EDIT: "Of what do you speak of, ?" I hear some of you asking. Well, you aren't actually asking that since I've given you no reason to, but if you were, then I could tell you that it's basically because I just recently built a new PC and it's working amazingly. Because of my upgrade, I'm now more capable of multitasking my editing and procrastination. Three cheers for Berix!

Thank you very much to "Doubleblade Miriko" for pointing out that my time-skips and scene progression marks weren't showing up properly. Shame on all of you who didn't let me know before him! This is why we write reviews! Anyhow, that same person left a very nice review and since it's the first in-depth one I've received I'd like to extend a public thanks. This took a little bit longer than I wanted it to due to Uni tests, so I hope I didn't keep any of you waiting too long.

If I get more reviews, I might start selecting one or two at random to be featured in pre or post notes, so give me some so I can let people know of your kind words!


He was a woman, or she was a woman. The "King" of Britain was a woman. The thought was so preposterous Kiritsugu had to leave and calm down lest he question the validity of all of history. Beyond the confusion regarding gender, he had actually been impressed. From what he could tell, Saber was a top-tier servant with all of her stats of rank A or above. The only thing she lacked, was any luck. When he found out, Kiritsugu almost laughed in her face. Of course he, one of the most unlucky people on Earth, would be stuck with a servant equally as fated for misfortune. D rank luck, how miserable. Beggars couldn't be choosers however. He would only lose his servant if the other masters summoned Heracles or any of the other gods or demigods. Achilles, Artemis, Karna, Arjuna, Merlin, Vlad the Impaler or… Hm, he was forgetting someone important, wasn't he? But speculation was useless in a time like this. She would fight whoever stood in her way. The only question was if she would win.

"Master?" Came a light but commanding voice from behind him. Kiritsugu was standing on the edge of a stone balcony which connected into a large guest seating area within the castle. The balcony joined two towers of the castle and made the wall flush with the edge of each tower. As he turned, she came into sight. Golden hair tied into a bun that seemed to glitter in the moonlight. Piercing, stern green eyes that held within them a fiery stubbornness and incredible resolve which contrasted a soft but pronounce face displaying young innocent beauty. Her body was quite thin but the way she carried herself in plated armour made it seem as if steel were as light as paper. There were many things juxtaposing with this servant in appearances alone and personally Kiritsugu didn't want to experience any more.

"Saber." He acknowledged, wishing he had something to do with his hands - smoke preferably.

"Irisviel has informed me of your plans for this war." She began with a cold, impersonal voice.

This was it, wasn't it? Where she rebels against him and cuts off his head with that invisible sword of hers. He hadn't expected it so soon. Perhaps later in the war when he detonated the explosives in the church or murdered the other masters in cold blood - but his war hadn't even began and already she was abo-

"I must confess, I had not expected my master to be as skilled as you are in tactics. With your planning, we will surely be able to claim the Grail together." She said with a smile, raising an arm and clenching a fist in front of her face. Her arm lowered once the dramatic effect had served its purpose.

What.

Well, at least he wouldn't have to make a display of his skills learned while training with Maeve. Not yet anyway. His face softened slightly and his shoulders relaxed. "That means a lot coming from the 'King Who Never Lost.'" He replied, turning away from her and leaning over the stone balustrade. Behind her, the king in question shook her head.

"You confuse me for another. The 'King Who Never Lost' would be Alexander the Great. According to your history recordings, I would be 'The One, True King of the Britons.'" She corrected, smirking at the man's slight slip up. Mistakes revealed one's humanity - which was ironic in her case.

He was silent for a while, simply gazing out into the darkness covered forest before he ducked his head down and straightened his body. "Why?" Was all he asked, not even turning to face her. His hands sat open on the frosted stone ahead of him, going red from the cold.

Even though the question was vague, Saber understood its underlying message perfectly. "I had thought this conversation would wait until we were better acquainted with one another. However if the answer will clear your mind for the coming fight - I am willing to provide it." She paused, slowly moving towards the balustrade at a point somewhere to Kiritsugu's left. As she ran her hand along the snow-layered surface, he occasionally glanced at her. For the True King of all Britain, she was almost like a child sometimes with her naivete. "It is a lengthy story, but I will provide the necessary details to clarify my predicament." She began, unwinding the tale of Arturia Pendragon. Kiritsugu was listening so intently, that he hadn't noticed the rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon.

When he re-entered the castle, he could almost declare himself an expert on Arthurian history and legend. Although condensed and without the personal exploits of King Arthur herself, It had still been an epic tale. She recited some of the more well known facts humanity had managed to hold onto, as well as provided some smaller details that had been lost in time. Never once had he found himself bored or disinterested though. Through the trails, the friendships and the rivalries he was almost entertained - if not saddened deeply by the hardship a small girl was forced into. If Merlin were here, Kiritsugu would try to kill him - before being turned into a mushroom or something. The sheet magical potential of Merlin recalled by Saber was staggering. Maybe Kiritsugu was just getting too soft. Already he was growing too attached to a girl that was little more than a tool he would use to grant his wish. Chances were, she would end up despising his existence by the end of this war - but that was something he could live with.

A warm sensation around his hand caught him off guard. Iri was there beside him, smiling with closed eyes as she tugged him to take a right turn rather than a left when the hallway went into a T. The left headed towards his office. The right, their bedroom. He had planned on working but obviously, his wife held a differing opinion.

