Chapter Text
In the Tea room of Mayohiga, the home of the most enigmatic and arguably dangerous youkai in all of Gensokyo, sat its owner Yukari Yakumo. She sat at the end of the table, teacup in hand and a smile on her face as she enjoyed the company of those with her.
Zelretch, the Wizard Marshal. A man far older than he looked, and possibly the oldest and most dangerous human in the world, from a human perspective.
Scathach, the Queen of Dun-Scaith. A demigoddess of Gaelic origin who was beyond the concept of time and had trained great heroes of myth and legend.
Merlin, the Great half-Incubus of Arthurian myth himself who found humans curious to watch, but a hassle to deal with directly.
Just one of these people were beyond what average people could even comprehend, and even the most powerful Magus of the reverse side of the world would not be able to even hold a candle to any of them. Together in the same room the four of them were literally the most powerful beings on the whole planet, capable of overturning it or destroying it if they willed it.
Of course, they didn’t want such a thing. Scathach watched and protected the world from her citadel, Merlin watched the world from his tower, Yukari from Mayohiga, and Zelretch watched over the Clock tower and occasionally messed with them. Each of them acted in the world and acted with the best intentions, acting selfishly for their own amusement only when it would not endanger the world, or when such a machinations would help the world instead.
Of course the definition of help was a little blurred for most of them. None of them being wholly human, their ideas and thoughts on humanity and the world was different than humans themselves would see. Zelretch understood mages, but often found them arrogant simple minded and foolish. Merlin hated humans, but found them fun to watch. Scathach found humans to weak in general, that they could be snuffed out so simply because most simply did not care to improve themselves. Yukari found humans both in and out of Gensokyo to be curious, interesting in their variety and enduring capabilities compared to Youkai who merely were, and never changed, yet also did not trust most of them.
One would expect a meeting of such powerful manipulators and observers to be a chaotic, dangerous, even world ending affair. Yet, since they had all arrived no words had been said, the four of them merely drinking tea provided by Yukari’s Familiars Familiar, a small Nekomata catgirl named Chen, who was so overwhelmed by the array of power before her that she dared not speak as he sat meekly in the corner of the room Behind Yukari
Finally, after what must have been almost an hour of tea sipping silence, Scathach spoke up. “As enjoyable as this calm is, we do have business that must be attended to.”
“It shall be, once the answer arrives,” Yukari said with a slight smile.
“Ah, the great Yukari has an answer already does she?” Merlin asked curiously a flower petal pun about in his teacup.
“Despite this meeting to be where we decide how to approach the current issue at hand?” Zelretch added, also seeming amused even if his words did not match.
“She is not a guarantee, but I am sure once you see whom I am suggesting to deal with our problem, you will realize there is none better,” Yukari said confidently as she sipped the last of here tea and then smirked.
“Then we shall-,” Scathach began to say, only to stop and look to the door. “This . . . .”
“Good, Ran, please enter,” Yukari said just as a shadow appeared outside the door. Silently, the door was then opened, and Yukari’s nine tailed Fox Familiar, Ran, stood there with a bow before stepping to the side, allowing another to step forward, and Chen to scamper out of the room faster than any normal human would have been able to see.
The woman was tall and athletically built and was wearing long Red pants, a rarity in Gensokyo, with a simple white buttoned down shirt covering her torso. Her hair was bleach white and so long it nearly touched the floor, yet was filled with tied shinto talismans that also seemed sewn into her pants at irregular places. Her hands were in her pants pockets, while between her lips was a basic and clearly self-made Cigar wrapped in rice paper giving her a very rough and uncaring feel and atmosphere to her. She looked directly to Yukari and spoke, her tone devoid of the respect that most average people would give her. “What do you want Yukari?”
The room was silent as the four great being stared at the red headed women, and she them. After almost a full minute Zelretch chuckled a bit before switching over to a full bodied laugh.
“Yes, yes you are right Yukari, there would be little better to deal with this than one who could not die in the first place!”
“Hmmm, the Phoenix of Nippon, yes?” Merlin asked with a smile. “Not even demi-gods would be able to handle that in most cases.”
“Even gods would have trouble dealing with this,” Scathach commented as she squinted. “What is the other thing?”
