arai kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
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Hollow I: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Thread Started on Nov 12, 2005, 7:51pm »
----------------------------------------------------------------------- An extract is made from the middle. A tale begins from here.
1/Heaven's Feel Backnight 1
How long have I been lying down?
There was no moaning. The throat had been pierced by a rotting branch. The tongue had been the first to be pulled out. So dearly, dearly, had the vocal organs been destroyed to prevent me from cursing.
(Beat)
No freedom to squirm in pain. Limbs severed from their ends. It was as if I was living with only my heart. This body had stopped functioning long ago, yet only my sense of pain is working properly. Living and pain were the same. Even with only a heart, as long as there still was one, the pain will continue.
(Beat)
For a long time. I have been forgotten under the sun.
At its best it was hope, at its worst it was despair. How meaningless. I despised that illusion. A misunderstanding that resulted from insufficient awareness, inadequate experience.
(Beat)
....Pain and relief repeated themselves. It reminded me of exercising, that I had done back in my youth. Go up, go down, go west, go east.
(Beat)
It lay far away, deeper than all. A cradle-like doorless paradise of flowers.
To have no limbs, to lose myself bit by bit wasn't painful. Except, I was scared. I was scared that there was nothing. I could not bear the treachery of turning into nothing. If I really had accomplished nothing, Then this suffering was nothing more than suffering for the sake of suffering.
This body was on the verge of death. While desperately wishing to die, I was single-mindedly wishing to stay alive.
That contradiction. Men of older times called it hell.
-I can hear a beautiful silver song.
To be honest. I didn't want to die.
For a long time, she was asphyxiated.
...I can hear. Click, click The sound of pebbles snapping against east other was somehow regular, bringing up images of a lively polka. I absentmindedly listened to only that sound.
...Where am I? I can't remember. Or rather, I lost the ability to control the act of remembering. I was embarrassed at my ineptitude. How pathetic it is to be physically awake, yet mentally asleep.......
"Uh.......aah........"
I exerted energy into my lumbering head and limbs, trying to force my delinquent body. I placed my arms flat down and raised myself slightly. .......I seem to be lying on a couch.
How long had I been sleeping? When I tried thinking about that, when I tried thinking about where I was in the first place, my forehead was struck severely by pain.
I felt dizzy. It was almost like the morning following a bout of drinking. .......I have the bad habit of showing off by drinking all night, when I was really a lousy drinker. Thankfully, there wasn't a trace of alcohol left inside me.
"....Wh..where...is this?" While still mentally unfocussed and unsteady, I checked my surroundings.. ....This is probably a mansion. I don't recognize it. I can't recall why I am here and why I have sleeping up until now.
Click, click, click The noise continued. There is no clock, but it's pitch black outside. According to my senses, it ought to be past midnight. Inside....I can't see clearly. It appears that not only are my arms and legs unresponsive, but my vision has also been weakened. I have a general impression of what the room looks like, but it's too blurry for me to get a good overview of it.
Still, I still attempted to grasp my surroundings and finally....... "Eh?"
In front of me. I finally noticed that someone was sitting with his back faced towards me.
A man...?
As it was too dark for my weakened vision, I couldn't make it out clearly. I could still tell that it was the shadow of a man. The man was sitting down with his head faced downwards. He was probably reading a book and didn't pay any attention to me. It looked as if he was engrossed with something.
"...?"
What is he doing? I raised myself up within the limits of a push-up posture and peeked at his hands. Recovery of movement ability was easier than recovery of mental ability and vision. Once I start moving, my mobility will increase the more I move.
What the man was immersing himself with was not a book. It was a...I believe it was a picture puzzle? It was a simple game, with the picture broken up into 16 pieces. One of the pieces is removed and the rest are shuffled and then moved in the open block to bring it back into the original picture........ I think? It was the kind of childish pleasure that anybody would pick up at least once.
He was still occupied with the puzzle. I stopped looking at him and rose myself up to a sitting position on the sofa.
"Yo. Finally awake Master?" he said, as if he were an old friend of mine.
"Mas....ter..?"
I was startled by my mumbled voice.
"Huh? What, are you half asleep? Come on, get up. You look dead. Where'd your usual discipline go?"
He laughed viciously. It irritated me but I didn't feel any anger. Stunned, I looked at him confusedly.
"Why...am I...?"
First, I have to prioritize that question. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember why I had been asleep. He lowered his eyebrows --strange considering I couldn't see very well--and pointed to the corner of the room.
In that corner, there was a dulled mirror.
"Take a look for yourself. You can do everything on your own." "..."
I walked unsteadily towards the mirror. Without light, the pale illumination of the moon sharpened the darkness. There was a dulled mirror, abandoned for many, many, years, in the room of a godforsaken mansion.
In it, Looking at me stunned, was unmistakably myself.
"Ah."
This didn't make any sense. Why was I startled at seeing the body that I had grown up with for more than 20 years? Red hairs and eyes toned darkly. An unlikable figure that could only intimidate others. An armor of male attire that denied any femininity. This is me. The same old me. The same, plain old Bazett Fraga McRemitz.
"..." And yet, I am still startled. I could feel that that there was something wrong with the figure being shown in the mirror.
As if there was something extra, or as if something that ought to be there was missing. When the notion of that paradox entered my mind,
"You back to normal yet? In that case, time to go on our killing spree. It's not our style to lose all the time, eh, Master?"
"..." With that one word, he had erased one small doubt of being out of place. -Master- Why had I forgotten that word?
