6: Your Orders, Master?

Irisviel fell on her knees and shivered, not able to defend herself from what was coming.

It seemed that Archer had not lied about the poison – he's not able to neutralize it and even his death would not help to heal Llamrei. The magic used to produce this toxin was a mixture of Alchemy and Necromancy, two of Kayneth's El-Melloi Archibald specializations.

"Well, he's a man of many talents," Emiya admitted reluctantly after examining the mare.

"But she can be healed?"

Irisiviel gently touched Lancer's arm to comfort her.

"Of course. But we'll need some time before she recovers completely. And it's better not to ride into battle in her current state."

"I'm glad to hear it." Arturia nodded, much calmer than before. She followed her Master to the big room on the second floor of the castle.

They all gathered there to discuss their tactics. Kiritsugu showed them map with possible future locations of the Grail and decided, that facing Caster head-on is unnecessary. They should rather focus on avoiding him and eliminating other Masters during this mess. Arturia eventually agreed with her Master, although she preferred to finish the fiend off as soon as possible, mostly for the sake of kidnapped children, but also for her own pride.

And then the situation changed diametrically, when Caster assaulted the Einzbern territory, bringing the group of hostages with him.

"There they are," said Irisviel, staring into the crystal ball. Behind her back, Maiya and Kiritsugu prepared their weapons.

"The enemy is provoking us." Lancer was ready to act. "I'll go and give him, what he wants."

At this moment Caster smiled to them through the glass, well aware of the fact, that he's observed.

"As promised last night, I, Gilles de Rais, have come to see my beautiful Unholy Virgin. I've brought the first offering with me, so she will remember, why she's here. We may later entertain ourselves together, just like this..."

He dispelled the charm, woke the children up, and explained the creepy 'survival game' to them, crushing the skull of the random boy just for show. The rest of the hostages dispersed, screaming out of fear.

"Your orders, Master?"

Emiya remained silent. He clearly did not like the idea of letting this mad Servant do as he pleases, but there were too many arguments against letting Lancer go to the forest in her current condition.

Arturia must have understood his doubts, because she explained calmly:

"Master, their lives are the most valuable things they have. I was a king once, able to decide, which lives must be sacrificed for the greater good, but I am no more. As far as I know, you're not their king either. That's why I suggest to let me crush Caster. If there is a possibility to spare lives, it's only logical to do so. Their deaths are unnecessary and clearly against the rules of the Holy Grail War."

Kiritsugu did not expect this kind of argumentation from Lancer. It was not what he expected from this version of King of Knights. Also, it reminded him of a certain idealistic swordsman in their team.

"You shouldn't speak with Saber so often…"

"I don't know what you mean, Master."

He sighed, having no time or mood for explanations.

"Anyway, how do you intent do fight without Llamrei?"

"Rhongomyniad is a spear like any other." The lance appeared in Arturia's hand. "I can fight on foot as well. Probably only my Noble Phantasm will not work at full power, but I suppose I won't be needing it in this fight."

Emiya was visibly hesitant. This weapon was heavy and unwieldy, not to mention, that it would probably lose at least half of its hitting power without a mount.

"Master." There was something dangerous in Arturia's voice and gaze right now, not yet a threat, but an icy stubbornness. "If you don't believe in strength of your Servant, let me show it. I'll destroy that fiend with ease."

"Kiritsugu?" Irisviel's eyes were full of hope, she clearly wanted to save the children.

Emiya only glanced at Iri, but she knew him well enough to understand this silent message.

"Lancer, defeat Caster!"

"I shall!"

"So, you go fight and will support you from the shadows. Yeah, sounds like a perfect plan for me."Archer stood up; it seemed that keeping balance on the motorcycle during a ride is not a problem for him. Actually, he was more agile than any circus acrobat. "I'll be going. I need some time for preparations. The forest is my domain, but still…"

"One more thing. Remember, that you're here to fight Caster, not the Einzberns."

"Of course! What do you take me for?"

Siegfried laughed, watching Robin, who just swiftly jumped on the nearest tree branch and disappeared from sight.

