Eventually, Shinji was permitted by Sakura to move around a little inside the Matou house. He enjoyed wandering the halls. They weren't like the estate back in Japan. These were filled with huge windows that let in gallons of sunshine and large paintings of Kariya, Sakura and himself. It was hard not to smile in most every room in the house.
Shinji had to admit ever since the second great holy grail war had begun the house had seemed a bit to lively. One couldn't walk outside without standing in one of the three foot deep hoofprints left behind by Rider of Blue's massive beast. In the halls once could occasionally see Sakura rushing to and from Kariya helping furnish the house defenses and contemplate the enemy's servants and strategy.
Today however, he hobbled down the hall alone. As he turned the corner however he bumped into a tan skinned boy.
"S-sorry!" Shinji yelped.
"It's all right." the boy mumbled. Shinji realized it was Benjamin Rosenord. The younger brother of the Rosenord family. "You're Shinji aren't you?"
"Yes I am." Shinji said bowing unthinkingly. "Aren't you Isaiah's younger brother?"
"Yeah." Benjamin confirmed. "I'm the second son of my father."
"That must be rough." Shinji replied. "Uncle Kariya told me in the world of mages most mage clans have only one heir while second born receive sealing designations from the clock tower."
Benjamin's grim face told Shinji he was well aware of such practices. "I am indeed a magus with a sealing designation." he said. "That is why my father has chosen to secede from the Mage's association."
"I had no idea." Shinji mumbled. "I didn't mean to bring up any hard memories or anything I just spoke without thinking."
"It's alright, really." Benjamin replied. "Isaiah sometime thinks of me as a hindrance to our house, my father is a rare mage who believes in family first."
"No wonder, he and my uncle are old friends." Shinji remarked. "Uncle Kariya can't stand the inhumane depths the Mage's Association sinks to willingly."
"That's why I'm here." Benjamin said. "That and your Uncle needed a seventh Master."
"Right." Shinji responded. "You're the Master of Berserker, right?"
"Correct." Benjamin replied. "He's a bit of a handful to control around other servants so I've kept my distance."
"Saber isn't around right now." Shinji noted, though he didn't mention how he was currently 'recharging'. "If you need any company I'm always here."
"That's very friendly of you." Benjamin stated.
"Well, do you want to be friends?" Shinji asked extending a hand. Benjamin shook it.
"It's a pact then."
"You're not much of magus, huh?" Benjamin chuckled.
"Nope." Shinji shrugged. "I don't have single functioning magic circuit. I'm just an ordinary kid helping out my unordinary family in a time of crisis. "
"How very noble of you." Benjamin crossed his arms. "I'm not much of mage myself. I was only born with ten magic circuits, which compared to my father and brother isn't much."
"You seem alright to me. Who cares what any else thinks." Shinji drawled.
"You're alright, Shinji Matou." Benjamin said as he separated from the conversation. "We need to hang sometime like normal people."
"Count on it." Shinji retorted. He smiled as he turned to continue down the hall towards the kitchen. When he was in middle school he wasn't the most popular kid for sure but he did have one friend, even if he was sort of a dunce. Making friends in America proved difficult but he managed with Sakura's help. Now here he was amongst titanic heroes and powerful magicians and he managed to make at least one friend. The thought put some skip in his step.
Sophia Yulston was woman of secrets. She had many. She knew many. To her the world ran on secrets. The concept of concealed information is the lifeblood of the world. Sophia was also a mercenary who cared little if her secrets were known or unknown and vice versa for everyone else's secrets as well. Rules did not apply to her in her bid to obtain valuable knowledge she was a mage after all.
That may be why, Sophia had instructed the broad shouldered Assassin servant to sneak into the Church that was said to be neutral territory where no servant would be permitted to enter. She strode behind Assassin of Blue careful to mimic his movements in case any unforeseen trap lay ahead.
Surely, the mysterious Overseer would have some information that would prove useful to herself and the rest of the Blue faction. The church in Freedom was rather large for what few European churches Sophia was used to. However, Assassin moved as if he'd walked the halls a thousand times over. Sophia had faith in him despite his rather irregular class.
Assassin turned into a small cramped room. A wood table piled with paperwork and dusty books was to the left and to the right stood a shelf of other tomes.
"Well done, Assassin." she whispered. Stepping past him to overlook the table. Scanning the papers much of it was information from the Church regarding the holy grail war and the mediators.
"May I help you?" asked a cool voice from the hallway. Assassin whipped around to see a man with short dark hair standing there. He wore priestly robes and a silver cross hung around his neck.
Sophia turned to face the priest, her face emotionless. "Assassin." she muttered with annoyance.
I didn't detect anything! How did he sneak up on me!? Was Assassin's mental reply.
"Are you the Master of Assassin of Blue, by any chance?" the priest asked.
"Why yes." Sophia replied truthfully.
"I see." the holy man nodded closing his eyes. "Then I can only assume you were hoping to gain information about the White faction in order to gain an advantage over them by disrespecting the rules of the neutral territory."
Sophia didn't respond. She turned to Assassin instead and said. "Kill him, Assassin."
Assassin frowned but he drew his greatsword and stepped forward. The priest made no indication an attempt on his life was being made. "Perhaps I could tell you that the information regarding the White faction is in that stack second to the last on the left. Or perhaps you'd like the exact location of their headquarters."
Sophia placed her hand on Assassin's elbow and he stopped his advance. "What's your angle, Overseer?"
"I have no sinister motive." the priest replied. "I simply care very little for the Mage's Association personally."
"So you'd break the rules yourself to ensure they lose the war?" Sophia questioned skeptically.
