...
The longboat drifted lazily to the ground, and, as the bottom of the ship encountered the marble of the plaza, it dissolved into gold ether, easing both Servant and Master to the ground without even the slightest jostling. Except, of course, for the jostling of Aaron's sanity as he encountered a familiar face-
"You!?"
"You?"
Yanni Iole and Aaron Sylphus met with mutual bewilderment. Aaron could've never imagined that a man he thought of as being both cowardly and useless was behind the behemoth called Berserker. Though, in retrospect, it made some sense. Standing in front of him in a gaudy toga, all of his suspicions about Yanni being just slightly off his rocker became suddenly and absolutely justified. A man with so little sense as to dress in cosplay in public would certainly have some sort of desire for the Grail to respond to. That was beside the fact of his readily available supply of catalysts, the very reason Aaron had sought him out in the first place, which now felt like so long ago.
With all that in mind, he began to feel that this confrontation was completely inevitable.
Yanni was equally surprised, having all his assumptions shattered by a single reality. These 'sentries' were not solely independent actors, but, like his own 'God', acted with the assistance of a human. What assumption could be made except that those other sentries also possessed similar relationships?
Yanni Iole began to laugh, "Haha! So... you too have a God, then? I never would've thought you and I were so alike."
Aaron's mouth hung open in awe, not expecting something so blatantly insane, "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"
But Yanni wasn't listening, "To think- you and I were on the same page without even knowing! What a strange coincidence- though... What about the others? Could it really be a coincidence?"
Rider's regal voice echoed through Aaron's mind, 'Master, thou art familiar with the Master of Berserker? He doth seem quite ignorant of the Grail War, methinks.'
But Aaron was as curious as his Servant, and so asked Yanni, "Why are you here? The Hell do you want?"
Yanni flinched, almost wounded, "I- I came here to talk to you. But, realizing that it's you, Mr. Sylphus, I think there's more to discuss than I thought. You- you might be the only person who'll listen to me, since, without me, you wouldn't have a God of your own either."
Aaron was a devout Atheist, not so much out of a lack of belief, but a firm conviction that no God worth worshiping could be responsible for the world he lived in: the constant talk of 'God' only made his stomach turn with a mix of confusion and discomfort, as if he were looking in a mirror and seeing something other than himself. Regardless, it was becoming clearer that the man before him was both insane and ignorant: a dangerous combination.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by 'God'?"
He appeared confused, "That 'Rider' there, he is a god, isn't he? One called from the Reverse Side by the use of a relic, just like mine. Of course, my God is the only one worth worshiping, but, that you, and these others, would have gods of your own... I have to know."
His eyes bugged, glowing with a new kind of fervor, "I have to know what makes you worship your gods so desperately. What makes you think that they're superior to the great and mighty Heracles! If I can do that, maybe... maybe this can be handled without violence. Maybe we could work together- for the sake of all mankind!
"So tell me... why do you worship? Why do you fight us?"
Aaron frowned at the question, not quite sure how to reason with him. One the one hand, Yanni Iole was firmly disconnected from reality, especially the unique realities of the Grail War. It was abundantly clear that Yanni had his own ambitions, and likely didn't understand what was going on except in the vaguest of terms. On the other, it could be rightly said that, in a life-or-death battle between perfect strangers, his questions were precisely the right ones to be asking.
He did his best to stand firm, almost forgetting about the presence of the colossal nightmare that stood behind the toga-clad madman, "I'll... answer your questions, sure. But, I think you should answer them first."
He was trying to bait out the context of Yanni's ramblings, and he succeeded.
The priest's face lit with glee at the opportunity to evangelize, "Yes- yes! You see, Heracles is the one being in all existence who deserves to be the One God of mankind. He alone has walked the path of man, god, and hero! The compassion to act, and the strength to succeed- these are the qualities that God ought to possess, and so, the reason why He ought to sit on that throne! With the old gods dead and gone, we, humanity, can make our gods, and decide the sort of world we want to create! And who better than He!? Who better than a hero to protect us, to guide us, to unite the world in peace and order, and all under the banner of His holy benevolence!? A world where all are happy, and no blood is spilled unnecessarily. A world of justice and hope, led by a beacon of light: what could be better?"
Tears began to stream down Yanni's flushed face as he closed his monologue, "That's what we fight for Aaron. So why not join us?"
Aaron scoffed, "Tch. What bullshit."