Driving through the forest at night is not a very good idea, but with Saber's skills it was almost a pleasure. At least until he spotted the blood on the branches. Next was a little hand on the grass. And a crushed head nearby.

"What the…"

The sounds of fighting became louder with each passing meter. Siegfried was getting closer to the improvised battlefield, but he could barely focus on the upcoming duel. The images of massacred children filled his mind, making his blood boil. It was something he couldn't forget or forgive.

Easy, don't let your anger control you. He took a deep breath to calm down. Turn it into power to defeat your enemies. Just like… that!

With a swing of a sword, powered by mana blast and impetus of the braking vehicle, he destroyed the nearest anemone-like monsters around Arturia. Unfortunately, this strike did not reach Caster, who summoned more of his demonic minions and used them as his shield.

"You're late," Lancer said shortly. She did not stop piercing and smashing the creatures, which kept reappearing instantly. Their regeneration ability was far beyond average. Saber quickly realized, what's the real problem in fighting them. "Maybe we should buy you a cell phone?"

"Sorry." Siegfried was already next to Arturia. With their powers and range combined, no more tentacles could break through. "And it sounds like a good solution, to be honest."

"Who are you?!" To say, that Caster was furious, would be an understatement.

"Lancer, should we tell him? After all, we're the last persons he'll ever see."

"I think he did not deserve it. I won't give my name to a filthy beast."

"Well said."

Two warriors unleashed hell together. The creatures couldn't harm Saber in any way, but he had to be cautious to not get wrapped in too many tentacles and immobilized. It was only a matter of time for them to reach Caster. Also he should run out of his magical energy soon…

It seemed that Arturia was also enjoying this back to back fight. She even dispelled her helmet and parts of armor, probably because of their weight, which may be troublesome for a foot soldier.

"What's with that smirk?" – Siegfried asked, seeing Lancer's face.

"Nothing." She smiled even wider. "You're the only one, who's not commenting on my fighting style today."

"Why should I? Every swordsman can use a spear, more or less efficiently, so I can tell what you can do with this lance. And don't get so cocky, I can use my sword with one hand too. I'm not yet impressed."

"Well said."

The door literally exploded and an elegant man slowly entered the castle.

"I, the ninth head of the Archibald family, Kayneth El-Melloi, have come. Einzbern Mage, let us duel for the Grail with our lives and our honor!"

There was no response to his challenge, so he proceeded through the empty hall. Many traps exploded around him, but they were all stopped by his favorite weapon, Volumen Hydrargyrum.

"You have really fallen so low, Einzbern, to rely on such petty tricks? Very well. This will be an extermination."

Irisviel stared at the castle with a worried expression. Kiritsugu has been left alone to fight with the enemy magus and she really didn't like this idea.

"Madam, please hurry." Maiya, even if she had some doubts, did not show them, reserved as always.

Another electric-like shock came across Irisviel's body, informing her about an intruder, but this time she smiled. Maiya raised an eyebrow, waiting for explanation.

"Saber is here." Iri couldn't hide the fact, that she likes and trust this Servant, probably even more than Arturia. "And he's brought someone with him."

"Good. Now we don't have to worry about Lancer and her condition."

"So it seems. Ugh!" Iri winced, struck by another impulse. "This time…"

"What's wrong, Madam?" Seeing Irisviel's frightened face, Maiya instinctively prepared her weapon.

"The one who's coming is… Kirei Kotomine."

Two women looked at each other in silence, knowing, what has to be done.

Kirei Kotomine, the one enemy Kiritsugu did not want to face, was after him. It was only natural for Irisviel and Maiya to do what they can to stop him.

"His mana…."

"Yes."

"So we should…"

"Yes."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Lancer." Saber chuckled. It was probably the shortest discussion about tactics he has ever had.

To end the battle quickly one of them must use a Noble Phantasm, while the other keeps the tentacles at bay. Siegfried was not very happy about the idea of revealing his identity here and now. He should guard Arturia's back instead, but something deep in the forest disturbed him. It was noisy out there, first he could hear gunshots, and now a dull, heavy sounds, like if someone was trying to knock down a tree with his bare hands.

"Forgive me, Lancer, I have a bad feeling about it." He dematerialized in a great hurry.

