Beyond the Eclypse

[Gabriel Belmont]

Day 1 of War, Midnight

Lucca is a small but pleasant city of Italy, this was not the first day that Gabriel Belmont had spent here and just like him, many others had recently moved into town, mostly unbeknown to Gabriel himself, all obviously for the Grail War, the exceptions would be few as this current game is more crowded than usual, a large number of people are after the Grail tainted powers, how many of them would happen to know the truth, how many would be oblivious to it but still pursue the dark pot nonetheless, Gabriel did not knew and that made little difference to his goal here, no matter if they had evil or good intentions, the Grail could not be unleashed again no matter what. At the past two days, Gabriel spent getting to know the key points of the town, not being a resident of this area or ever coming here beforehand, Gabriel needed all the terrain knowledge he could gather, mainly in a search of a place to sleep and also a place to summon his servant.

The choice to leave the summoning to the last minute like this was in order to have somewhat of a free pass to walk around the city without being detected by other masters, which have worked well enough, and also to give the summoned servant the most knowledge possible about the battle area when it is summoned directly there. The place to sleep was a easy find, a small but comfortable home for rent that could support two people at the Old part of the town, hardly the same fancy accommodations that Gabriel were used to but it was a easily disposable place in case of a attack, Gabriel was no magus to set up a barrier to defend himself so setting up a base of operations would only be a waste of time.

Everything up so far was done with a military-like discipline, very unlike how Gabriel usually acts, not just out of battle but also when directly facing his opponents but this much was necessary, unlike all previous jobs that Gabriel had to take, this was definitely the most unique one thanks to the facts that his enemies were all human, magi but human and that Gabriel had to resort to a monster power, a monster that he knew quite well from the various records written down by his family line and their encounter with such creatures like the gorgons and the most feared gorgon of all, Medusa, and the many failed attempts to kill that monster ending up only adding more stone statues to the creature island. A mummified gorgon head as the catalyst was the trigger for the summoning ritual, now only missing a suitable place for the realization of said ritual.

This was the other point of Gabriel scouting of the city, for a suitable place for the summoning with the old museum of Lucca Vecchia, the Greek history room, way past it closing time, Gabriel sneaked into the museum, knocking out the guards that could interrupt his ritual, the circle drawn unto the floor, the gorgon head placed at the correct spot for the chanting, which was a borrowed version from what the Belnaldes, a magi sub-branch family derivative from the Belmonts with the very purpose of summoning Medusa and no one else. The setting was far from perfect but it was suitable in order to achieve what Gabriel desired, surely there was a risk of anything going wrong but now was a time to have faith, as ironic as it sounds for magecraft to be related with faith.

Gabriel started the summoning chant while keeping in mind the image of Medusa, the image of a monster who used to be a beauty, albeit both forms being unknown to Gabriel, his curiosity to witness the beauty that enticed Poseidon was strong and kept his mind from straying away of the goal as the prana that is embed at his body flow through him towards the ritual.

"I summon thee from the depths of thy hell, answer mine call and accept mine oath, Servant Rider!"

With the last lines taught to him, Gabriel wait for the answer of that servant that should be none other than the most beautiful goddess of all, such curiosity and desire clear as daylight on Gabriel eyes, visible to anyone even at this dark and nearly empty museum.

[Medusa]

Sobbing... faint sobbing reached 'her ears' while coldness washed over her body. The unformed entity still could not feel anything, it was no more than an echo of the past making itself space in her awakening consciousness. She was unsure who this person was, it sounded like a little girl pleading for help, but her mind was unable to form the greater picture, as if it was trying to keep itself intact, unable to cope with the truth behind this mysterious crying that teared her up from within. The curiosity was overwhelming but remained surpassed by fear, an immense fear of what would await her when she dared to walk to this source of the whimpering soul. Helplessly drowning in a sea of despair, the souls of the deceased and consumed grabbed after her heart and tried to drag her back into the darkness while she remained struggling to reach the surface and finally get out of this malice that had grown due to none other than herself....

