A Dishonored Demigod

The Magician's Meeting: The Second Night

Perseus soars through the air while Sakura is stuck to his back,"Faster Perseus!"
He chuckles and increases his speed so the land underneath them becomes a blur of colors,"Having fun little master?"
Sakura giggles excitedly as they fly through the blue sky and asks,"You're sure nobody can see us?"
Perseus cranes his neck to glance back at her,"One of my noble phantasms is called Mist. I guess it's a very overpowered presence concealment phantasm that naturally hides me from mundane people."
They continue flying for a few more minutes, during which Perseus does some barrel rolls and loops that makes Sakura shout with joy. Soon they land in a random patch of woods to let Sakura recover from the prana drainage from Perseus using his wings and his occasional bursts of speed. While they relax Perseus' wings gradually sink into his back and Sakura watches the entire process,"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not anymore," Perseus says while rolling his shoulders,"when they first came out I didn't feel the pain until a few minutes after. Felt like someone had lit a fire in my muscles."
Sakura shivers at the description and rubs the small rugged circles that dot her arms from the worms eating their way into her body. Perseus notices and rubs her head,"I thought I told you to forget those things."
"Sorry," Sakura tilts her head, downcast.
Perseus sighs and pushes his hair back,"It's fine. I shouldn't expect you to forget after only three days."
He brightens up when he figures out a way to get her mind off the worms,"Hey little master? You ready to learn another trick?"
Sakura perks up immediately,"Yes!"
The servant grins at the look of excitement on his master's face,"Watch carefully little master."
A cero charges up in his hand and he aims it at a particularly dense section of the woods,"Cero!"
The red beam tears through the trees like they're paper as Perseus swings his arm in an arc to create a crescent wave of destruction. When he figures he'd shown off enough he lets the energy in his hand dissipate while he turns to his master,"How was that?"
Sakura is speechless at the show of power that, is her servant's casual question, is nothing to him,"Perseus...how strong are you? If I asked you to use your full power would you?"
Perseus sighs and closes his eyes,"Little master why did you have to ask that? No, I wouldn't use my full power unless you ordered me to with a command seal. I've only done so once, and that is an experience I never wish to have again."
Sakura nods in acceptance and sets to work creating a cero. At first she manages to create a small marble of black light that pierces straight through a small tree. Perseus examines the barely visible hole with some excitement,"Well that is strange. I thought that there was only one type of cero to be used. Apparently I was wrong."
He walks back to Sakura and kneels down so he's looking her in the eye,"You really are something interesting aren't you little master? How do you feel after that?"
Sakura wipes a drop of sweat from her forehead but grieves him a big grin,"Tired. Very tired."
Perseus nods,"Through our bond I can tell that took up a little less than half your prana. If you're powering me then make sure to use cero only when there's no other option."
He grins and forms another crimson ball in his hand,"However with enough practice you should be able to do this!"
He shoves his arm forward and roars,"Ladon!"
A massive cero explodes from his hand and destroys the ground in front of him before splitting into ten segments that each individually attack a tree. Ten clean holes are left in the trunk and Perseus lowers his hand to show a minor burn on his palm,"With enough time and practice you should be able to create your own form of cero. Mine isn't nearly done yet since I'm shooting for 100 beams and not just ten."
Sakura stands in awe and the sun breaks through the clouds to seemingly make Perseus glow. It's very easy for her to imagine him in a suit of armor and leading an army with his sword in hand and his mask on his face. In fact it reminds her to ask a question she'd been wondering about ever since she summoned him,"Perseus, why haven't I had any dreams about your life? My old family's books described that such a thing occurred to create a better relationship between master and servant."
Perseus kneels down in front of Sakura and gently pokes her forehead,"You're just full of questions today aren't you?"
His question is made to sound like he's annoyed with her but his words lack any real bite,"The reason you haven't been having dreams about my life is because I'm not dead, and I've actively kept my mind apart from yours while you're sleeping."
Sakura is stunned,"But, but if you're alive still how can you be a servant?! How was I able to summon you?"
He chuckles and pats her head,"I wish I could answer your questions little master, but it would endanger my goal. Just know that even if I'm not truly a servant in every sense of the word that I will still protect you."
His wings extend outwards once more,"I have rested enough and your prana is powering me once more. Time to go little master."
Sakura quietly climbs onto his back and the two take to the sky. They enter the airspace over the city once more and Perseus starts as he feels real magic being used and not the prana that powers the servants. He quickly lands where he knows Kariya is and drops Sakura off for him,"Stay with your uncle little master. I have to check something."
She nods and Perseus takes off once more and fades out of her vision. As he flies he follows the source of the magic and hurls himself towards the ground when the clouds cover the sun. He vanishes into the shadow and reappears deep underground,"W-What in the world?"
