I don't own HSDxD and gain no profit from this writing.

Chap 3

It was the very same red orb he saw the night before. The blurred red light continued to appear in his dream. Issei ran toward the red orb as it became bigger and bigger until the red orb turned into a giant figure. Issei recognized it wasn't a human, he knew it definitely wasn't a human. He also knew that he should recognize what that red orb actually was but for the moment he couldn't. He searched through his broken memory inside the dream. He tried to fit all sort of images that red giant could be but he couldn't reach any conclusion other than 'It is a monster.'

Issei opened his eyes. The dimmed ray of light could be seen inside his room. Issei got up, he glanced at the corner of the room. He could vaguely feel Lancer who was sitting there. He wondered if she also slept just like him. Even though she said she was a familiar Issei couldn't help but feel the need to treat her like any normal human, more so when she was such a beautiful and strong woman.

"Good morning Issei."

Oh so she wasn't sleeping at all.

"Good morning." Issei returned her greeting. He wasn't really used to be sleeping in the same room with a young woman. He lightly tapped on his alarm clock to shut it down before it rang. When Issei was about to go downstair for his breakfast he turned back to Lancer.

"Would you like some food?" He asked.

"No Issei. I already said that you don't have to waste your resources on me." Lancer rejected.

"But last night-"

"Master." Issei could hear the serious tone in her reply. He gave up and headed for the bathroom.

He would need to find another chance. Issei silently left for breakfast. Since his wound was healed he didn't have to hide the spot on his left arm anymore. While he was eating Issei thought about Lancer. Would she prefer western food to Japanese food? He had no doubt that Lancer was a foreigner so it made sense if she enjoyed western food more then again she might like to try Japanese food because it was new to someone like her. After breakfast he returned to his room with two cups of tea. Even if Lancer didn't want to eat perhaps she would like some morning tea.

As Issei expected, Lancer didn't decline his offer. She began to talk after she took her first sip.

"Issei, during your sleep I have taken the liberty to explore your house. Looks like there's no large space for us to test if you have a sacred gear or not."

Issei nodded. Fortunately on that night Lancer was holding back, he had no doubt if she was to put more strength into her arms she could easily make a hole on the wall.

"I would prefer if we can activate your sacred gear within your house to hide it from other masters as long as possible. However looks like we have to make a bold move. Issei do you know of any abandoned or sparse large area?"

"If I have to think about it." Issei closed his eyes for a moment. "There's this one place."

After that they headed for the hill not too far from town. It was the only location that they could try out Lancer's method. However Lancer said she didn't like it very much since it would be easy for others to spy on them.

"We don't have other options though…" Said Issei. The best thing they could do was to force the Sacred Gear inside Issei to activate as fast as possible then retreat back to their home but still, there was no good way to know if Issei had one or not. Lancer's method only made the Sacred Gear come out faster but if Issei didn't have one then it would be meaningless.

"Here it is." Issei stopped his bicycle.

The hill of Kuoh town was nothing special. There was no rich family or such who built their villas on the hill so it was abandoned all the time. The scenery wasn't even good. By all means it should be a perfect place for Lancer to turn into her physical form and try out her method on Issei. When they were off the road Lancer switched with Issei and rode his bicycle deeper into the hill. In her hands the bicycle became a motocross. Lancer could ride it through the slope and mountainous terrain with ease. Issei found it hard to hold onto the bicycle so he didn't fall off.

After a few more minutes she stopped at a suitable space. Lancer let Issei take a minute break to recover from the ride.

"Alright Issei." The white lance appeared in Lancer's hand. "Let's finish this as quick as we can."

Issei gulped. But then Lancer immediately put her helmet on and turned to another direction.

Then it began. A strike that was so powerful it Issei could feel the shock from here. Sound of metal clashing one against another loudly could be heard. Row of trees got cut down and rocks got smashed into bits. Soon the two combatants entered their view. A woman in dark blue and red clothes fought against a large, burly man who had horns on his head. Two swords intercepted the large axe in many hits. Even an amateur like Issei could figure out the woman had much better skills than the brute yet she couldn't truly push him back. The man with horns was simply much stronger and faster, all his physical prowess was enough to counter the woman's skills even though his attacks were far more simple.

While Issei was awe at their fight it was Lancer who reminded him that those were servants and they might be dragged into the fight if they were to stay here. Then Issei saw a figure on one of the trees.

"Himejima!?"

There was no way he could mistake her beauty. The Kuoh idol wasn't in her school uniform but a miko attire. She was staring back at him and the fight between the two servants.

"So Himejima is a mage and a master for real." Issei muttered. Issei felt conflicted, if someone were to tell him he needed to fight and beat this beautiful girl then he would straight up answer no. Yet if Himejima wasn't what she looked like in school then she wouldn't have mercy on Issei if they were to cross. He had no idea what to do in this situation. Lancer's grip on her lance was tight. Issei knew certainly if he ordered her she would not hesitate to take down Himejima. One of the two servants who were fighting had to be hers so this was their opportunity. Suddenly something, Issei wasn't sure what it was. It looked like a metal wardrobe with a face of woman appeared out of nowhere behind Himejima. She let out a painful scream when it trapped her inside.

