Hey everyone. Sorry about taking so long to get the next chapter out. If you've been following me, then you're probably aware that I've got plenty of other stories out now as well. It's getting a bit much for me, so short of taking the others down and focusing on one at a time, I'm just gonna stop putting up new stories. I'll probably still end up writing them on my computer, but until I work through my other stuff they're staying right here.

But for now, just enjoy the next bit of action.


Chapter 12: Moving the Goalposts

(11:00pm, Emiya Residence)

Shirou looked out the window of his home, eyes glazed over as he failed to pay attention to the outside world. Right now, his mind was on matters closer to home.

They had Kotomine on the run. His Servant has abandoned him, his church is a hole in the ground, and his allies have been chased off. But he felt sickened as he recalled the things he saw within. The people who had been tortured and brutalised by Caster and Berserker. The demonic energy that practically wafted from the rooms like a pestilence. Half of his classmates trussed up in Shinji's 'personal quarters'. A twinge of pain revealed that his nails were biting into his palms. He forced himself to calm down. Rage was a trained swordsman's weakness. He could not afford to give into a berserker state, as his training is all that protects him. He went through his breathing exercises, separating his rage from himself. There will be time for shouting and wailing later. Right now, he needed to keep his rage cold and sharpened like a sword of ice. Keep it like a point to drive into his enemy's heart.

He had two of them right now. Kotomine, and Shinji. When he found them, only when they were within his grasp would he let his rage explode. A rocket driving his blade through their cold hearts. He turned away from the window and headed into the living room, the doors opened to the garden. He stopped suddenly as something crawled over his foot. He gave a manly shrill cry and booted it away from him. It sailed through the air to land in the garden itself, its body squelching as it landed in the meat moss covering the grounds. His eyes widened as he looked upon his garden, now a mess. In the center of it was a large organic building thing, with five spiny towers surrounding it and a shorter tower grew from the center. Holes around the outside flexed as more of those things crawled out of them, scurrying around the base.

He blanched as he took it all in.

As he was about to call for someone to explain what this was and why it was here, Saber came strolling into the garden. She picked up the creature he kicked (or something similar to it, he couldn't even tell if it was the same one) and started crooning at it, smiling as it writhed in her hands. She placed it back down and stroked it with her hand, causing it to excrete some greenish fluid that formed into an egg. As he watched, the egg started growing bigger and bigger by the minute. Saber looked up and spotted him staring in abject horror.

"I've found it easier on my prana supply to create my Zerg the normal way." She explained. "We need every eye in the sky we can, and this allows me to create an army for a fraction of the prana."

"…You ruined my garden." He whispered. The egg grew even bigger than Saber, almost as big as the building next to it, before hatching open. A large bulbous thing floated out of the egg's remains, multiple eyes blinking and roaming around the world. It floated away towards the city, going higher and higher until it was almost lost amongst the clouds. As he watched it go, Saber waved her hand to cause another two things to form eggs.

"My Overseers will allow us to ferret out Kotomine and his allies, seeing through invisibility and through all possible 'obstructions'. They won't be able to hide from us forever."

"You ruined my garden." Shirou said again, it being the only thing on his mind. Saber rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch.

"You really need to stop focusing on that Shirou. Yes, I turned your garden into a monster farm, but it's for a greater cause. Once this war is over, you should have it back to normal again." He moved to speak again, to repeat himself, but he knew it was stupid to worry about it. It was just a few plants. Hell, it wasn't like him or Arthas were garden enthusiasts or anything. Maybe it would be better to find something else to think about. "How's the Einzbern girl?" Saber asked.

"Doing as well as she could, all things considered." He answered, worried about his sister. Or half-sister. It was still complicated. They found her hanging from the wall by one arm, the other bereft of a hand and her neck slit open. They actually thought she was dead until she gave a slight wheeze. They freed her and carried her back to the others, where Arthas took over in helping her. The others, including a strange woman in a suit standing next to Lancer, moved when they spoke of the girls inside. Right now, they were busy getting them home. And the lady, a representive and contestant from the Mage's Association, started wiping their minds of what they had seen. "Arthas said that if we had taken another moment, he would've only been able to raise her as a banshee."

Saber nodded. "And if he were to die from something, all his magic would die with him, along with anything he brought back with it."

Something bothered him as she said that. "So does that mean that if you were to die again, Rin's arm would also vanish?"

"No. Abathur used her original arm as the materials for her new one. It is still flesh and blood, not sustained by prana. She'll have it for the rest of her life."

"Somehow, I don't think she'll be too pleased about that." Not that she might care right now. She and Sakura were in the guest room, likely mulling over everything Assassin had said. He frowned as he remembered the things he had said. Until now, he never really considered Rin unhappy. She was brilliant at school, popular, athletic, definitely beautiful, and rich. Plenty of people would've been over the moon to have at least two of those qualities.

