Hero of Charity

He barely noticed the presence of another Servant, only getting a glimpse of the silver-haired swordsman as he dove right back in to the fray– the heavens trembling once more an explosion of lightning cascaded in to the spot Karna’s Noble Phantasm had just hit.

“GOOOOLDEEEN–”

“SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!!!”

     But with the beast restricted, Kintoki could do more– and more he did.

Remaining latched onto the beast, his grip on Golden Eater changed– and it’s chainsaw-like blade activated as electricity surged from both it and Kintoki’s body. He was golden, truly– a bright ball of golden electricity beginning to cut in to the creature’s body, worsening the wound they had already given the beast even further.

“ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA–”

     Kintoki’s shouts began to jumble into one another, forming a continuous battle cry as he viciously continued his onslaught, the titan letting out a groan as it was unable to swat him away.

Truly, this is where he shined as a Berserker. Even as the voices began to cloud his mind, screams filling Kintoki’s ears, he attacked and attacked and attacked.

… It was a good thing that their chains were magical clay, what with the electric attacks Kintoki was unleashing.

And- who was that? 

It took them a second to identify that presence. Formerly small and submissive, but more than strong enough to hold his own beside them now. They hadn’t thought to call Saber. That had been their mistake. They would not make it again.

They formed a small body with the clay they could spare, and waved. “Saber! Please tell me if you need me to keep it busy while you prepare an attack!” The ’and try not to break me’ was implied. Attacks from divine opponents were not a huge concern in this form, but if they were hit by Siegfried’s Noble Phantasm they were not confident that they would emerge unscathed. 

“Saber of Black, we have an opportunity.”

Berserker was doing well to hold his own against the best while Enkidu kept it chained, which left the other two on the ground free to mount some sort of assault while it was occupied. They might not get this sort of chance again so it was best to act quickly.

“We’ll strike it together and see if it still has the strength to stand.”

     He doesn’t sound happy at all, however– but it’s not as if he’s particularly annoyed to see the white-haired man again. This Servant was, after all, actually rather decent.

But to say he had interacted with Karna back in the Moon Cell would be a lie. They had hardly ever spoken– or if they had, he’s already forgotten. But this man was a quiet one to begin with, wasn’t he? And they had no reason to really talk to one another, anyways.

So you could say that this was their true first meeting.

“Before you respond– of course it isn’t happy, I was being sarcastic.”

“There’s nothing happy about being in this place again. I feel as though this sort of clarification is necessary with you, however. You’re welcome.”

He thought to say something else past his intended initial response, but was cut off by the author. The Caster was abrasive, but that much wasn’t new. Karna was never one to be moved by words alone, and even a master writer would need to do better to hide the tiniest bit of sincerity with just a sharp tongue. He’d simply accepted that this was part of his nature and pride, and was fine with that.

There was however, something that struck him as odd about his words. A single word in fact that stuck out to him that he felt the need to question.

“Certainly you’ve made yourself clear. You have my thanks for erasing any potential misunderstandings.”

“Thank you both for covering me. Please brace yourselves.” The beast was preparing to retaliate on a larger scale. It had restricted its lasers to the sky for the most part, but their assault had drawn its attention to the ground. 

O’ humans- let us bind the gods above. 

Enuma Elish.

A pillar of clay rocketed past Karna and Kintoki and met the projectiles halfway. The attacks canceled each other out perfectly, dealing no damage to either side… Though the shockwave shattered several nearby windows. Underwhelming, but exhilarating all the same. 

Their body did not bother to return to its ordinary shape before bursting into a tangle of chains that wrapped around the beast’s limbs. (Anchoring there with spikes buried into its skin. Not that it seemed to bother the beast at all.) 

They could prevent it from attacking for a time, leaving the others room to prepare more powerful blows. Hopefully the others would understand their intentions. It was hard to form a functioning mouth when their entire body had turned to chains. 

He could read it clearly by looking at the beast. He heard every sound and every word the voices in his mind made as he faced it. Still he wouldn’t be made to falter, after all, there was nothing the voices were saying that he hadn’t heard before. 

Flames gathered around his spear, and with a flourish he’d cause them to spread further. Taking a single solid stance, he’d pull back his throwing arm with his spear in hand, preparing a blow meant to lay waste to nations.

“Brahmastra Kundala!” 

Without mercy or hesitation, the spear was thrown carrying the full weight of Karna’s might behind it. It flew and struck the same spot as Enkidu’s initial blow, sending flames in all directions like a ballistics missile. Unfortunately, it would take more than that to subdue the beast. However, strangely enough Karna felt a presence, and for a moment thought he saw a familiar face amidst the flames and wreckage.

