoyance.
Letting go of her hair, I stood up to my full height and dusted my pristine suit off while looking down at her.
"You truly make the Enforcer title proud."
Having said my piece, I turned around and swiftly walked towards the exit.
Leaving the room, I was greeted by a slightly irked Amelia.
Walking up to her, I flashed her a smile. "That was fun! Do you think I have enough time to annoy some other poor sod into fighting me?" I asked, only to be met with a cough coming from the staircase leading to the entrance of the atrium.
Slowly, I turned my head toward the sound, only to be met with my mother, whose smile was looking strained. "What did I say before leaving you, Alistair?" she said in that 'tell me what I want to hear' tone all parents have.
Shrugging, I flashed her a smile. "I only recall you saying something like 'Blah-blah-blah, do something stupid, blah-blah-blah'," I explained with a straight face, causing her to audibly clench her fist.
Ignoring her mood, I decided to move away from this topic.
"Sooo, how was your trip to Policies?" I probed, causing her to release a sigh before regaining her composure.
She seemed to be doing that a lot recently.
"Better than I thought," she said, making me raise a brow.
"And?" I questioned, making her huff before giving an eager smile.
"We're going on a private hunting trip together with the Barthomeloi's in Norway tomorrow, with an Ancestor's perspective successor as our prey."
Her answer made me openly gape.
The Barthomeloi's don't usually mix well with others. Their family was old-old, like at the very least 500 B.c old.
While they would sometimes host hunts for apostles, they would rarely, if ever, invite outsiders for an important hunt, like the one mum just laid out.
Leaning in closer, I spoke with some eagerness. "A prospective Ancestor you say? Which one got the Rose Prophecy? And how did you get the Barthomeloi's in on this?"
Mother gave a low hum. "Nrvnqsr Chaos got the prophecy, after declaring that he'd go actively hunting after Arcuid." She explained, making me frown.
"Doesn't that mean that he knows he'll die by her hands if he continues the hunt?" I probed, making mother shake her head, while Amelia saw it fit to chime in.
"Not necessarily." She interjected.
"Many have gotten the prophecy decades before their death, others got it minutes before, all it means is that he's next to die." She explained, making mother give a nod in approval.
Nodding, I decided to ask the other question again. "But how did you drag the Barthomeloi's into this?"
At my question, Mother looked a bit sheepish before responding, "Well… it's more like us butting into their 'coming of age' ritual, as they too planned to go after Louvre, after Chaos named him his successor."
"Since I had more information on him, and where he was located, Lord Barthomeloi decided that we could make it a joint operation, as a show of good faith." She explained.
Nodding, I gave my chin a slight scratch before continuing. "But, how strong is this Louvre? As I don't feel all that confident in fighting someone capable of filling the 10th seat on the Ancestor list."
At this, Mother gave a derisive snort.
"Oh don't worry, my—" mothers gaze momentarily swept through the room, before fixing itself onto me.
"Our 'Source' said that he's far from a fit for the 27th spot, let alone the 10th, and that he'd need another 200 ish years to be worthy of anything, and that he lacks a Marble Phantasm."
Something told me that Altrouge had dragged mother into this by framing it as excellent training, and a good source of 'mother and son bonding activities', seeing as she and Cath have been monopolizing my time with them at the manor.
Other than that, it's probably her way of getting me battle ready for the upcoming Grail war in a few years… and probably to cleanly put one of her members as the next successor for the 10th seat.
Nodding with understanding, I gave a smile. "And, where has our 'Source' told us to go?" I probed, making mother give a small snort.
"Northern Norway."
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Now that the mandatory begging is done, time to ask the hard hitting questions.
What did you think of Alistairs first trip to the clock tower? Was he a bit too rude? Probably, but to be fair, this was his first time interacting with the outside world, so he'll just claim trauma if anyone starts asking questions.
This chapter was mostly just an attempt at showing off what he is currently capable of with his magecraft, along with setting up a reputation for him at the Clock Tower. So I hope that it was still an entertaining read.
Anyone looking forward to an Apostle hunt? If not, don't worry, it will only be three chapters, and then we'll get a nice time skip, along with the start of his preparations for the grail war.
Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me! https://discord.gg/TW22C9DJ
Now I'm tired, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, I need motivation, or some shit like that.
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