It was nearing 2 o'clock.
Blake idly checked over the book, her faunus vision letting her see the words on the pages perfectly even in the dim moonlight. Then she looked up, just as Ruby was about to call out.
"Is this good?" Ruby said as she pointed to a part of the summoning circle that Ruby must have thought looked a little weird. Blake nodded.
"It's fine. Besides, according to what this says here, the Grail will perform most of the summoning itself, and as long as the shape is recognizable, the circle will be usable." Blake said as she looked at the page that said that.
"Really? I didn't know that..." Velvet mumbled as she looked up from her own work.
"Well, that's Blakey!" Ruby appeared next to Velvet and patted her on the shoulder, missing Velvet's sudden stillness. "She always is so sharp, it's pretty cool!"
"Oh..." Velvet said, breathed as she looked at Ruby, someone on her mind. "R-Ruby? Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, Velvet?" Ruby said.
"W-Why are you out here too? Your teammate Weiss didn't look too interested in this..." Velvet said. Ruby rubbed her chin.
"Well... I figured that if she wasn't interested, she wasn't interested and I figured I'd respect that. Still, I think she's missing out on something... I mean, seriously!" Suddenly, what could be called Ruby's Passion bubbled to the surface as she began to get lost in her own world.
"I mean, summoning heroic spirits, summoning people who did stuff so cool that they go to this place where other cool people who also did cool things, that's so...COOL! And I figure that these Noble Phantasms have to be so cool too! ...So yeah." Ruby grinned at Velvet, who was trying to stop herself from inching back.
"So why are you out here, Velv?" Ruby asked, making Velvet blink as she was caught off guard.
"Well..." Velvet started, only to pause. She tried to think of something to say, and could only be aware of just how long it was that she was not giving an answer.
"Well, I-" "You know what." Ruby interrupted, making Velvet look up at her. "You only had to say that you didn't feel comfortable saying why." Ruby smiled before getting up to look after her own circle. Velvet stared at Ruby for a while, before looking down, continuing her work.
Blake had been looking down at the book, specifically the page that she was currently on. Apparently, none of the other two girls with her had asked to read, or even seen this part of the book. To think that the Command Seals were actually marks of who would participate in the Holy Grail War... and who would be able to claim the prize of one wish...
Admittably, when she had came across this information, she didn't know what to think. She was no stranger to violence, so the war aspect wasn't unfamiliar to her. But the prize...anything in the world... To think that Faunus Equality...Actual Faunus Equality, that the notion of it being achievable in this life time was practically unconceivable. But now...
To think that she was not chosen and that Weiss Schnee had been. She wanted to think well of her teammate in white, she really did. But she would be lying if she denied that there was still a little sting in her heart.
Perhaps it was this was why she was dedicating so much to this. All variables accounted for, for this ritual to go right... Hopefully, everything in this book was a hoax, and perhaps Yang had been paying the long term in this new prank of hers. But something in her dared to hope.
For what, she didn't know.
Looking back at the summoning circles that Ruby and Velvet had drawn on the ground with red paint (hopefully those few cans would go unnoticed) then at the designs in the book, Blake shut the book close.
"Alright, it's going to be time."
While Ruby's eyes gleamed with excitement as she wondered out loud what kind of heroic spirit she was going to summon, Velvet's eye held a glimmer of hope as she stood stock still.
"Alright, you two both know what to say?" Blake asked. As both girls nodded, Blake looked back at her scroll before nodding.
"Start chanting now."
With that, Ruby and Velvet stood in front of their own summoning circle and closed their eyes. Concentrating, both began to chant the ritual's words.
"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times. But destroy each when filled."
Blake continued to watch as the two continued to recite the chant perfectly.
"A base of silver and steel. A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts. And my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg."
Blake was honestly surprised that Ruby actually managed to pronounce that. Even she had problems with that one.
"A wall to block the falling wind. The gates of all four directions close. From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom."
