Escalation (X)

In the darkness someone was crying.

The dreamer didn't know who or why.

All he knew was that he wanted to put a stop to it. For what reason? Because he didn't like it. Unfortunately, he couldn't move. He had no body, you see? No legs and no arms to make his way through the darkness. And even if he had a body, how could one move about in complete nothingness?

"Seriously? Is this the best you can do? Man, you're pitiful."

The mocking voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"At this rate, you are not going to make it, you understand that, right?"

The dreamer had no idea what the voice was even talking about. It was annoying.

"No surprise there. You were always an idiot."

That, the dreamer had been told many times. Still, he didn't want to hear it coming from this guy. The voice didn't seem to care about his discontent.

"There is no point staying here. If you really have to be useless like this, you might as well go back. Enjoy what little time you have left."

That didn't sound very good. In fact, it didn't sound good at all.

"Don't forget, it's a zero sum game."

[br]

Shirou woke up with a gasp. The first thing he noticed was that he was in his room. The second thing was that the sun was already quite high. The third was the petite figure sitting seiza in a corner of the room, green eyes focused squarely on him.

"...Saber?"

"You are awake at last," she said. "How do you feel?"

"... Heavy. I can… I can hardly move," he groaned. "What happened?"

"Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked, getting up from her seat and approaching his resting place.

"The tip of my hair is about the only part that doesn't," he admitted begrudgingly. "Did a truck run me over?"

"It might as well have been. Perhaps it would have left you in a less sorry state. You don't recall what happened last night?"

"Sorry, my head is all foggy right now. Where is everybody? Is anybody hurt?"

"I should probably start from the beginning. Do you remember us leaving with Dojima-san?"

Shirou scrunched his face in thought. "Yeah, I think I remember something like that."

"Alright, so here what happened from our side."

[br]

Medea, Rin and Saber arrived at the ruined mansion in the hills through one of Caster's signature black clouds, with a disgruntled Dojima in tow. The detective stumbled and fell to his knees, nearly dropping on his face.

"Fucking magic… I'll never get used to it," he grumbled as he got up. "Why can't people do things the normal way?"

"I understand where you are coming from, detective," said Saber. "Unfortunately, it is something we must put up with."

"Whenever you are done lamenting your woes, scruffy, you can show us where you found the Magus," said Caster, tapping her foot impatiently

"Get off my back, lady. I'm not your errand boy," he snapped. "It's up on the second floor. Just follow the blood. It's not like you can miss it."

Caster rolled her eyes and walked past him and up the stairs, followed by Saber and Rin. The latter, however stopped in her tracks.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Dojima-san," she told him. "I'm still not at all convinced that your involvement with this matter is appropriate, but as the Magus responsible for this land let me express my gratitude for your help."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "That's what I get for being a stubborn old man too attached to my principles for my own good."

"Yes. You do have that in common with Emiya, it seems. I guess that's why the two of you get along. There could be worse way of living, I suppose."

"That sounds like very high praise coming from you."

Rin snorted, but did not deny Dojima's statement. She did have very high standards, for herself and everybody else.

"Are you coming with us?" she asked.

"Nah. I didn't have the chance to check the place more thoroughly on my first visit. I'll have a look around now. I might find something useful"

"Be careful. Caster would have told us if there were any lingering spells, but this is still a Magus abode and traps don't have to be strictly supernatural. Give us a shout if you come across something suspicious."

"I'll be sure to watch my steps."

"Rin, are you coming?" Saber called out from atop the stairs.

"I'll be right there," she replied and went to join her Servant.

Dojima watched her go and shook his head. They were still kids. They shouldn't have to bear this burden, but there wasn't much more he could do to help.

[br]

Saber looked around the second floor. The signs of a fight were obvious. A piece of the wall was missing and there was a huge amount of blood on the floor.

There was a trail of red footsteps from where Dojima had picked up the wounded Magus and went down the stairs. She couldn't see any trace of Kotomine's passage other than the leftovers of his handiwork.

Maybe Caster would have better luck. Presently she was examining a metal cylinder resting on the floor. It was clearly a container of some kind, with a shoulder strap. However, it was empty.