"Lancer! Please destroy that thing!" Issei decided to save Himejima. He didn't care who she really was. All he knew was that if he didn't act fast Himejima would die. It only took Lancer a few seconds to reach that thing and broke it with her lance. Himejima had fainted when Lancer caught her, there was blood everywhere on her white miko attire.

When Issei was thinking that he was too late another metal thingy appeared and trapped the swordswoman. Now the man with horns was free he jumped up to the tree where Lancer and Himejima were.

They would die. All Issei could imagine was that both Lancer and Himejima would die to the man's axe. There was no way Lancer could defend herself against such a powerful foe while she was holding Himejima. The man swung his axe, he chopped down the large tree with no trouble. Lancer had jumped down to dodge his attack but now she was at a disadvantage position. The man could easily brought down his axe on her in the next attack. There was no escape. If Lancer moved carelessly she might get trapped by that metal thing just like the swordswoman.

No. Issei would never allow it. He would never allow Lancer and Himejima to die like this. Red light flashed. Issei didn't care what it was. He pointed his left arm at Lancer only to hear a sound.

[Boost!]

Then he lost his breath. His body burned out, his throat was dried. It was as if he had run a thousand kilometers non stop. Issei blacked out immediately. His body fell on the ground. The last thing he could see was Lancer dashing toward him on something and the sound of broken metal.

When Issei woke up he was in an unfamiliar room. Lancer was sitting next to him. She had removed her helmet and her lance. Lancer seemed concerned when she looked at Issei.

"Master, you have awaken. How do you feel?" Lancer asked.

"I… I'm alright." Issei wasn't hurt or anything. He just felt extremely exhausted. "I can't really move my body in this state though."

Lancer let out a relaxed sigh when she heard that.

"What happened? How did we escape that guy?" Issei asked.

Before Lancer could answer someone entered the room. When she came into his view Issei recognized it was Himejima and another woman behind her. She was the same swordswoman who fought that guy with the axe.

"Looks like you have woken up Issei." Himejima politely said. She carried a tray with 4 cups of tea. Lancer helped Issei up so he could take the cup Himejima gave him.

"Thanks." The black tea was nice. It somehow made him feel refreshed and took away his fatigue.

"It's nothing. I should be the one who said thanks to you. If you didn't order your servant to save me then I would have died in that thing." Himejima slightly bowed down her head. Now that Issei noticed her body was bandaged in several places.

"You are… Hyodo, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Issei blushed. It was a honor that the school idol knew his name.

"Well I didn't really expect you of all people to be one of the masters." Himejima sighed.

Of course. Even Issei himself had no idea he would become a master in this holy grail war just like that.

"Anyway let's make our introduction. My name is Akeno Himejima and I am the master of Saber. Nice to meet you Hyodo." The swordswoman who just finished her cup of tea casually waved her hand at Issei. She looked like a friendly woman unlike the master of the swords impression Issei got earlier.

"Oh um my name is Issei Hyodo. This is Lancer and I'm her master. Nice to meet you too Himejima." Lancer only nodded her head a bit before returning to her cup of tea. It looked like Lancer fancied nice tea. When everyone finished their tea Himejima was the first to talk.

"Hyodo, I know this might sound sudden but I have a proposal. Would you like to hear it?"

Issei nodded.

"Just as we know earlier both you and me were under attacked by that savage servant. I have no doubt he is Berserker. However according to my knowledge it seems like he's not the only hostile servant."

"Correct. When that iron maiden appeared I could feel a presence of another servant however fainted it was." Lancer said.

"Iron maiden?" Issei asked, the name reminded him of something he had heard before.

"It is a torture device which pierces the person inside with metal spikes. Fortunately for some reasons the spikes weren't very deep so it only made me bleed but not fatal enough to kill me minutes later." Himejima pointed at her wounds.

"No master, the spikes that pierced me in the second iron maiden were deep enough to cause fatal wounds. It looks like someone went easy on you." Saber said. "Or it could be that because I am a servant so they went harder on me." Issei knew she should have visible wounds if what she said was true but since she's a servant her wounds healed much faster than normal people.

"My conclusion is that we have been attacked by Berserker and Assassin. None of the other servants from Rider, Archer to Caster could possibly employ a weapon like that and still able to conceal their presences from both Lancer and Saber." Himejima told him. "But iron maiden isn't a significant tool or associated with anyone. Even though we know the name and what it does it will take more to know which heroic spirit uses the iron maiden."

"I see." Issei nodded. It was terrifying to know that not only they had to deal with the brutal, seemingly unstoppable berserker but also an assassin who lurked in the dark and waited for a moment to trap them in that torture device thing.

"That is why, I want to make an alliance with you Hyodo. At least until we defeat Berserker and Assassin. We can cover our backs if we work together. Also I'm injured so my fighting capability has been reduced. It will be tough if I fight alone now, the same goes for you too I believe."

