Chapter 5 - In the Eye of the Storm
London - Year 2014
What could a pure Irishman possibly be doing in London?
"Picking up a beer or two in one of the countless pubs in the English capital" would be the answer that would come most naturally to people. The Irish's descent into alcohol, their bon vivant, were renowned worldwide, even more so in the context of university exchanges.
It had been several years since Dorian Janson had come to England to pursue his graduate studies, both in magic and archaeology. There was no shortage of very good magic institutes and excellent research universities in Ireland, but none of them could match the London faculties in these disciplines, let alone the Academy of Magi.
Dorian was indeed Irish and not a little proud of it. However, the doctoral student in archaeology and ancient magics was more likely to frequent tea rooms than bars and pubs. Although the latter were full of food and drink at attractive prices and were very lively, the student was not very fond of the crowded and noisy places. He would go there from time to time with friends or research colleagues, of course, but not much more.
Dorian was easily recognizable among his student cohort. Despite his undistinguished five-foot height, the twenty-seven-year-old postdoc had delicate, almost androgynous features, with an emaciated face set with a three-day beard, short-cropped auburn hair, and azure blue eyes. One would have given him God without confession, as his impossible thesis director joked. He had put on a white shirt with a black striped collar, three-quarter sleeves, with a solid and comfortable anthracite vest and pants.
- Damn, I still can't believe this isn't a bad dream," muttered a girl to his right.
- I can confirm that it's not a day after drinking Irene, answered a student facing her.
- Damn. It's going to be empty without good old Eddie's jokes and strong coffee, commented a third voice not far from him.
- I can't get my game going. I can't concentrate," said someone to his left.
- A little nerve! I remind you that it is for that that we reserved the room, distributed in a dry tone the second girl of their group. Dorian at least makes efforts so that we advance, take some of it...
The concerned one listened in reality only of a distracted ear their chatterings. His azure eyes, however, were not riveted on his draft sheets. The attention of the Irishman seemed indeed monopolized by the screen of his cell phone, which he consulted with frowned eyebrows. A heavy silence followed Bridget's words. While Boris cleared his throat in front of him, Irene leaned slightly towards Janson and nudged him to get his attention.
Dorian straightened his head with his usual phlegm, without being alarmed by Bridget's tangible ire.
- Sorry, I wasn't listening. Were you saying something, Bridget?
- Janson," she scolded. What did we say about cell phones in group work?
- That they should only be used in an emergency? And this is an emergency," replied the Irishman in a voice that was meant to be innocent.
Lawrence, Boris, Irene, Alexander, Ryan and Carmen preferred to remain silent while Bridget impatiently tapped the table with her fingers as she replied without taking her eyes off him.
- You've been distracted since your return, Adonis. If she's a girlfriend, she can wait. What do you think is more important than the progress of your research? The conference can't wait.
- Long story short, my thesis advisor was almost killed in the attack in Iraq. I think that a danger of death qualifies as a high priority. So don't be jealous, dear Hera, I'm just going to check on her. Then I will return to my work.
The silence returned to the small coworking room they had reserved in one of the cafes adjacent to the London Academy of Magic. Irene turned her head away as she grew paler, while Ryan put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Bridget seemed taken aback and didn't know what to say back. Carmen's shy eyes were riveted on her own leaves. Boris and Lawrence got up under the pretext of getting a new supply of cookies, teas and coffees for everyone. Dorian was usually more tactful than this, but when he felt attacked, he didn't take the gloves off to defend his position.
Ryan finally broke the ice that had descended on them, looking at Bridget and Dorian in turn.
- Let's calm down, guys. Bridget, be a little more patient. It was a huge blow to the whole research group. We lost three great teachers and a PhD buddy. Not everyone had your chance, Dorian.
Dorian kept his eyes on Bridget and waited for the Scot to lower her gaze. The youngest doctoral student in the group turned her head away, clearly upset, but muzzled. The mood lightened when Boris and Lawrence returned with the cookies, tea and coffee, serving the entire table. Long, tense minutes passed, with everyone preferring to keep quiet and nibble on the goodies to regain some semblance of calm. The most festive of them all, the Frenchman Boris, was not happy with the atmosphere and tried to get the discussion going again.