She picked it up gingerly and walked to the tear in the wall. The wind coming from the outside made her cloak flutter.

"Whatever was in this tube has made that hole in the wall," said Caster.

"A Mystic Code?" Rin asked.

"And a powerful one at that. I'm picking some faint divine residue. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's Noble Phantasm grade."

"Alright, now I really want to know who that woman is," said Rin.

"Bazett Fraga McRemitz," said Dojima, coming up from the lower floor.

"How do you know that?" asked Caster, turning around..

"Found her passport in one of the rooms downstairs," he said, handing it over to Rin. "It was taped underneath a drawer."

"Is that a common hiding spot?" asked Saber.

"People tend not to look up very often, especially when they are searching under something."

"Fraga, uh. How did Kotomine get the drop on someone like this?"

"Do you know her, Rin?" Caster asked.

"A few rumors through the grapevine. She isn't just any Magus, but an Enforcer from the Clock Tower. She's an expert killer, even by the standards of Magi. How did she let Kotomine get close enough to nearly murder her?"

"That's not important right now. We should…"

"Caster? What's wrong?"

"We have to go back! NOW!"

Caster grabbed Rin and Saber so fast that if it had been an attack it would have connected squarely. The teleportation was so violent that Saber thought she was being torn in half.

The feeling of vertigo vanished almost as quickly, and they were back in the courtyard of the Emiya household again. However, not everything was as they had left it.

[br]

At first, Medea didn't recognize what she was looking at. The shape was all wrong, bent in directions that shouldn't be possible.

Then it clicked.

"SHIROU!" she cried, rushing to his side.

"EMIYA!" Rin shouted, looking equally panicked.

Saber was silent, but not any less aghast. Her invisible sword was drawn while her eyes scanned the surroundings for any possible lingering threat.

Medea dropped to her knees, not caring that her robes would be soaked in blood.

"Don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead."

She cast one healing spell after another, but the damage was too widespread. His wounds were healing, yes, but not quickly enough. He had already lost way too much blood and he wasn't recovering fast enough to prevent the worst possible scenario.

Unlike Lancer's Master, Shirou didn't have a Crest keeping him alive. His heart was still beating but it was slowly down. He was slipping away right through her fingers.

"Caster. He will be fine, right? You can fix him," said Rin.

Caster did not answer. She was looking at him only, but with the passing of seconds her eyes grew duller and tears started flowing down her face.

"No. Please, no," she begged, never stopping casting spell. "Please don't take him from me. Please. Not him. Anyone but him."

Rin put a hand over her mouth and stepped back, feeling tears well up in her own eyes. Then she recalled the pendant hanging from her neck.

"Medea, move. Let me try..."

"What?" she asked, looking up at Rin.

Shk!

The conversation was brought short by a sound coming from Shirou's body.

"Shirou?" Caster asked hopefully.

His body twitched, almost as if it was being intermittently zapped by an electric shock. Then in the places where his flesh was ripped his skin ruptured even further, and a myriad of needle-sized blades came out.

Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk! Shk!

Like a sewing machine, they started mending every gash. The cracking and squelching sounds coming from inside his body revealed that the process wasn't just skin deep. His twisted libs where gruesomely forced back in the right position.

It was like watching a lump of meat being minced in reverse, as Shirou's body was slowly being knitted back into its rightful shape. It was a gruesome sight.

"Aligned Sword Element and Origin. Sword based healing? It makes no sense. Is he… reforging himself?"

An innate response? An automatic healing ability that activated past a certain threshold of damage? No, that wasn't it either. An application of the Reality Marble theory, more likely. But how?

While this happened, Medea kept up her barrage of healing spells. The concentrated effort from within and without had a much greater effect.

After several long minutes, all the wounds disappeared. The mesh of blades that held him together was covered by fresh, unblemished skin. His breath steadied out, although his complexion remained sickly pale. His heartbeat too was slow, but firm.

Caster bawled her eyes out in relief, holding his head to her chest.

"It's not time to relax yet," Saber warned. "What happened here? Who's responsible for this?"

"I think it might have been Rider," said Rin. "Look over there."

