Waver was feeling rather nervous, especially after what happened last night. He was woken out of a sound sleep by a wave of energy that felt...weird.

Lacking any real means to find out discreetly, he decided to head to the library and try to find any books on the land itself. Perhaps this had happened before.

He almost crashed into a tired looking Sam.

"Whoa. Easy Waver...you're small enough that you might get crushed by all those books."

Indeed, Waver had a large stack of them on the table.

"Hey... Sam wasn't it? Who's your friend?"

"His name is Midori. I ran into him by accident while getting some food for later. Don't let the way he looks fool you, he really is a guy," lied Sam easily.

Midori, the Japanese word for "green". Sam had been stumped as to what to call Enkidu that wouldn't draw attention, so he hit a dictionary and decided to keep it simple. Hence why his Servant was named after his hair color.

"Nice to meet you Midori. I'm Waver. The big idiot over there is Alex," said Waver depressed.

"So what are you researching now?"

"There was something weird last night that I'm trying to figure out."

"And you're checking books that most likely won't have the answers because the people who printed them were kept out of the loop?" Sam half-asked.

Waver blinked, then realized Sam had a valid point. But where else was he supposed to look?

Sam spotted something he was vaguely familiar with.

"Tell me, do you know how to use the old news reel machines?" he asked.

"The what?"

"Come on. If you're investigating strange occurrences in local news, then books about the area aren't going to work. I generally only hit the library when it comes to mythology or other widely researched things that you can't really ask about, like old word of mouth stories about ghosts and the like. If you want local news that wasn't really mentioned to outsiders, you should hit the news reels. Most libraries usually keep them on hand, since they're a matter of public record."

Waver looked at the machine with trepidation, but there was a spark of intrigue in his eyes.

Alexander was reading quietly nearby, but he watched Sam and Waver interact with approval.

Sam coached Waver in how to use the machine, and once he got the hang of it he started looking into mysterious events from the past sixty years. It went back a hundred, but if he wanted to get that far back he'd have to hire a private investigator who knew what they were doing.

Of course that wasn't nearly as entertaining as trying to teach him how to use the internet.

Because of how outdated the news reel machine was, Waver had been able to figure it out fairly quickly. Most Magi hated the new technology, but that machine had been fairly old and didn't have many options.

A laptop was another story entirely.

"Gah! What did I hit this time?!" said Waver, looking at the page in shock.

"I forgot my brother had an annoying habit of leaving his bookmarks on my laptop," said Sam in nostalgic annoyance. Waver had accidentally logged on to the "Busty Asian Beauties" website.

With expert ease, he clicked out before someone else saw that blasted site. Too bad Alexander had seen it.

"Fascinating. This machine can allow you to see such images?"

"Welcome to the wonders of the internet. You can chat with people hundreds or thousands of miles away, search for funny cat videos...and let's not forget the main use, look up porn," said Sam dryly.

Alexander looked beyond pleased with Sam's laptop, and it wasn't hard to guess his thought processes.

"And then there's my preferred use of the internet. Research," said Sam. He quickly typed in "Alexander the Great" into Google and it brought up several sites.

He definitely had Iskander hooked now.

Sam typed in "Norse Runes and their meaning" for Waver's benefit, and it brought up a site that had various runes and their potential meaning since it was a dead language. Now he had Waver hooked.

"Where can I get one of these again?" asked Waver interested. This device seemed much more useful than a calculator, and most Magi wouldn't tolerate even that around their workshops. They were more apt to use an abacus or something equally outdated.

It was a miracle they even had indoor plumbing.

"I can take you to an electronics store to pick the best one," said Sam.

"I'm going to head off to see if my old friend is around," said Enkidu.

In reality he was going to astralize discreetly, so he could follow Sam around without being seen by Iskander.


An hour later...

Shopping with Iskander and Waver was as amusing as he had hoped. Iskander had such a big personality and Waver was such a wimp that together it was hilarious to watch them.

Still, he had helped Waver find the best laptop for his budget and a tablet big enough for Rider to use. It wasn't hard to get him hooked on war simulation games, which left him occupied for hours on end.

