Yep. A lot of these scenes were naturally dialogue heavy, and they ended up stacked pretty close to each other. I'll have to work on rearranging my scenes better in the future.Originally Posted by Laith
Everyone in the Moon Cell wants more answers right now, after all.
Whether or not they'll like the answers... well, we can hazard guesses on that.
I wonder if Shiki will have to turn to Nanaya's skills since he can't use his eyes. Saber won't be able to hold back Julius's Assassin so it's pretty much his only card left to survive, so to speak. Unless someone save his ass of course.
I've been meaning to mention how awesome it is that you're using Chrono Cross music for this Pure, so....AWESOME!!
I agree. Star-Stealing Girl really makes the Rani scenes seem especially profound.
My Fanfics. Read 'em. Or not.McJon01: We all know that the real reason Archer would lose to Rider is because the events of his own Holy Grail War left him with a particular weakness toward "older sister" types.
The length is fine - and a dialogue-heavy chapter just means it's setting up for Truely Awesome StuffTM later.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Shiki doesn't really rely on Nanaya anymore if we go by Melty Blood. He doesn't like using it, which isn't surprising.
Well, I wanted to use slightly more obscure soundtracks for most of the music in here, but, well, it's Chrono Cross. Mood music at its finest.
Thanks. I hope I can deliver to your expectations.The length is fine - and a dialogue-heavy chapter just means it's setting up for Truely Awesome StuffTM later.
Absolutely - and "The Girl Who Stole the Stars" (as I know it) is one of the best pieces in the game.
You always have.Thanks. I hope I can deliver to your expectations.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
One of the things that Chrono Cross did right was the soundtrack, indeed. I expect many good things in the next chapters.
Spoiler:
Just finished re-reading this from the beginning - and it's even better taken all at once. As always, I look forward to the next, and I may have to start thinking of another omake to add . . .
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Chapter Eighteen: Silen/Ce/ase
*~*
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
*~*
Shaking his head, Shiki raised the cup of coffee to his lips, pausing only to let his gaze sweep the Commissary before taking a long drink.
Then he set the cup back down onto the table, slightly harder than he had intended, and there was the slight thump of ceramic against plastic.
Was it just his imagination, or had today’s Alteration taken more out of him than normal?
“Do you want anything to eat, Saber?” he questioned.
“I’ll be fine, Praetor,” came her voice. “You should make sure you have enough energy for the rest of the day.”
“Yes…” Shiki glanced down at his breakfast consisting of a pair of egg tarts. I always end up missing Kohaku’s cooking whenever I go out on missions.
“Oh, you’re up early today,” a familiar voice from his side, and Rin was settling herself opposite him on the table, a tray in hand. “We had an appointment for codecasting tuition today, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, although we never really said what time we were supposed to meet,” Shiki decided against saying ‘because you ran off suddenly’.
“Oh, that’s right,” Rin tapped her chin, a thoughtful look coming across her face. “Well, come to think of it, I’ll be busy in the afternoon, so if you don’t mind we can have that study session after breakfast.”
“That’s fine,” Shiki nodded as he took another drink of coffee. “Although… I wasn’t expecting you to be so helpful all of a sudden. Did something come up?”
Rin snorted. “I already agreed to help you, you know? I keep my promises. It’s a standard I’ve always held myself to.”
“I see… well, thanks.”
“Besides…” a sly look appeared in Rin’s eyes. “There are some questions I have for you, if you don’t mind.”
Shiki paused and raised an eyebrow. “No,” he finally said. “No, I don’t think there’ll be any trouble.”
*~*
Moon Cell, Digital Tsukumihara Academy, Rooftop
Sunny Day
She stood there, distantly observing her Master as she as the Tohsaka magus continued to slowly instruct him on the nature of Codecasting.
Idly, she wondered if she should be paying more attention to the lesson, but after a moment she decided against it. It wasn’t something she would ever have to learn for herself.
In the meantime, her gaze drifted up to the stunningly blue sky at the same time that her thoughts drifted to their opponent for the week. Assassins were, as a class, rather badly suited for the the format of the Moon Cell’s Grail War, and this was likely no exception.
But then again, he hadn’t had any trouble with attacking them head on, although he had gone through the effort of targeting her Master first. And while she had been able to hold her own in that initial exchange of blows, she had gotten the feeling that Assassin had been deliberately holding back, for some reason.
But why? If anything, it would only behove Assassin to finish them off quickly in a surprise attack – the Elimination Match format would make it problematic for Assassins in terms of fighting a direct battle, which they were not used to. Or at least that would be the case for standard Assassins – there were in all probability plenty who had gained skill in head on combat.
