18My King Can't be this Green
Chapter 2: Horror sesson in Tohsaka residence
Night had descended on Fuyuki City faster than Altria had anticipated not that it really mattered to the liberated heroic spirit. Day or night all that was important was her having a good time and right now she was in need of a good time. Strolling down the street she rummaged through her mind thinking of where she could head to next when an idea crossed her mind. Ever since Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern had returned to life, the girls aside from Illya, Saber and Saber Alter, were forced to leave although, but they did continue to visit Shirou and his parents when they needed it. And there was one of those people in particular that came to mind, a bossy know it all Magus who happened to own a frumpy red coated Archer. With a whimsical grin she zoomed down the street leaving a trail of smoke in her wake.
"Oh where, oh where could my master and servant be?" she sang to herself. "Ah!"
Coming to a grinding halt she spied the red bricked manor of the Tohsaka family looming in the background like the haunted mansions one would see in a ghost story. Altria couldn't help but envision the interior of the manor being cloaked in darkness. There would be a chill in the air as a shadowy figure would lurk in the doorway. As she thought of this, Altria felt a wicked idea fill her mind as she carefully slipped through the gate her body slithering across the ground like an anaconda all the while her green face took on a serpent-like countenance.
Reaching the window she hopped to her feet and turned to face the viewers with a whimsical smile and pointed.
"Victims!" she cried and pressed her face against the window till it became smeared across it.
Inside the living room, Rin was sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea the young magus dressed in her usual red sweat shirt and black mini skirt. Sitting adjacent to her was the stoic yet cynical grey haired bowman wearing a black button up shirt and matching pants. The two were chatting and apparently discussing something to which the green king could only grin. Because what could be better on a lovely night such as this that the Tohsaka manor become like a haunted house?
Giggling she reached behind her pulling out a large trunk and plopped it onto the ground. She then reached down and pulled it open only to be blasted by a blast of ghostly green air to which she quickly forced the lid back down.
"Mmm ectoplasmic," Altria giggled licking the spiritual substance off her lips.
Redirecting the trunk toward the manor the green knight let out a low laugh which became drowned out by the loud roar of the trunk as the lid went flying off.
Tonight was proving to be a bit peaceful for a change not that Rin minded it, if anything she enjoyed it. Given all the chaos that had happened since the Tiger Grail War it was nice to actually enjoy a nice quiet evening for a change. And the company wasn't bad either, Rin thought with a small smile gazing over to her servant who was lying back and took a sip of tea. Yes, it was all perfect, a bed of roses to be sure but yet something in the back of the young magus's mind told her something was off.
"You seem troubled Rin," Archer remarked drawing the girl away from her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
"N-no, I'm alright I was just thinking of…" she trailed off trying to come up with a plausible response.
The red bowman cocked an eyebrow, "You okay?"
"Yeah…I was just enjoying the peace and quiet." She sighed before breaking into a tsundere scowl. "W-what's that look for?!"
Archer frowned, "Rin…what's really on your mind?"
"Archer does something feel a little off to you?" she asked.
Archer was about to answer when his steel grey eyes shifted to the window upon seeing a bright ghoulish green glow. He got up to go and look when the manor began to rumble and shake making both master and servant gasp. A loud boom sounded and the drawers and furniture clattered until the entire house seemed like it would fall apart. Rin gasped and went to duck under the table when she fell onto it with a loud smack followed by a loud crash from the chandelier. Darkness filled the house and went Rin opened her eyes she noticed the shaking had stopped.
"Rin are you okay?" Archer ran over and quickly helped her up.
"Yeah, I'm alright but what was that?" she asked. "Were we under attack?"
Archer grimaced, "I don't know but given how bizarre things had been lately it wouldn't surprise me."
Rin felt a bead of sweat flow down her face when she felt her skin tingle and she let out a puff of warm breath. She gasped upon seeing it and noticed the room was getting colder for some reason. Archer noticed as well and quickly switched into his servant outfit and called forth Kanshou and Bakuya. A loud rattle from behind jarred Rin's attention and she slowly craned her head toward the china cabinet. Suddenly something whizzed by the doorway vanishing down the corridor and made the girl gasp. Thump, the sound came from overhead the loud pounding of heavy footsteps slamming against the floor like sledge hammers.