“The Hourai Elixer, no?” Zelretch asked, though it was less a question than a statement. “The only true mystery that has ever managed to created absolute perfect immortality, beyond even that of the gods work and True ancestors. A drink beyond Human understanding in any and all forms.”
Mokou looked at the ones she did not recognize around the table, giving each a few seconds of attention as if judging them, before looking to Yukari again. “Who are these clowns?”
“Friends of mine,” Yukari said with a strange smile as she pointed to each. “Zelretch, Merlin, and Scathach. Everyone, this is Fujiwara No Mokou. The one who drank the Hourai Elixer, and who sublimated the power of Japan’s own sole immortal Phoenix.”
“That’s nice, but what is the reason I am here?” Mokou asked instantly, not bothering with even greeting the supposed Friends of Yukari.
Such an idea seemed awfully unlikely after all.
“Ha, it’s been a long time since I heard such insolence to my presence. Damn is that refreshing!” Zelretch said with a chuckle.
“What he means, is that we are here to decide how to deal with a problem outside of this closed land,” Scathach spoke up seriously. “One that if unattended could affect the whole world. Gensokyo included.”
“And it seems that dear Yukari here believes you would be the perfect response to dealing with the problem,” Merlin spoke up with a smile. “And I agree.”
Mokou looked at Merlin, noticed a flower forming on the table, and snapped her finger toward it. The flower burst into flame in that same second before she looked to Yukari. “Details or I walk.”
“Some of the details will fly over your head right now,” Yukari started with a nod, “however to explain it simply, there is a battle for a mystical wish granting object that will soon begin outside of Gensokyo. Its power is more limited than the people outside believe, but it is still powerful, and the battle for it, normally regulated by rules, is having its rules bent and manipulated. If the ones doing this take the item, it may result in untold chaos, as well as possible severe damage to the Hakurei Border.”
“To put it in simpler terms, we need someone to join the wargame for this item, on a neutral side with no allies, and kill a small number of specific participants,” Merlin added as he gestured to Mokou. “And Yukari seems to be suggesting you, for such a role.”
“Why?” Mokou asked with an exasperated sounding sigh, making it clear to the others that Yukari had likely made a number of absurd requests in the past to this woman.
“Your immortality would make failure much less likely, and while the Grail could not give you the death you so seek, it would be able to give you a number of lesser wishes to be granted without too much difficulty,” Yukari said with a soft smile. “Of course, that assumes you actively fight for the grail itself.”
“And this has the potential of endangering Gensokyo?” Mokou asked, her gaze no leaving Yukari’s.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The wishes that a few aim for, and the means they intend to use to reach them, will destabilize magic across the whole world and intertwine the various, and very separate, systems that exist. This would break many magic’s in all of the systems that exist, and severely damage, or possibly break, the Hakurei Barrier.”
Mokou stood there for a moment before pulling a hand out of her pocket and sliding the door behind her shut before she stepped up to the table and abruptly sat down at the empty ide closest to the door. “I will need details. All of them.”
“Of course,” Yukari said as she gestured to Zelretch.
“Pass the buck, fine I get it, I’m culpable. The Holy grail war is a war designed normally for seven Magus, Mages from outside of Gensokyo that hide from public view, fight each other in a battle royal for a Wish granting device known as the Holy Grail. They fight this war using their own bloodline’s magic, as well as b summoning the spirits of long dead spirits of legends that also aim for the grail themselves.”
“Wouldn’t pulling souls out of hell anger the Yama?” Mokou asked, eyes glancing at Yukari.
“Ordinarily yes, the pulling of souls out from the afterlife would harm the balance of life and death,” Zelretch began to explain. “These summoned souls are known as Servants, and are more like a portion of the spirit that, upon death, is copied into a system known as the throne of heroes.”
“The copy does have all the originals knowledge and personality, and can affect them if their wish would,” Merlin added with a knowing smile. “There have been couple instance of them using their wish to alter parts of their lives, changing their myth completely, but when they do so it also alters the original soul and, due to some very old contracts, does not create issues with the afterlife.”
“You are getting away from the proper information,” Sathach commented with a sigh. “ Servants are classified in seven different classes according to their myths, abilities, and most prominently used weaponry, and are summoned into life by the Magus, who acts as a tether for their power in the war to fight for them. The winning pair of master and servant, would normally reciev the grail for their victory, and it’s wish.”