It was at this moment that Blake felt the most foolish. Seriously, what was she doing? Trying to reenact some old ritual that honestly sounded too good to be true... How pathetic.
That was until the symbols began to emit light. Ruby and Velvet continued to intone, uncaring of the phenomenon.
"I hereby propose. My will shall create thy body and thy sword shall create my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!"
Light, Blake thought as she stared at what was happening. Whatever was happening, it was working? Feeling something blow through her hair, she looked back and gasped as she saw her hair actually caught in a breeze. There was no breeze before.
"I hereby swear. I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world."
Was it her, or was the light getting stronger? Blake shielded her eyes as her faunus vision, having adjusted to the darkness, now dealt with the shift in light. The wind also seemed to be picking up. This all seemed to point to one thing.
Power was collecting in those summoning circles, and something was happening.
"RUBY! VELVET!" Blake shouted, hoping get any of the two's attentions. To her dismay, they looked like they didn't even hear, only holding out their hands and grasping their arms as they continued to chant.
"Thou, clad wth the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint."
With those words, the light was blinding, and the wind picked up. Blake's breath halted. Those were-
"STOP!" Blake shouted to no avail.
"GUARDIAN OF THE HEAVENLY SCALES!" With their final cry, Ruby and Velvet completed their chant. In that instant, the light exploded, bathing the world in light and forcing Blake to close her eyes.
As the light died down, Blake looked up, only to feel a gust of wind and some dirt hit her face. Then she choked.
There, now standing in front of Velvet, stood...something. Blake recognized it as a Faunus, two black tufts standing out in a head of red hair. He was shirtless, wore a pair of black pants with sandals and held a sheathed katana in one hand. His eyes were covered with an eyemask that looked to be made out of bone, the four eyes holes laid out in a pattern that looked familiar to a Nevermore. Blake should have noticed more...
If it wasn't for the air of bloodlust and hatred in the air. Looking back at ...it, Blake noticed the teeth-baring snarl on the lips, promising death and destruction for all. Never in all her years had a simple snarl make her want to run, and run, and never look back. That look promised that with all her skills, all her experience...she would be crushed like an ant. Shakily looking over at Ruby, she noticed that the hooded girl was ramrod stiff, a bit of motion here and there giving away her nerves.
That was probably because of the person in front of them.
It must have been male, as his shoulders just seemed to be too broad to be a woman. His blonde hair covered the back of his neck and reminded her of hay, both from the color and messiness of it. The rest of his body was covered by the brown cloak he was wearing, which looked beat up and worn from much travel. Peaking over the top of his cloak, the hilt of what must be his sword showed itself.
It was strange, he emitted no presence, no overwhelming aura that countered the...thing in front of them, yet Blake already felt better him just standing there. Seeing him stand there made him look like a wall standing in front of a horde of murderous grimm. Looking over at Ruby, she realized that she had stopped shaking and was now fully staring at the person in front of them.
Idly, Blake noticed that the man stood at least a good head above Ruby.
Ruby was right now completely lost. She had been doing the chant precisely as Blake had instructed her to. The light and wind coming from the summoning circle told her that she must have been doing something right. As she closed her eyes and continued the incantation, she felt it. Something, someone had reached out for her, like a hand stretching out to her. Almost immediately, she grabbed hold and pulled.
As the sensation consumed her senses, she felt herself pushed back. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was the man's brown cloak, looking like he used it a lot and wasn't able to take care of it. As Ruby continued to stare, her eyes widened as...something entered her view.
Strength: C
Agility: D
Endurance: B
Mana: B
Noble Phantasm: D (Sealed)
Luck: E
As Ruby tried to make sense of this new information, the stranger looked back, the only sign a brief turn of his neck.
"Are you alright, master?"
Ruby could only blink at the stranger's voice, for it sounded...sad, like he was sad for so long that his voice was tinged with the emotion. And the second thing that popped out at her was...