A battle for a miracle, seven magi fighting for survival, the welder of the Holy Grail, masters of the ultimate familiars. That was why I was here. To participate in the great ritual called the Heaven's Feel of this Asian island country.
The Holy Grail is a holy artifact said to grant the wishes of its master, but there has yet to be one who has obtained the true Holy Grail. It is ultimately a legend. The Holy Grail summoned in Fuyuki is an imitation based on this legend. Though it may not be the original, as long as it is a powerful artifact that grants wishes, it is called a "Holy Grail".
To the magi, the matter of true and false is a lesser issue. The main concern is whether or not that imitation is powerful. Using that example, there was great "concern" for the Holy Grail in Fuyuki.
"In that land, the summoned 726th Holy Grail has the potential to become the real one. In the name of our utopian order, keep it away from the world of man."
That was the decision of the Mage Association, an organized self-defense body for the concealment of sorcery.
The Heaven's Feel of that land is a competition between magi. There is a limit to the number of participants in the Heaven's Feel. The Association was allowed only one seat. The person to be chosen was one who was a specialist at combat. A person that was suited to use sorcery not for the sake of academia but as a weapon.
.......It is a Far Eastern island country's ritual, one that has nothing to do with the faction struggles within the Association, and is fraught with only dangers. A battle where defeat is not allowable, but victory would bring no fanfare. I was selected for that same battle.
This meant using an artifact passed down within my family as the summoning catalyst for my Servant. Carrying the burden of the prestige and trust of the Association and the means to fight, I departed. "We are not worried in the slightest, Bazett Fraga McRemitz. You are an excellent magus. There is no one better than you in combat. If there were, your position here would become shaky."
Laughing shadily, they saw me off. As they said, it was only in combat that they had absolute faith in me as well as derision.
Gods Holder. (Tradition Carrier)
The other name I am called by. An ability in sorcery making use of the old blood passed down in my lineage that determined who I was.
"...Yes, I joined the Grail War as a Master."
To fight in and win the war as a magus of the Association. That is my mission. That should have been my mission.
"....., ts...."
...but, why? Wasn't I looking for something other than the Holy Grail? What was it? Or who was it? If that was the case, I must have wanted to meet him more than getting the Holy Grail,
I can't remember. What happened to me in the last few days? I know who I am, but what happened later, what happened since I came to Fuyuki is a blur.
I remember joining the battle as a master. I remember patrolling the city with my Servant. But there are still many blanks. The last few days...that's right. My memory has been fogged up since I came to this city. In the first place, why had I been sleeping in this mansion?
"Heeelloo? How long you planning on spacing out, lady? We don't have all day. Let's wrap things up outside."
"..."
.......the figure that had been speaking to me. He is a Servant, a being given form from the summoning of a legendary hero, what is called an Epic Spirit. The most powerful familiars that a human being can control.
There is a path between Master and Servant to supply magical energy. My magical energy...or to be more direct, my life energy...is what powers that Servant. I can tell that my body is acting as the wedge that pins this Servant in this plane of existence. He is definitely my Servant.
But still...was that the Servant I summoned...?
"Are you...my Servant?", I asked, while struggling with this headache. "Say what?" The Servant rose up and stared at me, finally noticing that something was strange.
"Oh, ho. Lady. I'm going guess that this means you're still not ready to fight."
The shadow swayed almost like a flame. .......I could feel it in my guts. This man may be my Servant but he is certainly not on my side. This was the sort of wild animal that would kill his master when he had the chance in order to free.
The relationship between Master and Servant was not based on trust among employer and employee. It is only a relationship of cooperation based on mutual gains and losses. Letting down one's guard, showing even the slightest weakness meant risking being stabbed in the back that very instant.
"Hey, your concerned partner's asking you a question. You're supposed to answer." "Yes, I suppose I should. To be quite honest, my abilities have suffered a decline. There is no hinderance to movement, but my mind is in disarray. In particular, my memory of yesterday is vague."
There is no benefit in hiding the cloudiness in my memory. I looked back at the Servant and revealed my current disorder. However, I didn't reveal what had to be hidden. I cannot tell him that my vision has weakened nor that my memory is not vague, but missing. ...This is my current weakness. If I told him, that Servant would immediately bare his fangs at me. The best I can do is get information from the Servant while behaving normally to recover my memory.
"Your memory's vague? You summoned me but you don't have a clue 'bout the Heaven's Feel or yourself? Cut me some slack, lady! I would have been ten times better off hooking off with a complete rookie!"
"No, I know very well what I am. I remember summoning you as well joining the Heaven's Feel as a Master. What is vague is what happened afterwards. For example, I just cannot seem to remember why I was sleeping here."
Without showing any signs of weakness, I told him the truth.
Whether it worked or not, the taint of suspicion that the Servant had been carrying grew fainter.
"I will repeat myself. Why I was sleeping here?"
"How the hell should I know? You're the one that said you were going to use this place as a safe house. You're the one that said you were going take to take a nap because you were tired after summoning me. Ring a bell?"
.......Mrm. Yes.......I did investigate at the Association appropriate safe houses as potential bases, before coming to Fuyuki. Among the ones I checked.......yes, this mansion should have been one of those.
...My mind grew hazy. When I try to recall what happened, I start to faint. I shouldn't push myself too hard right now. I have to hear what happened from the Servant.
"Yes, I was the one that decided to use this mansion as a safe house. Yes, I remember that. And.......I summoned you."