"Wait!" Arturia frowned angrily. She would be forced to face Caster and his monsters alone, which would probably lead to nothing. Not to mention, that Saber betrayed her at the crucial moment again...

"Hey, don't worry, Iron Lady." The voice, which echoed between the trees, sounded familiar. "Give the fish-eyed bastard what he deserves, I'll cover you!"

As if to confirm Archer's words, the rain of arrows has fallen at Caster and his little slimy friends. The toxin somehow slowed down their regeneration and even summoning process, but this effect would probably not last for long.

"Go!"

Arturia needed no encouragement. Her lance was already raised to the strike, swirling like a creepy drill, and gathering dark energy into a form of miniature tornado. It was far from the actual power of the weapon, but Lancer suspected, that no more is needed to get rid of this fiend.

"Rhongo-myniad!"

"What?" Caster could say no more, hit by the purple wave of magic. This small blast was enough to wipe him out, along with his partially summoned army of monsters.

Two women could only helplessly look at the falling tree. Kotomine, now free of Iri's magical strings, slowly walked up to Maiya.

"Bastard!" She was still fighting, trying to shoot him, but a strong kick in the throat excluded her from the battle.

Irisviel fell on her knees and shivered, not able to defend herself from what was coming.

"Is that all you can do? Kick defenseless women?"

Unexpected strike of the great sword almost blew Kotomine away. Despite his inhuman reflex and speed, Executor could not dodge this attack on time. Only a sacrifice of one of his Assassins, who took the blow on his unprotected chest, saved Kirei from an immediate death. The masked Servant disappeared in a cloud of blood and mana, literally cut in half.

"S-Saber…" Irisviel was surprised and grateful, but also scared. Siegfried's eyes were shining with a strange, cold light. She didn't expect to see such bloodlust in the gaze of this calm, good-natured warrior. It was obvious, that he would not show mercy to this enemy. This was the look he has for evil monsters.

"Lady Irisviel, forgive me for coming too late. Please take Miss Maiya with you and retreat."

She nodded and did what he said. Saber did not wait and charged at the enemy Master.

How did he break through your guard? Kirei was focused on defense, throwing at Saber one Black Key after another, but this question bothered him too much to just ignore it.

Forgive us, Master. We didn't see him coming.

That was another interesting information, but there was no time to think longer about it, Kirei had a more serious problem. His Black Keys would not stop an enraged Saber class Servant, it was a job for Assassins.

We will secure your retreat, Master, one of them said and a rain of daggers fell down at Saber, forcing him to stop and block them. Should we defeat the enemy or only slow him down?

Kotomine, now relatively safe, quickly considered both options. In this environment Saber was at disadvantage, there were too many possibilities for Assassin to hide, surround him and strike from all possible directions at once.

Try to eliminate him. But withdraw if it's not possible.

Understood.

Kayneth was pursuing Emiya through the empty corridors, bleeding heavily from the wound on his shoulder and activating every single trap on his way. He just couldn't believe that such a scum managed to break through his defense. This insult cannot go unpunished.

He found his opponent at the highest floor and their usual 'battle' began.

"You don't think that the same trick will work twice, do you?" Kayneth smiled viciously, safe and untouched by the bullets behind the curtain of mercury.

Kiritsugu did not answer. He was about to unleash his ultimate attack and take lord El-Melloi down with his Origin Bullet, but something sharp hit his hand. He growled painfully and almost dropped the rifle.

"Hey, Master! I'm taking you away from here." Archer materialized between fighting magi. "Lancer may show up at any moment, let's hurry."

Emiya stepped back, but the enemy Servant clearly had no intention to attack him. Robin only grabbed his surprised Master, when he lowered his Volumen Hydrargyrum, and escaped with him through the broken window. He stopped far away in the forest, beyond the reach of Lancer or her Master.

"Why have you interrupted my duel, Archer!" Kayneth did not look happy at all. He probably did not realize, that his life has just been saved. "I told you to go after Caster!"

"The fight is over," Robin explained simply. "You were in danger, Master. Actually, you still are."

"So you defeated Caster?"