"Master?" Suddenly, Ruby grunted as she felt her hand heat up in pain. Holding her hand up, she saw her tattoo, or Command Seal as Blake put it, glowing red. She heard someone else grunt in pain, and she remembered who else was in the grove with her and Blake.
"Velvet?" She asked as she looked to the side only to see no one there. Looking around the stranger, she saw Velvet, standing behind... What in Dust's name was that? As she stared at the...thing, the same thing began to happen when she looked at the stranger.
Strength: A
Agility: B+
Endurance: B+
Mana: C
Noble Phantasm: B+
Luck: C
Class Skills:
Mad Enchancement: B
Personal Skills:
Hate of the Oppressed: A
Just as she finished absorbing this data, did she realize who she was looking for.
"Velvet!" She called out as she ran out from behind the stranger, only to struck by the amount of hate that the...thing was excluding. She had heard of looks that can kill, and she found the closest thing that could. As her breath cut short, she saw it looked between her and Velvet, whose own Command Seal was glowing as well.
As it looked between her and Velvet, his bared teeth clenched themselves as his murderous intent focused in on her. Ruby tried her hardest to breath, and maintained eye contact. Suddenly, it disappeared, a patch of grass disturbed. Time slowed down for her as she looked...
And saw the beast jumping towards her, his sword withdrawn and ready to rip through her. As Ruby saw it get closer and closer, only one thought raged in her mind.
She was going to die.
Just as she saw the blade come closer, she saw her reflection, terrified silver pupils staring back at her. Suddenly, she was pulled back, the stranger coming back into view, his weapon swinging at the beast. The beast's head snapped back as it flew away, regaining its balance in the air and landing on its feet, crouched. It looked and snarled, its... rage now turned against him.
Looking up at the stranger, who was now in a stance, his weapon clothed in his cloak, standing in front of her, she gotten hold of her mental process enough to know.
She was about to die, and this guy just saved her. As she processed this fact, she opened her mouth automatically.
"T-tha-" "Master."
That single words cut her thanks in half. The stranger turned his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the beast.
"Master, get out of here."
Ruby blinked.
"What?"
The stranger turned his head back.
"Get out of here. This Saber is going to need everything to fight Beserker."
Almost like a signal, th- Beserker roared, before jumping at him. Th- Saber was silent as he charged forth.
"I can't believe you woke me up this early..." Grumbled Weiss as she yawned, glaring at Yang. The blonde didn't even acknowledge it.
"Well, you saw that Ruby and Blake weren't in their bed, and that they had their pajamas on the bed..."
Weiss shook her head. Yang was so overprotective of Ruby to the point of embarrassing, it was good that she wasn't the same to Winter... A brief pang of something popped up, before Weiss forced it down.
Yang shook her head, her lips in a tight frown.
"Look...I know it's stupid for you, but Ruby... sometimes I feel trouble knows where to find Ruby..."
"YANG!" Suddenly, in a burst of rose petals, Ruby popped out, gasping for air and grabbing Yang's arms.
"RUBY!" Hugging her sister, Yang held Ruby at arm's length, glaring at her. "Why are you out here this late?"
"Well..." Ruby began as she poked her fingers together. Just as she thought about how to explain the two people that she and Velvet summoned that are now trying to kill each other, Blake appeared behind her.
"I'll explain. Right now, someone needs to get a teacher. PortOobleckGoodwitchanyone!" Blake breathed out in one word. Yang and Weiss looked at each other, before Weiss looked back.
"Okay, now I'm concerned. You two got out of bed early, and now you two look like something's been chasing you. What is the heck is going on?!"
Just as Weiss said that, the forest that Ruby and Blake came out of exploded as something flew back, smashing into the statue next to the group. The girls covered their faces as they were hit by the debris and dust. As the dust cloud died down, Team RWBY coughed before looking at the now destroyed statue.
"W-WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Weiss screeched, unsettled by the sudden turn of events.
