Well, this feels ominous…
Withered trees, overgrown gardens, flickering lights… The Matou estate truly mirrored its owner…
Mom, Artoria, Vivian and I stood in front of a large western manor that gave off haunted house vibes, the sun having set added to the creep factor immensely.
"Ladies first," I remarked shamelessly, earning a heel being stomped into my foot, by a none too amused Mother.
Vivian turned her head to look at me, and gave me an amused look. "Such a gentleman…" She remarked with amusement.
Artoria seemed to take my words as the que to start, and grabbed the iron gate, before ripping it off its hinges, and throwing it into the estate's garden.
As the gate made contact with the dead grass, it combust into flames, before quickly dying down due to lack of flammable material.
Artoria took a step past the broken gate, and as her foot crossed the boundary, multiple bounded fields visibly sprung into existence.
A few of them shattered thanks to her natural magic resistance, but a few of them still held, and the ground under her shattered, roots sprung forth trying to ensnare themselves around her ankle, followed by a blanket of fire falling onto her.
Artoria clenched her fists, and winds coalesced around her body, shredding the roots and snuffing the fire.
The gust of wind reached the rest of us, but its strength had been heavily diminished, as it merely ruffled our clothing.
Vivian gave a low whistle at the sight, before looking towards me. "Meat shield No.2, your turn," she said while gesturing for me to enter the grounds.
Playfully huffing and rolling my eyes, I walked past her, and crossed the boundary.
I felt another set of bounded fields spring, and it tried to inflict a curse or warp my mind to leave this place, but as fast as I felt them, they dispersed and scattered upon trying to breach my magic resistance.
Standing next to Artoria, the two of us gave a cursory look over the grounds, checking for any traps.
I felt the bounded fields had wasted most of their juice on the two of us, and were probably only capable of giving light suggestions, nothing Mom couldn't shrug off, the less mentioned about Vivian the better.
Turning my head, I met my mother's none to amused gaze.
"Coast is clear, you may enter," I explained, before returning my gaze to the manor in front of us.
"Fourth window from the left, second floor," Artoria remarked coldly.
Moving my eyes to the aforementioned window, I was met with eyes with white pupils and black sclera staring down at me. A bald, wrinkly old man, with unnaturally gray skin, wore the world's most unnerving ear to ear smile.
Zouken.
The old man's smile only grew when our eyes met, before his body started trembling.
Worms, mosquitoes, maggots and other bugs spilled out of his orifices, and he quickly dissolved into thin air.
Unpleasant fuck.
"It would seem we've been discovered," Vivian commented dryly, before sighing.
Pulling forth a small pouch, she picked out a small rune stone and started fiddling with it. "Well, let's give this a go," she said while raising her hand in a throwing position, before hurling the stone at the house.
As it made contact, it glued itself onto the wall. There was a moment of silence, before the sound of bricks shaking filled the air, and we could see the manors' tall walls start to shake.
Cracks started to spread, widows broke, and the front wall of the manor shook violently. It was only a matter of seconds before it fell, slinging debris and dust over the garden.
Mom and Vivian raised an arm to protect their mouths from the incoming dust.
While I'd rather not destroy the house so early, as I'd rather not fight in a crumbling building, we all agreed it was the easiest way for us to disrupt as many anchors for the house's bounded fields.
The sound of rock smashing into the ground was followed by the sound of buzzing.
Slowly, large, disgusting insects could be seen flying from the now open-air manor, and as each second passed, more and more flew out from the depths of the house.
Artoria took a tentative step forwards, and raised her sword. Mom stepped forwards, standing to the right of Artoria, and pointed a finger at the incoming swarm.
Electricity cracked at the tip of her finger, conjuring an erratic ball of energy, before it barreled off into the cloud of insects with a bang.
As it made contact, the tendrils of electricity bounced from insect to insect, creating a web of electricity as it fried the smaller ones instantly, while the larger ones merely fell to the floor, twitching but still alive.
Mom's attack had taken out a large portion of the initial attack, but there was still a large cloud of insects making their way towards us.
Vivian quickly pulled out another runestone, and threw it at the incoming insects, and as it made contact, a giant cloud of fire sprung into existence, burning all the insects inside.
Waiting for a second, we watched as the smoke and fire disappeared, only revealing a heap of ashes, with a few charred bugs.