She pointed at the mansion, more specifically at the room where Rider had been laid to rest. The fragments of wood scattered around suggested that an explosive force had come through and arrived to the place where they now stood..

"I'm going to kill her," Caster promised. "ll turn her organs into potion ingredients and her skin in beauty products."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Saber warned. "We don't know for certain how things played out."

"No, it was Rider," Caster insisted. "I should have known. I should have figured it out. The corruption from the mud has hastened her metamorphosis into the Gorgon. She has become the monster of legend."

The identity of Rider was no longer a secret from the moment she used her Noble Phantasm earlier. Medusa the Gorgon. Devourer of Heroes.

"Then we must find her," said Saber. "If she lost control there's now way of knowing how much damage she'll make. How many people she'll harm."

"Something doesn't add up," said Rin.

"What do you mean?" asked Caster.

"Why did she run before we got here? If she has turned into a mindless monster then there would be plenty of potential victims all around us. In fact, why didn't she finish him off? Emiya must have done something. Look, he's missing another Command Seal."

They looked down at his arm, and indeed he had one less Command Seal than before, leaving him with four.

"He must have used it to save himself."

"Yes, but what command do you think he used?"

"Get away from me?" Caster suggested. "It would explain why Rider has left. Why does it matter right now?"

"It's probably what I would have said in the heat of the moment. But this is Emiya we're talking about. A guy who brought a vampire into his home out of pity."

"You think he used it to bring her back to normal," Caster concluded.

"If that's the case, why did she flee instead of helping him?" Saber asked.

"Fear? Guilt? Both? I don't know Rider all that well so I can only hazard a guess. In any event, these are just speculations. Whatever the case we still can't lose a Servant and right now Rider is a danger both to herself and to others. We need to find her and bring her back."

"I'm not leaving Shirou alone again," Caster said firmly.

"And it would be unwise to go after her alone if we still intend on subduing her."

"I will track her with my divination. She's still Shirou's Servant so it will be a simple matter keeping an eye on her remotely. If she stays put, we can wait until tomorrow to get her back."

"Is that really wise?" asked Saber, clearly worried about what manner of calamity could Rider bring forth in a populated area such as this.

"Probably," said Rin. "I'm running low on Mana too, Saber. It's been a long night already. If Rider is not an immediate threat, we should rest and recuperate. It will also be dawning soon as well. There will be a lot more people up and about in a little while. More bystanders to get in the way if things don't work out for the best, which at this point we can all agree it never happens."

Saber sighed, not at al happy. However, such were the unfortunate factors of war. All things considered, between wounds and tiredness, their combat ability was reduced to less than one fourth. Pressing onward in this state would do more harm than good.

"Very well then. Caster, I shall keep guard over our Masters. You find out where Rider has gone, please."

"... I will leave him in your care. You will let nothing else happen to him."

"I swear it on my honor."

"Then help me move him to his room. Rin you can sleep in the adjacent one, that way Saber can be close to you both."

"Futon aren't really my thing, but I'd sleep on a rock at this point," she sighed wearily.

[br]

"Yeah, I remember now. Sorry for inconveniencing you all," Shirou said once Saber was done bringing him up to speed. Saber exhaled through her nose, somehow conveying both amusement and frustration at the same time

"This much is hardly worth mentioning and you should not apologize for something you had no control over," she said.

"Then… would thank you work better?"

"It most certainly will. And you are welcome."

"Is Tohsaka still sleeping?" he asked next.

"No, she's woke up a few hours ago. She's down in your Workshop with Caster."

"And Rider?"

"Caster only said that she's no threat for the time being, but she was otherwise very tight-lipped. I'm uncertain whether that is a good or a bad thing. In any event, unless something else goes wrong in the meantime, well see about bringing her back as soon as you have recovered."

"Yeah, about that… would you mind helping me up?"

"Are you certain that's a good idea?"

"I need to stretch my legs, eat something and hit the restroom. That was in reverse order of priority. Please."

"I'll never hear the end of it from Caster, but I suppose you have been in worse conditions and still lived. Come, lean on me as much as you need."

[br]

Several difficult minutes later, Shirou propped himself at the table while Saber pulled out a plate of sandwiches from the fridge.