.......I remember indistinctly that this happened. I did form a pact with this servant in this mansion.
"Right, right. Then you fell right asleep. You just told me your name and said something like "don't do anything until I wake up". Thanks to you I've been sitting here all day. Why do I have to take a backseat when I get called here to do some killing?
.......Only my name? No, more importantly, what this Servant is saying is dangerous. It is very reassuring that he loves fighting, but it will be a problem if he loves it more than is necessary.
"Wait. We did not even discuss a basic battle plan?"
"Nope. Probably didn't need to. You already checked out this city before this happened. Other stuff like what the Heaven's Feel is supposed to be was knocked into my head the moment I got summoned. The point is to kill the other Masters faster, better, anyway possible. Don't need no advice on that."
"......." ".......Geh. Lady stop looking at me like that. You're freaking me out. Did I say something that pissed you off?" "Yes. It appears that we both lack an understanding of each other. It bothers me that my Servant can be so thoughtless. I am a magus representing the Association and I have no intention of being the master of a wild animal."
I intimidated the Servant with my eyes. "Whatever," said the Servant, who averted his eyes.
".......But I think you're wasting your time," he muttered as if it didn't concern him.
"Ok, I'll listen. What kinda fighting does her highness, the representative of the Association, prefer?" "We will conduct matters secretly and avoid pointless battles. First, priority will be given to obtaining information on hostile Masters. After understanding the atmosphere of this Heaven's Grail, we will consider the appropriate order of who to defeat first and then proceed defeating each magus one by one."
Those were the orders received from the Association. First, I had to gather information on the three families that administered the Heaven's Feel: Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri. An investigation of the remaining 3 Masters would proceed afterwards. It may be possible to convince magi to abandon their Master status. There also may be other outstanding magi that ought to be taken into custody by the Association. Besides, it was an embarrassment as a magus of the Association to act without proper information.
"Huh? I'm not your errand boy. Master, if you spot an enemy, you kill him. It's the same thing. You come across one and in the end, you can't get away and you won't let eem get away." "......." .......I didn't need him to tell me that. I feel the same way, but I can't disobey the orders of the Association.
"Do as I say. The Association exists to conceal the supernatural. We cannot afford to cause a disturbance. Also, an unruly fight will only lead to the deaths of innocent bystanders. It is an absolute condition that we obtain the Holy Grail, but we must avoid involving the civilians of this city."
This is not only a matter of the Mage Association. The Holy Church also has involvement in the Heaven's Feel. Should any damage be brought to the city, they will vigorously move in to conceal it to ensure the smooth continuance of the ritual. There is a limit to this, however. In the 4th battle, there was a Master that killed indiscriminately and daily. The priest monitoring viewed the Master as an enemy and penalized him severely.
".......Hmmm, so you're saying we got to go by methods over means. I can't figure out how, but it's better not to kill in order to win?" "This is not to win. I am a magus. If necessary, I will kill. However, as a human being there are minimum rules that ought to be protected."
"Oh ho. Oooh, I getcha. What do I think? Hmm."
He sounded unenthusiastic. The Servant lifelessly breathed out and.......
Thump
".......Lady, how 'bout using a Command Spell? Say something like "don't disobey me". 'cuz if you don't, I think I might kill you first."
I cleared my throat. .......This Servant was serious. He didn't care about what would happen next. The rule of cooperating with a Master for his own protection didn't apply to him. This bastard was seriously aiming for my throat.
The Servant told me to use a Command Spell to stop him Three absolute rights of order that a Master has. Powerful spells given by the Holy Grail. A Master's trump card that can only be used 3 times, but ensured the following of any command. For that reason, I answered him immediately.
"I refuse. I have never heard of a master being ordered by a dog. A master that gets killed by a dog does not deserve to be called a master. You are my Servant. I am the one that tells you how to move and when you march off to die."
I pushed away killer instinct with killer instinct. No matter what, if I used a Command Spell for something as frivolous as this, I had no future in this war. I tightened my grip on my right hand and started carving runes into the floor with my heel to be able to intercept an eventual assault.
"I see. Mmm, ok. Let me try having a change of heart. O-K. I'm your Servant. I'll listen to my owner."
"......." The Servant gave in easily. .......How to put it.......anticlimactic? And my heart was beating in excitement at learning how powerful Servants were as forecasts for future battles.......
"Hm? What? You still got some problems?" "N, no. But....... Do you really understand what I said?" "Yeah. Do what I can in not getting people killed? If that's your policy, I got it. Anything else? You got something else to say?"
.......There are many things I want to say in detail, but I have nothing else to say regarding a general plan. The rest I can do by giving orders depending on the situation.
"Ok, then let's go. I've seriously gotten tired of being here."
The Servant prodded me to go out. I am still physically unstable but I am curious about what is going on outside. And.........after sleeping for such a long time; in any case, I wanted to move around my body.
"I understand. I will make more detailed modifications to our strategy depending on what we encounter."
I regained myself. For the time being, I'll leave Rach behind.
There are limits to that sword and I can't use fully under my current physical state. After I locate the other Masters, I can think about who to use it on.
"But, I've got to say this, lady. 'Prevent any deaths as much as possible' huh. Heheheh. I like the sound of that. Yeah, it'd be great if I could do that." The Servant repeated humorously.