Mom glanced at Vivian and raised a brow. "That seemed closer to jewelcraft," she pointed out, while eyeing Vivian's pouch of runestones with a minutely impressed look. "You have a few Old Runes?"
Vivian tapped her pouch, and shot Mom a wink. "Something similar…" she said with a hint of smugness.
Not caring for the conversation, Artoria took a step forwards, and gestured for the two of us to follow.
"Come, the more time we waste, the longer the Worm will have time to prepare for us," she said while moving towards the broken wall of the Matou estate.
We followed Artoria through the jagged opening in the manor's front wall, stepping over broken bricks and charred debris.
The interior was a stark contrast to the opulent exteriors of other magus estates I'd seen. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and something far more rancid, something that gnawed at the edges of my senses.
The foyer was dimly lit, shadows dancing along the cracked walls as the remnants of flickering light bulbs struggled to stay alive. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling like tattered drapes, and the floorboards groaned under our weight.
"Stay alert," Artoria cautioned, her gaze slowly scanning the vicinity.
Vivian nodded, pulling out a handful of rune stones from her pouch. "I'll handle any magical traps," she assured, eyes scanning the surroundings with practiced ease.
As we ventured deeper, the uneasy atmosphere seemed to thicken.
I could feel the subtle brush of enchantments attempting to worm their way into my mind—suggestions to turn back, feelings of dread and despair—but they dissipated against my innate magic resistance.
From somewhere within the manor, a rancid voice echoed, disembodied and dripping with malice. "Intruders are not welcome here. Leave while you still can."
"Charming hospitality," I muttered under my breath.
Artoria led the way down a narrow corridor, with cracks lining the wall thanks to the earlier disturbance, causing some of the wallpaper to start peeling away.
Suddenly, a series of sigils etched into the floor ignited, glowing with a deep blue light.
"Trap!" Vivian shouted, tossing a rune stone ahead. It exploded into a shimmering barrier that absorbed a volley of wooden splinters shooting from the floor.
"Perhaps some more caution would be a good idea," I remarked, glancing back to ensure our rear was clear.
"He's layered the entire house with offensive bounded fields," Mother observed with a hint of irritation in her voice.
A skittering sound caught my attention. From the darkness behind us, grotesque familiars resembling oversized centipedes scurried forth, their multiple eyes glinting.
"Filth," I grumbled, raising my hand. With a focused thought, I felt a link between myself and one of the creatures.
The lead familiar convulsed before bursting apart, splattering the walls and it's companions with neon yellow blood. The ones behind it hesitated, but only for a moment before resuming their advance.
Mother flicked her wrist, sending a bolt of lightning crackling down the corridor. It arced between the creatures, frying them instantly. "Now's not the time to play with your food," she admonished lightly.
"Fair," I replied, giving her a quick nod.
Ahead, Vivian was carefully eyeing the display's of the corridor with a careful eye, before moving on to the next one, giving each a scrutinizing look.
She threw one at a seemingly innocuous painting on the wall, which erupted into flames as a hidden sigil was destroyed.
"He's not making this easy," she commented.
"Did you expect him to roll out the red carpet?" I quipped.
Another disembodied laugh echoed through the halls. "Turn back now, and I shall not report this to the Mages Association."
"He's starting to get on my nerves," Vivian grumbled.
Ignoring the Worm, we reached a grand staircase leading to the upper floors.
Vivian frowned, before she flicked another stone towards the side of the staircase, which caused an illusion to suddenly collapse, revealing a creepy old door.
Walking up to the door, I gave it a quick once over. Its wooden surface warped and covered in strange symbols, and it just screamed trap.
Apparently that fact did not register with Artoria, as she instinctively reached for the handle, the door suddenly sprouted barbed vines, lashing out like serpents.
Without missing a beat, she sliced through them with her invisible blade, the severed tendrils writhing before shriveling away.
She kicked the door open, revealing a descending staircase shrouded in darkness.
"I'll light the way," Vivian offered, tossing a glowing rune stone down the steps. It illuminated the path ahead, casting long, eerie shadows on the damp walls.
The scent of decay intensified as we descended. The stone steps were slick, and a faint, unsettling squelching noise echoed from below.
"Everyone stay close," Mother advised, her eyes narrowing. "This place feels incredibly wrong."
I fixed Mother's back with a look one would give a moron.
No shit it felt wrong, Captain Obvious, we were closing in on the damn Worm's 'breeding nest', or whatever it was called.
We reached the bottom, stepping into a narrow corridor.
