Chapter Text
Jeanne Alter did not like airplanes. She thought it would be no different than flying on Fafnir’s back, but she had been very wrong. That clunky metal bird hit many rough air patches and descending back down felt like she was going to crash headfirst into the earth. She had many more problems of course, but seatbelts were the worst offender by far. Avenger did not like being kept in place by something forced upon her. But somehow she survived and was the first of their little trio to exit the aircraft. She had practically jumped down the stairs to the ground below, resisting the urge to throw up whatever food she had eaten on the ride to Japan.
“Oh, my! So this is where Kiritsugu was born?” Irisviel stopped halfway on the staircase, her eyes sparkled with intrigue. “Has this place changed much from when you were here, Avenger?”
“Obviously.” Jalter huffed. “It was the 1650s the first time and the second time was a weird version of Shinjuku. These fucking airplane things weren’t there. And thank God they weren’t.”
“Well, I suppose we know how you liked flying.” Irisviel chuckled, amused by Jalter’s unbridled honesty. “Saber, did you enjoy your journey through the sky?”
“It was really nothing to speak of. It was far simpler than I had actually anticipated.” Artoria stated, seemingly unbothered by the flight. “I believe Avenger just has a bad case of motion sickness.”
“Possible motion sickness aside, I suppose flying must be nothing special to real heroes, like yourselves.” Iri cut in as behind her, Jalter was flipping the Saber Servant off.
“No, that’s not it. Upon materialization, all Servants receive knowledge of the modern world. If required, I could even pilot this aircraft with relative ease.”
“Seriously? I thought your Riding Skill only applied to horses.” Avenger wondered aloud. She figured it was similar to her ability after all. It wasn’t like she knew many Rider Class Servants or how the Riding Skill actually functioned.
“Unlike your ability which only allows you to ride dragons, mine allows me to command any beast or vehicle, with the only exception being phantasmal or divine beasts.” Saber explained. “Once I put the saddle between my legs and take the reins, I’m in control.”
“Once you put the saddle between your legs and take the reins?” Iri repeated, making sure she heard what she thought she had. She turned away from Saber, stifling laughter and below her Avenger was cackling. Artoria however, did not find it funny that she was being laughed at. She walked past Irisviel and smacked Jalter on the head to make her shut up.
“Did I say something amusing?” Saber asked, clearly unimpressed by her fellow Servant.
“Yea–ow! Ugh, forget it.” Avenger walked off toward the airport to avoid making things worse. “We should hurry up and get going.”
The airport was a lot bigger on the inside than Jalter thought. There were crowds of people anywhere she looked, and sometimes Avenger would get bumped into by the occasional traveler. None of the signs made any sense and looked like gibberish, which was no different than normal, since she couldn’t read in the first place. And everywhere they went, people were staring. All of the staring was making the Avenger uncomfortable, since last time a crowd stared at her it was at her own execution. But Artoria was unbothered and Jalter was not about to be undone by Salter’s counterpart, so she walked around like she owned the place.
“You two must be the only Servants who have flown in an airplane in physical form.” Iri thought aloud as they picked up their luggage.
“I apologize for that. If only I could take spirit form.” Artoria said, making Jalter scoff. She hadn’t wanted to travel in physical form at all. But her Master insisted and she had unfortunately been subjected to the worst mode of air transportation.
“Not like I had a choice.” Avenger grumbled. Irisviel laughed as Saber sighed, wishing her fellow Servant would stop complaining.
“Having you two in physical form has its merits.” Irisviel admitted. “The way you two interact with one another is very amusing. Plus, your physical forms gave me plenty of enjoyable hours choosing outfits for you.”
“Irisviel, is this manner of dress truly common for women of this era?” Saber looked down at her suit in uncertainty.
“I assume not considering how often people stare.” Jalter was thankful her Master had let her use her Shinjuku outfit. She stood out a lot less when standing next to King Arthur in a suit and a German homunculus who’d never left her country before.
“Well, I chose it for you to balance out my own outfit, Saber. You don’t care for it?” Iri wondered.
