Chapter 15: The Invitation

It was lightly raining. More of a sprinkle, than anything. There was a massive amount of water-filled corpses pushing their way through the forest. Remia sat on top of Old Einzbern Castle and looked down at the hundreds of them pouring from between the trees and attempting to break in to the castle.

He had many thoughts. The first of which was that he was saddened that so many had died in order to make this horde. The second of which was his satisfaction of knowing that he and his allies would be safe for the time being. This massive horde of enemies was slow and comparatively weak, so there was no way they would be breaking in to the Castle any time soon.

The third thought was his frustration in not knowing exactly where to go from here. Aside from ferrying people out, one by one, with Archer's Noble Phantasm, there was no way to get people out of the castle without having to deal with the horde. He would prefer not to have to kill any of the corpses… a redundant action in the first place, he realized. But regardless, if there was a chance in saving them, Remia wanted to find it before having to destroy them. And of course, Lancer and Tohsaka didn't want to leave the castle at all on account of losing a well-protected and very useful base of operations. There didn't seem to be a good answer.

The fourth and final thought was the undeniable fact that there was more to this whole situation than could be seen. He had seen fast-moving things within the forest at first, and these "zombies" were anything but fast. That meant that there were other players out there today. This horde was a distraction, or a delaying tactic.

If Lancer had predicted correctly, they were counting on their indecision to prevent them from going anywhere. The only question left was why. They had three servants all together… What weapon did they have that allowed them to fight against them all at once, one that required them to wait?

Remia looked up at the sun as it hung in the air. It was shortly before Noon, and the horde outside had still done nothing. He unholstered his pistol and pointed it out towards the horizon. Might as well get some practice in.

"Hey," Chiaki greeted, stepping out onto the roof.

Remia looked over his shoulder, slightly surprised. "Hey. They come to an agreement yet?"

"Not yet," Chiaki replied, sitting down next to Remia and wrapping her arms around her legs. "There wasn't a whole lot I could contribute. The shouting was also giving me a headache."

"You don't need to explain yourself. I don't mind you comin' out here," Remia replied, putting his gun away. "Though… you sure you can leave Berserker alone?"

"I think he can control himself enough around Lancer now… if not, I'll just call him back with a Command Seal."

"Well… I was talkin' 'bout makin' sure he don't go out and impregnate somebody."

Chiaki raised her eyebrows. "Ew. He's not that loose, is he?"

"All I know is that he was willin' to get real close to an elderly lady not that long ago. Any man with that kind of sexual constitution should be watched carefully."

"Can Heroic Spirits even get people pregnant? Like, if they… 'do it' with normal humans?"

"Hell if I know. Luckily, I doubt anyone's been dumb enough to try and find out."

"...Berserker."

Remia smiled and nodded. "Touche."

Chiaki smiled too, and looked out at the horizon for a while. Eventually, she spoke up a second time. "What were you doing when I came out? Checking the sights?"

Remia gave a half-shrug. "Kinda. I was practicing my magecraft."

"You have to practice with a gun?"

Remia chuckled. "Is it that mind blowin'? Plenty of spellcasters use guns."

Chiaki didn't respond right away. "I didn't know you were a spellcaster. Guess I should've figured. With the gun, and all."

"I told you as much before, didn't I?"
"I think you did… but I guess I never really pictured someone like you being a spellcaster."

"Someone like me? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I just… figured spellcasters were all seedy underworld types that only used magecraft to get money or commit crimes or whatever."

Remia tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Well, you ain't wrong. In my experience that describes pretty much every Magus in general, though. But yeah, I've only ever used magecraft as a means to an end."

"What's your end?"

Remia leaned back, resting on his hands. "Well, nothin', now. I completed my goal already. Nothin' left for me to do 'cept see the war to its end and hope I can grant my Servant's wish."

Chiaki looked at him quizzically. Remia noticed.

"What about you? What's your end goal?" he said, changing the topic.

Chiaki looked away, towards the horizon. "...Revenge."

"No kiddin'? Me, too."

Immediately, Chiaki looked at him again, another puzzled look on her face. "What?"

