Fate/Labyrinth

...

The skirmish in the woods had ended, the troops dressed in red had retreated. The soldiers dressed in blue began rounding up the dead and injured, and taking any prisoners they could find. Their morale was high, of course, seeing as their Empress herself had come to lead them. 

It couldn't hurt, of course, that she had found a master and servant pair watching on.

With only that to go off of, Jag and Rider were quickly surrounded by soldiers in royal blue and gold, led by a woman. She was a blond-haired young girl of short stature, with pale white skin, yellow-ish blond hair, and bright lime green eyes. She wore a revealing red and white dress with long poofy sleeves, a transparent front, leotard, and knee high golden armored boots.

There was a regal air about her, an appearance of pride and honor, that would be apparent to even the most ignorant child. The woman looks at Jag, her expression to start one of regret and sadness, slowly becoming happier and more excited.

"...Umu... your friend has deserted you, you know... how detestable... But! But, you have not run yet! Mm, yes, your courage is commendable! I like this one!"

Her expression is now one of a wide smile, as she glances around at the other soldiers, all of which smile back immediately.

"...then, you shall accompany me! Yes, I shall give you the honor of becoming my temporary attendant! Rejoice, citizen, for you are to be graced with the presence of the greatest Emperor in history!"

...Jag was very confused. Rightfully so, of course. But Rider seemed relieved... so, this couldn't be too bad, could it? Though, she was clearly a servant... so, where was her master...?

The woman seemed to pick up on his thoughts, responding with a smug smirk, and even more smug words.

"...Yes, that is correct. I am a servant, but I am without a master. I'm not sure why exactly, but certain areas within this so-called 'Labyrinth' have dense magical energy which I can feed off of, instead of a master... it restricts my movements, yes, but within this forest, I am unmatched! ...not that I wasn't already, it's just more so now..."

She frowns slightly, realizing that her words implied she was dependant on an excess supply of mana to fight. Even if it were true, her pride simply wouldn't allow her to think that way. The woman dismisses it, smirking at Jag -who, at this time, has not said a word- once more.

"...And, as for who I am... I am Ruler class Heroic Spirit, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, former Emperor of Rome, now Empress of New Rome! Yes, yes, that is right! Applaud me, honor my arrival!"

Clearly, she was one for theatrics. Though her words were not without merit, seeing how every soldier present immediately drops all weapons and applauds her loudly, cheers and all. Of course, it might be because of her appearance, but... something about it, it was different than that. Every man and woman applauding her had a shine in their eyes, a look akin to worship on their face. Magecraft, then...? 

Rider seems to have this thought as he rakes his gaze over the crowd. His investigation is thorough, yet... it yields no results. Rider then leans over to whisper into Jag's ear his findings.

"...Master. I cannot detect any spells or curses on those people... she has not bewitched them... yet, I have never in my life seen something of this caliber... they-... those soldiers, they... they would gladly die for that Ruler-class... how can someone inspire such- such fanaticism, so completely...?"

Unfortunately for Rider, Jag hadn't the slightest clue. The Aarakocra simply nodded in response to Rider's question, seeming disinterested. What he was interested in, though, was something unrelated to the current situation, as usual. 

...I wonder where Tiefee is... 

Jag did not know anyone named Tiefee. That was simply his nickname for Kahlrie, a changeling inventor who accompanied their group, and was taken hostage along with them.

Jag was simply worried about his friend. 

The same could not be said for someone else, though... someone who left their 'friend' behind at the first sign of trouble. A bonafide coward, unable to fight at all. 

...or so it seemed, to every one of his friends, every person who told him to run away at the first sign of trouble, because he was too important to the rebuilding efforts of the refugees. 

Haji, the man with no family name, nor relatives. The man with no bloodline. 

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The priest ran through the snowy forest, tripping frequently, yet pressing ever onwards. Haji knew what he did was wrong, but... his knowledge was too important, he couldn't die, surely! At the time, there was only one thought going through his head:

...I can't die, I can't... get captured... I need... I need to escape this Labyrinth... 

He felt guilty. Immensely guilty. He shouldn't be running. Jag was in danger. Was he? Yes, yes, of course he was... he must have been... otherwise, Haji's flight had all been for naught, his cowardice on full display in a needless situation. 

