Chapter 3

They'd started returning to the hotel room Shirou had paid for after Saber, er, Rider had explained her class change and new abilities, and Shirou had told her more about the end of the 5th War (and they'd gotten Rin's gems). She'd been far more forthcoming with information this time, even explaining that she couldn't dematerialize and telling him who she was far more readily. She'd even told him far more about her abilities than last time.

While ordinarily he would've been happy that she trusted him more, it was somewhat tainted by a bad feeling he couldn't quite identify. It seemed like she was trying to make up for what she saw as her failure in the last war by being more open, but also far more protective. She had sworn to win the Holy Grail this time and protect him, with a look of devotion he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

Her new dedication to his defense was made evident as he was shoved backwards in the middle of their conversation when a familiar came flying towards them. Shirou hadn't known right away it was a familiar, until it looked at him after landing on the grass in front of him and spat out a small slip of paper before flying off. Rider bent down and picked it up, looking at it like it might be a bomb before deciding it was harmless and handing it to Shirou.

All it contained was a simple message saying This morning at noon, Sighisoara, church on the hilltop.

"It's a message from the overseer, I guess." Shirou said in answer to Rider's questioning look. "He wants to meet at a church at 12. It's going to be a bit of a bus ride, so we'll need to leave pretty soon." The trip there would take about an hour.

"I wasn't aware this war would need an overseer. I wouldn't think the church would interfere with a war between magus associations." She replied.

"I'm not really sure. Maybe it's the fact that it's the 'Holy Grail War' and they can't let it pass, or they want more influence over the Association. Either way, it doesn't matter much to us." As Rider nodded Shirou noticed another thing. "Let's just keep going home for now, we've got some time before the meeting. At least enough time for you to get back to the hotel and get some normal clothes, you kinda stand out in that armor."

"Yes, it does stand out a bit." She chuckled. "And unlike my old armor I can't just dismiss the armored parts, cavalry dress is a bit different. I'll use the rooftops to follow you back to the house. We shouldn't draw any unnecessary attention; the whole area could be enemy territory." After walking for a little while longer they got close to the town, and would soon start running into people. Shirou nodded, as Rider lept up onto a building and crouched, attempting to hide on the slanted roofs.

They somehow made it to the hotel without being seen, and Shirou entered the room to find Rider waiting for him, standing in front of an open window. He handed her a bag, that Rin had prepared, before starting to make breakfast while she changed in his room.

She came out a few minutes later, dressed like she had during their first Grail War, and sat down at the table. He hadn't finished cooking yet, but it seemed like she was willing to wait. He eventually finished up, it was a simple breakfast, with sausage and an omelet. He set both their portions down (Rider's omelet and the number of sausages she had being much larger and far outnumbering his own) and said "I know you can actually get prana from me now, but I figured you'd still want something to eat."

"Yes." She replied while inhaling the breakfast. "While my mana levels should be more stable this time, food will help reduce the burden on you, and leave you with more energy if you need to fight. Regular meals will be a valuable strategic asset."

Of course they would, and her love of his cooking had nothing to do with it. They both ate in comfortable silence after that and when they'd both finished he couldn't help but smile slightly as she leaned back with a satisfied look that reminded him of Taiga after she'd finished one of his or Sakura's meals.

…Sakura! He was supposed to call her after the summoning! He shot up so fast he shocked Saber out of her reclining position and went right for his cell phone. He flipped it open and went straight to her number to call her.

Apparently, she'd been waiting, because she answered after it rang once. "Shirou?" she asked.

"Yeah. Everything went fine." He replied. He thought he vaguely heard Tohsaka saying "Yes!" in the background.

"That's great. So what'll you and Saber do now?"

"Well technically it's Rider now, but we've gotta meet with the overseer and rest of the masters at a church at noon, though we've got a bit of a bus ride to get there."

"Oh? So we're both Masters of Riders now. And hopefully the meeting with the other masters goes well, they're all professional mages, right?" That the meeting with the overseer would go better went unstated, a meeting with a dead apostle was likely to be more pleasant than one with Kirie Kotomine.

"Yeah, and it should be fine. I met one of them and he didn't seem bad, even if he did look a little frightening."

"Just be careful anyway. For me."

"I will."

"Well I'll let you go then, it's getting close to ten, and you shouldn't be late with contacting important people." She finished far too sweetly. He could see with frightening clarity the smile that accompanied it, and involuntarily shuddered.

