Chapter XIV

When Viktor fell unconscious, it was clear to the defense that Oliver had used the remainder of Viktor's mana. Franklin had informed Caitlin of the worst case scenario: Oliver Storgaard had forced the Holy Grail to appear by the use of his Noble Phantasm. Although the Grail was not ready to grant a wish, Oliver stands by its side, prepared to cast the final stone in this Holy Grail war as well as for the society of all mages.

Lancer IV

Evening christened the designated area; what was once a canyon spry with foliage and a free flowing river had turned into a flattened, rocky, muddy, destroyed section of terrain that would forever be forgotten along the Chinese landscape. Wildlife had long abandoned this refuge and insects had adjusted their flight paths to avoid this place.

The insufficient defense of the magical world approached Oliver Storgaard from what little remained of a forest treeline to the south of the canyon. Oliver's Noble Phantasm had successfully forced the Holy Grail to begin its materialization, but it was not yet ready to grant his wish. If anything, it would continue to form throughout the evening. At best, for the defense, it would continue until morning. When Viktor fell unconscious, they knew that their time was already limited. The longer it took, the more time the Association might have had to send reinforcements.

Lancer assessed the forces she had to work with. Although Mai was mostly unhindered from the night, Lancer had been draining her mana to recover faster. Even so, Mai's mana reserves were large; Lancer could at least depend on her Master to hold her own, or possibly escape in a worst-case scenario. Viktor, unconscious, twitched and spasmed with every turn. Qing Shan could, at best, run. The wounds she sustained from the multiple Servants last night were not ones that would heal over half of a day. Berserker might have been in a slightly better shape, but only because he actively drained Qing's mana as it recovered. Archer was on his last leg of mana - there would be little to no true support from him. And last she had Caitlin Weiss, and regardless of how much mana she had, Lancer did not sense her to be stable this evening. The past several hours possibly caught up to her as the time on this war drew to a close.

"Just like we planned. Is everyone ready?" Archer started. The group followed with nods as all eyes went to Lancer. As the most undamaged and with the most mana flow from Mai, she was plagued with the first pass. Lancer was not afraid of Oliver Storgaard, but from the accounts of Caitlin and Archer, he could inflict significant damage if underestimated. They needed speed to dodge Oliver's movement spells, and possibly to escape his heat magic. The group spared no time as they spread themselves out around the designated area to, at the very least, limit Oliver Storgaard's escape options. Mai remained with the unconscious Viktor and Kristof Conrad as the group hoped for Viktor to awaken before the battle went too far. His limited connection to Caster was one of their options for stalling Oliver - if it was an option at all.

"Second Harvest," Lancer cast. Her body shone a light blue around her sides, her muscles flexed, and blood pumped through her limbs. In a dash of speed that rivaled Rider's, Lancer met Oliver's back with the hilt of her spear as the image of Oliver faded away. This was assumed - Archer was aware of Caster's after-image technique when Alan Bach fell for the trick the night of his death. Lancer used her boost of speed and leapt high into the air with the general knowledge that Oliver was hidden within the canyon. She held her spear upward, closer to the heavens, and called, "Amenonuhoko!" The jewels along the back of the naginata shone with a piercingly bright gleam from their myriad of colors as they broke through the orange evening clouds. Lancer took her spear and directed it toward the canyon's muddy ground and readied her arm. The spear shot waves of energy toward the ground and pushed mass left and right as it reshaped the area of the gorge. The pulses let Lancer fall slowly as the area morphed and warped around its existing features. The shattered mountain bases turned to sprouted trees, the swampy ground drained out into hillsides, and a new river surfaced and connected to the old.

The constant flux of the ground forced Oliver out of his advantageous position - a ridge along the mountainside that Archer had previously claimed during the first night of the conflict. All the same, the ridge collapsed from under him and forced Oliver into a free fall. "Motion!" he yelled to slow his body down to make no harsh impact with the new, solid ground. "You're too late, Lancer. I don't know that Noble Phantasm of yours, but it cannot stop the Holy Grail from becoming mine."

Lancer rushed at Oliver, naginata gripped, and unleashed a flurry of stabs at Oliver, all met with a range of Motion and Refract spells to bend, push, and slide Lancer away from any actual impact. Lancer's Harvest spell had finally subsided as she lost the speed that kept her at a much higher pace than Oliver. Without that, dodging Lancer's attacks was all too easy for the Demi-Servant.

