Fate: Beyond the Gate

7

Belut Wildman had seen many odd things in his life as a scout for the Beastman Alliance, but this was just something else. He was a half-bird man gliding in the sky under the cover of the darkness.
A

legion of Empire soldiers had besieged his stationed Beastman Alliance camp, and their numbers were too large to believe that they'd discovered this location only by accident. The subsequent siege had begun at mid-morning and had yet to end despite night falling.
Torches were lit and carried by numerous Empire soldiers who'd yet to notice Belut observing them in the air. His present task was to ascertain whether or not the Empire had any more reinforcement coming along as this was the only explanation to explain their continued assault.
In fact, there was supposed to be a supporting unit set to arrive, but said unit had met with trouble and wouldn't ever be arriving.
Belut however had no knowledge of this, and was taking his duty seriously. The siege was tough on the current members of the alliance inside the fort as their numbers were dwarfed by the attackers.
If not for the fort's defenses and focused fire on the Empire's battering rams, the fort would have long since fallen. As for the Empire's ballistae or trebuchet?
There were none.
The logistics in carrying or assembling such weapons in a dense forest without dirt roads was almost impossible. More importantly, they were too large and too loud not to be noticed by the keen senses of Beastmen.
In any case, the Empire's Legion ended up creating battering rams out of toppled trees.
The defenders had repelled the Legion's attempts to break down the fort's front gate using their reserves of heated lard which were poured down from murder holes up above. However, their lard was running out, and pouring boiling water didn't prove nearly as effective.
Where are they?
Belut remained vigilant for any signs of further enemies.
His allies in the Alliance fort were holding out, but they were already performing at their best. If anymore Empire troops arrived, this fort would fall. In which case, rather than make a last stand, they would retreat in order to fight another die.
He was regretful that the fall of this fort would mean the despair of the warrior bunnies barely keeping themselves alive from the Empire's invasion, but there was nothing that could be done.
The warrior bunnies were a large race of beastmen prolific enough to create their own kingdom with their own numbers, yet such a formidable kingdom was forced into duress by the Empire.
The ruling Queen of the warrior bunnies had called numerous times to the Beastmen Alliance for aid, but until now there hadn't been a response. The beastmen were too divided in their territories and messages took time to deliver.
The warrior bunnies were already on the cusp of utter defeat with the Queen at her wits end by the time the Alliance responded.
The Beastmen stationed and fighting in this fort including Belut himself were part of the reinforcements the warrior bunnies desperately needed. Word had already been sent about their aid, and if they were defeated here, the Queen of the warrior bunnies may need to do something drastic in order to save her people.
Belut flapped his wings and hovered in place while his eyes narrowed upon the figure of a silver woman in a maid uniform leisurely walking into the middle of the battlefield.
The odd colouration of the woman's skin and her general demeanor itself was far from human, instantly causing him to dismiss her as an ally of the Empire. Why was he so quick to this assumption? Well, this was because the Empire's Legionaries were aiming their arrows at her.
The woman didn't even seem to care, remaining entirely indifferent as she walked towards the fort's walls where the defenders and attackers were engaging in combat.
"Are you crazy?" He murmured up in the air.
He wanted to yell a warning at her, but couldn't do so lest he expose his position.
Weird or not, the woman must have been a beastman of sorts, as they come in all shapes and varieties. The luster of the woman's skin was the same as metal, and her weight must have been considerable as she left deep grooves with every step.
What sort of beastman was she?
Even with all his experience, Belut couldn't get a read on this woman because all at once, she became the center of attention.
A slime?
The Empire Legionaries that had trained their arrows on her had shot her as soon as the woman had gotten close enough, and the present result was dumbfounding.
Several arrows had pierced through her chest, stomach, and legs. The arrow fletching's were all that could be seen with how deeply the arrows were lodged. Some even penetrated directly through, leaving holes on her stomach and one directly through her left eye.
There was no blood spilt or agonizing scream. Instead, rather than the red of flesh, or the white of bone, viscous silver fluid filled in the gaps like water filling a bowl.
Slowly, the lost eye reformed with all the other injuries. As for the arrows lodged into her, her body began to ripple before said arrows clattered to the ground, utterly ineffective.
There was a chilling air of utter disbelief and denial after all this.
Belut theorized this woman was half-slime due to the physical imperviousness she exhibited, but he'd never seen one before. No, more than just that; was it even possible for a human to breed offspring from a slime?