"Yeah, sorry for taking so long to respond. I just got caught up with catching up and getting back." He shouldn't have waited so long, if it was Sakura on the line he'd have spent every moment worrying and pacing. He had genuinely forgotten, but that didn't make it much better.

"It's fine, I'm just happy you're okay. Even if I did wish you'd called a little sooner." She finished with a pout. "If anything goes wrong, call me and I'll send my Rider over on Bellerophon."

"I got it. I'll call again tonight, give you guys an update."

"Okay, stay safe. I love you."

"I will, love you too." He said, before hanging up. He turned to face Rider, and saw her giving him a strange look, it was a strange mix of sadness and happiness. "That was Sakura. I was supposed to call her after your summoning."

That somehow managed to make Rider look even more downcast. "I see…in case I…"

Oh…Shit. "No! It was in case I summoned Archer!"

"Archer? Why would Archer be summoned?" Whatever look she'd had before was replaced with one of pure confusion.

"I'll explain on the way, we really do need to get going." He said looking at the clock.

Rider had taken his explanation better than he'd expected, her first reaction had been to push his hair up and just stare at him for a moment. He'd added a smug smirk and that had gotten a laugh out of her, though she'd made him promise never to act like Archer. They spent the rest of the bus ride there just talking and eventually arrived at Sighisoara. The church was easy to find, being on most of the tour guides, and they made it there after some exploring, with Rider noting that the village reminded her of her own time. The church was large and impressive, with a large staircase leading up the hill. They eventually made it to the top and Shirou stopped for a moment before entering, and turned to the servant next to him.

"Hey, Rider, are you sure you can enter? At Kotomine church you couldn't, and I wouldn't…" He trailed off as he saw the look in her eyes.

"I will be accompanying you inside, Shirou. Had I followed you into the Fuyuki church things would have gone differently, and likely better than they did. Beyond that even though these other masters are our 'allies' I don't fully trust them, allies turn into foes when there's a large enough opportunity." He wanted to argue against her, but couldn't find any strong flaws, and the look in her eyes told him he would need one. After a moment she relented a little and said "After it's been proven safe, if the other masters insist I will wait outside or wherever they designate."

"That's fair." he replied, before turning back to the simple wooden door and opening it. Rider went in first and he quickly followed. The church inside was similar to the one in Fuyuki, though better lit and larger. The rows of wooden pews all lead to an alter at the front of the building, with a few doors off to the side. A large cross hung on the back wall behind the alter, which was plain except for an area on the right corner holding several displays and relics.

"Pardon me, I had other business and didn't hear you enter." A soft voice rang out. Shirou turned to see a man in priest's robes closing a door on the left side that he'd seen earlier, before turning and starting walking towards them. The tan skin and white hair with black and red clothes made him think of Archer, but he quickly dismissed that, there was no way the priest was anything like Rin's former servant. He st

He smiled as he strode toward them, saying "Welcome to The Church on the Hill. I take it you are Shirou Emiya? And this would be your servant, Rider?"

Shirou couldn't stop from glancing at Rider for a second before he replied. The priest shouldn't have known the servants class. Rider hadn't looked toward him, but her eyes had narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Um, yeah. But how did you…"

It seemed he noticed the look as he kept his smile up as he said. "You're the last master to make it the church. Most of the rest arrived over the last few days. Mr. Shishigou and Ms. Rum were in earlier this morning. With your servant, all seven on our side are accounted for. I am the master of-"

"Assassin." A female voice purred from behind him. He took a step back as he spun around to face the woman. Her appearance was regal, with long black hair and a black dress wrapped around her impressive form. Despite being an assassin there was no doubt she was a noble, her entire being spoke of unstated power, that with a single command a man could be killed. Even the frown on her face was more of distaste than actual worry.

The reason for such a frown, despite the prank she'd played a moment ago, was the invisible sword Rider had pressed against her neck. Rider had summoned her armor to match it, and the look in her eyes said she'd barely prevented herself from killing Assassin then and there. "How brutish. I'd hoped we could be more civil to each other, one Queen to another." She said, trying to push the blade away, and failing rather miserably.

"What makes you say I'm a Queen?"

Assassin finally gave up on trying to push the weapon away and took a step back to separate it from her. "There's no need for games dear." She sighed "Even in that armor your royal status shines through. Though you're clearly a warrior queen. One of the amazons, perhaps? Or of another barbarian tribe?"

