How to Smile

Salvation

"So you've come Master." a voice greets Noah. "You are two minutes late. Are you a crow that gets distracted by every pretty thing? If so, I may have to rethink my contract with you."

Noah climbs out the forest vegetation into a small area illuminated by a fire. If the children came they would be truly sickened. Numerous corpses litter the ground belonging to wyverns, beastmen, and a few undead. In the midst of them was a masked woman clad in black armor. With no moonlight to see further, Noah would think he is staring at death with blood covering parts of her pale skin and her nearly grey hair along with said armor. It is but his contracted Servant, one that cares for nothing but the taste of battle. but also one that at least goes along with his orders for the most part.

"Sorry, but it takes a bit to find an excuse when a teenage girl wants to protect your ass. Saying I need to go do some "business", I took care of that." Noah fires back, uncaring for the scene as he moves closer to the light for warmth. He is used to such sights of carnage of gore. War is an unfair thing and an unfair thing to these creatures that were slaughtered.

"Crude, but effective. That girl has much to learn about being a proper Servant." the doll in armor nods as she signals to a fallen log that somehow is clear of destruction. Noah however is rather disturbed by the words… does that mean she would-? Noah rather not imagine, so the redhead forces himself to focus on what's in front of him.

"I was wondering why you wanted me to come out here this late." Noah says refusing the seat. At least his servant has manners of a host. "Instead of mentally telling me. Is it something personal?"

"Of a sort Master." the woman starts to walk around the redhead looking him over as she does. "I am bored."

"Bored?"

"Yes bored. As you can see none the trash that I deal with are even worth the effort." the servant scoffs as she stands in front of Noah once more. "So, I wish to have a taste of an enemy that makes me actually try."

"…Berserk- Rider did not do it for you?"

"It merely scratched an itch nothing more. You do know I am a Saber not an Assassin correct? Allow me to trample and destroy your enemies, my Master." Noah can understand where his Servant is coming from. Effort is power, and power is effort. If one cannot give the full effort inorder to gain power it is hardly beneficial. It's more sickening then anything. The fact your enemies could not give the same amount of effort in their lifespan till now only to die easily. Without power or effort you can't back up your wish or your dreams, something Noah is well aware of in his failures… starting with that person and ending with Lucy. Salvation lies not in prayer but instead in the power and effort of one's self.

Either way, giving this woman what she wants is more important.

"Very well. After you secure the package, I imagine the person at the head of this problem may have the power to at least give you a challenge, at the very least, King of Knights." Noah nods. As he does, the black armored woman makes a slight frown and before he knows it a sword is close to his neck to his inward shock.

"I am no longer a king nor am I a knight. Do not identify me as such…that monster in sheep's clothing, your nieces brought about can have all that glory and honor." Saber voices, a hint of rage and disgust in her tone. The sword inches closer barely touching Noah's jugular."I am merely your Servant, a blade that kills your enemies, Understand?"

"That's fine." Noah whispers, being careful not to let the blade touch any deeper. With the words spoken the sword disappears into black dust and the Servant leaves deeper into the forest. Most likely to kill and destroy some more to relive some anger.

"What the hell was that about?"

"At least she seems to be in a better mood I suppose. No matter the time or place, women are a mystery to me." Noah runs with the man on his shoulder before he hears a loud roar. Not willing to stop, the redhead looks backwards to see a black behemoth of a beast land, the very earth shakes as it does. "I hate my luck."

When said beast's smaller allies; wyverns look at Noah he truly knew that his luck was bad at that moment. "Shit…"

Turning toward several amazingly untouched buildings Noah decides to hide inside the nearest building. The inside is destroyed with several destroyed objects scattered all over the place, the smell of rusted iron is prevalent in the air along with the wingbeats of the predators outside. Despite this, Noah is mostly calm as he tosses the sliver haired man like a sack of dead meat. When you're already dying and almost been killed so many times, the threat of death loses its fear. A small part of is worried for Ren and Shiri who are in the middle of this chaos however.

"I won't be able to take on a wyvern." Noah's dead eyes look over the small house trying to find a way out as the beasts start to cry outside. His bullets would not pierce a wyvern's hide, even if he tired. The eyes and other soft spots he might be able to damage if he had perfect eyesight. However that was with a normal bullets and a normal M9. Not one like this. "It seems I'll have to follow your example, Lucy."

Noah dumps the clip of bullets that he had in his gun and puts it on his belt switching for one with a green colored one. As he puts in the clip he can feel the gun starting to feed off the mana in the air, signaling that its function as a mystic code is starting and its mundane functions are now over. As it is now it's now Palamedes, the mystic code handmade for Lucy. However…

Noah needs assistance. While harming the soft parts of the Wyverns is now possible getting past that giant dragon is needed. However all the other servants are currently busy fighting and Saber is not responding over their mental link as she just engaged in combat. Therefore, his only hope lies in the unconscious Servant on the wooden floor.