The walls were lined with grotesque murals depicting scenes of suffering and despair. The floor was covered in a thin layer of murky liquid that I sincerely hoped wasn't what I thought it was.
A chittering sound reverberated around us. From small alcoves in the walls, swarms of insects and worms began to emerge, their bodies twisting and coiling over one another as they moved toward us.
Vivian acted swiftly, hurling a rune stone into the midst of the swarm. It detonated in a flash of frost, freezing the creatures solid.
They shattered under their own weight, pieces scattering across the floor.
"Nice," I acknowledged.
As if on cue, larger familiars began to appear—bloated, misshapen things with mandible's and antenna that defied even the boundaries of what counted as an insect.
One lunged at Artoria, but she dispatched it effortlessly, her sword cutting through its flesh like paper.
"Disgusting," she muttered.
Mother raised her hand, summoning another sphere of electricity.
She released it down the corridor, the lightning zigzagging and incinerating any familiar unfortunate enough to cross its path.
I kept an eye on our rear, sensing movement.
A cluster of worm-like creatures attempted to flank us from a side passage.
With a swift motion, I felt a slight tug on my reserves as I established connections with each one of them, before any of them could take another step, each one started to rupture violently.
"Alistair, on your left!" Mother called out.
I turned to see another familiar—this one a God damn arachnid....
I hate spiders...
Watching as it tried to jump on me, I reached out a hand, and it exploded mid-air, raining down foul-smelling goo.
"This is getting old," I said, wiping my sleeve.
We pushed forward, the corridor finally opening up into a vast subterranean chamber.
The ceiling stretched high above, supported by thick stone pillars carved with Latin symbols, or words? I'm not all too read up on the subject, so I'll call them symbols.
The walls were covered with creepy-crawlies, from giant ants to centipedes, but each and every one of them had their eyes trailed on us.
At the center of the room, was a giant pit, with writhing crest worms, moving around in a way reminiscent of fluent water.
On top of the sea of worms, stood Zouken Matou, standing atop the worms as if it was solid ground. However, he was no longer smiling.
"I'd tell you all to leave, but I believe you have come too far, for me to just let the four of you go…" the decrepit old Worm said in a grating tone, while idly looking at us.
None of us were willing to humor him, and to prove that point, Vivian took a step forwards, and pulled out four rune stones in her hand, one in between each of her fingers.
As she got into a position to throw, the lake of worms contorted, and a pillar of worms extended out from it.
Protruding from the worm pillar, was a bleeding naked girl with purple hair, and the most hollow purple eyes I had ever seen. Bugs could still be seen running over her body, and one or two even wiggled out from her ear and nose.
Vivian froze mid swing at the sight, and I felt my fists clench.
This… this was vile.
I knew what had been happening, but seeing it wa—
I stopped thinking as I watched as her jaw almost popped out of socket, as it was wretched open, allowing two crest worms to make their way out from her mouth.
I had never clenched my fists, nor grinded my teeth as hard as this in either of my lives, and from the sounds coming from my three companions, I highly doubted that they had it any better.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Zouken intoned in a calm, but mocking tone of voice, his smile returning in full force.
"I will kill this girl if you mak–" "She's better off dead!" Vivian screeched, interrupting the Worm, before she followed through with her throw, and hurled the four runes at the girl covered by worms.
And like clockwork, Zoukens eyes widened, and he retracted his familiars as fast as he could, abandoning the child in the process.
The four rune stones landed on each limb, before gluing themselves on her, and gave a green glow, followed by the feeling of a powerful bounded field erecting itself around Sakura.
The Worm only needed a second to understand that he had been had, and another pillar of worms grew to catch her falling form.
As the worms got within a foot of the girl, they stopped moving, as if they had died.
Sakura fell atop the worms, but nothing happened to her, she merely laid atop them, as if lying in a pool.
Zouken's head snapped at us, his face contorted with rage.
The bounded field temporarily cut off weak links between a master and familiar, nothing a Servant and their Master couldn't shrug off, but Zouken's familiars were all tied to him with paper thin links, allowing it to work as well as it did.
While it was a good thing that Sakura was momentarily safe, it was a bit of a blow to find out that Zouken's phylactery wasn't inside her, as then all the worms would stop moving, it was nothing Morgan couldn't track down with all these familiars in one place.
Stepping forwards, Mom's gaze had not left the limp Sakura. "Change of plans, I will not let her stay there," she spat.