Rider grit her teeth and started to respond, but the priest cut her off.

"That's enough Assassin." He cut in. He was rubbing his head as though to fight off a potential headache. "As amusing as you may find your games, they're no good if they cost us our allies trust." She glided back over towards him as she muttered an insincere apology. "Though your servants true name would be helpful. I doubt she's Spartacus." He joked.

Shirou looked away in embarrassment for a moment. Before he stopped to consider the request. A servant's true name was important, knowing it told you a servant's powers and weakness. While Rider had no easily exploited weakness from her life, it would still give away all of her powers. The priest was supposed to be an ally, but….

"Shirou."

"Rider?"

"While the decision is yours, I would prefer if you did not tell him."

"…I agree, I'm not sure why but I just can't trust him."

"I understand if you're reluctant, especially given your past with my brother, but I assure you have no bad intentions for you or this war." The priest said quietly. Apparently he'd noticed their hesitation. But that was wiped away by the rest of the sentence. "Brother?" Shirou asked.

"Ah, it seems I forgot to introduce myself. I am Shiro Kotomine, representative of the church for this Holy Grail War."

Shirou couldn't help it as his jaw dropped. It even managed to shock Saber out of her stoic expression. The two looked nothing alike, and even felt nothing alike. There was something off about Shiro, but there was nothing like the sense of raw malice that had radiated off Kirei Kotomine. He eventually managed to get out "Kirei Kotomine is your brother?"

"I'm adopted." He said with a small smile. "But regardless of that your mistrust of my family is well earned. I've heard of my brother and his plans for the Grail War, and actions pursuing it. You may keep your servants name a secret, though I hope you'll continue to work with me throughout the war."

Shirou nodded. He didn't have any solid reason to avoid working with him, but he'd still be keeping one eye on the priest. It wasn't because he was a Kotomine, but instead something else. Shirou couldn't quite figure out what it was, but something about the priest felt off. Rather than Kirei's overt evil, it was better hidden, and harder to identify.

Shiro smiled then said "I'm glad to hear that. I imagine you'll be wanting information on the servants."

"Yeah anything you have would be helpful."

"I believe I left the papers in the office, Assassin would you mind?" Shiro asked turning to Assassin. Assassin vanished in response, and which the priest seemed to take as a yes. He gestured for them to sit in the pews. Shirou took the end of a pew, and Rider took the same spot one row back. Shiro took the end of the row across from them. "We know the parameters of most of the servants thanks to scouting, and we've guessed at one of the identities."

Assassin reappeared behind Shiro in the same row and handed the priest the papers. He handed them to Shirou, who looked through them quickly. The parameters seemed a little low for all the servants except Lancer and Saber, especially compared to the Fifth War, but now that he thought about it most of the servants in that war had been extraordinary. "So what servant have you guessed?"

"There is one servant that will always be summoned to a war in Romania. Vlad III, the Impaler, Romania's greatest hero. We believe he's Lancer due to his incredible stats, and lack of compatibility with the other classes.."

Shirou would be willing to believe it. The only other servant he'd ever seen with similar stats was Berserker. "It'll probably take more than one servant to bring him down, and Saber looks like he's going to be tough to bring down too." That was just looking from their stats, if they had noble phantasms that increased their defense further it would be even more problematic.

"Normally yes, it would. Fortunately, our Lancer and Berserker are truly exceptional, and should be a match for them on their own. Saber, Archer, and Rider on our side are impressive while their Archer and Berserker don't seem to be anything special, though we won't know about Caster and Rider until we get an idea about their Noble Phantasms. Assassin present a whole different set of problems, one to tackle at another time."

"And what of our Assassin? Or our Caster?" Rider asked when it was clear he'd finished.

"I can assure you I'm quite competent, my fellow Queen. Caster is…less so, but he has other abilities to compensate."

"I had thought we were allies, there's no need to be so vague on identities and abilities."

"Rider!" Shirou objected, there was no reason to be so rude to potential allies.

"Assasin!" Shiro similarly cut off Assassin before the argument could escalate any further. "As of right now I am the only one who knows the all the identities of the other servants. Yggdmillenia will be reluctant to attack the churches representative, which is why I have been chosen to help coordinate the masters. The rest of the Red Faction Master's haven't been told the names of all the servants. I intend to reveal them once we've entered Trifas and begun the battle proper. Speaking of Trifas and the battle ahead, I have a request for you, the first actions of the war."