“Saber of Black?”

“Is she a friend of yours Lancer? She has an interesting presence about her.” They glanced from her bearing to her shield. Not an ordinary Servant, but something of the sort. Regardless, Karna seemed to trust her abilities, and her shield was almost certainly a powerful defensive Noble Phantasm. 

“Could you take care of defense against those lasers? I can shield us all to some extent, but it will take more clay than I’d like to spare if it keeps firing at this rate. Lancer has his armor, but I cannot say the same.Though I am not sure about our other friend…”

Then, there was Mashiro.

Fully uncapped, she noticed right off that bat she was kinda… overpowered. With some effort she could destroy buildings and create large craters with only her sheer strength. So, she did what anyone would do—

—she became a fucking superhero.

Right now, she hovered above sector one. They were currently three people engaging the ugly excuse for a character in the center of the sector. They seemed to be familiar with one another. Mashiro had felt their powerful presence immediately, so surely they would be able to see the death god in her natural state. After seeing the blast and the cover provided by one girl, and her painful fall to the ground, she decided to lower herself into the fight zone. Hopefully they would recognize her as an ally, despite the insect-like appearance she held while donning her hollow mask.

And ah! Just in time. Once her barrier was broken another attack was quickly approaching. In no time (literally) she flashed to their side, luckily catching part of their conversion.

“Though I am not sure about our other friend…”

“Ya talkin’ ta me?”

“Ora, ora, Mashiro Kuna here. Ya all look like great friends an’ all, don’t mean ta crash the party either, but what do ya say if I just grant ya that cover ya needed?”

She spoke in an childish tone to the three (who appeared to be very serious). Yeah, totally. This could work.

“Seriously, I could just blow ‘em up.” And thusly she would at a moment’s notice.

They weren’t to remain a party of three; from above, the voice of another, much more ecstatic at the reclamation of her power rang out. And followed with a display as such; taking out some number of drones which had been lurking about the area. Positioning themselves around their intended prey.

Mashiro Kuna, she gave her name as. One to store for future reference.

“Your assistance would be grateful appreciated; I believe we need all the hands we have to even chip away at that monster". To say the levels on every aspect were through the roof was an understatement, if each was truly in proportion to its physical size, then the chances of success… they were uncertain, at best.

Between slabs of concrete which made the pathway leading to the flats behind her, the slim heels of her boots drove themselves. Serving to anchor her while dedicating her mana’s flow towards her companion.

If they were truly unhindered, even her Noble Phantasm was a possibility.

“This will be temporary, so we won’t have long before it’ll require using an alternative, but it should lessen just how deadly it’ll be to us for a time”.

In her mind, Shielder wanted to say she’d faced worse; but on which side was such a statement true? Purple hues, fierce in their fixation, ascended beyond the shield stationed before her.

“I do not mind the risks, so long as that goes down. There was a dream I shared with someone important to me long before here, but it applies nevertheless. I owe it to him, and to her, to see it through. Whatever it takes to prevent one world being laid to waste and see it blossom. So I intend to fight, even if it’s not my strongest suit”.

He could feel a defensive aura about him that differed from the protection of his armor and earring. Something about it was almost warm, and it filled him with a strange confidence. Weapon in hand, he addressed his fellow Lancer before proceeding.

“Mashu Kyrielight is a fellow Servant, only of a different nature. What that entails exactly, I’m not entirely certain, but we have few options worth considering.”

The newer arrival was unfamiliar, but they proved they hadn’t arrived merely to play around. Despite her manner of speaking, Karna could tell she was more than used to a battlefield, and having engaged the beast before, he knew that the more allies they had at their side, the better.

“Mashiro Kuna...I understand. Then, if you will, please cover us while we engage this beast.

“Perhaps a combined attack from us might prove effective, Enkidu.”

That said, the moment the words left his mouth, he leaped once high into the air, and once more off the side of the building propelling himself even higher to reach the beast’s head. He knew that he only had moments before the creature’s lasers blasted him out of the sky, so with the little time he had, he brought his spear down on the beast head in a graceful arc that carried the force of a monster. As the blow ‘connected’ he could already feel it preparing its counterattack.

“In that case, I will help too. Please count on me for defense while you two attack. Though I won’t be leaving all the hard work to you of course.” In this world they could not sense their ordinary source of power, but if Servants could operate without a source of mana then surely it would provide. 