The Hassans, though? She couldn’t say for sure. Then again, that he had attempted to use a poison (or what she suspected was a poison, she couldn’t say for sure until Rani had returned with her analysis) on her showed that he was well-versed enough in the nature of subtle assassinations.
A frown crossed her face. Ultimately, she simply didn’t know enough about the enemy Servant. Or, for that matter, about the enemy Master. The most she knew was that she had caught a glimpse of him once in the Commissary, and nothing after that. A far cry from Sir Blackmore, who they had met several times within the Arena. And even beyond that, they had been able to get ideas of his personality and tactics from how he behaved in the Arena (especially in relation to his Servant) and what others said about him.
But now they were halfway through the second week and Gusurg Jaeger was as big an enigma as ever. Then again, she supposed a Master who drew an Assassin would desire secrecy and remaining to himself.
A brief crackle of light drew her attention, and she glanced over to see her Master looking sheepish, and an annoyed look on Rin’s face. She frowned. Hopefully the Tohsaka magus wasn’t pushing her Master too hard…
“Yo,” a voice to her side.
She started in surprise, and whirled. There was nothing to the naked eye of course, but for someone like her, sensing the presence of a Servant was a matter of course. Tohsaka’s Servant had been present all throughout, of course, but not saying anything had led her to ignore him just as he had presumably been ignoring her.
Now, though…
“Yes, is anything the matter?” she questioned. Her Master was depending on the Tohsaka magus for now – not antagonizing her via her Servant would be the best course of action for now.
“Oh, nothing much. Just figured we could have a little chat, seeing as our Masters our currently occupied.”
“I… don’t have much to say, to be honest.” That was true enough. What was one supposed to say to others like whoever Rin’s Servant was? They couldn’t really discuss their pasts or interests – all that was potentially crucial information concerning the Servant’s identity, and really, the only other thing they might have in common was –
“So how’s the War treating you so far?”
She sighed. “Well, we’ve both gotten past our first round.”
“Well, yeah, that’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, stuff like, how was your first round opponent? Was he or she a good fight?”
For a moment, an image of Archer was brought to her mind. His traps, ambushes… his disagreements with his Master.
She shook her head once, although of course he wouldn’t be able to see it. “He was… unremarkable, I guess. What about you.”
“Heh. Mine put up a pretty good fight. But that was more on the Servant than the Master,” a sigh sounded out. “I wanted to see what someone like her could really do when commanded by a pro. This week’s Master looks like she’s got a good head on her shoulders, though! She’s keeping her Servant’s identity real close to her chest.”
“Well, best of luck with that,” she said, disinterestedly. She knew many of the Servants in here fought for the sheer joy of fighting, but she’d never seen the appeal herself. She fought entirely for the sake of her Master.
“Hey, speaking of Masters,” the voice sounded again. “What’s with yours?”
“With my Master?” she repeated, a trifle defensively. “What about him?”
“Oh boy,” a sigh. “Okay, look, I know a lot of Servants get attached to their Masters and all, but you’ve got to admit that he’s not exactly a master magus. And you have to admit most Masters don’t end up with their eyeballs fried during the first week.”
“That’s enough,” she said. “This conversation is pointless.”
“Sheesh, you’re touchy,” came the grumble from Tohsaka’s Servant.
“… We have no points of interest,” she said in reply. “My Master needs the help of yours, but that does not mean their Servants have to interact. Good day.”
She wasn’t sure how he would respond, but she moved away from Tohsaka’s Servant, continuing to observe her own Master as he did so.
*~*
Home Base, Avalon, Ilya’s Office
A soft knocking at the door caught Ilya’s attention and she lifted her head to glance at the clock.
“Yes, come in.” She called once before returning to her work.
The door creaked open, and Ilya let what she hoped was a warm smile cover her face as the occupant entered the room.
“Good morning, Ayako-san,” she said brightly. “Have a seat, make yourself comfortable.”
In truth this wasn’t something she would have preferred to do right now, given that there were more than enough problems to deal with from all sides. She was still waiting on Saber’s final decision about reversing her drgaon nature, the Moon Cell had been increasingly finicky about her tracking Shiki (at least Rin had finished getting the gems ready and they were now sitting in a glowing pile in a tray at the side of her desk). But, well, best to nip the whole thing in the bud before it potentially got out of hand.
She only wished she could have applied such a directive to Kohaku earlier.
