Coalsman Special Corrections Center
"Should I consider Sigma also out of combat? ...No, he's Francesca's pawn first and foremost. I can't discount the possibility he cut communications with me on her orders."
Sigma's provisory boss Faldeus theorized about his loss of contact with him.
But he never reached the idea that Sigma could have
rebelled of his own volition, and ultimately held off his final judgment until he was able to get in touch with Francesca.
"The central surveillance system was physically destroyed... and in all other sectors, the cameras were magically hacked and had their spells destroyed... Who would have thought processing the surveillance cameras with magecraft would have backfired like this...?"
Faldeus was impressed with how calmly he read the surveillance system's damage report.
Perhaps a major factor behind his composure is the presence of Assassin - Hassan-i-Sabbah. Assassin could perfectly hide his presence if he so chose, so if he was intentionally letting Faldeus feel it, there was a reason behind it.
(He's watching to see if I won't misspeak... That's what he's trying to say, maybe.)
The murder of Galvarosso Scladio, boss of the Scladio Family. When Faldeus passed this order, he was reminded of a question. ー"Have you the resolve to see that faith through, even if it means ending another's life?"
Faldeus considered it a hypocritical question but never made light of it.
No matter what nuance the words concealed, it was an agreement with his Servant. Even unofficial pacts could potentially rebound as a form of curse if broken.
And questioned or not, his faith was unshakeable.
He can still confidently say eliminating Galvarosso wasn't a mistake.
It caused political and financial damage to America, but it prevented the greater future damage that would be caused by the Scladio Family's schemes.
But he needed to be careful in how he utilized Assassin.
After all, he couldn't verify what skills and Noble Phantasms he had. He could force him to tell with a Command Spell but he couldn't carelessly use that, as it was possible he would be inviting a betrayal on himself with that act.
But the results confirmed Assassin was wonderfully skilled.
Being asked about his faith might have subconsciously strengthened Faldeus's mental state. Otherwise, he would be humiliating himself in this sudden situation.
"The first order of business is to get the surveillance system back online. Please call Head Officer Orlando for it. Request him to forward us the footage from the normal, non-magical city cameras. We'll have three systems up: the repaired form of the one we've been using, one for digital images, and a network of surveillance familiars for magical images."
Faldeus gives order after order, restoring a semblance of order to the situation.
"...? Francesca's workshop was damaged? She's doing... an emergency landing on the south desert? Was this also Flat Escardos...?"
For convenience's sake, he gave his orders on the assumption that the one who attacked the snipers was Flat Escardos.
He always thought of Flat as someone with the potential to be as dangerous as the Heroic Spirits depending on the circumstances, but he had no idea how right he was.
The magical energy splashes from his battle with Lancer in the skies were tangible from where he was. Faldeus's instincts screamed that Flat was without a doubt a greater threat than a low-tier Heroic Spirit.
In fact, he had caused more damage than any Servant.
"I demanded the general sent a replacement squad immediately but I don't think they'll make it still today."
Washington was apparently facing its own set of problems, so Faldeus was unable to get in touch with the general he answered to.
Considering the timing, Faldeus found it hard to believe the two cases were unrelated, and this thought further strengthened his wariness of Flat Escardos or whatever was possessing his body.
"We'll receive a decision about this from the outside before we come up with our own... Though I wish the control was in my hands until it's all over... With how ridiculous this got, I can't make fun of my predecessor in Fuyuki's 3rd..."
As Faldeus grumbled these almost complaints, Aludra returned from another room and handed him a document.
"The analysis team's report, sir."
"Thank you. I was waiting for it."
He took the file with a shrug and skimmed it.
The data was so good it could be considered unfair for the Holy Grail War.
It contained the result of a system analysis for spells set in advance all over the city, displaying all signals of magical energy from Heroic Spirits, the individuals linked to them, and their general location.
A mage specialized in magical energy detection could somewhat locate enemy Masters, but having that as an information network large enough to link with the city's surveillance system was a feat only possible with the cheat that was building the city for the sole purpose of the Grail War.
A Master with a fortified workshop wouldn't mind their location being detected, but some Masters prefer the strategy of lurking in the city and not letting the opponents know where they are.
If, for example, an Archer team receives this data, they could potentially snipe a Master from a distance too long for their magical energy to be detected.
This is not even hypothetical. Bazdilot's Archer shot at the Master of the other Archer, Gilgamesh, from outside the city.
Under normal circumstances, this priceless information would be enough for him to go for the win with his Assassin, having all he needs to plan how to assassinate all Masters.
But one piece of data made Faldeus squint.
"I see. Looking back at the older data, I assumed that was the case."