".......If you still have complaints, say it. If you have any opinions about my strategy, let's settle it here." "I told you I get the point. Lady, I'm not going to pick a fight with you yet since you're so scary. But look, that's not going to be possible Master. This has got nothing to do with killing people or getting bystanders involved. This place ain't going to last longer than 4 days, no matter how hard you try, lady."
.......? .......Not last longer than 4 days?
".......What, did you say?" "You'll understand when you walk out. What you're getting worked up over stopped mattering a long time ago. The humans living here have been getting knocked out by these mysterious things pouring out daily."
"Mysterious things.......? That is not possible. You are just saying nonsense because my memory is......." "You'll understand when you walk out. Seeing it once is greater than hearing it a hundred times."
The Servant covered his laughter. The black shadow took my hand and started walking.
"Let's continue the Heaven's Feel, Bazett Fraga McRemitz. -This time, to find your wish." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Last time I'm correcting this before I finish this.
Kieran ΕFΜZ€ @The Dark Six member is offline
The world needs more Altrouge
Joined: Apr 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 2,423 Location: In training
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #2 on Nov 13, 2005, 7:41am »
Thanks for this - it gives me a better feel for how "Fate" works, in regards to terminology and history (which I have very great need of, and a use for). Whatever you decide to do next, I look forward to it.
Limiter kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: May 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 775
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #3 on Nov 13, 2005, 9:28am »
Awesome translation! Im looking forward for the next part of it!
Thank you!
------- There was a part in the Special section where Rin and Archer dressed in temple attire making fun some gallery pictures.( there were wooden tags on em) I heard that was funny, I was just hoping someone can consider translating that.
<mrtags> At least I got to be lancer the space marine, drm got omake'd into the little pink and purple butt plunger <DrmChsr0> I have to admit, it was funny.
Don't displease Tiny Turtle, Thank you for saving me Spot, Rest well...
Cade kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors Bushcraft Sage Ninja member is offline
...what a pain.
Joined: Jun 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 1,578
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #7 on Nov 14, 2005, 9:50pm »
Japanese Shift-JIS displays it fine.
Arai once again impresses. We are all eternally grateful.
arai kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #8 on Nov 15, 2005, 6:12pm »
The mansion was built on top of a high hill. It lay hidden within a forest, separated from any human habitation. ...My head ached. I had thought that breathing the outside air would clear myself more or less, but instead the cold night air only clouded my thoughts.
"What's wrong, Master? Still too early for you to get out?" the Servant said, pocking fun at me.
I went forward, shaking my head. My mind was still working slowly. The moonlight seemed to be the source of my disorientation.
It was quiet. Even though it was past 2AM, the city was abnormally silent.
...It slightly resembled my hometown. The port town I spent my childhood in. At night, the tide would come into the town and people would shut themselves in their houses as if they were afraid. The empty city was almost like a ship sunk in the bottom of the ocean prompting a younger me to want to run away from that place.
I must have felt that everybody would have forgotten that I existed if I had stayed like that in the bottom of the ocean. I couldn't help thinking of sharing the same fate of old gods that nobody remembered anymore as a curse.
"..."
And now, Fuyuki too had submerged into the ocean depths. This was different from the atmosphere of the Fuyuki I remembered. It was too quiet, it might as well be an abandoned city. Regardless, only the presence of life was evident. I could feel almost countless numbers of creatures breathing. There were presences that I have never experienced before surrounding me. ..."Unknown things" is what my Servant said. I don't want to admit it but it seems that there is credibility to what he says.
"Oooh, wonder what's that?"
We have been walking for some 2 hours. The Servant stopped in his tracks and gazed at a particular residence.
"Whoah. I've been around this area before, but to think there was still something left here."
He spoke with an impressed tone. The house he was looking at was nothing more than a regular building. If there was anything that distinguished it from the other residences, it was the one fact that the lights were on.
"Lady, stay here. You're still not ready. -I'll see what's up first."
The Servant walked towards it on his own accord. I tried to chase after him, Pathetically, I was thrown off by the moonlight.
-I've got to be honest here. I don't know what's up with the other Servants, but, see me? I didn't feel like doing this from the get go.
High-level sorcery. The summoning of beings purified into the level of legends and the giving of form to them to make them familiars. That's what Servants are. Not something as cheap ass as just drawing on a piece of the power of the Epic Spirits, no, it's actually a projection of the guy himself. A resurrection just for the Heaven's Feel. A clone with a short life-span. A Guardian of humanity reborn into the modern era. Sounds nice and dandy! Autonomous weapons ought to be this convenient.
Except, isn't it going a little too far to replicate what's on the inside? Familiars don't need to think. The same definitely applies with Servants. Suppose there's a familiar more powerful than its master. Now, let's say it can think for itself. There's no reason why it won't revolt. I was lucky enough to be summoned by a Master that was my type of woman. Personally, I'm satisfied with her, but it looks like I'm going to be doing some disobeying. For some reason. Ah well, I might not have any complaints about the boss, but I've got a hell of a lot to say about society. I feel like shit, like I was left hanging in the morgue.
Back when I was alive, the world had still been lively. Nowadays, it's dying. Got some several hundred years left before it kicks the bucket and there's nothing anybody can do about it. Being one of those fellers that knew what she was like back in the old days, it wouldn't be right to not be a little angry about her current predicament at all. Of course, it was pretty obvious that she'd be cleaned dry one of these days, but damn, that was fast.
Now, there's a part of me that's got to hate my own species for that filthiness, but another part of me wants to pat them on the back at the same time.