He didn't mean to say it. He spoke the words under his breath for only himself to hear. He hadn't intended to say them so loudly, or so forcefully, but it was clear by the way Yanni's face fell that the words couldn't be taken back. Fear touched his heart, but not as much as even he expected. It was clear to him, in a way he couldn't have explained, that the one speaking was Yanni Iole and Yanni alone. Berserker was not participating in the discussion, and, if the fake priest did decide to order him dead-
Why would he complain?
At this point, death sounded almost preferable to him. One swift blow from Berserker's axe and all his suffering would end, and he would drift off to somewhere else or, even better, to nowhere at all.
So Aaron spoke with only the slightest touch of fear, Rider remaining stoically silent behind him, "What the Hell is order? What the Hell is peace? What the Hell is justice?" He paused, hesitating only slightly, "Why would anyone in their right mind ever have hope? The kind of world you want isn't possible- period- and the only way it could ever come about is through tyranny as bad or worse as the problems you wanna solve- you're insane."
The priest's face hardened from melancholy to anger, "So, Aaron, what world do you want to make, then? What does your God promise you?"
"Pfft- this world isn't worth fixing. What I want is the power to make my way and do as I please- to have what I please. What else is worth wanting? What else is worth having? Power is the only real thing in this world- and you know it. That's why you can be so high-and-mighty: cause you have that- that thing on your side. That damned Berserker."
Yanni turned his scowl to Rider, "What are those ramblings? Are you a god of vanity? Of pride!?- Is that it?"
Rider spoke strongly, "Mine Master hath his principles as I hath mine own. We doth share a common cause, but that should not mean we align on every minute detail of our philosophies."
"Doesn't it? What kind of God refuses to preach His own gospel? What kind of priest refuses to listen? No God worth praising- and no follower worth having," He spat.
"Thou art correct, cousin: I am no god- not in the manner which you intend, and neither should he be called my follower. Still, there art different methods of preaching, and there are yet those who are slow to listen. 'Tis foolish to forsake potential in any case, no matter how deep it should sometimes be buried."
Aaron scowled at the back of Rider's head, thinking to him, 'Hey! The Hell does that mean!?'
But Rider neither said nor thought anything, as opposed to Yanni, who had many thoughts, and many things to say, "So- you are no God? You have no vision for the world, and not even the will to try?" His face flushed red with rage, "Then you have no right to oppose us! You have no right to assert that your lack of vision should come before the presence of one!"
"Incorrect."
"And why is that? What is it that you have to say- you God without a Gospel?"
"Mine Master and I may disagree on a great many points, but he hath said at least one thing that is unobjectionably correct: there is no room in the whole of human nature for such lofty ideals as peace. Benevolence, justice, order, these are things bestowed from one man to another, or from a king to his court- they are not meant to be given from one man to the whole of mankind, neither 'tis it possible. 'Tis a plainly foolish endeavor, and fails to acknowledge that peace is brought about only as a consequence of violence- violence against those who would threaten that ever-fragile charade of balance."
Yanni grit his teeth, "Violence and peace aren't opposites. When Heracles slayed the Lernaean Hydra and saved the people there, didn't he bring peace? What about the Nemean Lion? Violence against the forces of chaos is not the opposite of peace, but the definition of it!"
Though Yanni's voice continued to escalate, Rider's only became increasingly sober, "Aye. Exactly so. Violence, threats of violence, and peace are all one-in-the-same, and so we must take caution- lest the chaos we move to violate be revealed as thine own shadow- lest the demons we face be the devils of our own nature, and lest our true enemy be revealed as ourselves."
The priest scoffed, "Tell me then, are you a pacifist, or just an everyday coward?"
"Neither. Can't thee see the blood that stains my hands? Can't thee smell the scent of death and gore that shall never be washed away? Can't thee hear the wails of the lost and the damned, cursing my name upon their every breath? I know well the virtues of peace, and know well when they should cease to be virtues at all."
Yanni closed his eyes, seeming to form counterarguments on the tip of his tongue- but stopped, giving up, "I dreamed in vain- as I often do. Even so, I would've never imagined there would be a faith so completely hopeless."
He began to walk towards Aaron, bringing the weather-mage out of his stupor. The scale of the conversation had escalated into philosophy far beyond his care or interest, and he had been watching the colossus, Heracles, intently. He couldn't consider that- thing- to be a man, to be human even in the slightest. To give it a name at all seemed inappropriate, not in the least because of it's apparent lack of any self-governing will. It was a vessel empty of anything but power and authority.