"You've been awake for thirty-eight hours, you should get some rest. Illya can play with her soon-to-be new friend while you sleep. Can we forget about the Grail for three days?" She comforted, having to half-drag, half-convince her husband to take care of himself. As they pushed the door to their room open, he suddenly found himself rather heavy and the bed rather comfortable.

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Assassin - or who he assumed to be Assassin for various reasons - exploded violently as an array of golden weaponry obliterated him and the surrounding area. Through a camera attached to a mind-controlled bat, Kiritsugu had been watching. Making a familiar was far easier than this but would be easily detectable. This technique of mind-control would be nigh impossible to detect. Kiritsugu snorted in amusement when the scene had ended. In his mind he replayed it, trying to find the missed nuances.

Assassin had crept up like a mouse, made some acrobatics like he was a secret agent breaking into a bank vault guarded with laser beams, then exploded (for lack of a better term). Some golden prince on top of the Tohsaka manor had been the cause of it, spouting nonsense Kiritsugu couldn't decipher through lip-reading. This entire play Tokiomi and Kirei were conducting was almost laughable. There were so many holes in the plot that anyone with enough deduction skill could see through it - even if they hadn't known that Kirei and Tokiomi were in cahoots.

For starters, Assassin was called Assassin because their main premise was stealth. The overwhelming majority of Assassin's held a varying level of a skill called Presence Concealment. This skill, masks the presence (imagine that) of a servant from both master and servant. So as long as the Assassin is not within direct line of sight of a mage or servant they would, for all intents and purposes, be rendered invisible. Unless the golden prince was vigilantly watching the perimeter, Assassin would have never been noticed. But if golden boy had been watching the perimeter, Assassin would have recognized the threat and never have advanced in the first place.

The second hole in their play was the fact that multiple familiars had watched the battle - but not been detected. If Kiritsugu who was miles away could detect familiars around the area from the camera on his bat - a mage as skilled as Tokiomi Tohsaka would have as well. They had wanted onlookers, they wanted to keep up a guise that Assassin had been eliminated by Tokiomi in the first few days of the war. It would play into their hand well. Assassin could be more effective if nobody ever even though they were alive - let alone able to strike from behind.

Finally, the most glaring hole in their charade. No servant would lay down and die as easy as that Assassin had. Standing in place as the golden prince ranted - most likely - about their superiority? And then not even budge an inch as the first weapon flew out? Stupider things had happened, but it was unlikely. Either Assassin had some sort of time-altering noble phantasm similar to his own, had a teleportation type phantasm which would border on true magic or the most simple, but equally strange option; multiple copies.

Each had equal opportunities, none of them mattered. The main takeaway, was that Kirei Kotomine was feigning his defeat in the Grail War. Which meant he was heading to the church. When Kiritsugu wasn't sure. He would give it a day to make sure the fake priest was inside. Then, his plan would come together and the war would be one step closer to victory. One very large step - he might add. Kiritsugu lowered his binoculars before turning his head to peer back at Maiya. It had only been eight days since Saber was summoned, four of those days had been in Fuyuki. Saber was summoned early specifically so that Kiritsugu could test his abilities while having the drain of a servant. They were disappointing but manageable. He hoped that the large drain on his mana stocks was simply due to the summoning ritual, but he wasn't counting on being any stronger. He had come early to Fuyuki to get a head start on scouting as well as re-familiarize himself with the fine details of both sides of the city. It also served as another test to his magecraft. With such a great distance between Saber and himself, the drain amplified and he could actually feel the steady flow maintaining her body. Kiritsugu reasoned that this would be similar to the drain Saber would take when she was in combat.

Maiya was statue-still, kneeling on the concrete roof of the hotel with sniper in hand. She was using the scope to watch a small house. They discovered it held one Waver Velvet in a freak accident. Since Kiritsugu had come early, they ran out of food. As such, they had to go gather more from a fast food joint down the street from one of their rented hotels. As Kiritsugu could conceal his master-status with runecraft now, journeying around the city and acting as a commoner was possible. So he demanded they get food from a special mom-and-pop food stand he claimed had the best takeout in Fuyuki. Even though he was only an "advanced novice", runecraft opened up quite a few neat tricks. Besides reinforcing the durability and defensive power of his attire he could also perform basic bindings and even traps with some time. The only problem was that it had to be inscribed on a medium. Maeve had warned him that grafting runes into his skin was possible theoretically but would end like most instances of the past: Gruesome death. Or insanity, whichever came first.

As they were walking to recover their takeout, loud careless clangs of someone beating down steel attracted the pair towards a library. They discovered a true giant of a man and a whelp of a foreigner shouting furious English at the larger man. Both Magus Killer and assistant were quick to notice the command seals and when Kiritsugu got a better angle of the master he was able to identify it as Waver Velvet.

They may have killed him then if either of them had weaponry or a servant of their own. For now, they agreed to just keep an eye on the boy. He could prove useful in the future as bait for Kayneth.

"Still hasn't left?" He asked over the light breeze of the night.

"Negative. Target has remained indoors for the past seven hours." Maiya replied, casually adjusting the scope on the sight as the wind slightly turned.

Kiritsugu moved beside her, kneeling on the cold concrete while taking the rifle out of her hands. "You should get some sleep, I'll take over." He commanded, peering into the rife sight and targeting the silhouette in the window.

"Yes, sir. Do you wish for me to meet with Irisviel and Saber when they arrive later today?" She questioned, getting silence as an answer while Kiritsugu adjusted to be more comfortable.