As Faldeus confirmed his correct guess, Aludra, who had previously read the documents, raised an indifferent question.
"
The number of Masters doesn't fit the number of Servants... What could this mean?"
The data listed all beings with high enough energy levels to be assumed to be Heroic Spirits, as well as all linked individuals with magical energy, but the numbers didn't match.
The majority of these individuals entered the city by unknown means, and the surveillance cameras couldn't identify them.
Someone could be hiding their face with illusions but the idea that it was a single person disguising themself as multiple individuals couldn't answer every question the report raised.
"One possibility is that a
stray Servant cycled through multiple Masters after losing their original one..."
Reading the next page, Faldeus's mouth twisted into a pained smile.
It contained the Class list of Servants who switched Masters.
The first was Fake Assassin.
The Servant who attacked the police station. She was receiving her energy supply from a different Master from the one she initially connected to.
The surprise was that her new Master was the outside mage assumed to be contracted to Saber.
Faldeus found himself weirdly intrigued by the girl when he first saw her through the cameras, though even now he still fails to get an idea of what she could truly be.
"She's... contracted to multiple Servants with no external support? And not any two Heroic Spirits... those two Noble Phantasm spammers? I can't say that's unprecedented, but if she has this much magical energy, then..."
Faldeus's system could detect magical energy put into action, but it couldn't estimate the amount inside one's body.
"She might have the same qualities as Lord Trambelio... an abnormally high Od recovery quotient. We'll need to raise her place in the threat ranking. Please redirect any surviving squads to her surveillance."
After passing his order, Faldeus turned his eyes to the next concerning file.
"And the other Heroic Spirit trading Masters multiple times is... oh."
After reading the whole file, Faldeus whispered with a serious expression.
"Doris Lusendra... Could she have lost when I wasn't looking?"
The Heroic Spirit listed there was the Rider manifested by the true summon.
If his information is correct, this Servant claimed her name as Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons.
Countless mages were gathered in the city.
It wouldn't be farfetched to assume some among them are trying to steal Master rights from others.
"I don't believe there was any fight involving Heroic Spirits, but it is possible her new Master killed the old one in a magecraft battle while Rider was away."
"It's possible. In fact, her magical energy became untraceable by our sensors the day before yesterday."
"To be able to defeat her, the new Master must be another heir candidate of the Lusendra family or some powerful figure in town... That reminds me, Flueger has been spotted in Snowfield. Someone with his level of power could do the job, though only if teamed up with a fellow conspirator."
"Will you dispatch a surveillance squad to locations where Hippolyte's signal was detected?"
Faldeus paused to think about Aludra's words.
It was obviously a good idea.
But now he found himself in a sudden shortage of pawns. He shouldn't spread his forces until the backup squad arrived to refill his numbers.
With that in mind, Faldeus sighed and ordered Aludra.
"One more thing to mention when calling Orlando. We're leaving her surveillance in Clan Calatin's hands."
"Will they accept this?"
"They don't like elements of uncertainty either."
Confident that Chief Orlando Reeve would accept his request, Faldeus skimmed the rest of the information.
"Someone moved Kuruoka Tsubaki away from the hospital... I'm curious as to what happened to her Heroic Spirit. Let's stay vigilant on her case."
Lastly, he sighed as he saw the image on a figure in front of the hospital: the pawn that had just refused to report.
"Sigma... All the way from the moment of his summon, there were no clear signs whatsoever of the magical energy from the Heroic Spirit he was connected to."
And then Faldeus remembered that the Servant contracted to Sigma was the comedian Charlie Chaplin.
"That explains the barely noticeable magical energy trace..."
Faldeus was assuming this was some kind of misunderstanding on Sigma's part, but now his mind was dominated by the idea that maybe Sigma did indeed summon the Comedy King. As this thought took root, Faldeus expressed his unattached condolences to his lost subordinate.
"Well, without a doubt, he wouldn't last one second against Flat Escardos.
Regardless of his skill as a spellcaster, he clearly wasn't cut out for the Master role."
X X
Back alley
"...is what he said. Oi, lad, we ain't getting any respect in here."
The captain's silhouette repeated Faldeus's words in real-time.
It was the most convenient ability imaginable, but Sigma didn't know how to deal with it being used to convey someone's badmouthing of him.
"Don't look so down on yourself, mister. He valued you enough to hire your mercenary services, did you forget?", said a muscular warrior shadow to bring some positivity into the conversation. "This your big chance, get it? You're seriously got the chap thinking you're dead."
The shadow said "thinking" instead of "convinced" because Watcher can't read minds to be sure Faldeus believes it.
Sigma agreed.
