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As the small group made their way back towards their chosen abode, Barthomeloi turned to the others questioningly. "You could've eliminated two Servants tonight. Two Sabers no less. Yet, you didn't. Why? I get that you're not following my orders, but I think I can at least ask for an explanation."
“You can ask.” Caster muttered, her voice just as eerie as always, sending a shiver down everyone’s back.
She left them hanging for a moment before Luthien nodded for her to answer. "It is not quite as simple as you think. Yes, I injured Siegfried, and that left him in a state of shock, but he hadn't released all his powers yet. He has an offensive Noble Phantasm as well."
“How do you know?” Barthomeloi shot off.
“Darling,” Caster said condescendingly. “you’re all open books to me. Not a single being taking part in the war so far has been capable of protecting their minds.”
Barthomeloi suddenly looked wary, which caused Caster to shake her head. "I don't have a habit of going through your secrets and every thought. You're not that interesting." Now her words were dripping with condescension. "However, I can and will check the abilities of someone I'm fighting. That's the basics. If you can't protect your mind and have no protection against Chronomancy, then there's no point in even showing up to a fight."
“Chronomancy?” Artoria asked.
“Time magic. The magic is simply something that you must have a protection against. Even if you very, extremely rarely need it, the few times you do, you’d be completely hosed without. I don’t think we need to worry too much about that in this war, but you never know.” Caster explained simply, as if lecturing a child.
“And I assume you have such counters?” Barthomeloi questioned.
"Of course. I would be a bit of a hypocrite otherwise, wouldn't I?" She retorted. "Now, to return to my explanation, I could've killed Siegfried rather easily, but when he would've released his last card, I would've been forced to expend quite a bit of effort to counter it. Not to mention the Elven Saber. It would've not only wasted power but also drawn attention to us. On the other hand, both of those teams are now more likely to avoid us and go for softer targets instead. Why bother eliminating all enemies when you can force them into eliminating each other instead? In fact, I thought that went exactly as we wished."
“They’re more likely to make plans to counter us as well.” Artoria pointed out, showing her tactical acumen.
"Yes. Of course. Which is partially why I would've preferred it if you hadn't revealed my Class, but that's ultimately irrelevant. Any plans they make are going to be pointless. In front of absolute power difference, no level of planning can save you." Caster stated in a firm voice.
She'd gained back some of the confidence with her old power and body. She was used to just bulldozing through problems, and her superior power was the reason. She was falling back on old habits. It wasn't just by choice. As she'd been summoned using one of the oldest legends she'd created, some of that old mentality also came back. She could fight against it, and eventually might, but didn't see a point to do so just yet.
As they walked a few steps forward, Caster suddenly came to a halt. “Hmm. I’m starting to get a better sense of some of the Servants summoned. A few of them could be a problem. In particular, I sense the presence of the Lion King.”
“The Lion King?” Luthien asked, confused.
Caster nodded towards Artoria. “Yes. Another version of her, from a possible reality where Bedivere never returned the Sword of Victory to the Lady of the Lake after the Battle of Camlann. As a result, Artoria wasn’t’ able to die properly when she was fated. Instead, she became a wandering ghost, and picked up the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, transforming into the goddess inhabiting the weapon and becoming a complete Divine Spirit. Notably, she easily has the power to destroy this entire world.”
“Another version of me?” Artoria asked in clear shock.
“Yes. Though, there are also obvious differences between the two of you. You should think of her as another possible future you could’ve faced.” Caster nodded.
“A very powerful one.” Barthomeloi pointed out, frowning.
“As is she.” Caster nodded at Artoria. “The difference is, she’s unlocked her power, while our Saber here is still yet to achieve hers. Another problem to worry about in the future. I can also sense the presence of a villainous spirit we should be aware of, called Gul’dan. A warlock with sinister corruptive powers. We can expect Demons to be summoned, and eventually this whole area will be tainted by his corruption if not dealt with.”
"I've heard that name before. Not in a positive context either." Barthomeloi nodded in agreement.
By now they were reaching their home base again. “Welcome back.” Lord Germaine greeted them at the door, with Rider lounging around without a care in the world. “Anything exciting happen?”
"We did run into two other Sabers. Caster defeated one of them, Siegfried, but he escaped.” Saber reported dutifully.
"O-ho. Three Sabers facing off on the first night. Exciting, even if ultimately no one was eliminated." Lord Germaine was getting into the spirit of the event.
“Fighting the Elven Saber was exciting, even if the fight was short.” Artoria nodded.
Caster waved her hand and several groups of seven figures appeared above every team's location. There was also one figure with a crown making its way toward the city, as well as a central location that looked like a cathedral in the middle of the city. "We're going to have to separate the teams somehow. We're going to get confused if everyone is called by their Class." She pointed out with her eerie voice.