"Wake up." Noah edges the man with boot, poking him in the face. If the man was a normal human he would have kicked him. But doing so currently would only cause harm to himself. Now that he thinks about it didn't they have latrines or something here? Perhaps dumping the poor sod in there wou-

A faint groan is heard from the man as he slowly regains himself,"Wha…where?"

As he does so Noah can already hear the wyverns near by roaring as if jeering at his cowardliness. It is not cowardice that he is hiding, it's to get information."Doctor, can you hear me?"

His commutation watch blares to life, as does the doctor's voice,"Noah is that you?! You won't believe what's going on?!"

"I believe I know. I'm in the midst of it." Noah snorts. "Do you have a visual of the town? I need to make my way back to the girls."

"Well I do, but there are at least five wyverns in the way. There's no way you can get past them! Not without Servant support!" Roman seemingly panics as the holographic comes to life allowing Noah to see his panicked stricken face.

"Can you send someone? Exactly at this spot?" Noah asks. Noah has seen the Servant's mana levels, something or someone is limiting his strength. A curse or perhaps a command spell? Right now though he needs all the help he can't be picky since the lives of his nieces are on the line.

"We… did send one." Noah notes some hesitance, and a large amount of fear in Roman's voice. He also sees the black eye on Roman. "W-well rather someone forced our hand."

None of the Servants would set a hand on any of the employees… except one. "Archer? Where did you send him?"

"Just a good ten miles out of the town. There was a small ley-line we could tap into remotely." Roman confirms as he tries to regain his bearings."He should be more than half-way there."

"Too late for us then. How are the girls?" Noah shakes his head as he looks at the confused Servant. At least this one has yet to raise his blade at him. The large sword is out but it is pointed toward the wyverns who are now scratching at the roof. The bits of wood and stone tumble as it's forced to bear the beasts combined weight.

"They are fine… physically….mentally however there are issues." The doctor sighs. The new director has confidence in Noah's physical strength and mental strength. So thankfully he is not going to lecture currently. The good doctor knows who he should be focusing on in this moment." I will cut you off here and support them to the best I can. You make sure you live okay?"

"Right now it's a win-win, Roman." Noah nods."If I live I get to see the girls and console them. If I die, I'm at least taking these bastards with me, and see everyone again."

Roman's brows raises a bit, as his mouth gaps open the slightest before the transmission cuts. As much as Noah wants to promise so, there are no dreams on the battlefield only cold hard unbearable truths. The redhead turns to the silver-haired man who is a couple inches taller than him."I know you want an explanation, but right now we need to make our way out of this, Saber. Is that okay?"

"Understood." the Saber's green eyes look over Noah, most likely to gain at least some explanation to what the current situation is. Just as they finish part of the roof collapses revealing the face of a wyvern ready to devour them.

"Questing Beast!" the M9 is still pointed at the ground when the bullet is released. One would think Noah was trying to shoot himself in the foot with this shot. Before the bullet touches Noah's foot it curves as trail of blue mana trailing behind it, a screeching sound resounds as it does. It tears through the thin membrane of the wyvern's wing before curving right into one of the monster's eye causing the beast to scream in pain. As long as Noah can see it and think about it, the bullet will travel to where he wants to at a cost.

As the beast screams the large sword carried by Saber ends it's life as it's head goes flying. Smelling the familiar smell once more, Noah cannot help but feel more then a bit younger. Several more bullets fly out Palamedes, hitting eyes of another Wvyern.

"Come on you bastards! You just walked into a Texan's wet dream!"

"I don't know who you are knight," the black clad Saber pauses, as she easily blocks the thin rapier. "But please try harder… it's boring if there is no challenge."

A thick slice comes down on the musketeer's head but barely avoids it creating a crater. Several more lazy slices of the black sword push Berserk-Saber back before a torrent of flame slams into the tyrant. However due to her magic resistance, they are merely warm and a cut with some effort the flames vanish with her mana burst. So boring, so worthless… could any Servant stand before her?

There may be one of course at this moment. Both servants have to dodge out of the way as fire spreads in the area with a crackle from the witch that is causing it. The flames seem to be stronger than before, making Arturia almost break out in a slight sweat, as the blades continue to clash. Several times the musketeer tires to use the rapier to get at the holes in her armor in order to hinder her movements but her movements cause the rapier to meet her thick heavy armor.

Why are so many human beings alive when they can barely do such a thing? She did take up the sword for duty then for pleasure but right now-

This pisses her off. If the heroic spirit of the sword can barely do anything to her, a legend that has since faded… perhaps, there is no worth in humanity. For an instant, Arturia Pendragon puts effort and her anger into her swordplay, disarming Berserk-Saber quite literally as the hand that held the rapier is sent flying to the air. The mad Servant grunts, and barely restrains the cry of pain before the black sword pierces the chest.