"I think a better question is - WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Yang yelled as she pointed to Berserker coming out of the woods, sword in hand. It seemed to look over the courtyard, until its gaze leveled at them. Staring at them, it bared its teeth , before bellowing out in rage. It took everything team RWBY had not to run away screaming or do whatever else would be inspired by panic.
"So...w-what's the plan?" Yang shivered as she felt naked, and not in a good way, without her gauntlets.
"G-get someone, g-get anyone." Blake forced herself to speak.
Ruby could only breathe in and out, hoping for this horrible nightmare to come to an end. She glanced at the pile of stone that used to be statues. 'Please help' she silently pleaded.
"IT'S COMING!" Weiss shouted as Berserker charged forth, his sword gleaming of his intentions. Thinking quickly, the heiress placed a glyph in front of Berserker. Just as it was about to step on it, Berserker jumped up into the air, growling as he started to fall towards the team.
"It dodged?!" Weiss shouted incredulously, just as a piece of statue was thrown at the falling Berserker. Almost with contempt, Berserker slashed through the stone, only to see the stranger swing at him. Connecting with its face, Berserker fell to the ground, a cloud of dust and dirt kicking up.
The stranger scarcely landed when Berserker burst out of the cloud, his feet ripping up the turf as he ran at Saber. Saber stood still in a stance, his weapon held out in front of him, both hands on the hilt. As soon as Berserker was in range, it swung its katana at Saber, aiming to bisect him from shoulder to hip. Saber quickly grabbed the other side of his weapon and blocked it with the broad side of his sword, his feet sliding back a bit, before he pushed Berserker.
Berserker snarled, and readjusted, spinning around to deliver a back slash. Saber ducked, some of his hair nicked, before swinging at Berserker's knees. Berserker jumped up, both hands grasping the hilt, before bringing his katana down like a hammer. Saber held his weapon in front, grunting as the impact rattled his arms. Berserker swung down again, Saber's defense starting to weaken.
Just as Berserker swung down again, Saber tilted his sword, Berserker's katana not meeting the same resistance. As it missed, Saber punched Berserker in the face. It was only enough to get it to rise up, but it was enough. Adjusting himself, Saber stood up, smashing against Berserker's midsection with his shoulder, before swinging upwards.
His weapons smashed against Berserker's chin, it stumbling back a few steps. Ruby blinked as her brain tried to register the past few seconds.
As Berserker stumbled back and shook its head, Blake spotted someone coming out of the forest. Tapping Ruby on the shoulder, the silver-eyed girl looked up at her, before following her finger.
"We forgot Velvet!" Ruby gasped as she saw Velvet come out of where they were.
"Ruby, it's too dangerous!" Yang said as she grabbed Ruby's shoulders. Ruby turned around and saw that the fight started again, and felt her senses stop as she witnessed them fight.
Their weapons clashed against each other, blurs just smashing against each other, before they blurred again and smashed in another spot. She barely registered the sound, like steel meeting something that wasn't steel. The ground was being torn up as their feet wrestled with it to gain traction. And all the while, Ruby stared slackjawed.
It was like...a scene out of a movie, or story book. The evil monster versus the brave hero...swords clashing, the monster trying to overwhelm the hero, the hero stoically refusing to give up. Ruby honestly wondered. She felt like she was a pretty good huntress, and pretty handy with her Crescent Rose, and could totally took on like a horde of Beowolves or gang members by her lonesome. Yet, seeing what was happening right now...
She felt way below their league.
"Ahh, are you girls unharmed?" "Indeed, that is quite a relief." Ruby was broken out of her reverie as she looked at the voice, and immediately felt some relief.
"Professor Port! Professor Oobleck!" she shouted as she saw two of the professors come out, Port carrying his trusty blunderbuss-double sided axe combo, and Oobleck carrying...
