21

Lancer sighed deeply as he leaned against a wall in the lobby of Tohsaka Manor, making his discontent clear to everyone in the room. The Tohsaka girl and Edefelt brat were yelling at each other again, their fourth argument in the short time since they'd arrived here. His bestial gaze flicked above him, toward the second level of the house where the snow-haired girl, Kirei's daughter, was resting in one of the guest rooms after he'd carried her here. And beyond her he knew, likely standing watch atop the manor's rooftop, was Archer.

Lancer felt a growl rising in the back of his throat at the thought of the red Servant. His Master now. It was unnatural, a Servant commanding another like this. He'd never liked it when Caster of Red had done so with Assassin, and liked it even less now that he was the one on the leash. He had fully intended to eliminate her first as punishment for breaking the rules once they reached the second stage of the war, but she was dead now. It was simply unfair that her conniving tricks had remained after the fact to allow Archer to capture him like this.

Lancer gave a low snarl as he shook his head in frustration. He was so damn conflicted right now. All he wanted from this Holy Grail War was a good fight, the chance to feel his blood pound and heart sing as he did battle with legendary heroes from another age. But as a Heroic Spirit, he felt a duty to protect his Master and to the extent the world from vile enemies like Avenger. He'd already failed his first Master, something he did regret, and to add insult to injury, Kotomine had only ever used him as a scouting pawn. As if being denied his only wish wasn't enough, now he was being controlled by a cheater like Archer. He hated the man for breaking the rules like this. Couldn't he stand for a simple honest fight? If he had his way, he would challenge Archer immediately, Command Seals or no. It would certainly end in his death, with the Servant likely ordering him to commit suicide if it ever came to that, but Lancer was fairly certain he would take Archer down with him. But he was conflicted.

He couldn't help but feel that attacking Archer, despite how much his wounded pride over being captured by a Servant demanded he do so, would be abandoning his duties as a Heroic Spirit. Doing so would result in his death, the Command Seals made that certain. And if he died, he wouldn't be able to do something about that bastard Avenger. Lancer lived life simply. He ate, slept, laughed, and pursued beautiful weapon. And if his lord commanded him to, or if he came across a monster, he would cut it down with his spear. And Avenger was certainly a monster worthy of feeling Gae Bolg's sting. The fact that the monster was allied with that bastard Kotomine had nothing to do with it, although he would sorely love to introduce the fake priest to the end of his spear as well. If serving under Archer for the time being, no matter how infuriating, gave him a chance to do something about Avenger and Kirei in the long run, he would do it. But he'd be damned if he was going to just roll over for his new Master.

A loud crash interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to the confrontation between the women before him. A glass table had shattered across the floor, knocked down by the pale Tohsaka girl who stumbled about. The Edefelt woman held her unsteadily, Rin barely standing even by latching on to her, with an uncharacteristic look of concern in her eyes. There was a shimmer of mist as Archer materialized beside them, no doubt called down from the roof by worry over his Master's condition.

"Rin?" he asked in concern, gently taking her from Luvia's arms to lean her down in the armchair nearby.

Rin glared at him with weary eyes as he knelt before her, helping her down, "This is all your fault, idiot. How the hell did you expect me to supply enough mana for two Servants? I don't have monstrous circuits or a Ruler Servant to help me like Hakuno."

"My apologies, Rin," Archer said mocking with a soft smile as he stood back up, "I thought you were strong enough to take the pain. I obviously misjudged your level of strength."

"Idiot," Rin whined in a tired yet determined voice, struggling to sit herself up in the armchair before glaring out of the corner of her eye at Lancer, "Can't you at least order your Servant to dematerialize and take some of the pressure of me?"

Lancer glared at Archer before he even asked. He had nothing against the Tohsaka girl, but he was determined to make his servitude as difficult as it could be for the red bowman, "Don't even think about it. I like the feel of the ground beneath my feet. You knew this was going to be a bitch to pull off when you went with this, so here's the fruits of your labor. Sorry lassie, but tough it out."

Archer grimaced slightly with narrowed eyes, "Perhaps you aren't worth the mana after all, Lancer."

