Haruka & The Great Holy Grail War
"Yeah, bye." Haruka hung up. "Well, my transportation's handled for the battle. Sorry, Kairi-san, you and Mordred are probably going to have to carjack a vehicle to get there yourselves."
"Wait, what's going on?" Kairi asked.
"The Red Faction's going to launch an attack on Yggdmillenia Castle and steal the Greater Grail tonight. This is the first and last major battle between the Red and Black Factions, so you and Mordred wouldn't want to miss it. In the original timeline, Jackie's rampage through the city with you fighting Fiore postponed the attack to tomorrow night, but since I gave her stuff to replenish her mana, she's no longer attacking magi. That reminds me, I'll go visit her today. As for what happens tonight… I'll meet with you guys in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon if things go as I planned."
"What else is going to happen tonight?" Kairi asked.
"Mordred's going to end up in a battle with Rider of Black—that's Astolfo, Sieg was originally going to interfere and Frankenstein pops up as well, but since Sieg's with us, that might not happen. How is Sieg, by the way?" Haruka asked, making her way to the sleeping homunculus. "He's still asleep."
As if on cue, Sieg slowly blinked his red eyes open. "Where… am I?" He rasped out.
"You're in the hideout of one of the Red Faction Masters. Do you understand the circumstances you're in?"
Sieg nodded slowly. "My memories are mixing together, but I believe I know what happened. This is another version of the Great Holy Grail War where I never received Siegfried's heart or Command Seals, right?"
"Smart," Haruka complimented. "If you remember any of our conversation last night, you should know I'm not affiliated with the Red or Black Faction even if Karna's my Servant. My name is Haruka, and I'm also from a different timeline. I was sent here to prevent most of the events that originally occurred from happening, and so far, I've messed with the timeline a lot. Siegfried is still alive, Karna is no longer with the Red Faction, and Jack the Ripper is guaranteed not going to kill any of us."
Sieg blinked. "If this is the morning after I was supposed to be saved by Siegfried, is the Red Faction due to attack Yggdmillenia Castle tomorrow?"
"No, they've moved up their schedule. They attack tonight. I'm hitching a ride on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with Karna."
"I see… may I still join this battle? I may not have Command Seals or Siegfried's heart, but I still wish to rescue my fellow homunculi."
"If that's what you want. However, I want you to agree that you won't do anything stupid like battling a Servant, okay?" Haruka said.
"Agreed."
"Alright, I'm giving you some control over Arthur, then."
"Master?!" Arthur said, shocked.
"You're going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid; plus you need an extra source of mana since I can't maintain both you and Karna when you're battling. Your task is to liberate the homunculi only, alright? I'll take care of the rest," Haruka said seriously.
Sieg nodded, knowing he couldn't do much with his current body. "Thank you, Haruka-san."
"This is for my benefit as well," Haruka said as she tossed a Craft Essence of a book to Sieg. "The Book of the False Attendant would normally transfer Command Seals to the owner but not the mana flow, but I tweaked it with Medea's help to reverse the original function. Arthur will mainly rely on you for mana, but I have the Command Seals. Arthur, I don't want you to use Excalibur unless necessary, so keep Volumen Hydragyrum on you. Since Jeanne already knows who you are, there's no reason to keep your identity concealed. Let everyone think the mysterious third faction Master made Sieg a proxy Master to control you. I want you guys at Yggdmillenia Castle tonight. I'll give Arthur instructions where to regroup, but it's most likely going to be in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Do we all understand our roles?"
Everyone nodded.
"To recap: we're all going to end up on the battlefield and get out alive. I'm going to go pay Jack a visit; Karna, you're coming with me. Mordred, make sure you don't kill Frankenstein because she's a sweetheart. None of you target Jack as well, please. And yes, they may be enemies but the factions won't last long anyways after this battle. Arthur, keep Sieg safe and alert me if anything goes wrong. Kairi-san, good luck."
"Thanks for the information, Haruka," Kairi said, firmly grasping Haruka's hand and shaking it.
"You better make it out alive so I can spar with Father again," Mordred half-threatened.
"Mordred-chan, don't be too hard on my Master," Arthur said, ruffling Mordred's hair. "But in all honesty, Master, please be safe."
"Thank you for your efforts, Haruka-san," Sieg said.
"Glad you guys all decided to join my crazy plan," Haruka said gratefully. "Later!" She disappeared out of the mausoleum, Karna following her.
"Now then…" Kairi said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Guess we'll wait a bit longer."