Artoria gave Mom a quick glance. "Fine, just keep an eye on your surroundings," she commented, before fixing her glare at the Worm disguised as an old man.
Mom didn't need to exchange any more words, and electricity crackled around her, just as she kicked off the ground.
"I'll find the phylactery, keep him distracted," Vivian said, before turning on the spot, showing her back to the worms.
A giant wasp flew from the wall, aiming for her unprotected back, but before it could get close, it was cut down by a single slash by Artoria's blade.
Vivian ran past me, and sped up the stairs.
{Any leads?} I probed, and Morgan did not disappoint.
{Byakuya is the prime suspect, given that Zouken hasn't implanted Sakura yet, so give me a minute or two, and I will have the Worm imprisoned.} She informed swiftly, and I felt some resemblance of calm wash over me.
If Morgan was personally hunting for the phylactery, then I was more than certain that this would be over in no time.
Artoria tightened her grip on her invisible blade, her gaze locked onto Zouken.
Without warning, she propelled herself forward using Mana Burst, the ground cracking beneath her feet from the sudden acceleration.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between us and the decrepit magus.
Her sword arced through the air, and with a swift release of compressed wind she unleashed a torrent of force directly at him.
The blast tore through his form, scattering the mass of insects that composed his body. Fragments of carapace and chitin flew in all directions, momentarily leaving nothing where he had stood.
But the respite was brief.
From the walls, a large portion of familiars converged into a swarm, coalescing rapidly to reconstruct Zouken's grotesque semblance of a human form.
His face was directed at Artoria. "Futile," he rasped.
Around us, the walls became visible, as countless insects swarmed off them, and started rushing towards our position.
Centipedes as long as my arm dropped from the ceiling, their legs writhing in a synchronized frenzy. Giant beetles with mandibles sharp enough to sever bone scuttled toward us.
Artoria didn't hesitate.
She pivoted smoothly, her sword slicing through an oncoming wave of locust-like familiars.
With a single swing of her blade, the invisible air around the blade rippled, sending blades of air across the room. All the insects unlucky enough to be within reach were bisected multiple times, turning into mush the moment they fell to the floor.
Directing my attention to some of the areas Artoria had not targeted, I focused on the general space around the bugs.
Drawing upon the principles of thermodynamics, I initiated a rapid decrease in kinetic energy within the moisture particles surrounding the nearest cluster of insects. A layer of frost formed instantaneously, encasing them in ice.
With a snap, I intensified the cold, the ice expanding and fracturing their exoskeletons, causing them to shatter like brittle glass.
Another swarm advanced from my right. I spread my fingers, and spikes of ice erupted from the floor, impaling the creatures with ease.
The temperature in the chamber began to drop, our breaths forming visible puffs of vapor.
Zouken reformed once more, and Artoria was already upon him. She feinted left before delivering an upward slash that cleaved him from hip to shoulder.
Again, his body disintegrated into a flurry of insects. This time, I was prepared.
I extended my palm and released a wide-range frost nova. The burst of cold spread out in a dome, slowing the movements of the insects and causing many to seize up mid-flight.
"Alistair, above you!" Artoria warned.
I glanced up to see a cluster of winged insects diving toward me, stingers poised. With a swift motion, I traced a quick rune in the air.
A barrier of ice formed overhead, and they collided with it, their bodies crunching upon impact. I dispelled the barrier, letting their remains drop.
Artoria continued her assault on Zouken, each of her strikes reducing his form to paste, only for him to regenerate anew somewhere else.
Both of us knew that destroying his form was pointless, but the longer we had his attention, the longer 'Vivian' had to capture or destroy his phylactery.
And this did serve the dual purpose of killing as many familiars as possible, so neither of us could truly complain.
Seeing another swarm of bugs approach my position, I concentrated on the ground beneath a particularly dense swarm approaching us.
Manipulating the latent heat, I caused a slick of ice to form, and the insects lost traction, piling into each other. Seizing the opportunity, I directed a series of razor-sharp icicles to erupt from the floor, skewering them en masse.
Artoria dispatched another wave with a horizontal sweep, the sheer force creating a gust that blew back smaller insects. She then leaped backward, landing beside me.
"Are you fine?" She probed, while glancing at me.
I probably looked like shit, as I was caked with yellow-green blood, which was slowly melting though my clothes.