It was easier helping Waver set up his new toy, and showing him how to use it. For a teenager he was shockingly out of touch when it came to using technology. But he was a quick learner.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you helping me so much?" clarified Waver.

Sam ducked his head. To be honest he didn't really have a reason... well he did, but it was somewhat silly.

"You remind me of myself when I was younger. I was scrawny and short before I hit a major growth spurt, and then I was taller than my older brother," admitted Sam. "I was a bit of a bookworm as well, and once got into Stanford on a full ride. I wanted to be a lawyer."

Waver's eyes looked at Sam, who easily hit past the six foot mark, and tried to imagine him short and scrawny. He didn't doubt Sam's intelligence, as he had recognized the quiet genius that lay behind his kind eyes.

"Really?"

"I hit a late growth spurt, and before I was nineteen I sprouted like a weed until I towered over my older brother. Dean wasn't too happy when he realized his baby brother was going to be taller than he was," chuckled Sam. He had pouted for weeks, before going on a binge drinking spree that ended with a monumental hangover that Sam had taken far too much amusement in lording over him.

"You sound like you really love your brother," said Waver.

"I do. He was a monumental pain in the ass, and a total jerk, but he was always there for me. He practically gave up his own childhood keeping me safe from harm from the things our dad hunted."

"He sounds like a formidable ally," said Iskander.

"He was. If there was one person I could always count on to have my back, even when we were in the middle of a massive prank war, it was Dean," said Sam.

"What happened to him?"

"Hellhounds and a white-eyed demon killed him," said Sam, his eyes no longer filled with kindness, but a sort of directionless rage. If he saw Lilith he would kill her, no questions asked.

Waver didn't get it, but Iskander nodded.

"Such is the fate of those who make deals on crossroads," said Iskander.

"What I don't understand is why they only gave him a year before the deal came due. All the other ones we've heard of were had a ten year deadline," said Sam.

"Who knows what demons have in mind for mortals? I was fortunate enough to get as far as I did without infernal help," said Iskander sagely.

Seeing the look in Waver's eyes, Sam held up a hand.

"If you're really interested in the supernatural, and not whatever magical creatures exist, I can tell you as much as I know. But if you want to try hunting for yourself, I suggest you call a friend of mine first. He's used to greenhorns calling for help, and he has a lot of esoteric books in his small library," said Sam. He then remembered who helped him summon Enkidu. "Or I could ask the guy who told me about the ritual in Fuyuki for advice, he seemed pretty knowledgeable about 'magic'."

"Who told you about Fuyuki's ritual?" asked Waver.

"Someone with the username Kaleidoscope_Wizard. Why are you turning pale?"

"Did you just say Kaleidoscope?" said Waver paling. There was only one person who would have the knowledge about the Grail Wars and the ability to show a complete novice in the ways of magecraft how to summon a Servant...not that he had seen any around Sam yet.

The Wizard Marshal, master of the Second True Magic Kaleidoscope.

Zelretch, the biggest troll in Clock Tower.

"Why, do you know him?" asked Sam.

"I know of him. He's a monumental troll that takes apprentices then plays humiliating pranks on them until they quit in disgrace! Several departments throw parties when he leaves! Being picked by him personally is tantamount to having your sanity driven to the brink!" said Waver hyperventilating.

Sam didn't think anyone could possibly be that bad. Then again he had never met Zelretch personally.


Sam was out trying to find Caster's Master (he had a vague description from Enkidu to work off of) when he stumbled across a figure hunched over in a dirty alley.

He looked worse than Sam had ever felt after a particularly nasty hunt. Yet for some reason he didn't think any hospital could help this poor soul.

Unlike the people on the street, who made a point to ignore his suffering, Sam discreetly checked for a pulse.

The man had a weak, but fast heart beat that went at an irregular tempo. He was feverish and pale, and it looked like he had either been through unimaginable torture, or he was still dealing with it.

In short he looked a lot like what some poor bastard who had been a demon's plaything in hell would look like.

"Sam. I think this man is a Master," said Enkidu in warning. Likely Berserker's Master, since he had been unable to find him.