***
"I really do hope everything turns out okay, though," Haruka said worriedly as she walked with Karna. "I originally wanted to just mess up this war but now I want to keep everyone that showed up in Chaldea alive… guess that might not happen but they deserve happier endings in their original Grail Wars."
"You cannot change everyone's fates, Master," Karna said firmly. "We understand that and respect your choices. Remember this isn't your real battle as well. Doing your best and staying alive is all what Arthur and I want for you right now."
"I know… thanks, Karna."
Karna was about to reply before a cry of "Onee-chan!" was heard and a small white blur crashed into Haruka.
"Jackie!" Haruka gushed, hugging the small Servant. "Are you doing well?"
"Yup! Thanks to you and Mother!"
"That's great! Where is your mother, by the way?"
"She's behind us!"
Reika walked up to Haruka and Karna, a slight smile on her face. "I was wondering why Jack suddenly ran off. Thank you again for your aid a few days ago."
"No problem," Haruka said easily. "Do you still have any crystals or apples left or do you need more?"
"Can we please have some more crystals? They were really yummy."
"Sure, let's just go somewhere more quiet to get them out."
The strange group made their way to a small, quiet park, where Haruka shook her phone and 20 more Assassin EXP crystals fell out. "Here!"
Jack happily began crunching on one, and Haruka handed a few Lancer EXP crystals to Karna as well. While the two Servants were busy snacking, Haruka turned to Reika. "I was actually going to look for you two to give you some major information."
"What's going to happen?" Reika asked.
"The Red Faction will be launching an attack on the Black Faction's stronghold tonight. Their target is the Greater Grail. All the Servants from both factions will most likely show up, but in the end, the Greater Grail will be taken by the Red Faction. I am hitching a ride with them to the battlefield with Lancer, but it is up to you whether or not Jackie joins the battle or not. Since the Black Faction still has no idea you currently exist, you can choose to stay in the shadows of this battle or not show up at all."
"I'll let Jack decide for herself," Reika replied. "We can't communicate through telepathy, but we do have cellphones. If she's in trouble, I'll call her back with a Command Seal."
"Sounds good," Haruka said with a smile. "Well then, I should be leaving. I need to grab lunch and then meet up with the leader of the Red Faction. See you around."
"Onee-chan, you're leaving already?" Jack asked sadly.
"Sorry, Jackie," Haruka said, ruffling her hair. "We'll see each other again soon if we're both careful, so be safe, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Alright, our last stop…" Haruka muttered as she stood in front of an inconspicuous-looking door in a normal-looking fence. "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon." She had changed into her battlesuit, and Karna was in his armour. "Karna, any Servants in the vicinity?" She had bypassed an earlier Bounded Field meant to turn away regular humans, but Haruka had seen through it and entered without any problems.
"I can sense Amakusa Shirou Tokisada and Semiramis farther in the building. Shakespeare, Atalanta, and Achilles are with them. They are most likely in the throne room."
"So much for not seeing Shakespeare," Haruka grumbled. She didn't really hate the Caster, per se, but the trauma from being forced to study and analyze his plays in school warped her mind to unconsciously throw Black Keys at him whenever they were in the same room. That combined with him feeling the need to spout lines from his plays at random times often forced nearby Servants to keep the two from entering the same room.
Shall I keep you in check then? Karna asked telepathically. Haruka understood his reason for mental communication—who knew what familiars Semiramis had spying on them.
Please do.
I admit the Count of Monte Cristo is better suited since he is much faster than me, but I will do my best.
Maybe I should summon Edmond or Jeanne Alter here… no, no, stop looking at me like that, I know I won't be able to sustain them. I was just thinking. Haruka reached out and knocked on the door, which swung open. "Wow, an invitation. I feel so honoured," she said sarcastically. "Lead the way, Karnacchi."
"I advise you to not call me that when in the presence of the others."
***
"So they have arrived," a beautiful elfin female in a black dress said, lounging upon her throne. "The girl and her Servant… will they help or hinder us, I wonder?"
"It is up to them to decide," Shirou said calmly. "Help or hinder, they will not be able to stop our plan in the end even with their knowledge."
"What I'm more curious about right now is her request for Caster to be removed from her presence," Semiramis said casually.
"It appears to have something to do with educational systems, I think."
Semiramis glanced down to where Achilles appeared to be lounging on the ground, attempting to talk with Atalanta, while Shakespeare was furiously taking notes of their little exchange. "This war is truly an interesting one," she remarked.
Just then, a red girl in an orange battlesuit marched through the open entrance, a male in golden armour trailing behind her.
"Let's get this party started, shall we?" Haruka called.