The trip back was as peaceful as ever, even as they left the now deserted battlefield there were few signs of any living creatures both human and animal. Perhaps all the recent fighting had leaked through the bounded fields scaring them off?
As they returned, Kayneth remained on high alert just in case anyone thought to capitalize on his midnight stroll. However, when the welcome sight of the Hyatt came into view he quickly found that his worries were unfounded.
Maybe he was feeling paranoid after witnessing a night go by so smoothly or maybe he was just simply on edge, regardless he continued to be cautious even as the doorman greeted him with a welcome smile.
Stepping into the lobby he glanced around the nearly empty room, examining the faces of all the normal folks he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it really was nothing more than his imagination, regardless he could not help but feel like something was off.
It was as if there was a tiny monotonous ticking sound in the back of his head that would not leave no matter how much he tried to force it to go.
'Lancer, do you sense anything out of the ordinary?'
Asking his Servant if he felt anything Kayneth continued to look around the grand open lounge. Heavily decorated with various silver and golden statues an elaborate design covered most of the walls. Even the elevator had a sense of elegance to it with hand crafted golden panel. The only thing that stood out among the expensive antiques was purpose the smaller service elevator that allowed travel to an underground parking garage. Parking garage?
'No Master I do not feel a thing, is something the matter?'
It was only a hunch but that direction seemed to have a stronger pull than the others, perhaps it was worth investigating just a little more thoroughly.
'No Lancer, there is nothing wrong. I want you to return to my abode and watch over Sola. I shall be taking a small reprieve for just a few minutes. If I am not back within the hour then sound an alarm, otherwise mention none of this to her.'
Even from his spiritual form Kayneth could feel his Servant give a quizzical look before agreeing to the order and disappearing. Nonetheless, Kayneth was not one to skip out on something odd no matter how minute the detail. Checking his body for the small arsenal of Mystic Codes he kept by his side he left at once for the small service elevator.
A dark ricocheted off a nearby wall halting its momentum only after lodging itself far into the concrete of a support pillar. Having only missed its target by a few mere centimeters the shadow could not help but click its tongue in annoyance. Yet before its prey could react two more black daggers were thrown at outstanding speeds one in each direction that its prey might escape to.
Watching the prey throw itself down onto the floor as the darks sailed harmlessly above the shadow chuckled to itself as a third unseen dagger flew straight underneath a nearby parked vehicle digging itself far into the elbow of the man.
A grunt of pain could be heard but there was no scream. Whoever his prey was, it was certainly experienced in the art of combat. Most other humans would have begged for mercy by now or already been killed. Yet this man was special.
Even though it's snow white mask, the shadow squinted and awaited to see what the trench-coated man would do next. The shadow had already been hit uselessly by a volley of gunfire before so by now his prey had likely realized that such modern weapon were useless against a Servant.
The Assassin that had been sent to watch over the hotel had found the man skulking about in the openness of the parking garage had sense that he was likely a Master. Seeing an opportunity he decided that perhaps it might be a good chance to take a participant out of the War. But it was proving to be far more of a challenge than he first thought.
Seeing his prey's ability to survive the shadow doubted that was the only thing this man had in store. He could tell after all, this prey, this man in the trench coat, was very similar to the shadow's own nature. Though their paths through life might have been different, the methodologies and mercilessness that each held could never be any more closer than they were.
And so the shadow chuckled yet again when a flash of light and explosion of smoke were flung in his general direction sending the trench-coated man into a full on run that was impressive even for a Servant's standard.
Another volley of gunfire was met with the precise flinging of a few dirks and the Assassin couldn't help but click his tongue yet again as his own dirks missed their marks by mere inches gouging themselves into nearby concrete.
Even with all his tricks and traps the prey was of no real threat to the shadow that much was certain. And so the shadow had decided he would make a game out of this, if the prey could reach the exit door before the shadow could kill him, then it would be the shadow's own defeat and he would be free to live yet another day.
There were at least thirty feet separating the trench-coat man and his escape, with numerous cars and huge support pillars dotting the landscape in between. With so many different locations for the man to hide the shadow was at a clear disadvantage from its current location. Even so it refused to move any closer perhaps out of stubbornness for the sake of the 'game'.