"Don't even think about it," Luvia interrupted from where she sat with crossed arms, looking at everyone in the room with distaste, "We can't afford to lose a single Servant. If you haven't forgotten, we are up against powerful and numerous enemies. Avenger can spawn his creatures, and the remnants of the Red Faction have allied themselves with Ruler. We cannot afford to lose even a single blade."

Lancer frowned, "I have a spear, lady, not a blade. I'm a Lancer, not a Saber like the brat your pretty boy has tucked in his pocket."

Luvia grimaced, turning to Archer instead of replying, "There still hasn't been any sign of Leo or Saber returning?"

Archer smiled faintly, "Our resident 'pretty boy'? No, not yet. I'll let you all know as soon as I spot them."

"He should have been back hours ago," Rin groaned, sweat trickling down from her forehead, "We were only supposed to be out searching for information. Even if he got sidetracked like us, he should have been back by now."

Archer frowned as he gazed at his Master's condition and then left to the kitchen silently. Luvia mused while he was gone, and when he returned to place a cold towel across Rin's forehead, she spoke up suddenly.

"If he hasn't come back by now, we should assume he won't. That means he's either betrayed us or is dead."

Rin frowned, but nodded, "Before Archer and I followed Lancer to the beach, we were heading towards a battle in the middle of the city. We never had a chance to check it out afterwards, but that could have been him. I hate to admit it, but you're probably right."

Luvia nodded, "Of course I am. But we have bigger problems at hand. The Association's attack, and subsequent defeat by Avenger. Why would he protect the Grail War, and us by extension, from outside interference?"

"I would say that's obvious," Archer sighed, "He desires the Grail for whatever reason, and is unwilling to let anyone else, even the Association, take control of it."

"But he is allied with the Overseer," Luvia protested, "He knows of the Grail's resting place. They could have taken the relic for themselves any time."

"It would appear then," Archer replied, "that he still has some use for the rest of us participants. Perhaps he wishes to assimilate us into his shadows or some other end. Either way, I'm certain the Association had some kind of bounty for his Master's head, and he wished to protect Kirei."

"Or he just likes killing people," Lancer interrupted, "he seemed to enjoy that a lot."

Archer frowned, "That too."

"Well it's made a mess," Luvia complained, gesturing towards the television in the corner of the room displaying flickering scenes of the attack, "The world is in absolute chaos over the revelation of magic already, and then this attack goes on to reveal the Mage's Association's existence. Every single government is already paranoid enough, and now they find out there's some shadowy organization controlling all the magic in the world?"

"So?" Lancer shrugged.

"So?" Luvia repeated incredulously, "There is worldwide panic. The government has sealed off the entire city with military forces, abandoning the citizens inside while its leaders head for fallout shelters. The UN has been given permission to place dozen of nuclear missiles within range of Fuyuki City. The instant this conflict spills past the government's barricade, we'll all die in a bout of nuclear fire."

Lancer shrugged, "Nukes can't touch me in spirit form."

Archer interrupted the seething Luvia before she could reply, "This actually a good thing. More lives will be saved this way. As you know, Servants are spiritual beings. Physical weapons, from a gun to your nuclear bombs, cannot harm us unless it is wielded by another spiritual being. If they attempted to retake the city, they would all be massacred with no way to fight back if they encountered Avenger or Gilgamesh, ignoring all the civilian casualties."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Archer?" Rin asked weakly, "We're human. If your Master dies in a nuclear detonation, how do you expect to win?"

"Well," Archer smiled softly, "I suppose I simply have to make sure the Holy Grail War doesn't expand past Fuyuki City then. And if it does, don't worry. I'll think of something."

"That's reassuring…" Rin smiled softly with a touch of irritation, before her eyes suddenly bulged. Archer started forward in concern as she raised a hand to her mouth, coughing violently. She fell forward, Archer bending down to catch her in his arms.

"Rin?" he asked intensely, concern clearly etched across his face.

She was unresponsive, and as her arm fell limply to her side, he noticed a streak of blood smeared from where she had been coughing into her hand earlier. Archer's blood went cold, and he spoke aloud in a detached voice.

"Lancer, dematerialize."

The blue spearmen frowned, leaning back against the wall with arms crossed, "No. This is what cheaters like you get."

"Now," He ordered immediately, another one of his Command Seals disappearing from his palm as the Servant vanished from sight.