And, all things considered, this would probably be the easier conversation to go through.
Ayako settled herself in the chair opposite Ilya, looking extremely uncomfortable.
A brief silence came upon the two of them for several seconds until Ilya coughed.
“Well, no sense in beating around the bush. I guess Shirou already told you the gist of everything.” Ilya finally said.
“Well, I’m still not sure what ‘everything’ is,” Ayako mumbled. “I know there’s magic and vampires and… other stuff. Weird stuff. Also that you guys… go out there fix things in other worlds?”
“Yes,” Ilya nodded. “More or less. As a rule, we don’t reveal this sort of things to other people. If you hadn’t been sucked into that other world along with Kohaku and Hisui you most probably wouldn’t have know.”
“Well, I guess,” Ayako smiled weakly. “I can understand why you guys would want to keep this stuff hidden from other people. It’s just… it’s a lot to take in at once.”
“Well, part of the reason I called you here is… well, I need to ask you what you want to do about it.”
“I’m sorry?”
Ilya leaned forward, settling her arms down on the table. “If you want, we can make this all go away. It’s easy, actually. Almost any magus worth their salt can erase memories. I mean, I can’t even guarantee that no one’s messed around with your memory before.”
Ayako’s eyes widened with alarm and Ilya quickly raised a hand to forestall her.
“You need to understand that this will be entirely your choice,” and also completely against standard procedure for magi, but that’s another matter. “Shirou would never forgive me – or any of the other magi – if we erased someone else’s memory without their consent for something like this.”
“So…”
“Yes,” Ilya nodded. “If you want, you can go back to your old life. No knowledge of magic or anything. On the other hand, you could keep your knowledge of this place…” she hesitated. “And maybe help us once in a while too.”
“What?” Ayako’s eyes widened. “But – I can’t do anything like what Kohaku did. All that fancy technology or whatever… I’m just decent at archery. I don’t think I could help you.”
“We’re not forcing you,” Ilya winced at Ayako’s flustered reactions. “You don’t have to help if you don’t want to, but I’m not going to lie – we could use every warm body we can get. And I’m not even talking stuff like travelling to other worlds to solve problems or whatever. Just stuff like, say, helping to make supply runs or sometimes dropping into other worlds to buy things. But even that’s for in the future. The question now is – do you want to keep your memories about magic?”
Ayako took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to answer.
*~*
Moon Cell, Digital Tsukumihara Academy, Rooftop
“Well, that’s as much as I can teach you,” Rin sat back and sighed. “At least, in the space of a single morning. You’re not – well, you’re not good. Or even decent. But you’re improving.”
Shiki nodded and wiped his brow once with his sleeve. “Thanks for the help, Rin.”
“My pleasure,” Rin mumbled as one hand reached up to massage the wrist of the other. “If you want my advice, don’t try codecasting in combat situations yet. Not until you’re better versed at this whole thing.”
Shiki chuckled as he remembered the boost he’d given Saber just yesterday. “Thanks for the advice,” he paused for a moment. “Say, Rin, do you want me to… well, treat you to lunch or anything? As thanks for helping me?”
She let out a short laugh. “Well, aren’t you the gentleman? I’ll pass, thanks. I’ve work to do.”
“All right,” Shiki nodded, just as a familiar beeping sounded from his terminal and Rin’s.
“Ah, I guess that’ll be the second Trigger.”
“Yes,” Shiki nodded. “I should be going to get it, I guess.”
“Have fun,” Rin smirked as she stood. “Don’t get yourself killed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”
Rin stood watching Shiki as he left the rooftop, presumably heading to the Arena. Once she was certain that she was alone, she let out a sigh.
“Well?” she asked her Servant. “Did you get anything?”
“No dice,” a brief chuckle sounded from him. “She was really touchy about him – say something a little negative and she clams up.”
“Hmph,” she folded her arms. “Well, I didn’t expect too much from that angle, anyway.”
“Guess we’re down to good old-fashioned observing him, huh?”
“Yes, later,” standing, Rin dusted her skirt off once. “But for now, we’ve other things to see to.”
There was a sigh from her Servant. “We’ll actually get to fight something sooner or later, right?”
“It’s not my fault the elimination match is only once a week.” Rin reminded him as she turned to leave. “Come on, let’s get going.”
“Yeah, yeah, right behind you.”
*~*
Moon Cell, Digital Tsukimihara Academy, 2nd Chimeric Lunar Sea, 2nd Floor
“… Wow,” Shiki managed as he stared around him.