Sure enough, flowers began to bloom around them. Their Noble Phantasm was not intended to cause damage (though the shock-wave often did regardless). It was not a powerful final blow or anything like that- but that was precisely what made it a reasonable strategy for this sort of thing. 

“Go.” 

The Lancer shot at the beast with the speed of a bullet. Spear in hand, he cleaved through the drones in the way as if they were never there to begin with. There numbers were considerable and near tiresome, but the real threat above made them seem like less than specs of dust in comparison.

He thought to halt its movements by going for it’s many ligaments, starting with it’s legs. Blasting off the ground, he swung his spear with all the force he could muster into the leg of the beast. Flames spilled like a torrent as he hurled a roar that shook his entire body behind the blow. However, it seemed with all of the force that he could muster, there was a similar force pushing back against him. The second his grip lessened, he found himself being flung backwards into the street as the sound of voices echoed in his mind.

“Too shallow? No...It would seem that there’s more to this beast than mere primal savagery.”

“Stay on your guard, Berserker.”

“Of course I have a plan! We just have to keep hitting it until it goes down, don’t we? You don’t have any objections, do you? I know that both of you were fighting already anyway. If you were in the middle of anything important, I can throw you back if you like, but I’m sure that three Servants of our level could deal some significant damage.” 

After all, his original target was right in front of him.

“There’s no problem. Between Mount Ashigara’s lightning, Agni’s divine fire, and force the earth itself, we have the means to impede this beast.”

“If we need only create an opening before attempting to land a decisive blow, I believe Berserker and I have the tools.”

He lowered his spear and prepared to strike at the rampaging beast as it towered above them.

From the sheer scale of the monstrosity which rampaged, Shielder felt it necessary to attack from a new angle and wrangled a ride to Olympia. Upon which she stood in opposition much higher than any others combating the horrific sextuplets.

She’d practiced the move only once before, and at such a long time ago by this point. Slamming the shield’s base into the concrete, she fired herself forward like the bullet of a gun, racing through the air to penetrate and execute the enemy.

Long before she could even make contact with the hostile, lasers were firing off from its enormous form. Only by raising Lord Camelot’s impenetrable defences were they not vaporized.

But the saving grace had knocked her off course and she was ricocheting towards the city. More mana she pooled into the shield’s strength and prayed on the durability of a Servant’s body.

Her eyes had been closed and braced for impact when her body smashed into a block of flats. And when she stirred, it had fallen onto the ground, from where she recognized one of the two on the other side of the shrubbery.

So dazed, she wouldn’t even attempt to get onto her feet just yet. “Lancer-san…? Where approximately is this?”

However, he had no intention of letting her face this threat by herself. Once again he was accompanied by his fellow Lancer, and he helped the girl on her feet before explaining the situation.

“We’re in what remains of Sector One. While I’m uncertain of how you reached here with normal means of transport restricted, It would seem this wasn’t your intended destination.”

“However, as seems to be our fate, where we once again stand is a battleground, and retreating is not an option. Stand and fight, Mashu Kyrielight, know you do so with allies at your side.”

This was not the first time that Enkidu had fought an ‘invincible’ opponent, but they’d never faced one alone. Gilgamesh was somewhere out there, but given the result of their last joint battle, they thought it best to skip him for now.

They kept one hand pressed to the ground, and the other out ahead to create shields against incoming attacks. With a third, newly twisted from the clay of their robes, they plucked their phone from their pocket. It took almost a full minute for them to find their contacts. Another minute to remember how to scroll. Half a second to notice that there were no pictures to identify their countless contacts, and less than that to toss the phone aside.

Those two were nearby. Two pillars of immeasurable strength. Hah- to think their friends were so powerful! Could that be considered a personal skill?

Two threads of clay spun from their hair and stretched out behind them, each with a different destination. One for the Berserker clad in gold, and one for the Lancer cloaked in sunlight. Each strand twisted and turned around buildings and trees, pulling additional clay from the ground as needed. When they reached their targets, they wrapped around their wrists and gave a gentle tug. 

One glance at the area showed how much he needed left to do, and he only needed one swipe of his spear to accomplish that. As one of the mechanical horrors lunged at him, he flourished his spear once and sent the street awash with roaring flames. However, before he could ponder his next move, something strange had wrapped itself around his wrist and pulled. There was no time to ponder the nature of the strange object, but he knew that it wasn’t hostile. At least, not entirely.

He soared through the air, closer and closer to the towering figure, and while he still had many questions the familiar green ahead of him made things clear.

“Have you forgotten about your cellphone, Enkidu? Though this is certainly a faster method of transport, I assume this means that you also don’t have a plan in mind.”