"Here. Rin has made these for when you would wake. You should eat them before I tell her you are up and Caster gets here."

"Thanks. I'm starving," he said and proceeded to eat with gusto.

He still felt like he was weighing a ton, which made sense considering that Saber had said about his regeneration.

Considering his Element and Origin, it made some sort of sense that his body spontaneously fixing itself would manifest as an outgrowth of blades. The anomalous thing was the spontaneity of it.

Shirou didn't have a self-healing factor, but of course he had something else within himself that accounted for that. He wondered if Caster had already figured out what Avalon sudden increase in activity around Saber meant.

But that was only a passing thought. He was far more concerned about Rider. He could contact her telepathically at any moment, but it was probably better not, at this stage.

"Caster and Rin are on their way," Saber warned when Shirou put the last bit of sandwich into his mouth.

Sure enough the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the Workshop.

Caster appeared at the door a moment later. She had a slightly disheveled look about her, which was very unusual

"Hi," he greeted, still chewing.

She moved to his side in the blink of an eye, grabbing his face and checking him out from head to toe.

"Why are you up? How are you feeling? Are you still hurting anywhere?"

"I'm… I'm fine. A bit stiff and sore, but that's the end of it. Calm down. I'm okay."

"You scared me to death," she sighed. "Don't you do something like that to me ever again."

"Ho-Hold up. I didn't do anything this time."

"That's the only reason why I'm not chewing into you, you dolt. I'll never let you get out of my sight for a minute ever again."

Tohsaka stood at the door with an expression between bemused and frustrated.

"I can't believe you are already up. The way we found you last night I thought you were a goner for sure. Yet here you are stuffing your face with the help of my Servant. Your talent for getting yourself in trouble is matched only by your ability to come out of it alive somehow. I swear, you must have been a cockroach in a past life."

"Good morning to you too, Tohsaka."

"It's already afternoon," she said dryly, looking offended that her barb had been met with amusement. "How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff and sore, but I'm getting better by the minute. I'll be back to a hundred percent in a few hours."

Tohsaka rubbed her temples.

"Aren't you supposed to be a first generation Magus? How in the hell are you doing half the stuff you do without any family legacy?"

He shrugged. He didn't really have any answer that would satisfy her.

"Right. Knowing you, you probably have no idea yourself. Never mind. Let's focus on the important matters. Emiya, what happened last night in the thirty minutes we left you alone?"

Shirou quickly explained his side of the story.

"As I thought, you used the Command Seal to restore her personality. That was a good call," said Caster.

"Yeah, I figured that the mud had messed with her mind or something."

"Indeed. However, I do wonder how long it will last. The changes caused by the Grail seem to be permanent, and besides that she's still the Gorgon. We might have to put her down soon anyway."

"I know where you are coming from, Saber, but that's out of the question," Shirou objected.

"Shirou, you might not have a choice," said Caster.

"There is always a choice. A hero might not be able to save everyone, but he should at least save the people he sides with. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"And if she cannot be saved?" Saber pressed.

"Then I'll make it possible."

"You are awfully confident, Emiya. I could say arrogant, even," said Tohsaka.

"Huh? Why? It's not like I'm going to find a solution on my own. I've got you guys to help me."

"Hold up. Are you assuming I'm going along with whatever hairbrained scheme you'll come up with without even asking if I agree? What in the world made you think that I will? Give me one good reason."

"Because... you know very well that I'd come to save you no matter what if you were in Rider's place, and your pride won't let you live with that knowledge without doing anything."

"... of course," she snorted. "Of course you'd be thick-headed all the time except when you need to annoy me with a sudden burst of insight."

She glared at him

"Well, you've got something wrong, buster. I'm not like you. I don't try do things when I know they can't be done. If Rider can't be kept under control, I'll have Saber put her down. I'm the Second Owner of this city and I have a responsibility toward the people that live here."

"Of course. I'd expect nothing less from you. But by the same token, I'm Rider's Master. I have an obligation to support her, or are you to tell me that I shouldn't treat Servants as people?"

Tohsaka looked at Saber, who was pointedly looking at her. It didn't seem that she would judge her, but the Servant was interested in the answer all the same.