The power of humanity is incredible. The rapid change in morals. Just how many generations of "new" humanity have been born and just how many have been wiped out? Given how fast we are, it's too bad that there haven't been any evolutionary possibilities, other than ones about wasting resources. Wow, us homonids did a great job at moving towards amplifying a ready-made system instead of a new kind of cycle.
But doesn't that mean there's no future ahead? It'd be nice if there'd be some new kind of improvement, if there were any time left. We've already destroyed this much. Where do we want to go? Why have we exhausted the land? Was this good, was this bad? I want results that anyone can understand. It doesn't matter if it's a failure or not.
"Aaah. I've really got to wonder what the others are thinking."
Those of Epic Spirit status must have feelings of animosity towards this era. Then again, Epic Spirits are supposed to be on humanity's side, so that would mean they'd approve of whatever would happen. Just like, how I am the antithesis of that.
Let's say there was this god-like absolute being as a force of good. And let's say he was summoned here. Now, what would he do? Would he approve of it? Would he act to protect us? If he approves, we face extinction. If he protects us, he'll watch on. A sane Epic Spirit would choose the latter. One with a screw loose would happily lend a hand and another with only one screw left would get excited at making the world a better place. Something like, "I am going to save the world!" Wow. I don't ever want to meet that kind of guy, let alone fight him.
Now I might be saying this, but either way, there's one thing I can do. I may be an Epic Spirit, but I'm not that strong. Take a look at all the legends in the world and you still won't find anybody weaker than me. Yaaay, I'm number one! You're damn lucky, Master! Can't get any lower than this! Easy to make up a battle plan since all there is to do is think about how to take on the strong.
...I don't want to think about it, but there's a good chance that lady's stronger than me in pure fighting ability.
An Epic Spirit getting his ass kicked by a human? Heheheh, oh boy, I want to disappear.
"Yeah, I really can't agree with that lady."
Don't cause any deaths, that's what she said. That's the way to go, m'lady Magus of the House of whatever. Can't expect a finer strategy that reeks of sheltered girl on honor roll. Fitting sense of pure humanity for a Master.
But hey? I can't do that. All I can do is kill. Honestly, a bloodless victory is a pain in the ass. I'm already the weakest. I'm not going to be winning if I'm a goody-two shoes. Suppose that this was like a true war. We ought to be relying on the slaughter techniques that man had developed so painstakingly. It may not make much of a difference to Servants, but Masters are humans. It'd be easier to drop dead from mines and explosions like the last time.
"...Well, times have changed. Last time, things were more chaotic weren't they. Life had been cheaper back then, but now..."
This time things are different. The Mage Association is watching oh-so painstakingly carefully. Plus, the system of public safety that modern man has created is not too shabby. If I run wild, the other Masters will figure out where Bazett is from that.
Now, I don't mind finishing off a horde of people nice and fast, but consecutive fighting on consecutive nights is going to exhaust me so I want to avoid that. On that point, the part on Bazett's strategy about not going overboard fits with me fine. Since it does, I'll try my best to follow the Master's plan like a Servant would.
Now then. With that done, let's start talking about what's going on now.
"Wait! What are you going to do?!"
I ignored the voice of my hesitant Master and headed to that house. I don't have to bother checking. The fact that the lights are on means that there are live humans inside.
Unfortunately, I don't have any human or heat detecting abilities. My Servant skill is "nothing". But that's ok. What's inside are humans.
I dematerialized myself and passed through the front door. I manifested my weapon and went towards the peopled living room.
I'll finish this as cruel and fast as always.
Now, for all I know, there could be some accident that the strongest ultra humanoid in all of human history is inside and has powers that surpass an Epic Spirit. No problem whatsoever. The weakest of the Epic Spirits can defeat the most powerful human being. Why? Because...
- It's not something to brag about but, When it comes down to dealing with humans, I'm the strongest.
Blood splashed in the air. The inhabitants were dead. One middle-aged man, 2 boys, one granny, one old man holding a blood stained knife...oh, he's still alive. "-What the hell?" What a disappointment. When I broke in, it was already over.
"Ha....ha.....", he breathed repeatedly. The mad culprit who massacred those 4. He didn't pay any attention to me, probably because he wanted to take out the last geezer.
"Hii, hii, hiiiiii"
The geezer backed himself to the wall and desperately shook his head.
I took a brief look at the grizzly murder scene and method of murder.
The bodies were ravaged to a point past recognition. Blood, flesh, entrails were splendidly scattered about. The choking stench of life, a living space splattered here and there, the end roll for the Brady Bunch.
Pph. Damn clean for a murder scene. Not one trace of dirt. After all, it was murder for murder's sake. No robbing, no raping, no hungering; not one bit of that here.
"Some, somebody, hel-"
I'll save him since he asked. Since it was a surprise blow from behind, the murderer was killed easily.
arai kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #9 on Nov 15, 2005, 6:13pm »
When I ran into that house, it was all over.
"......How could you?"
There were 5 corpses inside. I was able to tell because there had been what appeared to be 5 heads severed from the nose. ......It was a slaughter scene so grotesque that I could not tell how many others there may have been through any other means.
"Sorry 'bout settling things before you got here." The Servant said while standing idly in a pool of fresh blood. "......" ......In the Servant's clenched hand was a warped short sword. A form that seemed to be a mix of the fangs and claws of a beast. Is it meant to be gripped backhanded? I have never seen a weapon as difficult to use as that. So that weapon is his symbol as an Epic Spirit.