"Damn it, Tohsaka," he muttered under his breath beyond hearing, "was the mana drain actually too much for you?"

He should have expected this. He himself took up more mana than most Servants, and even a mana-efficient Servant like Lancer was still a Heroic Spirit that would add a massive drain on her mana reserves. Lancer dematerializing would lessen the effects, but she was still be drained faster than she could handle. He cursed in his head. He should have seen this coming. Taking Lancer had been an important victory, but if the cost was to reduce Rin to this…

"Is she alright?" Luvia asked in concern as he stood and lifted Rin into his arms.

"She will be. I'm going to let her rest, have Rider stand watch for a while."

He swiftly carried her upstairs in his arms, laying her down in her bed. His hand reached out to stroke a strand of hair away from her clammy skin in an uncharacteristic manner similar to his past self, before he swiftly turned away and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked purposefully towards the end of the hall, pausing before the door to the guest room, briefly studying the red insignia tattooed across the back of his hand. What he was about to do could save Rin, but the cost might potentially wipe away all the effort he had used that day. But if she could control him… He narrowed his eyes before making up his mind, turning to the invisible Servant who had followed him.

"Lancer." He addressed the spiritual warrior.

"What?" the disgruntled spearmen replied.

"It's time for you to meet your new Master."

Hakuno sighed as he trudged through the Einzbern forest, weary and tired. His feet were heavy, and his body felt slow and sluggish after searching through the grounds for so many hours. The sun was dipping down beneath the horizon, marking the end of a disappointing search.

"There wasn't a single sign of him," he grumbled, Caster nodding from where she walked alongside him.

"Perhaps the others had some luck?" she suggested hopefully.

"Maybe…" Hakuno grunted, opening his mental connection to the rest of his Servants.

"Any sign of Lancer?" he asked both mentally and aloud.

"None here," Kuro replied back from where she was patrolling the outskirts of the forest with Ruler, "But we'll let you know right away if we find anything."

"I'm still looking," Illya's voice emerged from the trees around them, thanks to her connection with the Einzbern forest, "but Shirou and I haven't found anything yet."

"Praetor," Saber's voice filtered into Hakuno's mind, "I might have something over here."

"Sit tight," he replied, motioning to Caster beside him and turning to lead her towards Saber's location, "We're on our way."

"Illya," he spoke aloud as he moved through the forest, "Saber might have something. I'll let you know if anything turns up, but keep looking for now."

"Yep." Came the distracted reply from the forest around him, Illya clearly occupied with whatever she was doing elsewhere.

Hakuno frowned, but continued to lead Caster towards Saber, their feet crunching on top of the dead leaves as they walked. Dim sunlight filtered through darkened trees as the night began to creep in, casting long shadows across the dappled floor. The soft noise of a gurgling stream could be heard in the distance as they drew closer, and Hakuno paused as he vaulted over a fallen tree to contact his other Servant.

"Rider?" he asked cautiously through their link, "do you have any news?"

There was no reply, and Hakuno grimaced. Rider had been avoiding him ever since the incident at the Church, rarely even speaking to him. His connection to the Servant was the bare minimum; only the transfer of prana and the occasional sense of emotion drifted through their bond. Hakuno was aware that Rider had no interest fighting in the Holy Grail War, but he couldn't simply release the Servant. So despite his incompatibility with the man, he had to control him somehow.

"Rider," he repeated, this time more forcefully, "Report."

Hakuno growled at the continued silence, Caster's eyes flickering over to him in concern, and he angrily raised his arm, one of his many golden Command Seals beginning to glow, "Don't make me waste a Command Seal. I have more than enough to spare if you continue to act this way."

"Actually, you only have two left for me," Rider's contemptuous voice suddenly broke into his mind, "I guarantee you that will not be enough to control me."

"Really?" Hakuno replied with grit teeth, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

He sensed Rider sigh across the bond, "You humans. Always so pretentious. I am a Heroic Spirit, a god before you. Your petty magecraft will not protect you forever from my wrath, should you continue to irk me."

Hakuno growled, the moody Servant grating on his already thin nerves, "Just tell me if you've seen Lancer or not."

"I haven't even been searching. But it appears my Master is a fool. The spearman is obviously gone, if you have not already encountered him. Smart of him, to abandon such a hopeless situation."