"Pathetic, and you call yourself a Saber?!" the woman once called the King of Knights spits, as her sword serves as a temporary patch despite the blood oozing out from the sword. However the insult is not heard by the defeated.

"Lady Marie…" it's a voice of despair and regret. The glosses over eyes do not see the pale woman who has killed them. Just when the spiritual body was start to feel slack however it suddenly renews itself with strength. Berserk-Saber grabs on to their killers black armor with their remaining hand confusing the knight for a moment.

"Good d'Eon. Hold that doll right there for me." Jeanne smirks as a spike in her power comes. A Noble Phantasm, here?! "I will see how well the two of you burn together."

Saber cannot help but raise a brow. Such a violent woman, using her allies as a shield! For a peasant with hardly any brains she can be vicious. As such it should fall to her, a fallen hero, to kill another fallen she can't release her Noble Phantasm in kind but she can do something else. One hand begins to work to a place out of the Ruler's sight reaching for something.

"Such a violent little girl. Are you already done playing with your toy?" Saber chuckles. "It's amusing that the Servant holding the grail is such an immature child. Tell me, violent child who played on the battlefield…"

"Do you bleed?"

A crack is heard as a bullet infused with the tyrant's mana hits near the ruler's head leaving a long cut that left a large hole where Jeanne's head was! So close but this modern weaponry, this Glock gun she received from her Master some time ago if she needed it is surprisingly useful even if it was destroyed with the first shot. It gives her time to extend the width and length of her sword, covering it in a dark arura that easily tears apart the corpse still holding onto her. Saber swings it toward her opponent enjoying the shock of her enemy, as she hears the dragon roaring over head.

A couple miles outside the village a man with white hair and black skin wears something that it barely consider armor only covering his shoulder and his arms with their black and gold color. Currently, he is completing his predations for battle as the wooden reinforced cart is pulled by the glass horse summoned by the servant he ran into as he headed toward the battlefield. After learning they had the same goal of a sort along with that Caster that annoyed him, he hitched a ride. A noble phantasm of a Rider servant would be far more effective than running on foot.

"Hé, we shall arrive soon Archer!" The rider in question was just a young girl who was wearing what seemed to be a red mushroom on his head. He did not care to ask or know her true name as she is just a means to an end but seeing the goody two shoe acts similar to a certain Rider whose name and form he cannot remember he is sure he is dealing with another royal of some kind.

"…..Good." is all Archer replies. The foul mouth Caster frowns at his curt acknowledgement but does not say much. Even Archer without his guns would be able to defeat him easily. Just when he thought it would be a quiet ride to the fight the Caster opens his mouth.

"Maria, are you sure it is wise to carry," the caster looks over his form as if looking at something deep within a trash can. "This man there?"

"Why not Mozart?" the one called Maria speaks with an innocent smile atop her glass steed. Is she so airheaded that she cannot realize what kind of person she is riding with? Or perhaps she has refused to acknowledge it.

"He is-" the famous Mozart pauses. While he knows that his beloved Maria would not mind the words, he will not voice them, for he does not wish to stain his voice with the words.

A demon in human form. A monster. A butcher. A man who has bathed in blood without thought or remorse.

"He's fighting to protect something as well. I'm sure." the girl nods, making the Caster stop spewing any more words. However, it makes the Archer stop in his preparations as he seizes to fiddle with his gun.

Did he really have anything to protect? A man bound to his failures and his pact to the World? Perhaps. But was he doing it to protect the girls that are his Masters, his link to this strange world with all of man at stake?

Definitely not. He was doing this to protect the World as Alaya's Counter Guardian. He is a killing machine. A Justice has been given a perfected form. Yet….

His hands go over to one of his pockets of his combat uniform quietly. Even if he cannot feel anything anymore, he would be embarrassed if anyone found out he had a diary he carried with him. He looks through it, and finally remembers that name of that Rider, Boudicca. Yes, she was the one who forced him to help cook. He can't taste anything so he made it mostly on intuition but according to the Queen he did surprisingly well, the taste was slightly off, but it was good. "For a heartless man, you can really cook!" or so what the diary said. He flips the page and his golden pupils widen.

Archer was not much of a drawer or an artist… or at least as much he remembers but this picture is nearly perfect, mostly because he has been taking his time doing so. The hair, the eyes, even the innocent smi-

NO! YoUCAnNoTREMEbeR! yOuArEDeINeDHaPpinEsS!

This distorted thought picks at his mind piercing it like a bullet. A normal man would gasp in pain at such a twisted mental assault, but Archer has long since grown used to pain. It is merely a reminder of a past he cannot longer have nor recollect. He is a lost man, a beast and nothing more.

