13 Chapter 11.3 - Beginnings of Another Fate [3]

Gilgamesh was very intrigued when Tokiomi mentioned this 'curry' food his wife loved to cook for him. The man was passionate, but expressive he was not. But the sheer happiness and longing he held when he spoke of it spoke volumes of the love he held for the dish.

And as a king, wasn't it her duty to enjoy such delicacies?

But that is not the only reason she came out this fairly quiet evening. She felt the entrance of two particular souls. One was of tempered steel, still hot and hammered down, still in the process to refine it. But the other was of an expanse, far and wide, much like the night sky that holds the stars above.

A soul of infinite possibilities, of countless advancement. It was subtle, but once she saw it, she couldn't help but be drawn to it.

And so here she was now, sitting at the curry restaurant, awaiting her orders while waiting for the individual she'd been waiting for.

Then, the doorbell chimes, and in comes a young girl, her hair a soft light brown and her eyes a striking green, and she knew she was the one. And, as her eyes meet hers, it seems the same holds for her, seeing her eyes widen in shock.

The girl takes an uncertain step forward, her eyes looking around for an empty seat, only to find none. Gilgamesh smirks, gesturing the girl to sit beside her. The girl looks uncertain for a moment, before walking and sitting down by her table, her chair facing Gilgamesh's.

"So…" The girl begins first, uncertain and hopeful. "Fancy meeting you here, uh…"

"If you know my name, then say it. There is no need to hide my own name in my presence." The girl blinked at her words, before a smile begins to form on her lips. "Right…fancy meeting you here, Gilgamesh…wasn't quite expecting to meet another servant so quickly."

"Ho? So you've met another before?" The girl nodded, and the hidden wariness in her eyes vanished. "Yeah. It was…well, it was fun, but it was cut short. Didn't help that I was still recovering from some injuries then." She said, and stopped. "…Oh, right. Uh, my name's Tsunaka Hanami. Call me Hanami!"

Gilgamesh smiles at the cheery response, but the sudden coming of her plate of curry interrupted any further talk.

And what a dish it is. It is simple in design, and one could say it is but rice with sauce. But the fragrance it has, the texture, and the many little herbs and spices mixed into it to give it that spicy and savory taste! It was a far departure from the food she once ate as a king, but she cared not! All she needed was some wine for the occasion, and everything would be perfect.

"Oh, right, one plate of curry please." The woman who served the food nodded at Hanami's request and went to the kitchen. "Completely forgot I came here to eat."

"You've been on a long journey, I suppose." Gilgamesh says, giving a taste of the wine bottle she'd taken out, and yes indeed, did the curry go well with the wine! Ah, such a great combination!

"Well…not long, just boring." Hanami says, sighing, before blinking at the bottle of wine she places on her side of the table. She stares at it for a moment, her mouth opening slightly, a sentence ready to be said. But then she closes it, thinks for a moment, and, with a shrug, opens the bottle and takes a sip.

"Ah~, that's the stuff~" She says, positively melting into her chair, any tension she held fading away. It's quite adorable actually.

"Of course! It is wine made by my kingdom!" She claims with pride, remembering the many parties her kingdom celebrated, drinking the sacred liquid until they all fell drunk. Hanami smiles wryly, before adopting a thoughtful look. "Actually, why are you so…friendly with me?"

"Should I not?"

Again, Hanami shrugs. Interesting, Gilgamesh thinks. She'd leaked a small but noticeable amount of pressure into her words, and the girl hardly seemed to notice, or if she did, didn't react to it. It shows confidence, a strong belief in one's self, and it greatly reminded her of the many brave warriors she'd fought beside in her battle towards heaven.

Soon, Hanami's plate of curry arrives, and they continue their dinner, idly conversing of the many topics they have in mind.

And at the end, as they bid farewell to one another and promised to meet again, Gilgamesh affirmed that, had Hanami been born in her time, she would've been a great and outstanding warrior.

