FGA Chapter 15

Fuyuki at night is absolutely in the dark, especially in the rural areas away from the city. The lack of streetlight reflect in how nobody bothered going outside once the sun had settled down

The eerie silence of their surrounding would have unnerved any other Master, but not her

She stepped out into the street. All was quiet. Assassin landed on her side with barely a sound as the girl's eyes flickered to him momentarily

"Did you catch it?"

In response, the Hassan stretched out his hand and opened it. Several corpses of crows fell out, landing on the ground with a spatter of blood

She look down at them

Familiars. Animals which has been bound to a Magus, tasked to do menial jobs for them. They aren't normally used for combat purpose. So there is only one explanation

"Someone has been monitorting our movement"

"I tried to trace down their source, but these seems to run on an independent track of Aura. Whoeever did this covered their track well" Assassin added as an afterthought

Less than two days and they've already been spotted. How lucky

"It's almost like whoever did this must have known our identity beforehand, but that's impossible right?"

"The Grail's candidate are chosen in mysterious way. I think it is indeed unlikely to figure it out"

"Unless it's Caster"

"There has always been an exception to the rules" Her Servant admitted "But we still can't be sure. These familiars seems too simple to have been their work"

So whatever means that was used, their tailer had now grasped the Master's identity in the palm of their hand

A normal Magus with such knowledge had basically taken one step toward victory.

"For the time being, I suggest we hide ourselves in the forest until other course of actions could be taken. Avoid further confrontations altogether"

"No. That makes their action unpredictable. Sticking to the usual routine is our best bet"

The logic may sounds contradictory, but keeping your enemy closer to your ally has their own merit

They are unlikely to attack somebody who they're sure is the smaller threat. Additionally, limiting your actions makes them predictable.

She knows where their tailer will strike. The only problem is to decipher when. Sakura closed her eyes

"Onii-chan. What would you do?"

In times like these, she could only rely on her brother's wisdom, trusting that he would provide a solution, no matter how bizarre, that would end up working perfectly fine in the end

Just like with her grandfather and the chasm between her and Rin. He'd been there to solve the matter without once asking for anything in return

But that person is no longer with her, and so Sakura found herself attempting to repicate the thought process of one Shinji Matou.

What would such a person say, were he to face the same situation as her?

"I have the weakest Servant class in the war. My identiy is compromised. Not to mention one of the participants is my sister. The natural course of action would be..."

To run away? To sacrifice her Servant and take a safehouse within the Church's confine? Just like a coward that she is?

No. Shinji wouldn't do that. He would calmly assess the situation, before coming to a conclusion befitting his intelligence. And that's exactly what she did

"We'll continue our night scouting for the time being. Keep a lookout for similar monitoring Magecraft like this. As for the crows..." She picked up the corpses and flip it over "I'll try to find if there's anything valuable I can learn from it"

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"So..." Caren stated in amusement "It appears you're in need of assistance"

Rin Tohsaka palmed her face, while Shirou look on sheepishly. A disgruntled Archer could be seen lounging outside the door. Overall, it is a messy essemble that Caren Hortensia found outside her doorstep in the middle of the night

"My Master deems it necessary in her to spare this fool his fate. Do make sure we need not suffer from his idiocy"

"I appreciate your concern for me, random man in red" He groused. The annoying white-haired person only scoffed and turned away

Shirou turned back to face the girl. At first glance, he could admit she's quite beautiful. There was that sharpness about her face denoting an observing nature, yet at the same time the soft feature can make everyone who look at them lower their guards

Not quite seductive, just so...disarming. And unsettling

He noticed the girl, Caren, looking at him. The Emiya turned away, embarrassed at having been caught staring

"It's over working hour for the church. If you have any business here, they can be reserved for tomorrow"

"It's about the Murder Death Kill"

Caren paused in her track. Her ember eyes found themselves back to them.

"Oh, yes. The holy grail war" She muttered distractedly "Someone already briefed me on that. I assume you're here to be granted sanction?"

"You Kotomine's are all the same, don't you" Rin groaned "How could I lost so early in a war like this? No, the reason I'm here is because of this buffoon"

At this she pushed Shirou forward. The redhead stumbled, but managed to right himself and stand to his full height. Just a head taller than the silver-haired nun

"Explain to her the how's and why's"

"Uh.....I mean...uh, sorry, I mean uhh...." Faced with the woman's curious eye, Shirou found himself unable to utter a thing.

