Chapter 2
3 Days ago, Einzbern Compound, Night
The Servant studied the emotionless-seeming man who had identified himself as one of his two masters for a moment, and then gave a nod. "Very well, then I, Servant Saber, shall serve you for the duration of this Holy Grail War."
"Good," was the man's simple reply.
Then with that, he turned heel and walked away.
The Servant watched the man leave with an impassive face, and then found his attention turned towards the lady in white who was looking at him with wonder. As soon as his gaze turned towards her, she began to speak, somewhat rapidly in fact, with a slight blush. "Oh my, I must apologize for that, Saber. Please, don't think my husband is not impressed or anything, that's just how he is."
The hero sheathed his swords…wait, why did he have two? Was that right?And then raised a hand in comfort. "Please, do not worry yourself over that. I am not one who is easily offended, lady…?"
After a moment, she realized what he was trying to ask, and an embarrsed smile lit up on her face. "Ah, sorry, how rude of me, my name is Irisviel. Pleased to meet you. But, if you would excuse me…"
As she had finished speaking, the woman in white had then quickly walked out of the room, no doubt following after her husband.
With that, he was left with nothing else to do but explore the large compound for the remainder of the night, seeing as how he required no sleep.
The following morning, the Lady Irisviel managed to find him and then proceeded to lead Saber to a room where his Master was seated, while she then served tea.
Saber still remembered how uncomfortable the following conversation had been.
"What is your name?" the man, Kiritsugu asked.
"I am Saber." He was a saber right? He thought so, but felt...different.
"I am well aware of your class title," Kiritsugu curtly said to the servant. "I meant what is your actual name? Are you Siegfried, the Dragon-Blooded Knight, or Sigurd, the King of Noble Warriors?"
As the Knight…wait, was he just a knight, or a king?Opened his mouth to answer, images suddenly sprang up in his mind. It was as if he were seeing the perspectives of two different people at once… different sets of memories, crushed together in a strange soup.
A beautiful woman, surrounded by a ring of fire… a wave of dragon's blood washing over him… a giant spear impaling him, as tears fell down it's shaft… a cruel king, hamstringing him, before he was subject to other tortures... running his hand over an ornate ring...
Do as he commands. work with him, not for him. kill him! he is no better than the king! no, kill them, but then take all their gold and riches for it should be yours don't letthemtaketheringtheringisyoursmine!
Hiding a wince at the sudden discomfort that these strange thoughts brought him, the Servant then hesitantly replied, "I… am not sure who I am."
Saber did not miss the expression that Kiritsugu wore as he received that answer.
Following that interrogation, Kiritsugu avoided for Saber for the rest of the morning, leaving the hero to his own devices. Despite Irisviel's attempts at light-hearted conversation, which Saber did try half-heartedly to return, the Servant ended up remaining in spirit form for most of the time.
Though, what had left him so perplexed about his strange summoner was when he had been about to leave…
2 Days Ago, Einzbern Compound, Late Afternoon
Standing at one of the compound's large front windows, Saber watched with some curiosity as Kiritsugu said goodbye to his wife.
Then, as the man had turned to walk towards the waiting car, he stopped. Saber soon saw why.
A small child, bearing a remarkable resemblance to Irisviel, had run up to his master, with her arms gesturing wildly, as children were wont to do.
What happened next still surprised Saber when he thought about it.
The Servant had watched as a warm smile etched itself onto Kiritsugu's implacable face, and then he had lifted the young girl onto his shoulders, and began to run around, carrying her. Both seemed to enjoy the activity immensely.
Saber observed this strange, and yet also somewhat heartwarming, scene from the window with some interest.
After this continued for a good bit, Kiritsugu had then set the little girl down onto the ground, who had begun to pout with cross arms that the activity was over.
After this, Kiritsugu suddenly kissed his wife goodbye, and again turned to leave.
But, as he did, the man had paused, and then looked up, right at Saber.
Saber would never forget the look on his master's face that day even from a distance…cold, impassive, and yet also resolute, and, for some odd reason, remarkably sad.
What a very strange man…
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Two Days Ago, Forest outside the Mackenize Residence, Fuyuki City, Japan, Night
For a long moment, Waver was too stunned and/or scared to answer the giant.
With narrowed eyes and a grunt of displeasure, the servant reached down, grabbed him around his waistline, and lifted him very, very high off the ground. "I won't ask again, boy. Now, are you my master or not? Answer me, before I start feeling peckish."
Waver swallowed as much fear as he could at that statement, and answered. "Y-yes. I am your master, servant Rider, an-an- and y-you will obey me as such!" If not for the stutters, it would have sounded grandiose.
At this bold declaration, the giant peered closer at Waver, scrutinizing him as one would a small, somewhat interesting insect held before a microscope. Then, a wide, fanged grin split his bearded face, and he began to laugh, the sound booming like boulders smashing into each other, but with a hint of the boisterous clanking of flagons and laughter in celebration after a great battle.