Faldeus was not the kind of man who would call something confirmed just because it was highly likely.
His creed was there is no kill like overkill when it comes to eliminating a target.
But the more important piece of information to Sigma was what the Watcher shadows told him about the fight between "what once was Flat Escardos" and Lancer Enkidu.
"Tell me your honest opinion. Do I have any chance against either of those two?"
"Right now, none. Trying would be dumber than flying to the sun.", spoke the young man with mechanical wings.
Hearing his self-derisive laugh, Sigma started thinking.
"I guess my only hope of winning the Grail War really is targeting the Masters. But my goal is to destroy the ritual. I'm better off avoiding all enemies while I destroy the base foundation of the Holy Grail."
"Ah, but the foundation is deep underground. As Watcher is now, you could get a bit of static if you go down a step too deep, so watch out. Though you could improve our signal quality by making some progress on your evolution."
Heeding the returned captain's words, Sigma lightly shook his head.
"I can't make a plan with uncertain elements. I guess really need more secret alliances."
"And what's more uncertain than an alliance? Most other Masters want the Holy Grail. I don't think they'll agree to the ritual's destruction."
Sigma asked a question about what the boy knight silhouette said.
"Most? What teams aren't after the Grail?"
"First there's Francesca Prelati, Faldeus, and the police. They're more intent on analyzing the ritual than on getting the Grail, so if they get it, that's just a lucky bonus."
"Rejected. You didn't even need to list them as candidates."
"Saber and Ayaka apparently found their will for it in the dream world. It's still possible to persuade them, but it's highly likely they'll ultimately oppose you."
"I won't discard them as a possibility just yet. What are my other options, though?"
He was surprised by the sudden change in their situation but didn't let the shock show on his face.
The boy knight continued, despite noticing his internal state.
"This one goes without saying, but Assassin. Her goal always has been destroying the ritual."
"Yeah, she's worth to keep cooperating with. I was planning to wait for the night and regroup with her where the cameras can't see us."
Hearing his own decisiveness, Sigma was surprised by how much he trusted Assassin.
He knew this was a dangerous omen for a spellcaster mercenary.
"Also... Hippolyte's team was a possibility until a few moments ago... Things changed for them. They'll probably change directions and go after the Grail."
"Ok."
He never had any points of contact with Hippolyte's team, so the low hopes of allying with them were no big deal.
That said, "things changing for them" was a curious tidbit he kept in mind to ask about after he was done sorting out alliance candidates.
(Tine Chelc's team and Bazdilot's team are out of the question... Who is left? Haruri?)
Haruri Borzak.
He had no direct points of contact with her, but her mentor, the mage with the moniker "Yatagarasu" was a recurring employer of his.
"I would not recommend Haruri. The girl herself is not a problem but if you do anything that displeases the person with her, you're dead. Although I won't say it's impossible, and besides we are mere silhouettes. We have no right to stop if you still want to try."
"Got it, I'll stay away for the time being."
"However, if your only goal is to destroy the ritual, supporting her team from the shadows is a valid option. Though said option has a high chance of incurring major changes on the city."
"Thanks for the completely hopeless information."
Sigma's words cause the boy with the caduceus to appear next.
"Oh, good to see you learned sarcasm."
"Me...? Sarcasm?"
"I can't say if it's a positive change or not, but if sarcasm is what doesn't let the despair get to you, then it's good. Your mental health affects your physical health. Ah, it's such a shame that I'm summoned as a shadow. If I contracted with you in my prime Servant form, I could thoroughly heal both your body and mind. Oh, what a real shame. After a good diagnosis, I could even combine Age of Gods and present age techniques to operate on you if necessary."
"I'll... pass."
Uncomfortable with the silhouette's heated rant, Sigma politely refused the offer.
(They're just shadows, but their unique personalities are quite faithfully reproduced.)
It once again hit Sigma how little he knew about Watcher's abilities. Fluctuating between trust and caution, the thought about his next move.
"First of all, I need a safe base. Do you know anywhere that isn't surveilled?"
"A building in this area has an underground performance stage. The security system ain't finding you there. The main avenue is locked down thanks to the scuffles in the past few days, so you won't find a soul in the place."
Sigma nodded to the old captain and stood up from the road bump.
"Yeah, now that the cameras are broken is the best time to move."
Seeing Sigma's attitude, how much he changed in the past few days, the old captain shadow appealed to his Master with a short laugh.
"You're behind the curtains, waiting for your chance to take the stage. Don't you forget to learn how to use the thing on your back before the time comes."
The captain pointed to the ancient arcane crossbow resting on Sigma's back.