But then he remembered how rabid she acted when she spotted Ratchet. How she had been so willing to gain her revenge on him. Her face and voice had been filled with so much pain, it was like he was looking at a completely different person. How long had she been hiding herself behind a mask, focusing only on the Grail War and her family's legacy?

Saber frowned, eyes focused on something else. "The psyche is a delicate thing. All it takes in the right push at the right time, and it could be shattered irreversibly. And from what you told us, Assassin is a master at it."

"You seem to know quite a bit about this kind of stuff." With nothing else to do, he started brewing some tea. It gave his hands something to do, and gave him a way to pass the time.

"You forget that I'm a psychic. I could feel the pain radiating from everyone we've met. I've learnt to shield my own mind from others, but there are some feelings you just can't wall against. And I've experienced first-hand the kind of people who can break a person and rebuild them into whatever they want. Few psychics and telepaths are willing to become weapons. They have to be molded into them. Through pain, and horror, and guilt. To forget right and wrong, to be willing to use their powers to kill at any moment." She looked away, her eyes haunted. "I was found when I was only a child. My powers had killed my mother and left my father almost brain-dead. At first I refused to use my powers ever again, no matter what they did to me. But my instructors were cruel and viscous. One of them, Lieutenant Rumm, injected a tumour into a helpless little kitten. I was to use my powers to either destroy the tumour, or kill the kitten." She sneered. "Like either of those were any different. When I wouldn't do it, he threatened to shoot it, and when that didn't work he left it to die a slow painful death." She sighed. "I'll never forget that poor kitten."

"That's…" He searched for a word that could fully phrase his disgust and horror, but found that there was none. "…Horrible." He finished lamely. "I can't believe anyone would put a child through something like that. Is that the kind of person you think Assassin is?"

"No. I think he's even worse. Rumm and the others did it because they wanted to help the Confederate. Assassin's doing it for fun." They both looked up at the sound of a sliding door, Arthas walking into the room. His skin, while still completely pale, seemed to be lined with wrinkles now. He flopped onto the couch, sighing in relief as he did so. But even as he relaxed, he waved a glowing hand towards the garden. Shirou spotted wispy floating people in black smoke appear, before moving away and vanishing. Probably more things to search for Kotomine.

"Well, it took quite a bit out of my reserves, but Illya is almost fully recovered. The only thing she's still missing is her hand. My magic can't replace missing limbs." He explained.

"But she'll live?" Shirou asked in worry.

"Yes. Though as a Homunculus I don't know for how long." Shirou looked at him in confusion, causing him to sigh. "Her mother was dying during the Last War because her Homunculus body was altered to become the Lesser Grail. Given how callous the Einzberns are, it stands to reason that Illya could've had the same thing done to her. My magic might be able to halt the alterations, but it won't last forever. Not in my current state. And that's not including records I've found of Homunculi that practically fell apart after a few months alive."

"There's got to be something else we can do." Shirou said firmly. "Maybe if I…"

"There's nothing else we can do." Arthas interrupted him. "I've done everything I can, and back home I was practically a god of life and death. I've learnt now that there are some things you just can't stop. Dying's one of them. Eventually, it'll catch up to you."

Shirou flopped down on the couch again, hands clenched in anger. "So what do we do now?" He asked angrily.

"We wait."


Rin shuddered as the slug's claws ran down her arm, inspecting the cast he had made. It was built from some kind of saliva, and was meant to help her heal rapidly. It resembled a glowing green sleeve that clung to her skin, stiff enough that she couldn't bend her arm at all.

It was the only option she could get that didn't involve cutting the whole thing off and replacing it.

"Cast complete." It said in its deep voice. "Healing begun. Improved musculature and bone structure." He saw her pale. "Arm still human. Just stronger. Queen very specific. Settle for healing. Not improvement." It sounded sullen about her not wanting to become a monster. "Cast fall off when healed. Do not try to bend. Or arm may break again." And with that, he slithered out of the room. Rin took a deep breath of relief as he left. She hated that thing. She hated having to see it. She hated the work it wanted to do to her. And she hated that it was the best medic they had.

But she stopped feeling sorry for herself as she glanced at Sakura. Her sister had lost a hand during the fight. She might never recover from that. She inched over to her and reached out to touch her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" She asked softly. "Is there a chance of replacing your hand?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked in confusion, before understanding dawned on her. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about. The changes done to me mean that everything can be attached again. See?" She held out both arms, hands on each and without any sign of damage. "Abathur was so surprised by my healing that he asked for a sample to improve his creations." She smiled. "He's not actually so bad once you get past his appearance."