If the prey had made the first move last time it was then the Assassin's turn to take action. Materializing another five daggers into his hand he quickly aimed before launching off at maddening speeds. The first two were meant to disorient, with a bright flash of light and sparks they easily cut through the nearby light sources sending the man into relative darkness. The other three dirks were flung straight into nearby walls, however unlike last time they continued their momentum ricocheting off of their original targets and flying straight into the direction of the prey.
Seeing his prey jump into action the instant the dirks were flung, he chuckled to himself yet again as his daggers missed the vitals shedding his coat in the process. It was indeed difficult to get a good eye on the man's figure when he hid it under such a deep coat, or perhaps it was due to Assassin's shortcomings as an E rank Servant. Regardless it seemed his prey was not about to let the game continue on any longer than it should.
As the man threw himself into the side of a nearby car setting off its alarm in the process, the Assassin could feel his prey taking a deep breath before preparing himself for the next charge.
'Twenty three meters to go.'
In a blur the prey charged straight from the safety of his location right into the open just as another round of dirks rocketed off each one making its mark directly into the blur's exposed backside.
'Very clever…'
The prey had sacrificed his coat for an opportunity to gain ground. By throwing it off first as a distraction the man had covered huge amounts of territory while taking relatively little harm in the process.
'Eight meters, to go. Time is running out.'
The next action from both men would decide the results of the fight. Unwilling to lose the fight, the shadow readied his largest volley yet ten dirks before taking careful aim at each spot the prey was likely to go when it too also made its move.
Even for the Servant it felt like time was slowing down as the excitement before the ultimate climax began to gather. In the span of under three seconds the duel would be over. Pushing its arms back and bracing himself the Assassin squinted as he awaited prey to move even another inch.
'Three… two... '
A mechanical ding echoed through the silent garage as a nearby elevator opened. The Assassin surprised from the sudden shine of light had lost his focus but his prey had not. Using the newfound help the man made his final charge and blasted his way through the exit door and into the night outside.
'Tch. Saved from an outside source, very well you may live… Just this once.'
"Who dares to enter my domain unannounced!?" As Kayneth entered into the garage the shadow quickly turned its attention to the newfound Man who held a similar feeling of being a Master..
His boisterous reply was quickly met by the barrage of three more daggers straight in his direction. It was a lightning fast reply so quick were the dirks that not even Kayneth's eyes could track them, yet they were all replied by the emergence of a silver wall that covered the entirety of the Elevator door stopping the daggers in their tracks.
The continuous beeps of the elevator began to ring throughout the darkened garage as Kayneth's newfound defensive structure kept them from closing completely, from his position within he was relatively safe from the Servant's area of destruction.
"So it was a Servant… Is this really all you can do?" It was a mockery towards the Assassin's fortitude as a Servant and one that began to grate on the masked man's nerves. He much preferred the quiet yet energetic attitude of his original prey, not the barking ramblings of this mad Master.
'Damnit, now I'm getting angry.' Unwilling to let the comments go unanswered another storm of daggers flew in Kayneth's direction and yet again they were reflected by his Mystic Code.
"What a pathetic set of weapons, unable to even pierce the Volumen Hydrargyrum, my own Lancer was able to do that, are you sure you are even worth my time? Perhaps I could send one of my pets to play with you instead."
With a snap of his fingers Kayneth signaled into the darkness of the roof. A moment of silence passed before Assassin felt it, the approaching magical energy of a spirit.
If it was a Servant Assassin would be put at a great disadvantage, he needed more than himself if he was going to take on a being of that caliber. Yet instead what appeared from the roof straight by Kayneth's side was a silver white wolf.
"Awoooooooo!"
It was only a familiar, though seemingly bred for combat it was nothing more than a dog, something the Assassin believed was well within his capabilities of dealing with.
"Now then, let's see just how strong you are. Go my pet! Rip this Servant to shreds!"
With another howl the beast lunged straight for the shadow, its mouth forming into a snarl it charged with impressive agility.
Yet even with that it proved to be too slow for the Assassin. With even greater maneuverability the mask jumped and clung to the roof high above the familiar, chuckling to itself as he soared high above the hound.