"Archer!" Rin called but he was already ahead of her and before long he was zooming up the stairs and vanished down the corridor.
Rin rubbed her arms feeling her body begin to grow numb when something slick brushed by her foot. She yelped and jumped away looking around for the cause when a loud bang came from the kitchen. Swallowing the lump in her throat she went to investigate and once she stepped foot into the room she froze upon seeing a figure standing with their back turned. Surprised, her attitude quickly turned to outrage believing she found the intruder.
"You!" she barked, "How did you get in here?!"
The figure said nothing and appeared to not hear her but this only served to anger Rin further as she rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm out. The mage crest crackled to life magical energy pulsing down her arm to her open hand.
"I don't know who you are but you will regret intruding in my home," she growled, "now turn around and face me!"
The figure cocked its head and just before she was about attack the intruder the stranger spoke.
"Is that anyway to address your father, Rin?"
Rin gasped and felt her eyes widen when the figure turned around revealing a middle aged man with short light brown hair, deep blue eyes and a short goatee. He was suave possessing the kind of dignified air of a magus from a prestigious lineage. A small smirk creased his smooth round face as if the girls shock was a joke. Tears began to well up in Rin's eyes for the man before her was a person she hadn't seen since his passing in the Fourth Grail War. He was Tokiomi Tohsaka, her father.
"No way…" she whispered covering her mouth to hold back the whimper forming in her throat.
"It's been a long time Rin," he said stepping toward her. "You've grown so much since I last saw you."
"Father…how are you…are you really here?" she stuttered and began to walk over to him reaching out to him.
Tokiomi grinned and put his arms around her pulling her close to which she could only return the hug. Was this some kind of miracle? She wondered hoping what she was experiencing was real. Rin was so lost in her joy when her nose caught a whiff of something it was faint but as she sniffed the air she felt a chill run down her spine. It was a stale, clammy, meaty smell like a piece of beef that had been left out to rot in the sun only to be refrigerated and thawed out again. Slick, she froze her fingers rubbing her father's back feeling something wet and syrupy cling to her fingers. Sweat poured down her face and slowly Rin broke away from her father stepping back a good couple of feet.
At that moment her face turned ghostly white tears flowing down her face as she saw where what once stood her father was a rotting corpse. Moldy green skin clung to a melting face which stilled smiled at her exposing the row of yellowed teeth that had been weathered by decay. Yellowish slime dripped down from the shriveled torso staining the tiled floor in waxy pools which sizzled upon contacting the air.
"W-wha…at's…wrong?" the oozing horror gurgled holding out a bony hand.
Unable to hold it any longer Rin screamed and extended out her finger and peppered the entity with a barrage of Gandr Shot. Like a flimsy sheet of paper the bullets of magical energy tore through the ghost. But to her shock the ghoul grinned at her and began to shamble toward her, and she noticed the ghost began to regenerate. She screamed and ran back into the living room only to be tripped by a disembodied hand which grabbed her by the ankle. Rin smacked into the floor with a loud smack and swatted the hand away and cried.
"ARCHER!" the name of her servant echoed through the house and sure enough the red bowman came down from the ceiling and sliced the ghostly hand in two.
"Rin are you alright?!" he cried.
"No I'm not alright!" The magus screamed, "I just hugged a ghost that looked like my father and I just got tripped by a severed hand!"
Archer grimaced, "Well I just got through dealing with a guy with a machete and a giant spider that had decided to take residence in your bedroom."
Rin froze upon the last the statement causing her face to twitch she had a giant spider in her room? She was jarred back to reality when hundreds of red eyes peered out at them from the darkness leering at them in dark hunger. Great things were going from bad to worse; she thought pressing her back to Archer's when a tall woman emerged from the shadows.
"Oh god…" she whimpered, "M…mom?!"