“No, it is fine. It is rather easy to move in and besides, I am used to dressing as a man.” The group finally made it out of the airport, waiting for an Einzbern maid to pull up the black limousine that would take them to Kiritsugu and Maiya. “You look fairly normal for once, Avenger.”
“Gee, thanks.” Jalter rolled her eyes as the limo pulled up. “I don’t need to hear that from you.”
“Get in the car.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, bitch!”
The car ride was…okay if Avenger had to describe it. She got stuck in the middle seat, with Saber looking over at her every so often to make sure she was behaving. She could behave herself, she didn’t need a babysitter!
“This place is so very alive!” Iri exclaimed, watching everything with wide eyes. Jalter silently agreed. This place had a lot more people than she thought. That town in Edo had been busy, but not like this.
“Kiritsugu and Maiya were supposed to have arrived here in Japan already, right?” Artoria recalled.
“That’s right, 12 hours before us. But don’t worry, they’ll find us as soon as they’re certain the time is right. For the moment, we’ll just have to keep an eye on things so that we can act when the time comes.” Iri stated. “We’ve come all this way, I’d like to enjoy the city before the fighting starts.”
“That’s dangerous.” Saber cut in, focusing on the severity of the War they would soon be participating in.
“Dangerous but fun. I can handle any Servants we come across.” Jalter boasted.
“Even so, we should first concentrate on securing a base of operations and discuss plans with Kiritsugu and Maiya.”
“Well, yes, I suppose you're right about that. But it’s such a waste; we’ve come all this way to such an exciting place!” Irisviel turned away from the window, clasping her hands together. “That, and…it’s my very first time travelling.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Jalter leaned forward incredulously.
“I am. This is the first time I’ve ever ventured out into the world outside the confines of my home. You see, I was a puppet created specifically for the Holy Grail War.” Jalter clenched her fists, feeling her blood boil. “Of course, it isn’t as though I’m wholly ignorant; Kiritsugu and Maiya brought me movies, videos, and pictures, and they’ve tried in every way to teach me everything about the outside world. But this is the first time that I’ve actually been able to see it with my own eyes, and so, please, forgive me! I got overly excited!”
“Alright, that’s it! Pull this thing over!” Jalter demanded and the maid driving the limo pulled off to the side of the road. “Out. Move.” The Avenger pushed Saber out of the vehicle, leaving a very confused Irisviel inside.
“What is this about, Dragon Witch?” Artoria questioned. “We have somewhere we need to be.”
“I fucking know that! But…” Jalter took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I know what it’s like to have a pre-determined end, with all of your choices made for you. I don’t want her to die without having at least one normal human experience. So are you going to help me or not?”
“I understand. Very well, I shall play my part accordingly. For once, you’ve come up with a decent idea.”
“Shut up! Go be her knight in shining armor, already!”
Saber nodded, making her way to Irisviel’s side of the car. She opened the door while Jalter stood off to the side, keeping an eye on their surroundings. “Walking through the city will be a brand new experience for me as well. It is a knight’s duty to serve as escort; I shall do my very best.”
“And you can just pretend that I’m not here.” Avenger declared. “I’ve got a job to do, remember?”
“I trust you both to keep me safe.” Iri gave them a soft smile, taking Saber’s outstretched hand. Avenger closed the car door and the trio was off to explore what Fuyuki had to offer.
Maiya and Kiritsugu were holed up in an old sort of run-down hotel on the edge of Fuyuki. Maiya had used this place during her last trip, since it was close enough to deploy her familiars but discreet enough to avoid detection. Plus, the place was easy to evacuate should the need arise.
“The equipment you requested arrived a little while ago.” Maiya told her husband, closing her flip phone with a click. She gestured to the weapons strewn across the bed, continuing to speak. “Madam, Saber, and Avenger have arrived in Fuyuki. Sounds like they’re exploring the town.”
“I’m glad. Iri should relax before the fighting begins.” Kerry said, surveying the weapons before him. “Will their outing have the effect we’re after?”
“Indeed. All the other masters will likely assume that Madam is Saber’s Master and in an alliance with another participant. They should act accordingly.” Maiya got back to business immediately, turning on a tape recording one of her bats got from the night before. “Additionally, there was an incident last night at the Tohsaka Estate.