"Negative. Tomorrow you should investigate potential hideouts of the other masters. We'll want to find Kayneth El-Melloi. If personality descriptions are anything to go off of, look through the luxury buildings of the Shinto area." He ordered, listening to her steps as she exited the roof and returned to their room.

He lifted his head from the rifle to briefly check his watch. 2:35 in the morning. Only a few more hours until daybreak. Nestling his head back on the cheek pad, he closed one eye to get a better view through the scope.

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The sound of waves.

Crashing against an endless beach of pure white sand, was an ocean that seemed to stretch to the end of the Earth. In the sky, fluffy white clouds which partly concealed a sunset. Rays of sun glittered over the waves of the ocean like a scene straight out of an art museum. Kiritsugu turned and marvelled at the sky split in two. One half, the brilliant reds, oranges and purples of a sunset and the other half, a pitch black night sky with sparkling stars and dazzling moonglow. An impossibly straight line split these two parts straight up from somewhere deeper into the land away from the ocean. Even though half the sky was dark, the land below was illuminated as if it were midday, another confusing element.

Away from the endless ocean, was a golden field of wheat, as well as a virgin meadow of grass and coloured flowers. As a sea breeze blew across Kiritsugu's back, he felt at ease by the scents alone. Fresh, tropical salty air, the light bread-like scent of cereal grains alongside the smell of freshly mown grass and sweet blooming flowers. The scents of a perfectly natural world, or a perfectly tranquil world. It was the most peaceful vista Kiritsugu had ever been to.

Yes, the Magus Killer was disgracing the land. This was another dream again. These were becoming more and more surreal with each experience although something was different this time. The first had been gritty but bearable. Combat was something Kiritsugu was familiar with - his own death, less so. The second, an absolute hell which still gripped at his heart and mind when he thought back to it. And now this, the third - a world of absolute peace and serenity. He felt incredibly out of place as if his being here was disturbing something on a level he couldn't fully experience as a human. Something - someone - some force, was subtly telling him to exit. So he walked along the border of the meadow and the field of grain, away from the sea. He didn't know how to "get out" of here anyway, so this was his only option.

As if the world were building itself as he moved, the horizon expanded to his front and contracted from his rear. It was as if the world only constructed itself around Kiritsugu as if he were the creator and without him, this world wouldn't exist. In the distance - a hill appeared. It was a single small thing which was positioned exactly on the linear divide between the grassy meadow and the golden wheat field. Unlike the two areas it sat upon, the surface of the hill was a dull, cracked brown clay. It stuck out from the rest of its surroundings like a sore thumb, actually exuding a strange aura. Kiritsugu couldn't quite place his finger on the definitive emotion, but sadness, regret and betrayal both leapt to mind.

On the crest of the hill sat a man impaled with several long swords, leaning onto another generic straight sword and catching his breath while his blood dripped onto the cracked clay below. Kiritsugu couldn't tell if there was something wrong with his own eyes or if the area he was in was doing something to obscure his vision since all finer details of the man were lost. The man could have been a black blob and Kiritsugu would have believed it. The edges of his frame bulged, wavered and blurred continuously as if he were made of shadows. This effect only existed with the dying man on the hill, however. It was as if whatever force was maintaining this world, didn't want Kiritsugu seeing who the dying man was.

Something pulled Kiritsugu's attention to the grassy meadow and in the distance. Running towards the impaled man on the sword, was a woman in silver and blue. She was shouting, shouting "S̸̬̎̔̋͘h̸̺̼̩̍̈́̍̔̀-̵̤̪̠̻̰̊̃#̴̝̗́̐&̶͕̪̭͇͊͆o̸͓̬̊́̀!" over and over at the man on the hill. He straightened, and seem to recover his energy as he took a shaky step off the hill towards the nearing woman. Every time she said what Kiritsugu assumed to be this strange man's name, the world shook as if frightened by the syllables.

Kiritsugu recognized the sprinting girl, it was Saber, his servant, King Arthur. Her armour disappeared in a flash of magical blue sparks. Clad only in her common clothes, she continued running towards the impaled man. The swords in his body disappeared in the same fashion her armour had, and the man continued shakily moving off his hill into the knee height grass below. Kiritsugu had also been walking forwards towards where they would meet, squinting and trying to see the details of the strange man through the shadows.

The two were close now, but with each step, Kiritsugu made forwards, time seemed to slow until he was within arms reach - where everything stopped completely. Saber and this man had their arms extended, fingers merely inches apart but still separated. As close as he was, Kiritsugu still couldn't see anything beyond the inky abyss of the formerly impaled man. Something like the strange force from before told him that this individual was indeed a man. That he was important to Saber, that he was… His own salvation? Unsure of how to proceed, Kiritsugu made one more step forward, then immediately regretted he had.

The world cracked like glass; with a sound to match. The tranquil scene around him shattered into a billion uncountable pieces that sharded around him. In the darkness, he felt light, but heavy at the same time. Hot but cold, small but impossibly large. It only lasted a moment, however, as the world suddenly rebuilt itself from the shards and formed into an entirely new realm.