"Well, you certainly have got a pair on you boy!"
Still booming out laughter, he dropped Waver back on the ground, though the young magus managed to land on his feet somewhat unsteadily and roughly. "What's your name, boy?"
"W-Waver Velvet."
"Well, Waver Velvet, if you're this bold in the face of one such as myself, then I think you'll make one interesting master!"
With that he kneeled. Even on one knee, he still towered over Waver.
"Alrighty then, Master! Let's win this fucking War!"
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Two Days ago, Tohsaka Compound, Night
The figure seemed... indistinct.
Two long arms, two long legs, long black rags, and a long, sharp, knife. Skin covered in dark paints. This figure seems like the perfect assassin.
With silent movement, the figure crept towards it's chosen prey. It was just standing there. All ready to die...
Then, it's prey turned and looked directly at the silent killer, with a gaze that seemed to pierce the assassin's very being.
"It was a mistake for you to come here, silent killer," the golden figure spoke, with a voice like the roar of a flame. "Die."
Before the shadowy figure could even scream, there was a flash of red and gold, and the assassin fell into two pieces.
The golden figure looked at the corpse for a moment, and then declared loudly. "Servant assassin is dead."
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Tohsaka had a wide smile on his face as he watched the pantomime unfold, within the surface of the cauldron's brew.
He looked upon the Kirei's Servant, and at the ethereal strings attached to the cauldron that faded from her finger tips. "An excellent display, Caster..."
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16 hours ago, Airspace over Japan, Day
A slight ding of the intercom marked the beginning of the attendant's monologue. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will soon be making our final descent into Shinto Airport. Please buckle your seatbelts and place your trays and seats in the upright position. On behalf of the captain and crew, welcome to Fuyuki City."
For the duration of the entire plane trip, Irisviel's eyes had been glued to the window by her seat. The sight of the world from the eye of a bird. It was just wonderful.
Not for the first time, she grabbed at the sleeve of her companion in excitement. "Look Saber! There's the city. Isn't it fantastic? Oh, I can't wait until we land, how about you?"
With a small, somewhat indulgent smile, the man sitting next to the excitable homunculus gave a nod of agreement, his eyes hidden by thick sunglasses.
Ever since he had answered the summoning ritual, the Servant had had ample time to observes his two summoners. During which, he had come to regard Irisviel in the same light as he would an excitable, but loved, child, despite her already being a mother.
His true master, on the other hand…he was not entirely sure how to feel…
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Fuyuki Airport
"Saber! Come on, where do you want to go first?"
Irisviel's voice cut through Saber's ruminations like a knife through butter.
The servant glanced at the lady, who was looking around at her surroundings, and getting steadily excited at all that she beheld.
To Saber, it was almost as if she had never left that compound in her entire life.
"My lady, we should first rendezvous with your husband at the locations he gave us. The car is waiting."
"But I want to explore!"
"I am sure that there will be plenty of time for that, but after the meeting, Lady Irisviel."
To Saber's surprise, Irisviel actually pouted for a moment, but then agreed. "Alright, but only if you promise that we can. Please?"
Unsure how to respond, or if he could even refuse her, Saber gave a nod, "Very well. That should be fine."
Irisviel's face suddenly lit up like a small sun. "Great. That would be splendid."
He would come to regret agreeing to that deceptively simple request much, much later. Oh, how he would regret it...
The pair headed towards the waiting vehicle, which, if Saber was being honest, was a rather intriguing machine, the homunculus chauffer opened the doors for them, and soon, the two were off down to the mansion.
Saber studied his reflection in the tinted window, and then removed the sunglasses that the Lady had insisted he wear, revealing his eyes; two pure white orbs, no pupils or any color.
…two eyes the color of the sky shone in reflection that lay the stream's surface, even as it was darkened by the flow of glowing blood…no, he stood upon the mountain's top, the beautiful woman by his side… wait… he plotted his vengeance in that cell... this was his gold, and his ring KILLSTEALKILLMINERINGRINGRINGRING!
Another wince, and another flash of strange memories.
"Are you okay, Saber?" Irisviel asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, my Lady… just fine."
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1 Hour Ago, Forest outside the MacKenzie Residence, Fuyuki City, Japan, Late Evening
Waver sat upon the hillside, bags under his eyes. It was hard getting much sleep these days.
The British teen attributed it to a combination of stress, excitement, a bit of fear, but mostly due to having to deal with his new Servant.
Speaking of which…
The teen looked left and up… and up, at his servant who was, at the moment, standing and gazing upon the skyline of Fuyuki City, a grin wide upon his face.
Waver still remembered the Rider's summoning, two days ago…
Waver had thought that, all things considered, it had gone rather well. Unfortunately, he then learned several, complicating things about his Servant: First, he had no idea who he actually was, and, when asked, he had gotten a loud "none of your fucking business," as a reply.
