Thursday, July 11, 2019

Chapter 4 : Triple threat


A girl with short brown, straight bob hair, with blue eyes and a school uniform, ran scared through the night streets of Ibaraki. The girl was chased by a man wearing a blue shirt with jeans and boots.
The girl stopped for a moment to catch her breath but then immediately started running again to avoid being reached by her pursuer. She turned towards an alley and, in an attempt to sow the man, cast a spell in front of her: on the ground appeared a circular symbol representing a bird. She jumped over the symbol and suddenly jumped very high and landed on the roof of a house.
The man lost track of the girl and then a grim male voice behind him murmured:
« You lost her. »
« No, I don't. » He replied, annoyed.
« I tell you, you lost her. Leave it to me, maybe it's better for both of us. »
« Shut up. I tell you I didn't lose her! Let me do it. »
The man had three purses attached to the right side of the trouser belt; he opened one and from there he pulled out a small test tube containing red sand. He opened the test tube by removing a plastic cap and poured all the sand onto the floor. He put the tube away. He bent down and touched the sand with one hand and then said:
« жить! »
The red sand rose and generated a strange bipedal creature as tall as a monkey, with sharp teeth and long legs. The monstrous creature began to climb the buildings and quickly reached the girl, who hoped to be able to save herself.
The terrible creature was about to hurt the girl with his sharp nails but was killed by an arrow. The creature returned a pile of red sand without form or life.
The girl saw a tall man appear in front of her, with a medieval armor in shining steel and wearing a long blue cloak. The man, with short black hair and very fine mustaches, held a large silver bow with gold decorations. As soon as the girl saw him she smiled and said:
« Better late than never. »
« Forgive me, princess, it won't happen again. But now I have to deal with the wicked. »
« Be careful, Archer. I don't want you to hurt yourself for me. »
« Ah! As if I could ever fall at the hands of the enemy! I am a victorious! I fear no one and do not lose against anyone! Come forward, my enemies! Let's see how strong you really can be! » 
The man, on the ground, saw that his creature had been killed by Archer and asked to the being in the shadow behind him:
« Is that Archer? »
« So it would seem. » The grim voice answered in the darkness.
« Take care of him. I take care of his Master. »
«As you wish. »
The shadow disappeared. 
In front of Archer appeared this being dressed as a Jesuit monk and with his face covered by the hood. Archer without hesitation leaped forward and shot as many as three arrows against the mysterious being but it managed to dodge all three of them without even moving.
Archer, startled, tried to shoot another arrow but the man caught it and broke it in half with the use of one hand.
« You are skillful. » Commented Archer.
« I don't need your compliments, knight. »
« I'm trying to be respectful. »
« Shut up, please, you're really ridiculous. You knights think only of things like respect, honor and virtue, but in the end you are only hypocrites. »
« Who are you to talk about me like this? » Archer asked, annoyed. 
« I'm just a ghost. »
The hooded being evoked around his hands a curtain of black smoke that took the form of two daggers and threw them at Archer; the latter had to avoid both blows and responded immediately by shooting two more arrows but the being suffered no damage from them.
Only then did Archer realize that the arrows were passing through the body of the being.
« How is this possible? What are you? Are you a Caster? » Archer asked, upset.
« Maybe ... or maybe not. »
« May you be cursed, you rascal! I will make you pay! » 

While the two Servants were fighting on the roofs of the city, the girl ran down the street but was suddenly attacked by a dog made of black sand.
The girl got back on her feet and saw the bald man who was following her, coming. That man had the air of one who was ready to kill her. He stopped in front of her, with his hands in his pockets and a victorious grin on his face.
With an arrogant tone he said to the girl:
« Nice to meet you, my name is Sergei Rybakov. I'm sorry to have to know such a tender prey at such an inconvenient time but I need to kill you. » 
The girl immediately got up and without a moment of hesitation she generated a magic circle on the ground, in the center of it there was the image of a tiger. The girl jumped in and was suddenly enveloped in a blue-colored energy and punched Sergei in the face, so strong that it flipped him over. After that, the girl started running again.
The black sand dog, however, stood before the girl and tried to bite her; she threw herself on the ground, avoiding the dog's attack, then, after doing a somersault, she stood up again and started running again, but this time she was stopped by the sudden appearance of a tall man wearing an elegant blue suit and he had sunglasses.
The man smiled at the scared girl and kicked her to the ground. When Sergei reached the place he saw that man with long black hair and white tips; enraged he asked him:
« Who the hell would you be ?! »
« Tetsuya. Murakawa Tetsuya. I am the one who will kill you both. »
He took a packet of cigarettes and a lighter out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He lit a cigarette quietly and then, with a calm manner, raised his hand and with his fingers invited Sergei to come forward to fight him.
« Play with me, you bastard? All right, then let's play! » Shouted Sergei. 
The black sand dog launched at Tetsuya but the latter hit him with a kick that completely pulverized him. Sergei, bewildered, backed away and at that moment he noticed a woman armed with a spear and dressed in light warrior clothes that resembled those of a Greek hoplite.
Sergei immediately understood that it was a Servant and then he began to worry about his Servant.
Tetsuya saw the girl get up and pulled her up, grabbing her by the dress, then asked her:
« What's your name? »
« Harumi. »
« Just Harumi? »
« Fukano Harumi. » She said, frightened. 
« Tell me, Fukano, do you realize that this war is not a game? I expected to fight real wizards not  a little girl. Do you realize that your life is at stake? »
« I know it perfectly. I don't need anyone to tell me like you. »
« Perfect, then we have nothing left to tell us. »
Tetsuya threw the girl against a wall and approached her to crush her head with his foot. Sergei Rybakov unexpectedly came and pushed Tetsuya down with his shoulder and then punched him in the face with his fist. Tetsuya, however, did not even utter a hint of pain and in turn attacked Sergei, hitting him with a series of punches in the stomach and in the face. 