“Team colors?” Luthien suggested.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Works for me. I'll contact the overseers to have colors assigned." Caster nodded and bowed her head for a moment. After a brief time, everyone was suddenly wearing a colored sash. Everyone here had a red sash, and the psionically created map suddenly had colors on the map as well, though those were added by Caster.
“Seems we’re the red team.” Barthomeloi commented. “Works for me.” She took a look at the map, noticing some of the figures had their identities revealed or at least partially. Siegfried had his name and face highlighted in purple. The Elven Saber only had the image highlighted in white. Karna and Gilgamesh were both highlighted in Gold, which seemed appropriate. Gul’dan was in black, while the image of the Lion King was Purple as well.
“I combined what information I’ve gathered with that of our Archer.” Caster offered in the way of explanation. Only two teams were completely blank, though they were the furthest located as well, the blue and green teams.
“You’re sure the Lion King is in the same team as Siegfried?” Barthomeloi asked.
"Either that or the Lion King is currently decimating their base. Some of this information is a little imprecise. I can sense her near the place where the purple base seems to be, so I'm guessing somewhat." She admitted. "I'll update when able."
“Fair enough.” Barthomeloi nodded.
They waited for a while for others to arrive, and some did. Luviagelita came back quite quickly, now wearing the red sash, though no Archer in tow. “I got a message in the middle of a battle that we’ve been assigned team colors.” She called out immediately. “Bloody thing almost caused me to mess up. Anyway, Archer managed to eliminate the enemy Archer Servant that was hanging around in the next building over, so scratch one win for our team.”
“Any idea which one?” Caster asked.
"I think it was the green team. He seemed surprisingly weak. Well-trained and good tactics, but not near our Archer’s power.” Luvia bragged a bit with a flip of her long blonde hair.
"With this many Servants summoned, not all of them can be winners," Barthomeloi stated coldly. "Even in our team, there are differences in power."
The Rider sitting on a windowsill laughed. "Hey, lady! Out of curiosity, who would you estimate to be the weakest in our team?"
Barthomeloi considered for a short moment before replying. “I can’t tell exactly, but you, Lancer, and Berserker would likely be the weakest.”
The Rider seemed to chew on that for a moment. “I can’t say you’re wrong, though I would have never thought the day would come where I’d be in the bottom half of seven Servants. Just makes me want to work harder.” His smile gave the impression that he knew something the others did not, and Lord Germaine shared that same knowing smile.
Suddenly the map showed an explosion of power, and three servants winked out immediately, all from the mostly unknown White team. “Well now. Someone is getting busy.” Luviagelita commented happily. “With this many Servants in a city, it would’ve been a shock if only a single Servant got eliminated the first night.”
“That was the Elven team, right?” Luthien asked.
“Yes.” Caster nodded simply. “They ran into something big obviously.”
They spent the rest of the night keeping watch on the events, but no more Servants were eliminated. The Ruler also finally made it into the city, beelining for the central Cathedral for information. The rest of the team returned to base as well, and Trambelio was feeling specifically smug. “I see you’ve already seen the results of my work!” The young man boasted, pointing at the eliminated three Elven Servants. “I really showed them who’s king.”
‘Now I can see how several Elven heroes could’ve been eliminated in one sweep. The Assassin really is powerful enough to do something like that. Although, now he’s likely rather exhausted after using such a flashy power.’ Caster sent a mental message to Luthien. ‘Let him have his win. We can withdraw to rest for the time being.’
Trambelio was in the middle of boasting when they withdrew. However, as soon as Luthien fell asleep, Caster put her in a small demiplane where she’d be safe and disappeared. She appeared on top of the tallest building in the city, right next to Arjuna.
The gentle-looking Servant jumped in fright before settling. "Gods, you can move quietly and fast. Are you sure you're not an Assassin?"
Caster released an eerie laugh. “Everyone who knows me claims I have no ability for stealth. I really don’t. However, moving fast enough counts I suppose. Be at peace. I came to see some things for myself.”
She waved a hand and a magical window appeared in front of her, rapidly showing images on the other bases. One in particular stuck in place, showing the Argus Academy team. “Interesting.” She muttered.
"I don't recognize any of the Servants. Not Human, I suppose." Arjuna pointed out.
“No. Well, one of them used to be.” She pointed at a figure in dark and foreboding armor rimmed with frost, and holding a runic sword. “That one used to be the Prince of a Human Kingdom known as Lordareon, Arthas Menethil. Although, now he’s simply known as the Lich King.”
“Undead?” Arjuna asked. “My abilities work well against Undead and Demons.”
"Then you'll have those aplenty from this team. Their Saber, the Lich King can summon Undead, and their Caster is already busy summoning Demons." She pointed at green Fel ritual circles where some of the civilians were being sacrificed and Demons stepped out of portals. A large shadow was cast for a moment, as some huge winged being flew over. Yet despite that, neither of them could see no flying being above the city. “Interesting. They have a Dragon. Either as Rider, or as Rider’s mount.”