Regret was the final feeling that remained to haunt the girl even after she had long shed off everything that might make her human. But now, with those feelings still remaining a driving force as well as the intention to protect something precious far more appealing than the darkness of her past, the bright light of the summoning circle announced her arrival and in the midst formed a young appearing woman with long slender legs and a figure that had driven several men in the past to desire her. This woman was none other than Medusa, better known as the monster who claimed the lives of hundreds of men that were kept as statues and memorial of the foolishness of men. Although history was not accurate when it came to the depiction of the youngest of the Gorgon sisters, she would certainly find no qualm in being called a monster. That's what she was and apparently only because that was what mankind had wanted her to be. Like so often, a fall was rarely completely self-inflicted.

When the light dimmed down she remained expressionless, albeit mildly surprised to have returned to her previous form, rather than being summoned as the entity for nightmares. She was only less happy to have been summoned by someone who was the very kind of person that she once despised so much.. 'a typical guy'. Medusa's perception of the world was certainly unique and quite different from the average person. Despite the sealing on her eyes she could with ease perceive that person and her surroundings, but even then it was impossible to look beyond the surface and she remained benighted of his intentions. As much as her own memories were troubling her and remained to be a slight mess of sorts, she also felt that there was more behind this than merely some echo of the past, and yet there were also other memories forming as her own.

"...A grail war." She should not know anything about this strange event that some people begun for their own selfish desires. Those very desires that made mankind so ugly and Medusa would also not find it difficult to insult Magi for what they were, just some people who wished to obtain great powers...like some god. People had always been like that, so why should that change? The details about the Grail War were not providing any pacification of her resentment towards the foolish who lived for their desires. It was quite difficult for her to understand the purpose of this war, having little motivation herself to obtain it and moreover became increasingly confused how this man had been able to summon her and especially why someone would willingly try to turn a monster such as herself into a servant.

Somehow this curiosity was keeping her at bay rather than claiming his life right away. There was something odd about all of this and she wanted to find out why. "Servant Rider. I assume that you are my master," she played along with this awkward game and stated coldly.

[Gabriel Belmont]

The summoning was a success, Medusa who was said to be more beautiful than the Gods was now standing right in front of Gabriel, a beauty like no other the hunter have ever seen in his life, that silky long hair, the legs that any man dream of and a perfectly balanced body, all in a rather provocative outfit as well, leaving only the beauty of her eyes up to imagination or up to the final moments of one life. One detail made Gabriel fall into inner thought, could this outfit be what she used to wear during her lifetime or is this some grail selected option? Or worse, could that be Gabriel's fault from his image of Medusa during the summoning? It was a possibility but nothing to get worked up for, experience in life taught Gabriel to keep his cool and bid his time before drawing any conclusions on this situation, his continuous gaze over the servant figure already was sign enough of his thoughts and impressions about the servant just summoned.

"Exactly Rider, I indeed am your master and we shall be in each other care for some time."

Changing the subject, as much as Medusa's appearance have been a subject inside Gabriel's mind only so far, isn't exactly the best thing to do especially against a woman like Medusa, who should probably know her way around men as well, wouldn't be the best thing to do if this were to be a normal meeting but in a Grail War case, that was hardly a point of importance and much less something to be the first point of discussion between them, not that Gabriel wouldn't love to have that pleasure but there were other priorities attached to this meeting.

"I am aware this is sudden but I need to know a certain detail about you before we seal our contract."

"it is not a miniskirt but you already pass on that concept now I just need your three-sizes!"

Like all magi that get involved into this war, they put all they have into this hunt for the Grail because they have a wish they want granted, something worth of risking their lives for it, in short, everyone jump into this game with a strong will. The same can be said about the servants, all heroes are strong and powerful, much more than what any mortal could dream of nowadays but that does not mean their lives were all flowers and rainbows, they all lost loved ones, have been wronged, deceived and used by others like any other person so it was no stretch to imagine a servant would have a wish of his/her own to be granted by the Grail as well and knowing if Medusa have one or not is a crucial point for Gabriel partnership with his servant.

"Do you have a wish for the Holy Grail, Rider?"