Not the time.
Besides, beastmen don't discriminate against each other. This would only reduce them to the level of the humans who already discriminate against them.
Gliding to the top of the fort's outpost, Belut landed on the roof in order to view the situation clearer. He possessed eagle eyes and could see things in detail from far away, but it was still difficult to see in the night.
The woman looked down at herself and nodded after verifying that her appearance was impeccable.
A second later, and several more arrows came to shoot at her. This time, she narrowed her eyes and batted them away with her hands.
The clang of metal and the grating of sparks were clear for all to see.
Hardening? No, Belut's pupils dilated.
This beastwoman was made entirely of metal.
She was impervious, and even if she was damaged, the remarkable regenerative ability she'd already displayed was still on everyone's minds. This beastwoman was practically a tool of war.
A one-man army.
Was she here to help?
This was obviously the question in the minds of everyone in the Beastmen Alliance.
Wordlessly, the steel woman placed her arms on either side, and all watched as she lost form and melted down into a puddle that disappeared into the earth. A second later, and like someone pinching a piece of fabric and pulling at the center, she appeared in the middle of the Empire Legion.
"What the hell?" The nearest Legionnaire scrambled back, spooked at the mystery exuding from this woman.
This legionnaire's cry of alarm was met with indifferent eyes that gradually turned to stare at the sword that had just tried to cut off her head. The edge of the blade was grating against her neck, but she didn't even seem to care.
Belut and the other watched as the woman slowly traced her gaze up the blade of the sword, then up to the arm holding it, then onto the terrified wielder's face.
She raised a hand and pointed a finger right between the person's eyes.
-Squelch.
With the penetrative force of a nail, the finger bore directly through the man's head before gradually retracting.
-Thump.
The man fell dead. Just like that.
Elsewhere.
"Well, I believe that's enough of a distraction," Reines idly inspected her work as if she didn't just instigate murder. She batted her eyes and then looked curiously at everyone else. "Would you prefer Trimmao to kill them all, or do you want to participate?"
Tuka looked appalled at how crass Reines sounded, but Caila nodded solemnly while placing a hand on Tuka's shoulder.
"No mercy should be shown to enemies," Caila advised with a stern look. "In my experience out hunting in the woods, the predator that can't kill will starve. The hunter who feels too much empathy for their target will never amount to anything."
"But-"
Caila cut off Tuka as she tried to reason.
Meanwhile, Shirou was sighing. "You couldn't have tried to reason with them?" He asked somewhat disappointedly.
Reines regarded Shirou lightly, nearly laughing at the naivety of that statement. "By their dress and armour, they are affiliated to the same men who threatened to sell me as a slave," she said dismissively. "I'd already tried to reason with such brutes, but clearly the best method of reasoning is by setting an example."
At this, Shirou was at a loss for words, but he still wanted to argue that not everyone was like that. However, he received the same treatment as Tuka. Caila placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
"Empathy mustn't be shown to enemies," Caila stressed before nodding and standing with her arms crossed.
"Emiya, you're too soft," Waver took a puff from a smoke and grimaced.
Meanwhile, the two other members of the Beastman Alliance that had acted as the group's escorts were still staring dumbfoundedly at Reines. To this world's residents, the magecraft Waver and Reines had displayed was already beyond most magics the native inhabitants thought possible.
At first, the two members of the Alliance didn't know what sort of help just a few mages could contribute, but now they were thoroughly floored. Unlike the others in the Alliance defending in the fort, they new for a fact that Trimmao was born from the effect of a magic.
"Well?" Reines said absently. "No one's answered my question yet, and those fools have started shooting at Trimmao again."
Indeed.
One look in the distance revealed dozens of arrows pelting down on Trimmoa that pierced harmlessly through her.
"It's not working! Burn it! Burn it with fire and magic!" The frantic yells of the Empire's Legion echoed across the expanse.
Soon enough, numerous torches sailed towards Trimmao, lighting up the ground at its feet.
"As if that would do anything," Reines scoffed while watching all this.
Trimmao was a product of magecraft and liquid mercury. With mercury's already low melting point, the fires meant nothing as it would just remain in its liquid state.
As for magic? The simple fire spells and rudimentary explosions only served to splatter Trimmao into tiny puddles which quickly congregated back together.
"Is that thing immortal?" The words of the Beastmen Alliance escorts fell on deaf ears.