Picking some gunk off my shirt, I rubbed it a bit in-between my fingers, and eyes it for a moment. A quick application of Structural Grasp, allowed me to know that it was acidic, and a tad poisonous, but nothing that would cause me trouble.
"I'll survive," I said while flicking away the filth on my fingers. "Vivian should hopefully find the phylactery soon, so we should press on," I explained quickly.
Saber gave a crisp nod, before refocusing on the Apostle, and with the sound of the floor cracking, she was once more in front of the monster in human skin.
This time, she channeled additional mana into her blade. The air around it shimmered, and when she struck Zouken, the resulting impact generated a shockwave.
The force pulverized the insects composing his body, and the surrounding floor and wall cracked under her blow.
Seeing Zouken's familiars conjugate on a certain spot, I seized the moment to unleash a concentrated beam of freezing air toward the writhing mass of insects. The cold penetrated the swarm, slowing their movements and causing some to fall lifelessly to the ground.
Suddenly, a series of Crest Worms burst from the ground near my feet, which lunged for my legs, all while giving their ominous clicking sound.
Jumping back, I focused on their composition, their blood, and tugged on it. Soon, all the worms burst like piñatas, coloring the floor a sickening yellow.
Zouken appeared once more, but this time his form flickered unsteadily.
Artoria didn't let up. She surged forward, thrusting her sword straight through his chest.
A burst of wind erupted from the point of contact, blowing apart his torso. His eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of genuine concern.
Around us, the movements of the familiars became erratic.
The anger and purpose they once exhibited faltered, and they stopped moving, a few of them even falling to the floor.
Artoria withdrew her blade from the dissipating remains of Zouken's form.
His body began to convulse, the insects composing his body began losing their shape. Pieces of him fell away, revealing nothing but worms and insects beneath.
{Objective complete, I have jarred the parasite.} Morgan informed me, causing me to give an imperceptible sigh of relief.
Collapsing to the floor, the individual insects that made up his body scattered from the gaping hole in his stomach, and as they left, they twitched sporadically before lying still.
Silence settled over the chamber.
The remaining familiars ceased their assault.
Those few still clinging to the walls lost their grip, falling and bursting upon the stone floor.
Artoria exhaled slowly, lowering her sword but keeping it at the ready. "Do you think Vivian completed her objective, or might he be faking his death?" she asked quietly.
I pretended to scan the area, as I couldn't reasonably confirm her claim as things were. "I'd like to think as much," I replied. "But we should remain cautious until we're certain."
~~Fate/False Order~~
Running up the stairs, my puppet body darted passed the few familiars dotting the stairway with ease.
While the puppet body wasn't on 'Casters' level, it was both far faster and stronger than the peak of the current humans of this era.
Sensing that I was in the clear, I allowed the body to sink into a shadow, before emerging from the same shadow myself.
Closing my eyes, I felt the location of numerous small familiars between the floorboards and walls of the house. Many of which were discreetly moving away from the manor.
Zouken was clearly cutting his losses, which was the smart thing to do. Which meant that Byakuya would have been transported to somewhere more secure.
Opening my eyes, I walked to one of the walls with a larger familiar population than the rest.
Raising a hand, and smashing it into the wall, I grabbed a handful of small familiars.
The wretched things wriggled in my palm, and desperately tried to bite my hand.
Ignoring the futile attempt, I cast a few diagnostic Fey Runes around them.
The Crest Worm I had procured was quickly severed from the 'greater whole', which is Zolgen Makiri, upon my attempt at scrying the location of the phylactery.
Haste had made waste, as I had underestimated the magus. Mad as he might be, he was begrudgingly competent.
But with the discretion going on downstairs, Zolgen would be too preoccupied to notice that one or two of his familiars connection to him suddenly grew, before vanishing.
The writhing insects suddenly turned into dust, bringing my scrying orb out from my shadow, the dust entered it, causing the smoke inside to slowly cast an image.
A handsome man with blue, seaweed like hair, was convulsing, while being dragged through a large sewage pipe by hundreds of small and large insects.
Frowning a bit, I watched as he was pulled into something I assumed was the main sewage tunnel.
Pursing my lips, I took in a large breath.
I did not wish to be sullied by human excrement.
…But orders were orders… and if it was for Alistair's sake, then I'd do it, albeit begrudgingly…
The image started to fade, and I quickly pulled out a few other familiars to keep the lock on their position.
As another handful turned to dust, I conjured a few extra Fay Runes to help me get concrete coordinates to the position.