Children are chained to support beams that hold the ceiling up while dried blood makes angry red streaks down their bodies. Vacant eyes stare at him as he walks amongst the beams while keeping himself ready in case he's attacked,"This is disgusting."
He wordlessly agrees with Thrafsma and keeps his steps silent while the beast inside him fumes in anger,"When we find this bastard I want out."
"I want a chance at him as well."
Perseus quickly readies Dyrnwyn while whispering,"You'll both get your chance. Just wait until I find him."
He stalks through the shadows and feels Gluttony getting fidgety amongst all the fresh meat left alone, but he forces the sin into submission. As he continues towards the back the bodies get fresher and fresher until. he comes upon some that are still breathing. At that point he sends out his creepers to see if someone is around, but they relay that nobody's present. He abandons caution at that point and rushes forward to the nearest child,"Hey kid!"
The child's eyes weakly look at him and he grabs the chains keeping them against the beam,"Hold on while I get you down!"
He rips the chains apart like they're wet clay and catches the child before he could fall,"Hold on kid. Just hold on until I can heal you!"
He holds his hand over the child and one small surge of power later he creates a dome of healing energy that knocks the boy out while healing his wounds. He quickly moves on while deploying his darklings to take down more of the children while he takes care of the dead. He lays them side by side and Gluttony clicks into his soul. His hands shift and grow larger while a mouth full of incisors opens in both his palms. He places a hand on one child's forehead and Gluttony ravages it to drain out any remaining nutrients and biological energy. He repeats the process 15 times until nothing remains of the children but splotches of red where their blood stained the floor.
Perseus can practically feel the massive amounts of nutrients being added to his own body to make his bones stronger, muscles more powerful, and organs more efficient. The bio-energy taken from the bodies is converted into electricity that dances across his skin and makes his hair stand on end. He gets up while Thrafsma takes his place in his soul once more and his hands return to normal,"That felt very wrong."
"Agreed/Agreed."
He shudders before checking on the kids and drops them into the Darkness. As he stands up he addresses the air,"How long will you stay in the shadows, Gilles de Rais? Or should I call you Bluebeard?"
The servant shuffles forth while grinning,"Either will do. Now," and the book in his hands glows,"who are you and why have you destroyed my art?!"
Perseus glances back at him while his rage causes his body to undergo a partial transformation,"Servant Joker at your service."
Caster's eyes swivel from the sides of his head to look at him,"Ah, so you're the mysterious eighth servant the grail summoned! I must admit I was expecting us to meet in less...fortunate circumstances."
Perseus tilts his head and turns his whole body to face him,"You mean on the battlefield, with your dismembered body on the ground."
He nods,"Perhaps. At the very least I thought you'd join the others when they eventually try to hunt us down."
"I thought so as well," Perseus admits,"however I detected real magic being used, and not this pale substitute used today."
Caster sighs,"Ah yes. The good old days when you needed a virgin sacrifice to power a spell."
"Such a shame," Perseus dryly states,"nowadays they've taken out all the grandiose parts of a spell. The words, the method of casting, and of course the flashiness that it brings."
The mad spell caster nods excitedly,"Yes. Yes! I'm fortunate that at least one servant sees the beauty in death!"
Perseus chuckles,"Hehehehe," before he laughs madly,"Hahahahehehehe! There really is a beauty isn't there?! Unfortunately for you...I don't use child's blood as my paint!"
Caster lunges away as the ground underneath him explodes and spears of concrete try and impale him,"Hold still!"
Caster dances around the room as the ground continues to try and trap him while Perseus makes his way across. Dyrnwyn hums in his hand and fire coats the blade while somehow dripping off the end to melt the concrete under it. With a burst of speed Perseus lunges towards Caster while the servant summons a demonic snake to attack him. Quick as a thought Perseus slides to the side and cuts through it from mouth to tail,"You're demons are good," and the red light emanating from behind his mask is replaced by yellow and black,"but mine are better!"
A horde of creepers emerge from the shadows all around them while Caster summons more snakes, only for the creepers to tear through their inferior counterparts. Death screams ring in the air and Perseus advances while bringing Dyrnwyn down with both hands,"Got you!"
In fright Caster raises his hands up and the blade makes contact with the grimoire in his hands. A horrible screaming sound erupts from between the two objects of power and both servants are blasted back by a surge of dark magic. Perseus rolls but quickly regains his footing in time to see Caster vanishing in a plume of bloody mist. He curses while quickly withdrawing his gun and fires a lone bullet. The projectile spirals through the air and pierces through the lower left side of Caster's abdomen before exiting out his back.
The mad servant stumbles as blood drips from the wound and glares at Perseus with a look of absolute loathing before disappearing in the mist. The lone servant waits for a moment before lowering his gun and holsters it inside his trench coat while depositing his fiery sword in his shadow,"He got away."
A set of runes stamped onto the fingertips of his right hand glow, glowing brighter or dimmer depending on the direction his open hand is facing,"Not!"