Issei thought for a moment. It was true that he wasn't a capable person and having Himejima and Saber as his allies would be great. There was no need to check Saber's strength since she had shown off during the fight against berserker. Issei believed Saber more or less was just as strong as Lancer. Issei nodded to himself at his conclusion. He glanced at Lancer and saw that she had completely let him decide his path.

"I accept your proposal Himejima."

"Good. One more thing I need to ask. What is your objective in this holy grail war Hyodo?"

"Well I just want to survive. I'm not really cut out for such a war." He answered honestly.

"I see. Then from now on we're allies Hyodo. This shrine here is my base. I have set up barriers and such for protection. It should be better for us to stay in one place in case they decide to assault our base."

"That's good to hear. I will have to convince my parents to let me stay here though." To stay in another person's home just like that wasn't a normal thing, least it was the school idol's home. Issei still couldn't believe he was going to live in the home as Akeno Himejima. It was something only happened in a manga or so.

"You don't have to worry about it. I can ask the school staffs to prepare a letter so you can stay at a proper place in order to focus more on your study'. It should be a trivial thing."

"You can do something like that?" Issei asked with astoundment.

"That's nothing. What surprised me was your magecraft Hyodo." Himejima replied.

Issei became dumbfounded when he heard that.

"What? Magecraft? But I don't know how to magic."

"Master, if you would allow me to explain." Lancer said as if she understood why Issei didn't know what Himejima told him.

"It was back when Berserker attacked us. I knew a direct clash against him would possibly result at our loss. However when you pointed your left hand at me a huge amount of mana entered my body no, I should say that I have become even stronger than in my top form. With your assist I succeeded in deflecting Berserker's blows, summoned my steed then carried all of us out of the combat zone. Saber also managed to break the iron maiden and escaped with us. Thanked to her guidance we reached this shrine here to recover."

Issei concentrated on Lancer's words. He really did something that amazing?

"I believe it was your Sacred Gear and not magecraft. Looks like you indeed have a Sacred Gear that can temporarily increase my strength for a short time. However since it's your first time using it the Sacred Gear might put too much strain on your body so you collapsed." Lancer continued. "Also after that looks like my strength has returned to this current state. Still your Sacred Gear will be a great tool against our enemies as long as we can time it right."

"Okay okay. Tell me how do I use this Sacred Gear." Issei was excited now that he found out he could help Lancer with this awesome artifact thingy.

"You don't know how activate it?" Himejima asked.

"I don't even know what it is. It was the first time I used something like that." Issei shook his head.

"We will figure it out after you recover. For now you should rest Issei but hm... You are not a mage so it will be tough to gauge other servants' power." Himejima told him. "I can lend you this."

Himejima gave him a book.

"This is a magic tome that will automatically record the stats of the servants you saw. It should be useful to someone like you. I already have something similar so you can have this one."

"Thank you."

"As for you Lancer, I understand it's your precaution but you should wear something else indoor. I can get you some clothes."

"There's no need. As a knight it's my duty to be ready to protect my master and defeat his enemies anytime." Lancer said.

Yet Issei had a different thought. From the beginning he had always seen Lancer in her armor. She was very beautiful and Issei had no doubt her body matched her face too. However it would be great if he could see her breasts. How large were they? Issei hadn't thought of this question until this day. He decided he had to find out about them.

"Lancer, I think you should change to normal clothes." Issei said in his serious tone.

"That's right. If you wear that armor you can't go out to buy snack you know. Unlike the era when I lived there are so many things to eat around here." Saber said. Indeed she looked like a Japanese in casual clothes even though her hair was of cherry blossom color. Issei had a gut feeling that Saber was a Japanese heroic spirit but there were many samurais and warriors who followed the path of the sword. For now he returned to the matter of Lancer.

"I mean." Issei tried to convince Lancer. "You have helped me through a lot of things. I want you to relax a bit too. The armor makes you look serious all the time."

Lancer knew that her master wasn't going back down so she just followed his words. When Lancer went with Himejima for clothes Issei fell back on his futon. He would need to prepare to stay in this shrine a few weeks or more. To live with a beautiful woman such as Lancer was great but living together with the school idol and another beauty was even better! Speaking of which Saber just ate another rice cracker. She really was an easy-going person huh.

"Want some?" Saber offered Issei a piece of rice cracker.

"No thanks, I want to sleep now."

Issei wished every other masters and servants were friendly people just like these two.

Servant: Lancer

True name: ?

Master: Issei Hyodo

Strength: C

Endurance: B-

Agility: B-

Mana: B-

Luck: D

NP: ?

Servant: Saber

True name: ?

Master: Akeno Himejima

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Mana: C

Luck: C

NP: ?

Servant: Berserker

True name: ?

Master: ?

Strength: B++

Endurance: B++

Agility: C++

Mana: D++

Luck: C++

NP: ?

Servant: Assassin

True name: ?

Master: ?

Strength: ?

Endurance: ?

Agility: ?

Mana: ?

Luck: ?

NP: Iron Maiden (?)

Congrats on guessing the right servant.