Hakuno ignored him, closing his mental link with Rider, muttering to himself. Caster gave him yet another concerned look, but didn't say anything as she continued to follow him towards Saber's location. They walked in silence, but it didn't take them long to reach her. Hakuno paused as they emerged into a broken stretch of the forest, trees fallen and splintered around them in a line leading towards the city.

"Praetor," Saber spoke aloud as she materialized in a swirl of rose petals, "You have arrived."

"What is this?" Hakuno asked, his gaze roaming over the fallen wood and deep troughs of earth, "It looks like a hurricane tore through here."

"Perhaps one did," Caster muttered, bending to examine the gouges of earth and uprooted trees, magic circles of analysis hovering in the air about her as she examined the wreckage, "I'm sensing strong traces of magic energy lingering here. Someone was burning a lot of prana."

"I believe it was Lancer," Saber replied, pointing along the path of the fallen trees and destruction, "The trail leads towards the city. It is within the realm of possibility that Lancer caused this destruction as he traveled, yes?"

Hakuno let out a low whistle, "He must have been in quite a rush."

"But why?" Caster asked in confusion, standing and brushing off her skirt as the magic circles in the air beside her disappeared with a wink, "He was safe at the castle. He wouldn't have been pursued by anyone."

"Perhaps his Master was in danger, and required his assistance?" Saber suggested.

"But if that was the case, why not just use a Command Seal to summon him directly there?" Hakuno inquired.

"Not everyone possesses as many absolute orders as you do, Praetor," Saber reminded him, "Perhaps he wished to save his remaining Seals for later use, or was already out at that point?"

"Either way," Caster interrupted, "I don't think he's in the forest anymore. Didn't he used to come and go whenever he wanted before we joined the Red Faction? Perhaps he is simply returning to old habits."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. We still have not encountered his Master, nor discovered any of his true intentions," Saber mused.

"Regardless," Hakuno replied, "I think Caster's right. I'd say it's a safe bet that he's not around here. Did you hear all that, Illya?"

"Yep," the Einzbern Master's voice filtered through the trees, "Shirou and I agree. I should have been able to sense anyone who's left the forest, but it's possible he was travelling so fast I missed him."

"But you still missed down the fact that he smashed all of these trees during his exit?" Hakuno asked, puzzled.

"Hey," Illya replied with a hint of indignation in her voice, "It's a big forest. I'm not connected to every tree every moment. You try doing it yourself if you think it's so simple, you big dummy."

"Fair enough," Hakuno shrugged, "but either way, Lancer's gone. We'll be down a Servant in case anyone attacks us."

"Yeah, well, you know how to fix that, don't you?" Illya asked.

"Yeah," Hakuno replied, looking down at the final set of Command Seals adorning his arm, yet to be applied to a Servant, "I guess I do."

He sighed as he turned and began to trudge back towards the house, flanked by Saber and Caster.

I really hope this one isn't as hard to handle as Rider.

Rin woke slowly, pleasantly surprised to find the burning pain that had run through all of her magic circuits was gone. She opened her eyes wearily, the sight of her bed appearing before her instead of the greeting room downstairs. She raised her hand to her bruised throat slowly, swallowing in an attempt to clear the still taste of blood that lingered. She winced slightly. Had she really been so incapacitated by supporting two Servants that she'd been reduced to this? She'd heard of the dangers of the mana drain, but she'd thought as the skilled heir of the Tohsaka family she would have been able to endure the cost. She'd never expected Archer to take Lancer like he had, but the benefit was so enormous she had been unwilling to release the spearman merely because he dragged on her mana reserves, despite her discomfort. It wasn't until she began coughing up blood and had passed out that she now realized how wrong she'd been.

But the pain was gone now. Maybe she'd simply needed to rest for a bit. If she really could control two Servants, it would be incredibly useful. Of course, she'd have to manipulate Lancer through Archer, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Wincing slightly from fatigue, she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled to the door. She steadied herself with every step, and by the time she stepped into the hallway, she felt as though she could keep up appearances once again. It only took a moment for her to detect the presence of her Servant in the living room, and she strode down the hall towards him. She knocked lightly on the empty doorway as she stepped into the room, Archer turning to her with a half-smile from where he had been gazing out the window.