Second was that, for some inexplicable reason, the giant was unable to go into spirit form. As such, Waver had been forced to rework the Mackenzie's hypnosis, which meant now that they believed that their "grandson" was friends with a four-meter tall giant named Rider, who, on his plane ride here, had had the misfortune to lose his entire, specifically designed, luggage, save for the clothes upon his back.
Third was that the man was stubborn, and seemed to have the temperament of a child, and the hunger of a bear. In fact, after his grand declaration, he had walked off into the forest with great strides, to "find a snack."
When Waver had finally caught up with him, the Servant had butchered a deer with his bare hands, and was eating it… raw, bones and antlers and hooves and head included.
The worst part was when he had offered Waver a bite.
Forth was a little personal for Waver, since, when the giant asked him what his wish was, Waver had responded honestly, that he wanted the respect that he felt was owed to him. The giant servant had promptly laughed again, said that it was "fucking stupid," but that was fine, as he had "heard worse." That did not make the young magus feel better in the slightest.
After settling in with his "grandparents", for the next two days, Waver had to deal with the Servant asking, incessantly, when they were going to find someone to fight, always tapping his finger on the door of his bedroom window, since, being so large, the Mackenzie's had no room in which he could fit, and, at the Servant's own suggestion, the giant slept outside.
But, at least Assassin was already out of the running, as declared by the Overseer a few days ago.
"Hey Master!"
The booming voice shattered it's way through Waver's recollections.
"What?"
"I sense some Servants in the city! Let's go!"
"Wait, wh-?!"
Before Waver could say any more, Rider grabbed him by the waist, and then, with the boom of a thunderbolt, the two vanished from the hillside, a small singed circle of grass the only trace of their being there.
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20 minutes ago, Fuyuki Harbor, Fuyuki City, Japan, Night
Saber was a warrior, a legend personified by his skill with a blade. He was albe to stand against an army without flinching or falling, and he could wade through spells as if they were a light dusting or raindrops upon his skin.
In other words, Saber was not one who was easily made to feel afraid; at least, not until one hour ago, when he had agreed to let Lady Irisviel, half of his pair of masters, drive.
...she just needs to learn... I can teach her... Our fear will be avenged... Kill HER AND TAKE HER VALUABLES, THEN TAKE HER MYRINGMYRINGMYRING!
After meeting with his other Master at the mansion, as well as his equally stone-faced assistant, Kiritsugu had given the Lady Irisviel and Saber instructions to go the harder before midnight.
Now? Now, Saber was quite sure that he knew the meaning of true fear, of terror. He had looked, directly in the face no less, the horror that was Irsiviel Einzbern driving a car, and he was found wanting. Honestly, he felt lucky that he had not screamed as she had erratically sped down the road. Words could not desire how happy he had been when they had finally come to a stop.
"But Saber, why can't I drive the way back?" she complained, as they walked by the docks.
"Trust me, my lady, I think it is for the best. It will be no issue." Resist the urge the shudder, resist the urge to shudder…
The two strolled in silence for a good while, looking at their surroundings, with the lady's arm around Saber's. Out of the corner of his eye, he found her gaze oft drawn towards the dark ocean, and the luminous moon the was reflected upon it in it's full resplendence.
"The sea sure is pretty at night, isn't it, Saber?"
"Indeed, my lady. But, pardon my asking, you act as if you have lived your entire life in that castle in Germany. Surely, that could not be the case?"
At that, Irisviel's expression turned downcast. "It actually is."
Saber silently cursed his faux-pas.
"I was made for one purpose, and, as such, not really taught or given anything that was not necessary towards filling that purpose. It was not until Kiritsugu came into my life that I really started to learn about the world, how big, and wide, and how exciting it all is. The moment that I did, I decided that I wanted to learn and see everything that I could about everything in this world. I want that for Ilya as well..."
Saber studied his secondary master for a long moment as they continued to walk in silence. The moon cast a lonely reflection onto the ocean's surface.
Then, he suddenly stopped, surprising the homunculus.
Getting down on one knee, the Servant took on of her hands in both of his. "From this moment on, I, a Servant of the Holy Grail War, shall do all in my power to make sure that your dream comes true. I shall make sure that you experience and see all that you wish to experience and see, from now, until the end of the War, and even beyond, if possible! So swears Servant Saber!"
Irisviel's face was a red as a tomato at this declaration, though a small smile formed on her lips, along with a wetness around her eyes. "Thank you, Saber."
He then smiled a kind smile. "It is my pleasure, my Lady."
Then, he suddenly stiffened.
"Saber? What's wrong?" Saber stood up and in front of the Lady protectively.
"There's a servant nearby."
As he spoke, the modern clothes that he wore vanished in a flash of blue, along with the illusion covering his form, and was replaced with his true attire and appearance; full knightly plate armor, with pauldrons in the shape of wings and spikes, while his gauntlets resembled reptilian talons, each of which gripped a sword. From his head sprouted two draconic horns, while upon his back rested a circular shield, and his ears were pointed. A small wreath of glowing daggers were hooked on his belt. Upon his nose rested a simple, dignified pair of spectacles.