Rin decided to go back to feeling sorry for herself.

"Hey Rin?" Sakura asked, interrupting her sulking. "The things Assassin said back there. About you and Shirou. They're not true, are they?" Rin twisted round hard enough to nearly fall over, her broken arm unable to stop her from toppling over. She hissed in pain as it was jarred.

"Him? And me? No. No way. There's nothing going on between us. The only reason we even know each other is because we've allied together in this War. I have no interest in him whatsoever." She ignored her blushing cheeks.

Sakura sighed with relief. "That's good. I was worried that I'd have to compete against you for him." She moved to pull her into a hug, but stopped sharply. Her eyes glinted with repressed emotions. She turned away, staring at the wall.

Not that Rin could blame her. It's the first time since they were children that they actually sat down and talked. There was so much between them, so much to talk about. But neither of them knew where to begin. Neither knew how to broach the subject.

"How is it living with the Matous?" Even as Rin said it, she cringed inside. 'How were the Matous?' She might as well have said it in full. 'Hey Sis. How was it being kicked out of the family and given to strangers so that we wouldn't have to fight over our family's magic?' Sakura stiffened, head turning slowly and her eyes like spotlights. Rin shivered under her gaze, heart trembling.

This wasn't just a look of anger, or shock, or even sadness. This was a look of absolute pain. Though her sister was siting before her, it was a broken, empty shell that lived within.

"How is it? How is it?!" Her voice went almost shrill, face twisted into rage. "It was a nightmare, that's what it was. Zouken was a sadistic freak who cared only about his own life and legacy. Everyone in his family is either a failure or a tool to be used at his own discretion." She was standing up now, fingers extending and sharpening. "I still can't believe that Father wanted anything to do with that family. They're spiteful monsters, the lot of them." She wasn't shouting yet, but she was close.

Rin shook, worried about her own safety. It was only the fact that she could summon Archer at a moment's notice that stopped her from pissing herself in fear. "But… But Uncle Kariya…"

Mentioning his name seemed to both calm her down and yet incense her at the same time. She was pacing now, hands twitching. "Uncle Kariya was the only thing keeping me sane until this War took him. Father always spoke badly about him for abandoning his magic, but now I've been in his home I wonder why he stayed as long as he did. If I had been brave like him, I would've run the moment I could. Uncle Kariya is five times better than Father."

No he isn't." Rin replied angrily, getting to her feet. "Father was a great man, a caring man. He didn't want us to have to fight over the family Crest. That was why he had to do it. Otherwise it would've been that one of us would've moved onwards to greatness and the other would've…"

"I don't care about the family Crest." Sakura practically screeched at her. "I never cared about any of that. I just wanted to be happy. I just wanted to be with my family." She was crying now, angry tears leaking. She took a shuddering breath. "And yet my entire family just stood back and let him sell me off like some meat at a butcher's store."

"I was a child. I didn't even know what was going on. Father said that you would've been taken care of. That the Matous would raise you like their own flesh and blood." But now that she was older, a part of her wished that she had said no. That she had argued with her father. He had always been so caring, so gentle with them. She could never have ever considered the possibility that he would hurt them, intentionally or otherwise. "What happened to you? Where's the quiet and gentle sister I remember, the one everyone talks about in school?"

Sakura calmed down slightly, her claws shrinking down again. "You don't know, do you? I'm starting to wonder if even Father had any idea." She took a deep breath, and looked Rin in the eye. "The first day I was brought to them, after Father had made sure everything was alright and had left, Zouken dragged me to the basement and tossed me to his Crest Worms." She started crying as horrific memories came back to her. "I was violated, over and over again by them, unable to escape or fight back or anything." Rin gasped in complete shock. V-Violated? Her sister was…? She nearly choked. What kind of monster would do such a thing? "Uncle Kariya joined the War so that Zouken wouldn't need me anymore. But because of that, because he was a Master… he was killed. The only person I knew who was in this fight for more than just fame or power, and he died to try and save me." Sakura looked her sister in the eye. "Magic isn't some grand gift. It's a curse that sets good people against each other. Ever since Mercer healed me, made me stronger, I didn't want anything to do with it." Rin looked away, ashamed. Not just about what happened to her sister, or the fact that she didn't even try to stop any of it. But because she didn't agree with her. Magic isn't a curse. But how could she ever tell Sakura that, after everything she went through? "But you don't feel the same way, do you?"

"I…" Rin sighed. "No. I don't. Sakura, I know you went through something horrible, something I doubt I could ever imagine. But that wasn't because of magic. That was because of people. They make mistakes, or they're unwilling to listen, or they're just nasty overall. But if better people use magic to help fix the world, then no one would have to go through what you had to." She tried to place a caring hand on Sakura's shoulder, but she turned away from her.