- By the way, how is our dear Lara Croft doing? Less damage than in Peru, Dorian?
- Yes, nothing major. She's pretty much in one piece.
- That means we'll see her again soon! Her replacement clearly doesn't have her energy in archaeology and Middle Eastern civilization class. More boredom, Irene commented.
- How come you've heard from her? I haven't received any messages and no teacher is that aware of her condition, Bridget asked suspiciously.
- I have my sources," Dorian replied calmly.
- I'd be very curious to know them," Bridget insisted with a wrinkled nose.
- Come on, come on. The important thing is that we know that our last general is pretty much on his feet," Lawrence tried to temper in his low voice.
- Yes, she is. Isn't that the most important thing? However, if you want to get me off the hook, I'm not going to say no to a one-on-one dinner," Dorian replied with a charming smile and a wink.
The tactic worked. The Scot's pale face turned a red almost as bright as the color of her auburn hair. Embarrassed, she turned her head away and muttered between her tight lips. With all her seriousness and rigor, it was very easy to destabilize her by teasing her in this way. Bridget was not a bad girl. Gifted, very organized and studious, she went out of her way to help others pass their exams and not give in to the temptation of laziness. However, she was not used to less formal relationships with their teachers.
As long as she didn't push too hard, Dorian wouldn't hold it against her.
- Will you say hello and wish her well?" Carmen asked shyly.
- Yeah, and tell her that without her French accent, it's lonely with Alex, Boris said facetiously.
- She doesn't have to worry about the papers and the classes. As long as she comes back to us in one piece, loaded with two hundred percent as usual, we can wait until the exams," added Ryan.
- Hopefully we won't have to wait until then," Irene commented with concern.
- Oh yes, we do. Let her come back to us. Without her to calm him down, old Robert is unbearable, Alexander said in a half-serious, half-amused tone.
A wave of sighs and approval crossed the table.
- Promised, when I have the date of her return I will transmit it to you.
The ringing of his telephone resounded then to indicate him the reception of a written message. The Irishman did not wait for the permission of his friends to look at it. Dorian read the text message carefully. A jovial smile blossomed on his lips.
At last.
The postdoc didn't wait any longer before typing his answer. Without asking for anything else, he gathered his things and got up from his seat while throwing to the group.
- Permission to leave, dear Aphrodite? I have an imperative.
- mm, you will not come to complain afterwards if you miss time, answered the interested one.
Dorian took care to pass by her while leaving the room. Under their amused eyes, the Irishman leaned to kiss her on the cheek. Before she could recover from the shock and rant more, the Irishman slipped away with a slight laugh to go and pay his share of the reservation.
Bridget gasped and let out an exclamation of pain when her hair was forcefully pulled. Turning sharply to vilify the manager, there was no one behind her.
As the student walked out of the café onto the main street, a shadow followed her every step.
Adelaide had left the medical center of the London Academy of Magic in a shady mood. To no one's surprise, the occupational medicine department had decided that she was not ready to return to work right away after the events in Iraq. Beyond her one sore right knee, which was carefully wrapped in a soft adhesive cloth to hold it in place without restricting her movement, it was her psychological health that was of most concern to the school's doctor. By all the gods, her head was fine, thank you! Her brain wasn't going to go haywire for so little, she wasn't going to sink into depression for so little!
However, if she was prevented from doing her job for too long... she wouldn't be responsible for anything.
The doctor of the occupational medicine, Dolores for the teachers, had imposed to her a sick leave of at least two months, possibly renewable according to the evolution of her state, effective from this evening. All that the teacher had been able to obtain was to avoid the forced assignment to her home only.
It had been a week since Adelaide had returned to England, relatively safe and sound. Her e-mail box had accumulated nearly 7,539 overdue e-mails, following her two months of mailings, and she had not had the courage to read them all in the last few days, so that she had 1,050 unread e-mails left. She had only left the manor for a short time, trying to rest her mind as well as her limbs. The archaeologist had not been bored, however, with an Archer full of energy and curiosity and a Rider who didn't like to sit around doing nothing either. Video games certainly helped to avoid accidents, but none of the four of them were forgetting the ongoing Grail War and the two Servants were not standing still. At least she didn't have to worry about an ambush if they got separated. The two Servants were often in each other's company when they weren't hovering around their respective masters. They were never far away.
