All the World's Hate

[Five_X]

A Task Not Suited to a King

I glare at the priest after he makes his impudent suggestion. “Fool, do you honestly think that the King of Heroes would stoop to be a spy? A simple observer to look on and do nothing? It's as if you don't even know who I am!” I stand up from my chair in the basement of the church, and start to leave the room with heavy steps. I know Kotomine isn't one to give up so easily, though, and just as I suspected, he tries to bargain with me.


“Archer, it is most wise to follow this order. Without Servant Lancer, I require someone else to examine the battlefield forming once more in this city.”


It had been two, maybe three days since he walked into the church without the Servant he had wanted to acquire. In that time, I had done nothing. Oh, certainly I had walked around the city once or twice, but that was just to stretch my legs as it were, and examine this city from a peasant's perspective, leaving the confines of this church. It felt good, I'll admit that much, but it was still boring to me, and so I continued to return here, listening to Kotomine's inane sermons every day and night. Despite my disdain for staying inside for such a long time, though, Kotomine's order still stung me yet made me wonder what made him think that a simple order worded as it was would move me to do his bidding. Such a shame for him, really.


“Archer.” He commands again in a low, threatening tone. “I demand obedience to my will, regardless of who you may be.” I ignore him, and ascend the stairs out of this stagnant basement, letting his words trail off behind me, unheard.


I hear his footsteps rapidly advancing to catch up with me, and I deign to turn around, and generously give him my attention for whatever pointless attempt he may be making. This time, though, he has a sort of sly smile on his face, almost mocking me, but I've seen that expression enough to know that he does have a plan, maybe one that may convince me to follow his order, or so he likely believes.


His smile grows as I stand in the middle of the hall in the church. “I see that you are not satisfied with my order.” I glare at him as he understates the obvious, as usual. “Then perhaps it would interest you especially if I mentioned that I know now of another notable Servant... a Saber, in fact. Her master came to me for... advice, of a sort a relatively short while ago, and though they likely thought I didn't know who they had brought along and kept outside, well, they were quite wrong. I could see the three of them when they crested the hill to this church, the Master, a girl, and the Saber, who was hooded in some disguise meant to avoid attention from ordinary people.”


My eyes widen, and I too have a grin on my face. I know what he's getting at, and I would curse his persuasiveness if I didn't enjoy this as much as I did. Saber, in this war as well, and so it seems that my possessions do happen to return to me in time. My patience of these last ten years has rewarded me with the greatest prize of all.


“I know what you want me to do, Kotomine.” I tell the priest, frowning now. “You're too clever, truly, and if you with for me to be your dog to send spying, then so be it, as long as you give me a very long leash. Is that too unfair for you?” He's outmaneuvered me, and thus I have no choice but to cede to his demand and try to salvage what terms that I can.


It is his turn to walk past me. “Then it is settled, Archer. Do not return here until you have found another Servant and their Master. I do not care how long you are gone or what you do, you simply need to keep me informed in this War. I want to know who may stand the greatest chance in this wonderful game, and I hope the outcome will be one that can fulfill my growing interest."


Kotomine, that bastard. Without a word I snap my fingers and my golden armour, attire for a king, makes way for the clothes the priest had given me to blend in with this mundane human society. At worst I will seem like a strange foreigner, since without using any of my power and dressed as one of my own subjects I do not give any impression of being a Servant, or anyone who could attract too much attention. It is a rather small price to pay to entertain myself at the expense of this idiotic Grail War, and to once again meet a King worthy of my desires.

– –

The darkness is inconsequential to my eyes. I walk down the hill from the church leisurely, and make my way through this dull town. I know all its depths and all its prime locations after these ten years, and while some are... memorable, most are merely places to travel through. In this Fuyuki City I know there are two halves, split by a river. I chuckle at the pitiful resemblance. “What a horrible mockery of the original!” I say to myself, and it's terribly true. How sick that these people have the gall to imitate true beauty, instead of creating something for themselves. It's only one example of how far humanity has fallen.