"Against the inept? Trimmao might as well be," Reines eventually answered in a flippant manner; a glint of pride shining in her eyes before she returned to the matter in question. "Should I kill them all, or will you take the opportunity to earn goodwill towards yourselves by participating in this battle?"
Everyone blinked in surprise, but only Waver gave Reines a flat look. Evidently, Waver could guess what Reines was trying to do.
"Then we'll be off," the beastmen representatives wasted no time and began heading towards the battlefield.
The second person to try to follow along was a certain red-head who was already up on his feet and walking.
"Not you Emiya," Reines narrowed her eyes, biting down on her lower lip in exasperation.
Shirou stopped in place unsure of what he was doing wrong, but Reines didn't give the opportunity to speak.
"You," Reines pointed at Caila and Tuka. "You elves may go first. We'll come right after."
Caila and Tuka listened to Reines, but in the end, the both of them looked towards Shirou for confirmation heedless of the miffed expression Reines was making in response. From a third-person stand point it looked as if she was inferior to Shirou in authority despite being a future Lord of the Clock Tower.
It inwardly made her unhappy.
"Go ahead," Shirou could feel Reine's stare on him and nodded towards Tuka and Caila.
Caila gave a light curtsy before grabbing Tuka's hand and pulling her along before she could say anything.
Shirou eyes trailed their gradually shrinking figures, worried that they may find themselves in over their heads. Unlike the forest, there were no trees for the two to hide in while shooting with their bows on this battlefield.
"Must be nice, huh?" Reines's snappish tone took Shirou by surprise. She was pouting, yet too dignified to admit it. It didn't stop her mouth though. "You spent a bit more time with the elves and suddenly you're their prophet."
Shirou was at a loss for words. He didn't want to offend Reines, and his instinct warned him that any excuse or explanation he could give was the same as stepping on a landmine. Her mood wasn't good. It was better to keep silent, but, how could he?
"Why aren't we going yet?" He asked.
Reines gave him a look before grunting while Waver discreetly signalled for him to stop while he was ahead.
"Big brother, set up a transmogrify spell," Reines said rather than answer Shirou.
Waver slumped his shoulders. The proud Lord El-Melloi II in the eyes of the Clock Tower was nothing but a mere slave in the presence of the true person of authority in charge of his life. He was a grunt left doing the tedious shit.
As for the need for the transmogrify spell? Well, this was simple.
The Beastmen Alliance wouldn't so easily trust humans, so if they could look the part, it was all the better.
"Relax Emiya," Reines called out while Waver got to work.
Shirou's gaze kept darting back to the battlefield constantly, his hands balling into fists.
Was he that motivated to help others?
Reines didn't particularly care as she envisioned genuine entertainment at his antics in the future, but now was the time for business.
"Remember Emiya, we're not the ones that need their help," she stressed word for word, her eyes catching Shirou's own. "They're the one's that need ours, and unlike yourself most magi don't act for free. Why do you think I let those elves and the escorts go first?"
Everything was for the sake of bargaining power.
The direr the situation gets, the greater impact it will be when they arrive and display their craft. This will give them a larger advantage when negotiating for their aid.
This was the real reason she didn't start a massacre. The elves, the beastmen, the ambience of this new world, everything could be used to further one's research to the Root. However, that didn't mean Reines was the type to handle things by force.
There's a moral difference between having the high ground or not, and she preferred to act in this distinction. For example, the difference between a voluntary research subject and a forced one was like night and day.
Another example was Waver. She gave him the 'choice' to act as the standing representative of her House as El-Melloi the second. True it was a tad extreme, but she maintained her dignity and that's what mattered here.
"If you're worried about any of the beastmen or the elves dying, then don't be. Trimmao will make sure to prevent that," Reines consoled, yet this statement was rife with ulterior motives.
Still, to Shirou, it didn't change the fact that those words gave him a sense of relief.
Reines smiled feeling like everything was under control and going smoothly in this new reality.
It would only be later in the future that she'd realize that 'control' and 'smoothly' never accompanied Shirou Emiya. Moreover, she never would have expected the influence he would receive due to the emergence of the Gate in his inner world.
In time, she'd sulk and constantly kick herself in the foot when she eventually understood that it wasn't the new world's inhabitants, she should have focused on leveraging bargaining power on.
It was the red-head beside her unaware that he held both the lock and the key to this world.
He just didn't know it yet.
Thanks for reading! Sorry for the smaller update. I got sick for the past few days but it's getting better
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