"...Umm, Professor Oobleck? I don't think this is the time for coffee." Ruby remarked as she stared at Oobleck's thermos. He stared as her as his thermos shifted, turning into a staff with a torch on the top. Yang only whistled.
"Will this suffice, Miss Rose?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah, yeah it would."
"RARR!"
The group turned just as Saber and Berserker locked swords, Berserker's face set in his permanent snarl while Saber matched might with him. Seeing the deadlock, they withdrew blades, only to erupt in a new flurry of blows, the metal ringing out like bells, their only attention set on their battle. As their swords bounced off each other again, neither was phased as they took a step back, before Saber threw a punch at Berserker.
As the fist came closer, Berserker leaned forwards, his cheek being grazed by Saber's fist. As he threw his own punch, Saber quickly blocked it with the flat of his sword. Feeling the impact, Saber sailed through the air, flipping over and landing on his feet, sword in stance.
Instead of them clashing again, the two stared at each other, as if reevaluating the other.
"So...These are the two miscreants causing trouble. I must say they are quite skilled..." Port observed.
"Well, I suppose I have people to take responsibility then..." A low voice growl as heels could be heard coming out of the door. As the group turned to look, Team RWBY had a stark realization. During all their time learning and studying in Beacon...
They never saw Glynda Goodwitch PISSED.
"You four, go back into Beacon now. We will handle this."
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang shared a look, before heading inside. Just before she entered, Ruby looked back at Saber, his back still turned to her. Offering a hope for his survival, she ran back inside.
His master ran back inside. Good, that meant he could now focus on Berserker. Still, he now had to worry about the three adults left, and they seemed intent on doing something. Well, the brief look he gave them told him that they might be able to give Servants like him trouble, and perhaps even serve as a threat to Assassin and Caster, but...
"I'll handle Berserker, you get the girl." He said, bobbing his head in Berserker's master's direction. Berserker took his words as a challenge, as he noted, and charged at him. Just as he raised his weapon, the ground below him shined with a blue light. Jumping to the side, he saw Berserker do the same thing just as his sight was obscured by the giant block of ice that appeared.
'A glyph-semblance?'
Saber looked back at the blond woman, her...what was that? It looked like a stick with a bit of leather on the tip.
"What are you doing? You nearly got us both!" Saber said, his skeptical analysis of the woman's weapon being put on hold by the fact that the woman appeared to be threatening him.
Adjusting her glasses, the woman merely glared at him as she waved her wand. As she did, the ground around him glowed blue, before walls of ice erupted around him and Berserker. The ice was clear enough that Saber could see through it, and into the next prison. Berserker roared in fury as he started to punch at the ice, but the woman began to put more effort into reinforcing the walls.
However, it was clear that the walls would not hold him in for long.
"Oobleck! Get Miss Scarlatina out of here!" The woman shouted, sweat starting to form on her brow.
The now identified Oobleck nodded as he rushed over to Berserker's master, patting her on the shoulder. The brief contact made Berserker as he redoubled his assault. The woman gritted her teeth as she poured more power into her restraints, while the man with the mustache readied his weapon.
"Miss Scarlatina, we must get you to safety! Come with me!"
Berserker's master, still staring at her servant, shook her head.
"Stop!" With that, Berserker's master ran towards the icy prison, stopping in front of Berserker. Noticing his master in front of him, Berserker paused his assault, staring at her quietly. It was disconcerting, seeing such a timid girl stand in front of Berserker, but even with trembling hands and knees, the girl stared straight at him.
"Please stop..." Berserker's master spoke softly, and it seemed like Berserker was listening.
"Miss Scarlatina, please step away from that!" Oobleck shouted as he ran up and grasped Berserker's master by the shoulder firmly. However, a gasp escaped from her mouth, and that was all that it took.
His rage ignited again, Berserker roared as he started his assault again.
Saber looked up from this scene around him. He needed to escape this prison, and he just didn't have the time to convince the blond woman of his innocence. Looking up the walls, he realized that he was only enclosed, and the top was left open. She must not had time to think about that as she was casting, Saber thought to himself as he readied himself.