Emblazoned on his finely wrought breastplate was a strange, arcane symbol that glowed a bright, unearthly blue, which was matched on his half-cloak and tabard.
But it was his swords that would grab the attention of any who would gaze upon him.
In his right hand, a large blade of grey and black steel, with a shining jewel inset into the middle of the handle. This sword told all who saw it that it would protect all who stood behind it, and slay all who stood in it's way.
In his left was a blade that was simply bizarre. It looked like a sword that had been forged from solid turquoise ice. It's pommel was actually another sharp, shorter blade. Though it looked larger than the grey sword, the Servant easily held it in his hand. It radiated an impressive aura, declaring to all who saw it that it would only serve those who held the capacity to be a king. All others would burn if they so much as touched its hilt. "Stay behind me, my lady," he said.
The large lightning bolt struck the pavement across from them. From it emerged a powerful-seeming giant, who gripped young boy in his hand, whom he deposited gently on the ground. All watched as the boy stood stoically still for a moment, and then calmly proceeded to nosily vomit out everything in his stomach onto the ground in a steaming mess. This act caused the giant Servant to laugh out loud at the boy's misfortune. Then, he seemed to notice Saber and Irisviel.
The giant turned towards Saber. "Greetings, I'm Rider," he rumbled. "You look like a Saber."
Then, she seemed to take a long, closer look at the Servant of the Sword. "You seem weird, but you also look a bit familiar, horn head."
Saber shrugged, though his grip remained tight on his swords. "I cannot say the same about you, Rider."
It was the giant's turn to shrug. "Whatever. But, you also look strong." At that he grinned with a fanged mouth. "And that's good enough for me."
With a speed that belied his immense size, the Rider charged towards Saber, who, in his surprise, barely managed to pull up his swords in a defensive pose before his opponent's fist rapidly descended upon him like a small comet.
When it hit, Saber was shocked by the strength behind that blow, his feet digging grooves into the ground as he was pushed back. He had barely gotten his bearings when another fist flew forward.
Ever backward was Saber being pushed, doing his best to avoid or parry each mighty blow.
With a grunt, Saber parried and leapt forward over the still outstretched arm, his sword points aimed toward the brute's crimson eyes.
Before he knew it, he had to twist himself left and backwards again, breaking off the attack. That fist had come out of nowhere.
"You're a quick little bugger, eh?" The giant rumbled.
Before he could finish his sentence, Saber, who used the momentary pause to land on his feet, sped forwards, swords at ready to slash and stab.
Rider grinned again and kept his arms up in a boxer's defense, taking each slash with barely a grunt, even as he was slowly being pushed back, like Saber had been earlier. Saber was not sure if his swords were even piercing anything, but he could not afford to let up the assault.
Through it all, the fanged smile on Rider's face only grew.
It was more through instinct then anything else, that Saber managed to dodge the blast of lightning.
"Saber!"
"I'm fine, Lady Irisviel!" he said, before studying his opponent.
Rider seemed to be covered in lighting. His breathing was growing more and more wild and erratic, as he gazed upon Saber like a predator looking upon his bloody prey.
"I've missed this feeling, the sounds of battle, the blood roaring in my ears," the giant rumbled.
As he spoke, the lightning surrounding his form grew more erratic, and began to zap out at random intervals. He began to laugh boisterously. "Yes, YES! Show me more, Servant of the Sword! Make this first battle of the Holy Grail War one to remember, one that will make my blood boil in excitement!"
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Kiritsugu watched the battle through his rifle's scope, from his perch upon the top of the dockside building.
This servant, he could only describe it as a force of nature. EX strength, and A++ Endurance, as well as A agility? What had the boy summoned? From his files, all things pointed to the young man as being of very, very average abilities.
It would be better to take out Rider's master now, if he could get a clear shot. Maiya had no clear shot either.
The next thing any of the battle's viewers and participants knew, Rider was suddenly sent careening into the building next to them.
The servant that had done the deed stood tall and proud. She, for this servant was undoubtedly female, due to her long white hair, which was tied in a functional braid over her shoulder, was garbed in armor that seemed a seamless fusion between medieval and Ancient Greek styles and techniques. A Spartan helmet kept her head protected.
In her right hand, she gripped a long, deadly-looking spear, while strapped to her left arm was a Greek Hoplite shield, with which she had bashed Rider into the wall.
This was a warrior, through and through.
"If you wish for a fight, Servants of the Sword and the Mount, then I shall grant your wish, though be prepared to die upon the tip of my spear!"
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"Rider!" With some worry, Waver, who had just finished wiping his mouth, ran to his servant.
Rider pulled himself out of the demolished wall, and saw the woman who had bashed him. HIs grin never left his mouth. "I like you lady! I think this is going to be even more fun, Waver!"