"He was damaged badly and disappeared, so I can't really tell." Archer shrugged. "That Lancer is scary. You should retreat, Master."

"But, fortunately, her Master is an amateur, a small fry, who had just enough luck to scratch me in this round."

Yes, this extremely lucky amateur almost killed you. Robin tried hard to remain silent and even looked away, to not provoke lord El-Melloi any further.

"Master, you should retreat," he only repeated emphatically and checked his weapons, preparing for the next battle.

"Where do you think you're going, Archer?"

"To help Saber. Our plan was to…"

"What?! 'Your plan'?" This short sentence became a trigger to activate all the worst of Kayneth's personality, including his galloping paranoia. "You made a pact with the enemy behind my back? Without my permission?! How dare you decide about such things?!"

"You ordered me to find Master of Saber. It was the best way…"

"Then show me the results! Where's his Master?" Heavy silence was the only answer and it enraged Kayneth even more. "At least tell me that you know, how to defeat him! I'm sure that you're hiding something from me. Maybe you're plotting against me with Saber, huh? 'Rescuing me' forcibly was part of the plan?"

Robin clenched his teeth, cursing his own naiveté and bad luck. Kayneth wasn't a person to reason with right now. Maybe it's because of a blood loss or he just does not know failure and defeat?

"Master, I suggest…" – he tried, really politely, to stop this madness.

"How dare you instruct me?!" He got an attack of mindless fury in response. "Damned Archer class and its Independent Action skill! You asked for it, I'll tell you what kind of plan we're going to follow now! By the power of my Command Spell…"

Archer stepped back, not really sure, how to react.

"Master, please reconsider this!"

"…I, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, order you…"

"Master, I beg you!"

"Oh? You – begging me? Ha, ha, ha! So I hit the spot? You won't have an ally against me and you won't ever hide any information for yourself again. Shut up!" Kayneth clenched his fist and almost hit his Servant, when he tried to interrupt again. "By the power of my Command Spell I order you…"

When he finished, a circle of red light reached Archer and forced him to obey. Having no other choice, the green Servant turned around and ran through the forest, to ambush his prey.

Siegfried held his breath, focused as much as he could, his sword at the level of his eyes, his senses sharpened to the maximum. He was at disadvantage, surrounded by an invisible enemies, but did not intend to give ground.

First daggers came straight to his face, to blind or at least distract him. He blocked them with his metal glove. Although these blades couldn't really hurt Saber, he decided to keep his invulnerability secret as long as possible. Revealing it just like that may provoke Assassin to actively search for his weak point.

Another moment of silence, then a sound of throwing weapons from the right, and a try to stab Siegfried with a short sword from the left. Turn, block, turn, block. Saber was moving mechanically, trusting his skills. The fool, who attacked him openly, quickly regretted this decision, when his severed arm flew into the bushes. The next one, with two strange daggers, fell on the ground just a moment later, with his head crushed by Balmung's hilt.

Some attacks were prepared only to lure Saber into a trap, others to tire him or make him lose focus. Faster, faster, one blow after another. Assassin class Servant, along with an Archer class, is Siegfried's worst nightmare, so he wondered, how much longer he would last.

Then a thin dagger hit his back, just a few centimeters from this cursed mark. It was not an accident. Someone missed the target on purpose. Then all Assassins retreated, leaving Siegfried startled between the trees. It was really strange, like if the enemy has suddenly changed his plans and left a message before departure.

'I could have killed you,' it said.

"Then why you didn't?" – Saber asked, but no one answered.

A long while passed before Siegfried let himself relax a little and lower his sword. The forest was quiet, with no signs of enemy Servants nearby. Maybe even too quiet.

"Saber!"

His eyes widened. He was sure, that he had just heard Illya's voice, but how is it even possible?

And then he understood. It was a barely noticeable feeling, the slightest movement of the air, the distant swish, like a sound of a feather flying with the wind.

An arrow was coming from behind, straight to Saber's back. He cannot dodge it. He cannot block it. He has no time to run or even turn around. It's pointless. It's already too close, it's moving too fast for any reaction.

Whatever he tries to do, he won't make it on time.