What is there to say? It was just one of those days when he go to school. Fix some of the facility's appliances as per the student council's request. Greet everybody. Generally being helpful. Then he met Shinji who is talking to their teacher Kuzuki

The blue-haired boy took a look at his arm, and had practically dragged him to Rin's classroom, all but slamming him down on her table while holding the mark on his arm out to see

He think he may have sprained his wrist. But it's hard to tell

Wait, that's right, the weird mark

"Just this morning, I have this thing appear on my arm" He raised his hand, showing the symbol etched on it "One of my friends panicked upon seeing it. I guess he must have thought it's a tattoo or something"

He ignored the 'you poor fool' mutter from Rin

Caren took Shirou's hand in hers, caressing them gently as she inspect the mark

"This is a Command Seal" Her eyebrow rose "I assume you are knowledgable about Magecraft. Did miss Tohsaka informed you about the Holy Grail war beforehand?"

"...she did. The detail was kind of vague though"

"I can only imagine. Such is bullheadedness of the family" Came her gentle laughter. Despite his horror, Shirou found himself joining her. That only lasted until Rin's hand calmly placed itself on his shoulder. The girl's face was all smile, all teeth

"Why don't you hurry the fuck up, huh?"

Gulping, Shirou turned back as Caren started on explaining the basics of the war

____________

"Lancer". Bazett said with a blush "People are staring"

Oh god. This is embarrassing

She had forgotten just how much difference in culture the Celtic and modern day Japan have. Enough to blatantly let out the fact that a Servant, should they felt compelled to, can ignore knowledge from the Grail to act out certin situations in accordance with their traditions

Lancer being challenged by a dog over its territory has, apprently, been counter as a declaration of war

"The fuck did you say to me, mutt?" The Servant demanded, crawling on all four as he circled around his adversary.

"Woof!"

"How about you go back home and suck on your mama's teats instead? She's more of a man than you"

"Woof woof!"

Lancer's trashtalking skill proved effective, as the dog swiped at his nose. The blue-haired man yelp as he skittered backward. While still on all four

Something akin to her previous admiration of the hero shattered inside Bazett

"Lancer, this is enough!" The rune Magus roared "You're embarrassing yourself"

"Nay, this hound is challenging my rights as the strongest. I'll be damned if he is allowed to walk free" He sprung around like an excited hound

"Is it a test of might you're offering? Don't make me laugh, boy. Scathatch would brutalize the likes of you in seconds"

"He is a dog"

"He pissed on my foot. In Celtic culture, it is an invitation of 1v1"

Or maybe it didn't know what the heck it's doing. Cu didn't seem to acknowledge that fact as he continued on his deluded rant

"Although challenging me is an idiocy none dared repeat, you are one of the first to do so despite knowing the consequence. Maybe we are alike more than we thought. Warriors born to rule the battlefield"

He nodded. It was a gesture of respect for the dog, who in turn tilt his head in confusion

Cu Chulainn is a legendary figure rivalling Heracles in Celtic mythology, and yet he found himself humbled by this experience

"Very well. To reward for your sincerity, I will respond with my full power" He brought up his hand "Give me a good fight, dog"

"That's enough! We're going back"

Bazett yanked him back before Lancer could summon his weapon. She silently fumed to herself while dragging the manchild she had summoned away

"Remember me, oh brave hound. When this Holy Grail war is over, I'll come back to give you a duel worthy of my name!"

The dog barked at him

After a moment, it returned to chomping on the dead crow beside it

______________

It was morning when Caster woke up.

Her blurry vision came into focus to the sense of peacefulness. Gone was the headache plaging her nights ago. Her ears picked up the sound of birds chirping in the distance

The Servant made sure her body is not bound in any way. She remain still, not wanting to alert anyone of her awakening, even as her mind kicked into overdrive

What is this? Where is she? The last time she was awake, a man had brought her home. This is not how she rememebred it. Had her position been compromised?

Or he could have kicked her out. The thought calmed her down despite their unpleasant nature. It is the unexpected that is scarier. And betrayal had been more than that

There was the sound of footstep as the door opened behind her. Caster didn't have time to pretend to be asleep, instead looking wide-eyed at the blue-haired boy standing at the door

Moments later, Kuzuki stepped out from behind him

"I'm sure you're wodering where you are" The boy said as they settled beside her "And to answer that, Kuzuki here and I struck a bargain for you to be transfered to the temple where I'm living in. It is the only place that could provide sufficient Mana for you"

And it did. She could feel her power returning slowly. Caster wasn't back at full strength yet, but it is only a matter of time

What is more urgent is her acting Master. Zeus bless him, the man had taken her in. She didn't know if he had betrayed her. Kuzuki did do something to help her, possibly potentially from being returned to the Throne in the process.

