Chapter Twelve

Isabelle could feel her breath coming in sharp gasps as she sprinted down the walking path toward the Mion River. City lights flickered at the periphery of her vision and she could hear the loud roar of military jets overhead as they zoomed by. A crowd was gathered at the water's edge trying to see through the thick fog. This was a disaster. Caster's actions were unthinkable. The atrocities committed by both mage and servant alike weighed heavily on Isabelle's heart as she pushed through the throws of people heading towards the bridge. The torture and murder of hundreds of children- had she known... My father knew. And did nothing. He never bothered with Caster until a bounty was placed on his head. She shook her head harshly. Ruminating on the past was not going to help their current situation. Caster now threatened the exposure of the entire magical world.

The man (or monster, Isabelle wasn't entirely sure) had appeared suddenly at the river's mouth chanting dark incantations as magic poured out of his Grimoire. Demonic energy swept across the water clear to the shore before unleashing a monstrous creature in the depths. The beast towered into the air like a skyscraper, its tentacles shooting out of the water to grasp at the air. As she neared, Isabelle had to cover her nose when the foul odor of rotting flesh assaulted her senses.

Is this a Kraken?

The Holy Grail overseer, Risei Kotomine, had contacted Kayneth late in the evening regarding a disturbance at the Mion River. Apparently, the church required his assistance in dispatching Caster and was willing to offer up a command seal in exchange. Kayneth jumped at the bounty of course, quickly dispatching Sola-Ui and Lancer before Isabelle even knew what was happening. She tried to wait calmly. Isabelle tried to be patient but the command seal made it impossible. Her right hand throbbed painfully with every passing second as Caster's power continued to grow, overtaking the power signature of her own servant. He was far too strong for Diarmuid to face alone.

"Where are you, Lancer?" Isabelle questioned aloud before biting the inside of her lip nervously. Fear sizzled at her insides but she refused to flee. Diarmuid was close, she could sense it. She surveyed the shoreline and felt her heart jump upon spotting a flash of red through the fog. Iskandar's scarlet mantel billowed brilliantly in the night air not fifty feet from her current position. After checking to make sure her command seal was concealed, Isabelle hastily climbed over the retaining wall and slid down the hill to meet him.

"Rider! Waver!" She called urgently, watching the duo turn their heads in surprise.

"Isabelle, what are you doing here? It's dangerous," Waver exclaimed in alarm as he scrambled out of the chariot to meet her. "Did you come here alone? Where is your heroic spirit?"

"We got separated," she explained quickly, taking a step closer to Iskandar's oxen when a gust of energy swept by. Glancing to the left, Isabelle stiffened upon noticing an armor-clad woman with blonde hair eyeing her warily. The air surrounding her right hand swirled unnaturally, as if she were gripping an invisible blade. That must be Saber.

"You know this girl, King of Conquerors?" The woman asked.

"She is a dear friend and ally, King of Knights! Her presence should not trouble you." Artoria continued to watch her cautiously but resumed their previous conversation nonetheless.

"A truce you say?" She repeated uncertainly.

"Indeed, we won't be able to have any kind of meaningful fight unless we deal with that behemoth Caster created. I have been going around informing everyone and," he paused to wink mischievously in Isabelle's direction, "Lancer has agreed to come. He should be here any minute now." She let out a relieved sigh before sending an accusing look in Waver's direction. They knew who I was paired with all along?!

"Oh, don't give me that face," Waver said with an amused chuckle while Iskandar and Saber continued to speak in the background. "It really wasn't that hard to figure out. I mean come on."

"How long have you known?"

"I had my suspicions the moment we met but I couldn't be sure until tonight. You definitely surprised me though. You're WAY different from your father. No offense, but he is the biggest dick I have ever met in my entire life."

"No shit. Try living with him," Isabelle responded with a huff, lips curving into grin when Waver suddenly covered his mouth to stifle a fit of laughter. She rolled her eyes at his antics before turning back to Rider.