"I am the mediator of the rules." the Overseer said. "I can alter the rules as I see fit in order ensure the war doesn't go out of control. Normally, I'd be neutral out of professional courtesy to all Masters and Servants involved. However, after the disaster that was the great holy grail war in Romania, I can reasonably trust that any organization other than the Mage's Association may in fact prove beneficial to the world order. It's true that the Matou family may end up being worse than the original but I see that as highly unlikely."
"Very well then, Overseer." Sophia replied. "Tell me. Where is the headquarters of the White faction?"
"Do you feel it, Kariya?" Ricard asked.
"Feel what?" Kariya asked turning from the grey clouds outside his window to the head of Vermillion where he sat next to the head of Rosenord.
"The stirring deep within the pit of your stomach." Ricard replied casually spinning an empty wine glass in his hands."The feeling of a destiny crushing your bladder. The feeling of incoming war. Call it a gut instinct but I am certain when next we meet with the servants and masters of white it will be more than just simple one and one fights."
"Are you anticipating an all out clash between our side and theirs?" Jebidiah asked.
"I'm more than anticipating." Ricard boasted. "I'm prophesying."
Kariya grunted. "You seem all too eager to test yourself in battle against the White faciton."
"Why shouldn't I be?" Ricard questioned. "This is a great holy grail war is it not? And our enemy is the very same alliance that made my family a laughingstock."
"Perhaps that gut feeling is revenge." Caster of Blue implied as he materialized before them. He was a hunched man with snow white hair and a goatee. He wore simple faded blue robes and carried a warped wooden staff in his right hand.
"It is good to meet you in person, Caster." Ricard regarded the servant. "I almost thought for a moment that old Jebidiah was bluffing the whole time."
"How dare you even joke such things." Jebidiah grumbled.
"I merely wished to make it known that Assassin of Blue's master has contacted us." Caster explained.
"What did she say?" Kariya asked, intrigued
"She says she has found the White faciton's hideout." Caster relayed.
"Are you serious!?" Ricard exclaimed getting to his feet. "Well? Where is it?"
"Out in the desert there is ancient native american burial ground. According information from the overseer." Caster replied.
"The overseer!?" Ricard gasped. "Isn't he supposed to remain neutral?"
"Miss Yulston noted this abnormality in her report." Caster noted. "She doesn't trust him but it's a lead."
"Her kind doesn't trust anyone." Jebidiah added.
"That is true." Kariya agreed. "However, I will trust her in this instance. If the White faction are using the burial grounds in the desert as their base of operations, it would be foolish not to strike swiftly before the Overseer's betrayal is discovered."
"I will have my sons rouse Archer and Berserker." Jebidiah said getting to his feet. "Caster with me." and he left the room.
"I will inform Rider." Ricard turned to leave Kariya alone in the study room.
"Oh, Ricard." Kariya said before the Vermillion magus had left.
"Yes?" Ricard asked turning his head in the doorway.
"Do inform me of any further gut instincts." Kariya said. "It seems you were right. The servants of Blue and White will all collide at once on the battlefield ahead of us."
"We will surely win, old friend." Ricard added before leaving.
"I would certainly like to believe so." Kariya replied long after Ricard had left before he himself stood to ready his niece and nephew for the preeminent war.
Sterling Midasin looked out at the empty scrap of land where the bones of several hundred native americans lay just beneath the ground. Standing next to him was Caster of White. She wore a revealing dark blue dress with hood. He could see beneath her hood her emerald green eyes focused entirely on her incantation.
Sterling had since grown accustomed to Caster's feats of magic that could defy any living mage on Earth. Regardless, it still caused something within him to cower like cornered animal that knew of its own inferiority and accept it wholeheartedly.
"...I am finished, Master." Caster said taking a deep breath after her non stop incantation. She didn't need to breath but she appreciated it. "When I call, the bones of the dead will answer."
"Thank you very much, Caster" Sterling replied curtly.
Then Assassin of White appeared before them. He had a long face and black hair. He wore modern priest robes and his face was solid steel that never moved. "I have informed Assassin of Blue's Master of our 'headquarters' here. I expect them to attack tomorrow night." he informed.
"Excellent." Caster grinned. "Go tell, Rider and Hildegarde. We are ready here."
Assassin nodded and disappeared into astral form. Caster turned to her master and smirked. "I feel impatient, Master." Caster explained. "How much longer until I burn that idiot Saber of Blue to ash!"
"You certainly have a murderous side." Sterling noted.
"True." Caster admitted. "However, do not mistake my intentions. I do not merely wish to kill Sir Lancelot out of hatred for his betrayal. That would make me something of a hypocrite. I want him dead for personal reasons more than anything else. And I'll be damned if our Saber gets to him first."
"Are you certain you can bypass his natural Magic Resistance?" Sterling questioned.
"Perhaps not." Caster mused. "However, I doubt it's rank is high enough to withstand my noble phantasm. Even then I can always escape using the other one."
"I accept your reasoning." Sterling said. "Until then...I am going to take a nap."
"Sleep well." Caster cooed as Sterling turned to enter the cave behind them. "My dear Master."
Author's notes: I hope this chapter has got your blood pumping for the battle ahead as much as it has Ricard. Prepare for at least two or three chapters of fighting with awesome Noble Phantasm/True Name revelations.
Assassin of Blue - Siegfried
Statistics
Strength: B-. Endurance: A. Agility: B.
Mana: C. Luck: E. Noble Phantasm: B.
Skills
Presence Concealment: D+
Disengage: A. Golden Rule: C-
Noble Phantasm(s)
Armor of Fafnir: B+
Invisibility Cloak: C.