"You turned out to be quite the jerk, Emiya. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Sorry. Someone who shall remain unnamed coaxed me a promise out of me. That I would not back down from my decisions as long as I consider them right. I'm sure she's has already regretted it a thousand times already, but I'm a guy who sticks to his word."

"As I thought, you are a bad influence on him, Caster," Tohsaka replied.

"How is it any of this my fault?"

"Really? Give me a break, I'm not blind. Only love could possibly make Emiya more of a stubborn fool than he already was. Who else am I supposed to blame?"

"Shirou, it seems the cat is out of the bag."

"Yeah, I don't think it stayed inside for very long in the first place. Right, Tohsaka?

"Obviously," she replied, rolling her eyes. "To his credit, Emiya hid it better than you, Caster. I was very doubtful about your relationship status from his behavior alone. You on the other hand are not very good at hiding your feelings."

"Like you've got any room to talk, Rin. I'm not blind either, you know. I know perfectly well where your heart lies."

WHAM!

There was a sound like a thunderclap, and it came from Saber who had slammed her hands together.

"That will be enough of that, all of you," she said, channeling every little bit of authority in her voice.

The squabble died down immediately.

"Shirou," she continued, "I understand your point perfectly well but I'm with Rin on this and not just because she's my Master. If Rider cannot be trusted she must be eliminated. The situation is already complicated enough without a rogue Servant at our backs. If you can reign her in, good. If not, I'll strike her down. If at that time you will get in the way then I'm afraid our entire alliance will have to be called into question. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, I understand perfectly, Saber."

"And in light of this, do you wish to reconsider your previous position on this matter?"

"Of course not."

"Stubborn to the end, I see," she said. "Well, if you didn't have at least this much conviction I wouldn't have much hope for your success."

"Frustrating, isn't it?" asked Tohsaka.

"Verily," Saber agreed.

Everybody present knew that the reason why they could trust Shirou unconditionally was because how firm he was set in his beliefs. Unfortunately that was precisely why he was so difficult to deal with at all times.

"Well, since we now all agree I'm a pain in the ass, how about we discuss how to approach Rider?."

"Oh, so now you want my opinion, huh?" Tohsaka scoffed, but she took a seat at the table nonetheless.

"The first order of business is where Rider currently is?" Saber asked.

"Somewhere along the coast, probably," Shirou replied.

"Exactly," Caster confirmed. "Hey, how do you know that? Have you been in contact with her?"

"The Dream Cycle."

"Well… she did live on an island," Caster agreed, but looked at Shirou suspiciously through the corner of her eye. "Anyway, she seemed to have found refuge in an old industrial complex on the mountain overlooking the sea.

"The old steelworks?" Rin asked.

"Are you familiar with it?" Saber inquired.

"Not really. I mean, I know that's been condemned over twenty years ago, but nothing beyond that."

"It's been condemned that long ago and it's still standing? You'd think it would have been demolished by now."

"Yes, but there have been issues about the ownership of the the property and thus who has the responsibility to tear it down. Apparently the land has been bought by a foreign group, which later bankrupted. The property is in a limbo, so to speak and since no one stands to gain anything from solving the problem, it remained there."

"So... does it means it belongs to the Clock Tower?"

"Possibly but not necessarily. Any sufficiently wealthy Magus could have bought it through a proxy as a potential base of operation during the Grail War. In any case, it's unlikely to be relevant. No Magus would waste resources keeping up any defense on such a place."

"It's probably a deathtrap as it is," Shirou agreed. "The damn thing could collapse on our heads the moment we walk in."

"Do we have to walk in?" Saber asked. "In fact, should we go there at all? Shirou, you can contact Rider telepathically even now. If she refuses to return, a Command Seal would get her to us in no time."

"I thought about that, but I don't think it's a good idea. First of all, no one likes to be coerced. Clearly Rider doesn't want to be here. Secondly, I might have to use them to manage her condition, so I'm reluctant to consume them for something that can be done without them. Caster, do you think it would be possible to solve Rider's problem with a Command Seal?"