"Ah," he teased her, "I see Sleeping Beauty is awake."

"Awake and alive, yes," she muttered as she strode into the room before him, crossing her arms, "Weren't you worried at all about me, or is birdwatching from my window simply too important to watch over your Master while she recovers?"

Archer raised a hand nonchalantly, "My apologies, Rin. Following the things you said in your sleep as I brought you up there, I felt it would have been inappropriate for a man to remain there by your side."

Rin felt her face fire up immediately, "I…said things?"

"While you were unconscious, yes," Archer sighed looking back out the window, "I must admit, I never expected you saw me that way. The things you said while I held you in my arms…"

He broke off as he turned to swat away the pillow Rin had hurled at him from across the room. He turned in amusement to see her shaking there, another pillow from the couch in hand as she quivered in rage.

"Shut up!" Rin hissed in embarrassment, "I'd never say such things! And I certainly don't see you… in that way or anything, so don't get any ideas!"

Archer sighed, raising his hands apologetically, cutting of his teasing and deciding to take mercy on his riled-up Master, "Relax, Rin. I seem to have forgotten most of what you said. Perhaps you never even said those words at all, and I merely imagined them in my head?"

"Of course! And, besides, what would that say about you, thinking thoughts like that about me?" Rin spoke loudly, her face still flushed.

"I would say it would mean I have horrible taste in women to begin with." Archer replied.

He dodged the flying pillow, raising his hands in surrender once again. Rin let out a deep breath, straightening herself and gazing at him in the eyes.

"Alright. Enough of this. I feel much better now, so you can stop teasing me."

"I'm glad it worked then."

"What did?" Rin asked, puzzled.

"Nothing important," Archer sighed, "you'll find out soon enough."

"Fine. That's not all I wanted to ask you about anyway." Rin replied huffily.

"What is it?" Archer asked her disinterestedly, already turning away towards the window.

Rin took a deep a breath, preparing herself, and her next words made Archer freeze, "You promised me you'd explain after. Your past, how you know Caren, everything. I want to hear it, Archer. No more dodging my questions. Tell me everything."

Rin felt a small pang in her heart as she watched Archer turn away from her and begin to walk away silently. He sighed deeply as he moved to sit down and lean against the couch facing her, his face impassive. She was suddenly reminded that this was almost exactly the same way they met, in this room with him sitting the same way. But obvious changes aside like the room no longer being destroyed, she saw none of the amused mirth he once had in his eyes when he first discovered she was his Master. Now there was only a lingering sadness, as his gaze seemed to reach through her and past to his memories long ago.

She blinked as his jaw stiffened, and a forced smile rose to his face as he lifted his head to gaze at her, "You really want to hear all about the 'adventures' of a fool who thought he could be a hero then?"

A small part of her anger blazed, to hear him mock himself so. She couldn't let this man, both her Servant and friend, deny everything he'd devoted his life to. She raised a hand to her heart and clenched it into a fist there, trembling as she gazed down at the floor, her dark hair falling over her face.

"He wasn't a fool…"

"Hmm?" Archer asked inquisitively, watching his Master tremble before him.

"He wasn't a fool!" Rin growled back, her head snapping back up to glare at him defiantly, "Emiya Shirou is an idiot, but he couldn't have been a fool to devote his life to helping other people. That alone, that dream, meant he never tried to be a hero! That means you must have been one, Archer!"

Archer's eyes widened, and then he smiled sadly, shaking his head, "Weren't you even listening, Rin? I'm not a Heroic Spirit. I'm a Counter-Guardian. We don't save people. We clean up after them."

"But before that," Rin insisted, leaning forward with an angry passion in her eyes, "you must have saved someone! You had to have been a hero to someone, somewhere!"

Archer closed his eyes and leaned back, his sad smile tugging at his lips as he mocked himself, "You say that, but I've never been able to save a single person I cared about. Not the ones who matter."

Rin froze, and Archer's eyes snapped open and he leaned forward, a dangerous gaze glaring past her into his past, "I wasn't able to save anyone in the fire. I couldn't save my father. I couldn't save my sister. Not my Servant, or my closest friend."