The two of them were standing in the middle of the crumbling ruins of some ancient building Shiki couldn’t readily identify. A coliseum, maybe?
“A rather impressive sight, is it not, Praetor?” Saber, visible now, stepped in front of him, blade at the ready.
“I take it this is what the sunken galleon was like too?”
“Somewhat,” Saber nodded. “Well, there’s a Cipher Key here waiting for us in here. Shall we?”
Drawing his knife, Shiki nodded. “Yes, let’s.”
As they took their first few steps into the Arena, Shiki noticed a slight smile on Saber’s face.
“Anything the matter, Saber?”
“Oh, I was just thinking – what if we were able to find the Trigger in a single day?”
“You want to search this whole place in a single day?” Shiki rubbed his forehead. “That’s a lot of ground to cover, and that’s not even counting the fact that we might end up running into problems along the way.”
“Problems?” she repeated as she turned to look at him. “What sort of problems?”
“Oh, you know. Our opponent. And his Servant.”
“Yes, Servant Assassin,” a frown appeared on her face. “He could be observing us right now and we wouldn’t be able to tell. My sense are not finely honed enough to sense his presence.”
“Indeed. But are they finely honed enough to sense mine?” The voice was deep and rough, and both Shiki and Saber turned to regard the man standing at the top of the ramp they were walking up.
Confrontation
Shiki instantly shifted into a combat-ready position as Saber did likewise. Shiki’s gaze roamed to the right and left, noticing after a long moment that there was no sign of Assassin.
“You are searching for my Servant?” Gusurg’s lips curled upwards into a thin smile. “I’m not so foolish as to reveal him.”
“We already know he’s Assassin,” Shiki said tightly.
“Yes, I would expect so,” Gusurg’s burning eyes never left Shiki’s gaze. “We have discovered much about you.”
Too bad I can’t say the same, Shiki pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. “So, what are you here for? Challenging us to a fight?”
Another slight smile from Gusurg, and then he turned and headed away deeper into the Arena.
“Hey, wait just a -!” Saber snapped and took a step forward.
“Saber, wait,” Shiki said. “If he doesn’t want a confrontation, we won’t need to fight him.”
“But Assassin could be observing us through the entire day.”
“I doubt much would change even if we fought him in that case,” Shiki shrugged. “Unless you think you can drive him off in 30 seconds of battle?”
“Well, no…” Saber admitted, her face falling.
“Let’s just focus on finding the Trigger for today,” Shiki said. “Rani should be able to give us some clues about the Servant later tonight.”
She nodded and brought her blade into position. “As you command, Praetor. Let us be on our way, then.”
*~*
“You look tired,” Rani observed as she stood before Shiki.
“Did a whole lot of walking today,” Shiki explained. “On the positive side, I have both Triggers for the week already.”
And a slight question about why Gusurg did nothing to stop me. Shiki shook his head and let the matter drop.
“On to business, then,” Rani nodded. “I have analysed the vial you handed to me yesterday. It is indeed a poison.”
Shiki nodded. “I guessed as much.”
“Yes, however, as a tool to be used in combat it is a rather odd one,” Rani folded her arms, a contemplative expression making its way onto her face. “First off, it would not have the effect of being able to defeat your Servant even if he had managed to apply it.”
“Hm,” Shiki paused. “I guess that’s to be expected. I guess heroes of legend would have better constitutions than most.”
“You misunderstand. The poison would not have been lethal to an ordinary human either,” she held the vial up to the light. “Its primary functions would be to act as a paralytic that would severely hinder your Servant’s combat ability.”
“Oh…” Shiki frowned, musing the matter over. “So, first he’d weaken her, then finish her off with her weapons? That appears rather straightforward.”
“Yes, but if he believed that he would have the opportunity to infect her with a poison, why not simply use a stronger one?” the alchemist gazed up at Shiki. “It is my belief that the Assassin you face did not have any better poisons on hand – he was making do with the best he could, and thus, I would not consider this Assassin a master poisoner.”
Well, trying to find an Assassin based on what he’s not is a little harder than finding him based on what he excels in. “I see…” Shiki said out loud.
“I am sorry I could not be of more aid.”
“No, thanks a lot,” he smiled back at her. “This information was really helpful. I’ll be sure to make good use of it.”
“… Very well,” Rani bowed slightly. “Well then, Shiki Tohno, may the favour of the stars be with you.”
“Yeah,” Shiki nodded. “I still have to help you with getting that artefact, don’t I? Leave it to me.”