He brought it with him from the Kuruoka house but since then, whatever was assumedly possessing this crossbow never appeared again. When he asked Watcher about it, her only response was "This was here before we manifested, so we can surmise what it is, but can't say for sure".
"You place a lot of importance on something you don't know what is."
"If Watcher's guessing right, that's a bona fide trump card you got. Though only if you can see your growth through."
"Ok."
Seeing how Sigma was intending to act in pure cold rationality, the captain made use of stirring words to fire up his Master, trying him with a daring smile.
"This is an audition. I can't tell if your play will end as a tragedy or a comedy, but... You gotta be careful as you'll choose the actors who will share the stage with you, got it?"
He sounded like a theater director trying to determine Sigma's right to take the stage. Said Sigma's only reaction was scanning the main avenue to see if it was safe to leave the back alley.
"This is another one of Watcher's trials."
X X
At the same time, in a deserted building outside Snowfield City's perimeter
An old hotel built outside Snowfield's urban perimeter.
The building is currently abandoned, as far as the public knows. In reality, the place was made to be used as a provisory base for Faldeus's subordinates during operations.
It's boundaries constantly drive people away, and on top of that, the entrance is locked shut to prevent youngsters from coming in as a test of courage.
However, the lock was currently broken, and two figures stood in a room where the sun wouldn't reach.
"Yikes, you’re persistent. Look, I totally get the thrill of chasing the subject of your passions, but give me a break. Love needs some time to breathe. Can you hold your urges for just a moment?", spoke a large werewolf covered in fur red like the sunset. "I promise it won't take long. You know how long it takes for a person's body to collapse after their lopped off head hits the floor? How long a body takes to understand it's over for them? If you close your eyes for just that long, I promise I can make both of us happy."
He was one of Jester Karture's multiple "faces". The one specialized mainly in speed and rushdown combat.
But he was far from his top speed after being weakened by Flat Escardos's attack. He had no chances of winning against the Servant in front of him - the Assassin girl.
"..."
Meanwhile, the Assassin in front of him was no longer hearing his words.
Because by this point, she already knows his words are nothing but poison to her, not to mention the possibility of a spell or curse being mixed in them.
All she sees is an impurity she must exorcize.
She polished her mind to specialize itself in this one purpose and deployed her Noble Phantasm to crush her debilitated prey's Spiritual Core.
Delusional Heartbeat
Zabaniya
A red hand covered in magical energy sprouted from Assassin's back, approaching Jester to imprint doom onto him.
As this same Noble Phantasm already crushed one of Jester's Existence Cores before, he predicted he might need to sacrifice multiple other Existence Cores to escape this situation.
Another option was to use one of his remaining Command Spells like he did when he transported her far away from the police station, but he couldn't immediately commit to that idea because he didn't know if that would still work now that her magical energy path was connected to someone else instead of him.
His Existence Cores or a Command Spell?
Without the time to make a more well-considerate decision, he went with throwing away his Existence Cores.
Before Assassin's eyes, the red-haired werewolf's claws pierced his chest... and then gouged his heart out.
"!?"
This forced a choice on Assassin, as her aim was locked on the werewolf's heart.
Should she make her Noble Phantasm's curse eradicate the gouged-out heart or should she consider this a discarded Spiritual Core and aim for the next one that appears?
Assassin already knew the unique properties of the vampire Jester but she moved through instinct rather than through calculations.
And her instinct chose the path of further extermination: to chop the heart away with her right hand and save the Noble Phantasm for the next body.
But Jester saw her rush-in move coming.
As such, the dying werewolf figure smiled.
The cylinder-shaped emblem in his chest spun and Jester started morphing into his next form, all with a peal of eerie laughter mixing attachment and lust.
It was a humanoid mass of steel. Not human... not even organic.
Perhaps some form of golem.
The only things the current form shared with the previous one were the smile on its mouth-like hole and the cylinder-shaped emblem on its chest.
The next thing Assassin saw was some kind of magical symbol appearing in the werewolf's heart.
(...! He's offering a tribute...)
It was already too late by the time she realized it.
As the spell was already active the moment Jester gouged his heart out, Jester's victory was determined more by his own resolve and less by Assassin's misjudgment.
One second later:
a giant explosion flashed in the abandoned hotel, engulfing part of the building in its blinding light.
Originally Posted by Glazy
Going by that logic(Derived from HimuTen), FsF is basically a Sakura 1.5 Route but with BA and DAA doing shit in the background that no one but Nasu is fully privy to cause Remake. In a world that's probably before Tsuki's events(Because assuming Remake chronology) but neither Tsuki nor Fate worldlines properly and thus maybe an extra fragile world?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