Archer stood, and his head turned to glare at her with a mixture of anger and anguish, causing her to take a step back, "I couldn't even save you. You say you want to know everything, Rin? Very well. Let me tell the story of a broken man, a tool wielded by the will of humanity to cull its very own people. Sit and listen, and I will tell you the legend of the Emiya Shirou."

Julian Ainsworth walked slowly through the dark, his footsteps crunching against the gravel beneath his feet. The small sound seemed to be swallowed by the oppressive silence, a drop of water lost in an ocean. He grimaced as he walked forward, venturing even deeper into the darkness ahead. The shadows seemed to roll forward like thick fog, seeking to smother him alive underneath their weight. He could barely penetrate past the wall of darkness before him to see the path ahead, despite the reinforcement he had applied to his eyes. And above all, the thick stench and crushing feeling of death, blood, and pain seemed to assail him from all sides. This was certainly Avenger's domain. It felt as though he was wading through the Servant's corrosive mud, the thick curses spilling into his very bones as they saturated the air before him. In the deep tunnel underground they clustered together, making him choke on the very air.

Not for the first time, he cursed Matou Zouken. The worm had promised him the ability to regain Avenger, to be able to command the very power that was now wielded against him, but he had yet to produce any results to such an end so far. But that would all change after he completed this task for the creature. It was why he was here now, venturing deep into the depths of the cavern holding the Greater Grail beneath Mt. Enzou. He would return the Blackened Lesser Grail to Zouken, and then he would have his revenge.

Sakura Matou. The name repeated over in his head as began to reach the end of the tunnel. He did not know her, beyond the target of his mission here. But it was undeniable that she must be incredibly valuable, if the Overseer had been willing to attack in broad daylight to steal her away. His lip curled at the thought. He likely would have gone through the entire Grail War trying to capture the Einzbern Master, unaware that there was a second Lesser Grail. Without knowing that the Lesser Grail was a person. A baffling thought. It made him wonder about the Einzbern girl as well. He would have fought his battle, while slime like Zouken would have sought to steal his success and utilize their own secret Lesser Grail. A disgusting and insulting notion. As soon as he received his reward from Zouken, he would be sure to kill both the worm and Matou girl, so that no other could attempt to steal his rightful prize.

All further thoughts ceased however, as he emerged from the darkness of the tunnel and was uncharacteristically struck silent. He stood on the brink of an enormous cavern easily three kilometers in diameter, reaching out beneath the earth. It was broken and jagged with its stone clustered like broken bone, and corrosive mud leaking from rock like blood. Magic seals covered the earth, strange symbols and rituals no doubt hiding the very secrets of the Holy Grail War. And in the center of the cavern, emitting a soft red, pulsating light, stood the Greater Grail. Its base was hidden deep in the chasm that seemed to burrow to the very center of the earth, surrounded by the jagged cliffs of black rock, but the rest of the structure towered over the cavern. Dark shapes and shadows seemed to writhe and twist about within its walls, creating an entrancing image of a tempest captured behind the boundary, malicious and powerful intent leaking from beyond the glass. A sickly aura emanated from it, mixing with the stench of the mud, to give off the sickening feeling Julian felt twisting about in his stomach. But his heart beat with excitement at the sight of his ultimate prize before him. The Greater Grail. With its power, he would re-forge the world.

"What a magnificent stage…" he breathed aloud, awestruck.

Truly, it was incredible. This was his Grail. What he had sacrificed so much for. What his ancestors had dreamed of for centuries. Soon he would return, triumphant, and truly claim it for himself. But he reminded himself, as he began to stride forward purposefully across the massive chasm, for now he had a job to. What remained of Leonardo Harway, now connected with Zouken through his familiars, had told him of Avenger's involvement in the debacle near the river. But that farce would surely not occupy his attention for long. Julian had to find the girl and escape before he and the priest returned. There had been minimal defenses protecting this place, only a few simple Bounded Fields for a mage of such great power as himself, so getting in, with the knowledge of the Makiri behind him, had been fairly simple. But if Avenger returned, getting out would be infinitely more difficult. As such, haste was of the essence.

"Berserker," he commanded, and his thunder god appeared before him, crackling with power.