What had been oceans, fields and meadows surrounding him was now a monotonous expanse of bland, cracked clay and dirt. The once beautiful sky of sunset and moonlight had been replaced with dull tans and browns, an ugly shade which almost blended into the soil below. The clouds and stars were replaced with impossibly massive gears, turning in an intricate system with awe-inspiring complexity and scale. All around Kiritsugu, across the endless horizon and falling down from the very sky - were blades. Scimitars, daggers, greatswords, axes, spears. If it had a blade, it existed here and seemed to have numerous brothers. Behind Kiritsugu, came the shink of one of these blades as it impaled itself in the clay. Turning to examine it, he found a battered blade which had chunks missing and innumerable cracks lined its surface. While he examined the freshly fallen blade, something about these weapons stood out to Kiritsugu. Without hearing a voice, without ever having been here before - he knew that each of these swords represented a death. Perhaps the death of their owner's or the death of an innocent but a death nonetheless. Whoever owned this world used blades as a tally system. Was it to indicate failures? Was this Kiritsugu's fate? Would his actions to skew fate send him on a course of countless failures? But how could he become a servant, none of his actions labelled him as a hero. By all accounts, he would be a villain or… No… No! He wouldn't accept the call of the Counter Force, he wouldn't! He knew that accepting that binding was a curse worse than death. All his life he had done deeds in order to stop the Counter Force from forming, would he really become what he had been trying to stop? Kiritsugu snapped from his inner turmoil and refocused on the world ahead of him.

Beyond the sword, was that same small hill from before. Near its base, was a more condensed ring of weapons which shone with magical power, the more powerful blades collected by this world's owner. They sectioned off the hill and formed a makeshift path which lead to the top. Along this path, the man from before walked, unobscured by the shadows this time. Blades protruded from his entire body and blood dripped profusely from the wounds. Stubbornly he staggered to the peak of his perch. Within his hand was a sword, being used as a cane to assist his journey. The sword was magnificent; a blue handle, a golden hilt and a blade which almost hurt to look at from the brightness. Some sort of inscriptions sat above the hilt of the blade, but Kiritsugu couldn't make it out from this far away.

Finding his legs wouldn't work, Kiritsugu could only watch the man climb his hill. Ashen white hair and well-tanned skin. Shoulders to wrists were covered in crimson garb. The two pieces of material only covered that area, separated at the back but bound together by a metal band. Around his waist, was a sort of skirting of the same crimson colour which flowed down to the back of his knees. Every other element of his attire was black with accents of silver, although much of it blended into the crimson cloth due to the soaking of blood. As the man in crimson neared the top of his hill, the blade in his hand was hefted up to the sky, shining out brilliantly through the dull world like a lighthouse. Just as quickly as it had gone up, the blade fell and in one swift motion, it was slammed halfway into the cracked clay. As if an extension of the blade, the man fell to his knees and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry." He said, voice as loud as if he were right beside Kiritsugu. It didn't hold any sadness or anger. Simply a hollow tone of regret. "I had no choice." He continued, pain edging into his words as well. Even as the man leaned more and more into the blade, succumbing to his wounds, he did not shed a tear. Rather than cry, a small smile adorned his face. Kiritsugu squinted to see the face of the impaled man but before he could get any details the swordsman slumped to the ground. All at once, the impossibly massive gears stopped moving and began to fall apart - and fall from the sky. Kiritsugu looked up in time to see a massive cog falling directly on top of him, mere feet away from crushing his comparatively small body.

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Kiritsugu awoke with a start, eyes snapping open before slamming shut as soon as they could when the bright sun above threatened to burn his retinas. He stood and cracked open his eyes, letting them naturally adjust before brushing out the sleep. When he was done, Kiritsugu verified his surroundings and let out a tense sigh. He was back on the roof, slightly away from the parapet of the building where his rifle was leaning. Shakily, he sat on the same parapet and drooped his head between his knees. Through a shaky breath, he ran both hands through his hair and checked the time. 10:13, Iri and Saber would arrive soon, Maiya was most likely off to complete her objective by this point. Had that dream been related to him like the other two? Or was that a dream of his servant? Or… Had it originally been a dream of his servant, but taken over by whatever force revealed his other two dreams? There were so many options, and Kiritsugu didn't have any answers.

Well… He did have one answer at least. Perhaps contemplating it would alleviate his mind. Reaching into a pocket of his trench coat, Kiritsugu withdrew a simple pager. Pressing the send button, a light flared up in the distance, before a shockwave accompanied by the sound of a large explosion shook the building Kiritsugu was standing on top of. Now he was out of answers.

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"The entire church? The entire church!?" He shouted, mouth agape and eyes wide. "What sort of maniac would plant explosives to destroy a church?" He nearly screamed, raising his arms in exasperation as he paced the dimly lit basement. Tokiomi was on most occasions, a very civilized and demure individual. But when some psychopath blew a church, the home of the overseer and temporary haven of his accomplice in crime, into the sky - he definitely had a reason to freak out.

Kirei had died, but Risei had survived. It was just before the afternoon, so he was tending to a small flower garden a bit away from the church. Risei had started that little habit of his after a rather empty woman visited the church a few years back. She commented an interest in flowers and the hobbyist in him went to work attempting to see if he could fill those empty eyes of hers. Risei was injured but would survive, thankfully. Currently, he was in the hospital recovering. Tokiomi counted his blessings that his friend survived. While not a direct participant, having the Overseer on your side was obviously advantageous. On top of that, if the overseer had died, the Church would come down on the Grail War participants like the damned Counter Force. Tokiomi couldn't risk visiting his friend, that would raise too many eyebrows - even if he was a well-known Overseer.

From what Archer had gathered, the church violently and suddenly exploded without a single itch of magecraft. Archer himself hadn't even detected explosives when he visited the church, which meant the task of planting them had been done by an expert… Still… Wouldn't Assassin have seen the bombs? Being themselves an expert in sneaky underhanded moves, wouldn't their first priority be to secure their masters base?