"Yeah, this whole war we're in now? My idea. The fact it's happenin' is the result of my revenge."

"You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack," Remia smiled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "You know… not many people know this, but I'm native."

"Native?"

"Native American, that is. One-eighth Lakota. I know I don't look it, but it's true. When I learned - I was about twelve or thirteen at the time - I set off to learn all I could. I found my grandmother, and she told me all about how she, and therefore I, was the descendant of this great hero from centuries ago…"

Remia took a moment for Chiaki to put it together. He smiled when she gasped.

"No way… Archer?"

"Damn straight. You wouldn't believe how excited I was. I ran off to join the tribe, only to find out they wouldn't let me be a part of the tribe on account of me not even lookin' remotely Native. They wouldn't let me in as an honorary member much less as a revered descendant of Crazy Horse."

"Crazy Horse?"

Ah damn.

"Which was good, because I didn't even want to be a part of his bloodline in the first place because he had nothin' to do with me and was definitely not my ancestor," Remia tried to recover, turning towards Chiaki.

She was just half-smiling, a little bit wide-eyed.

"Goddammit," Remia grumbled shaking his head, turning back towards the horizon. "You forget I said anything, alright?"

"Well that's going to be difficult since you totally did say something."

"But, all the somethings I said were definitely not secrets of anyone's identity."

"I think they were."

"You ain't lettin' this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Remia sighed and shook his head. "Don't tell 'im I told you, at least."

Chiaki shrugged and smiled to herself. After a moment, she spoke again. "What happened? With the tribe?"

"I told 'em I deserved to be a part of the tribe as a descendant of… a non-descript Native hero, but they didn't listen. They said they wanted to 'keep their bloodlines pure' or some nonsense. Well, I had no choice in the matter. I had burned bridges in order to recognize my blood, so I had nowhere to go back to. I just wandered around for a while, thinkin' I would find a new home… and then twenty years passed me by," Remia spoke.

He looked back out to the horizon, letting his memories flood through him for a while. "Learned magecraft just to help pay the bills. Got thrown out of the Mage's Association 'cause they didn't approve of my Magecraft. Went from place to place, just lookin' for a place to belong. So many people came in and left my life. One day, I just gave up, decided to live alone."

The clouds started to drift apart from one another. The sun peeked through, but the rain didn't stop.

"That's… really sad," Chiaki replied.

Remia shrugged. "Didn't mean to depress you or nothin'. Everyones got their hardships, mine ain't so special. It came to a head when one day I woke up and just… hated the idea that my life could've been so much different if they let me in that tribe. So like a spiteful bastard, I made a plan."

Remia stood up, taking off his hat and looking at it. "I learned about the Holy Grail Wars. I went to the Mage's Association and pitched my idea - the idea to have one last war to help revitalize Magecraft… but that was a lie. I was the first Master to receive Command Seals, and the moment I did, I went back to those bastards - the same ones who had rejected me from the tribe. Most didn't even remember me… but I got 'em all together and I put 'em in a room. And in plain view of 'em all, I summoned my own ancestor by using my own blood as a catalyst. Just to prove to the entire goddamn room that I was always meant to be there."

The wind came by, washing Remia's face with a cold embrace. He closed his eyes and let it come by.

"You started an entire Grail War so you could metaphorically slap some old dudes who wouldn't let you in their group two decades ago?" Chiaki summed up.

Remia pursed his lips and opened his eyes, putting his hat back on. "Yeah, well, when you put it like that, it sounds stupid."

"It's awfully petty revenge."

"Ain't all revenge petty? And besides, it ain't about not bein' included," Remia explained, turning and looking at Chiaki. "They denied me a chance to have a real family."

Chiaki seemed to think about his words. After a moment, she looked down, away from Remia's gaze. "Remia… what exactly are you going to do after this war is over?"

Remia tilted his head, folding his arms in response. This was the same question he had asked himself many times. "Nothin'. Like I said, I've already achieved my goal. I don't got a place to go… so I might as well just keep seein' the world until somewhere feels like home."

