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As Caster and Archer landed on the grounds of their little base, they could see the Lancer and Rider eliminating several of the feral creatures, both wielding long spears. In general, the two men had a similar fighting style, strongly hinting at their shared roots. Outside the walls of the yard, the Assassin was cutting his way through the creatures in a storm of metal, fighting more like a knight than an assassin.
As their feet hit the ground, Caster let her Master out of the demiplane where Luthien had been resting. “Finally, I thought I was going to be stuck there with nothing to do!” She complained with a relieved tone.
"I wasn't expecting you to wake up in the middle of combat and the subsequent withdrawal, Master," Caster explained curtly. "I couldn't really drop you out during the battle.”
"I'm not protesting that part. However, if we use that trick again, the demiplane definitely needs some decorations and something to do. Just floating in emptiness without any way to judge the passage of time is disquieting, to say the least." Luthien almost reverently touched the grass outside.
“Could you two maybe help a bit? These things just keep on coming.” Rider called out to Caster and Archer.
“These monsters make for fine practice, but it does get a bit dull after a while.” Lancer concurred.
Arjuna almost blindly fired arrow after arrow, which all multiplied into several streaks of light, clearing the immediate surroundings. “They’re going to keep converging, aren’t they? Just like before.” He asked.
"Give me a second," Caster stated while lifting her arm towards the storm clouds above. The same storm the hammer-wielding member of the Green team had called up. A large chunk of the clouds seemed to concentrate and swirl around their position, just before a veritable forest of lighting struck down at the creatures outside. The lightning spread from one creature to another, making sure that even those that avoided the initial attack were devastated. Instead of stopping, the storm of lighting seemed to surround their base and form a more permanent defensive perimeter. "There. That should hold them for a while."
Almost at the same time, on one side of the city, a large pillar of light fell down, seemingly doing the same job as the lightning storm above them, whereas another part of the city seemed to suddenly be covered in frost. "It seems others had similar ideas," Barthomeloi commented as he stepped outside with Saber standing behind her.
“Every team likely has some way to protect themselves.” Caster nodded in agreement.
“I hope your trip was fruitful.” Barthomeloi’s tone was hinting at her disappointment at Caster and Archer vanishing, but also at her unwillingness to fully voice her displeasure.
Arjuna stepped forward to reply. “It was indeed. The Green team is mostly eliminated, and two other Assassins are also gone.”
That seemed to mollify Barthomeloi. “Good. We unfortunately suffered losses as well. Berserker ran into who we believe to be Heracles, and his master fell victim to these…creatures. Where did they even come from?”
“They’re the inhabitants of the city.” Caster revealed. “I’m not sure if it’s connected, but they all seemed to turn when a certain amount of damage was done to the city. It could be a defensive measure, although…” Caster quieted for a moment.
“Although, what?” Barthomeloi questioned.
“I can’t recognize the creatures, but they seem somehow familiar. Like I’ve seen their kind before. And if that’s true, then I don’t think the change was natural.” She finished her thought.
Barthomeloi stared at her for a moment before seemingly reaching a decision. She gestured to Lancer. “Bring one of the corpses closer.”
With a shrug, the musclebound man complied, stabbing one of the corpses with his spear and dragging it over without touching. Once there, Barthomeloi cast several analytic spells over the thing. “Hmm, the creatures are alive, not undead. However, they seem to be heavily modified by something and empowered by a force I’m not familiar with. The analysis spells can’t really get to the bottom of it either.”
Caster suddenly started putting things together in her head, and to the surprise of everyone, pulled off her gauntlet, before using her telekinesis to make a small cut on her palm. The blood floated above the palm, forming into a glyph, before shooting off and entering the corpse. The corpse that suddenly started thrashing before suddenly bursting into flames and turning into ash in less than three seconds.
“What the hell was that?” Barthomeloi asked.
“That…was bad news. I think I know what the missing Blue team is about now. That creature is the work of Clan Tzimisce.” Caster explained. “A sort of Warghoul.”
“The…Vampire clan?” Luviagelita, who had also come outside, asked.
“Yes. The question is, is there a member of the clan among the Blue team, or was this battlefield set up beforehand by them?”
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Seraphiel, in her guise as the Caster, sat down at the yard outside their base, looking at the last fading sparks of the [Eldritch Storm] she’d created in the early morning light. The Skill had a lot more power now that she was back in her old body and with her old powers, even if somewhat diminished. The Warghouls had stopped attacking about twenty minutes ago, and there didn’t seem to be any trace of them left. In fact, it seemed like nothing had happened, as she could hear the sounds of people waking up in the city. That seemed odd, considering the people had been turned into monsters and in large part slain during the evening and the night, yet it really seemed like nothing had happened. The damage her attack had done to the city had also somehow repaired itself.
It was like time had been rolled back for the city itself, even if the Servants who’d been killed remained gone.