"So you won't let it go. Even though it tore our family apart. Killed Mom and Dad. Killed Uncle Kariya. Hurt our friends. How many people have to be hurt by it before you wake up and see the truth?" She rubbed her wrist, the one that had been severed, and pushed the door wide open. Rider waited for her outside, and now followed her as she left. Rin moved to go after her, but Archer stopped her.

"Let it go Rin." She said solemnly. "Sometimes, you just got to give people space. Let both of you think about things before you make a decision." Rin looked pleadingly at Sakura, but relented. If Archer was advising her to think things over, then it must be important. "In the meantime, we should probably check in with the others. See if they have any plans for finding Kirei and his demon buddies. Can't wait to shut that Assassin dude up. Always hated those people who talk some shit about you to try and trip you up."

As they left in the other direction, Rin couldn't help but look back at the hallway Sakura had gone down. She desperately hoped that they could become sisters again.


(11:45pm)

Arthas looked down at the diminutive girl lying on the futon before him, at peace and deep in slumber. He was actually rather surprised by her appearance, how small and young she appeared. True, back on Azeroth the gnomes and dwarves were just as small. But at least they had the figures you'd expect of their age. Illya though still looked as much a child now as she did when he last saw her, over ten years ago. And eight year old that looked as though she was only four or five. An eighteen year old who looked only ten. Was this a natural flaw of being born naturally to a Homunculus? Or did the Einzberns do something to her when they realised that Emiya failed them?

Well regardless, as the technically living dead she wasn't going to grow any further no matter what. As he thought that, he noticed the stirring of her soul within her barely warm flesh. Fluttering like a caged bird. Right now she was still in a half-dead state. It would take her at least another day of living before her body came to his conclusions. In the meantime though, he had to make her stay comfortable. He erected a wall of silence around her. No point in her waking screams startling the neighbours. As he expected, when she finally stirred awake her mouth was wide open, the magic shaking slightly as they absorbed the sounds. For a moment, he worried that he had inadvertently turned her into a banshee. But she showed none of the ethereal signs of being a banshee. More likely, the horror and stress of whatever Kotomine had done to her had been too much. Her scream petered out, and she looked around with wide eyes. When she spotted him, they widened even more. He tried to give her a smile and a wave while he dissipated his magic.

"Hello Illya." He said to her. She kept staring at him, eyes welling up. Inside, he grimaced. He wouldn't say that he had been a terrible parent to Shirou, but there's a world of difference between that and 'good'. Illya would be even harder. "How much do you remember of tonight?" He asked.

She blinked the tears from her eyes, the red orbs glinting like steel. "Saber. How are you still here? Where is my father? Why didn't he return to me? Grandfather said that he died…"

"I'm afraid that he did." Arthas explained. "I found another way to sustain myself after his demise. I regret to say that I completely forgot about you in his last moments. It is inexcusable of me, and for that I wish for your forgiveness. But I truly need to know what happened. How Berserker ended up on Kotomine's side, and how he captured you." Illya kept glaring at him. "Think of it this way. You tell me what you remember, and it'll make it so much easier to end him for good and make him pay."

That seemed to resonate with her. "Berserker left a couple of nights ago. Asked that she be allowed to leave and fight against Caster. I agreed. But when she returned, she was acting… differently. Like her Mad Enhancement had been switched on again. She somehow managed to bind my Command Seals and gag me, and then she dragged me off to the church. Along the way, Caster joined us, and then Kotomine gave her a room to work out of. She and Caster came back with other people, torturing them and killing them for prana. Berserker mocked me for thinking that I could control her." She looked away. "I don't understand what she's planning, what any of them are planning. How could she betray me like that?"

"Her battle form suggests that she's actually a demon of some kind. You can't trust them to do anything but destroy. I'd imagine the only form of control you had over her was that she needed your prana to survive. As soon as she found another source, you became irrelevant." That's what he would've done as the Lich King, as soon as Emiya stopped being of use. "I don't suppose that Caster, Kotomine, or Berserker ever gloated about their plans."

"No. In fact, they mostly left me alone. Except Berserker. She tried to show me… things. Tried to break me." He nodded, understanding. A broken enemy could be turned into a tool. A master too fearful to disobey her would be a very useful tool in this War. "But I held on. Whenever I got scared, I focused on how much I hated Berserker. That kept me sane and strong."

"Good for you. But even the strongest metal turns brittle if not left to cool. You can relax now. You are safe within these walls."

"Screw that. I want to fight. I want revenge."