Mai VI

Mai remained with Viktor at the southern end of the newly designed designated area while Caitlin and Archer split along the eastern edge with the freshly added river. Qing and Berserker went in the opposite direction in an attempt to surround Oliver while Lancer used as much mana that Mai could give her to keep Oliver busy. Kristof joined Mai to ensure his uncle's safety, but resolved to run away with Viktor should the situation turn sour quickly.

"Berserker should be joining Lancer soon," Kristof said. "Although I wouldn't doubt it if he and his Master left Lancer to die on her own. Archer will fade away tonight regardless. If this Oliver Storgaard business never happened, the Grail would have been as good as theirs if they could wait."

"I...I don't think they would do that," Mai added. She stammered, but was confident in her assessment of Qing and Berserker.

"This war changes people. You just don't understand yet." Mai waited. She thought for a moment and critically, seriously thought about whether she was more different now than she was a week ago. Perhaps she was. But not in the way Kristof accused Berserker of.

"No," she added soundly. "There are good people here." Viktor began to rustle and raise his eyelids. Mai bent down to his side quickly, but was wary as to not touch him.

"Uncle! Can you hear us? Please tell us you're okay."

"Ugh..." Viktor rolled from the headache that still plagued him, but was aware enough to know they were no longer in the Conrad estate. "What has happened, Kristof?"

"The battle has started. I'm sorry we couldn't revive you earlier. We were worried that Oliver would take any mana we gave you - we had to hope you would come around on your own."

"That was smart."

"Lancer forced Oliver out of hiding," Mai started, "and Berserker should be joining her shortly once she's forced Oliver to use more of his own mana. The only problem left is..." Mai hung on her statement before Viktor finished for her.

"Command seals."

"Yes. Lancer is telling me that she only sees one left on his hand. We figured we could force him to use it if both Berserker and Lancer overwhelm him, as long as..."

"Wukong, agh, needs to commit," Viktor finished. Mai looked to the ground beside them. How many wars does it take for any one person to become as jaded as these two? Or rather, how many times does one need to have lost in just one war to feel that way? She thought back to what Caitlin had said at the Conrad estate. Her entire family had been lost, one at a time, until she had nothing. Mai might have been removed from such tragedies, but she felt no good would come from them now if she stopped believing in those who were able to make a difference. Instead, she turned to Viktor and offered an innocent, hopeful smile.

Just as Viktor doubted the plan, the trio heard a crash from across the canyon.

Berserker III

"It's time, Master. Use a command seal for me," Berserker asked. He was prepared to take his place in this war as the savior of the magus world.

"I told you not to call me Master anymore. You are a king."

"All the same. The time for games is over. After this, when the grail is ours, you must abide by your promise. That first command seal of yours you used, I will hold you to it until the day you die if you refuse me." Qing scoffed with a giant smile.

"What makes you think you'd be a match for me after all? If I remember correctly, I fought all of those Servants last night just as you did." Berserker blinked harshly at his Master's comment - she had not shown such overconfidence since the war started. He chuckled into a large bellow with his reply.

"Only you could possibly summon me, Master! There will be many days of sparring after tonight per your promise, I promise you that, Master," Berserker said with a smile.

"Then by power of command seal, Wukong, defeat Oliver Storgaard." Berserker's muscles flexed tight and pulsed with red, radiant magical energy. His armors shone eons beyond what has been seen throughout the war. "And for the last one...Wukong, by power of command seal, I order you to save the world." Qing's last seal burned away with the evening sky as no more power flushed into Berserker's arms.

"That last one was too vague, Master, it won't..." Qing smirked as Berserker realized what she was doing.

"The King of Monkeys needs no more support. When we win the grail, it is yours. I believe in you, Wukong. You are worth the praise," she said and she hugged him with all of the energy she had left to spare. Berserker put a hand on Qing's head and eased her off of him.

"Your hopes are placed in the proper hero. Thank you...Qing." Berserker stepped away and launched himself down into the new gorge to come face to face with Lancer and Oliver. His command seal had him land forcefully with an entrance fitting of the strongest Servant. "You finally show yourself, Lancer!" Berserker announced. Lancer disengaged easily, as Oliver was never really on the attack. With her speed back to normal, however, Lancer had to be more cautious. Thankfully both her and Berserker could attack at the same time.