"Yes, I follow you," Iskandar stated, nodding his understanding in the direction of Saber's white-haired companion. "We need to settle this before that monster comes ashore and starts to feed. We cannot allow it to become self-sustaining. Problem is that Caster has encased himself deep inside those thick walls of flesh." The King of Conquerors paused uncertainly before saying, "To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to do."

"Drag him out." Isabelle felt her heart jump a mile at Lancer's voice as the heroic spirit suddenly materialized near the water. "If we can expose his noble phantasm, then my Gae Dearg," he emphasized his point by materializing his red spear and lifting it into the air, "can destroy the spell with one strike."

"Lancer, do you think you can strike Caster's noble phantasm from the shore?" Saber inquired.

Isabelle watched him smirk confidently before stating, "If I can just see it, then destroying it should be child's play."

"Very well, then Rider and I will act as the advance guard and engage Caster. Do you find this acceptable, King of Conquerors?"

"That is fine. My chariot has no need of roads, of course. But Saber," Iskandar paused with a question in his voice. "How do you intend to attack the enemy in the river?"

"My body has been blessed by the lady of the lake. Water cannot stop me, no matter how many fathoms deep it may be."

"Very impressive, that is quite the rare skill!" He boomed heartily, "I want for you to serve under my command even more now."

"You will pay for those words some other time," Saber retorted sharply, "But for now we need to drag Caster out from within that monster and destroy him."

"Ha! Indeed, then I shall take the lead!"

"Wait!" Isabelle shouted suddenly, catching everyone's attention. She watched Lancer stiffen and his eyes went wide when she crept out from behind Iskandar's giant oxen. He immediately took a step forward but stopped upon seeing the animals aggressively kick up dirt, a clear warning to stay away.

Diarmuid glanced between her and Rider, appearing quite alarmed as he asked, "Isabelle, what are you doing here?"

"Its fine," she reassured him before turning to face the other servants. "You can't just go charging in there. That dark mist surrounding Caster is caustic. It will degrade your weapons and armor, and even your skin if you remain in the miasma for too long."

"What, seriously?" Waver exclaimed. "Then how are we supposed to engage him?"

"If you allow me, I can place a protective barrier on the chariot and on your armor, Saber. I can't block out the effects of the miasma completely but it should at least buy you more time." Rider enthusiastically nodded his agreement and as Isabelle set to work she could vaguely hear Saber discussing the matter with Irisviel. After a moment of deliberation, the King of Knights consented as well. With the barriers finally set, Isabelle watched the two mighty heroes leap into the fray and commence their assault on Caster.

She shivered a little in the absence of Rider's chariot. With his oxen gone, Isabelle felt bare before Caster's monster and she was thankful when Lancer moved to place himself protectively between her and the shore. His body posture was quite tense and his eyes carefully watched the progression of the battle. He did not speak a word.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked a little hesitantly, feeling uneasy with his sudden silence.

"I am worried. This is a very dangerous battlefield. It is so dangerous that I left Lady Sola-Ui a fair distance away with the intent of engaging Caster alone." Lancer sighed deeply before confessing, "I wish you had stayed at the hideout."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't allow you to fight this battle without me. Caster's abilities are too dangerous."

"Which is precisely why you shouldn't be here."

"I need to be here. I won't let you face this enemy on your own. You wanted me to take a more active role in the war so here I am," Isabelle declared stubbornly, missing the way his jaw clenched when she turned her gaze back out to the water. Rider and Saber were slicing and hacking away at the beast with no apparent progress. Even Archer's attack seemed to be utterly worthless against the creature's regenerative abilities. And then there's Berserker making a mess of things like usual. Isabelle was just happy the mad servant's attentions were focused on Archer rather than Saber or Rider.

"At this rate, I'll never be able to get through to Caster." Diarmuid sounded frustrated and she could see his hands clenching and unclenching impatiently around his spears. He looked agitated.

"Lancer," she spoke quietly, placing a hand on his back, "Please stop worrying so much about me. I'm fine."

"Your mana is being drained by those barriers and you grow weaker because of it. I need to end this quickly."

"That may not be possible…" Isabelle's voice trailed off as Saber skidded to a halt at the shoreline followed closely by Rider.