Been there, done that. It never ends well. Arthas thought ruefully. "And what would you do exactly? You have no Servant, no Command Seals, and you're still much smaller than everyone else." He held up a hand to her complaints and spoke over her. "Not to mention that you nearly died. It took everything I knew to coax you back, and you're still not fully healed yet. If something were to badly injure you right now, even I wouldn't be able to keep you alive." He gave her a chilling look. "It's up to you Illya. You can stay here on your own free will; or I can force you to stay. I don't want to, but I won't lose any sleep over it.

"…Fine." She relented, turning over on the bed. A twinge of magic ran down him, a sign that a scout had returned. He left the room and placed a ward over the door, before turning towards the shadows. From them, a wispy floating phantom floated out to him. It had black bones that blended in with the black smoke surrounding it, luminous green eyes staring at him. The shade bowed deeply to him.

"My Liege." It whispered. "We have found the Servant Caster, attacking an office building in the Business District. There were significant numbers of mortals still within, but we could not see any sign of Berserker, Assassin, or the priest."

Arthas frowned at that. "Is it possible for any Presence Concealment to be able to hide from your sight?" He asked.

"No, my Liege. By the very rules of the Grail, my True Sight would not be trumped by any level of Concealment. They are simply not there." Now this was odd. Why would Caster waste time attacking an office party alone? He may be mad, but even he had to know that they'd be looking for him. Perhaps he considered it worth being found if he could get his revenge once and for all. But something still felt off about this. "What would you have us do?"

"You will lead us to Caster." He ordered. "The others will keep searching for Berserker, Assassin, and Kotomine. We have to find them and stop them. For now, wait by the entrance." The shade nodded before fading away down the hall. He in turn started walking down the hall. "You probably know what I'm thinking, don't you?" He said to thin air.

"I can guess." Saber replied, stepping out from the shadows. "You're thinking that this could very well be a trap. And you could be right."

"Caster may be insane and uncontrollable, but they're hard-pressed for allies right now. They wouldn't cast him off like that, not while he could still be of use. If I were in their place, I would let Caster go and get the enemy's attention to lure them in, before catching them all in a powerful trap. But there's something else bothering me."

"What exactly is that?"

"Their rather feeble attempts to dispose of us. Every attempt they've made has ended up causing us to gain another member in our alliance. Caster's attack at the school forced Rider to ally with us; Berserker had sent other Heroic Spirits to aid Shirou and Rin; telling Sakura that I killed her family caused her to learn the truth and join us; even Illya's near death just gave them another enemy. The first few I can chalk up to bad luck or planning. But this seems too much. They can't really be this incompetent."

"You're thinking too hard about this. There's nothing to suggest that they're not just messing up all the time."

"Aside from the fact that they are still Heroic Spirits. You don't fulfil the requirements by being a fool all the time. Caster is still far more dangerous than he appears, no matter how stupid he acts. No, this is something more. I feel as though we are all becoming pawns in someone's plan."

"Why does it have to be just one plan?" Saber asked. "Our enemies are villains of the vilest calibre. We could simply be looking at several different plans and coups clashing against each other." She smirked at him. "Honestly Arthas. Didn't you ever have to deal with dissention in the ranks?"

"Azerothians aren't the most subtle betrayers within the ranks of evil. Most of the time." He countered. "Either we act so subtly that no one realises we've betrayed them until it's too late; or we're so brash and overt that we separate during the battle. That was how it was for me." He shrugged. "Until the original Lich King's power weakened, every undead in Azeroth was loyal to him. And to me." He puzzled over this for a bit. "So you think that Berserker, Assassin, or Caster are attempting to take over from Kotomine?"

"Attempting, or have done so already."

"So we leave him alone?"

"No. We'll have to destroy him anyway, and this is the best time right now."

"Even though they're likely preparing a trap for us." He said, eyebrow raised. Saber smirked at him again.

"It's only a trap if you're not prepared for it."


(11:50pm, Mercer Castle)

Consume, become, grow. Consume, become, grow. Those words echoed through Bazett's head over and over again, drilling into her subconscious. She tried every technique she knew, but none were enough to silence the words. Only quieten them for a moment. And she knew she wasn't the only one hearing them. The beasts roaming around Mercer's castle were acting up, devouring each other and heading for the woods around them. As she watched them over the balustrade, she saw a swathe of trees falling down.

And something large rising up in their place…

A familiar presence appeared at her shoulder. "Something's going on with Mercer and his monsters." Lancer said. Bazett wouldn't even have to turn around to know that there was a look of worry on her blue face. "I can feel the turmoil radiating from all of them. And I heard him smashing things inside his 'office'. I think we need to leave. Now."

Consume, become, grow. Consume, become, grow. Mercer's voice echoed inside of her. And something deep within yearned to answer. She tried to calm the voice again. "Did Kotomine say anything about Mercer? From when they worked together?" She asked.