"It's… debatable. You need to understand, Shirou, that Rider's condition is innate to her being now. A Command Seal it's powerful, but permanently altering the Spirit Origin of a Servant is no joke either. If we were talking only for the duration of the War, then sure. However, now that Rider has received true incarnation, she's going to stay around much longer than that."

"I doubt that the effect of the Command Seal would last that long," said Tohsaka. "At least for that kind of order."

"What if I use more than one, then?"

"Putting aside the sheer waste of a trump card, I still cannot be certain of the result. Look, she is the Gorgon Medusa. If you take that part out of her something else might take its place. Especially since she has been tainted by the mud."

"There has to be something that can be done. I refuse to accept otherwise."

"The only reasonable alternative is to suppress her behavior. Forbid her to ever act on those impulses. It will not affect her Spirit Origin. In that case, a single Command Seal should last a lifetime."

"That is arguable," said Saber. "It's should not be impossible to resist a Command Seal."

"Indeed, but it requires a great deal of Magic Resistance which Rider does not have. Even so, the problem with this method is that she can't act on her impulses but she will feel them nonetheless. It's the same as condaming her to a life of torture. It would be more merciful to just kill her."

"Probably, but at least it should solve the problem for the duration of the War," said Tohsaka. "If she survives and can't deal with it afterwards, well, she can see herself out."

"Really, Tohsaka? Really?"

"Unlike you, Emiya, I'm not running a shelter for recovering monsters. I don't particularly like Rider either, to be completely honest. I can say without guilt that I couldn't care less what happens to her beyond this conflict."

"You can't expect everyone to care the way you do, Shirou," said Caster. "I love that about you, but even I agree with Rin on this. This is the best we can do for her."

So those were the alternatives? Kill her now or torture her until she took her own life later?

"Look, Emiya. I don't like this any better than you do, but it's the only reasonable thing," Tohsaka insisted. "It will buy us enough time without jeopardizing our strategy even further. You can then figure out a way to solve her problem in a more permanent fashion after the war. We need to worry about the short term first."

That was reasonable, right? From a strategic point on view it made perfect sense and even he could not deny it. However….

"Fine," he said. "If that's is the only solution, we should get to it. We'll move at sundown, is that alright?"

"Uh, yeah, of course. You know, I thought you'd put up more of a fight. It's good to know you can be reasonable."

"I'm always reasonable," he protested. "I just have my own priorities."

"Well, I'm glad we managed to work out our differences. Saber and I are going back to my place. There's a few things I need to take care of before we move out. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

They got up from the table and went for the exit. Shirou was finding it easier to move with the passing of the minutes.

"I doubt that anyone will start something up during the day but things have already gone off the rails," he said while Tohsaka and Saber put on their shoes. "Do be careful out there."

"You are right," Saber agreed. At this point is better to discard all our assumptions. There is not telling when we might get ambushed."

Rin opened the door to leave the house and yelped in surprise, leaping back and nearly tripping. There was a figure in the door, glaring daggers at them all.

They all immediately recognized him.

"Six hours," said Dojima flatly. "That's how long it took me to get back to the city from the mountain. The mountain where you left me with no car and no phone, damnit!"

"Ah… Whoops," said Rin and Medea at the same time. Even Saber had the decency to look sheepish.

"Wait, you left him out there alone?" Shirou asked, looking every bit as offended as Dojima.

"We rushed back when you called and then… it slipped our minds," Saber explained.

"You guys aren't human," Dojima complained.

"Don't be like that, scruffy. A night stroll does wonder for the stress levels."

The vein on Dojima's forehead throbbed conspicuously. Apparently Medea was wrong about that. Shirou could imagine what colorful words he just swallowed. He might be the offended party, but hurling insults at Caster was a sure-fire way to a quick dismemberment.

"I'm sorry, Dojima-san," said Tohsaka. "We didn't mean to leave you behind but it was an emergency."

"Yeah, I kind of figured it out on my own," he replied.

"However, since the damage is already done and you are here now, would you mind giving us a ride back to my place? That would be very helpful."

Dojima gnashed his teeth so hard that a couple of them cracked audibly.

"WHAT THE HELL AM I TO YOU PEOPLE! " he raged.

Unfortunately, his standing in this ragtag group wouldn't improve anytime soon.

[XXX]

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