"Listen everyone," Iskandar spoke loudly, "We need a new strategy. However, to devise one we must first gain some time so I shall draw that beast into my Ionioi Hetairoi. It will be impossible for my elite troops to slay it even if they attack in full force but I can at least halt its advance within the reality marble."

"And after that?" Lancer inquired.

"No idea. After dragging something as large as that creature into my Ionioi Hetairoi the reality marble will only hold for matter of minutes. In that short time, we must devise a plan to destroy Caster." A sobering silence fell across the group of heroes at his words. When there were no objections, Iskandar reached down and snagged his master by the back of his shirt. "Boy, you must disembark now. You're staying here with them."

"Hey!" Waver protested as he was dropped from the chariot.

"Listen," Rider instructed seriously, "once my reality marble is deployed, I will not know what is going on in the outside world. Therefore, if anything happens I want you to concentrate and call to me. I'll send a messenger to you." The duo exchanged a look before Waver nodded his head firmly in confirmation.

"Got it."

"Excellent. Saber and Lancer, the rest is up to you."

"Wait, take me with you," Isabelle suddenly interjected, catching Rider off guard. "The miasma will damage anyone inside your noble phantasm. If I can provide at least some support for your troops then perhaps it can buy us a few extra minutes."

"Absolutely not," Lancer objected immediately, "That is far too dangerous."

"It's a good plan," she argued stubbornly.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Miss Isabelle. It is a sound plan and we could use the extra time," Saber asserted.

"But King of Conquerors, surely she will only get in your way."

"What has gotten into you, Lancer? Your words do insult upon this brave young woman. Have a little faith in your mast- friend," Iskandar corrected immediately. Fortunately, neither Saber nor Irisviel seemed to notice his slip up but Diarmuid froze instantly in place. He knows about the command seal? How is that possible? But he is right... That was no way to speak to my master and certainly no way to talk about Isabelle. Regret sunk its wicked teeth into his shoulders and he lowered his head a bit.

"Apologies for my rash words, Miss Isabelle. I did not mean them. However, I would still strongly advise you to remain here where I can protect you." She stared at him for a moment, slightly angered by his harsh words but electing to ignore it.

"King of Conquerors," Isabelle addressed him politely while still watching Lancer, "While I know there are no guarantees when it comes to a battlefield, do you promise to protect me as if I were your own master?"

"He does," Waver piped up.

"I shall treat you as a treasured comrade and protect you with my life, I swear it!"

"Alright, then let's do this."

"But Miss Isabelle-"

"It will be fine, Lancer. Have a little faith in me," she instructed calmly before allowing Iskandar to hoist her into the chariot. "And when we come back," she called, "I expect you and Saber to annihilate that monster."

"I- Yes, Miss Isabelle. I will see it accomplished."

"I know you will," she replied, her voice softening a bit as she allowed a smile to flicker across her features briefly. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

xxxxxxxxxx

Blinding light shot across the sky and the air itself shifted into a screaming vortex as Caster's monster was expelled from the reality marble. Its tentacles thrashed wildly, as if trying to grasp ahold of the air, before being plunged back into the river directly in Saber's path. Lancer watched anxiously, fear clawing at his insides as he waited for Rider to emerge from the Ionioi Hetairoi. Saber hesitated mid-swing, noble phantasm completely charged, fearful of catching Iskandar and Isabelle in the blast. Seconds felt like hours as the heroes waited. After what seemed like forever, a flash of bronze caught Lancer's eye before Rider's chariot came roaring into view. The oxen swiftly evaded the flailing tentacles before taking off towards the bridge.

"Finally, what took them so damn long?" Iskandar grunted, his breathing slightly labored from the effort of containing Caster's monster. Isabelle was tucked against his side and panted heavily, her body shaking from exhaustion. He maintained a firm hold on her waist as the chariot rocketed out of Saber's path. The second they were clear, a deafening blast of heavenly light erupted from Excalibur, ripping through the river and incinerating the creature on impact. Golden light spiraled up into the blackened night sky before fading like an extinguished flame.