The giant bent down obediently, extending a hand towards his Master in a bow. Julian regally stepped forward into his palm, and the titan brought him up to his shoulder. Julian stood there, resting his single hand against the Servant's neck for balance, as Berserker stood and faced the Greater Grail in the center of the cavern. It was quite far away to travel by foot, and Julian had no time to waste. Berserker, however, could cross the distance in seconds. The giant growled softly, materializing his hammer and holding it out before him. It crackled with lightning and then shot into the air, dragging both Julian and Berserker along with it. Some might have thought the act of flying impossible for someone robbed of reason like his Servant, but to Thor, the act was as instinctual as walking or killing. They flew across the cavern in seconds, landing with a crash that strangely didn't echo in the silence of the cave in front of the chained form of the girl laid bare before the Greater Grail.

Julian looked down coldly at the still form of Sakura Matou, chained to the earth and illuminated by the bleeding light of the Grail. She was dressed in little more than rags, and the steel links wrapped around her arms connected to the spikes driven deep into the rock left angry burns across her raw skin. Her eyes were dull and listless, staring off into the distance at unseen horrors known only to herself, and her purple hair was thick and unkempt. But even so, he could tell she was a beautiful woman. Perhaps he would take her for himself, before it this was all over.

He jumped down from Berserker's shoulder, the titan standing stoically behind him, and studied the problem before him. He raised his single hand to his chin as his eyes surveyed the situation, taking note of the detailed magic circle inscribed beneath her feet. It appeared the chains connected to two focal points, with a third directly beneath the girl's form. He sighed audibly as he raised his hand. Of course, it wouldn't be so easy that he would simply be able to pull the girl from her bonds. It appeared he would have to partially disassemble the magic circle first.

To begin with, he set about deconstructing the Bounded Field surrounding the girl. He didn't know its function, but he wasn't going to take any chances striding into it head-on. Far better to disassemble all of Avenger's traps he could, even if he was short on time. It was difficult, but there was reason that only he could be sure to rule the world. He possessed the necessary skills, as befitting a protagonist of a legend such as his, and he soon dismantled the magecraft and moved on to examine the magic circle beneath Sakura's feet. Throughout the entire procedure the girl stared unseeingly at the ground before her, seemingly unaware of his presence. She really would have to show some life later on, or else he wouldn't be able to get any pleasure out of her. Berserker stood guard silently behind him as he walked forward, leaning down to examine the chains driven into the earth beside her.

He frowned as he examined the focal points of the circle, turning to study her soon after. He could likely just remove the girl's arms, and be able to escape with her without any repercussions. Zouken wouldn't complain about the girl's state so long as she could still function as a Lesser Grail after all. But Julian had no wish to mar her beauty so, if he did decide to keep her for himself after all. He sighed in exasperation as he stood once again, holding out his hand. Amidst the crushing silence of the cavern, he began by first working on the focal point containing the chains enveloping her right arm, seeking to dissemble it. He was aware of every second passing by, and the potential danger each tick of the clock possessed as it possibly brought Avenger closer and closer, but he forced himself not to rush. If he accidentally set off whatever nasty trap Avenger had left behind to protect the girl in his haste, all of his efforts would be worthless. It would be unbecoming for the future leader of the new world to fail as such, so he took his time. The hero would save the maiden as he always did, he reassured himself.

But by the time he dismantled the first focal point and moved on to the second, he could feel his heart beating faster. Sweat trickled down his brow, and he unwittingly felt himself abandoning his caution as he began to move faster and faster through the mechanism. The foul air was getting to him, the silence mocking him, the sickening feeling churning in his stomach making him feel like the unaware prey moments before the jaws closed about him. The stump of his arm ached with pain, a constant reminder that he had no desire to encounter Avenger again until he was prepared. If it weren't for the reassuring presence of Berserker standing guard impassively behind him, he might have lost his cool entirely. He grimaced as he worked. How unsightly, for a man in such a legend as his, to panic so. Everything was in control. There was no need to worry, despite whatever ominous feelings he might experience. But still, he worked far faster than he would have liked.

By the time he completed the second focal point, he was nearly in a panic, although he kept his cool appearance on the outside. He'd spent too much time in the cavern. The aura of death was getting to him, driving him mad. The Grail whispered to him, and the mud seemed to creep towards him, although he knew it was all his imagination. He sucked in a hiss of breath as he examined the third and final focal point beneath the girl, anxiously examining it. He began to dismantle it, when he suddenly froze.