Something was wrong here, and it sent a chill up Tokiomi's spine. Could it have been another servant, greater in skill than Assassin with explosives? It wasn't impossible, but incredibly unlikely. Tohsaka continued thinking while pacing, looking back in his memories for clues. Caster was out, there hadn't been any signs of the magic user but the explosives themselves were conventional. Assassin had no reason to bomb themselves, that was stupid. Archer, not a chance. Saber, Lancer, Rider all were definitely not the cause. It left only Berserker, who could very well be insane enough to destroy a holy building for no explainable reason. But they would have been detected by Assassin themselves, wouldn't they?

Kirei had mumbled to himself about another master when he was alive. What was his name… Kristigo… Emblem? Tokiomi moved to his collection of paper scrolls written by his pendulum, taking one and reading off the list he frowned. No, he had misremembered. The man in question was Kiritsugu Emiya. When the name had been revealed to him, Tokiomi hardly gave it a second glance. With Gilgamesh as a servant, nobody in the entire war could pose a threat to him. Reading over the document, Tokiomi paled visibly. Explosives, subterfuge, bounded field dismantling, ballistics, time altering magic. The man's skills were designed for only one thing - Murder. Unfortunately, his alias as the Magus Killer held weight, as already he had killed a very skilled Executor with the push of a button.

Damnit, damnit! Everything was going wrong already. With a shout of fury, Tokiomi swept his hand across a table and flung a stack of books around the room.

"Ho-ho." Came a pompous noise from behind him, the clanking of golden armour making itself apparent. Tohsaka's back straightened and the hair on his neck prickled. "Tokiomi, I was inclined to believe you were a more reclusive, controlled individual. Throwing books around the room offers an amusing new light into your character."

Already Gilgamesh was proving hard to control. Tokiomi had believed that absolute subservience would appease the servant but even in their brief amount of time together he could tell that the Golden King was getting bored. Unfortunately, this increased his irritability. Subservience wasn't entertaining which left the King of Kings needy and wishing to roam. Tokiomi let him of course - how could he refuse? Thankful that his venturing had resulted in nothing.

"My King." Tokiomi began, bowing deeply with an arm across his chest. "News has come regarding the War. Kirei has fallen and Assassin has been slain by extension. This has set back out plans immensely." Tokiomi relayed, slightly confused at the silence which followed. As he was about to speak, Gilgamesh suddenly laughed.

"Do you believe me to be that uninformed? Of course I had known - most likely before you." A subtle "because I was there" was apparent. "It is a shame, I had intended to have quite an interesting time toying with that man," Gilgamesh revealed. He strode across the cold concrete floor of the basement and grimaced at the dusty tomes on the table. "Are you having doubts about my achieving victory in this War, Tokiomi?" Gilgamesh asked, voice edged with an overwhelming malice. The kind of tone which blatantly pronounced: Agree and die.

"N-not at all, my king. Merely acknowledging the loss of a potential source of… Entertainment." Tokiomi replied, pulling his words directly from his ass. He straightened from his bow and found the King of King's face momentarily stunned. Breaking into a boisterous, full laugh soon after.

"You actually surprised me, Tokiomi. Continue to keep this up, and you may just be allowed to grovel at my feet as I take hold of the Grail." He ended with a smile, fading out of the basement with golden sparks. Tokiomi let out a breath when he was gone. In all honesty, Gilgamesh scared the absolute shit out of him. Charisma poured out of the man, but that fierce glare, as well as his self-righteousness and pompous overbearing nature, made him terrifying. Tokiomi unceremoniously plopped down into a chair, rubbing his chin with one hand while he concocted a new plan to secure his victory - and the Root.

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Waver Velvet threw open the door of his new home, standing in the open and trying to find the location of the explosion that shook the ground. Squinting into the distance, he caught the beginning of a black cloud.

"There! Do you see it?" He asked nobody in particular, pointing in the direction of the forest. "I knew it was an explosion." The young mage frowned. "But that came from the direction of the church…"

A booming, gritty 'hm-hmm' came into his mind. "Indeed. It seems as if someone is playing dirty. Perhaps we should check our own property or investigate on foot, what do you think boy?" Rider asked, getting a groan in response.

"I don't think we'll find anything, in either place. But if it will make you happy then whatever, I'll have a look around and then we can see what happened. If we were found out then whoever had caused that, would do the same thing to us." Waver commented, walking around the sides of the house and checking to see if anything was out of place. The Mackenzie two-story home was a hybrid blend of Western and Eastern perspectives, although definitely more Western. With walls of wood, shingles for the roof and windows, it attempted to convey a quaint home with the subtle hint of near-modern Easternism. On the inside, were traditional tatami mats and in the bedroom, there were futons rather than beds. An average fence using rectangular sections of wood as well as hedges surrounded the property and provided privacy. All that located in the Miyama district, rather close to the river which was how Waver could see the smoke cloud off the church.

"I wouldn't be so sure, boy. With Assassin down, this must have been the work of another master. This master could view us as valuable and intends to keep us alive until that value runs out." Rider wisely commented.

Waver thought about it for a moment. "That's stupid. If a mage could pull off bombing the church of the Overseer, don't you think they would do their best to eliminate as many masters as possible so they can claim the Grail?" Waver asked, mumbling as he looked around the edge of the fence for anything out of place.

"Take a minute and think, boy! Why would a master who wished to claim the Grail try to kill the Overseer?" Rider chastised, trying to let his master figure out what he himself was deducing.