Not what it was but if one existed or not, Gabriel goal is to destroy the Grail so working together with a servant that is full of greed for their own wish would be terrible for the teamwork and for the trust between master and servant. From what Gabriel know about Medusa's history, she have plenty of reasons to wish for a change in her life, to have a second chance, anything, thus Gabriel must clear this out of the way as the first thing for their cooperation.

[Medusa]

Care?

She could not recall having been in anyone's care, less a man's, who all seemed to only desire one thing of women in Medusa's eyes. It was also uncertain how much she actually cared about keeping someone like this person alive, but something within her told her that it was better to do so, for now. At least she had no reason to kill him herself ignoring the comment about her sizes for now. Fortunately he remained rather calm and collected despite having just summoned one of the worst nightmares of the human race. She honestly expected more of a madman, because nobody in their sane state of mind would summon Medusa willingly, and yet he did for some reason or another.

Rider could not fathom the reason in the slightest nor understand why a master would have an interest in his instrument's wishes, but the worst of all.... why was she participating? There had to be a reason, but she was very uncertain about herself, but this was probably not so strange for human or Monster alike. They were all complex and sometimes could barely understand themselves or they didn't know their own desires. Medusa like any other being had wishes and desires, but what where they and more importantly could some Holy Grail really grant them? She doubted it. Her perplexed eyes hidden under the Visor, she began to ponder, raised a hand to her chin and continued to ponder before giving up and facing her summoner again.

"There is no clear response to that. Why do you wish to know? Do you assume a conflict with your own wish? ....What is your wish?

Medusa cared little for smalltalk, but she definitely had to know more about this person and his questionable motives. So far she was literally left in the dark and knew nothing about him, not even his name. But he also didn't seem to be the excessively mysterious kind, but sometimes people could hide their dark intentions well behind an innocent smile. Even if he was no god, scheming was also quite well anchored into the essence and behaviour of human beings, but even if he wished for world Domination, she would not care. Maybe she just participated in this cruel War to find herself.... or could she really just change human beings to erase the Errors of the past? Some people might dream of that, but Medusa had a hard time to think everything could change so easily just because you wished upon a Holy Grail. After having witnessed the acts of gods and also their limits, she was probably somewhat more sceptical when it came to divinity than some other servants who were in a sense 'younger'.

However, despite her doubt she was here and that alone proved that she still wished for something, and she would not be the only one, perhaps not even the individual with the darkest desires as the world was full of evil, and especially now she could feel the Darkness creeping through the City, creeping up the minds of lifeforms, corrupting and devouring them. Even as a Monster who could do the same, she felt repelled at the thought that they were classified as monsters just as herself and that such dark things could exist in the World. Humans certainly had not changed, they were still able to bring darkness and ruin to themselves thanks to their selfish desires.

[Gabriel Belmont]

Gabriel could not see Medusa eyes, both a pity and a blessing as otherwise this contract would be a short-lived one as none can resist Medusa's petrifying stare and on the other hand, no one can see the eyes that belong to the beauty that swayed even the Gods. Even so, even when Medusa eyes were covered, Gabriel could feel her cold stare, measuring him up as a person, with no way to know Medusa's standards, Gabriel remained confident that he can pass a good first impression based on his looks, manners and body language, albeit not infallible those traits always have been of great use to Gabriel before thus leaving no reason for doubt that he would receive a passing grade at the 'Medusa's test'.

Of course, Gabriel is mature enough to know that looks alone won't do much to a mature woman, they are not teenagers blooming with hormones anymore, Gabriel attitude would be the main cause for a good impression and consequently a good partnership during the time of the Grail War, another point where Gabriel was full of confidence, as a proud Belmont, Gabriel had nothing to be ashamed in his heart and that never was a secret to anyone, which could be seen as a certain air of arrogance but not something that bothered any member of the Belmont lineage. Of course, there were memories that brought shame and a sour taste to life with them but those are unrelated to this contract.

"Indeed Rider, what I fear is a conflict of goals thus why I had to make sure of what you desire beforehand. I understand that it may be hard for you to trust a stranger like me with such delicate information but if you have a wish, I have to say that it will remain unfulfilled!"