Crossing my arms, I waited an entire minute for the first few coordinates to be calculated.
The fact that the target was moving, along with the soul container being technically split among thousands of familiars caused something that should only take a few seconds, a whole three minutes.
As irritating as that Worm was, I had to admit that his barbaric treatment of his soul made for an excellent method for anti-scrying methods.
Receiving the needed numbers, I quickly folded space in on myself.
Having adjusted the coordinates to not land in the river of human filth, I slowly glided through the air, and locked eyes on my target.
The familiars haven't spotted me, nor could they sense me, so this was as good as an ambush I could get.
Tapping a hand on my chin, I cast a few discrete scanning spells, allowing me to locate the phylactery.
The small worm had more in common with a parasite than a worm, as it was slowly killing its host by feeding off of his heart.
Not wishing to stay here a moment longer, I froze the space around the familiars, trapping them and Byakuya in place.
Shimmering into existence, I floated down, barely hovering over the filthy water.
Bending over, I trailed a finger over the blue haired man's chest. The straight line I traced, revealed a long gash, cutting through his jacket and chest with ease.
With a thought, the shirt and skin peeled back, revealing his ribcage and his organs.
With a flick of my wrist, the organs moved, the rib cage cracked and the heart was out in the open.
The parasite had burrowed too deep into the heart, and had fused itself into it, meaning that removing it would kill Byakuya.
Naturally, I could implant Avalon into him, and with the use of my Mana, I could certainly save him. It would take an hour or so, due to him not being me or my sister, but his heart would regrow.
However, I did not wish to bother Alistair with another useless burden, and one which would die in a year at most anyways.
Snapping my finger, the heart's connecting arteries severed, and it floated out from his chest. Bringing out the designated sealing jar, the heart floated into it, before a lid screwed itself onto it.
{Objective complete, I have jarred the parasite.} I informed Alistair, before throwing it back into my shadow.
I'd have to scramble his memories of this later, but such a thing should be simple for myself, given his fractured soul.
I did not like having him in there, temporary as it was, as even I was disgusted at the damn thing.
While I too, had been consumed with madness, I had at the very least not acted in such a depraved way.
Using Crest Worms on a child was sickening, and the look in the little girl's eyes was sad and pitiful, even by my standards. Hell, the dead Byakuya still has more life in his own eyes now, when compared to hers.
Yes, I was certainly not winning any 'Mother of the Year', let alone 'Mother of the Month' awards, but I'd like to argue that I was a better parent, despite the madness.
Tough love perhaps, or child abuse at worst, but I managed to allow all of them to reach their dreams. All of them, bar the unfortunate Gareth, had become knights.
Did I throw them into harsh training against golems four times their strength, breaking a few bones in the process, yes, as they were all meatheads that didn't do well with proper training.
Was it self-serving, yes, but they got what they wanted, and so did I. Their deaths were not my fault, as I had little to nothing to do with Lancelot's sudden rebellion.
I had informed Artoria long before Agravain found out about it, in hopes of crushing her spirit, but it was on Agravain's own orders that he informed the people about their queen's sins.
Even in my own sick way, I recall mourning their deaths. I did not care for them as a Mother should. Was it due to me seeing them as tools that were broken too soon, or if it was genuine regret, I myself could not tell…
But their deaths caused me to start Mordred's rebellion early as a form of revenge… which is probably what led to it failing.
Pausing for a moment, I shook my head.
Introspection was a new experience, one which I simply did not have the luxury of properly using during life, but it was surprisingly distracting.
As good as it was for my psyche, I had things to do, and a role to play.
Stopping the space manipulation, the bugs collapsed like puppets with their strings cut, and blood started to flow from the newly minted corpse.
Levitating it, I placed it into my shadow, as I needed it for the explanation.
But looking back at the vile worms, I frowned.
They were disgusting, and not needed.
A burst of ice blue flames spread over the familiars, and they all turned to dust in an instant.
Folding space in on itself once more, I manifested myself back in the second floor of the Matou estate.
Sighing, I sank back into the shadows.
It was time to don the mask of Vivian once more.
~~Fate/False Order~~
Grandfather was angry.
He had thrown me back in the pit.
Uncle Kariya had promised that I'd never return.
It hurt.
I could feel them.
They were hungry.
It stung.
Breathing was hard.
I was sinking deeper into the pit.
Grandpa must be furious.