"Even the two of you cannot stop the Grail now. I defeated Saber and Assassin together, I can defeat both of you together, no matter if one of you is Wukong," Oliver chided, overconfident, but rightfully so. Berserker ignored Oliver and focused on Lancer, per their original plan. Oliver raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed that the King of Monkeys paid him no mind or attention. However, he had remembered that neither of these two had seen him since he acquired Caster's power. With Berserker's focus on Lancer, he did not think they were aligned. Much to Oliver's detriment, he was unaware of the conclusive events of the previous night within Caster's Cubic Plane. Berserker pulled out his staff and rushed to Lancer as their weapons met in a powerful clang. The force seen the previous night pulsed outwards in all directions, but Lancer and Berserker pulled their attacks towards Oliver to startle him much more.

Oliver did not expect such a holy crash. He was taken aback, shook in place as wind flushed him from his position. The two servants clashed again and made Oliver wince more as his position became compromised. They continued to clash their holy weapons towards Oliver until Lancer asked Berserker out loud, "where is Archer?!"

Archer VIII

"This is our position," Archer told Caitlin. Caitlin had been absent for the majority of the assessment of how to tactfully eliminate Oliver Storgaard. Not physically. Archer understood Caitlin more than anyone else in the room and volunteered the two of them to be stationed together for the ranged assault while Berserker and Lancer distracted Oliver. The plan was to have Archer's holy weapon cause more disruptions with the other two Servants' while ranged attacks barraged from afar. It was a plan that saved as much mana as possible while the legendary weapons and Caitlin did most of the work, and hopefully catch Oliver off guard enough to land some fatal blows.

"I'm ready," Caitlin said with no emphasis.

"Are you, Miss Support? From here on out, everything you've lost; it really is dependent on if you are ready." Archer stared at her. He knew everyone grieved differently when major loss was thrust into them. He was no stranger to the toll the tides took. But if he couldn't depend on her right now, then many more lives would be lost by midnight.

For the first time since she lost Erica, Caitlin breathed faster. Shorter. Almost in pants. Her eyes became soggy, her head became foggy. She wanted to fall to her knees, but Archer held her. She wanted to hit the ground, she wanted to feel the dirt, she wanted to feel something, anything other than the weight that had been inside of her chest since this morning, but Archer held her. She wanted to go back to Orso, she wanted to throw a bolt into Viktor's unconscious body, she wanted to sleep, she wanted to stop, but Archer held her. She tried to push against him and put space between her, this war, Oliver Storgaard, and everything else in between. Yet, still Archer held her. There were no more words from him, only a newly dampened tunic that turned slightly darker with every breath that Caitlin took.

"I..." she started, "I don't think I can..." she stammered, sniffed, and mumbled into him. "I just want to...Orso is still alive..."

"And that is okay."

"But I need to be here. No...I can..." She waited and wiped her face dry. "I can give you more mana."

"I don't think we have time for any rituals, Miss Support."

"No! I can make you my familiar. I don't need to be a Master to have a powerful familiar. I have plenty of mana to sustain you for a day. You can use my mana much better than I can right now. If he finds out where I am, I don't think any of you could save me fast enough."

"Why didn't you bring that up when we made the plan?" Caitlin thought for just a second before she stared directly into Archer's eyes.

"Because...I think that's what I wanted. For you to not be fast enough..." The two let the gravity fill the air from her comment. "But...I think maybe this might be better for everyone. I'm the last mana we have and I..."

"You don't need to - "

"No. I'm a risk. I can see that right now. Please, Archer. Take it from me. Take my role from this war away from me." She begged as she didn't waver from her stare. She gripped his tunic harder as Archer frowned, but he understood. He thought back to his wife, as he had when he met Caitlin in what seemed like many months ago in a country far away from here. His wife, although entirely independent, had that same stare. The same ferocity in her eye when she knew exactly what she wanted and would never relent. It was done. The decision had been made before Archer could even deny it.

"Offer me a contract then, Miss Support."

"...Stop calling me that." Caitlin held out her hand, bare, without the etchings that separated her from her the rest of her family, and asked, "Holy Grail, hear my plea. Grant me this familiar as my own. My will creates your body. Your sword creates my destiny. Obey me, then I shall entrust my fate to your sword."

"I will accept this call," Archer said as he took Caitlin's hand. A small, bright light glimmered between the two of them as Caitlin's mana poured into him. His lungs filled with fresh air, his muscles pulsed with fresh blood, and his eyes had some fresh hope. The clashes from Berserker and Lancer tossed their way through Caitlin and Archer's position - the time to act was now. "You may go. I will do what I can."

"Thank you, Archer...Thank you for understanding."

"More than you know, Miss Master."

"Don't call me that either...Odysseus." And for the first time this day, Caitlin let out a small smile.