Across the bridge is the half of the city I more rarely visit, simply because it's far away and I have to reason to strain myself walking so far. There is a school to properly educate these mongrels in modern idiocy, and a number of little houses making way for those of the rich and powerful. If anywhere, that is where I would find a capable master. I wonder if he who commands Saber in this war is strong willed and a true magus, or some weakling who had the fortune of being in the right place to undeservedly be granted control of someone so far beyond them.


At some small junction that separates locally-styled huts from the more elegant ones, I sense what can only be a Servant, one that exudes power simply by existing. A smile crawls across my lips as I think of the many possibilities that can arise from this, and just as soon I am interrupted by a most interesting sight: a section of entirely ruined pavement, splotched with still wet blood, and that tingling sensation of intensely concentrated prana, fading fast. There's the smell of violence lingering in the air, and it excites me. The thought of a battle here tonight tears every fragment of boredom from my mind and puts me in a heightened state where I am no longer merely strolling around the city. Now, I'm hunting.

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

A/N: Still a rather short chapter, a little longer than the last one though. As I said before, I wanted to stop it at this point so that it has a good ending but that the same time doesn't require me to write thousands of additional words, since what I've got planned for the next chapter will definitely be longer.

Anyways, I hope this update has been enjoyable.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

>=3

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Loving it. The interaction between the Kirei and Gilgamesh was spot on.

[SeiKeo]

Anyways, I hope this update has been enjoyable.

Very.

[Alulim]

Al finds it enjoyable indeed.

[Five_X]

Persistent Business

I head south along the city streets, looking for where the combatants of this early fight may have gone. I doubt all of the Servants have been summoned yet, but I know Kotomine mentioned a few: Berserker, Caster, Archer, Lancer... and Saber. That just leaves Assassin and Rider to be discovered, though I'd prefer to meet Saber first. I hope that the other Servants that have been summoned this time won't disappoint me too much. Ten years ago, at least, were heroes worthy of respect, but I admit that even I don't know what to expect.



As I recall, there's a forest to the south of the residential area here. Any intelligent Master would see that as a good place to make their base of operations, so if there's to be a challenge worthy of me to be found, it very well could be there. At best, I can find at least one Servant before dawn breaks – there isn't much time left by now.


The edge of the forest marks the boundary between this so-called civilized town and untamed wilderness, dark and confusing to nearly all who enter it. I grin, entirely ready to make my official entrance into this war, to show these pathetic fools the true face of power in this city. Being as I am, a Servant existing outside of the standard rules of this Grail War, I cannot imagine anyone expecting my existence. A magus who has studied the Fourth War will believe that, since I existed here previously that I will not return again, at least not so soon, and if any one person does suspect the presence of the King of Heroes, then let them come, lest I find them first.


This forest is ancient and twisted like the greatest woods of my homeland, a forsaken relic in this ignorant place. After a few minutes of walking, though, I can sense that this forest is not what it may at first appear to be. There's the obvious trace of strong magic here, like walking into the web of a clever spider. There's no sound, not even the rustling of leaves in the night, and ahead there are only more trees, broken only by occasional clearings. It is at the boundary of one of these clearings that, in the corner of my eye, I see a blue flash, almost a blur, and hear the faint tossing of underbrush nearby.


Although I reacted as soon as I noticed the disturbance, it is gone from my sight in mere seconds. I run into the dense trees, not following any specific path but heading in the general direction of this newcomer, making enough noise to be noticed by anyone but the greatest of idiots. As I expected, there's another flash in the distance, more rustling, and I backpedal into the clearing.


For only a second do I get a solid view of the figure. There are no frills about him: his outfit is a plain blue, and he carries a long crimson weapon, about as tall as an ordinary human. Aside from this moment, he never stands still in my sight. If this is the Lancer that eluded Kotomine, then perhaps this night will be more interesting than what I was beginning to expect.


“Mongrel, what are you trying to accomplish?” I shout to the last space of ground I saw him touch down upon. There is no response.