"Well, that's nice, but… I'm not sure home is a place," Chiaki replied, looking up at him. "I know it sounds corny, but home is wherever the people you love are. But you said… you don't have anyone? Not even a sibling? A friend? Anyone?"

Remia blinked. He took off his hat and scratched his hair before placing his hat back on his head. "No. And I don't see the need for one. I've lived just fine on my own for more than half my life. I don't need a companion."

Remia moved past Chiaki, heading for the inside. He had grown uncomfortable with this conversation.

"Do you want one?" Chiaki asked. Remia stopped dead in his tracks. This girl… did she know what Berserker had asked him?

"You volunteerin'?" Remia challenged, stepping to turn and look Chiaki over his shoulder. She turned her head as well, looking at him the same way.

"No… but if you wanted to hang around me and Berserker… I mean, just for a little while," Chiaki offered.

Ah, Remia thought, she has no idea. He felt the anger in him cool down.

"You realize…" Remia began. He stopped himself. It wasn't his place to say. There was no reason to out Berserker like that. It was… easier this way. "That don't sound too bad. I might give it a shot. We'll see."

A moment passed, and Chiaki turned her head back out to the horizon, but stood up. "I'm going back inside. Too wet out here."

Despite facing away from her, he could hear the smile in her voice. As she turned, sure enough, she was smiling. Remia smiled at her as she moved past him. "You coming?" she asked.

Remia shook his head. "Nah. I should still do some practicin'. The enemy could attack at any-"

The enemy attacked. There was a flurry of movement. Neither Remia nor Chiaki could perceive exactly what happened, but before they could even realize it, Archer was standing at the edge of the roof, his blade locked with Assassin's.

Remia reacted first. "Get down!" he shouted, running for Chiaki and tackling her back inside the building. Regrettably, he forgot that the roof access from the attic was by ladder, so they plummeted three meters before landing on the wood of the attic.

Remia shot up, feeling a little bit bad that Chiaki took the brunt of their impact. Regardless, he moved towards the ladder of the roof again, gun at the ready. However, Archer fell down from the roof access, preventing his ascent.

"Are you alright?" Archer asked, his weapons still drawn.

"I'm fine, what happened to Assassin?" Remia asked, looking up towards the hatch.

"He vanished as soon as you entered the building with Chiaki. He is avoiding a direct fight," Archer explained, continuing to look around.

"You can still sense him?" Remia asked for clarification.

"Yes. He can turn himself invisible, but he cannot hide his presence well."

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to catch him?"

"I do not think we can," Archer replied, "We can only stay by one another and be prepared."

Chiaki stood up, dusting herself off and coughing a bit. Remia turned toward her, clearing his throat. "Ah, sorry about that."

Chiaki gave him a look. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

"Gettin' away from Assassin? I dunno, maybe 'cause he was tryin' to kill us? How about a 'thank you'?"

"For tackling me and nearly breaking my back?" Chiaki protested.

"I was thinkin' more like for savin' your life."

"Perhaps we should focus on the enemy at hand?" Archer interjected.

Remia glowered for a moment, but knew he was right. "Alright, so we're trapped in a castle with few options of escape and an Assassin runnin' around inside of it, waitin' for one of us to be alone. That about right?"

"About," Archer replied.

"Does this mean Assassin and Rider are working together?" Chiaki asked.

"Unfortunately, it most likely does," Archer answered.

Remia moved towards the stairs leading further into the castle. "Let's meet up with the others," he said, descending the stairs. He heard Chiaki following close behind, and Archer a little further back, though Remia heard Archer stop half-way down the stairs.

Once he was at the bottom, Remia looked back up at Archer, past Chiaki. Archer was staring off to the side, seemingly at the wall. "A new Servant has entered the area."

"A new Servant?" Remia asked. "It ain't Lancer or Berserker?"

"No. I can tell. It is different."

Suddenly, Chiaki bolted forward, pushing Remia to the side. An instant later, he felt the back of his head get sliced open. It wasn't deep, luckily, but he could still feel blood begin to seep out of the wound. He turned his head in time to see Assassin, arm outstretched with a semi-bloodied knife.