She had taken the opportunity to do some shopping in London, often accompanied by Gil, whether it was to pick up the books she had ordered or to buy a new cell phone. Not very fond of the current entirely touch-sensitive models, she had managed to get her hands on an old-fashioned cell phone with buttons, which had the merit of being small and of being a flip-top. The seller's kindness, the communication device had already been charged and its battery was full.
In spite of the apparent calm of this return to normal life, Adelaide never had a completely peaceful mind. Her mind was alert to the slightest noise, gesture or suspicious behavior. Although their situation was quieter than in France, the terrorism alert plan was still high in response to the criminal actions that had occurred in recent years. The eruption of a Holy Grail War in such a tense climate was neither welcome nor desirable, but it was not as if they had a choice. The wheels were already in motion.
Using her notebook and sitting on a bench in Hyde Park, one of London's most beautiful parks, she had transcribed the numbers of her family and friends into her phone book, followed by those of her masters and doctoral researchers, before finishing with those of her acquaintances.
It had been a week since she had to give news to someone.
Adelaide took a few minutes to think about how to start the discussion, then finally opened the messaging application and composed a text message.
* Hi Dorian! How are you? I hope your research is going well. Here's my phone number, the old one is still in Iraq. I'm fine, in Hyde Park. Read your article, still some small corrections to make, but interesting read. I'll drop by the Academy to turn in the papers. If not, I'll send you my comments by email?
Have a nice day,
Adelaide. *
A couple of minutes later she felt the device vibrate in her outer pocket. Her postdoc had just answered her, as laconic and quick as he had always been.
* Do not move. I'm coming. *
Shouldn't he be in class at this hour? If the modules hadn't moved too much in her discipline, which they hadn't done for five years, she had the memory of a mandatory research methodology and writing course in that slot. Her furrowed brows relaxed before a smile wove itself on her lips: she was on sick leave, she could leave the teacher's side off and prefer a more informal discussion with her apprentice.
She and Dorian knew each other well, their professional collaboration going back almost four years.
Because of their status as mages and their mutual interests in archaeology and ancient civilizations, Dorian had asked her to become both his mentor and thesis advisor. Although Adelaide's major was in Middle Eastern civilizations, her strong minor in European civilizations was enough to be able to guide him if he could stand her personality, her high standards, and her very high international mobility.
They were as different as night and day, with their qualities and defects. As introverted as she was extroverted, as reserved as she was expressive, as little talkative except for his favorite subjects as she was talkative... they had found enough common ground to build a mutually beneficial collaboration. Dorian had followed her on many of her expeditions, even during her last year of study, and then her postdoctoral fellowship with the blessing of the director.
Adelaide readily admitted that she was less fearless and more cautious when she didn't go alone. Since Dorian had a strength of character at least as strong as hers, and a cooler and calmer head, Waver had had a much clearer conscience by letting him accompany her.
It was also thanks to his help that her last expedition to Peru had not turned into a tragedy.
The expedition in itself of an ancient Inca city, protected from the eyes of the non-mages, had been very enriching and exciting. The team with which they had been associated had made beautiful discoveries in the middle of a dense primary forest, in the humidity of a tropical heat. All it had taken was one careless moment, one error in judgment, one moment of distraction, and...
The mage shook her head to chase away the memory. She had enough to think about right now.
It was a beautiful day in London right now, which was rare enough to be noticed. Hyde Park was one of the most beautiful green spaces in the English capital, as well as one of the largest and most popular. Neither too isolated nor too crowded, it was the perfect place for her to relax and get some fresh air. Its surroundings were clear enough for her to see almost any individual who would want to approach her position, from far enough to be able to react in most situations. For the rest... she was aware that Archer had to keep an eye on her somewhere nearby.
Adelaide waited only ten minutes before Dorian's figure appeared on the horizon. Straightening up on the bench when he was close enough, she waved to him with a warm smile.