“Yes, this war however is different,” Zelretch continued with a sigh. “Because roughly sixty years ago, the grail was stolen from the city it normally occurs in and only now has resurfaced. Its security feature has activated a special mode, where instead of seven Magus fighting for the grail, it is two teams of seven, a total of fourteen masters, and fifteen servants.”
“You mean fourteen,” Mokou said as she looked at Zelretch like he was child forgetting basic math.
“No. this war is a bit different than usual. Due to being a team based war, it has a neutral unaligned Servant powered and tethered but the grail to act as an overseer, both to make sure the rules of the war are followed, and to make sure that the common masses do not learn about it. That Servant is an Extra Class known as Ruler,” Zelretch explained before letting out a sigh. “Unfortunately, there has been a, glitch shall we say. The first Ruler found a way to insert themselves into the war as a master themselves, which prompted the summoning of a Second Ruler who would be impartial. However, due to Ruler already being summoned, the second Rulers summoning was incomplete and they will not be capable of utilizing all of their abilities, which also means they may have difficulty keeping the war hidden and it’s rules kept.”
“And that is before taking into consideration what the masters of each side themselves are planning to wish for should they win,” Scathach stated as she took out a palm sized chunk of carved emerald and began tracing something on it with a small knife..
“Exactly. We would like the leaders of each faction dealt with and killed, the false ruler, and Darnic Yygdmillenia,” Zelretch said as he looked at Mokou with eyes that immediately told her he was normally a meddler, but in this regard was being serious. “They are the two targets who must die. Further, if you could take the grail yourself, or merely remove it from the battle entirely and end the grail war, that would be the best outcome, though it is not required.”
“And how would I exactly break into a wargame that sounds like Danmaku but with awkward souls that regret their lives?” Mokou asked, sounding rather unimpressed by the whole explanation. “And why not deal with it yourselves if this is such a big deal?”
“We are, unfortunately, bound by rules of our own just like Yukari is,” Merlin said with a halfhearted chuckle. “As to how we would get you in, well, you are already a mystical entity being that you are both an immortal human, and part phoenix. So with some minor spell modifications, and a bit of easy manipulation we can slot you right into the war as another Extra class. You don’t count as being alive or dead due to the phoenix, so the grail would have no issue with it.”
“I assume the other participants would?” Mokou countered.
“Yes, but their opinions do not matter,” Scathach added simply. “Most of the Servants are entirely selfish and self-serving like their masters. Their opinions, or deaths, would affect little if anything.”
“Alright, how am I supposed to find them or deal with things while I find them? Just because I am immortal doesn’t mean I don’t get hungry,” Mokou said as she recalled the many times that she died by starvation and how it was worse than most other ways to go. She had long gotten use to death by immolation after all. It didn’t even hurt much anymore.
“I’ll give you a large sum of money that should hold you over for the war,” Zelretch said simply. “Slotting you into the war the way we plan to will also give you a basic understanding of the societies outside of Gensokyo, as well as how the war works and it’s systems.”
“You have wondered haven’t you?” Yukari asked with a knowing smile. “How the world outside is like now?”
“I may have wondered since Sanae came here, yes,” Mokou admitted with a nod. Sanae was a decent girl, but the way she talked and referenced things no one understood bade her a bit strange to talk to for prolonged period of time.
“Then it’s a good chance to see the outside world you haven’t been part of in over 1000 years, no?” Yukari asked with a smile.
“And what do I get out of this?” Mokou said as she simply glared at Yukari, not believing her smile for even a second.
“You mean aside from the chance at winning the grail and its wish yourself?” Merlin asked as if he was surprise, nay insulted, about her words.
“I’m more immortal than you are and it’s been said that stupid cup couldn’t kill me in the first place, why would I want it?” Mokou asked simply, earning a slightly strange glance from Scathach.
“Ha, not often we see someone with this kind of spunk to speak to any of us like this.”
“Of course, she is more immortal than any of us except for Zelretch perhaps,” Yukari said with a smirk as she looked at Merlin with a smirk. “She could probably kill you with ease.”
“And myself?” Scathach asked with a smile that was somewhere between predatory and playful.