"No. But I managed to piece some details together. He's the Berserker from the previous War, but now he is flesh and blood again like you. He's… some form of viral-based lifeform. These beasts are as much him as the human form he goes around in." There was a sense of scorn in her voice.

"You don't trust him." It wasn't a question.

"My former life didn't breed much trust, but even the Jedi wouldn't trust a parasitic, violent, and intelligent species. There's a reason viruses are seen as dangerous in the medical world."

Consume, consume, consume. "He's been here ever since the last War ended over a decade ago. Why hasn't he started spreading yet? Did you think about that?"

"I did. And I think I have an answer. Assassin's weapon. Every time I looked at it, I felt like something was trying to twist the Force. Twist my mind. Maybe if we could keep Mercer and his monsters contained for a few days, it might wear off…"

"But none of us have that long." Mercer said, having appeared behind them. Lancer instantly spun and sliced his head off, jumping away from his reaching claws. Bazett moved to fight back, but a spike of pain rammed into her skull. Even as she cried out, her body was moving to attack Lancer. The Servant deflected her strike before blasting a monster away with lightning. Mercer walked towards them, his head regrowing. His movements were jittery and shaky, as though he was fighting against himself.

Consumeconsumeconsumeconsume...

"The world is sick. Poisoned by mankind. They've lost their chance, lost their place on the food chain." Mercer was saying. Lancer blocked Bazett's next strike, slamming her palm against her chest. A wave of force moved through her body, and her limbs refused to obey her. Lancer fought off another beast as she grabbed Bazett by the waist. "There is only one way they can survive now. Become one with us. One with me. I will perfect them, remove their flaws and weaknesses. The world will be a paradise in my own making." He wasn't attacking anymore. He was standing there, smirking at them.

Consumeconsumecon… Free me. Free me from… madness.

"You can't stop us forever Lancer. Join us instead. We can give you a real body, one of flesh and biomass. We can make you stronger than you ever were in life." He held out a hand to her.

Lancer adjusted her grasp on Bazett. "Tempting. But I'm afraid I must decline. A Sith Lord will never become someone's puppet." And then they were jumping away, just as the monsters jumped their last position. Lancer fired off waves of lightning, frying everything that got close. She ran unbelievably fast, reaching the outer edges of the forest in moments. Then, she dropped Bazett and held her hands towards the forest. A glistening wall of force formed before her, covering the entire castle grounds. The ground before them cracked as it extended underneath, turning into a giant bubble. Mercer appeared by it as it was finished, watching them through the wall. He slammed his hand against it uselessly. The voice in her head was silenced.

But she remembered the last order. Free me.

"Clever." Mercer admitted. "But this will only delay the inevitable. We will break free. And then we will force you to join us."

"Perhaps. But it will stall you long enough for me to find a way to stop you." Lancer replied, grabbing Bazett and carrying them both away at speed. She looked back to see a massive army of monsters slamming themselves against the wall. Mercer is right. I won't hold out forever. They were running out of time.

Free me from this madness.


(12:19pm, Business District)

As completely expected, Caster wasn't all that hard to find. His trail of death and destruction was exceedingly obvious short of him painting arrows for them on the walls. That just made Saber and Arthas even warier than before. Not that Caster was setting them up for a trap (he seemed too insane to be able to do that) but that someone else was using him as bait to lure them out. Or to leave their base defenceless.

That was why Archer and Ratchet were staying behind.

"Hold." Arthas said quietly, holding up a hand while pointing at the floor with his blade. Saber looked down to see a large puddle of blood on the floor before them. A very large puddle.

She frowned. "You think he's near? I'm hesitant to check with my mind." Someone as obviously insane as him would be bad for her mental health.

Arthas shook his head. "No. But I know of some creatures that use vibrations in liquids to detect foes. It's not unlikely…"

"Got it." She mentally prepared herself as they both took a step into the doorway. A ripple spread outwards from where they stepped. She erected a barrier just in time, as spikes came flying from around the room to pierce them. She shuddered under their onslaught, but her barrier held.

"DIE!" Caster shouted, springing out of the next room and slamming into her barrier. "Die, die, die, die, die!" He shouted over and over, slamming a corpse against the barrier. Now that the traps had lessened, she weakened the barrier slightly before shattering it with her psionics. Caster was sent flying across the room by the blast, and Arthas moved in.

"Frostmourne Hungers." He intoned, his blade frosting over with magic. He stabbed the tip of it into the ground, the massive puddle of blood around them freezing over. Caster found himself caught in it, unable to free himself as Arthas swung his blade for his head.