The beast unwilling to let his prey go that easily jumped straight for the shadow just as the Assassin reached into its cloak and took from it a small black vial. In the blink of an in eye the vial was unsealed and a fuse lit.
Before the animal could even react the vial was thrown from the Assassin's hands and a huge explosion rocketed around the empty garage.
Dust and debris filled the darkened hallways as the ground rocked from the force of the shock-wave. Even behind his silver barrier, Kayneth covered his eyes with his sleeve as his ears run from the sound of the blast.
There was no possible way his familiar could have survived such an attack unscathed, and surely enough he could no longer feel its presence. Even so, Kayneth could help but smirk as he uttered his next incantation.
"Caveam…"
A golden cage swung down from the concrete roof and crashed into the Assassin's body. Forcing the Servant to the ground it was enchanted to prevent even the escape of a low rank Servant like the shadow.
"Did you not hear what I said? This is my domain, and as such you are no match for me or my mystic codes. And what a pity, it seems like you don't even possess the Magic Resistance skills that so many other Servants do. Well then, I suppose this is goodbye."
It was a golden spiritual barrier, one of the many Kayneth had brought with him to contain the vile spirits that now wandered the halls of his fortress. Even a spirit like a Servant would have trouble fighting it off. With great rage the Assassin attempted to slam into the cage with all the force his body could muster.
The forces exerted from the tethered Assassin caused the cage to strain as it was pushed past its limits. The time for Kayneth to act was already running short. Without missing a moment he moved onto his next chant.
"XIII coordinare."
The golden bars shuddered and screamed as the black hands pried at them with all their might.
"XLV per coordinare."
A single golden bar snapped from the sheer pressures of the Assassin's growing desperation. The cage's limits had long been surpassed and was quickly being dismantled from the Servant's sheer strength.
"Ego sum judex caeli cum absolutum imperium voluntatis , remissionis redemptionem remissionem furor fatis! Spiritualis terminus..."
The second foundation was ripped from its stranglehold as the Assassin neared closer and closer to its escape. Yet it was already too late as Kayneth reached the final verse.
"Incipe!"
From the heavens above a pillar of silver white radiated down slamming into the desperate Assassin's helpless body.
"GGIgigIGIGIIAAAA!"
Roaring out in pain the shadow shrieked as every atom including its very core was methodically ripped to shreds. It was a truly torturous process but an effective one as within seconds the spidery figure began to waver and melt into a charred black pile of goo.
Flames licked at the helpless white mask as it screamed for the pain to end, yet there would be no mercy, after all, this was the Holy Grail War, and the perfect location to test new concoctions no matter how deadly they might seem.
And after what seemed like a lifetime, the Servant was no more. The howls of pain had finally halted and the charred black puddle of the Servant once known as Assassin had begun to fade away into nothing more than magical dust.
Seeing his attack prove to be so successful brought satisfaction to Kayneth. Completely ignorant of the Assassin's death throes he was already working on perfecting the process altogether. After all, it was a counter ritual designed around the very concept of the spiritual cores that tied all Servants together. As powerful as a Servant was they all had the same limitations, and when given the proper opportunity those limitations could be exploited, such was the theory that Kayneth had been eager to test.
"The un-summoning ritual seems to have been a success, though the cage looks like it needs more refinement if even a low class spirit like that would nearly break through in such a short amount of time. The screams were likely a result of the pain of its Spiritual Core being forcefully ripped from its body but the side effects were small enough that the success was satisfactory. But perhaps if the spiritual limiters were retun…"
Taking forth some paper and a pen from within his jacket he rapidly began to write down calculations about the ritual he had just witnessed. It was a true grand ritual one that had taken a week to prepare and one that could only be performed from the limits of his own hotel as such his mind was already far lost to the thoughts of his spells performance...
At least ten minutes has passed since Kayneth had finished taking his notes and glancing around the destruction of the parking garage. He would certainly have to call the church about this later. While it was true he could fix it back up on his own he preferred to leave such meaningless task to those more suited towards them.
However, before he left he happened to notice the single brown and shredded trench coat lying on the floor. It was likely a remnant of the one who Assassin had been engaging with before Kayneth had arrived on the scene.