- Dorian! It's good to see you again. How are you doing?
- Better than you, it seems.
- Nothing too serious, more fear than harm! I'll be back on my feet soon. I can't guarantee that I'll be back to school soon, it depends on the goodwill of the occupational health department. I do have a copy of your presentation for the conference with my notes. I had almost nothing to complain about, except for the occasional small typo. Interesting reading, as it often is.
- Thank you for the compliment, but you know it won't be enough to mitigate the reprimands that await you," he replied, sitting down next to her and patting her shoulder.
- About what? My delay in responding, the expedition or something else?
- About you going into such a dangerous business without me.
- It wasn't so bad. A mission in a war-torn country, in a poorly secured area, under rather precarious conditions... When you see how it ended, you didn't miss anything.
- I still would have liked to be there, he answered in a stubborn voice while crossing his arms.
- It was too dangerous, and you were with family. As a mentor and former thesis director, I couldn't risk exposing my student to such explosive terrain.
- And you, you had a husband waiting for you and yet you took the risk.
His comment surprised her before he spoke again with an amusement tinged with curiosity.
- Do you know the identity of "Mister Enigma" now?
- Considering the blame I got for not having your back, yes.
- Don't worry, he was just worried. Honestly, I'd rather you stayed in Ireland.
- Let's agree to disagree.
- I agree, but know that it wouldn't have made any difference, Dorian. It's not Peru, we'd both be dead there. I just got lucky enough in my misfortune.
- True, but you know that for your next expedition, your husband has already planned a squad. You'll look great with the commandos, a real little French girl on the march for the Revolution. All you'll need is a Phrygian cap and an exposed breast to embody Liberty Leading the People.
Putting a hand on his chest, Dorian smiled, his eyes mocking. Adelaide couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking her head and trying to catch her breath.
- You've been around Waver too long. He rubbed off on you.
- It's your fault we spend so much time together, I remind you.
- Should I be worried?" she joked cheerfully.
- If he's been deserting so often, it's only natural that he's seeing other people," he added.
- Point taken. I thank all the gods every day for his legendary patience.
- If you told him that more often, maybe he'd invite fewer people to come play with his joysticks.
The deliberately biased joke made her laugh out loud. Adelaide was not worried about her relationship and even if he had been dating in her absence, she would have understood. Nevertheless, she trusted him and hoped that he would open up to her before he got into such situations. Her previous experiences had made her quite open on the question.
A comfortable silence settled for a few minutes around them after these familiar jokes.
- More seriously, what are your plans for the future? Finally, she asked her post-doctoral fellow.
- Good question. Go back to school as soon as possible, help you with your magical and academic research, spend a few days in France if I have enough time left. I don't think I'll be going on an expedition right away, but next time I'll invite you on an adventure. And you, what are your plans? Spend some time with a potential girlfriend?" replied Adelaide with interest.
- I'll be along for the ride, you know that, but... there's something I wanted to talk to you about.
Dorian's deeper tone and very serious expression alerted the doctor of archaeology and earth magic. Adelaide turned to him, her tone light, but her gaze clearly attentive.
- I am listening to you.
- Have you talked about the Grail War recently with Waver?
- mm? He did, but you know that's not one of my specialties. Why not?
- Fuyuki's Grail was dismantled, you know.
- Indeed, ten years ago. You're really not making me feel any younger with your question, you know?
- What else has he told you lately about the subject?
Adelaide took a few moments to think about it, her caution calling out to her in thought. She trusted her postdoc, but she knew a slippery slope when she saw one. After thinking carefully about her answer, she spoke again, weighing her every word.
- That there was suspicion that another Grail had reappeared apparently!
- It's more than rumors, I can tell you.
- What makes you think that?
- Oh nothing much. Just this.
Making sure they were really unobserved and well hidden in the heights by the shade of the large tree above them, Dorian removed the glove from his right hand and showed her the back. Adelaide caught his hand briskly and delicately, observing the marks that were beginning to become coldly familiar to her, frowning. When she turned her blue gaze to her postdoc, her voice was unusually low and concerned as she returned his glove.