Medea decided she could trust his plan at the moment

"And this choice was made without me" She responded calmly "I'd appreciate if the transanction's content was made clear to avoid misunderstandings"

"It is very simple. As you might have already deduced, I am a Master" He showed his Command Seals. She didn't react save from a raised eyebrow "As such, all that I ask of you is to remain cordial with us. No conflicts inside the temple until all the other Servants have been dealt with. Additionally, we are to assist each other in battle"

"In summary, a mutual defense pact?"

"Yeah. Something like that" He stood up hand gesturing to the side "My Servant in spectral form here is Rider. Forgive me if he isn't willing to reveal his appearance. He is a shy one"

The air rippled, as if to protest to his choice of words

"For the duration of your stay here as a guest of the temple, Rider will defend you. Conversely, you are to provide him aid in the form of reconaissance and long-range support"

"That sounds acceptable, yes" She answered.

A smile wormed its way to his face

"Wonderful, I'm Matou Shinji. Looking forward to our prosperous alliance"

They shook hand. Soon, as the sun set its sight on the mountain peak, they stood up to depart. Shinji in particular turned to her

"One last thing. Don't take this for an opportunity to attack us. I had countermeasures in this place in case of your betrayal...some of which are pretty violent"

"I'll keep that in mind"

Caster nodded

For the time being, an alliance is exactly what she need. With her Mana problem taken care of, she wouldn't need to drain civilian's souls from around here.

The boy is naive in thinking she won't find a way to turn the table on him. Just how hard could finding this "countermeasure" of his be?

Considering Medea is a Mage of renown in the Age of Gods, it can't possibly be that hard

She giggled to herself as the two left, closing the door behind them

___________

Iliya von Einzbern is the heiress of a proud and noble Magus family

Iliya von Einzbern had been honed to be a top class Master, destined to become one of the top contender in the war if not for her special constitution

She, who is a weapon of destruction, with near inhuman Mana reserve and a summon that could crush the mightiest of lions to paste with his fingers, found herself at the mercy of one of civilization's unfamiliar clutches

What the heck is a police, and why are they bothering her so much?

"For the last time, I am not lost!"

"You'll forgive me for not believing you, miss" The man in uniform before her tipped his hat "Where are your parents?"

"They're dead!" Her mother became a sacrifice for the Grail and her father left her soon after. She was tortured by her only family left in that castle. From the age of eight she had yet to know the touch of a father or a mother's warmth.

"So an orphan then?" The man's eyes narrowed "That means you're living alone. Where is your home so I can take you back. It's not safe at this time of the day"

"I'm...I came from Germany. I haven't had a home"

The police officer took one look at her

"Do you have any money?"

"N-no?" Technically, she has a castle. Iliya didn't really want to tell the very inquisitive man in front of her about that

"How about your ID?" She didn't respond "Your passport? Acquaintances? Do you bave any friends here I could contact?"

Silence

"Well..." The officer sighed "Miss, I'm sorry, but we'll have to take you back to the station, okay?"

"What? No, you can't!"

"Hey guys we have a lost child here. Anybody got some spare futon for her to sleep in?" A chorus of yes from the other men sealed her doom

That's how Iliya von Einzbern spent her first night in Fuyuki. Not slaughtering opposing Masters with her Berserker. Not tormenting her brother who her father adopted. Not even arriving at the castle where she had designated her base to prepare for the upcoming war

But instead locked in a police station with no way out

____________

From behind the telephone pole, I observed one very pelutant child being escorted to the police station

Unlike with Assassin's master, it wasn't hard for my familiar to track down Iliya with her noticeable hair color

It is even easier calling the police on her, voicing as a concerned pedestrian seeing a child wandering outside by her own

Come morning she would have escaped. Worse, she could kill all the officers there. Even worse, the girl can make it her base of operation. The fact that she hasn't ordered that monster to get her out has been a worrying sign of it own.

Still, it did buy me some time to prepare against them

'What's your plan of action now, Master?"

"For the time being I'll regroup with Rin and Emiya and have him summon Saber. With Caster on our side, it will be a four against one, which should even our odds a bit"

Gods hand is a hard thing to counter

Damn. I wonder what Lancer and Assassin is doing now

Why hasn't my Familiar reported to me about them yet?

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As usual, Shinji's talking and charisma proved to be his main advantage. His planning, not so much...

Jason will get a role in later chapters, though probably not in the way you'd think