"Waver Velvet? So it was you who stole my original catalyst, was it not?"
Waver blanched at the voice. He knew it from anywhere. This was not good. Professor Kayneth had found him!
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Kiritsugu cursed, and scanned the field. No one. "Maiya, any sign?"
"Negative," came her reply. "He must be broadcasting through a familiar."
'Very well. Keep your eyes open."
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"I must admit that you are quite impressive, Rider. I should have been the one to have summoned you, Rider. Instead, your little upstart of a master stole my catalyst, and thus I was forced to look elsewhere for a suitable servant."
Rider growled, the sound like the rumple of boulders crashing into each other during a thunder storm, and his grin disappeared from his face as he stood in front of his diminutive master.
"So you claim to be the one who was meant to summon me?" Rider bellowed. "You? A sniveling little rat who won't even show his sniveling little rat face for this glorious first battle of the War?"
He spat a large glob of spittle in the general direction of where Kayneth's voice seemed to coming from.
"My master, tiny and weak in stature and wish though he may be, at least has the bravery and stones to stand with me in the thick of this battle, and not hiding in the shadows, like a frightened, whimpering babe clinging to it's mother's skirts, eager for the milk of her teat."
Waver just stared, slack-jawed, towards his Servant after this grand pronouncement. But then, he gathered his courage, and spoke as well. "Y-yeah, and just so you know, Professor, I did take that catalyst. But, I didn't end up using it at all. I summoned Rider by myself! I proved you wrong about my theory, you sanctimonious, blue-blooded asshole!"
In normal circumstances, Waver would never dared to have spoken to his teacher in so brazen and crass a manner. But, these were not normal circumstances.
Even without a physical presence, all could feel the palpable rage of Kayneth Archibald growing at each of these statements.
"Lancer," he growled, each syllable as sharp as a jagged razor. "Kill Rider and his master."
Lancer gave a small sigh of displeasure at this command. "If you insist, master."
She leveled her spear at Waver and Rider, the former of whom blanched. "Nothing personal, kid. Orders are orders."
Waver's bravado fled at that statement. Rider placed an arm in front of him protectively. "Try it, lady, and I will rip your fucking head from your shoulders."
Before either of them could clash, there was a loud explosion as other portion of the street exploded from being hit with what appeared to be a red comet.
The dust cleared to reveal what looked like a knight, but its armor was ridged, spiked, black and red, and seemed as much a weapon as the sword it clenched in its hand.
A red miasma seems to surround the thing. It turned it's metal-encased head to look about at the other Servants.
"Wow, what a sorry bunch you are," echoed her voice from within her horned helmet, four it sounded like a female.
Then she looked at Saber, more specifically, at the great-sword in his right hand, and pointed her sword at him. "Hey, white-eyes, you're pissing me off by existing. You a knight or something?"
Saber took moment to process that strange statement, and then shrugged and answered. "Yes." was he?
The Servant's miasma seemed to grow at that answer. "Too bad."
At that, she screamed, and then rushed towards him, sword swinging, and a guttural battle cry emanating from her helmet.
At least unlike with Rider, this time Saber was not pushed back, though he could feel the strength behind her sword. Soon, the flurry of blades began again.
Parry, riposte, slash.
"You are a knight. Only another metal-shell-wearing motherfucker can fight like this! Makes me want to kill you even more!"
As she said this, a minute opening showed itself in Saber's defense, which she exploited... by punching him directly in the face.
This made his head snap back for the fraction of a second. Even through his Noble Phantasm, he had felt that. Incredible. Luckily, he felt Irisviel's power quickly heal him through the strange link he shared with her and Kiritsugu.
Getting his bearings, he dodged Berserker's sword swing, spitting out some blood as he did so. Then he retailed with two slashes and a kick to her head.
Suddenly, Kayneth's voice echoed out. "Lancer, I have changed my mind. Help Berserker kill Saber!"
"As much as I would love to help a fellow woman, I don't think she really needs my help."
"Do it, before I use a command seal!"
With an angry groan, Lancer moved to follow the command. Before she could, however, she dodged the large fist that almost flattened her.
"Not so fast, lady," Rider growled. 'You threatened my master, so now I have to kill you!"
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The moment that Rider sped off towards Lancer, Kiritsugu knew he would not have another chance. He lined up Waver Velvet's head in his crosshairs...
Then, he felt the cool barrel of a shotgun press itself into his head.
"How's about you turn off that microphone and put your gun away, Mr. Magus Killer, so we can have a nice little chat?"
Kiritsugu knew that voice. Without a word of complaint, he did as the speaker asked, and then slowly rose, and turned, now with the shotgun barrels between his eyes.
The man looked to be about his age, only burlier, with long, shaggy and wild hair that never seemed to have known the touch of a comb. A prominent scar arced across his brow, while a pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes.
"Kairi Sisigou," Kiritsugu said.