"That was amazing," Isabelle breathed. Her voice was thick with exhaustion but it still retained an air of child-like wonder as she observed Saber.

"I was not sure you were still awake to witness it. Are you feeling alright? You expended far more energy than I would have thought possible for someone of your size," Iskandar teased lightly. Isabelle simply rolled her eyes and rested her forehead against his breastplate. The bronze metal was cool against her flushed skin.

"I'll survive," she replied with a murmur. Her body felt heavy, like it was made of lead, and a migraine headache pounded harshly against her skull causing her vision to swim. "Ugh, I think I maybe overdid it a bit though."

"Oh, you think so, do you?" Iskandar snorted while adjusting his grip on her waist to provide greater support. "Truth be told, I'm impressed you haven't collapsed yet."

"I'm getting there, just give me a second," she joked weakly, hearing him chuckle a bit.

"Do me a favor and stay conscious until Lancer gets here. Otherwise, I'm fairly certain he will accuse me of foul play and attack me."

"Jeez, well I guess we wouldn't want that," Isabelle agreed, adding, "Especially since we're allies."

"Ha! So, you accept my master's proposal?" His jolly voice was booming and she flinched at the loud noise.

"Waver already has my phone number," she replied with a weak laugh.

"Isabelle?" Her breath hitched instantly when Diarmuid's worried voice met her ears. She cracked her eyes open slowly and couldn't stop a small smile from creeping across her features at the slightly panicked look he fixed her with.

"Hey, long time no see," she greeted lightheartedly. This apparently did nothing to ease his concerns because Lancer immediately strode forward across the chariot and removed her from Rider's hold.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked urgently while eyeing Iskandar with suspicion. Diarmuid's embrace was comforting and warm, and Isabelle had to work hard to remain conscious as he gently cradled her against his body.

"She did marvelously, Lancer. You should have seen it!" Rider boasted loudly. "I am very impressed. If only she had been your master from the start, eh. You would already be victorious," he asserted with a playful wink her direction.

"How do you know about the command seal?"

"He was there when it appeared," Isabelle replied tiredly. "And because Waver is too observant for his own damn good." There was a slight pause in conversation before she stated, "I've agreed to an alliance with Waver and Iskandar."

"You have?" Lancer asked incredulously.

"Yep, so I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from attacking him. I was very well protected inside the reality marble. No harm came to me except what was self-inflicted."

"Are you certain you are alright?" Diarmuid asked again, sounding doubtful as he surveyed her pale form.

"I'm fine-

"She is not alright," Iskandar cut her off with a stern look. "Your master expended a tremendous amount of mana this night and will need to recover. You must keep her safe and avoid confrontations with enemy servants for the next couple of days. She needs to rest."

"Jeez, you make me sound helpless."

"Only for the next few days, my dear," Rider replied with a ruffle of her hair before winking in Lancer's direction. "Take good care of her now."

"I will. Thank you, King of Conquerors." With that, the lancer class heroic spirit leaped from the chariot towards the nearest roof and disappeared from site. The pair travelled in silence for several minutes as Diarmuid moved to retrieve Sola-Ui. Lancer felt certain he would have some explaining to do when Sola-Ui spotted Isabelle curled in his arms but he was too distracted to care. Emotions ran rampant through his system and he was carefully considering each one before opening his mouth, still quite ashamed of his behavior in front of Rider. I insulted Isabelle in front of the other spirits. Fortunately, no damage to her reputation had been caused thanks to Iskandar's sudden, albeit unexpected, defense of the girl- which was another issue Diarmuid needed to sort out. The rider class heroic spirit was certainly strong and appeared very fond of Isabelle. He would prove to be a useful ally. So, why do I dislike him so much? Every moment Isabelle remained near him, Lancer could feel his chest tighten and his blood heat up. If it wasn't fear or concern for her safety, then what was it? Where was all this animosity coming from?

I'm jealous, Lancer realized as his pride and honor took another blow. Pettiness was very unbecoming of a knight.

"Diarmuid?" The heroic spirit was pulled from his thoughts by Isabelle's quiet voice.

"Yes, my Master?" She frowned a little causing him to chuckle. "Yes, Isabelle?" He corrected.