"Now, don't look at me like that. How 'bout it? Want me to give you the details?" "No thank you. Your madness and the wounds are similar enough."
The shadow laughed in agreement. There is no need to investigate any further. This situation told me that the cause of this tragedy was that Servant.
"I have one question. Why did you kill them?" "Why ask why? I did it for you. I was just looking for the jackpot. Looking one by one's not different at all as killing 'em one by one. The point is to make sure there are no witnesses, right? Right, so if we keep wiping them out like this, we'll run into a Master one of these days."
"......You......"
This guy, he hadn't listened to anything I said. I was prepared to accept some sacrifices once I went into battle. I am a magus and am no different from a murderer. However, even still.......I never desired this kind of meaningless sacrifice.
"You......do you enjoy killing people?" "Huh? Don't be dumb. It's not like I like doing this. I'm doing the best I can from for what you wanted me to do. Now look. Just because I look like a human, don't think I act like one. When you get to it, aren't Servants supposed to be like this?
"You have not answered my question. I asked you, do you enjoy killing people?" I glared at the Servant. Holding that warped short sword, the Servant,
"Not one bit. First off, if I kill them, I miss out on a lot of fun."
Heheh.
He directed a repugnant laugh as if he wanted me to share in his amusement.
"......You bastard. How dare you call yourself an Epic Spirit."
I can't restrain myself. ......It's strange. I've seen people like him countless times, yet without any reason, I remember feeling disgust at this man's way of living. It somehow feels as if this man must not be forgiven.
"Ok, lady. If you don't like killing, you shouldn't have become a Master. Seriously, its a turnoff. Man, what a waste of a good show. And I was so hoping you would cheer up too." "I see...... I apologize but I cannot answer your expectations. I'm now convinced. We are not going to get along with each other. You are the type of person I hate the most."
I turned my hostility to my own Servant. I directed hatred similar to annoyance at the person I had to gain trust from first. ......I'm not acting right. The immaturity of showing my feelings and hating someone ought to have been discarded long ago.
"......Hm. Fine. I basically hate all things. It'd piss me off if you let your guard down so it suits me fine. Heheh, I think you can call this one way of getting along."
The Servant showed no signs of caring. I hate him and he doesn't think anything of me. So, there will be no cause for friction even if we despise each other, as we have no plans to bond.
"You know though. I kind of like your type."
Except. He said something strange.
"......Why? You said you hate everything. As a Master, I know what kind of Servant you are. Your orientation is not one that is fond of humans." "Well for now, I'll just say you're a good lady. I don't like you, but I got some affection for you."
"......The reason is because I am a woman?" "Not just a woman, a good one. You're the kind that excites me. You've got the kind of body I like, but parts of you, like the elite schoolgirl, or the one that tries to go by society's norms? It's just painful to look at. You understand me? You're turning me on enough to make me want to find a real reason to kill you. Not some job where I just use my own skill."
The shadow laughed. From our connected path, intentions that took on physical attributes flowed in.
-This Servant isn't lying. He hates all things. Naturally, without reason or reward, he sees everything as an object to kill. ......There could be no other explanation. Pure hatred that could turn into a curse just by existing, without having to use the incendiary device of sorcery.
......But, that left me with questions. For someone with as much wont for blood as him to not kill me earlier didn't make any sense.
"......About what you said earlier. You said that you would kill me, but you restrained yourself. How did you hold back your lust for me without being under the influence of a Command Spell?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's cause you're a Master. I just made this rule that you're not human. To get right down into it, you just became the only living thing I don't have the desire to kill. On the outside you might be a woman, but the inside? Not human at all. You've been categorized outside of my playing range."
That was direct. What that supposed to upset me?
"......You mean......you are not going to treat me like a human being?"
I've heard people say before that I'm boring or that I'm not charming, but this has to be the first time I wasn't treated like a woman. Ah, no, he said as a human being, but to me it seemed like he meant that.
"Oh, you can't trust me? This is the best I'm gonna offer. This is your first and last chance? ......Shit, don't get upset. I'm being serious here. Ok ok, so you say you can't see anything? All right, fine. If I give you this, will you trust me?"
So he interpreted my silence as suspicion. He tore out a page of a notepad from the blood-soaked desk and wrote something on it.
"Here ya go. Don't give it to anybody else."
On it was "Certificate of exemption from murder. Valid until end of Heaven's Feel." In well-written Japanese.
"What is this?" "What do you mean what? This is proof you're not a person. With this, anybody can tell that you're not on my hit-list."
"Good for you." He said, pushing the piece of paper into my hands. ......Yes, my earlier confirmation was correct. This Servant and I are hopelessly doomed to not get along.
We could not afford to stay at the murder scene forever. Hurriedly, we left the residence behind. I had my complaints with my Servant acting without my permission, but it was already too late. By continuing to argue with him, the only thing that would result is further mistrust.
......However, there was one thing I felt that was strange about that Servant. I cannot trust this Servant. Masters and Servants are linked. Because of that, I could feel that he was fundamentally the kind that validates his murders and completely kills his opponent ruthlessly no matter who or what.
He is my complete opposite. I complete my missions without leaving room for personal feelings. However, this Servant does so only with personal feelings. He operates only through the emotion of wanting to kill people.
But despite that......
"What? Didn't you say you want to leave? Oh, it must be that. You're planning on ambushing the other Masters that will be investigating this mess, right" "A magus wouldn't fall for a trap as obvious as that and I told you that combat is reserved for the second stage. We will proceed with information gathering, correct?"
