"Woah! What's with all the weird vibes all of a sudden?" Outside, Rika's head shot up. Beside her, Saori also looked worried. She wasn't able to sense whatever it was that Rika was sensing, but she had enough sense to trust Rika's. She checked her phone. No distress call yet, but…
"Should we go in now, or wait?"
Rika turned to her in surprise. "Wow, Saori, looks like you're just as excited as me to get this show on the road!" She started smiling smugly.
"What? No! It's not like that!" Saori slapped Rika's arm lightly. It's Waver… They may not have known one another well, but Saori could sense a kindred spirit in him just as Rika did with Rider. Waver reminded Saori of a younger version of herself, and not just because he was a high schooler while she was in college.
He's insecure and has low esteem, like me, and he expresses it by being guarded and bitter. He won't allow himself to rely on anyone, because he doesn't think they'll be there for him when he needs it most. He doesn't think he deserves it; he doesn't think anyone would ever want to help him… It felt like looking in a mirror, and Saori wanted to look away, but she knew that it would only do more harm than good, so she forced herself to look again. He won't allow himself to rely on anyone…
It was exactly as Rider cautioned Waver earlier. On this mission, being able to rely on one another was critical. If Waver couldn't do that, then they would all fail. And because Saori knew Waver in the same way she knew her past self, she knew Waver wouldn't rely on anyone until the very last possible second. By then, it would be too late. They had to go, now! They couldn't afford to wait for a distress call!
"C'mon!" She burst out from behind her tree and went sprinting towards the warehouse.
"Huh? Saori! Wait!" Rika scrambled down from perch, shaking her head. What had gotten into Saori? But, Rika couldn't deny a surge of excitement at finally getting to go see the action up close and personal, so she decided that she didn't mind Saori's uncharacteristic burst of energy. If anything, it only emboldened Rika to match pace and do the same!
But even after they made it into the warehouse, the action did not start right away. It was never any of their intentions to put Saori and Rika on the frontlines. Instead, they were supposed to assume that Waver and Rider got caught sneaking around, meaning it was up to them to finish the job of finding and destroying Kayneth's invention. With any luck, Kayneth would keep his full, undivided attention on Waver and Rider rather than his machine, since he would never assume that Waver and Rider enlisted backup. But Rika and Saori still had to move fast!
They raced through the warehouse, the sounds of battle rising and falling in the distance. If there was one advantage to Waver and Rider being caught in the middle of a fight, Rika and Saori exactly where everyone was at all times.
"I'd imagine he built this warehouse specifically to build and test the device, meaning he knew this place would eventually become a battleground. If I were to build a battleground, I'd want to store my device as far away from the actual fight as possible!" Rika cried. Because of how loud the fighting was, there was no danger in her being too loud.
Once again, Rika's quick insight surprised Saori, but she was relieved to hear that they would be moving away from the battle rather than towards it. She was regretful, leaving Waver alone to deal with Kayneth, but she knew she had to trust him and Rider in the same way they needed to trust her and Rika. At last, they found a room on one of the higher floors, on a part of the building that branched off from the main section.
"Is this it?" Rika whispered excitedly as she pushed open a door to see a large, black, metal cylinder sitting in the center of the room. The only colors on it were silver patterns that ran up and down the body of the device, pulsing and glowing faintly through the dark, like veins.
"The only question is, how do we destroy it?" Saori fretted. At first, she was overjoyed that they managed to find the device with such ease, but the realization that they didn't have a way to actually destroy the thing made her heart sink again.
Rika only hesitated for a moment. Then she decided, "We need Waver!"
"What? But he and Rider—"
"Look, Saori, this is a magical device, right?" Rika asked, but she didn't wait for an answer. "So, we need Waver's help to dismantle it!"
"But he and Rider…" Saori repeated.
"Yeah, it'll be hard to get him alone," Rika admitted. "But…" Neither of them had any other ideas, and every second they dallied was another second Rider and Waver expended their energy trying to protect them.
Saori's face suddenly became hard and determined as the gravity of their situation fully sunk in. "All right," she decided. "Let's do it!"
"That's my girl," Rika grinned and held out a fist. Saori rolled her eyes but she fist-bumped Rika anyway, then they went darting back out of the secret room, the device still flashing behind them.
It wasn't anywhere near as hard to find Waver as it had been to find the device. After all, all Rika and Saori needed to do was follow the sounds of battle back to the heart of the warehouse. Sure enough, Rider and Lancer were still duking it out. To his credit, Rider held his own against Lancer very well. It wasn't as if Kayneth's device had totally warped his mind away from Waver, but his movements were clumsier and slower than normal, and he wasn't responding to anything Waver said. It was only a matter of time before Lancer would overpower him.
In fact, the reason it was taking so long at all was because Kayneth was dragging it out. So assured was he in his victory that he wanted to savor every single second of it, commanding Lancer to stay on the defensive and toy with Rider until he grew bored. With Lancer as a far more obedient Servant than Rider, he complied silently and made no move to end the battle quickly. It worked in Saori and Rika's favor because it gave them enough time to sneak around and position themselves in such a way that Waver could see them, but no one else could.