Which was to be expected considering his fellow Lancer’s nature. He wasn’t expecting much in the way of strategy from their other comrade, but he was reassured by their strength in numbers if nothing else.

     – He gets close so suddenly, she almost instinctively moves away if not for those eyes pulling her back in. Two brightly contrasting colors that stood out against blanched cheeks, set upon a flat yet mysterious expression.

     She never stops smiling, staring intensely without any intention to break their gaze or even blink.

     "Oh? Getting bold, are you? You’ve barely had a few sips…“ A finger raises to interuppt the space between them, pressing forward to lightly touch upon the Lancer’s lips. "If you want a kiss, you have to earn it. Though with that voice… it’s tempting…”

“My apologies. I didn’t intend to overstep my bounds.”

If he were captivated by anything at the time, barring the sake of course, then it was her voice. As absurd as it was, he drew a faint connection to someone who might have as far removed from Shuten-douji as possible. Inclined to mull over even the smallest detail as he was, he felt it might be for the best to ignore any possible comparisons he might draw.

“Earning favor with a fellow Heroic Spirit sounds wise, though I may not be fit for such a task.”

“I- I understand… I w- was… worried a- a lot.

Death is nothing new for Servants, and it would be foolish to forget that. H- Here, the rules of expiration are different; I feel as though the reality of his existences can be put aside.

So my guard fell. And I feared losing you there. I… thought you might become trapped, and never return to us”.

Without thinking, he slipped into a more sullen tone and face. Without a doubt, her concern and her current mood was his fault entirely. Though it was partly due to the influence of the scientists, it was his mental world that trapped her in that battlefield, and his recklessness that caused her to think the worst. Had he instead fled with her instead of recklessly chasing after the shadow of a ghost, there’d be no reason for her to speculate about his demise.

“Perhaps I should have made a greater effort to see you out of that place myself.”

     Truly believing the man on the bench to be deeply asleep, she sang quietly to herself as she meandered down the brick path. Stopping in her tracks as a voice rang out behind her, she pursed her lips in remorse at her mistake.

“I hope that I did not wake you,”

He sat with his usual stiff composure and his typical serious face despite claiming to be relaxed. It was simply how he naturally carried himself, he wasn’t even aware of it. The song hardly bothered him at all, if anything he rather enjoyed it. Whether or not it woke him up was irrelevant since, in his mind at least, he shouldn’t have fallen asleep in the first place

     Though, she didn’t seem to mind. Rather, his acquiescent nature was kind of fascinating. More than that, there was something.. something intriguing, something familiar, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

     “Stop, I’ll blush~” She waves a hand dismissively, though it’s clear she was beaming from the praise.

His initial assessment of her having been rather carefree hadn’t changed much, however if he had to make another note, is that there seemed to be this constant hint of appraisal in her eyes. It was almost as if she were constantly seeking something amusing. For now he’d have to make do with the fact that he measured up to some degree.

He could only guess what a famous maneating demon would do when truly bored.

“It’s quite good. Strong, but I’d expect nothing less from a legendary oni. However if that was meant to be a challenge then...”

This was Karna. So he would clarify, regardless.

“It’s not like that. She’s been here much longer than I– and we share the same goal. We’re ‘teammates’, simply put. I bear her no ill will, either.”

“I’m glad you understand, however.”

     Though the Hero of Charity may not have liked Shirou, he was glad that the Lancer-class spirit believed in his words. He really couldn’t lie around him, anyways. … Surely, it was possible that Karna couldn’t detect the truth behind words here, but… he wouldn’t risk it.

There was no real reason for him to lie about his goals, anyways.

“Rallying the other Servants could prove beneficiary, but it’s not something that will happen anytime soon. Though, to know that we would have support in the future certainly would help. … But it’ll be a while before that happens.”

     Noting the other’s actions, with a tentative hand, he grabs a single ring.

There was little suspicion in Karna’s eyes. He had already spent long enough in the boy’s company to gauge his true character. This line of thinking of his was hardly a change of heart, it fell directly in line with his usual M.O. only on a much smaller scale. Still, simply because he had a noble goal from a broad view, didn’t change the fact that it was difficult to reconcile with his methods after having been one of his chess pieces already.

“The city can very well benefit with the combined efforts of two Ruler Class Servants. You may be able to save more lives than most.”

Time for some questions about our lovely setting! Remember your reblog karma and send some questions to those who you reblog from so everyone can get in on this meme action! Links have been provided to some of the more obscure districts for your reading pleasure. In addition, thank you to Ink, Kevin and Prof for helping me think of questions!