"Nah, I'm betting there will be a stupid rookie around. Like the kind that goes on nightly patrols every night and drops dead! If he went around doing his homework, he'd still wouldn't figure out that he'd be wasted by the other Masters. Terminally ill with goodness, ain't it? "......" I ignored my Servant's chatter and walked ahead.
-And yet, Despite all of his negative points, I don't feel that this Servant is unpleasant.
He is the kind of human being that I despise the most. I cannot tolerate him on every level. ......So why is it that I can't completely hate him?
I closed my eyes and focused on our link. ......In exchange for the flowing magical energy, sometimes, I feel something very refreshing. A feeling of homesickness rubbing against the heart, a prayer resembling nostalgia. ......How empty. That emptiness had said to me. The void had told me. I still didn't understand the clear reason why, but this Servant will never betray me. It told me that it would lend that chaotic consciousness to me to grant my wish.-
We resumed our patrol. This night we focused our investigation on Shinto.
The Shinto investigation ended in about 2 hours. We were unable to detect any traces of magi. In addition, the "unknown things" the Servant mentioned was colored with truth. As of yet, a part of me finds it hard to believe, but Fuyuki is definitely changing. All over I can feel an unusual presence. It is as if we are always being watched. -Around the city, there were slight tears.
On a different note, while there are large traces of magical energy, there are absolutely no signs of sorcery. ......Which would mean that this isn't magical energy accumulation caused by a Master. The only feasible possibility is that there is something feeding on the inhabitants of this city irrelevant to the war. No Masters would benefit from this. Doing this would instead force a halt to the Heaven's Feel.
"I see. If it was an outside magus that had heard about the Heaven's Feel......"
That would mean there was a magus that desired the Holy Grail but was not chosen as a Master. Perhaps out of a twisted desire for vengeance, he was trying to disrupt the ritual? Another possibility was that he received a contract from another association to disrupt the Heaven's Feel. Regardless of which, it was obvious that there was an 8th magus in Fuyuki.
"An 8th one? You're telling me another nuisance popped up?" "......I cannot say for sure, but there is a high likelihood that it is true. It is clear that an unidentified magus is trying to intervene in the 5th Heaven's Feel. I have no idea what his objective may be but......"
He was starting off by breaking the rules of the Heaven's Feel. He was not just my enemy, no, we should think of him as the enemy of all the Masters.
"Oh ho. What kind of a guy is he?" "He has no confidence in direct combat but he is skilled at constructing large-scale fields. He is probably more suited for defense rather than offense. He has not learned sorcery probably......his is a mix of black sorcery and druid concepts." "No, no, that's not what I meant. I wanted to know if he's strong or weak." "As a magus, his skill is elementary. However......"
The remaining magical energy traces were extremely dense. Magical energy is only fuel to activate sorcery. By itself, it has no effect. However, there are cases when it can leave behind a form, only limited to those times when magical energy itself bears traits similar to sorcery. For example, I have heard that the Einzberns gave a personality to their Holy Grail. If that personality has mana, then it naturally possesses the sorcery trait of "wish granting." Should the vital operations and its functions as a Holy Grail be directly connected to each other, it ought to be able to perform the miracle of "sorcery" merely by releasing magical energy.
The "incarnated demon" of the Holy Church also falls into this category. Those that were created as "demons" rather than as lifeforms can use higher level sorcery than humans. Our magical energy circuits are nothing more than pseudo-nerves. An ability that was added later behind our nervous system. However, "demons" do not use these. To them, all of their organic functions are meant to draw upon energy. I hear the Church calls these "natural demons". Different from imposters that bear a hide of human concepts to become a unique identity, they are true "demons" that the Lord had commanded before man would name them, or so I hear.
"......Regardless, it appears that he is a dangerous interloper. If this magus is a careless fool, we need not heed attention to him. If however, he was a freelancer hired by the Church, he will be a force to be reckoned with. ......Now that I mention it, the one who won the previous war was......"
A freelance magus hired by the Einzberns. His name was Emiya Kiritsugu. A combat magus that had retired from the front lines by the time I had been assigned to sealing missions, taken in by the Einzberns. Our occupations are natural enemies. Had he still been active, I would have fought him numerous times.
While the situation is becoming more unstable, I can't change my policy because I have one more enemy. I will proceed with an investigation of all the Masters, causing as little damage to the people of this city as possible.
The problem is what to do next. It was obvious that my Servant's abilities were low ranking. In a straight-out fight on pure ability, he will eventually exhaust himself and lose.
I had to think of an order of who to fight, but I knew very well who our final opponent ought to be.
The lineage of Holy Grails, Einzbern.
It has been said that they have prepared the most powerful for this war. In the past, I have fought a homunculus created by the Einzberns. ......Being a failed creation facing disposal, it ran away from Einzbern territory and survived by sipping on mud in a city of man.
I was responsible for destroying it, but the results were bitter. Even considering that at that time I was still inexperienced, that the Einzberns produced Homunculi was tougher than many magi.
The same Einzberns have produced a Master for this battle that they believe to be the most powerful. In all honesty, I can't even see any chance of victory at this stage. Until I discover what tricks the enemy has up their sleeves, fighting against the Einzberns is suicidal.
In the forest on the outskirts of the city lies the old castle that the Einzberns control. ......The day we invade that forest will most likely be the day my Heaven's Feel will end.