Waver caught sight of the bright orange pigtails, and the girl attached to them, waving her arms excitedly at him. His eyes and mouth opened in anger, horror, and disbelief, but luckily for him, Kayneth mistook it as anger at the battle rather than Rika's surprise arrival onto the scene.
What are THEY doing here?! I didn't call them yet! Did Rider?! Waver clenched his teeth, and then he spotted purple hair popping up beside the orange pigtails. Saori's expression was much more pleading and earnest than Rika's.
C'mon, Waver, please! I know you're probably not happy to see us, but… Trust us!
Waver bit his lip to conceal a snarl, but after several seconds of deliberation, he started to slink away.
"Leaving so soon?" Kayneth taunted. "I haven't dismissed class yet! I still have to teach you a lesson on knowing your place!"
It took everything Waver had not to try to tackle Kayneth right then and there, or at least shout a few insults of his own, but he managed to restrain himself and keep on running, ignoring Kayneth's vicious barbs.
"What are you two doing?!" Waver snapped as soon as he was close enough to Saori and Rika that they could hear him.
"We found the device, but we need your help destroying it!" Rika replied. "I'll take your place while you go with Saori!"
"WHAT?!" Both Waver and Saori squawked. Hold on, since when was THAT part of the plan?!
"Listen, I know I'm no Master, or whatever, but you said that Rider draws strength from whoever's helping him fight, right?" Rika asked eagerly. "I can totally do that for you, right? Just set me up with Rider and I'll give him all my strength!" She flexed to show off her muscles. "I also took self-defense classes from one of my friends. She's got a black belt in karate, so I can totally throw a punch if push comes to shove!"
"That's—!" Waver didn't even know where to start with that one! Rika was running him ragged with her crazy ideas!
"Listen, Waver, please!" Rika clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, growing serious. "Saori needs you. Rider needs you. This is the best way you can help them now! I know it sounds crazy, but please, do it for all of us! I need you, too. I need you to do this, and help us save the day!"
Waver opened his mouth again, so many protests rising in his throat, but suddenly his throat was blocked, and all he could do was stare into Rika's wide, earnest eyes. They needed him. They needed him. They needed him. And as Saori noted earlier, every second they dallied was another second Rider expended his energy trying to protect them. Waver's face was suddenly set in grim determination, and he nodded once before turning to Saori. Unlike him, she still looked terrified and uncertain, swing her head back and forth between him and Rika.
"You can't be serious!" she squeaked, but she already knew the answer.
"Don't worry, Saori, I'll be ok, I promise. We still have a concert once we get back home. I ain't dying before that!" Rika gave Saori a lopsided grin. Saori shook her head, but she flung her arms around Rika in one last hug before taking Waver's hand and leading him away.
Rika watched them go with a pained smile. Take care of her, Waver. I promise I'll take care of Rider!
As soon as Saori and Waver reached the room with Kayneth's device, Waver fell to his knees before it and immediately got to work.
"Trace… on!" He reached out his hands and closed his eyes, picturing the electricity and magic surging through the machine like blood surging through veins. Using his mind, he tried to stop the machine from the inside out.
Saori could only watch in silent awe as the glowing and pulsing of the machine started to respond to Waver. As he moved his hands this way and that, the light seemed to mirror his movements, and then it began flickering in and out as if it was dying. Saori barely even dared to breathe as she watched Waver work. She longed to ask him what exactly he was doing, but she refused to risk his concentration.
Is this what I looked like when I DJed back in high school? There was only one thing that could make Saori smile in those days, and that was music. Obviously, magic was not the same as DJing, but the concentration in Waver's eyes, and the confidence with which he moved was familiar to Saori. They used to call me Sour, Sorry Saori because of how grumpy I was, and because I apologized too much. Music was the only thing that made me feel like anything better…
At last, the machine sputtered and crackled, and the lights died. Saori gasped quietly as Waver sat back, breathing hard.
"Did… Did… Did you do it?" Saori asked tentatively.
"No," Waver admitted, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I got most of it, but I can still feel something radiating from it…"
A wave of despair rose up in Saori's chest while Waver cursed under his breath. What was he still missing?!
What would Rika do? Saori knew she was desperate when she dared ask that question. At the same time, her heart twisted. Rika… She was still out there on the battlefield, fighting for all of their sakes. If Saori and Waver failed now… Saori didn't even want to think about it. She clenched her fists and teeth, and beside her, Waver did the same. He looked seconds away from punching the machine, as if that would do any—
Wait. Of course. Why didn't I think of it before? The truth was, they had, but at the time, it seemed impossible. But with a new idea in mind…? Saori quickly scooted closer to the machine.
"I have an idea, and it's a crazy one, but it just might work…" She pulled out her phone, not to make a call, but to open up the music app. There might not have been any other machinery in that particular room, but the warehouse was massive, and Kayneth surely had other spare parts for more machinery lying around. If Saori could find something that could be "remolded" into a giant speaker…
"Are you insane?!" Waver croaked. So, Saori has crazy ideas too? I thought she was supposed to be the sane one compared to Rika!
"Probably," Saori gave him a weak smile. I DID ask what Rika would do in my place, after all. But just as before, it was the best idea she had.