"Booga booga." Caster shouted, surrounded by a ring of fire. Arthas was blasted back by the attack, boots somehow gripping the icy blood. Caster broke free of his temporary prison, jumping around the room and casting spells. Arthas and Saber responded with their own attacks, the forces tearing through the room. Caster smirked and slammed his hand against the ground, the floor shattering beneath them. Saber looked down to see that the other floors were also shattered. Caster hollered as he fell straight down, jumping from beam to beam. Saber used her psionics to levitate to the ground. But Arthas didn't seem to have any means of surviving the fall. He released his sword and created a funnel of icy wind beneath him, slowing him just enough to not kill him. He still slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it. They had made it all the way to the bottom floor now.

Saber narrowed her eyes. Those floors had been intact when they climbed up. There was someone else here.

The sound of metal striking metal echoed from the cloud, something causing it to dissipate away. Arthas was kneeling down, a green snake chain wrapped around his gauntlet. His other hand was out-stretched, his sword flying back to it. Saber floated down, her wings outstretched, and severed the chain. But it released him as she did so, racing away even as something shattered her barrier. Arthas stood over her, his blade guarding her from Caster's knife. But something else bit deep into her, fangs tearing away at her. She yelled in pain as she pulled free, her wound already healing. But something felt wrong. Her mind seemed foggier than before.

They ruined my life. They left me for dead. I was torn apart and put back together as a monster.

She shook her head, fear gnawing away at her. "Arthas, we might have a problem." She said in an agitated tone. She parried the snake chain again with her wing tips, though a wave of unease went through her. "I think that Assassin's chain can twist our minds."

Arthas grunted as he deflected Caster's next spell. The jester was dancing around at the other end of the room. "Some form of madness perhaps, spread through injuries." Behind his helm, his eyes widened. "They want to turn us back into the monsters we were."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes." Caster shouted in glee. "You finally realised. Assassin was right after all. You guys do have bad histories. "That said, you won't live long enough to clear your heads. Berserker promised me revenge, without having to flee. And I intend to collect tonight." He rubbed his hands with glee, magic swirling around him. "I've Acquired the Ultimate Power." He shouted at the top of his lungs, the magic exploding outwards. Arthas and Saber were thrown back by it despite their efforts, slamming through walls and furniture. The snake chain darted in again and again, biting into Saber. She screamed as she tried to ward it off, but the mental toll disrupted her psionics. She heard metal clanging against metal again, Arthas grunting as he fought back. A tsk of annoyance sounded, before the doors were kicked open and something crashed into them.

The world will burn for my suffering. Its people will become meat for the slaughter. I will have my revenge on everyone. They will all know my pain.

She needed to get out of here. She needed to find some way of curing herself before she became the Queen of Blades again. She stumbled to her feet and opened her eyes, only to see that boulders had covered the door. The wall exploded as Caster floated towards them. His skin was a dark purple now, his body bereft of clothing save for a red sheet that covered his waist. Muscles bulged everywhere, and six wings were held aloft from his back. Four angelic feathery wings, and two demonic bat wings. His face was marked with a massive grin, pointy ears, markings around his eyes, and a lone feather jutting from his hair. His smile grew even deeper as he leered at them.

"Behold." He shouted, his voice echoey and demonic. "This is my true power. I am now the God of all Magic. I will destroy the bonds of life and end all existence. I will devour your souls and tear your bodies limb from limb. By the time I am done with you two, you shall cease to be one with the Throne of Heroes." His laughter was interrupted by an icy blast from Arthas.

"You talk too much." Arthas said grimly as he stood back up and charged. Caster snarled as he deflected his blade with his wings, frost forming on the tips. Saber got to her feet and ignored the pain as she tapped into her psionics again. She grabbed his arm and shoved her power into it, the limb glowing before it was wrapped up in an explosion. Caster grunted before raising a hand, rays of light appearing from above. Arthas fired a sheet of necromantic energy upwards, the rays striking it instead. But this left him open to be swatted by Caster's fireball, knocking him to the other side of the room. The flames were quelled by ice, but he was definitely injured. Saber growled as she trapped Caster in a psionic field, but he just snapped his fingers and shattered it. She was bowled over by the backlash, her head aching now. But she lashed out with her wings, carving grooves into his skin.

He reached out and snapped her wings off with his bare hands, causing her to scream in pain. Arthas blasted Caster with a green cloud, the edges of his body sizzling. Caster growled. "The end comes." He snarled, a projection of his laughing head appearing before him and magic radiating from him. Saber's regeneration barely managed to keep up with it, while Arthas fell to one knee at its passing. But then he got back up and charged in again, his blade drawing prana and life from Caster. She regrew her wings and charged in from behind, slashing at his back. He slammed his hardened wings against her, forcing her to jump back off. A dark circle appeared around his feet, exploding as he floated out of it. His robe was tattered now, and his flesh was bleeding. They could do this. They could beat him.