A flash of movement, and Remia was caught by Archer before he hit the ground. Chiaki had pushed Remia out of the way of Assassin's strike. Unfortunately, Assassin had taken advantage of Archer's temporary distraction of catching Remia.

Assassin now stood several feet away, one arm wrapped tightly around Chiaki's neck. The other pushing the knife up against her cheek.


"So… he wasn't lying. You really did survive my last attack…" Assassin grumbled.

Chiaki had seen Assassin begin to uncloak himself. She also knew that he was far faster than any human could possibly be. She also knew that he was likely going to attack Remia. She also knew that if she pushed him out of the way, she'd probably be killed or seriously hurt.

All these things she knew. Of course, she didn't think about any of that when Assassin began to uncloak. She just jumped, pushing Remia out of the way. The next thing she knew, she was in his grasp, being threatened by his knife.

Remia whipped out his gun and pointed it at Assassin. Archer did the same, leveling his rifle on Remia's shoulder.

"Don't do nothin' stupid now…" Remia warned.

Assassin aimed his faceless stare at Remia. His voice was gravelly and made her flinch when he spoke. The fact he was basically speaking right into her ear didn't help. "Heh. You're an idiot. You think that I couldn't have just killed her and turned invisible again in that ever-so-useful period you two dullards were distracted? The only reason she's still alive right now is because he wants her that way."

Remia arched an eyebrow. "He?" He inched closer. It wasn't even a full step. He was just sliding his front foot closer to Assassin.

"The Man Under the Mountain," Assassin replied.

A woman was suddenly standing next to Assassin. She wore a revealing white dress and a mask. Extended from her fingers were long claws that were pinched tightly around the knife.

The blade suddenly disintegrated. "Oops," the woman spoke.

Chiaki heard a rush of wind, and Assassin was suddenly no longer behind her. In an instant, she called her Lightning Cestus to her hands and spun, expecting him to be not far away, or preparing a counterattack.

Much to her surprise, however, the woman was now standing with her back to Chiaki, facing down Assassin, who was at the end of the hall. "Don't worry your cute little self over such an impotent enemy," she said. Chiaki was more than a little surprised. Having a better view, Chiaki could see that the woman also held a staff in her hand, and there were horns on her head.

Archer was suddenly standing between Chiaki and the woman now, pointing a bayonet at her. "Caster," he spoke.

"Oh, put your weapon away, you silly man. What makes you think I want to hurt you or her?" Caster chided, not turning around, yet seemingly completely aware of what Archer was doing.

"What makes you think I trust you simply because you did not take the first opportunity to attack?"

"Time and a place, guys," Chiaki spoke, moving slightly to the side so she could keep her eyes on Assassin. Chiaki's eyes widened when she realized that Assassin was bleeding. Heavily.

His arm looked completely shredded. It was as if he had stuck it in a grinder. Assassin growled something to himself and disappeared once more.

Caster reached out her hand. "No." She snapped her fingers, and green lightning erupted down the entire expanse of the hallway. It folded around Assassin's invisible silhouette, having found him easily. Assassin screamed in pain as it coiled around him, piercing into him.

Caster flipped her staff and pointed it at him, sending a giant green beam of energy soaring down the hallway. It exploded, sending a shockwave and a deafening roar their way. Chiaki felt the impact move through her, moving her hair back.

She blinked, and as the dust from the explosion cleared, Assassin was gone.

"What a slippery fellow…" Caster murmured. She turned, looking at the end of Archer's blade… or Chiaki assumed she was looking at it. The mask she wore prevented Chiaki from seeing exactly what she was looking at.

"If you're going to attack me, attack me. If you're just going to wave that thing in my face, then kindly move aside. I just saved your lives, I would expect at least a small thank you?"