The last place we came to was a hilltop graveyard for foreigners. I suppose it was because the shadow of the Einzberns slipped into the back of my mind. I felt weak, disoriented from a headache. ......I really......didn't want to come here.
"What's wrong, Master? Got something on your mind?"
I must have looked like I was worried. My Servant was unexpectedly seriously concerned about my body.
I allowed myself to be taken in by his sudden consideration,
"Allow me to ask you a foolish question. Do you believe that I can win......?"
And put into words that weak uncertainty that I had attempted not to think about.
"......" The Servant changed his expression. Keeping the base of his mouth twisted with sarcasm, he turned his back to me.
"It's still early to be worried about that. Whether you win or lose, you have to first figure out what to fight......" It was a strained voice, Said while bent forward like a beast with prey before his eyes.
"......God damn. It's just not my day. Looks like we don't have time to be worrying."
He grinned. What he saw was a Master and Servant.
"......!"
I felt powerful magical energy. The Command Spells on my left arm brightened. She was still young, but had a genius that far surpassed myself.
"Good evening, magus of the valley peasants. I wonder if there is a need to introduce ourselves?
She was probably from one of the great houses. Her eyes were full of derision.
To her side was another figure. I could not tell which class she belonged to, but the fact that a Master brought her meant she must be a Servant.
"......" I removed from my chest pocket leather gloves with inscribed runes of protection. I took out them out along with something......hard. Why was I carrying this earring? Why had I tucked it away so importantly? I had my doubts, but now wasn't the time for them.
I put gloves on both of my fists. The girl waited politely for me to make my move. ......I regretted not bringing the rack with me. If I survive, I'll make sure to carry it even if I am out only for investigations. While I shouldn't use my trump card immediately, having it increases the range of my strategy.
"-I will determine how strong the enemy is. You will engage the Servant." "Gotcha."
Not taking any care to see what she would do, he rushed towards the girl's Servant.
The two figures clashed. I passed by the side and ran towards the defenseless Master.
"Ha! So you were only a nameless peasant! Very well! Be honored to be killed by the Edelfelts!"
She fired a scatter of Gandr. A one action spell, preventing close-combat. This wasn't just a metaphor, her sorcery was an explosive gun.
-Edelfelt. A noble family of Finland. The Ore Scales. The same Edelfelt that produced many masters of the Gandr......! This generation's young head was praised as the pride of their lineage, but now that I've seen how skilled she was, I can agree......!
I didn't block the Gandr aimed at both sides of my thigh. I kept moving, parrying only the Gandr that would hit my upper body with my left fist.
"......You, you blocked my Gandr with only your bare hands-!?"
I moved in. My left fist which had been lowered to the base of my chest, struck aimed at the side of her stomach, where her kidneys were.
"Gu........!?"
I was blown backwards. A figure behind her protected her from a body blow and I had been repelled backwards.
"......" A swordsman stood in my way. -A Servant. There was no denying it. That was a Servant.
"Then......who was the......"
The moment I tossed my eyes, the battle was over.
"Saber, help!"
The other girl screamed. Saber defeated my Servant, while the girl had ordered her to. ......How appallingly weak. With just one flash of steel, not even able to match sword against sword, my Servant had his head pierced and vanished.
"Pathetic. This has gotten dull. Saber, end this quickly. When you're done, let's go back and enjoy a hot cup of coffee."
Saber nodded silently.
"......"
I was defeated, without being able to completely use my weapons. ......So, this was Saber. This didn't make any sense. The two girls were both using a different "Saber".
"It seems your studying was inadequate. I assume you have never heard that the heads of the Edelfelt family are always sisters?"
Sisters - that is their blood line sorcery trait. The normally forbidden notion of two successors was the reason why they were called "scales". Then......the two of them are one Master and summoned two different sides of the same Epic Spirit......!
"That is one down. Be honored to have been killed by us and squirm in the humiliation of being the first to be defeated. The number of remaining Masters is now 5."
Her voice echoed to the moon. Saber, speechless, without showing any hints of emotion,
Struck her sword, into my chest.
-My conscious is being severed. The moon is cycling like a white skull.
And thus came the end of my Heaven's Feel, once again.
arai kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #10 on Nov 15, 2005, 6:41pm »
I'll probably only stick to the events listed in the Hollow part of the scenes. I've kind of ended up picking up a bad time to do these to be honest, so there's a real good chance I'll just drop out halfway through.
Quote:
Nice work so far. Question though, what will you do regarding translations if you decide to move on, especially since there are many events?
Or do you just plan on covering the ones most important to the storyline? (e.g., whatever's in the "hollow" scene list)
Keiko Arukawa kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Break the Heavens
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,048 Location: The Land East of Eden
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #11 on Nov 15, 2005, 7:40pm »
My hat is off to you, Arai. ::bows:: I'll see about reading it once I find some time to devote myself to such a large volume of text (and mrtags is going to throw fits about using that time to read this rather than the fanfiction I promised I'd get to ^_^' ). Take your time, and keep up the good work!
It'll be funny if F/ha gets translated before F/sn does.
ΏΥ€ΞΎ³½η ΤΒΌ§ Fate/Stay Night EmagEvil, le Jeu de la Vie. Playing Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou VS Abbadon King for the third time! I know, my daily routine will definitvely change when i will get a PS3!
arai kρ\΅c@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Heaven's Feel Backnight 1 « Reply #13 on Nov 17, 2005, 10:19am »
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