Meanwhile the two Servants who were fighting were interrupted by the third Servant, dressed like a hoplite, holding a long spear with a golden tip. The arrival of this woman caught both Servants, who had not perceived her, aback.
Archer, seeing her, asked:
« Are you here to fight or to talk? »
« I'm here to kill you. »
« Fair enough. » Commented Archer, joking.
The woman used the spear to hit both Archer and the being dressed as a monk: the first was overturned by the blow but the second suffered no damage. The woman, surprised, jumped back and pointing the weapon at the man said:
« What the hell would you be? A Caster? Why didn't this spear kill you? »
« Maybe your spear sucks. » He replied. 
Archer, meanwhile, recovered and said:
« So in this beautiful three-man battle we have an Archer, a Lancer and a finger in the ass. »
Lancer immediately attacked Archer who, with a feline reflex, dodged the different blows of the woman, distanced himself and shot five different arrows; Lancer pushed the arrows away, spinning his spear; Lancer picked up speed and launched himself at Archer, hitting him in mid-air; Archer had to repel the enemy by using the bow, parrying some shots and, thanks to an aerial somersault, he gained a few meters away again.
Archer observed:
« You must be an Amazon. The way you dress and fight immediately makes me think of an Amazon. But I'd like to know what you are. » 
« Would you like to find out, isn't it? »
« If you showed me your Noble Phantasm … »
« I'm sorry, it won't happen. I'll kill you without the use of my Noble Phantasm. » 
« Why are you ignoring me, you two? » Asked the man dressed as a monk.
« If you don't want to be ignored, fight and get hit. » Archer answered.
« I don't think I'll do so. »
The man threw several knives made of black smoke against Archer and Lancer. The two had to be sheltered to avoid being hit in vital points.
Archer got up and shot an arrow but it was torn to pieces by one of the black knives; Archer was wounded in the shoulder and so he was forced to lower himself and exclaimed to his rival:
« Nice shot! » 
Archer leaped and, using the blood of his wound, summoned a crimson-colored magic arrow which he then hurled at the man dressed as a monk. The impact of the arrow unleashed a gigantic scarlet explosion. Archer landed on the roof of a house and when he realized that his enemy was still standing and had not been injured, he snorted in annoyance:
« You are really stubborn, I congratulate you. But a man like you can never defeat me! »
« What kind of skill was that? Did you just use your blood to make an explosive arrow? »
« This is the Honor of Trotton! My blood will not be shed unnecessarily! And now you die! » 
Archer shot two more crimson arrows that triggered two more explosions, but the enemy was still alive and well.
Lancer took the opportunity to attack Archer from behind but the latter dodged the blow and kicked the woman's head, the shot sent Lancer's helmet off.
« You have beautiful black hair. » Archer commented, boldly.
« Go to hell! »
Lancer was ready to pierce Archer's heart but suddenly an earthquake burst the ground and opened up an immense chasm. The Servants were forced to retreat. That earthquake was abnormal. The cause was certainly magical. 

Archer joined Harumi and said:
« We have to leave. The other Servants are retiring with their Masters. »
« What is happening? » Asked her, frightened.
« I have no idea. But it's not a normal earthquake. Come on, we need to leave. »
Archer picked up Harumi and carried her away.

The earthquake opened a two-kilometer chasm in Ibaraki. More than a thousand people were killed by that catastrophic event that had nothing natural about it. The news reports called this event: the Ibaraki Disaster.

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