Kiritsugu turned toward the tv, staring intensely at the grainy footage. It was Assassin standing in the yard of the Tohsaka Estate, unaware he was being surveyed. His hand was touching what looked like a strange globe, which was most likely a magical device sustaining a bounded field. The camera shook as several projectiles were hurled at the Servant, spooking Maiya’s bat familiar. Dust covered the view of the camera for a bit until the attacks ceased. In the end, Assassin was killed, fading away into blue specks of mana.
“What’s your analysis of this?” Kiritsugu asked. He had a vague idea of what had occurred but he wanted his wife’s opinion as well. Oftentimes she could pick up on the details he missed.
“It seems too good to be true.” She replied, turning off the tape. “There seems to be insufficient time between Assassin’s infiltration and the Tohsaka Servant’s attack. Avenger told me that Assassin Class Servants have a skill that masks their presence, which makes it improbable this one was detected in advance. It is my opinion that Tohsaka was expecting an intruder.”
“In a battle against Servants, learning their identities is quite critical.” Kerry thought back to his own Servant. Artoria could be recognized by her sword, but she kept it hidden with wind magecraft. Avenger’s identity couldn’t be easily discerned since she was an alter, but someone could put the pieces together just by looking at her. “Why would Tohsaka expose his Servant like he did?”
“He must have a very good reason.” Maiya thought aloud. “I suppose he had to. Based on the tape alone, Tohsaka summoned Archer or Caster. I doubt any of the other classes could attack like that without exposing themselves.”
“I agree. Tell me, what became of Assassin’s Master?”
“He took refuge in the church last night. The overseer declared him to be under his protection. Assassin’s Master was Kirei Kotomine.”
“Maiya, send a familiar to watch the Fuyuki Church.”
“Are you certain of that? Masters are forbidden to take action inside the neutral zone that’s been established around the church.” Sure the familiar would only be surveying the area, but neutral zones were, well…neutral. It was like sending a drone to watch a town devoid of soldiers during war time.
“Place it just far enough away that the priest won’t be able to spot it. And don’t worry, we won’t attack the church or anywhere close to it.”
“You have my thanks.” Maiya brought her hand upward as one of her familiars descended from the ceiling of the hotel room. The bat perched upside down on her finger, waiting for orders. She relayed Kiritsugu’s instructions via telepathy and the bat flew out the open window.
While she had been doing that, Kiritsugu was inspecting the weapons more closely. Smoke bombs, scopes, and a variety of different firearms were all there. There was plenty of ammunition and some of the weapons were imbued with magecraft. He picked up the Walther, a semi-automatic sniper rifle, swinging it around and testing its weight.
“The item I left you, where is it?” Kiritsugu wondered. Maiya took out an unassuming brown case and laid it on the bed in front of her husband. He opened it carefully, pulling out a single-shot pistol. It was his favorite weapon, the Mystic Code he utilized to shoot Origin Rounds.
“Shall I time you?” A small grin made its way onto Maiya’s face as Kiritsugu nodded. It was something the two of them did before a mission. A little competition to see who could reload a weapon the fastest. She glanced up at the clock in the room, and waved her hand for him to start.
“Seems I’ve slowed down.” Kerry sighed as he finished with a time of roughly two seconds. He handed the gun to Maiya, whose time ending up being significantly faster than his. “I’m surprised.”
“You haven’t been on a mission in quite some time.” She placed the pistol back in its case and began putting the weapons away. “It makes sense that you’re slower.”
“I suppose you’re right. I was just thinking, Ilya weighs a lot less than that Walther.” Kerry looked down at the floor, his voice trembling. “I can’t believe…she’s eight years old already.”
She knew why he was focusing on Ilya all of a sudden. Irisviel would not return from this Grail War, even if they won. Ilya would lose a parent, and if Kerry and Maiya lost the war, she would be alone. Maiya took a deep breath to steady herself, placing her arms atop her husband’s shoulders.
“I’m worried about Ilya too, but…” Maiya swallowed hard, thinking carefully. “We need to focus on the matter at hand. We will survive this war, Kiritsugu.”
Kerry knew she was right. They had never failed a mission before, and they had two unbelievably strong Servants on their side. He would get his wish granted and save the world.