"Damn brats." Archer mutters, as he rubs his temples to suppress the lingering pain in his brain. He never had this problem when he went and did his jobs. However, this pain continues to happen and he has an idea as to why. Those damn brats, whose names he never bothered to write down yet stirred nostalgia every once in awhile. They are the cause to this pain.

"But why?" the lost man thinks as he puts away his memory and hears Riders saying they are close as a loud roar echoesacross the distance. Time to get to work.

"Hmph, for an innocent girl you fought well." Berserk-Lancer says, as a stake of his blood stabs Mashu's thigh. The strength in her shield slackens with a sickening scream, allowing the vampire's spear to hit her aside just as Jeanne's flag tried to strike him in the skull, but with the lack of killing intent it is merely blocked with his bare hand. He does hear something snap but the pain is nonexistent just like this other wounds that cover his body

"Ah!" The battered maiden is slammed into the ground as Dracula brings her to earth creating a small clearing. Jeanne has no choice but to use her Noble Phantasm! "Lord I offe-?!"

Before Jeanne knows it, Berserk-Lancer has already put his pale hand over her mouth stopping her from using it! He smirks revealing fangs perfect for piercing her slender neck. "Carmillia is no longer here. I guess I get everything you have to offer Maiden. However first I need you to sleep."

Jeanne is slammed into the ground hard, making her lose the air in her lungs. A kick to the stomach causes her to roll over before the vampire's hand grabs the back of her head. "Let us see how hard your head is."

Unable to yell through the dirt, Jeanne is dragged by Berserk-Lancer across the ground for several yards. Vlad only stops when he feels her body slacken completely showing a lack of conciseness. "I hate to harm such purity in such a way. But time is of the essence. I rather not be interfered with and have to fight with lowly beasts over a meal."

"You!" Arturia yells, as a bright light exits her lance and slams into Vlad. If she was at full strength the light would have turn him to ashes with his Legend of Dracula active. However, that is not the case and despite her full effort forcing her to her knees once more the monster still lives. Parts of his outfit are burned away revealing parts of his skin and various wounds. Part of his hair and skin is burned away, yet despite this he take it in stride brushing off the burned parts of his outfit as if nothing has happened.

"You are still alive?" Vlad questions in surprise. He was sure he impaled her through the stomach yet somehow she is still alive and whole. It would seem he is not the only one with Battle Continuation then. Though seeing the sealed hole where flesh is unharmed it makes it Lancer is of a stubborn sort. Either way her blood will drain by Dracula! The Lancer manages to stand and charge once more. He allows the large spear to enter his innards hoping to see the anguished expression as he feels no pain.

Yet the woman in armor shows a fierce, and angered expression despite this. Truly, a stubborn one. Putting her in her place is needed. He grabs the woman who claims to be King by pulling the lance further into himself and placing a hand near where he guesses her spiritual core will be. He'll be careful to not completely shatter it or else he won't be able to see her face succumb to despair!

"Stop! Leave Arturia alone!" he hears the mewling of children as fire slams into his back. Since it is not form a Servant, but merely bawling children it does nothing to him. It does make him look back and see the children who seem to have drawn something in the air. He sees their terrified expression, their tears, and he wishes to tear them apart for disrespecting him. But the human part, the annoying human part refuses to harm a child as the tears remind him of his own before he went to battle. Even trapped in this delusion he cannot escape that he is still Vlad III! He let that other Lancer go due to this! This guilt!

Before he can say anything to them a wire wraps around the torso of his intended third victim pulling her and her lance away before a large crystal form slams into him effectively knocking him away from the nearby children. Righting himself Vlad yells out, "Bastard, who dares to get in my way!"

He stares at the being who dared to knock him away. Seeing some kind crystal or perhaps glass horse neighing triumph as he glares at the young girl with white hair seemingly confused by her actions of her steed or her allies. Why does she have a ridiculous hat on her head? "Um…Viva la France?"

A/N: I took awhile but I think it is safe to say action wise I got my groove back. There wasn't much development on the children's side of things for a reason. It would be over 8k, which means a longer time editing, so I decided to make this sort of a action/character development chapter for other characters like Noah and Archer. Hm, not much else to say well I do have a surprise in store but for now, Viva La France!

Reviews:

SliverBug28: Yeah short, sweet and to the point. Unfortunately Vlad here is letting his delusion run rampatent so he is more similar to that Vlad at the moment. But there are still fragments of that Vlad still there as seen here.

MythFan:

Thanks!

LadyRenrider:

As I said before, thank you for you're critiquing this. It makes me more reassured I'm going about this the right way. I have to ask though, did the skittle trick work? Archer is different than the Archer you know unfortunately so he did not do it for Arturia or the kids for that manner. Kid Gil is a better addition then his adult self thankfully. This one won't corrupt Ren and Shiri for example XD.

ZenoZen:

Trouble did come and Trouble is here to stay.

Next Chapter: The Truth of War