Crack.

The soft sound echoed throughout the cavern, which until now, had been as silent as the dead. It was a small sound, likely no more than a pebble striking a rock, but it was enough to emit terror in Julian's heart. His heart raced and his eyes grew wide, and then he suddenly snapped. He'd had enough of this. He was taking the girl, and leaving. Right away. He backed away shakily, pointing a finger towards Sakura.

"Berserker," he commanded, "Free her."

The giant growled, and deftly swung his hammer, smashing the chains. The steel links crumbled beneath the weapon's weight, the ground shaking as Berserker crushed the first focal point. The girl stirred, slowly raising her head. Berserker swiftly lifted Mjolnir once again, and smashed the second focal point out of existence. The chains broke, freeing Sakura, and a small light seemed to glimmer suddenly in her eyes. She looked around in a daze as Julian hurried forward towards her, squinting at him through the darkness. It had been fine for Berserker to break the chains, as the first two focal points had been dismantled. But the third remained, positioned underneath the girl. However, Julian was no longer willing to wait.

"Rider…?" she croaked hazily, in obvious confusion.

"No," Julian hissed as his fingers curled around her raw wrist, cruelly yanking her to her feet, "Come with me."

Sakura gave out a small gasp as she stumbled forward, crashing into Julian's chest. He hissed in frustration as he grabbed her by the shoulders and began to drag her towards his Servant, his eyes darting around the darkened cave.

"Rider…" Sakura mumbled in a daze, her bloodied feet dragging across the shattered earth, "I can feel you…You're here aren't you? Rider?"

"I told you," Julian growled as he pulled her along, "I'm not your Servant. She's gone already."

"Is she?"

Julian froze as the smooth, silky voice echoed throughout the cavern, deafening him. He turned with wide eyes, Berserker growling before him, to where he'd taken Sakura from. Where the girl had once been, emerging from the third focal point, was a bubbling pool of mud. And rising from it was the twisted form of Rider of Red. The smile of a vixen decorated her face as she delicately stepped forward from the pool of curses, clothed in black and deep red fabric. Her chains rested easily at her side, mangled and jagged, and her blindfold was now adorned with a single, malicious red eye. Her very form seemed to flicker between the shape of a devious enchantress and a terrible monster, her true form as a devil that man had named the Gorgon. She was simultaneously breathtaking beautiful and terrifying, and Julian felt his blood go cold.

"I would never leave Sakura," the smooth voice purred, dripping with malice and seduction, "Are you trying to take her from me, boy?"

The voice echoed throughout the cavern, deafening him. After the silence, after so much quiet terror, enduring with the fear of the unknown in the dark, it threatened to break him.

"I…" Julian gasped weakly, grasping at the dazed girl in his arms.

"I see," Rider said softly, delicately unlimbering her chains at her side, "You are. Sakura belongs here with me. No one else can ever have her."

Julian's eyes grew wide as her killing intent enveloped the massive cave, striking deep into his very soul. Berserker roared in defiance from beside him, rushing forward, but even his cries seemed still in the enormity of the cavern, silent before the captivating power of her voice. Holding Sakura as Berserker charged forward, he felt his heart go cold as the Norse God of Thunder faced the Gorgon beneath the earth.

A/N: So I'm alive. Sorry this took so long to get out, and thank you all for your patience. Real life just decided to get in the way, but I'm happy I just finally managed to find time to write again. Anyway, Rider Alter shows up for the first time since she disappeared in the school attack, and Sakura finally gets to become relevant again. I'm not sure if the Berserker/Rider Alter fight will be next chapter or not, as I may want to do another calmer chapter for POV characters who didn't get much spotlight here like Shirou, Kirei, Illya, or Gil. Maybe Zouken or Luvia, I don't know. The point is, you'll probably have to wait until Ch 23 for the continuation of the plot threads introduced here (probably the fight, Rin/Archer talk, Lancer's summoning, and whole deal with Caren), not Ch 22.

Anyway, UBW ended in the time I was gone, but I'm hoping to be able to continue rolling out chapters even after I lose that weekly dose of awesomeness. Your reviews help me with that, so let me know what you guys think of the chapter, it'll really help motivate me. Sorry again for the unexplained delay period, and I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story.