"Well I'm not leaving him here, even if that is the case," said Sam stubbornly.

Using his strength, he was able to pick the man up in a sort of piggyback carry. He could tell just by looking at him that his left side was almost completely paralyzed from something.

The man was so weak he was unable to properly wake up, despite the rather ungracious way Sam was carrying him through the back streets. With Enkidu's help he got the unconscious figure to an abandoned warehouse close to where his hotel was. It was also where he kept his things, since a lifetime of hunting had taught him you could never be too paranoid.

It wasn't until near morning that he woke up, though whatever was wrong with him was something internal.

"Where... am I?" he asked blearily.

"A warehouse on the other side of the bridge," said Sam calmly in English. His Japanese was passable, but from what he could tell most of the Masters could speak English as well.

The man tried to sit up, but nearly vomited for his efforts. Sam slowly handed him a cup of water, making sure he could see what he was doing.

"Thanks. Who are you?"

"Call me Sam. I found you unconscious in an alley last night while looking for someone, and with all the recent murders I couldn't exactly leave you there."

"...My name is Kariya."

Once Kariya was able to breath normally, after several spasms of pain, he decided to try small talk.

"So what are you hunting?"

"Caster's Master. There's no way I can deal with the monster that's killing children directly, but once I find his Master they're dead men," said Sam rather bluntly.

Kariya choked on his water.

"You know about..."

"Let's just say I'm an unofficial Master," said Sam. Enkidu made a point to appear, but it was clear that neither were really interested in targeting Kariya at the moment.

"Heh. I shouldn't be a Master either, but I did it to save someone precious. If I get the Grail, she will be spared from her fate," said Kariya, relaxing. He could sense Berserker at the edge of his mind, so he didn't really fear this odd duo.

Sam's sad smile made Kariya pause. There was a strange feeling of empathy coming from him.

"I joined to save someone as well, but it wasn't until after the fact that someone was kind enough to tell me that this particular relic wouldn't have the power needed to make it a reality."

Enkidu might never have been human, but he had been kind enough to explain in detail why the Grail simply couldn't bring Dean back or free him from hell.

However when Sam heard the full description of the Grail, and what the magic could do, the first thing he realized was that there wasn't any real way to save Dean with this power.

Which was why he went a different route once he was told the truth.

If he couldn't save Dean with this power, maybe he could find a way to save himself. He had been so caught up with trying to bring Dean back, or at least free him from hell that he was starting to lose sight of his own life.

Hence why he was treating the entire Grail War as a much needed vacation to re-prioritize his life and try to figure out where he should go from here.

He still wanted to kill Lilith, that hadn't changed, but now he had to figure out if he wanted to continue acting as a hunter or try to settle down and hope for the best.

One thing was for certain though. He wasn't going to trust Ruby again. She had kept the fact Lilith had his brother's contract from him the entire time, and he vaguely recalled seeing her nearby whenever he ran into a warehouse full of demons that he narrowly escaped from.

"So who are you trying to save," asked Sam.

Kariya really looked at Sam, and sensed a kindred spirit in him. This was someone who could relate to Kariya's predicament.

"A little girl. She's the daughter of a childhood friend that was handed over to my family because I refused to learn our family's mysteries, and now she's suffering for it. If I can get the Grail then my father has agreed to release her from the horrors of our family's magecraft," said Kariya.

"What happened?"

Kariya's laugh was bitter and full of pain.

"My father happened. I don't know if there is anything human left in him anymore. Not after he perfected those damn worms of his," he said bitterly.

Sam froze.

"Your father isn't human?"

"If he is, I would be very surprised," said Kariya dryly.

"Then I have no reason not to help you rescue this little girl. It's basically what my family does."

Kariya looked at him oddly.

"Saving people, hunting things...it's what my brother and I did for a living for years."

"You're a Hunter?"

Sam blinked.

"You're the first person I've met who actually understood that without comparing me to an Enforcer," he said surprised.

Kariya chuckled.

"Most Magus-born have never met a Hunter, unless they were an Enforcer themselves. I've met one or two, and even helped with the research. If you really are a hunter, you might be able to help me after all."