No one responded. Chiaki didn't want to speak for the others, but she was planning on using her Lightning Cestus to shock Assassin the moment he dropped his guard. He only had one arm around her neck, which meant his hold wasn't great. If she could surprise him by punching him in the face with her Cestus, it'd stagger him enough that she could slip out by turning her head. Her hair might get caught, but she'd be away from the knife, which would give Remia and Archer the opportunity to follow up with an attack. However, Caster jumping in and simply throwing Assassin off her disallowed her to show off what she had learned last night, and she was more than a little ticked off. If someone was going to thank Caster, it definitely wasn't going to be her.

"Thank you, Caster. To what do we owe the pleasure of having you visit us today?" Remia spoke slowly, moving up beside Chiaki with his gun still drawn, though it was no longer aimed at Caster.

"My Master asked me to come and make some good relations with all of you. He's worried that you've all allied with one another, and he's being left out in the cold."

"So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" Remia replied.

Caster tilted her head. "In a manner of speaking."

Berserker and Lancer arrived, turning a corner down the other end of the hallway, near where Assassin had been.

"Caster!" Lancer shouted, readying his spear.

"Ugh… can we not go through all this again? I'm not here to hurt anyone!" Caster grumbled.

Lancer bolted down the hall, twirling his spear. He was suddenly caught, being pulled back by Berserker. Lancer shot him a hateful look, but Berserker ignored him, moving past him.

It took Chiaki a moment to realize what was about to happen. The look on Berserker's face said it all… she folded her arms and stifled a groan.

"Who are you and why have we never met?" Berserker greeted with a smile, walking casually up to Caster.

Caster looked at him and tilted her masked head at him. "My eyes are-"

"-behind a mask, regretfully. I'm sure they'd make the stars in the sky jealous, if only I could see them. Until that time, I'll console myself by looking upon a form that would put Aphrodite to shame."

Much to Chiaki's surprise, she seemed to relax a bit. "No need to use flowery language on me. I think we're on the same page, sweetie," Caster crooned, placing a hand on Berserker's chest. She turned her head and looked at Chiaki over her shoulder for a sec, seemingly detecting her ill will. She turned and faced her fully. She was a few centimeters taller than Chiaki, so she had to look up at her. She hated that, for whatever reason.

"This cutie's yours?" Caster asked Berserker, looking down at her. She bent at the waist, examining her.

"I'm not a pet," Chiaki stated gutterally.

Caster giggled. "So uptight!" She took a moment, tilting her head. Her clawed hand came up and lightly stroked Chiaki's cheek. "I'd enjoy helping you unwind."

Berserker was suddenly beside Chiaki, prying Caster's hand away from Chiaki's face. "I'm afraid that's a step too far," Berserker spoke, his face surprisingly stern.

Caster turned her head towards Berserker and shrugged. "Well… not where I was hoping you'd grab me. I guess we still have a ways to go."

And like that, Berserker's usual ways took over. A smile reappeared on his face. "Not quite my style."

"Pity. I was in the mood for a bit of roughhousing."

Chiaki had a sudden and almost uncontrollable urge to punch her in the face. She might've followed through on it had her mask not been hiding whatever annoying face she was probably making.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say we've had enough of that," Remia interjected. "Lancer, where's Tohsaka?"

"Safe. I shouldn't say exactly where, given our present company," Lancer replied, returning his spear to spirit form and folding his arms.

"I wouldn't leave Ms. Tohsaka alone. Assassin might still be around," Chiaki suggested, walking around Caster and Berserker.

"She isn't. And Assassin has left," Lancer exposited.

Chiaki looked over her shoulder at Berserker, who nodded. "Unless he got better at hiding his presence, he should be gone. Stick by me, just in case," Berserker said.

Chiaki nodded, eyeing Caster.

Not too close, I'd imagine, she spoke to him telepathically.

I'm not sure I know what you mean, Berserker replied, smirking.

"What do we do with her?" Archer spoke, his blade still drawn and pointed at Caster.

"Well, you could let me go, for one," Caster replied.

"You really think that we'd believe you 'coincidentally' happened to be dropping by our area, happened upon Assassin attacking us, happened to be in a good enough mood to save Berserker's Master, and we'd just be grateful to allow you in our alliance?" Lancer asked, moving forward slightly.