Waver did take a moment, grumbling something before his eyes opened wide and seemed to sparkle with sudden revelation. "The master must know something we don't! Which is why he's striking the most unlikely target in the most unpredictable way."

"Exactly! Now the only thing we need to find out is what this master knows about the war that we don't."

Waver felt a chill run down his back along with the sudden palpable feeling of being watched. "Huh?" He said aloud, turning to look behind himself. Nobody was there but he could have sworn… Maybe he just needed more sleep. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, murmuring to himself about coffee. "Wait a minute… Rider, how did you know that Assassin was the servant who died?"

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… … ...

Mid-flight, Iri felt a surge of energy from the Holy Grail. Releasing a gasp, she clutched at her chest. The feeling was difficult to describe. Like an inky black vice just tightened around her heart a bit, pulling strength out of her body. If she tried to focus on this new energy surrounding her core, she found odd whispers invading her mind. She couldn't discern what they were saying as they were in an unfamiliar tongue. But simply hearing the syllables sent chills down her spine.

Saber, who was sitting beside her, gripped her arm. "Irisviel, is something the matter?" She asked, eyes full of concern. Irisviel had to admit that Saber was a truly gorgeous woman. With all the qualities that defined a woman as cute, vibrant and young, a contrast to Irisviel herself. Kiritsugu had at one point called her a more regal, mature beauty. She still didn't understand what that meant, but her heart had fluttered when she first heard it. For their journey, and because Saber could not de-materialize, Kiritsugu had gone out and purchased a black suit for her. It was well made and tailored to her body. How he had gathered the measurements, Iri didn't wish to know. But the suit amplified her appearance by contrasting the ideals of a strong independent woman and a young, innocent girl.

Iri's face of pain and discomfort slowly smiled. She rested the hand that had been on her own chest upon Saber's gloved hand. "I'm fine. It was just…" She paused, struggling to find a way to word her thoughts. "A servant has fallen." She decided, watching the shock splay over Saber's face, secretly finding a little pleasure in surprising the One True King.

"How can you be sure?" Saber asked, unbelieving that a servant had already fallen. She wasn't even on the ground of Fuyuki yet. "Do you know how they were slain, or who?"

Iri shook her head. "No, but trust me in this. I bet Kiritsugu knows how it happened, I'll ask him when I can." She explained, facing out the window on her right and peering down at the coast of Japan.

"Yes, Kiritsugu seems to be a man of extensive resources and information." Saber stated, opening her mouth again as if she wanted to speak further before closing it. Perhaps she was contemplating the wording, as she did voice her concern later. "Irisviel, I've been meaning to ask however I did not wish to question his tactics: Why is it that I am not fighting alongside Kiritsugu?"

Iri had wondered how long it would take for Saber to ask that question, as well as a few others. She had tried working up lies to tell the King and had developed a rather solid one. But now, staring into Saber's emerald eyes she found that lying was the last thing on her mind. Iri actually felt her cheeks grow hot from the glare she was receiving alone. "Kiritsugu has decided that it would be best if I were to work alongside you." She began, deciding on the entire truth. "His first reason was that, other masters would believe me to be your master and would not think to look for him. The second was so that I could provide healing magic for you during combat and the third was because…" She trailed off, eyes glazing over for a minute for refocusing. "Because he believes you would not work together very well." She admitted, watching the King of Knights cock her head to the side in confusion.

"I do not understand, why would Kiritsugu feel that way? I understand the merits to secrecy. However, we are both skilled tacticians and collaborating to develop a plan would increase our chances at victory." Saber's brow furrowed in agitation when Iri laughed at that. "Irisviel why is it that you laugh at my expense?"

"I'm sorry Saber, I'm not laughing at you. More at the thought of you and Kiritsugu working together." She defused, shaking her head and tossing ashen hair around her shoulders. "Unfortunately, you and Kiritsugu hold different ideals and if you were to be forced around one another you would never get anything done. Don't hold it against him, his goal is to achieve his wish and this has been the route he has chosen."

"I still don't understand." Saber began, but leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes. "But I will have faith in you and my master to make the best decisions, it is my responsibility as a servant." She declared, leaving it at that.

… … ...

… … …

The plane touched down peacefully and Saber escorted Iri off like she were a real princess or - at the very least - an expensive piece of glassware. Removing her glove, she took Iri's pale hand and lead her down the stairs towards a waiting car. After getting in and travelling about halfway to their destination, the two women began to talk and Iri revealed she had never truly been outside of the castle before today. Taking pity on her, Saber elected that they journey through the city - and subsequently the rest of their way - on foot. Kiritsugu wouldn't have condoned it but thankfully, she knew he would forgive her.

"So where would you like to go first, Irisviel?" Saber asked, replacing the glove she had removed to assist Iri out of the car. Noticing her blunder, Saber quickly opened her mouth to correct herself. If she hadn't been watching, Iri would have missed the slight colour rising to Saber's face. "That is to say… Ah…" She flustered, looking around and spotting something in the distance. "Perhaps we should gauge local culinary skills?" She asked, voice suddenly tinged with the excitement of a young child. Iri could only smile, perhaps Illya had rubbed off on the King of Knights a little bit more than she had expected.

… … ...

… … ...

Irisviel already spent all of the money Kiritsugu had given her. More than three hundred dollars American (supposedly a country somewhere) in food which found itself at the bottom of Saber's seemingly endless stomach. It was supposed to be for Irisviel herself, but she actually found more enjoyment in feeding Saber than she probably would have buying treats for herself.