"Oh?"

"Your Rider has truly impressive stats, and Riders are well known as the most flexible class. I would ask that you and Rider go ahead to Trifas to scout. Yggdmillenia's hold over the town isn't complete yet, so you should be safe. Mr. Shishigou has also moved into the town and is waiting there with his servant to provide reinforcements. The rest of our forces will move in in the next few days."

Shirou stopped for a moment to consider it before answering. Scouting would be important and they'd need any information they could get if they wanted to win. Even more so since they'd be assaulting Yggdmillenia's fortress. It all made sense, tactically, but he still couldn't shake a feeling of unease. That there was something he wasn't being told or that he was being misled. He couldn't afford to fail or fall, there was too much depending on him, including Rider. Thinking of Rider, he should at least ask her about it. It was acting foolishly and alone that had gotten both of them killed last time.

"What do you think Rider?"

"We should go."

The bluntness of her reply stunned him, but after a moment he continued.

"You're sure?"

"I am indeed. No matter what threat lies in Trifas, it will not harm you. I swear it, Shirou."

It's not just me I'm worried about. Though he was careful to keep that thought away from her. "We'll do it." He replied to Shiro.

The priest smiled, a genuine one this time, before rising and saying "Excellent. I look forward to fighting together. If you'll excuse me I have some planning to do for the battle."

"Of course. I'll see you in Trifas." He replied, before turning and heading out the double doors. It wasn't until they were all the way down the stairs that he asked Rider "What did you think of that?"

"He's certainly hiding something, though I'm not sure what. That he's related to Kotomine worries me as well."

"Maybe he has his own secret wish? And he's trying to get as much on the other Servants so Assassin can take them or their Masters out? What?" he asked in response to Rider's shocked face.

"I didn't know you could be so…insightful is all." She said smiling slightly. While he was pretty sure she'd meant intelligent he'd let it slide for now. Dinner would simply have smaller portions than normal. "It would explain why he wants us to go to Trifas." She said, turning serious again.

"You think we're walking into a trap too."

"I have no reason for it, but every instinct I have screams of an ulterior motive. If we're going to get attacked by potential allies I'd prefer it be in enemy territory though." That got a raised eyebrow out of Shirou, though before he could say anything Rider started explaining. "If we wait here it that gives them home field advantage, there could be any number of traps set up in the city. In Trifas the third faction adds chaos, and they can't set any traps. There are too many variables, it throws off any complicated plan. And anyone who would summon an Assassin like that will certainly have a detailed plan." Rider's scowl deepened as she sniped at Assassin, which Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at.

It seemed that no matter what Rider's pride would never fully go away.

"At least they left with more dignity than the last two fools, even if her manners were lacking in conversation." Assassin said as she watched the two walk away through Shiro's familiar perched atop the church. "How a brute like that ever became a Queen is beyond me." They'd moved into one of the back rooms, and were observing

"[The lady dost protest too much, me thinks]" A voice boomed as it entered the room. Assassin and Shiro's attention was drawn to the Caster as he blew through the door. He was clad in the apparel of a medieval English gentlemen, the book under his arm helping to complete the image. It was slightly thrown by his wilder hair and beard, though they did serve to add an older sense of class in away. "Though her beauty may be great, yours remains more resplendent, Queen Semiramis. You have naught to worry about." He said with a smile and an exaggerated bow when he reached her.

"Shakespeare. As witty as ever. Did you learn to bow and scrape like that from your own experiences with royalty, or is it just natural for one of your stature?" She shot back.

Ah, my Queen, you wound me. Truly, thou [look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't]"

He was looking at them for some recognition, but all he got was a confused look from Shiro. "I'm sorry, is that from one of your plays?"

That one line seemed to wound Caster more than any Assassin had said to him. He seemed to shrink and slumped while shaking his head. "Oh, Master how can it be one lives in this age yet does not know of one of my greatest works? You must read this!" He said as he thrust the book at Shiro.

Shiro took the book, The Works of William Shakespeare, and looked at it for a second before setting it down. Apparently Shakespeare had been to a book store. "If I find the time." He replied. "And I believe her proper title is King, Assassin."

"King? Trust me, Master, that was certainly a woman."

"Yes, indeed she was." Shiro's smile grew a bit wider at that, as though that fact revealed something to him.

"Then would not Queen be the proper title? Unless the Grail summoned her as the wrong gender."

