After giving it some thought, I've decided that I'm going to try and keep writing this story. With Elden Ring on the horizon, and Demon's Souls just recently out, I got the urge to go back and give the games another shot, and they gave me some motivation again. There's still every chance that I'll just up and cancel the story and be done with it, especially when it's not my best work, but the fact that people keep following the thing despite its lack of updates and such has pushed me to consider giving it another shot so, yeah.

Either way, I'll try my best to keep a hold of my motivation this time.

Chapter 8:

'A Temporary Alliance'

There was a lot for Waver to process when he and Rider made their way home.

After seeing just how powerful the other servants were, he once again couldn't help but start to doubt his and Rider's chances. Each of the servants involved in the clash at the Fuyuki Harbour demonstrated skills and abilities that were far beyond what they were originally expecting, and it concerned Rider greatly, especially when she sensed a familiar aura surrounding one of the servants. An aura that terrified her so much, she just wanted to forget all about it.

Even though the show of power that was on display from each of the servants was intimidating, it didn't mean they were invincible. As was made clear in the battle, some of the servants made mistakes, and if they were capable of that, they were just as capable of accidentally exposing any of their weaknesses.

What those weaknesses were, they didn't know yet.

It was very clear to them that winning the Holy Grail War was going to be far more difficult than they thought. Fighting and defeating any of those servants would prove a mountainous task even for Rider's abilities. It wasn't impossible, but it was certainly going to be difficult.

But if they continued to observe instead, perhaps even avoid as much conflict as possible, then maybe they wouldn't have to worry as much. Letting the servants fight and weaken each other, even eliminate each other from the Grail War entirely, would also bring them closer to winning.

At least that's what Rider had said, albeit a little reluctantly.

There was a desire there for both of them to get involved, but there was also the desire to continue as they currently were by just standing by and letting their enemies battle each other. The conflicting feeling was Rider believing it to be a cowardly tactic that she wasn't fond of, whereas Waver didn't want to just stand by and watch all the time. Granted, after seeing what the enemy servants were capable of, Waver did feel a bit more content to just stand by and let them fight each other.

Rider was ultimately fine with this, however...

"My beloved would chastise me for resorting to such cowardice."

Waver just rolled his eyes and sat up in his bed, giving Rider a neutral look as he asked, "This, uh, beloved of yours, was he really so honourable that he would frown on someone just for doing whatever it took to win?"

Rider simply nodded. "He would always ensure he was the first to enter the battlefield, ensure he was the first to swing his sword, before any of his knights. He would never stand aside and let his enemies weaken each other just so he could have an easy victory. He always faced his opponents at their full strength."

"...Wow, he must have been really strong, huh?" Waver replied, looking a bit eager to know more.

A little smile formed on Rider's face. "Indeed. He was truly a King without equal."

That got Waver's attention. "Wait...he was a King?!"

"Yes." Rider nodded.

Something then occurred to the young Magus, and he couldn't help but ask, "Um, and what Kingdom did he rule over exactly?"

Judging by the little smile remaining on her face, it seemed like it was a topic she was really fond of talking about. "He was the proud ruler of Eleum Loyce."

"Eleum...Loyce..." Waver repeated the name to himself in his head, thinking for a moment before replying, "I...don't think I've ever heard of a place like that."

Rider turned and looked at her master, unsurprised, and replied, "Because it is a Kingdom not of this world, master."

Waver's curiosity was piqued upon hearing that. "What do you mean by that?"

"...I...forgive me, master, but could we perhaps save that discussion for another time?" Rider replied, giving him a neutral stare.

The young Magus just looked at her for a moment, and almost wanted to insist on getting an answer, but when he looked into those eyes of hers, that desire for an answer was gone in an instant. It wasn't as if he needed to know right away, since they were going to be keeping their distance from enemy servants for the time being anyway, it meant they would have plenty of time to talk about it.

"Ok, fine." Waver shrugged, before flopping back down onto his bed.

Rider, relieved, turned her attention back to the tv, and began scrolling through the channels.

Despite dropping the topic for now, Waver couldn't help but repeat those words to himself in his head.

Not of this world.

What exactly did she mean by that? Did she come from another planet or something? Was she an alien? Of course not. It was an absurd thought to even consider, then again, he was one of seven masters fighting for a Holy Grail that grants wishes using heroes from the ancient past. That itself sounded just as absurd if not more so.

Either way, he made a mental note to make sure they talk about it later.

Glancing in his servant's direction, he looked her up and down for a moment, and remembered something. "I should...probably head out first thing in the morning and buy you some clothes. If we're gonna go anywhere and walk around the streets surrounded by people, you may as well blend in with them."

Rider ceased scrolling through the tv channels to look back at him, and replied, "That is most generous of you, master. It would indeed enable me to blend in with the people and pass for a normal citizen. Perhaps it would also allow me the opportunity to explore and see more of this world for myself. If, of course, you have no objections."

Scratching the back of his head, the young Magus just shrugged. "I...suppose we could go sightseeing, so long as we don't walk into any enemy masters."

"Even if we did, there is no need to worry." Rider assured him, adding, "If the enemy masters are smart, they won't dare risk starting a battle in a crowded environment. It's one of the rules, is not? Absolute secrecy from the public."

Waver raised a brow at her, and asked, "Wasn't I the one that told you that?"

Rider just smiled a little at him in response. "Indeed. And I am the one reminding you of it."

Admittedly, Waver did forget about it somewhat. He wasn't going to admit to it of course, and he made another mental note to remind himself not to forget any more crucial details related to the War. He didn't want to look like an amateur, especially in the eyes of his own servant.