“And not a small one either. However, there are quite a few Dragon slayers present. I wouldn’t be too worried.” Arjuna commented.
“Depends on the Dragon. If it’s just a random mount, then I agree. However, I suspect it’s not. And if it’s either Malygos or Neltharion…well, our Dragon slayers are in for a rude awakening.” Caster didn’t sound worried though. Just excited. “This whole thing is seeming more and more exciting by the moment.”
"I must admit, I was a little worried this would be one-sided once I saw our team," Arjuna admitted. "Glad to know things won't be that simple."
Caster tried to move the window, but for some reason, it wasn't working. "Hmm. The blue team is somehow managing to block me. Someone there knows what they're doing. And they've completely hidden themselves from my ability to sense their powers. Interesting. I don't know many beings who could do that."
“So, not good news?” Arjuna asked with a smile.
"Depends on if you like challenge. I personally do, so it's great in my books." She argued. "On that note, and speaking of Assassins, I think you might want to withdraw for a moment."
He looked at her strangely for a second, before taking a more comfortable position. “I think I’ll stay.”
"Suit yourself," Caster responded.
Suddenly a dagger froze in place mere centimeters from her neck. The dagger was held in the grip of a female being covered in black leather clothing, all her features obscured by a dark hood. The being was straining with all her power, her muscles and the blade of her dagger trembling in place, as the would-be Assassin tried to force it home.
Caster slowly turned around to look at the struggling figure. "The first one." She commented with her eerie voice growing cold enough to send chills down even Arjuna's back. "Tell me, do you think the others abandoned you when they saw you fail?"
As if in response, a hail of sharp objects was hurled her way from a dark figure leaping above her, while a third one, this one wearing a skull mask seemed to appear from thin air to slash at her with a blade. The male Assassin in a skull mask also froze in place, while the invisible force seemed to grab the flying objects from the air and hurl them back at the third Assassin frantically trying to avoid the returning barrage.
“Three Assassins?” Arjuna, seemingly not too alarmed, commented. “Black, Purple, and Gold.”
"Four," Caster commented as a pair of grenades were thrown at them, exploding near them before she had a chance to catch them, both releasing a gas of some sort. Instead, the invisible force seemed to gather the gas and compress it down into such a tight, high-pressure orb that it spontaneously combusted, flaring for a small moment like a tiny star. "Although the fourth one pulled back as soon as he realized he was outmatched.
"Finally decided to fight as a Caster, then?" Arjuna jokingly referred to the two frozen in place Assassins.
Before she had a chance to respond, the third Assassin acted. “Assemble, wind...Activate Kashin Mystic Code! Karakuri Genpou, Dongyu!!!” There seemed to be a vacuum forming in front of her, drawing in the air surrounding her into a swirling ball of energy, before she released thousands of blades of air at both Caster and Arjuna, all of them ramming into some sort of invisible shield.
“Cute. Might even work against many opponents, but no. And unfortunately for you, I’m not a Demon either, as it seems that attack works better against them.” Caster quipped a little condescendingly.
A squeeze of her hands had the male Assassin’s form suddenly start breaking as he seemed to disintegrate into ash. “First one.” She stated in a firm tone.
The still-free female Assassin made some signs with her fingers, and Caster felt something trying to assault her senses. She just laughed. "Let me tell you a little story. The Harlequins travel between Craftworlds and even the hidden Comorragh to dance and re-enact the story of the fall of our people. The Dance Without End." She tapped her mask. "The Solitaires are considered doom incarnate, for they play the part of She Who Thirsts, and dance along the path of damnation. They are respected because they do this despite their souls being forfeit, and they can only be the bravest, strongest, and most incorruptible of their race, as they take on the aspect of the Great Enemy, thus risking her ire."
She glanced around herself. “I’ve played the part in the Palace of Pleasure, right in front of Sai’lantresh herself, exciting the Prince of Pleasure with my performance, right before plunging my weapon straight into the core that made the god.”
She walked a few steps forward. “Now, having walked through the illusions and lies of one of the most deceptive places in creation, and slaying the Great Enemy at her place of power, do you really think your paltry illusions will do anything to me?” She suddenly grasped at seemingly empty air, and the third Assassin was suddenly held up by her throat, apparently having tried to sneak close.
The Assassin tried to struggle a bit but had just as little luck as the first Assassin still frozen in place. “Time for you to exit this little game of ours. Nice try, but no consolation prizes.” The air was filled with the smell of ozone as eldritch lightning flowed through the body of the third Assassin, before she disappeared in a rain of golden dust, signaling her death. “Second.”
She turned back towards the third Assassin and pulled down the cloth covering her face. “Now, for the third. I really want to know how you ended up here, Garona?”