Knowing that this comment alone could make this whole contract go completely wrong, as Medusa can kill him on the spot for denying her wish like that, Gabriel does not falter or flinch nonetheless, leaving his playing nature aside for a moment to show his determination to his partner.

"For my wish is to destroy the Grail!"

Goes without saying that Gabriel have his reasons for having such a bold goal and while there is no need to hide these motives from Medusa, there is one thing that need to be confirmed first and that is Medusa acknowledging and accepting Gabriel's goal so that they can work better as a pair or if needed, to reach a compromise between the desires of the two, in short, negotiations about how far one is willing to go for the other. Given that goal, hiding such important information like Gabriel's motive would be considered prejudicial to the partnership but Medusa is on the defensive, not revealing her true name even though Gabriel already know it, not revealing if she have a wish or not right away because Medusa don't trust her master and that is understandable given her previous interactions with other people and Gods, with that in consideration, Gabriel does not wish to pressure the most beautiful of the Goddess to accept him just because he have the Command Seals.

"Medusa, can you help me make my wish become true?"

Gabriel will leave the action to extend his hand for help after Medusa accepts him by her own terms, meaning that their contract will be sealed then, for now, Gabriel is but a man with a mission asking for help to a woman that have the power to do so, without hiding the fact that he knows who she is, that she was summoned on purpose regardless of Medusa's fame although this would be a lot more awkward if you were in your monster form~.

[Medusa]

Destroying the Grail?

Maybe she should be shocked, but she found herself oddly calm about this revelation. In a sense she felt more confused about this than her master deciding to do something which could only be described as 'Stupid'. There was usually not exactly a reason to fight so hard for something just to destroy it in the end, on the other hand this little detail alone added another minus point to the Grail. Why in the world would the Grail decide to choose a master who desired its destruction? But her face made no motion to display her inner thoughts, albeit the mask probably making most of her facial expression invisible to her conversation partner regardless of intent to hide it or not.

"I don't know. It is a difficult wish. However one that cannot be granted before obtaining it. So you can decide what you want to do it after actually winning."

By nature of men and especially those males that defined the term, they were too drawn to power to simply ignore the temptation given out by something which was claimed to be the most powerful of wishgranting devices in existence, or for the timebeing out of the regular realm of existance. Medusa felt that his words were sincere... for now, but that was exactly the gist of it. She was certain that it was only a matter of time and opportunity until he gave in to the temptation it offered.

Nevertheless he was clearly an oddball, alone for summoning someone like her. She was also not quite sure if he was careful or actually extremely careless by keeping pointless secrets and telling some outrageous things without considering the eventual aftereffects. A normal person would probably not inform their servant that they would not care about their wish rather than dismantling the very system that gave them form.

"You might wish to use Rider instead of my actual name before you end up saying it during a very unsuitable moment as well. And... who are you?"

It felt out of place to discuss the needs of a proper introduction, coming from someone as taciturn as the previous Gorgon. In a sense she was silently happy that this person had managed to summon her as something that at least in form resembled a human being, rather than the monstrosity that actually gave substance to her legend. It was definitely not the best identity one could wish for.

"You might also wish to avoid stating your wish too often." He probably couldn't care less about being hated by the other participants of the grail war, but the information fed to her were rather unpleasant when it came to individuals who broke the Rules of the Grail War. Medusa was not one of the weakest heroes in the anuals of History, but she was also aware of not being the strongest of fighters, especially without unleashing all her limiters that were a bit of a problem as well. She definitely was not arrogant enough to believe in Victory when the Grail War Overseer would decide to send everyone after them for some little bonus.

[Gabriel Belmont]

The reaction that Medusa had from the revelation dropped upon her wasn't exactly a good one, Gabriel knew better than to expect any servant to be happy in hearing that the object that keep them alive will be destroyed, that while not knowing the reason behind this strange wish. In the same way that Medusa's reaction wasn't a good one, it also wasn't a bad one, at the very least she does not sound opposed to the idea at the moment, which makes Gabriel wonder about his servant wish but that is something Medusa will have to take the initiative on, the fact that Medusa was listening to her master is a much more important fact for Gabriel.