Those same beautiful eyes, that he hadn't realised he had been staring at for a while now.

Eyes that were locked with his the entire time, just staring.

He quickly looked away from her before things got awkward, and proceeded to ask, "I...um...so, is there anything specific you'd be interested in seeing tomorrow?"

Rider looked back at the tv, and started scrolling through channels again. "Perhaps a library? I'm quite interested in learning more about this world."

"A...library?" Waver repeated back to her.

The servant nodded. "Indeed..." She looked back at him, head tilted in confusion, and asked, "Is...something wrong?"

Waver shook his head, and replied, "N-No, not at all. It's just...when you talk about sightseeing, the first thing that generally comes to mind is visiting some popular or well known historical landmarks."

"I see. Forgive me for misinterpreting your meaning." Rider apologised.

The young Magus sighed, and just waved it off. "It's fine, seriously, it's nothing to apologise for."

Rider smiled a little at his response, and replied, "Visiting historical landmarks sounds wonderful though. Yes, I think that is something I would very much like to do, master."

"Sounds like a plan then." Waver agreed, before letting out a loud yawn.

This got Rider's full attention, prompting her to end their conversation there by focusing on her master's health. "Perhaps you should get some sleep now, master. It is quite late now I believe, and you will want to get as much rest as possible. A lack of rest can often make it very difficult for someone to focus and concentrate."

Waver flopped back down onto his bed and closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't have to tell me twice. You should probably get some sleep too."

"I will be fine, master." Rider assured him with a smile.

Her response didn't seem to convince him however. "But what if we get dragged into a fight we can't avoid? You'll need to be at your best, right?"

"And I will." Rider said, still smiling as she added, "Rest assured master, I will be at my very best should we find ourselves in a confrontation with an enemy servant. So please, rest, focus only on yourself for now."

The young Master was going to respond, but the gentle tone in her voice ultimately convinced him to just drop it, and so he did.

She was certainly very persuasive, he couldn't deny that. No matter how many times he raised his concerns, especially when those concerns involved her capabilities in a battle between servants, she always somehow managed to calm him down, and assure him that everything would be okay. Despite knowing that she was physically inferior to the other servants, she didn't show any sign of worry at all, instead maintaining a calm demeanour. Indeed, she lacked the physical strength that the other servants had, but she more than made it for that with her calm and strategic mind, and if her 'friend' was just one of several of her abilities, then their chances of winning actually looked very promising.

There was a lot to think about, but right now, Waver was too tired to think any further, and decided to just follow his servant's advice and get some sleep.

Getting comfortable, he rolled over until his back was facing her, and finally let himself drift off.

Once she was certain he was fast asleep, Rider took it upon herself to tuck him in.

Elsewhere...

It was somewhat of a long trip, but Irisviel and Saber had finally made it back to Einzbern Castle.

However, it wasn't a quiet trip, as they were accompanied by Caster.

While Irisviel was reluctant, Saber convinced her to allow his brother to form an alliance with them in order to help them combat any other potential number advantages from the enemy servants.

Despite this, it seemed more like the sword-wielding servant simply wanted his brother present because of personal issues he wanted to clear up.

Irisviel was very sure of it, as the first half of their trip consisted of the two servants going back and forth with each other, arguing about who was right and who was wrong, their King, the 'Child of the Dark', the Throne, the Curse, many things Irisviel wasn't really familiar with.

And while she was curious most of the time, often feeling the need to interrupt and ask a question here and there, she ultimately decided against it. With how angry the two great knights sounded at each other, interrupting their very personal 'conversation' would have been very unwise.

By the time they reached the forest, the raised voices were gone and there was mostly silence.

The argument had died down to a more quieter conversation, where the two seemed to reflect on their younger days, and for once, found themselves discussing topics they were actually happy about.

Again, Irisviel dared not interrupt, instead wanting for both of them to clear things up and, hopefully, be able to get along with one another.

When they arrived at the castle, Saber turned to Caster and asked, "Can I trust you to behave yourself while you're here?"

Caster simply shot him an offended look, replying, "Behave? Brother, you seem to be forgetting who often got himself into trouble when we were younger and who had to save his skin."

"I'll simply take that as a yes." Saber said, ignoring the comment.

As Irisviel approached the castle, she turned to face the two knights, and asked them, "Can I trust you two to get along and refrain from fighting?"

Saber nodded, "Of course, Irisviel."

Caster bowed his head slightly, adding, "I promise to do my best."

Their words earned a smile from her, allowing her to finally put her mind at ease. She then turned and proceeded to enter the castle, followed by Saber.

"...Are you sure your master won't mind my presence?" Caster asked.

The two stopped in their tracks, turning to face the larger knight. "...What?"

Again, Caster asked them, "Are you sure, that your master will not mind my presence here?"

Saber and Irisviel exchanged glances with each other, before the former told him, "Irisviel is my master, brother."

An amused smirk made its way onto Caster's face as he replied, "Is she now?"

Irisviel started to grow nervous, even more so when Caster started to slowly approach them.

Before Saber could brace himself for the worst, his brother simply walked by him.

"Well if you want others to fall for that, I recommend wearing gloves. If you don't want to blow the act that is." He commented.

The two exchanged glances once again, looking confused for a moment.

It then dawned on them, and Irisviel looked down at her right hand, noting the lack of a command seal.

"...Perhaps we should heed his advice, Saber." She said to the ash black knight.

Saber just nodded. "Agreed."

Next Chapter:

"That arrogant fool dares to call himself our master!"

"What wish do you seek from this Grail?"

"Maybe blending in won't be as easy as I thought."