But, better late than never.

~~~

Waver Velvet is…confused. Happy, ecstatic, but confused.

He'd stolen from his jackass of a teacher, flew all the way to Japan, made his lodgings with a nice elderly couple, and summoned his servant.

"Servant Caster. Are there any medical prescriptions I need to know before we make a contract?"

The ritual was to summon a spirit of old, a manifestation of heroes of the past. Which was why he was shocked to see a woman garbed only in a blue and red dress, wearing a hat similar to a nurse's appear before him. Yagokoro Eirin, she said her name was, and even after many hours of searching through any sources he could find, her name never appeared.

But he doesn't really care. In fact, the war is the farthest thing in his mind currently.

Caster is fittingly a doctor, but a miraculous one. Befitting of a caster, the spells she fires are strong, much stronger than even the most powerful mages in the Clocktower, but what Waver found more interesting was her talent in alchemy. She knows all the techniques, and even recipes of ancient potions, holding immense power in each.

It was why, with his already budding interest in alchemy, he asked her to teach him, and she surprisingly agreed (though him being her master might have been why).

And that was why he is now scratching his head, staring intently at the bubbling bottle placed on the table before him with absolute confusion.

Caster does teach him, but does so as more of an assistant than a teacher. She gives a demonstration, explains the reasoning and concepts, and lets him do his thing, helping him out when he needs it. But, for once, he's trying to solve the problem he's faced with without relying on Caster.

A [Prana Enhancing Potion]. That's the project he's currently stuck on. It's simple on paper, with it boosting the od capacity of the one who drinks it. But od is stored in a magus' magic circuits, and magic circuits are the magus' soul given form through their body. How does one potion bolster the body and the soul?

"Are you sure you don't need help there?" Caster says, looking over his shoulder to see his progress. "…maybe later." Waver says with a sigh, slumping back onto the chair. He runs a quick hand through his hair, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The last few hours had not been kind on him, and his normally silky hair was all crumpled.

"Truly? Then shall we head out?" Waver directs a questioning glance at her. "It seems the seventh servant has been summoned. The war will soon start."

'Oh…right. That.'

"…I forgot." He says with a weak chuckle, though that faded to silence as he sees her lips curve to a small smile. "Yes, I did as well…It's been a while since I had a willing student." Caster turns her gaze out the window, staring into the setting skies. "A long while."

"…Anyways, what should we do now, Caster?"

"Scouting our opponents would do us good. What do you say." He nods, and they soon leave the house, following the burst of prana Caster had felt earlier.

~~~

"So Kayneth's servant is Kintoki…" Interesting…I'd already taken his spot as the master of Lancer, but I didn't expect him to summon a Berserker…Then again, Kintoki's only very loosely a Berserker, and someone who wasn't going to cause trouble for him and his target of affection, so he should be fine.

Saber's still Arturia, with Kiritsugu as her master and Irisviel masquerading for him. Iskandar and Waver didn't appear at all. Instead, Astolfo's the Rider, and his master is…a normal girl? Yeah, not a magus, no magus bloodline, just a normal girl, who's dressed more like a boy. Guess that's why Astolfo showed up.

And me? I'm just casually watching them from the top of the hotel, using my Mystic Eyes to probe them as they fought.

But this isn't only to probe them. Oh, no. I think it's about time I start getting serious and take every single advantage I can. Enemies are getting stronger, and I have no more time to spare.

[[Sword Mastery] has leveled up x15!]

[Due to certain actions, you have gained the skill [Axe Mastery]!]

[[Axe Mastery] has leveled up x22!]

Sadly, the skirmish ended when Gilgamesh shows up, cutting me off from diving into Astolfo's history, but that's fine, I guess. My head's hurting all over, and I'm pretty sure the night sky isn't supposed to look like spinning wheels of cheese. I don't think I want to faint at the moment, especially considering the height I'm currently at.

"Oh, are we done, master?" I blink, turning to the right to see a blonde girl in a medieval tunic, holding a frankly oversized and futuristic lance in her hand.

'Oh, right. I summoned her, didn't I?'

Wao~, I must really be out of it right now…

Anyways, this is Gareth, one of the youngest, and definitely most pure knight of the round table. A young and inexperienced knight, she treated all of the other knights with great awe and respect, and held a particular admiration for Lancelot. Ultimately, it is that admiration that led to her downfall, her life ironically ending in the hands of the man she admired most.

