Chapter 6: Archer & Assassin

Silvio Gouma, a stuck up prince, was growing rather impatient, waiting for Darnic to finish the magic circle Silvio would use to call forth his Servant. The prince had requested (more like demanded) that he be able to summon a powerful Servant. An artifact had been prepared for Silvio in advance. This artifact was a bloodstained arrow. The arrow was used by a legendary archer who killed an army of ten-thousand men all on his own. This archer was known by many names, but the most common was "Arrow of Fate." He served the king of a weak kingdom which came to face countless crises. Everything from famine to plague to war. The archer did everything he could to protect his homeland, but it all proved to be in vain. His country was destroyed and his king ordered him to escape with the king's daughter. He protected her for almost a decade, then met his end at the hands of a deadly disease. Truly, a tragic story.

Prince Silvio, however, did not care about the tragedy of the story. All he cared about was that this Archer would be a very formidable Servant. With him and the support the King of Koura had promised, Silvio was convinced his victory would be all but guaranteed. When he won the war, Silvio will have carved a place for himself in history. He planned to become a legend that people would still speak of a millennia later. The great hero who defeated six powerful foes, obtained the Holy Grail, became king and married a beautiful princess, Silvio thought to himself. He could not help but smirk and laugh as he imagined his future.

As the prince dreamed of his future glory, the sorcerer Darnic Von Aizen was slowly and carefully preparing the Summoning Circle. He was using the blood of various animals with the arrow at the center of the circle. Silvio grew tired of his fantasies and yelled at Darnic to hurry up. From what Silvio has heard, Darnic has been the Head of the Military Magic Research Department for almost sixty years. Yet, he still looks no older than thirty. Darnic has long, black hair in a tight ponytail. His eyes are dark-gray and his skin is somewhat pale. The latter was probably because he spent most of his time in this dark basement that had once been a dungeon beneath the royal palace. Darnic wears a simple military officer's uniform. He also keeps his hands glove almost constantly to hide terrible burns. No one knows how Darnic burned his hands, but everyone is grateful he keeps them covered. Silvio found particularly hideous and he only saw them once.

"My prince, the circle is finished." Darnic said.

"It's about time!" Silvio replied as he approached the circle. "Now, give me the summoning spell. I am eager to meet the Servant that will help me write my legend."

Darnic bowed while holding out a scroll. Silvio grabbed the scroll abruptly. The spoiled prince read the scroll quickly and said the spell.

"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill your mind, body and soul with nothing but your heart's truest desire. Come forth, so that I may achieve honor and glory beyond my wildest dreams. With thy aid, the power of wishes shall be mine. Now, I order you, appear before me!"

The instant Silvio stopped reciting the spell, red lightning erupted from the circle. This lightning moved in random directions around the room, at first. Silvio nearly fell backwards trying to avoid the lightning. After a minutes, the red lightning gathered in the center of the circle and took on a physical form. In an instant, the lightning became a man of flesh and blood. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, despite having only gray hair. His eyes were also gray with fierce determination behind them. He wore armor made of gold and white painted metals. His armor covered every part of his body, except his head. In his right hand, he held a wooden bow that had clearly been carved with the utmost precision.

"I am Aster Phoenix." He said. "In this Holy Grail War, I am of the Archer Class of Servants. I ask you, are thou my master."

"Showing Aster his newly acquired Command Seals, Silvio answered, "Yes, I am your master. You will aid me in my quest for the Holy Grail, Archer."

Aster nodded. "The contract is now sealed. Let us claim the Grail."

Silvio grinned. Finally, my legend begins!

Suddenly, one of the palace sentries burst into the room. Silvio scolded him, angry that his moment of glory had been spoiled.

"You fool!" Silvio shouted. "How dare you enter this disturb us! I could have you beheaded for this, you peasant!"

"A thousand apologies, my lord!" The sentry replied, bowing as low as he could. "I meant no disrespect! Please forgive me!"

Before Silvio could speak, Darnic said to him, "I do not believe you need be so harsh on this man. No doubt he came here to deliver some important news or inform us of an emergency. One should not be punished for such an act."

The sentry looked at Darnic in the way a dying man looks at someone who just saved them.

"Very well." Silvio said. "Now, tell us what you came here to say, peasant."

"Sire, someone has kidnapped Princess Elaine." The sentry informed them.

"What?!" Silvio exclaimed. "How did this happen?!"

"We are uncertain at this time." The sentry replied, becoming nervous from the furious way Prince Silvio was looking at him. "However, we believe that the kidnapper was a Servant."

Silvio could not believe what he was hearing. "How can this be?! An enemy Master has taken the princess! Darnic, I am going to take the lead in the search effort! That Servant and its Master will regret ever crossing me by taking what rightfully belongs to me!"

With that said, Silvio march out of the room, only to return when he realized that his Servant had not followed him.

"Archer! Come along!" Silvio ordered.

Since Archer had been summoned, he had been staring at Darnic. Unknown to anyone, even those most familiar with his legend, Aster Phoenix had a power. An ability to foresee the fate of whoever he laid eyes on. However, he could not see this man's fate. Also, Aster felt there was something eerie about Darnic. His instincts told him this sorcerer was dangerous. He made a mental note to be careful around him. As his Master grew more frustrated with him, Aster decided to hurry and follow him.

When there was no one left in Darnic's chamber, a figure literally emerged from his shadow. This individual wore a red kabuki mask over their face, a long black coat and had red hair. Not an millimeter of this person's skin was visible. He moved in front of Darnic with making the slightest sound. He did not even seem to be breathing.

"Assassin, what do you have to report?" Darnic asked.

"My Master, it seems that the Servant who abducted the princess was summoned by the girl in question." His voice was in a monotone.

"Why in the world would she wish to participate in the Holy Grail War?" Darnic inquired.

"I am unsure," Assassin replied. "However, every has a wish they want granted. It would seem she believes that to have her wish realized, she must win the Holy Grail War."

Darnic let out a hearty laugh. "What a foolish girl! The Holy Grail War is not something a spoiled princess could possible survive, let alone win!"

"Am I to assume we will be going after her first?" Assassin asked.

"No, no." Darnic said. "We have the little prince deal with her. He wants to marry her so he can takeover Koura as its new monarch. No matter what she wants, Silvio will never allow her to run away. He will force her to marry him. The two of them will, without a doubt, fight each other to the death to achieve their wishes."

"You are a wise man, Master." Assassin said. "So, what will be our first move."

"First, I will need to test my new creation." Darnic replied. "For that, we will need another living Master and a corpse. I already have a corpse prepared. Can you procure a Master for me?"

"Yes, I will go now." Assassin answered, then disappeared into the shadows.

Alone again, Darnic made an evil smirk, thinking of his plans.