"What?!" the red bowman whirled around placing himself between his master and the black haired woman stared at them with fiery red eyes. Aoi Tohsaka gave a dark smile revealing a pair of fangs which were as white as her pale skin.
"Come to me my child…" she hissed and slowly walked toward them.
"Oh god… oh god…" Rin gripped her head and fell to her knees unable to bare the sight of seeing her long dead mother coming toward her as a vampire.
"Rin, get a hold of yourself," Archer bellowed glancing back at her, "Don't start to…"
His words were cut short when Aoi was standing in front of him and grabbed him by the lapel of his coat and pulled him forward.
"I'm thirsty," she purred, "you'll do."
Archer tried to slash at her when she flung him down onto the table and yanked his neck to the side exposing it. His face creased the fear becoming evident as the vampire lowered its head down to his throat and was about to sink the gleaming fangs into the soft flesh. Rin gasped and upon seeing her servant in danger she leaped to her feet and pulled out a blue sapphire and began screeching out a Germanic magic spell.
"Get away from my Archer!" she thundered and threw the gem which struck Aoi in the forehead before it burst into a flash of light. The house shook as a light brighter than the sun shined through the windows before it was followed by a loud bang. Silenced followed and when the dust cleared the house was quiet revealing a dazzed Archer and a panting Rin who was trembling in both fear and rage.
"You may have looked like her but you were not my mother," she grunted, "and no one touches my Archer."
She then walked over to Archer and gently helped him up all the while he groaned and rubbed his forehead. While he was recovering Rin began to feel out the house her senses searching for the source of the sudden paranormal activity. There had to be something, someone had to have cast a curse or left some trace behind. And once she would find it she would trace it back to that person and make them pay oh, would they pay.
"You have got to be kidding me," she cursed, "there's not a trace of any magic having been used."
Archer quirked an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"
"Very sure," she growled her fists clenching till they popped. "Whoever did this was discrete they covered up their trail easily."
Before her partner could answer a loud shrill laugh echoed in the air followed by the lights suddenly coming back on. They looked at each other baffled by what they had seen when Rin saw someone sitting on the stairs. Altria sat back her head thrown back as she laughed having pulled a real show stopper of a prank.
"Man that was great!" she cried, "You two should have seen the looks on your faces it was better than any horror flick!"
Rin scowled, "So you're the one who did this!"
"Guilty as charged sweetheart," the green knight replied in a mobster accent.
Archer glared at her when he noticed the white gown and the silver armor fitted over it but what struck him most was the green face which looked familiar. It wasn't until he noticed the blonde hair that his face paled.
"Saber is that you?" he asked.
"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" she cried leaping off the stairs only to land in front of them.
"You're as perceptive as ever, nice deduction skills Archer."
Rin blinked and stared at her, "Saber what happened to your face?"
"I had a makeover and I'm feeling FABULOUS!" she boomed which knocked Rin and Archer off their feet.
"What do you mean makeover?!" Rin grunted and got back up, "and you say you did all of this just now?"
"That I did little red know it all pants," Altria giggled, "and it was funny."
Rin and Archer looked at each other in unease before she decided to probe the newly flamboyant King of Knights. She created a complete illusion using a magic well beyond of the five True Magics this world that she grimaced, recalling just how real looking the visages of her parents had been.
"Saber… did you undergo a class change or did you possess abilities you were hiding from Shirou and the others?" Rin ask for Altria.
Altria quirked an eyebrow before she laughed, "Maybe I did you…maybe I've become something more than a servant."
Curious about her statement both Rin and Archer were about to ask her what she meant when Altria reached behind her and pulled out a giant box wrapped in green wrapping paper and plopped it in front of them.
"Can't stay would love to chat but I've got places to be," she smirked, "Ciao!"
And in a cloud of dust she zipped out of the house leaving a stunned Rin and Archer alone in the living room. Shaking it off, Rin looked over to the box and carefully opened it and the moment she did a loud pop followed as the box erupted into a stream of chicken feathers which clung to them like glue. Silence followed before a large vein formed on Rin's forehead and she stomped the ground and yelled.
"SABER!"