Rushing towards the wall, he began to run up, gravity's hold on him trying and failing to pull him back down. Clearing the top, he landed on his feet and looked up. Berserker smashed through the prison and began to run towards Oobleck and his master.
The mustache man jumped in between Berserker and Oobleck and leveled his weapon, fire belching from the tip. Saber expected Berserker to dodge, or even take the attack. What he didn't expect was for Berserker to duck under the attack and pivot on the spot, the fire sailing over Berserker's shoulder. His katana flashed, and the mustache man was cut from shoulder to hip, his face radiating surprise, before Berserker backhanded him, flipping over himself before landing on the ground.
"PETER!" Oobleck and the blond woman shouted as they witnessed his friend cut down. Just as Berserker reached them, another wall of ice erupted between them and him. The wall didn't even slow him down as he burst through it. Oobleck raised his weapon up as Berserker swung at him, the impact breaking his weapon and sending him flying.
The immediate threat over, Berserker turned around to look at his master. Satisfied that no harm had been done to her, he held an arm in front of her and pushed her back. Meanwhile, he held his katana out in front of himself, growling at Oobleck.
Oobleck got on his feet shakily, before looking at the two pieces that used to be his weapon.
"Blast." He said as he looked around, looking down at Port's weapon. Grabbing it, he began to take the axe attachment off.
"You know your friend is fine." Saber said as he walked upon beside him. Oobleck looked back to see Peter being healed, the blond woman concentrating as she powered her spell.
"Well, thank you for that reassurance. Now would it be possible for you to go back to your prison over there and wait for the authorities to arrest you?"
Saber shook his head. "Well, how about we rescue that girl first, hmm?"
Oobleck frowned as he finished attached his thermos onto Peter's Blunderbluss. Looking over it, he nodded to himself before aiming it at Berserker.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Velvet's safety does come first, and while I appreciate your concern, it does not erase the fact that you have committed massive damages and participated in a fight that has severely wounded one of our faculty."
"...We'll cross that bridge when we have to... That weapon looks pretty heavy."
Oobleck nodded. "Yes."
"I just need a couple of moments to get to...Velvet. When I get over there, Berserker's attention will shift to me. At that moment, you get Velvet out of here, and gently, don't make sudden movements."
"Right." Oobleck said as he took aim, his finger on the trigger. Berserker growled as he sensed the tension in the air.
"Ready..." Saber said, lowering himself into a crouch. Berserker took the same stance. Oobleck simply swallowed, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.
"NOW!" Saber shouted as he ran forth, Berserker rushing forwards as well. Just as they were about to meet, Oobleck fired, a belch of flame erupting from the gun into their midst, engulfing the area with smoke and fire. Oobleck continued firing, pelting the area, then he heard Berserker roar.
Saber ran out of the smoke, his cloak wrapped around him as he dashed for Velvet. He heard Berserker roar, so he knew he didn't have much time left. Just as he reached him, he closed his eyes, as his hand tightened around his sword.
"I'm sorry."
With that, Saber tackled Velvet to the ground. Quickly adjusting himself so that his legs held her arms down, he grasped the hilt of his sword with two hands, the weapon poised to crush her throat. Velvet was still, her eyes widening as she saw her death approaching. Tears began to fall down the sides of her head, before she started to scream, closing her eyes. Saber frowned, before hardening his heart.
Saber stabbed downwards with all his strength.
Blood. Murder. Pain. Grief. Regret. Sorrow.
And the weapon landed in the space next to her head. Velvet took shallow breaths as her brain struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
Saber sighed, before jumping off her, the blade cutting off a bit of his cloak. Rolling into a crouched position, he saw Berserker snarl at him, before looking down at his master. He tilted his head, like an animal who found something that had piqued his curiosity. It was then that Saber noticed that Velvet was unconscious, having fainted from her near-death experience.