- Are you aware of the mess you're in?
- Having listened carefully to our esteemed director's lectures, I have some idea, yes.
- Does anyone else know about this?
- No one, except my partner.
- I see.
Dorian was being uncharacteristically careless in telling her this. Did he want to test her reaction? Adelaide took the time to observe him for a few minutes. They had been working together for several years on their research, so they had few secrets from each other. However, the Irishman had taken a great risk, and the Franco-British woman was not defenseless.
Who didn't take risks could never progress.
Letting out a slight sigh, the teacher let a smile appear on her lips, while straightening her glove on her left hand just enough for him to see her marks.
- Like student, like mentor, it would seem. Welcome to the fun.
- It's a club I didn't particularly want to join, though.
- You don't always have a choice in life, my dear. We have to make do with what it gives us and in this case...
She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly before resuming in a loud voice.
- You could improve the references of certain passages of your presentation. You're going to do me the pleasure of seriously studying the books I'm going to give you, otherwise they're going to shoot you down at the conference. Follow me, time is a commodity that is all the more precious because it is rare.
- Yes ma'am, yes ma'am, at your orders ma'am.
In order not to arouse suspicion, the postdoc and the professor discussed a variety of topics, from past expeditions to family and the latest gossip from the Academy. Despite their relaxed demeanor and lively exchanges, both mages were on guard, remaining alert to their surroundings and their surroundings.
They took care to take fairly busy streets, where the mass of tourists and hurried inhabitants concealed them from the view of possible pursuers. They changed roads several times, without showing any sign of vigilance, walking with an agile, but not too eager, stride. With her hands clasped behind her back, Adelaide listened to the student share with her the latest articles and conference proceedings he had read, commenting from time to time on the scientific journals they both followed, while complaining from time to time about the difficulty of consulting some of them in the library.
After taking a bus and then walking for a solid twenty minutes, they were slowly but surely approaching the mansion where Adelaide and Waver had lived for several years.
Opening the large gates of the ancient estate, which they closed behind them, Adelaide grabbed a heavy wave key and turned it in the lock, inviting Dorian to enter, before locking the door behind them. Within the walls, they would be safer.
- ... are you in the mood for coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
- I don't think I need more excitement so coffee is not an option. I wouldn't say no to an herbal tea for its relaxation, but for the endorphin fix I take hot chocolate.
- I have herbal tea too, it's very good for relaxing the nerves. Nervous as we are, it's the survival kit at the end of the semester. Let me know if you want some afterwards.
- I'd love a hot chocolate too! And while we're at it, can you introduce us? interrupted a clear voice calling out to them.
Dorian turned around again. A blond-haired child was standing nearby, wearing khaki shorts and a blue top with a yellow border. His piercing red eyes were riveted on them. He was holding a cup of thick, purple liquid. Dorian preferred to think it was grape juice.
Confused, the doctoral student turned to the professor, who was setting off the magic locks.
- Adelaide, you didn't tell me you had adopted.
- It seems so. This is Godric, who comes to us from Iraq. God, this is Dorian Janson. You'll be seeing a lot of him, he's my postdoc and mage apprentice. Come both in the living room, we will be more comfortable to discuss. I will prepare the hot drinks.
- Nice to meet you, Godric.
- It's also a pleasure to meet Adelaide's Padawan in person.
Dorian offered him a hand, which the boy soon shook in a fairly strong grip for his age. His eyes were curious and alert. The Irishman noticed that the child never took his eyes off the teacher. The student took the time to talk with the child, who surprised him with his maturity. Adelaide returned a few minutes later, carrying a tray with three large bowls and a large chocolate pot filled with homemade hot chocolate.
A royal blue runic circle suddenly appeared on one of the walls of the room, quite simple in appearance, with a symbol that was neither unfamiliar nor reassuring to the postdoc. His mentor froze in the middle of the room, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze fixed on the appeared symbol. Dorian broke the silence by asking the interested party directly.
- Oh ho. I guess it's not to say that the hot chocolate is ready.
- It looks like we have a visitor. I would advise against going out at this time.