He envied it in a way, but the approaching priest prevented any further reflection. He worried that there might have been hostile intent, but Rider didn't move an inch, and the priest reached into his toga to pull out a letter, extending it to Aaron.
"Huh? What's this?"
"A formal declaration of war."
-"Oh? Is it just for Rider, then?"
From above, a figure both alien and familiar descended. A muscular man dressed in what could've been called Egyptian garb except for its metal sheen and fluorescent red patterns- Caster.
Rider called to the approaching Caster without turning his head, "Ah, if it shouldn't be our sunny-day friend?"
"I do apologize Rider, I was preoccupied the night of your brawl, and unable to offer my assistance- though I think I have a way to make it up to you. That said-" He turned back to Yanni, his voice and expression remaining unfailingly flat, and yet regal, "Master of Berserker, I will repeat my question only once: is your 'war' to be only between these two parties?"
The priest turned a tired gaze to the floating pharaoh, not impressed by the sudden intrusion, "Not at all. In two days, at midnight, I'd encourage you to gather all the allies you can, and my God will defeat them all in one fail swoop. If there are sentries missing, or if nobody accepts, I will send my God to raze all the world until this is taken care of. I'm tired of these childish games."
Rider scoffed, "So much for thine bloody peace."
Yanni turned a vicious snarl towards Rider, but said nothing.
Caster's face didn't move at all, but he sounded pleased, "Very good. I will certainly be there. Can we count on your attendance as well, Lancer?"
They all turned their heads to the half-collapsed gateway to the Acropolis, where, having been called out by Caster, Lancer slowly emerged from his hiding place, trying and failing to disguise his immense fear, "R-right! I need to talk with my Master first-"
Yanni turned his back on them all, returning to his Berserker, "I've made clear the penalty for abstaining, as well as the rest of my terms. Talk and conspire among yourselves all you like- we'll be ready."
Berserker picked up his Master, who was small in his massive arms. He crouched slightly, like a lion ready to pounce, and leaped into the clouds above, disappearing as suddenly as he arrived.
Rider turned his attention to the still-floating Caster, "Explain thyself Caster. Explain thine absence, and what thou hath done to be worthy of forgiveness."
The pharaoh landed, taking the place of the priest, "I told you before, I had my own business to take care of which prevented me from maintaining our united front. However-" He held out his hand, and in it a red envelope appeared, before sliding to reveal a second behind it, "Seeing the threat that Berserker faced, I maneuvered to expand our united front against him."
The envelopes flew out of his hand and into those of the slightly bewildered Aaron and the extremely bewildered Lancer, "This worked out rather swimmingly. I've prepared to contact all the Masters about organizing a war council tomorrow night, but thought it might be best if I reached out to my one ally first. Although, I don't think our Berserker has left us much of a choice at all, now."
To his surprise, rather than speaking for himself, Rider turned to Aaron, placing pressure for him to make the final say. It was difficult to find the words while under the imposing form of Caster, and with the news of his impending doom, but he managed,
"Absolutely. We won't be able to beat him otherwise."
"I'm glad we've been able to form such a friendship among the battlefield," He turned to the perplexed and deeply afraid Lancer, still on the periphery of the plaza, and bowed, "I'm sorry that our introductions were so brief Lancer, but I must away. A Caster should hesitate to leave his workshop, and a Servant to leave his Master's side. Regardless, I hope to see you tomorrow night, and the night after that when the time comes to put down our rabid beast."
With that said, Caster dissolved it gold ether, his Spirit Form, and removed himself from the discussion-
-A discussion that, to Aaron's chagrin, was still far from over. He turned to the pig with a certain frustration, "And what do you want?"
Pigsy shot up straight, like a student called on in class when he wasn't paying attention, "I- I don't want anything! -oink- I just- my Master wanted to finish our meeting since it got cut off, so I wanted to be sure that we could meet tomorrow -oink-."
He was surprisingly meek, apparently still reeling from the shock of having both Berserker and Caster present. Aaron could relate, and softened his attitude, though not to complacence,
"Hmph. That could be an issue. We're evacuating this place tomorrow. Maybe we could meet at your base- or somewhere else your Master-" he struggled to remember her name, "Heping knows of."
"Oh- right. Sure."
Lancer turned his head to the side in a gesture Aaron could recognize as telepathic communication, or the attempt of it. With every second, Pigsy's expression hardened with focus, his body twisting and turning dramatically, as if trying to physically pry the thoughts out of his head.
"-Shit."
"What is it?"
Lancer's beady eyes went wide, "I can't reach her."
....