"Of course not. I was only supposed to be doing reconnaissance. However, I saw the opportunity to earn your trust, if only for the moment. You'd've attacked me on sight had I tried to approach you directly," Caster explained.

"So you earned the right to not be executed immediately, but that's about it," Lancer challenged.

"Lancer, that's enough. We should hear her out," Berserker interjected.

"No. I was putting up with your simple-minded interactions with her thus far, but this is ridiculous," Lancer growled at him.

Berserker stepped towards him. "If she's lying to us, we can defeat her later as easily as right now."

"You saw her fight, Berserker, that is not a good idea. Set aside your feelings," Archer added in.

Berserker turned, looking at him. "I'm not going to kill her."

"You don't need to," Lancer growled, moving past Berserker and towards Caster.

Berserker became a blur of movement, and Lancer was suddenly being tossed back through the hall.

"Berserker!" Chiaki called out.

Lancer flipped and landed easily. "You wretched-!" he roared. There was an explosion of light, Lancer summoned his armor to him.

Chiaki tried to shout at them to stop, but they were too fast. There was another flurry of movement, and before she could even utter a single syllable, Berserker and Lancer were at each other. Lancer's spear was pointed directly at Berserker's throat, and Berserker had a fist arched towards the side of Lancer's head. They seemed to be frozen. It soon became clear why.

Between them, with a hand on each, was Caster.

Chiaki could clearly see now that the two of them had a strange light green glow to them… though she couldn't quite place the source. Caster was holding them in place with some kind of magical ability.

"As excited as it makes me to see two young men getting so worked up over little old me, I think you ought to save your strength," Caster spoke. She squeezed out from between them and sauntered off to the side of the hall. Berserker and Lancer stayed frozen where they were.

"I have plans to lure Rider inland tonight. If any of you are interested, you can meet me and my Master at Liselotte Tower downtown. You might remember it as our old base. Anyway, if you want to come help kill Rider, or come help kill me for that matter, you're free to join us."

She reached out her hand, but waited a moment. "Hm. Perhaps I'll give you another demonstration. A show of good faith, shall we call it?" Caster spoke. She snapped her fingers, and Berserker and Lancer were freed from their paralysis.

After a moment of hesitation, both brought their respective weapons away from one another, both turning to face Caster.

Caster waved her hand, and the wall in front of her vanished in a green shimmer. The horde of undead greeted them from a few stories down. She lifted her staff and pointed it out, perpendicularly. A light, see-through green orb formed at the tip of her staff.

"Caster, wait for a moment," Berserker spoke, reaching out a hand.

One side of the orb expanded rapidly, growing like a balloon, and losing its spherical shape in the process. It moved like a demented bubble, stretching down onto the horde of undead who seemed compltely unaware of this strange phenomoena.

"What are you doin'? Don't try to-" Remia began.

However, it was too late. The field of energy snapped back to Caster's staff in an instant, and the horde of zombies fell, as if they were synchronized dancers at the end of a routine. The bubble, still at the end of Caster's staff, now had a bright light shining within it.

"There. That ought to take care of your little 'undead' problem," Caster explained, waving her off hand and causing the wall to return in another shimmer of green light.

The other Masters and their Servants only looked on in bewilderment.

"Caster… what did you do?" Archer eventually asked gravely. Chiaki had never heard him speak like that before.

"Hm? I just tore their souls out. It really only works on lesser bodies, but it's a useful trick for clearing away trash," Caster explained casually, looking at the orb of bright light at the tip of her staff.

She turned. "Farewell, then."

"Wait!" Berserker cried, reaching out a hand.

She faded away, disappearing from view.

"Where did she go?" Remia asked, looking to Archer and Lancer. "She can't have gotten very far. You guys can still see her even when she's in Spirit Form, can't you?"

Only Lancer spoke. "It must've been a teleportation spell of some kind. She's gone."

"All those souls…" Archer glowered.

Silence filled the hallway once more.

Chiaki didn't want to speak up. She knew that ripping those souls out of the people wasn't what any of them wanted… but Chiaki was far more scared by the fact that Caster was capable of doing something like that in the first place. Not to mention the amount of mana she might've been able to obtain through that ritual was absolutely staggering.