"The gender is correct, it is history in this case that is wrong. Though even I must admit the idea that King Arthur was a woman is truly surprising." Shiro mused.

"King Arthur?" Semiramis stuttered out "That was King Arthur?"

"It was. And her identity helped me confirm that of another servant." Shirou confirmed. He reached for a piece of paper on his desk before generating her stat sheet.

Semiramis immediately studied it and began looking everything over, but Shakespeare seemed to have not even noticed.

"King Arthur as woman? Yes, yes, that could work. Hiding it from her knights and kingdom, the dramatic tension should she ever be discovered. A marriage to another woman, and the eventual fall of that loveless marriage. Guinevere and Lancelot's betrayal, the knights turning on her after learning of her true gender! It would be a tragedy for the ages!" He said as he began pacing the room.

"…I doubt that's how it happened." Shiro felt obligated to point out.

Shakespeare brushed him off with a wave. "Creative liberties, my master. The truth is often too boring, in order to make the story resonate sometimes you must change things a little, add dramatic elements to ensure proper flow and tension."

"If you say so…" He was the famous author after all.

"You said you also found out the name of another servant." Semiramis cut in. Not that Shakespeare noticed, the author had grabbed a pen and paper and begun writing madly.

"Yes. The identity of our own Saber of the Red. I believe her identity is Mordred." That caused Semiramis' eyebrow to shoot up, and made Shakespeare squeal in delight and stop writing.

"You're certain? I thought your abilities didn't apply to Saber?" Assassin asked.

That was true, one of her Noble Phantasms seemed to have the ability to prevent him from discerning her name or stats. He did have a few clues though, that she would be a Knight of the Round and that she would have an ability to hide her identity at all. The clue that tied it all together, however, was much simpler than any of that.

"When I delivered the note to Mr. Shishigou I got a glimpse of her unmasked for a second. Not long enough to discern anything, but long enough to see her face. And she looked exactly like Rider. Add on that she's a Knight of the Round Table and her ability to hide her identity and there's only one person who fits that bill. The son of King Arthur, Mordred."

"What a twist! That father and son who'd slain each other would appear again to fight once more! An early plot to add to your story, at the very least." The Servant seemed to realize something before becoming despondent. "But which story to write? The Tale of Arthuria or of the Great Grail War?"

Assassin was more focused on the matters at hand. "They'll never work together. The moment Mordred sees Arthur she'll attack her. An attack she'll think we planned, seeing as you've sent them both to the same town."

"On your advice." Shiro replied casually

"Yes, because I thought it would get the boy killed! Now we're going to lose two servants instead of gaining one!"

"So that was your plan. Get him killed and then hope his servant comes running back to us."

"She never would've joined us willingly." Semiramis almost pouted. "I've seen her type in royal courts. She's like a bodyguard in love with a charge above her station, desperate to keep him all to herself lest he be taken by another. She won't let anyone near him, not voluntarily. But if he dies, then that devotion can be used. She'll do anything to defeat the one who killed her Master. Offer her the ability to revive him on the Grail, and she'll willingly join us. Of course, none of that matters if one of our own 'allies' kills him!"

"There's still a better chance that one of the Black Masters kills him." Shiro pointed out in reply. "And he doesn't know that we know who his servant is, we couldn't have predicted that conflict."

"But your still sent him into it." Semiramis pointed out. "If you knew then why?"

"Hopefully history will repeat itself. Arthur slew Mordred once, I have no doubt she'll do it again. Shishigou is an experienced mercenary, and should triumph over Emiya. And then Rider will end him. The master still falls, and as you said the servant will come back to us. We also remove a potential complication in Shishigou" He didn't need Assassin to point out how desperate Rider had been. The look of desperation in Rider's eyes was one that he was intimately familiar with. He felt bad about exploiting it, but he wouldn't be telling any lie. He would let her revive her master, and then save them all.

There was a slight misgiving there though. Something about Emiya that didn't quite fit, for some reason when he'd walked in Shiro had almost expected to see a status screen hovering near the servant. There was something odd about him, and that worried Shiro. It was the same reason he'd chosen Arthur over Mordred; the more stable outcome was preferred. Shishigou's loss was sad, but ultimately it would just be another soul on his conscience. Not everyone could be saved, not by normal means.

"[Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.]" Shakespeare cut in. At Semiramis' glare he balked a little but went on. "Truly it is a worthy opening aside for the greatest story."