As she sat there, with Luthien sleeping on the steps nearby, she played with the sword in her hands. They were supposed to be keeping watch. They'd traded off with Archer during the night, as the two of them had the best crowd-clearing abilities. As a result, both of them were rather tired, and even her Mana reserves were flagging a bit, explaining also why Luthien was so tired. It had been necessary though, as thousands and thousands of Warghouls had thrown themselves at the lightning storm.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“What’s that?” Luthien asked with a tired, sleepy voice, her face matter with lines from the grass and the stone step she’d slept on.
“This?” She lifted the sword. “You could say this is the most important Noble Phantasm associated with the legend you summoned me with. It’s the sword I used to slay Sai’lantresh.”
Luthien’s eyes grew larger, and she suddenly sat up straight. “The Cronesword of Morai-Heg!” The young Aeldari said excitedly.
Seraphiel scoffed. “Indeed. It’s somewhat ironic my legend got associated with it, considering I used it exactly once. I only held it in my hands that one time.”
Luthien smiled. “I’d love to hear more. There are legends after all, but hearing straight from the source would be better.”
Seraphiel considered it for a moment but didn't see any harm in indulging the girl's curiosity a bit. “It was the outcome of a rather long and elaborate plan. With the blessing of Cegorach, I joined a Harlequin Troupe, eventually becoming the Solitaire, with the direct intent of performing in the Palace of Pleasure. For that, I had to become the best. The most graceful. The most alluring. Just to draw the attention of the Prince of Pleasure. It was not uncommon for Harlequins to perform for all audiences, but we were the first to perform for Sai’lantresh personally, just because she heard of my portrayal of her. We put on the perfect show. Even the god was enthralled. As part of the show, I drew the sword, making it a natural part of the show, as if I was using it as an improvised prop. Once everyone got used to the idea of me having it, I used the sword, as well as all the power I had gathered for that moment, to destroy the core of She Who Thirsts.”
She gestured in a dismissive way. “Many likely expected an epic battle, but the reality can be dull sometimes. It wasn’t force of arms or even unfathomable power that brought the god low, but allure and the performance of a lifetime.” She chuckled.
Luthien considered that for a moment. “And yet, you’ve shown more than enough power in battle during the Grail War.”
“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t have power. Just that the power was not the important part of forging that legend.” Luthien couldn’t see it of course, but Seraphiel was smiling behind her mask.
As they relaxed on the steps, Seraphiel suddenly created a barrier in front of them, barely in time to stop an arrow spinning in place, trying to bore its way through. Three other arrows were also stopped, clearly meant to probe her defenses. One of the arrows shone with a light that she recognized as something able to penetrate magical barriers. The arrow had been clearly aimed at her Master. It had been a decent attempt to catch them off guard, but it had failed.
She didn’t even have to say anything as returning shots were fired from inside the building by Arjuna, clearly hitting one of the tall buildings nearby, causing most of the building to collapse. “You missed.” She commented as Arjuna appeared next to her.
“They had some sort of defensive artifact. Quite powerful. The artifact, not the Archer necessarily.” He replied.
“A tricksy one then. He doesn’t feel very powerful, but he seems to have some interesting artifacts. He fired an anti-mage projectile as well.” She commented.
“Not too much effect, I see," Arjuna commented wryly.
She scoffed. “Oh, you’ve already noticed, so don’t play stupid. I’m not a mage.” She scoffed. “Did you recognize them? Or at least their team?”
“The Purple team. I did not recognize them. Darker skin, white-gray short hair. A red coat of some kind.” The Archers had the best eyesight by far. Seraphiel could sense the presence of people at range, but even she had difficulty seeing details from too far away.
“So, the team with Siegfried and The Lion King. They know we’re here. And are starting to make moves.” She speculated. “You and I need to save up on Mana in case they come knocking in force instead of just sending a greeting.”
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"This doesn't seem like a good idea," Luthien commented as the other Masters and Servants, aside from Arjuna and Luviagelita were going out while they were supposed to stay back to hold down the fort.
“It went great for you yesterday.” The Trambelio heir pointed out. “Now you think we can’t do the same? A bit full of yourself, aren’t you? There’s four of us and there were two of you yesterday.”
"Don't bother," Caster told Luthien. "Let the idiots get themselves killed. Just means less competition later on."
Arjuna nodded, standing next to her. "There's a large difference between yesterday and today. That they don't notice it doesn't speak well of them." He spoke quietly enough not to be overheard. It was rare for the polite Arjuna to speak so derisively.
Luviagelita seemed to also agree, as she was arguing with Barthomeloi, but she clearly lost the argument, as she stomped back, while the others moved out. “This is not good.” The blond master growled. “Even Barthomeloi is blinded by her own power and the success we’ve had so far. They have no answer to the big enemy Servants, and they’re venturing out anyway. At least they should have a plan!”
“We won’t be bored either.” Caster reassured them. “We’ll have visitors as well. The Purple Archer already reported our location to his team.”
Her words turned out almost prophetic, as it took less than an hour after the others were gone for three Purple team Servants to appear. One of them was the Archer that had shot at them earlier, while another was Siegfried. The last one was a blue-haired druid-looking servant. Their Masters came along as well, and before anyone said anything, Seraphiel scooped up both Luthien and Luviagelita into the same demiplane to keep them safe.