"She's powerful. Her Witchcraft was strong enough to bypass your Magic Resistance," Tohsaka noted, having entered the hallway from the same direction that Lancer had.

Lancer dipped his head, thinking.

"We are going," Archer stated, turning and passing by Remia.

"Well hold on now, Archer, we don't-"

"We. Are. Going," Archer reiterated as he continued down the hall, unfazed.

Chiaki looked at Berserker, waiting for him to say something. He didn't. He kept his eyes on where Caster had been.

"Yes, I think it's best if we go," Lancer spoke up. "Even if it's a trap, with the three of us together, we could defeat her and Rider."

Berserker still didn't say anything. He slowly turned, and looked at Chiaki. "Well, Master? What do you think?" he asked.

Chiaki blinked. She became aware that both Lancer and Archer were looking at her as well. She realized that they would likely only go to Caster's meeting place tonight if all three servants agreed to go. It was her decision.

She cleared her throat. She could feel the heat coming to her face. She wasn't used to this sort of thing. "Um… yeah, if you think we should."

"I know what I think. I want to know what you think," Berserker replied, much quicker than Chiaki anticipated.

Chiaki had no idea. She didn't know what they should do. She looked down at her feet and thought for a moment.

What were the benefits? They could remove Rider and Caster from the war. They could also eliminate Rider and gain a new ally in Caster. Of course, they'd have to kill Caster eventually… which made Chiaki recognize an important question to ask.

She looked back up at Berserker. "Will you be willing to kill Caster?"

Berserker arched an eyebrow at her. "Of course."

You say that easily right now… but I wonder what you'll do when the time comes… Chiaki thought to herself.

Chiaki cleared her throat and stood up straight. "Then… yes. Let's do it."


The Other Caster leaned over the table, examining the bones further.

He had obtained these from the morgue of the local hospital from a cadaver. He was in the process of strengthening them… though without any practice in Reinforcement Magecraft, he could only do so much.

Caster appeared behind him. "Invitation sent."

"Good. At least someone is capable of doing their job."

Mind yer words, 'Master'.

"Mind yours. Now that your original Command Seals were destroyed with that body, you've officially made a new contract with me, which means my Command Seals can now have an effect on you. You should be thankful for the fact that I'm taking the time to even build you a new body even though you failed to capture Saber," the Other Caster replied.

"He couldn't capture Saber? Saber?" Caster laughed.

I'll murder that harlot. Twasn't even Saber that beat me, 'twas that seadog, Travick.

Travick Dormir… he had heard the name in the intervening 25 years between this and the previous Holy Grail War he had been summoned in. Dormir was a powerful and feared Magus that seemingly disappeared somewhere around 15 years ago. To imagine that he'd show up here…

Was totally irrelevant. The Other Caster shook his head and refocused on the task at hand.

Another Servant approached. They were close, which meant they hid their presence for a while to get this close. Assassin.

Other Caster found a knife at his neck. "Master!" Caster shouted.

"Stand down," Other Caster ordered.

He couldn't see, but he imagined Caster didn't move, otherwise Assassin would've sliced his throat.

"I did what you asked," Assassin spoke. "Your whore got a little carried away, destroyed my knife. She also shocked me a bit more than necessary. We had a deal."

"One I'll satisfy once you take your knife away from my throat," Other Caster spoke.

"So you can kill me like you killed Rider's Master? I don't think so. My price just went up. Now tell me what I want to know, and do it with a knife at your neck," Assassin responded.

Other Caster scowled. The information Assassin wanted to know was inconsequential to Other Caster's plans… but the fact that Assassin could even ask the question made him suspicious. Especially about this 'Man Under the Mountain' Assassin had mentioned. Regardless, Other Caster could say little to dissuade him.

"Very well. What do you want to know?"

"You wanna act dumb? Fine. You were there during the Third Holy Grail War. So tell me..." Assassin spoke, leaning in closer to Other Caster's ear.

"...who is Angra Mainyu?"