Having realized that he needed to get his master out of here since she had been targeted, he sheathed his sword. Gathering the girl in his arms, he took a moment to brush aside a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. Looking at Saber one last time, as if promising a definite end to their battle, Berserker ran into the woods, disappearing among the trees.
Saber took a deep breath as he looked around the place that he and Berserker had done battle. The fire from Oobleck's weapon was still going, and looked like it was starting to become out of control. The ice left from that woman's spell still remained, like giant towers piercing through the ground. The ground was gouged and ripped up, tales of their battle now engraved and etched into the surface.
And he had failed to take out what was surely one of the biggest threats in the Holy Grail War...
As he lost himself in his own shame and self-pity, a bright light began to shine through. Looking up, he saw these large metal boxes with what looked to be wings. Looking down, he saw the blond woman and Oobleck looking over their fallen compatriot. A frown found itself on Saber's face.
Right now, there was nothing more he could do. The only thing he can do was to reconnect with his master and plan for their next moves in the war. He found himself blinking at that.
When he was first summoned, he knew who was his master. In essence, the whole ceremony thing, with him confirming that she was his master, was merely formality, and even now, he could feel the connection between him and her. A sardonic smile grew as he thought of his performance today and the fact that his master would have to depend on him to get her through this war.
It was times like these that the chain keeping his sword stuck in his sheath felt the heaviest.
Imaging the line between him and his master, he began to restrtict the flow between them. As he did so, his body starting from his feet became transparent, until he could no longer be seen. Taking one more glance at the two kneeling over their comrade, he walked into the building, intent to find his master.
"Sorry master, it seems you have summoned a worthless servant like me..."
Unbeknownst to Saber, the students of Beacon had been waken by his fight with Berserker, some of whom even recording the fight.
Soon, the footage had gone viral, sparking questions about the two who had fought at Beacon.
And alerting others to their presence...
As the light began to die down in the hull, Sun blinked as he tried to make out his Servant. He had been looking at the kitchen just as the door opened. As he hopped back into the air vent, he could hear the people below muttering about some things that were happening at Beacon. One news report on the TV later, Sun knew he had to summon his Servant.
As the dots began to clear away, he made out his Servant. Standing around his eye level, the first thing that Sun noticed was that he was barechested, the only article on his upper body was the bandages that encircled his wrists and the bottom half of his palms. He was wearing green pants that looked to be made of some material that was loose and could provide a full range of movement for his legs. His feet were covered by some beige covering with straps keeping it in place, his shoes peeking out from underneath. To top it off, he was lithe, his muscles not bulging, but compact and easily concealed the power beneath his frame. He essentially looked like those kung-fu monks that he saw in all those martial arts movies, minus the black hair that grew to the base of his neck and was gathered in a ponytail.
And in his hands was a simple longbow, yet Sun could already sense that there was something more.
His Servant turned his purple eyes to him, before bowing, his hands together as he dipped his upper body.
"Upon your summoning, Servant Archer has answered your call. I ask you, are you my master?"
Looking down at his hand, he saw that his tattoo had changed color, now a bright red. Looking back up at Archer, he nodded. Looks like whether he liked it or not, there was no turning back.
Junior rubbed his eyes as he struggled to see if the ritual had worked.
As soon as he saw the footage, he began to pour through the books that he could find, before one of his henchmen alerted him of something else that they had found in the basement, and they were weird. When he took a look, he had to agree with that assessment.
It looked like someone had sorted a pile of junk and put a little card next to each one. A bit of cloth there claiming that it was part of a cape. A tooth saying that it was a tooth of a legendary. Essentially, Junior nearly ordered the junk to be thrown away as he turned to another page in the book, then he stopped.
To think, with the right catalyst, the right item, he could call down any Heroic Spirit he wanted. With that, he looked through the seemingly pieces of crap, before making his selection. Now as he lowered his hands and took a peek to see if the ritual worked, he blinked along with the rest of his gang.