After a few moments of silence, the kid raised his two-thirds-finished glass before standing up and turning a curious and surprisingly relaxed purple gaze.
- At least we can still play while we wait! And at worst, I can always chain up the troublemakers and make them spend the night in the doghouse.
Puzzled by his words, Dorian turned to his mentor and asked, one eyebrow raised.
- Chains are a metaphor, right?
- The spiritual protections should be enough, I'll keep an eye on their progress and enliven the advanced defenses as needed. Let's keep our guard up. God, can you watch over Dorian in the meantime?
- Sure, I'll baby-sit him!
- I appreciate that. Go upstairs for a bit and let me know if anything suspicious comes up, I'll let you know if I need a hand.
- Well ma'am, we relax in the meantime, complied Dorian.
- Who loves me follows me! - Godric said, grabbing his arm and dragging him along.
Long minutes passed. Godric tried to distract him with several card games and video games, but Dorian couldn't concentrate or decide which decision was best. He had one more ace up his sleeve, but he had to wait for the right moment.
Professor Fleury had taught her, very early in her training, not to reveal her cards too soon.
A loud crash was heard on the first floor, shaking the walls of the house. Dorian was immediately on his feet, hurrying towards the corridor before looking for the child. This one was already gone, and it seemed to him to see a shadow in front of him rushing towards the staircase. Without slowing down his stride, he threw to the flight in his back.
- You can go too, if you want. I think that a hand would not be too much.
A shadow appeared behind him, revealing the small figure of a young woman with blonde locks hidden under a dark blue cap. A large sword strapped to her back, she was dressed in a short dark blue jacket with gold piping, the sleeves of which covered her arms up to her wrists. A white top and blue shorts completed her outfit, with high blue socks and short black boots. She nodded, revealing intense green eyes before she disappeared.
He hoped Assassin would intervene in time.
Down below, the enemy was tougher than expected and very well prepared. The first level of magic defense had been heavily damaged even though it was very powerful and prepared with great care. Adelaide would not be able to guarantee the security of the manor for much longer, and the defense rune was fading. She couldn't wait any longer, she had to manually activate the second level of magical protection aligned with her seal of magic!
Pestering her knee, which had not yet recovered properly, the mage hurried as best she could towards the wall to raise the upper shields by concentrating her magic on them with a touch of her hand.
The wall exploded, however, just before she could touch it. Caught off guard, the teacher didn't have time to step back before a thick chain grabbed her wrist and dragged her out. Stunned by the impact and confusion, Adelaide could not react before more chains wrapped around her other wrist, her ankles and her waist. Immobilized between heaven and earth by the chains, she clenched her jaw to stifle a cry of pain as the metal began to brutally stretch her limbs, her right knee particularly painful.
Clearly, someone was very knowledgeable about how her two magical specialties, earth magic and alchemy, worked. Without her magic crystals, without her mystical codex and without contact with the ground, she was much more limited.
A woman with long pink hair framing a pale face faced her, her eyes covered by a thick mask, with a snake tattoo on her forehead. She was clad in a black dress edged in magenta and high socks of the same color, completed by black boots. From her hands came the long chains that encircled her like a cobra.
Silent, the neutral features, she seemed to stare at her while tightening little by little the links.
A clear and confident voice broke the silence, not far from their position.
- I didn't think I'd meet anyone here who liked chains as much as I do.
The Servant turned her head. The blonde-haired child who had caught her eye a few days earlier was standing a little further away. His shirt was gone, revealing a naked torso covered with purple tattoos, while two pieces of golden armor protected his sides and a crimson cloak covered his waist. The aura he gave off was far more powerful than the one she had felt, confirming her suspicions, while his red eyes seemed to blaze.
A Servant had indeed appeared in their area. She had to eliminate the threat.
Without deigning to answer her, the Servant pulled the chains to choke the one who was to be the Master.
She was surprised to find resistance when they should have pierced the mage.
Then she felt the links of her chains weaken for no apparent reason. It was only when she looked at them carefully that the heroic spirit understood the cause. Thinner chains had slipped under her own and were wrapped around the Master like improvised armor, while their gold tips with blue edges began to slowly eat away at her own chains.