"Only two of you?" The druid-looking Servant asked.
“Enough to deal with you.” She replied confidently.
“How very bold of you.” The druid, obviously a Caster retorted. “We shall see if that is warranted.”
This time there was no dividing into pairs to fight, as Siegfried rushed towards them with his sword, while the enemy Archer surprisingly also closed in with a pair of black and white swords. The druid followed suit, spinning his staff that suddenly burst into flames that spread into the weapons of his allies.
Arjuna preferred to avoid melee, instead leaping back, sending a silent message that he was preparing something large if she could keep them occupied. Instead of replying, two floating spears appeared above her head, while the Cronesword appeared in her hands, as she eagerly met the charge of the three warriors.
It had to be said that Siegfried and the druid really were masters of using their weapons, and even the Archer was decent enough, even if not in the same category. The flame in their weapons wasn't simple fire either and greatly improved their offensive power. Yet somehow, they all found themselves frustrated as their weapons just couldn't reach the Caster elegantly dancing between them, her Cronesword easily deflecting all attacks, not being affected in the least by the flames, while the floating spears attacked the trio to keep them off balance.
The three pushed harder and harder, burning their Mana in an attempt to overwhelm her, but they simply had no luck. No matter how skilled they were and how hard they fought, even three on one they couldn’t reach her. The first mistake came from the Archer, clearly the least skilled of the fighters, as the Cronesword slipped through his defenses, nicking him on the shoulder. The wound was deep enough that the arm was disabled.
The Archer's Master tried to heal the wound but with no luck. "I can't do it! The wound is cursed somehow!" The Master called out.
With a swear, the druid leaped back and drew a magical rune in the air. They could all sense the power in the Primordial Rune, power that seemed to struggle against whatever power festered in the wound, but with no luck. "You. Who are you? You fight like my teacher, and seem to carry a power similar to her Land of Shadows. I did not think there was another that could rival Scáthach so closely.”
“You’ll have to fight a little harder to earn my name.” Seraphiel shot back, amused. It was funny to her that the Servant was so thrown off by not being able to heal the damage done by the Cronesword. The same sword that had slain a Chaos God. Of course he couldn’t heal the wound.
“Agni Gandiva!” Arjuna’s voice suddenly called out, and a rain of blue flaming arrows fell on the entire area. Thousands and thousands of arrows fired by a man recognized as the potential Grand Archer.
The three Servants all reacted in different ways. The wounded Purple Archer lifted a hand and a layered shield that seemed to be made of seven flower petals appeared in front of him, Siegfried fired a blast of power from his sword, while the arrows somehow seemed to avoid the druid, the man seemingly possessing some sort of protection against projectiles. Instead, he slammed his staff into the ground, and a large hand made of branches sprouted out to protect the Masters.
The arrows managed to pierce six of the seven layers of the enemy Archer’s shield before stopping, but it seemed that every layer destroyed left the man in a worse condition, and he was clearly out of the fight. Siegfried didn’t look much better. His armor reduced the damage done by all attacks, but the arrows had still managed to find their mark, leaving several of them jutting out of him. The Wickerman that had protected the Masters was devastated, but still standing, as were the Masters, though not unharmed.
Arjuna appeared next to Seraphiel, looking a little surprised. “I missed?”
The enemy druid could see how badly the fight was going and decided to pull out all the stops. "Och Deug Odin!” And was about to slam down his staff again, before he was interrupted by a bolt of lightning shooting him off his feet.
"None of that now," Seraphiel spoke. "This is revenge for taking a shot at my Master. Curse of Morai-Heg." She pointed at the injured Archer, who suddenly started to wither as all the Mana was drained out of him before he burst in a shower of golden sparks, and all the Mana flowed into Seraphiel instead.
Then she suddenly appeared behind Siegfried, who tried to twist to defend his weak spot, the scar on his back where the protection of his Armor of Fafnir didn’t apply, but was too late due to his wounds. She jammed a small object into the scar on his back. “Harlequin’s Kiss.”
The small object was horrifically lethal, one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed by the Aeldari. A tightly coiled monofilament wire around 100 meters in length was violently released, capable of piercing almost any armor as it instantly uncoiled and lashed out, liquefying bones and internal organs, and destroying the target in a spectacularly gory fashion, before retracting back. It was a testament to Siegfried’s toughness that he wasn’t completely mulched right away, but the damage was still horrific. Her own [Divinity EX] rendered any defenses the Hero might have moot, even if the weapon she used was not magical in nature.
As the golden sparks from Siegfried floated away, she looked towards the Druid. “Are you going to force me to make it three?”
The druid ground his teeth a bit but finally shook his head. "I’m not going to throw myself against someone clearly on the same level as my teacher. You’ve won this round.” The druid then jumped up to stand on top of the damaged Wickerman protecting the three Masters, before the giant being walked away.
“Again, you let an enemy leave, and again I find myself unable to say anything, seeing as I didn’t do much.” Arjuna shook his head in wry disappointment. “It is rare for me to feel so inadequate.”
“You’ll get used to it.” She retorted playfully.