I glance around, looking for where he may be, but he does little more than prance about me, avoiding any direct contact. I understand him now: he's merely too afraid to confront one such as I on solid ground, instead resorting to a coward's tactics and not fighting me face to face. What kind of warrior is this? A fool, naturally.


He finally does respond, though it's certainly more delayed than I desired.


“Having fun on the ground there? I'm very really sorry if I'm not following yer rules, but that's just the way it has to be, y'know?” Mocking me? Much more of this and I may just go back on my decision to not kill any Servants this early in the war...


The Lancer rushes at me from directly ahead, his weapon poised to strike me in my stomach. A simple strike, but it would've worked had I not been on my guard. I dodge to the side, and try to make a long enough opening to use one of my Noble Phantasms. He's quick, but I doubt he could avoid what I have at my disposal.


As he readies himself, switching his position around in some attempt to confuse me, I call from my treasury a long sword with a cruel, hooked tip, forged in an India of centuries past. I know what I have collected in my life, and this weapon is more than familiar to me. This may be the thousandth time I've brought it to serve my will, but it shall not falter.


After that sword comes another, and more, until a whole armoury of weapons is readied behind me, facing this Lancer, just as I stare him down like an insect to be crushed. One does not toy with the King of Heroes and escape without some regret for their actions.


“Gate of Babylon!” The weapons plunge forward at once, shooting into the grass of the clearing. I'm forced to grimace as the Lancer merely deflects them like cheap arrows, disrespecting entirely the objects only suited to a king. He's a pragmatic and annoying fighter, the type I hate. Though he cannot block every thrown weapon, he dodges backward and to the side, and moves faster than I can follow.


The rain of Noble Phantasms ended prematurely by my will, the Lancer charges at me and I have only a small window of time to call the hooked sword to use personally against him. I block his advance with the blade, and he jumps back, then forward again.


Our weapons clash in the cold night, the only sounds in the area. I grip the hilt of my sword with both hands, resisting his assault, but he is simply too quick. The violent thrusts of his spear pierce past my single defense, and threaten to seriously injure me. How could could this be? I search through my mind to figure out how to reverse the course of this fight, but having to stop his relentless attacks taxes my mind and I can barely allow myself to divert my attention to my thoughts for milliseconds at a time.


He laughs while pressing me backwards. “Too tough for ya, am I? Maybe you shoulda thought first before running into me! I'll admit though, you've made it a little interesting so far. Can I get your name, if that's not asking too much?” His impish smile degrades me, with the very thought that someone like this is on the verge of defeating me.


“How dare you attempt to exert power over the King of Heroes? I am Gilgamesh, mongrel, and do not forget that!” I scream at him, and catch his spear on the hook of my blade. With his weapon locked only by my strength, I call upon my rain of Noble Phantasms to supplant his advantage in this clash.


I'm the one laughing now. “Gate of Ba-”


There's a sudden and thunderous crack to my lower spine, like being hit by a cannonball at point-blank range. The Lancer slips his spear out of my control, and I can only watch in pain as he brings it back, readying himself for a final stab that will end my resistance. What foolish mockery is this? How could this ever have happened? A mere Lancer, defeating me? Such is an embarrassment I would not allow even my Saber to inflict upon me! Whoever is attacking me from behind must be the Master of Lancer. Kotomine's loss, then, is understandable. Mine in unacceptable, even if I underestimated his strength.


“RRRRRrrrraugh!”


There is a great shaking of the ground, and I twist my head to the left to see what this is.


A great grey beast of a man, looking far too huge and unnatural to be any normal Servant, has charged into the clearing. A small silver-haired girl rides upon his shoulder, and when she gracefully climbs off, she commands the beast to attack. Lancer has dropped his attention from me to this new Servant, and with this opening I spin around and slash his Master across the chest, her blood gushing out onto the green grass, looking no different from my own that has started to form a pool underneath me from the holes the Lancer has put in my body.