Watching Irisviel was like watching a hyperactive puppy. If Jalter and Artoria so much as took one eye off her she would be halfway down the street. The amount of times the trio separated on account of her excitement was too much to count. Especially at this thing called a mall. Apparently it was a place with shops all right next to each other instead of being more spread out like normal. These shopping malls sold a variety of things from food to clothes to whatever else you could think of.
Irisviel went into just about every shop she could, taking everything in at a more rapid pace than the two Servants following her could manage. After a while, the other people at the mall grew quite accustomed to hearing ‘Irisviel!’ being yelled out by what they could only assume were her exasperated friends. Iri did get hungry eventually, and now they were at the mall’s food court.
“This is so fun!” Iri laughed with a huge grin on her face. “Maiya called earlier and told me it’s not time for the fighting to start. Which means we have more time to look around.”
“Oh, joy.” Jalter groaned, leaning back in her chair. Arotria smacked her shoulder lightly. “What? This is super fucking boring.”
“Though boring it may be, she is enjoying herself. Your plan is working.” Saber took another bite of her burger before continuing. “But I do find myself inclined to agree with you. This has been a more tiresome excursion than I expected. I wonder if this experience is akin to raising a small child?”
“How would you know what that feels like?” Avenger took a long sip of her drink, watching the Servant next to her. “You didn’t raise Mordred.”
“I am not in the mood to deal with your insults, Dragon Witch.” Saber turned her attention back to Irisviel, who was no longer in her seat. “Hm? Where’s Irisviel?”
“Oh for the love of–” Jalter stood up as Artoria gathered what remained of her meal. The Avenger spotted Irisviel en route to a clothing store, weaving between the crowds with ease. “Damn it, Irisviel!”
Eventually the mall closed and the Servants followed Irisviel to her next destination: a beach. The homunculus danced in the sand, letting the cold water lap at her feet. Saber stood nearby while Avenger found herself watching the waves.
“It’s fun to walk around a strange and wondrous new town accompanied by a gallant gentleman and a serious bodyguard.” Iri moved out of the water and put her boots back on, getting ready for a walk.
“Did we really make acceptable escorts?” Artoria wondered as Jalter crossed her arms and huffed.
“You two were absolutely perfect.” Irisviel smiled. “You really were the most wonderful people a girl could hope for.”
“You honor me, Your Highness.” Saber bowed, and Jalter smacked her upside the head in annoyance.
“Do you really need to do the whole ‘king’ thing?” Avenger asked.
“Do you need to be so negative all the time?” Saber pushed her back in retaliation. The Servant stumbled back, falling into the water.
“Do you need to keep being a royal pain in the ass?” Avenger grabbed Artoria and yanked into the ocean.
Irisviel watched the two Servants complain about each other all while chasing each other around the beach. She was truly thankful her partners let their Servants escort her. It was like a piece of Kerry and Maiya were there, even if they couldn’t be physically.
“Say, do you two like the sea?” She asked, as Saber and Avenger finished arguing. Artoria took off her suit jacket to wring out the water, while Jalter dried herself off with her flames.
Jeanne Alter was puzzled by her question, as was Artoria apparently. The Avenger had no memory of the ocean, despite the other versions of herself. Her younger self, Jasel, had a wish to see the ocean. And the normal Jeanne d’Arc, had seen the ocean briefly before she died. But Jalter had no memory of seeing such a thing, and she wished she had taken the time to see it before her Singularity collapsed. She had to admit, the ocean was…beautiful.
“It’s okay, I guess.” Avenger huffed, kicking up sand.
“I suppose; I don’t really know. In my country, and way back in my time, the sea was a source of attacks by barbarians from the mainland. I never felt any affection for it and often hated it.” Saber explained.
“I feel kind of bad. You’re both girls just as I am, but when you were King Arthur and Jeanne d’Arc, you never had the luxury of enjoying simple things like this, did you?
“So, what about your desires?” Artoria shook her head, avoiding the question completely while Jalter ignored Iri. “Surely, you would have much preferred to have Kiritsugu and Maiya escort you around town today, right?”