The now named man raised his other hand in a gesture of greeting. Kiritsugu noticed that something was clenched in his fist.
"Yo, Emiya. It's been a while."
"What do you want, Sisigou?"
The burly man shrugged. "Nothing, just wanted to talk, catch up. So, you're caught up in this War too, huh?"
"Yes, I am."
The man grinned. "Cool, should make this shindig more interesting, then."
At that, the mercenary began to slowly back away. "Now, before you try to kill me, just know that I have my own crosshairs planted on someone here. I know how you think, after all. So, seeing as how one of the people down there is an Einzbern, well..." he left the rest unsaid.
Kiristugu knew better than to voice any complaint. He watched as the man left, and then switched back on his headpiece, reassuring Maiya that all was well, before returning his attentions back to the battle.
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"How should I proceed, master?" Archer asked, as he viewed the battle from his vantage point. "You may intervene when you believe it best," came his master reply.
With that, Archer readied his bow. His master had forbidden him from using his phantasms, since each had the power to destroy the city individually, unless the need arose.
That being said, in Archer's hands, even an ordinary arrow, loosed from the string of his bow, was not something that could be easily ignored or shrugged off. He drew forth the mana forged arrow, knocked it to the string, aimed, pulled it taut, and then... release.
As soon as he did, he left his perch, following the flaming projectile's path.
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Lancer was the first to notice the fiery arrow, flying towards them with the speed of a cruise missile, and cried out a wordless warning to any who would hear her.
The others noticed it as well, thanks to the wordless warning, and hurriedly dodged it as best they could, before the remainder of the abused street where the arrow hit then exploded into a towering inferno knocking most of them back from the force of the explosion.
They all beheld the golden figure who seemed to stride from the flames, like an imperious and judging deity of fire and war and death. He looked around at the assorted masters and Servants with a cold and impassive gaze, while another arrow was knocked to his bow. "I am Archer. Attack me, and all of you will die."
What made this statement frightening was not that it was a boast, like Rider's, or a prideful declaration, like Lancer's.
No, from the mouth of this golden figure, it was a simple fact, as truthful and as inevitable as the sun rising in the morning.
For what seemed like an eternity, no one, master or servant, dared to utter a word, or meet the red and blue eyes of this powerful being.
Berserker was the first to respond. "Screw you!" she screamed, with a powerful slash of her wicked-looking sword, aimed towards his neck.
Archer did not even try to dodge her gruesome-seeming blow.
No wound was left... no, there had never been a wound at all. The servant of madness's attack had done nothing at all.
Then, with a backhand that seemed almost as an afterthought, the servant of the bow sent the mad servant flying and screaming into the sea.
The Archer then looked at all others. "Anyone else care to test their might against me?"
No one decided to volunteer. All could tell that to fight this man was to invite divine wrath upon them.
Rider then spoke, scratching at his beard as he did so. "Eh, this battle has gotten boring. Come on master, let's go. I'm starting to getting hungry anyway." With that, all watched as the giant picked up his protesting master with one large, meaty hand, and then whistled.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground with a soundless boom.
What emerged from the blast was a powerful-looking chariot, built to be driven through throngs of enemies, crushing them beneath their mighty wheels. Harnessed to the vehicle were... two rams, each as large as a moving van, and an otherwise normal looking stallion the same size as the goats.
Stepping onto the chariot, Rider dropped his master on the seat beside him, gave everyone else a fanged smile and a mocking wave, and then snapped the reigns.
With that, the trio of animals proceeded to gallop into the air, the sound of thunder heralding the departure of the chariot.
Irisviel called out, "Let's go Saber, it's almost morning."
"Of course, milady."
Lancer watched the two of them leave. "Master?" she asked.
Kayneth groaned. "Very well, Lancer. Retreat."
Without another word, Lancer disappeared into spirt form.
Archer waited for his instructions. "Excellent, Archer. Very well done. Retreat back to the residence," came his master's compliments and command.
"It shall be done, master." With that, Archer too vanished into spirit form with a shower of gold sparks.
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As all vanished and retreated, all that was left on the battlefield was the blood of Saber, from where the Servant had spat it out.
The liquid glowed an unearthly blue, and then moved of it's own volition, splitting into to forms, both of which then proceeded to slip into the sea.
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Kairi Shishigou made his way down to the beach, along side his new assistant/minder, a red-eyed homunculus with light blue-and-brown-colored hair. Kairi pulled out a pair of binoculars, and scanned the water.
"You see her, kid?"
"No, mister Shishigou, not yet."
That was fair, since Archer had knocked her quite a distance away. After ten minutes of searching, Kairi spotted his servant swimming at a furious pace towards their position on the beach.
She stepped onto the beach, with sea water dripping from every available orifice. With a groan, she wrenched off her helmet, so as to empty it of water and the fish that had somehow gotten inside.
The face beneath the helmet was rather pale, framed by a long, tangled, unkempt shock of dark-blonde hair. Her expression was one of pure loathing and murder.