Caster... where is Caster...? ...yes, that's right, Caster's in spirit form... He's with me, I'll be okay... I'll be... okay...

Haji kept running, and running, with no destination in sight. Finally, an opening in the trees came into view, and the sight of a sunlit field filled the priest with a sense of relief. As he created the ridge, he saw a river, leading into possibly the largest lake he had ever seen. Haji knew he would have to cross it, so he scanned the shores for a crossing point... 

...is there no crossing point? ...come on, come on... Ah, there! Found one!

He took off, running once more, down to the river. It was a beautiful river, albeit slightly dirty. Something about it... compelled Haji to sit down, rest... stay a while, close his eyes... rest... rest... 

"...Master. Do not fall asleep. This river is enchanted. If you do fall asleep, it is likely you will not wake up before the tide rises."

Caster's voice rang out in Haji's head just in time to prevent him from falling asleep. The priest blinked once, then again, then lifted his head up from the grass with a start. 

"Ah! ...thanks, Caster... I, ah... I didn't notice that..."

In response to Haji's sheepish words, Caster only sighed, letting his bangs fall over his eyes.

"...clearly..."

Silence, for a long moment. Broken only by the soft sounds of nature; the birds chirping happily, wind rustling the grass, the soft gurgle of the river, the man in formal attire resting on the opposite bank... 

Haji noticed the man with a small bit of alarm, though the man didn't seem to be at all alarmed or aggressive towards the two. It was strange to the priest, though, that Caster didn't notice him... 

The man wore a very old style black suit with a white undershirt, resting the overcoat beside him, along with a nice black hat. He looked calm and relaxed, extremely out of place in an arena for a deathmatch. 

...Maybe... maybe this guy's really strong... 

"Caster, catch him off guard!"

Even though Haji ordered him to, Caster only shook his head and pointed at the man, saying very simply:

"I can't. He caught us off guard already."

As Haji began to silently panic, Caster was already planning out his next moves. What would be required to beat him, and what would be required to keep his master safe. 

While Caster did not have that unwavering loyalty Kato and Wakata's Sabers did, or the desire to protect his master as strongly as Aneka's Assassin and Jag's Rider, he knew how much of a problem it would be if Haji were to die here. 

"...You, on the riverbed. You're an Assassin, aren't you? ...where is your master?"

The Assassin looked up at Caster with a soft and calm smile, his boyish features making him seem young, maybe barely more than a teen. Silky black hair and pale skin, with a small build, this boy radiated a gentle nature. 

"Ah, visitors! Yes, I am an Assassin class spirit, but I have no master. Instead, I am tied to this river... hm, not a bad place to be stuck, I think... Sorry, though. I'm not sure about my true name... you see, I am not a famous man. Just a simple bar owner, is all. ...and I certainly have never killed anyone before... how ever did I get this class...?"

Both Caster and Haji were puzzled by this information. An Assassin who's never killed? Strange, but there were more important matters to be inquired about.

"...did you enchant this river, then? ...it nearly killed my master, you know."

Caster's words were answered with a smile from the rogue Assassin, and a small laugh. The laugh was not mocking, merely an honest, happy laugh. 

"No, no, of course not. I could not use an ounce of magecraft if my life depended on it! ...no, this comes from the lake... I'm not sure exactly, but... I think there's something out there, tainting the water. At night when the fog clears up, I see this giant shape with a light... vaguely in the shape of a ship, though I've never seen one so large before... once, I tried to get closer to it, but... 'that' happened..."

As Assassin says the last part, he gestures to the shoreline in the distance. It is plain to see what he is talking about, as the entire shore has been leveled by explosions, craters the size of the largest Inns, desolation for kilometers. 

Haji had never seen anything like that... the priest had witnessed bombardments, yes, but one of that caliber was simply unheard of... for one man to trigger such a barrage, this Assassin must be-

"...they fired once."

...

The silence was deafening. When Haji had thought of it as a barrage, it was already an impressive feat for a ship, even the largest battleship could barely achieve something like that. But, when Assassin mentioned that the shape in the water had only fired once, on shot, creating kilometers of devastated land, Desolate destruction reaching far into the shore... What power, then, would a true barrage have...?

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