Had I done something bad?
Was it my fault?
…
It must have been my fault.
They kept on biting.
They were agitated.
They were angry.
Grandfather was calling.
Slowly, I felt my body move back to the surface.
As the worms fell away from my face, I saw people.
Three blondes and a silver haired lady.
The blonds looked like a small family.
The thought of them being one made my chest hurt.
Blinking slowly, I felt my throat burn.
They wanted out.
It hurts.
Opening my mouth wide, it was not enough.
A slight pop was heard, and my jaw hurts.
Two wor— They left my mouth quickly, and rejoined the others.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you…"
Grandfather was talking to people.
Slowly I closed my mouth, and looked at the guests.
"I will kill this girl if you mak–"
Grandpa was cut off by the silver lady.
No one cuts off Grandpa…
"She's better off dead!"
She threw stones like da— Mr. Tohsaka.
I felt their grip on me loosen, and I was suddenly falling.
The silver ladies' stones flew at me, and hit me.
The impact didn't hurt, it felt strange.
I felt light.
As I fell, and landed on them, I felt that I could breathe.
Nothing hurt…
Did the silver lady kill me?
They stopped moving inside me.
They had stopped biting me.
It was… nice.
I felt myself sink back into the pit, but none of the ones close to me moved.
Breathing became harder again, but it wasn't so bad.
All the ones close to me didn't move, it was nice.
Slowly closing my eyes, I felt myself start to fall asleep.
I was so tired.
I had never felt so peaceful.
"—akura!"
Slowly opening my eyes, I blinked a few times.
"SAKURA!"
Someone was yelling my name.
I could hear loud sounds.
Ground breaking, wind blowing, but I could hear electricity crackling for some odd reason.
I felt as the worm— I felt as if they were moving angrily around me.
I felt warm liquid on my body.
Turning my head, I could see the green blood, and a few of them were burnt.
I felt my eyes widen.
They were dying?
Grandpa's worms were dying?
"Sakura!" I heard a voice yell my name again.
It was a bit accented, but my name none the less.
Someone was calling for me…
Should I answer their call?
Tilting my head to the side, I could barely see some light pass through the gaps.
I saw more yellow-green blood splatter.
Was she trying to save me?
Was I even worth saving?
"Sakura!"
Was it alright to leave?
Could I even be saved?
"Sakura!" The woman's yell seemed frantic.
She wanted to save me.
I had to take the chance.
I had to be brave.
Opening my mouth, I noticed how it felt as dry as a desert.
But I needed to leave.
I wanted to live.
"Help…" I wheezed out, while tiredly moving my arm in the direction of the voice.
"Sakura?! I can hear you!" The woman yelled something back, English, I think.
Da— Mr. Tohsaka tried teaching me it once.
"Help!" I wheezed out with a little more strength than last time.
Something seemed to change, as I felt my body slowly being dragged through the worms.
Slowly, fewer and fewer worms weighed down on me, and I felt myself get closer to the surface.
The sound of electricity cackling grew, and I could finally see something through the ocean of worms.
A blonde woman, the oldest looking of the three blondes, stood at the bottom of the stairs heading to the pit.
She had a few small cuts bleeding blood on her legs, and one on her arm.
Lightning crackled around her, and she was surrounded by burnt insects and worms.
But what caught my attention was her eyes, her green eyes were locked on me, and they looked worried. No, they held care.
Not disinterested as Mr. Tohsaka, not disgusted like Grandpa.
She looked at me, like Mom had… before she stopped looking at me.
The blonde woman looked almost desperate to get me.
She wanted me.
Someone wanted me.
Reaching out, I started crawling towards her.
It felt disgusting, the worms were slippery and slimy, they were not meant to be swimmed through.
The lady crouched down to one knee, crushing a few worms with her knee in the process, and she leaned forwards to grab my arm.
I could see the concentration on her face as she reached for me.
As we were too far apart, I watched as she took off her jacket, and used it as rope, throwing me one end.
Desperately, I grabbed it.
It was warm.
It felt nice.
The kind lady pulled me over with ease, and she looked so relieved.
As I got close, she gently placed her hands under my armpits, and pulled me out of the pit.
I couldn't stop myself, and reflexively clung onto her.
The lady didn't seem to mind, as she gently placed her jacket on my back, before gently rubbing circles on my back.
"You'll be fine," she whispered something or another in English again, but it felt comforting.