"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. That. Fucking. Archer," she said, growling out each syllable, along with a hefty amount of seawater.
Kairi and the homunculus wisely said nothing, and the three quietly made their way off the beach, though the quiet was irregularly punctuated by Berserker's angry growls and words and fury.
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A giant Rider.
A Tormented, strange Servant with two swords.
A Berserker that hates knights (and now Archers)
A great Archer as bright and as mighty as the sun.
A mighty lancer.
A powerful caster.
What other surprises did this War have in store?
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5 Days Ago, unknown family dwelling, Fuyuki City, Japan, Night
There exists in the world the sort of people who absolutely enjoy what they do, and pursue their craft with a single-mindedness and boundless energy rarely seen in their peers. These were the ones that others tried to emulate as an example of devotion and other such working habits.
There are also those in the world who enjoy causing misery, carnage, death, and despair unto others, all for the enjoyment of the one committing these heinous acts. These are the ones who could only barely be qualified as human
Unfortunately for the bound and gagged child, Ryuunosuke Uryuu was both of these kinds of people, only somehow, in him, these traits were amplified to a horrific degree.
Before tonight, the child had been enjoying a happy meal with his mommy and daddy. He had been looking forward to the weekend.
Then, this… person had snuck in, hurt his mommy and daddy until they stopped moving, tied him up, and was now drawing something with blood.
The child was scared. He kept praying, begging, to anyone or anything who would listen, for someone to save him, please!
"Fill, fill, fill 'er up… fill…" the serial killer sang to himself, punctuating it with a jolly whistle, and drew out the blood with his bare feet and hands. As he did, he idly thought back on all that had led him to this moment.
The first time that he had killed someone, all those years ago, before he had gotten his braces off, even, and how he had then began to hunger for the knowledge of death. Now, he was going to be able to summon a demon! So cool!
He paused in his drawing of the circle that had been described in that old book he had found in his parent's stuff, and walked over to the tied-up child, patting him on the head, and giving him an honest smile. "Hey buddy, why the long face?"
The kid recoiled from his touch, and started sobbing through the gag, tears running down his little face.
Ryuunosuke felt hurt at this reaction. Sure, he had snuck into the kid's house, murdered and hacked up his parent's corpses, and was now using their blood to bring forth a demon, but that did not mean that the little guy had to act so impolite about it. He had used the comfortable rope, after all, and it was not like the gag made it too hard for the kid to breath, right? It's not like Ryuunosuke was a complete monster, after all.
"Aw, don't worry. Guess what, ya wanna know something cool?"
More sobbing, and now a bitt of screaming.
"Tonight, I'm gonna summon a bona-fide demon, little guy, and you get the front-row seat! How cool is that?"
No answer.
"I know, right? Best part, it will probably want you as a snack! Wonder how it's going to kill you? Hope it let's me watch."
So, with those wonderful words, he returned to the circle, adding a bit more blood, and repeating the mantra.
This was going to be the best night of Ryuunosuke's life. THIS WAS GOING TO BE SO COOL…
"You're saying the aria wrong, you know."
The sentence cut through the excitement in Ryuunosuke's head, causing him to pause in his work, and turn to the source of the voice.
Standing in the doorframe was a woman that he could only describe as a real stunner.
Red Hair, much like his own, done up in a loose pony tail. Flawless, creamy skin under a slit green dress, with stocking-clad, high-heeled legs that went on forever, and a pair of glasses that were perched upon the bridge of her nose. Finishing of the effect was her expression; stern, judgmental, and more than a little frightening, as well as the cigarette dangling out of her mouth.
Clutched in one of her hands was a briefcase.
She actually reminded him of the hot teacher character from those adult films his college roommate had shown him, where the teacher would have to "punish" her sexy student, or be she would be "punished" herself.
She walked forwards and past him, also ignoring the trussed up child, screaming at her through his gag for help.
"I'll give you points for creativity," she said, examining the Bloody circle, "though, I will also be deducting some for your lack of technique."
Even to a mind as fundamentally twisted as Ryuunosuke's, he knew that this was not how someone was supposed to react to this sort of scene. She did see the hacked up bodies, bound and gagged kid screaming and sobbing in the corner, plastic gallon jugs of blood, and the demon-summoning circle drawn in aforementioned blood on the floor...right?
She then turned to him fully, taking off her glasses, and proceeded to turn his head with her other hand from side to side, as if inspecting a piece of merchandise. As she did so, her expression seemed to morph from sternly calm, to somewhat psychotic. "Kind of a shame, really. There was some potential here, and you would have been an interesting sort of magus, if your circuits were actually awake. I might have even taken you on myself. But, as it is, though, you'll just have to make a really nice sacrifice."
Before Ryuunosuke could fully process that statement, the hot woman let go of his face and snapped her fingers with another smirk.
From where she had left it, her suitcase began to shake. The latches undid themselves, the case flew open, and from within its depth, burst out something that could only have been a demon.