“Of course I would, but they couldn’t.” Irisviel frowned a little, watching the waves. “Maiya would have loved to show me around, but she needed to fill Kerry in on the information she gathered. And if Kerry had escorted me, he would only be in pain.”
“Does Kiritsugu not enjoy the time he spends with you?”
“When he’s happy, for some reason, it seems to cause him pain. It’s the same when he’s near Maiya when they’re not working.”
“That’s stupid as f–hmm?” Jalter perked up, feeling a burning sensation in her left arm. An enemy Servant was nearby. Artoria gently grabbed Irisviel’s sleeve to gain her attention, but it seemed the homunculus had sensed the enemy as well.
“The enemy appears to be inviting us over to go see them.” Saber declared.
“How thoughtful; they wish to decide on a battlefield. Shall we take them up on their invitation?” Irisviel grinned, excited by the idea of the Grail War beginning.
Avenger.
What is it, Master?
Follow Madam and Saber in spirit form. Then meet me at the vantage point. Maiya’s words echoed in the Avenger’s mind, followed by an exact image of her location at the docks.
I don’t get to fight?
I’ll explain everything when you get here.
With an exaggerated huff, Jalter went into spirit form, leaving behind tiny specks of ash in the sand. Irisviel nodded at Artoria who began escorting her to the harbor nearby. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the Lancer Class Servant of the war, who was wielding two spears. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the duel between Saber and Lancer began.
“There you are.” Maiya stated, as Avenger appeared at her side. She adjusted her hold on her gun, as her Servant sighed. “The fighting has begun.”
“I know.” Avenger grumbled, summoning her armor. “So what’s the plan?”
“Lancer’s Master has set up a barrier around the area. It’ll keep ordinary people out of the way, while alerting them about who enters and leaves.” Kiritsugu explained. “We need to find Lancer’s Master, while keeping an eye on Saber’s fight.”
“From up on that crane, it would be possible to survey the whole battlefield.” Maiya pointed out, gesturing to the tall red crane at the harbor’s edge.
“Indeed. That certainly is the best vantage point. Anyone seeing it would agree.” Kiritsugu took a deep breath before continuing. “All right, you two circle around to the Eastern Wharf. I’ll go the other way and take the west. We need to find good spots where we can be totally invisible while we closely monitor both Saber’s battle and that crane, got it?”
“Understood.” Maiya took off without a second thought with her Servant following close behind her. She had to help her partners in any way she could while not exposing herself as a Master.
She positioned herself on the roof of a warehouse, where she had a wide but limited view of the battlefield. She was more focused on the crane, in case another Master arrived.Avenger crouched next to her, staying on high alert for other Servants. Surely others would arrive if the fight wasn’t over quickly.
“Maiya, northeast of Saber and Iri, Lancer’s Master is on the roof of the warehouse over there. Can you see him?” She heard her husband’s voice through the earpiece she was wearing. She swiveled her weapon in that direction, peering through her scope.
“Negative. I can’t see him from my position. Avenger, do you see him?” Jalter focused on the direction her Master gestured to and shook her head.
“I’ve got nothing.” Avenger growled in frustration, clutching her flagpole tightly. Her left arm was burning again, but she couldn’t tell why. She was already aware of Lancer’s presence, so it couldn’t be him.
“Understood. I’ll take him out from here,” Kiritsugu replied. He heard Avenger’s curse loudly and the sound of metal ripping through fabric. “Maiya? What’s going on?”
“Assassin.” She breathed, staring at the throwing knife embedded in the roof. Jalter had deflected it with her standard, but it had torn part of her flag. “I’m not hurt. Avenger blocked the attack. Assassin’s perched on the crane.”
“Understood. Move to a new vantage point and continue to observe Assassin. I’ll watch Lancer and his Master.”
“I’ll have Avenger engage with the enemy. Then with Assassin distracted, you can take out Lancer’s Master.”
“No–” Maiya turned off her earpiece with an audible click. Assassin knows her position so even if she moves, she’ll get targeted by another attack. “Avenger, how do you feel about fighting Assassin?”
“Finally, something I’ll enjoy.” Avenger grinned. “Leave that piece of shit to me. Just sit back and watch my victory.”