Closing my eyes, I tightened my grip on her, and buried my head in the crook of her neck.
She made me feel safe.
She made me feel warm.
~~Fate/False Order~~
Mom slowly made her way up the pit's stairs, while carrying a jacket covered Sakura.
Seeing it as well, Artoria quickly made her way towards Mom. "Is she al—" "Shh…" Mom cut her off, while raising her free hand, to give a shushing sign.
Mom lowered the hand, and returned to her ministrations, and gently rubbed the child's back.
"She's sleeping," Mom explained in a hushed tone, while glancing somewhat reproachfully at her idol, who snapped her mouth shut.
Nodding, she lowered her voice a smidge more this time. "Is she alright?" She probed, causing Mother to give her the driest look imaginable.
"No," she said in a way that conveyed how unimpressed she was by the question.
And I had to agree, I would certainly not be 'alright' after being in a worm pit once, let alone however many times she had been in it.
Artoria gave a slight grimace at the tone, but quickly nodded her head.
The basement door creaked open, causing all of us to look in its direction, only for Vivian to poke out, who smiled upon seeing everyone.
Stepping out she pulled out a jar holding a heart, along with something resembling a red parasite flailing inside, and shook it with a smile.
"I go–" "Shhh!" Mom cut her off, causing Vivian's expression to cramp up for a moment, before she noticed Mom's pointed look at the child she was holding.
Nodding quickly, she sped walked up to us.
"I'll skip the good news," Vivian said in a lower tone and a smile, before looking at Sakura with a slight look of worry. "Though I think it's best we don't waste time with her health, so I'll need to start my operation on her," Vivian expressed.
Mom looked a smidge apprehensive, before she gave a resigned sigh. "Alright," she said, while gently removing the child from herself.
Sakura seemed to react negatively to the sudden loss of Mom's embrace, and she started twitching.
Seeing this, Vivian tossed me the jar on impulse.
I caught it on reflex, but I shot her an annoyed glance, for the sudden scare.
Vivian didn't seem to care, as she placed her hand on Sakura's head, while using the other to carry her, and her thrashing suddenly stopped.
The girl almost went limp in her arms, and Vivian quickly pressed her up to her own body, to ensure she wouldn't simply fall off.
Letting out a slight breath, Vivian glanced at me, before looking at the others. "I'll take Al with me," she said in a hushed tone.
"We'll head on home to do the 'de-worming'," she explained, earning nods from the two.
"We'll start on cleanup then," Artoria stated matter of factly, and Mom nodded along.
"I'll inform you once the operation is done, and I'll see you tomorrow, Saber," Vivian hurriedly said her goodbyes, before quickly turning around, and heading for the door.
Looking at the two, I gave a small wave. "What she said," I said with a smile.
Mom smiled back, and shrugged. But she looked incredibly tired. "Make sure to help if she asks," Mom remarked gently.
Taking a step forward, Artoria gave a crisp nod. "I thank you for allowing me in on this extermination, and I will see you on the morrow," she said stoically, but she looked surprisingly satisfied.
Turning around, I started heading for the door. "Good luck with the rest of the extermination!" I remarked lightly.
Walking into the staircase, I was greeted by Morgan holding Sakura.
Raising a brow, I gently closed the door behind me, and fixed her with an incredulous look.
"Taking chances now, aren't we?" I remarked dryly.
Morgan huffed, and turned around, causing Sakura's hair to sway gently. "Oh please," she huffed. "Artoria couldn't sense me if I was under her nose," she remarked dismissively, before slightly twisting her body, extending a hand to me.
"Ready to see Avalon work its magic?" She offered with an edge of haughtiness.
Smiling, I grabbed her hand.
"I'd be a fool to say no."
—
80 Hours, 16 Minutes And 12 Seconds Until Zero
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Sorry for the late chapter, my group project was harder than I thought, and I needed to redo the entire thing, and with another assignment on the horizon, I had to sort my priorities.
Though I hope that a 7K chapter would sate some of your disappointment.
Now, onto the chapter.
What did you think? Should I have split it in two, and increased the content of what happened? Was it a realistic way of going about infiltrating the Matou estate?
Please, tell me your impressions of the chapter, as I'd like to know, as I felt a bit off my game, as I have had a lot to do.
Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me!
https://discord.gg/kdd5mnXc
Now I'm tired and have a fuck ton of Uni stuff to do, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, I need motivation, or some shit like that.