"Yes…your greatest story. Do try to keep out of too much trouble, Caster, it wouldn't do well for the story to end because of a complication you'd created."

"If you insist, my master." Shakespeare said sadly, before perking up. "It'll leave me with enough time to write this." He finished as he moved to the door, waving what looked like an outline. "A new tale of King Arthur."

"Your other tale won't be lacking either, there can be no greater battle for you than between the Seven Servents of Black and Red."

"I shall look forward to it then." He replied as he began to exit.

"Caster." Assassin cut in "What did you come in here for in the first place?"

"Ah, yes. Berserker has left to scout the Black camp."

"What!?" She shouted, but the Caster class Servant had already left. "I have no doubt he had something to do with that."

Shiro laughed quietly at that. "Would you mind finding Archer and asking her to follow and prevent him from starting things early? He seems to listen to her, more than to me at least."

"I can have my familiars find her and inform her. It'll only be a few more days before my Noble Phantasm is ready, shall we have them simply wait there?"

He considered that for a moment before nodding his agreement. "With Berserkers speed, it'll make it easier to recover Rider. And they'll keep some pressure on the Blacks, I doubt they have the servants to match either of them. Not without drawing in Red Saber or Rider."

"I'll see to it then, Master." She said with a smile as she exited the room.

Once she had left he couldn't help but sit for a moment. Despite some unexpected surprises things were mostly moving as he'd hoped. With any luck in a few days he'd have an undefeatable team of King Arthur, Karna, and Achilles, and with them, the means to accomplish his wish.

I own nothing.

AN: I swear the Black Servants will show up at some point. Probably next chapter as other parts start moving, including parts with Ruler and a certain Homunculus. Everything has gone pretty much the same for them so far, and so they haven't been mentioned yet. Those parts are so important that I can't leave them out without damaging the story, so sorry if you've already read through it. I'll try to make it exciting though.

On this chapter the Shirou and Saber parts were a little bittersweet, knowing how things ended for them in Heaven's Feel. Shiro Kotomine has a difficult voice to get, he's doing terrible things for good reasons. I also had to make a few assumptions about how the familars and his identification powers work together. The idea I went with is that it takes more time and effort if he's viewing a servant by familar, which is why he didn't do it at the beginning to Mordred when he sees her without her helmet early in the story. In the main story it backfires slightly, but he gets some help with identifying her here from Artoria. Shakespeare's just fun to write, finding grandiose ways to say almost everything. Finally, on a more technical note, Shirou with a u is Emiya, and Shiro is Kotomine, that's how it will always be within this story, I've found it's the easiest way to curb confusion with having two characters with the same name.

With regard to Artoria, and questions on her. Artoria is still the same Saber Shirou always summons, just with different clothes and in a different class. I'll post a full stat sheet for her after this note, with notes on her NPs and stat changes. Achilles will get a shiny new sheet for his berserker class after next chapter.

Update: so after looking at the reviews I realized I'd made two mistakes, and given the fact that chapters can get delayed I figured I would update this one. I forgot Sakura had used all her command seals, the line was meant to be a quick one showing how they cared about each other, I wasn't thinking about her command seal count. I've fixed the line so she now says Rider will go by Noble Phantasm. The error with Rhongomyniad can be put on power creep. I remembered an interview saying that Rhon and Excalibur were about even in power, then checked Artoria Lancer's page and saw it listed as A++ and went with it. I'm going to leave it with a lowered rank, and I've added the reason why down below. The next chapter will hopefully be out soon. See ya then.

Artoria Pendragon, Knight-King of the Round Table

STR: B+

END: B

AGL: B++

MGI: B

LCK: A

NP: A++

NP:

Excalibur, The Sword of Promised Victory: A++

Rhongomyniad, The Spear that Shines to the Ends of the Earth: A++

Invisible Air: C

An impossible summon, under normal circumstances. The legend of 'King Arthur' is so tied to that of Excalibur that summoning her as anything other than Saber is normally almost impossible. If the Saber class was filled and a fragment of the Round Table was used it would summon a different knight who could fill that role. If you did find a catalyst linked to specifically to her, with that class filled it would pull one from another dimension with the necessary requirements. An Artoria who had used primarily Rhongomyniad as a Lancer or one who never took up the Sword of Selection that instead became a female knight as a Rider. No matter who appeared it would not be one who became King Arthur. As a result of Shirou's call specifically to her, her own state of mind, and the bond between them the summon has become possible though.