But, even as the thing encircled his smiling face and neck with a tentacle, and gave it a sharp, 180-degree turn; even as his rapidly cooling corpse hit the floor, only one thought echoed through the deranged serial killer's mind. "So cool."
With that done, the woman gave another once-over of the summoning circle. At least the psycho had saved her some time, even though it had taken her a small while to track him down. But first...
She looked at the crying child for a moment. Interesting, there was some good potential here.
The woman was had described as many things, among which were heartless, monster, "evil", etc… However, that did not mean that she was totally lacking in compassion, or at least, a functioning form of moral pragmatism.
With a quiet sigh, she walked over to the kid, and undid his bonds. He was still crying.
"Listen, kid..."
Still crying. "Shut up for a minute, you little snot, and listen to me."
He stopped crying.
"Now, I can either make you forget all of this, and you can go on your merry-ish way through a now family-less life, or... I can teach you how to do things that will help you never have to suffer through this sort of thing again. It's your choice. I don't really care, either way."
The look in his eyes was all she needed to know.
A quick hypnosis put him to sleep, then.
With the kid asleep, she turned back to the summoning circle. With a small grunt, she deposited the new corpse into the circle, slashed open his twisted neck, poured the remainder of the blood from the bucket over the body and then had the demon in her briefcase hand her a small case of lighter fluid, with which she doused the exterior of the circle.
With a flick of her cigarette, the circle was lit. Then, she began to chant the aria the correct way, placing her catalyst in front of the circle as she did so.
How fortuitous for her to have become part of this weird contest, even if the circumstances were strange...
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2 Months Ago, Mifune City, Day
The agent stood outside the dilapidated building with a large briefcase. It was exactly as the dossier had described.
This woman had not been easy to find, but his masters were resourceful. With a slightly nervous gulp, he straightened out an errant crease on his white suit, and knocked on the door three times in rapid succession.
It was promptly answered by a polite-looking young man in glasses. "Hello. Welcome to Garan no Dou! Are you experiencing any supernatural phenomena that you need assistance with, or are you here for dealmaking services?"
The agent held up a hand. "Thank you, but I am not here for any of that, young man. I am here to speak with your superior."
Before the young man could answer, a voice called out form the interior of the building. "Send him in, Mikiya, then go upstairs. This is a private matter. You too, Shiki."
As the man followed the boy in, he was greeted with the sight of a young woman in a kimono and a red jacket, staring at him with blank eyes. It made the agent feel a bit uncomfortable.
Sitting at a desk in the corner of the room was the reason he had come, smirk on her face, and wafting cigarette set firmly in the corner of her mouth.
As the two young adults left the room, the agent was left alone with the red haired woman. He took a seat in front of her.
For a moment, neither spoke. Then the agent cleared his throat. "Before I begin, I trust you know who I represent?"
The woman gave a shrug. "Sure, strange bunch. Question is, what do they want with little old me?"
The agent set the briefcase on the table. "To answer that, miss, I must ask you; what do you know about Fuyuki City?"
A flash of recognition lit in the woman's eyes as she took a drag of her cigarette. "You're shitting me? Is THAT what this is about?"
"Indeed. Those whom I work for find that it would be in their best interests if you were to participate in the Holy Grail War. You will be provided with a suitable catalyst, provided in this case as well as transportation and funds for expenses, as well as an upfront payment of Ten Million American Dollars, the check for which is also within this case. Do we have an accord?"
"Deal." The woman did not even hesitate. Even the agent was a bit surprised at that.
"Then my business here is concluded. Good day." With a deep, polite bow, the man hurriedly exited the building, his briefcase still where he left it.
The woman watched him go, the smoke from her cigarette idle wafting into the afternnoon air. "A wish, huh?"
An excited grin grew on her face. "Hey, you two! Pack your bags! Ever been to Fuyuki city?"
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The circle glowed a strange combination of red and blue as she finished, and then, the fire shot upwards, hitting the ceiling. Then, it winked out, revealing what she had summoned.
Standing in the circle was a man of average, but solid height and build. His eyes reminded the woman of her assistant's. His hair was a seamless multitude of colors, while strange, faintly-colored eye watering marks traveled and formed about his deathly pale, yet ruddy skin. Oddly enough, his clothes looked very modern. Shoved through his belt was a long piece of black stone that seemed to shift between a sickle and a long knife. The tip was covered in what appeared to be dried blood.
"Servant Assassin asks of you..."
The man paused in his question to look around at the scene before him, taking in the dead bodies, the corpse by his feet that was quickly turning to ash, the summoning circle, the sleeping child, and the walls covered in blood.
He then looked at his summoner with a wide grin on his face. "Are you my master? Because I think I'm in love."
Touko Aozaki answered with an equally wide grin. "I am, and this is going to be so much fun..."
The two then clasped hands.
A/N: I am not good at writing out fight scenes.