*~*
Moon Cell, Digital Tsukumihara Academy, Room 3-A
Quiet Night – In The Room
The room was silent, save for the sound of light breathing.
She sat up from where she had settled herself down earlier, staring down at her sleeping Master. He always did look uncommonly peaceful while asleep.
“Forgive me,” she murmured to him, although she knew he wouldn’t hear her.
Her insistence on having her Master push himself so hard today had partly been based on practical grounds, of course. That couldn’t be denied, and he had accomplished a lot today.
But more importantly, she knew that by doing so she would exhaust him and cause him to retire quickly for the night.
I can’t have him waking up halfway through the night like during the first week. She took a deep breath and headed for the door.
I’m sorry, Master.
The door to the room slid open and shut.
Alone, she headed down the moonlit hallway.
*~*
Chapter End
*~*
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.
WEEE~! NEW CHAPTER HO! Time to read for a bit...
In which Ayako must make a choice regarding her newfound knowledge about the secret world of magic, Rani explains the parameters of one of Assassin's weapons, and Saber once again goes off on her own elsewhere.
My Fanfics. Read 'em. Or not.McJon01: We all know that the real reason Archer would lose to Rider is because the events of his own Holy Grail War left him with a particular weakness toward "older sister" types.
I see Saber suscribes to the sensible choice of getting the Triggers the same day they appear. /Ignoring her real reasons.
Year 1
Salt Corner
*crawls up from the pit of no-Internet*
You're stealing my thunder...
Summary: in which Shiki is taught stuff, Saber is touchy, that Mushroom Kingdom hijinx is canon (sort of), Assassin can only hide, and Saber runs awaylike a girlto study.
Last edited by kuniKaiRoe; February 4th, 2012 at 05:07 PM. Reason: summary stuff!
Miscellany~
A living portrait, a forgotten portrait... and Yoshi.
Hmm. The Ayako section came out of nowhere for me. Is there something in other grailwork stories I've missed or did you intend for that to be from out of the blue?
Search for "Mushroom Kingdom," or the Grail Works tag - it's buried, but it's here. And hilarious.
Now I'm curious as to what Saber's up to . . . And it's going to bug me until the next chapter. Arrrgh.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Yes, but how does it make you feel?
Naturally! It leaves more time for grinding! And sightseeing and relaxing with her Master, that too.
What are you sayin! Mushroom Kingdom hijinx is definitely canon!
Here you go!
No guarantee I'll mention any of that next chapter, you know...Search for "Mushroom Kingdom," or the Grail Works tag - it's buried, but it's here. And hilarious.
Now I'm curious as to what Saber's up to . . . And it's going to bug me until the next chapter. Arrrgh.
That I'm worried about Shiki's upcoming fight, reminding myself once again that this Rin isn't the Rin I'm familiar with, and once more curious/worried about Saber.
Nothing wrong with either.Naturally! It leaves more time for grinding! And sightseeing and relaxing with her Master, that too.
. . . Scary thought, isn't it?What are you sayin! Mushroom Kingdom hijinx is definitely canon!
I know - by my count there's still two weeks to go before we catch up to the prologue . . . *sigh*No guarantee I'll mention any of that next chapter, you know...
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Well, to be fair, this Rin is almost the same as FSN!Rin. If anything, a bit more aloof and more prone to get defensive. And blonde in the real world. But besides that...
And I liked how even the crack is taking seriously. Taking into account that in a multiverse with literally infinite realities, I don't see why that couldn't happen.
BTW, yes, Saber is definitely intringuing me. We know that in a certain point, Shiki is going to think that she is going to the library to study about the Roman empire, to pass as Nero, but we don't know if that is all she does. Or her real reasons to do it (besides hiding her identity, I mean).
Spoiler:
True - but the fact that she actually had Lancer try to spy on Shiki through Saber was a bit more ruthless than I expected from her. Not that it's a bad thing - it was just a forcible reminder that Rin isn't simply a carbon copy of her namesake (close, maybe, not quite).
Me, either - especially as that sort of thing is a very Type-Moon thing to do. Besides, it was funny.And I liked how even the crack is taking seriously. Taking into account that in a multiverse with literally infinite realities, I don't see why that couldn't happen.
Mm-hm. You can see why I'm curious.BTW, yes, Saber is definitely intringuing me. We know that in a certain point, Shiki is going to think that she is going to the library to study about the Roman empire, to pass as Nero, but we don't know if that is all she does. Or her real reasons to do it (besides hiding her identity, I mean).
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
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