"What happened to your Noble Phantasm? For some reason, when I emerged with Rider from the Ionioi Hetairoi, part of the energy was missing. I thought perhaps you used it during the battle and the mana would regenerate but it's taking a lot longer than I expected." Lancer was silent for a moment, planning his next words carefully.

"Gae Buidhe was destroyed," he finally said, watching her expression closely as he added, "By my own hands."

"I don't understand. You broke your own lance?"

"I'm afraid so," he replied.

"But why?"

"To release the curse on Saber's left hand. She has an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm that was required to defeat Caster's monster." Isabelle grew silent. She did not appear angry but the sullen frown on her face clearly reflected she was not pleased with the situation.

"Saber is fully healed?" Diarmuid nodded his head regrettably. Guilt and shame weighed heavily on his shoulders and he awaited her harsh reprimands eagerly, seeking punishment that was most assuredly deserved. However, instead of pain he was met with a strange sense of relief.

"It was necessary," Isabelle finally stated, exhaling deeply to calm her frustration. "It was the only course of action we had. You made the right decision, Lancer."

"I doubt Master Kayneth will share your opinion," he commented glumly while leaping from another rooftop.

"My father can believe what he likes," she snorted. "It will not change the fact that you fought well today." Her words caused him to look down in shock.

"I did not represent you well today, Isabelle. I did not show the fundamental respect all servants should show to their master. You should be very angry with me."

"I will not be angry at you for trying to protect me," she replied pointedly. "I willingly placed myself in a very dangerous situation. It is you who should be upset."

"No, I am the one who-"

"Diarmuid," she stated firmly, cutting him off, "I leaped through a portal to god knows where with an enemy servant and a GIANT flesh-eating monster. That is completely insane, suicidal even. You should have slung me over your shoulder and hauled my crazy ass far away. Instead, you trusted me and I trusted you. That's the way this is supposed to work."

"But I questioned your judgement..." he trailed off uncertainly.

"Yes, you did, and it was very irritating," Isabelle admitted, feeling Diarmuid tense a bit, "But I would be more upset if you hadn't tried to stop me." Her servant grew silent for a moment.

"Truly?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, truly," Isabelle replied, her voice sounding just as exhausted as she felt. It had been a long night. She shuddered a bit when a bout of nausea suddenly assaulted her sense. Ah shit, its starting already.

"Master, what's wrong?" He asked immediately.

"I'm fine, Diarmuid," she reassured him, "I just used too much mana fighting Caster's monster. Using that much magic in such a short period of time has consequences, basically my life is really going to suck for the next day or two."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sadly no, but I appreciate the thought. All I need is to find Sola-Ui and get back to the-" Isabelle felt her voice stop cold when Lancer skidded to a halt. Her vision was blurry and it was dark, but she could've sworn there was-

Is that... a hand? With Sola-Ui's Command Seals?

Isabelle felt her servant bristle before slowly approaching the chain-link fence lining the roof's edge. Just as she thought, wired to the fence in the far corner was a human hand with multiple holes through the center. The Command Seals were effectively destroyed and she tensed upon spotting a wet pool of blood on the ground. Clearly, the deed had not been committed very long ago. Diarmuid placed Isabelle back on the ground carefully before moving to inspect the hand, his expression unreadable.

The ramifications of their discovery sunk in very slow for Isabelle, no doubt a result of her exhaustion and severe mana depletion. She was both concerned and horrified, but these emotions seemed blunted. In fact, she was finding it difficult to formulate even the most basic of thoughts. Then another bout of nausea came. Her vision blurred and the world started spinning. Isabelle closed her eyes to make it stop but this only resulted in a loss of balance, sending her crashing to the ground. She flinched a bit from the pain and flinched even harder when her servant began shouting.

"Isabelle! Isabelle, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Diarmuid," she tried to reassure him but it came out jumbled. She wanted to say, "I just need sleep" or "It will wear off soon" but the words just didn't come. Instead, Isabelle wrapped her arms around his neck and simply burrowed into his shoulder. It was no use. She was just too damn tired.