"Are you sure you do not want some? The chef had called this Ikayaki and I must say that the name does not relate to its taste." Saber proposed, digging into her own dish - which looked like a grilled… thing, on a stick. Smiling, Iri declined and looked towards the ocean, losing herself in the crashing waves. Something about the waves drew her attention. Maybe the slow graceful nature of the water or the boundless nature of the ocean. She vaguely heard her name but was unconcerned until it accompanied a commanding tone. "Irisviel?" Saber asked, getting her attention with a slightly raised voice before continuing. "I have a few questions, would you care to entertain them?"

For the King of Britain, she was awfully timid and careful to request permission before doing almost anything. It was kind of cute. "You don't need to ask for permission Saber, if you have a question simply ask and I'll provide an answer if I can." Iri clarified, looking into Saber's eyes with a smile. The fresh sea-side air was something so new and vibrant to Irisviel. Even with the tension of the Grail within her, she felt full of energy. The new sights, new smells and even new sounds were all so foreign and exciting she could hardly contain herself in the small plastic seat of their table. Now she understood why Illya always wanted to explore outside with Kiritsugu.

"Very well." She stated, setting down her food before wiping her hands and mouth with a napkin. "If I should fail to provide you and Kiritsugu the Grail, what will happen to Illyasviel?"

Iri flinched heavily as if the question had physically stabbed her in the shoulder. Immediately the King of Knights began apologizing for asking but Iri demanded that it was alright. After a moment of awkward silence, the conversation returned. "I don't like to think about it, to be honest. If I can't provide Illya with freedom through Kiritsugu's wish then… Well, she wouldn't have to fight in another Grail War at least. With all Acht has done to her, she'll most likely only last twenty years. The next war would be sixty years later." Iri stared at the dish Saber had halfway worked through, eyes blank and voice hollow as she tried not to think about the words she was saying. "Twenty is about as long as I would last if it weren't for the Grail War. Acht might simply have her killed or punished for her short time alive." She ended, mind connecting to the body as her eyes alighted with their usual sparkling happiness. The tone change was almost frightening, scarier yet when Iri smiled sadly.

Saber reflected this fear perfectly. "I had no idea." She paused, mentally chastising herself for asking in the first place. Suddenly she stood, much to Iri's surprise. "Then on my honour as a knight, I will show you all I can before we are required by the War." She nodded, removing her glove and offering her hand once more.

Taking it tentatively, Iri found herself being hauled to her feet and down the street at a pace that was difficult to maintain. "S-Saber! Where are we going!?" She shouted, trying to keep up as the smaller girl hauled her along the walkways and alleys.

"Towards the ocean! I've watched you stare at it for the entire afternoon!" Saber shot back with a laugh, relieved when Iri joined in with her. After a brief run, they made it to the edge of the ocean, laughter tapering off as they slowed. Iri could only marvel at the endless sheet of blue mere feet from her. After admiring her look of awe for some time, Saber suggested she step into the water. The returning glance she got was priceless. As if Saber had told her to leap into a vat of acid. She couldn't help but snicker at the response.

"Kiritsugu had told me of 'swimming pools', but he also told me how dangerous swimming in the ocean could be." She paused, looking back to the ocean, then her feet, then back to Saber and the ocean. Iri was wearing rather fine mid-thigh boots in white and tights beneath those. "Alright, I'll do it! But I won't go in too far. Can you hold onto my things?" She asked, getting a smiling nod as a response.

… … ...

Without her boots and leggings, Irisviel stepped out into the water, marvelling at how cold it was. Still, she pressed onwards and moved to knee height water. She enjoyed standing in the light waves of the evening, dipping her hand in the water and dancing lightly in the moonlight. Had it already been that long? When they arrived, the sun was setting.

So far this day had been more than she could have imagined. There were so many new experiences and with Saber accompanying her, she couldn't ask for better company. Well, that wasn't entirely true. If Kiritsugu and Illya could be with her as well, it would be perfect. "Irisviel." Saber called, taking over her attention.

The woman in question turned to look, then appeared blatantly saddened. "Of course you would notice it as well. I had merely hoped that I would have a little moment longer to explore with you before our duties would be required." She peered out towards Saber, who had her attention taken by the obvious beckoning of a servant in the distance. "Oh well, should we see who's looking for a fight?" Iri asked, malicious smile on her face.

… … ...

… ... ...

… … ...

Kiritsugu had been watching for some time. When the driver he hired informed him of Iri's excursion, he rapidly mobilized to provide a watch. Kiritsugu's plan was to use Saber as bait for El-Melloi. They would move off towards the docks where nobody would be during the night, far from the city. Then Saber would flare her ridiculously large mana pool as a challenge. That would draw the over-pompous mage in. Then they would inform him of Waver Velvet's location, and let the dominoes fall from there. Unfortunately, he had no way to contact Iri as the cellphone he recently bought for her was sitting in his coat pocket. The thing was bulky, but it was a technological wonder. Unable to brief Irisviel, they would be flying by wire. Packing up his sniper, Calico and Contender, Kiritsugu slipped on his gloves and moved to watch over Iri just in case he were needed.

However, nobody came, which left Irisviel and Saber to enjoy themselves. He had watched from a rooftop as they travelled, leaping from one building to another with the aid of some athletics to keep an eye on them. Irisviel had noticed and acknowledged him. The stare she gave directly towards him while Saber was eating assured that much. He fondly watched the two bond and even smiled as his wife enjoyed the ocean, although at that point he had to come onto the ground and watch from a distance. What had been an overwatch mission, turned into a distant admiration. Until a flare of mana from the docks wiped the smile from his face.