The young Servant grinned fiercely and crossed his arms over his chest as the thinner chains managed to break his own, forcing him back as more chains assaulted him.
- We share a passion for chains, but mine are just stronger.
The child's chains released the Master, who stepped back behind the Servant to catch her breath, before resolutely placing her hands on the ground. A magical seal appeared beneath the pink-haired warrior, soon followed by sharp-edged rock stalagmites. The Servant avoided them at the last moment, pursued by similar magical seals and the chains of the childlike Servant, while trying to break their combination by attacking them. Close combat was not an option at the moment, it left him no opening to approach.
Seeing an opportunity, the Servant slipped through and charged at the seemingly defenseless Master. However, she was forced to dodge a high-flying magical shield at the last moment. She then noticed the presence of another mage, whose outstretched hand revealed the presence of magic gems that had formed the powerful barrier to repel her assault.
The heroic spirit was about to pounce when she felt a shadow graze her cheek, close to her mask.
A third Servant had come to join the fight. Her face seemed familiar, even more so his intense green eyes coldly resting on her and the hilt of the sword she carried. The edge of the blade seemed to be animated by an iridescent bluish aura, unreal, but well felt. The latter attacked her relentlessly, without the two mages or the other Servant stopping. Despite her efforts, the long pink-haired warrior was trapped in the young Servant's chains, while the other Servant approached with slow steps while pointing his sword at her.
The situation was definitely not to her advantage anymore. It was going to become even less so as the solitary assailant felt a fourth presence approaching at high speed. Despite her talents and the magical potential of her Master, the fight was going to become very unequal at this rate.
- You better start talking, lady, before she makes you talk. I'm not sure you like the way she's doing it," the small, blond Servant commented placidly.
The lone Servant was about to risk using her Noble Phantasm when a volley of arrows rained down around her, forcing her opponents to back away and take refuge under a shield of magic. When the shower of arrows stopped, there was no trace of the long pink-haired lady.
Dorian only let his guard down when he was sure all danger was over, running a hand over his soaked forehead before inspecting Adelaide with his eyes. His mentor seemed unharmed except for a few bruises on her arms, her breath slightly short from the unexpected fight. He exchanged a glance with Assassin, who stood between the supposed Godric and him with a wary glint.
A heavy silence settled for long minutes, with only the sound of the breeze blowing on the gutted wall and the ravaged elements of the devastated wing of the gardens. Adelaide's voice finally broke it with gusto as she leaned on Dorian's arm to get up.
- It was a stunning entrance, to say the least! We managed to push her away this time. I'm going to have my work cut out for me to fix this, but we're okay. Dorian, I'd love a hand putting the collapsed wall back together. You introduce me to your sweetheart in the living room and I'll tell you Uruk's unofficial version of events. Is that all right? Thank you Godric for your responsiveness, we did well for a first time. I'll learn from it.
- Partner, partner. Unless you want me to call Archer here your damsel.
- What's a damsel," Archer asked curiously.
- I don't think Waver would like that very much.
- What shouldn't I like? Am I missing something?
The two Masters and their Servants turned their heads in unison in the direction of the fifth voice that had been heard. Waver approached them as he emerged from one of the estate's back passages, inspecting the damage before dismounting from the chariot pulled by powerful bulls.
- I love this garden. It looks like a battlefield!" exclaimed Iskandar approvingly.
- I didn't know the gardener was coming by today. He didn't do a good job for once," commented his Master with his usual phlegm.
Behind his darkly humorous sarcasm, his gaze was serious as the director surveyed them with his eyes. Waver put his eyes on Adelaide before offering his arm to her, whereas she struggled to lean on her right leg. This one, the tight jaw, threw with the most possible aplomb.
- Go, one puts back the whole in place and one will savor a well deserved snack. Are you in?
- I'm always in," Godric immediately replied energetically.
- As if we had a choice," Dorian commented calmly.
If they wanted proof that the Grail War had begun, they had it. All they had to do now was to consult each other and prepare themselves adequately to guarantee their survival against the other Masters by cooperating, to at least ensure fair and non-lethal battles in the long run.
All in all, a very vast program.