What has been summoned is still not 'King Arthur', nor is it the King who wished to save her kingdom. It is instead an Artoria who is devoted to acting as a Knight and protecting her Master. Her kingly goal of saving Britain is second to ensuring her Masters safety and victory. That that Master is Shirou has only heightened her resolve. Even her title has changed to reflect this, with the idea of being King only an afterthought, the word could easily be removed without changing much.

Artoria's stats have gone through many changes, despite seeming the same. They are slightly lower as Rider to start with, and while Shirou is stronger as a mage he cannot fully support her, he simply lacks the circuit count and quality to do so. He cannot pass her prana at the necessary rate to sustain combat at maximum level without leaving himself completely open. His improvement and her own slight fame boost in Europe have contributed to boosts in her stats above what he summoned her as in the Fifth Grail War, leaving her with mostly B class stats rather than Cs. When mounted on Dun Stallion she gains further boosts to Agility, and her strength increases along with it from the increased speed. As those increases would exist regardless of her masters ability, summoning Artoria in the Rider class is almost preferable for those with lower prana levels. As a Rider Artoria also has access to multiple Noble Phantasms, though she is limited in this state to what she had on The Hill: Excalibur, Rhongomyniad, and Invisible Air. Her horse, Dun Stallion, is always waiting and can be summoned with a thought from her.

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: C+

Artoria's magic resistance has dropped slightly in the Rider class, though not as far as it might seem. Her base value represents her passive resistance, and allows for nullification of spells of two bars or less. When using prana burst it is effectively slightly higher, as all attacks that hit her are disrupted by the outpouring of prana. She also seems to have gained a technique to temporarily release a massive amount of prana to form a shield, one that dissipates and disperses damage from any magecraft, though she dislikes the technique.

Riding: A+

A uselessly high rank in Riding. Artoria's riding skill is sufficient to ride phantasmal beasts and divine mounts, but as a knight she rides only her horse, rendering the skills high level almost pointless. Dun Stallion is her most trusted mount, and can be summoned when or wherever she wants though. She can also intuitively pilot any vehicle she encounters.

Personal Skills:

Prana Burst: A

A skill that remains mostly unchanged. Dun Stallion is hardy enough to withstand enhancement from it, and Artoria is skilled enough to enhance him in order to make him even faster and stronger. She has also learned a higher cost variant, a type of Prana Flare that provides defense for a moment from most ranged attacks and some weaker melee ones.

Charisma: B

Instinct: A

Noble Phantasms:

Invisible Air: C

A Noble Phantasm that can conceal a weapon in Wind. While she primarily uses it to conceal Excalibur she can also apply it to Rhongomyniad to hide its appearance, though it is less likely to be recognized on sight, as her identity is not as strongly tied to the lance. It can also be released in burst to attack opponents directly, launch Artoria at them in a high speed charge, or blow them away. It can be extended as a kind of shield to her mount, as well, though its offensive and defensive capabilities are greatly reduced the larger the area it has to cover.

Excalibur, The Sword of Promised Victory: A++

The greatest holy sword, a crystallization of the wishes of mankind. It is Artoria's primary and most familiar weapon. She keeps it hidden with Invisible Air when not releasing it, as any who see it know its name and hers. When its name is called it gathers and amplifies the users prana, before releasing in a burst that cannot be stopped or matched, save by a few of the most powerful Noble Phantasms. It can be considered one of the strongest Noble Phantasms, matched by only a select few others.

Rhongomyniad, The Spear that Shines to the Ends of the Earth: A++

The spear that is a shadow of the pillar holding the world in balance. In its current state its power is greatly weakened, as thirteen seals bind it to protect the wielder from its influence. Artoria's rejection of the spear and its influence mean thay she can't use its true power and its rank is reduced as a result. Using it for extended periods with it unsealed begins to warp the wield into ta Divine Spirit, the Goddess Rhongomyniad, eventually destroying the hosts personality and goals. In its sealed form it barely qualifies as a Noble Phantasm, only having the passive ability to ignore defenses, but when fully unsealed it would be a match for any of the greatest Noble Phantasms. The more seals that are released the stronger the lance grows, and when over half are released its true name and a glimpse of its true power can be seen. As it is a lance rather than a spear it performs better when Artoria is riding Dun Stallion, rather than on foot.