She stood around the midway of his bicep, whatever skin was exposed pale like milk. She seemed to have a love for fur, as it seems to make up nearly all her clothes, from her coat, to her skirt, to her shinguards and vambraces, to her boots. Finally, sitting proudly on the top of her head, a bear's head sat, the bottom half gone so that the girl could wear it like a hat. Strapped to her back and looking bigger than her own body was this massive warhammer that looked like it could crush his skull in one blow.
However, the biggest thing that told Junior that he needed to be careful around this one was the manic energy that lurked in the girl's eyes, promising chaos if it ever found a reason to be unleashed.
"HI!" The girl grinned as she walked towards the group. Junior heard the shuffling of his gang's feet. Stopping in front of them, the girl looked at the group, seemingly evaluating each one.
"So this is your tribe, huh? GREAT! They look like strong...or at least can take a better. Hehehe..." The girl took a moment to giggle, before looking back at them. Drawing her warhammer, she held it above her head with one hand.
"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP! I AM NORA, BARBARIAN QUEEN OF THE SNOWS! FIRST, WE SHALL FEAST!"
"Feast?" Junior asked as his henchmen looked at each other.
"Yes, we shall feast, make merry, and so on and so on. For tomorrow, you will all help me search for my eternal rival. I can feel it, he's here, I know it." With that, she grinned at the people gathered before it.
"When we find him, and we will, prepare for an epic battle, one that the skalds will surely sing of for generations!" She finished, clenching her fist.
"...Okay, question." Junior asked, coming closer.
"Yes?" Nora asked, tilting her head.
"...Which class are you supposed to be? And shouldn't a Servant conceal their identity?"
Nora blinked for a moment, tapping her bottom lip. Suddenly, she smacked her head.
"Oh, silly me, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me!"
With that, she smashed her hammer into the ground, the ground shaking a bit as it cracked, yet another thing that Junior noted.
"Hello, I'm Rider! Ignore that the fact that you heard my real name."
Junior already felt the headache that was sure to come.
Looking down at the streets below, Neo took a breath, savoring the cold air that was free of the ugliness and depravity of the streets below. Soon enough, with the power of the grail, the world would be like this. And as she turned to regard her Servant, she was sure that the war she was to fight would be a trifle.
He stood in the shadows, the only light illuminating him was the glow of the scroll and the cigar that he was smoking. As much as she thought it was an ugly habit, she supposed that she could let it slide.
"Well," He said as he turned the scroll off, tossing the scroll back to her. As the cigar burned brighter for a moment before returning to its normal intensity, a cloud of smoke escaped her Servant's lips. He
"We can keep our minds clear of Saber for now. I bet he's still at this Beacon. Right, let's watch out for Berserker. I think we can exploit that master of his."
As he walked out of the shadows, he took another puff of his cigar, before blowing out another smoke cloud and dropping his now depleted cigar. As the cigar fell on the ground, he rubbed it out with a black cane with a red bottom. A smirk fully bloomed on his lips.
"Wonder if the rabbit even knows what she gotten herself into?"
Tapping a few buttons on the scroll that he had just taken, Mercury took a deep breath before entering their hideout. He knew that when he entered this war with Emerald that it wasn't going to be easy, that they were going to need a lot of luck and their Servant's help if they wanted to make it out of this. Still...
Every time that he was in her presence, he felt like an ant.
Stepping into the room, he approached the makeshift throne that they had fashioned for her. Upon it, their servant was obscured by darkness, the only thing that showed was her eyes, burning like cinders among the ashes.
"You might want to see this." Mercury said as he handed the scroll to her. Taking it, she watched the footage, before turning it off.
"I see, perhaps we can use this... Continue your search, and if possible, keep an eye out for Berserker's master. It is the empress' responsibility to offer refuge..."
So that's the action chapter. Now for talks and revelations next chapter!