"Ultima." He shouted, becoming the epicentre of a massive green explosion. Arthas and Saber barely got their shields up, but the blast ignored them completely. They were ravaged by the explosion, the building shaking and falling apart. Caster laughed as he saw their beaten forms. "Yes. I will have… My revenge!"

Saber struggled to her feet, fury bubbling inside. It was a fury powerful enough that even pain couldn't stop. Something started breaking inside of her. Something she wished to keep whole.

Saber fell into a slumber, and the Queen of Blades took the reins.

"You… Will fall… To the Zerg. All hail Amon!" She shouted, drawing in all her power. Yes, with that voice silenced, it became so much easier to concentrate. Caster was blasted back by her psionic attack, screaming in pain and agony. She smirked to herself until he came flying back in, his hands filled with magic. He slammed them both into her, dragging her away from the ground and filling her with pain, before he held her aloft in his grip. Three magic circles formed behind him, glowing with immense power. She could only watch in horror as she unleashed it all, her flesh burning to almost nothing. She tried to scream, but her voice box was destroyed. Parts of her fell off, littering the ground beneath her. The pain threatened to consume her. When it had stopped, she was barely alive in any sense of the word. Caster leaned in and leered at her.

"I… hate, hate, hate, hate…" As he started speaking louder and louder, he stopped with a shudder. She opened her healing eyes to see Arthas' grey armour almost hidden behind Caster. His blade was sticking out of his back.

"Wrath… Of… The Lich King." Arthas grunted, his blade glowing brightly. Caster screamed in agony as pale fire burned through him. His body started rotting away, falling apart and exploding. With a grunt of agony, Saber pushed her half-formed hand into his chest. It broke through with ease, suddenly overwhelmed by the flames. He yelled even louder as she put all her power into him. He glowed with both pale green fire and orange energy.

"No!" He shouted. "I must have my revenge. I must destroy you all!" He exploded into nothing, throwing them away from the power. The building shuddered as the magic raced upwards, tearing through it. His death scream echoed for a moment. Rubble rained down around them, but Saber didn't care. She would heal. And there was a world out there to destroy.

But the last thing she saw was Arthas kneeling over her, the pommel of his sword about to strike her head.


(12:27pm, Berserker's New Lair)

Berserker looked out across the city to see a skyscraper falling down into dust and rubble. Well, hopefully at least one problem will be taken care of tonight. Sirens echoed through the night air, and he breathed deeply in the fear and panic gripping the city. Yes, the Grail War was the perfect battleground to feast upon. He turned away from the view to see Assassin crouching on some rocks, flipping his knife over and over.

"Things went according to plan?" He asked, annoyed at his current vessel's femininity. The only reason he was even in his daughter's body was because he wanted to save up as much prana as possible.

"Mostly." Assassin replied. "I got Saber pretty damn good, but that Lich King was annoying. His stupid armour couldn't give me any room to work with. But hey, Caster seemed to have had everything under control."

"No matter. Even if they won, they will have their hands full already. And they will be weakened. No Servant can fight so many battles consecutively and stay full of prana. They will eventually run themselves dry. And then we will finally feast upon them."

"Cool." Assassin replied, getting to his feet. "So, are we gonna check on the Grail now?" Berserker nodded and led the way. Inside the cavernous cave they were in, runes and lines had been drawn in blood. Skulls dotted the area, surrounding a mangled body in the centre. A black heart was exposed, sticking out of the chest. The shatter pieces of the former Grail surrounded it, fusing with it through blood and magic. "I have to give it to Caster. He may be the craziest person I've ever met, but damn if he doesn't know his stuff."

"Indeed. And to think that all it took was letting him fight to the death with Saber's team. You are very good at manipulation." Berserker acknowledged. Now their wild card was pacified or dead. Their plans will survive, and there was more destruction and pain for the rest of them.

"Yep. Shame we're getting rid of our allies. But once Angra Mainyu comes on through, it won't matter anymore. We've won. Instant win condition." He smirked down at the still living man nailed to the ground, his limbs shattered and broken beyond repair.

"Isn't that right, Kotomine?"


Ooh, there goes Caster. The forces of evil are running a bit low on minions.

But yeah, as this all shows, we're working closer and closer to the end game. There's probably gonna be a few deaths all piled together (sorry about that) but at least it's during an awesome end fight.

Here's hoping I don't take as long to put up the next chapter.

And yeah, something I read (and have been informed by a fan) is that Assassin's Ouroboros can actually cause madness in people. I translated that in here as making our heroes start acting like their old bad selves. It can be overpowered (so no lynching me for making your favourite characters villains again) but you can bet that things are going to get dicey again.