"Yes, unfortunately I cannot reach the Great Grail without participating and winning this war."

The methods for that are endless, this is a game with few rules after all and that only makes things harder for the head of the Belmont family but discussions about battle plans can happen later, completing the steps toward the contract sealing and forming a bond of trust between master and servant is priority right now.

"I could use Stunning Beauty too if you like~"

"I will be more prudent when we are not alone, both with your name and my goal as having any of those leak would mean an early retirement from the war for me."

And probably from life as well for that matter, it would be nice if Gabriel could have more allies with him on this battle to destroy the accursed grail that has holy on name alone, actively searching for allies for that cause would be the same as putting a target on his own head, at best fate or luck could be so kind as to bring a friend that think like Gabriel, not something very reliable. Unlike good favor, Gabriel sure is aware that there should be magi out there that knows the truth about the Holy Grail and still pursue it for some obscure reason and those would be the first ones to swing a blade at his neck thus how Gabriel knows better than to spread around that he is trying to 'play hero'.

"Who I am is connected to why I wish for such a thing from this Grail War."

This was a moment of tension up 'till now for Gabriel, the fear that his servant could lash out at him for having such a 'stupid' wish was there for obvious reasons and also because that would spell failure in saving this city of Lucca from being swallowed by the grail, however, that tension gave space to a mild happiness when Gabriel was asked who he is, partly because of his own ego but mostly because of the pride he holds onto from his family name and now he can share that with his servant, which unlike him, knows nothing about her own master.

"I am Gabriel Belmont, 23th heir to the Noble Belmont clan, we used to be knights that worked for the church but we cut ties with them a few centuries ago, now we fight on our own, to protect those that can't protect themselves from evil. I have now joined this war to prevent the Holy Grail from being used for it have been tainted by humanity greed for power."

Not for fame, not for glory, not for money and much less for power, Gabriel is here to prevent the citizens of Lucca to become casualty for greedy magi like how it happened with Fuyuki, while Gabriel is far away from being a saint or a pure person, his intentions and feelings about his goal for this war are of utmost sincerity and good will. A name alone does not mean anything, especially when Medusa might have never heard of the Belmonts, but the pride that Gabriel holds so dear and bravely isn't in his title as heir or knight but in the inherited heart that knows what is the right thing to do regardless of the consequences.

"Although we have no official ties with the church anymore, we still have a business-like relationship with them and that is how I came to know why the grail must be destroyed. The very same magi that created it for their own purposes also tainted it by forcing the summoning of a Eight class of servant, Avenger, who ended up being a pseudo evil god from an Middle East religion, his presence in the war tainted the Holy Grail turning it into a Devil's Pot. Nothing but destruction can come out of it anymore."

Gabriel revealed his reason for joining this insane game of killing, hoping that after hearing this, Medusa would understand and accept him as her master for she too, was a victim of someone else wrong doing and paid a high price for that thus being in a position where she could find a relation between her and the people of this city, this is what Gabriel believe in after this last piece of introduction.

[Medusa]

It had taken a considerable amount of time to finally hear her masters name, and she was not quite sure what to make out of his family's past. Knights and Monster Hunters? The Church was known for the extreme procedures to eliminate 'so-called evil', often just branding people or life-forms as evil for being simply different than the average person and then hunting them down with their ridiculous attempts to be just and righteous. It was more of a sad joke and the hypocrisy of it all was that they used the very same methods to hunt their prey which made this prey the target for the Church's anger. Everything related to gods apparently only brought problems. Medusa was clearly not developing a fondness for the Belmont Clan, but that was not very important. He was her master at the moment and it seemed that he also was not quite above using evil to fight evil.

A noble Knight of the Inquisitional Church was not only using Magecraft but also relying on one of the Greater Evils his family would have been chosen to Hunt or rule over!? "You are rather knowledgeable about the Grail. I doubt even most of the esteemed magus families would have this information about their 'Holy Device'. It is also quite interesting that you are using what this taint brought forth in order to destroy it, but I assume that will not matter for your family honor."


Need to update this a bit later ......annoying disturbers are annoying.