“Shall we find out?” Mokou responded as she gave a similar grin back to Scathach and planted a hand on the table as if to get up.
“Mokou, Scathach is a master of the spear, and of foreign runes. Your fighting style would not go well against her own, though you could likely power through regardless. Perhaps you could fight her at a later time when Gensokyo is not in danger, yes?”
“Fine, but that doesn’t answer my question,” Mokou pressed.
“If a wish upon the grail does not appeal to you, perhaps claiming a favor from me would?” Yukari suggested with a devilish smile.
“Make it two and we have a deal,”
“One,” Yukari stated.
“Two.”
“One,”
“How about one favor from Yukari, and a lesser favor or gift from each of us so long as it is something we can do?” Scathach suggested ending the back and forth that she knew would get old fast.
“Deal,” Mokou then accepted, giving Yukari no time to say anything.
“Then I suppose we have some prep work to be done to make your existence accepted as a servant as smooth as possible then,” Zelretch said with a grin. “So, ready to act as an Avenger class servant?”
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Lancer of Red, The Hero of Charity and the Son of the Sun god, Karna. He was supremely powerful being. Even as a servant he knew that few would be able to hold against his might for long. As a Demi-god among mere men, his power was unrivaled, and his father’s powers of the sun flowed through his veins, giving him unrivaled strength and vitality and power incapable of equal.
At least that was what he had thought.
His first mission of the war given unto him by his master through their team’s commander was simple. Ruler was likely to endanger their chances in the war, so she must be eliminated. It was a simple mission, and upon encountering the Woman who was Ruler he could tell that eliminating her would not require even half of his full power. She might be skilled, but a mere girl would be no match to his flames, though he would use enough power to destroy her as painlessly as possible.
It was the least he could do for such a young and innocent looking girl who was so out of her element and ability..
His flames soared toward the blonde woman that was Ruler, intent on ending her in one fell swoop, only for the sound of screaming flames not his own to pull his attention skyward and barely see a great flaming spear crash down to the ground right between he and Ruler. His flames stuck whatever crashed down between him and his foe, and for a moment all that could be seen were flames. Whatever servant had gotten in his way was dead and gone, and he merely needed to once more-
“Wow, pretty warm,”
Karna blinked in surprise at the new female voice she heard from within the blazing flames. It was not Euler’s voice. It was deeper, rougher. It sounded uncaring in a way that caught him off guard. As if it was bored. Disconnected.
A second later the roaring flames seemed to rise to new heights that was not by his command, and then they simply burst apart and disappeared completely, revealing the woman responsible for the interruption.
She was taller than Ruler by a small amount with very Long white hair and a strange red and white bow in it. She was wearing a simple short sleeved white shirt, a red vest and black pants with strange white and red pieces of some form of material sewn into them. Her forearms had bandaged wrapped around them, and like his own, her eyes were blazing crimson. She did not look like some great historic hero or villain, conqueror or savior; she merely looked like a woman with oddly pale hair and skin.
He wouldn’t have even considered her a danger if he could not see her eyes. Eyes disconnected with danger, unflinching before his might and power, eye’s that looked at him as if he, the son of the sun god, was worth absolutely nothing before her. No one with eyes like that could be considered anyone until he knew as such for certain.
“You, who are you to stand before me?” Karna demanded to know, though his tone was not aggressive, merely firm.
“No one important, just someone who figured they would interrupt this farce called a war,” the white haired woman said with an uncaring tone and a shrug of her shoulders.
Karna glared down at her. “I would know the name of the one whom I am about to kill, Servant of black.”
The woman chuckled, as she took a few steps forward and held a hand out to her side, flames forming in her palm and coiling up around her whole arm. “Try all you want, you can’t kill me spandex boy. And I ain’t no servant of black.”
“You are not of our faction, so you must be of Black you arrogant shrew.”
“One,” the woman said as she held up a finger, “It’s not arrogance if I know it as fact, and two, I’m not part of either of your teams because I’m an Irregular,” She declared as she snapped her arms back, the flames shifting from her arms to her back, forming grand wings of flame. “I won’t tell you my name yet, but I guess I can tell you my class for this stupid war of yours. I’m an Extra class, and you can call me Avenger.”