Shuffling through the pockets he did happen to find various modern pieces of equipment such as explosives and capsules that when triggered released huge amounts of smoke, but there was nothing of use to Kayneth. To him, it was nothing more than a poor man's versions of a combat suit.
Even so perhaps it might one day give a clue towards the culprit's identity. Electing to the take the stairs instead of the dented husk of the elevator Kayneth continued to think about the night's events.
Now it was no longer just the fight near the crossing that concerned him, others were already beginning to sneak around the depths of his abode. Though he detested the thought he knew he was lucky there were not more of them just yet. Perhaps it was best that he took action before they caused any further harm?
Not only would it sent a message to those who dared to defile his space of living, but it would also potentially deal with anymore unwelcome sights.
After finishing his climb he returned to the elevator and eventually crossed through the door of his base. Unsurprisingly there were no further interruptions in fact things were quickly returning to their peaceful selves.
As he was heading towards the kitchen to brew some of his favorite tea, the door to Sola's room opened. Walking out she quickly began to head towards the front door of the hotel room just as Kayneth began to share a friendly greeting.
"As Sola, excellent timing. It looks like things have begun to ramp up, I have some things I would like to discuss with you."
Dismissing his proposal with a wave of her hand she continued to walk towards the door. "Tell me about it later, I am going to catch a breath of fresh air."
Seeing that she had no intention to stay and talk Kayneth moved quickly to intercept her before she could leave. Surprised by his sudden burst of action she halted in her tracks and waited to see just what was so important.
"Outside? My dear fiance I'm afraid you cannot afford to do something so dangerous. On the contrary, there have been multiple intruders prowling around the hotel, as such I have come to the decision that now, more than ever your safety is paramount to me. As such I implore you to stay indoors for the time being, until things have sorted themselves out."
Sola froze from the shock, her mind was rushing with a multitude of thoughts until they eventually settle on a single realization. "Keep me safe!? You, the esteemed and honorable Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi wish to keep me safe!? So is that all I am? Some sort of object you are to protect inside some dark and decrepit vault until the day I can produce your oh so precious heir!?"
It was too late to take back what he had said, the damage had been done. Regardless of what he had actually meant it was clear to the nobleman that his fiance was at an anger beyond his comprehension. Unable to come up with a proper retaliation he stuttered out what he believed would help his case.
"I-I, I meant nothing of the sort! I only meant to say that things have begun to get more hectic, and I only wanted to keep you out of danger."
Yet even this mediocre response only proved to annoy Sola even further. With her finger outstretched she began to insult the very man she was supposed to be in love with.
"Of course you did, that's all you ever wanted to do, sure sure. Keep me out of danger so that I can produce for you the ultimate heir of your dreams or whatever it is your dull mind thinks that marriage is all about."
Right on cue, before Sola could continue any further and say something truly horrific, Lancer appeared between the two of them. His voice the only voice of reason to her he attempted to cool the situation.
"Ms. Sola! I beg of you, please understand. My Master only wishes the best for you even if that means a few days of discomfort. Can you not see that? Please, reconsider your thoughts on the matter."
As if to say he would whole-fully take all of her rage the Servant bowed his head low to the ground and awaited the storm. Yet as he waited he soon found that her rage had already began to calm itself.
Giving one final longing and sorrowful glance towards Lancer she gave a final glare towards Kayneth before turning her back to the two of them and storming off to her room slamming the door shut so roughly that a nearby picture was thrown from the wall.
No matter how he looked at what had just happened Kayneth knew he had just been humiliated. And the one he now believed to be at fault was none other than his own Servant. Turning to him the nobleman stared Lancer down straight in the eyes before replying in a harsh and unforgiving manner.
"Lancer, you are to guard the entrance of this hotel below my fortifications. If anyone who appears to be suspicious enters its boundaries alert me at once, otherwise remain silent like the knight you claim to be."
With those final comments he gave his Servant a final look of disgust before heading off to his own room for the night.
'Perhaps it might be best to stay in doors and focus on the strengthening of my fortifications after all…' Were his final thoughts as his mind drifted away and the fatigue of the day took over.