That is a strike he cannot ignore, and he immediately dashes toward her, picking her up in his arms, and so I run as far from the clearing as possible, hoping that the other Servant will be ordered in a different direction that the one I am blindly heading towards.


Regardless of this chance event, though, I have lost, and that is a slight that I cannot possibly ignore for very long, despite my injuries. I shall tell Kotomine of my findings, and recuperate in the church. After that, I shall find this Lancer again, and make sure that he can no longer disgrace me. He may have been the victor in this skirmish, but he has yet to see more than a fraction of the power that I truly can call upon.


Beams of early sunlight creep though the mess of trees.

– –

By the time I've reached the church again, the morning has almost given way to noon. Certainly, my wounds have all but disappeared, but the damage to my pride cannot be repaired so easily. I halfheartedly push open the doors to the antiquated church where, as usual, Kotomine awaits near the altar, preparing some sermon or other. I'm not in the mood to care.


“Good morning, Gilgamesh. I trust that, by your returning here, you have news for me?” He cuts straight to the point. While normally I'd appreciate that over his usual rambling, I don't appreciate his condescending tone of voice.


“I fought earlier this morning against Lancer and his Master.” I scowl at the thought.


He reads my demeanor, and walks over to me in his enigmatic, lofty manner. “Is that so? You seem... unsatisfied.”


“Unsatisfied? The mongrel managed to defeat me! His damned Master has some power to augment her physical attacks, and with his speed and their coordinated attack, I was forced to retreat from the area.” By now, there's no point in being dishonest with him.


“Did you at least find another Servant, and perhaps a Master?” He smiles, as if my defeat was wholly expected by him. I've never been sure if I admired or hated his strange ability to make every outcome seem like it turned out to his advantage, regardless of what actually happened.


I rub my lower back where Lancer's Master had hit me full force, and then tell him about the hulking grey Servant and his likely Master, the silver-haired girl. He nods, honestly expecting what I had told him, especially when I mentioned the forest where I fought Lancer.


He turns to head to the basement, and leaves me with these muttered words: “That girl is the Einzbern's representative. Don't bother with her yet.” I don't know any more about her or her Servant, so I agree. My attention is on Lancer, after all.


Kotomine is out of sight, and I take a seat near the altar of the church. I haven't had any rest in nearly a day, and with this physical body I find that such things are more satisfying than when I was a more ordinary Servant.


The main door of the church creaks open.


“Excuse me,” Asks a red-haired boy who has just walked in. “Is Father Kotomine here?”



Slowly, I stand up from my chair. I didn't expect to have to deal with any visitors on the priest's behalf, but this one interests me. He has a presence to him, faintly like that of a magus. I walk over to him, and I can see in his eyes that he's afraid. It's a good feeling, to know that someone fears me. It helps bring back my pride, at least.


Casually, I raise my arm, and he steps back. “Hm. You seem entranced by something... unpleasant.” I take a few steps back.


I'll indulge him. Perhaps he'll show importance later, though I know if I ask Kotomine about a red-haired boy, he'll just give me some vague answer as usual. “Wait there. You have business with Kotomine, then?” I ask him, and he becomes less tense. I leave him, and follow to where Kotomine went, to fetch him for this boy. I have a feeling that I will be seeing him once again.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A/N: Lancer beats Gilgamesh, discuss.

[Alulim]

...more makes Al pleased.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

I think I may have an idea of what route this is based on.

Hmm... >=)

[Five_X]

Yep, I dropped a number of hints, and in the next chapter or so it should be pretty obvious. In fact, one small part of this update is almost a direct copy of one scene from a certain route, dialogue-wise.

[Five_X]

So, conversation starter: what do you people think of the Gilgamesh/Lancer fight?

[SeiKeo]

Well Gil, this is what happens when you assume you can beat everyone.

[Icura]

Awww, I wanted to see Gae Bolg's abilities in action.

[Five_X]

I wouldn't want to kill off Gilgamesh this early on in the fic! He's the star, after all.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Also, Gil has A Luck.

Normal Gae Bolg HEARTSTAB probably wouldn't work on him.