"Yep. I've done enough scouting for the day." I'm not going to sleep though. Things are picking up now, and my stamina's still at a full 100%! It'll be a great waste if I spend all that unused energy sleeping!

So I step foot into my [Soul Forge], Gareth following closely behind me. My goal here is short and simple: Mix both [Alsama'] and [Mal'Sara]. Didn't have the chance to do so earlier, so I might as well do them now. Besides, after reviewing my previous battle with Fran, I realized just how daft of a feeling it is to hold two staves at the same time. Makes me wonder how Diarmuid can keep a straight face while wielding two spears at the same time.

I can see Gareth's practically shining in interest, and I give a small amused smile at the excited interest she holds at the two staves I've placed on the magical anvil.

I gave my fingers a good crack, and I get to work.

The world fades around me. Sounds vanish. Feelings numb. In that moment, with knowledge borrowed from master smiths of old, I begin to strike, heating the two staves down and hammering them together. Materials flow out from my inventory and onto the floor, and prana dances around me, glowing an ephemeral blue. My Mystic Eyes are wide open, and I see into its history, into its past and future.

Slowly, the two are becoming one. Any tears I find I mend. Any uneven chinks I spot I hammer down. Any clashing energies I detect I drain out.

Then, two special materials appear down onto the anvil.

[A shard of the titan's sword, unflinching and withstanding]

[A crystal from the dragon's core, its taint purified]

Both are soon melted and melded into the staff, their powers and histories bleeding into the construct. My Mystic Eyes flare to full concentration, and the fires of the [Soul Forge] flare to the symphony of my soul.

And so, the two staves are melded into one, with the remnants of the two beings that once lived in those lands fused into them.

But it isn't finished. The staff was still empty, a sturdy shell waiting to be filled. So I gently carry the newly forged staff in my hands, closing my eyes,

[To save Shirou from his fate]

[To destroy the grail and stop its calamity]

[To stand and fight]

[To reach for the shining kaleidoscope]

[And to grow strong and live, to see the wonders of the universe]

And poured. My heart and soul, my thoughts and emotions, my aspirations and dreams. Everything I pour deep into the staff, and it accepts.

So, with the new staff in hand, its body a polished black with strange and captivating runes engraved on it, and a miniature core of the dragon floating atop it, I'd say I did a pretty good job!

[Alsa'Mal'Sara]

Rank A+

"To withstand the ends and beginnings. To lose and gain. To depart and return once more. This is my oath, my gift. I am alpha and omega, everything and nothing. Call upon me. Call my name, and the world shall bend for you."

A noble phantasm created by Tsunaka Hanami, forged with the steel of divinity and the heart of dragons. The history the two staves it was made from is forever lost, melded and fused with the desires of its creator.

-Requires 150 Intelligence and 100 Wisdom to wield-

+120 Intelligence and Wisdom when wielded

+50 Agility and Luck when wielded

Any magical spells cast with this staff is increased by a [Rank]

Creates a dome of light around the wielder, protecting the ones within and healing them. Any spells [Rank C] or under is negated by the barrier. Range, speed, and intensity of the effects depends on the wielder's Intelligence

Any fire-based, water-based, wind-based, and earth-based magic spells cast with this staff is strengthened by +100%

?

-[Soul Bound] to Tsunaka Hanami-

Yep, definitely a good job.

"Um…are you okay, Master?!" I hear Gareth ask from…above? No, wait, I'm the one on the floor. Why the hell am I on the floor?

[MP: 21/27.260]

[Stamina: 14%]

Ah, that's why.

"I'm…fine." I say, smiling as Gareth carefully helps me stand. "Just, really tired. I didn't expect to use all my prana doing that." Gareth flinches, shocked, and turns to me. "But, if you've run out of prana, how am I still here?"

"…huh." That's…right. Gareth should be suffering from my lack of prana, but she seems…fine. "I don't know." And I don't really want to find out.

"Well, let's go, Gareth!" I say, excited, and then coughed. Gareth's increasing worry doesn't quite put out the excitement in my heart though!

Because I've made a Noble Phantasm baby!