Someone else had taken his exact idea. Reaching into his coat for his own cell phone, he dialled up Maiya and informed her of the situation. She would be there before him which was advantageous to their position. She could secure the area and verify the targets. He was moving before Saber even notified Iri, intending to aid his wife in her first battle.

… … …

… … …

He was simply too fast, too unpredictable. With two spears, Lancer effectively had her on the ropes. She had come out strong, acting offensive and getting into his guard. However, that may have been the wrong choice, as now his strikes were much more coordinated and he was no longer afraid to step within striking distance. Had he learned her style and her weapon so easily? Her eyes flickered from the short golden spear in his right and the long red spear in the left. Or perhaps he was just that skilled.

Which spear was his noble phantasm? She didn't have much longer to think. Lancer moved into her range, changing up the hands which held each spear in mid-charge. Saber lifted her sword to catch and send the golden spear downwards. It had been swung at her side - a simple attack. Just as she was preparing to step on the weapon and advance, Lancer threw the red lance to his side and gripped it near the blunt end, intending to take her neck with a wide slash. Her blade snapped upwards, halting his attack near the hilt of her blade. The strike was too weak and out of his fulcrum, so it bounced off.

Saber gasped, the spear redoubled in speed along the ground as it attempted to claim her ankles. Saber leapt upwards into a side roll, landing deftly on the ground and barely raising her sword in time to absorb another rain of blows. Two strikes, then a crushing overhand with the long spear. With a small distance between them, she caught a gasp of breath. She hadn't even really heard Lancer as he spoke during their combative lull., deciding in her mind to take on the offensive, the swordswoman moved forwards. She the red spear to make the first strike, leaving her blade vertical at chest height, leaping forward and deflecting the crimson lance downwards as it lashed out predictably. Just as quickly, the sword snapped back up horizontally to catch the golden spear just above her shoulder. With a noise of slight exertion, she advanced forwards with her sword sparking along the edge of his spear as she neared him and saw his eyes expand in surprise, she pushed her blade out in a strike meant to sever his head from the neck. In a display of raw athleticism, the spearman managed to twist out of her attack and behind her. As she turned around to face him, a line of red appeared on his cheek. He was fast but also was unable to see the tide of battle like she was.

… … …

The first blows were traded long ago, these were most likely the third dozenth strike. Heroic Spirits really did live up to their names. The battle was so fast, Kiritsugu would have missed the fact there was a fight taking place had he not arrived before it started. A cursory scanning of the docks with a thermal scope found nothing.

It appeared that Saber made the first draw of blood if Lancer touching his cheek was any indication. Iri was standing a comfortable distance behind Saber, watching with tense shoulders. The two servants clashed weapons, over and over, sparks and the sound of ringing metal shrieking through the docks. He continued scanning the area with the thermal scope, looking atop sea cans, near the edges of the docks and on top of a wareho- Wait a moment, something was there. In the scope, a bright white silhouette of a man. Moving his head to the normal scope, Kiritsugu made a snort. Kayneth El-Melloi, right out in the open like a fool. Reaching up, Kiritsugu toggled the microphone on his earpiece.

"Northeast of Saber and Lancer on top of the first warehouse near the center. Its Lancer's master, do you have eyes?" Kiritsugu asked, carefully extending the bipod of his rifle and lying on the metal floor of the crane he was currently atop.

After a few seconds, he got word back from the familiar cold voice of Maiya. "Negative, should I move to strike?"

"Hold position, I'll take him from here," Kiritsugu stated, focusing on his breathing while aligning the rifle on the heart of his target. He briefly noticed that the clashing of weaponry had stopped, and before he could think about pulling the trigger, Lancer's master moved. Not out of his sight, but enough to force Kiritsugu to readjust. At the same time of his movement, a voice echoed throughout the docks - like it were on a loudspeaker. Magical projection no doubt.

An overly confident and extremely pompous voice began. "That is more than enough talking, Lancer. End this battle now - unleash your noble phantasm." He stated. The silhouette lifted a foot to rest on a slightly raised section of the warehouse roof. The shot was perfect, center mass aligned at a forty-five-degree angle. Firing now would pierce a lung and the heart.

Breath-in, breath-out, apply pressure to the trigger, breath-in, verify scope position, breath-out, slightly squeeze. The round left the muzzle at nearly one kilometre per second, taking only one-tenth of a second to travel from Kiritsugu to the identified Kayneth. But as the bullet was supposed to make contact, something intercepted it.

The sound of shrieking metal and the squish of a fleshy body sounded. That first sound confused Kiritsugu. Why would it - oh. Standing in front of where Kayneth had been, rose a large wall of metal. A small hole sat where his chest had been, and blood sprays were visible on the outside surface of this sudden wall. So that's how he intended to play. Some sort of autonomous construct took most of the bullet's energy and allowed him to survive, barely. There was no point firing again, the impact alone would have pushed Kayneth off the roof and that metal wall was blocking his view. Not to mention a second shot would attract the attention of the servants. The first was unpredictable and hard to hear in the midst of battle, it would go unnoticed.

"Maiya, target wounded and fleeing to the north, move quickly and try to engage. Be careful, he's guarded by some sort of autonomous metal construct."

"Copy that, moving." She replied. Kiritsugu stood and put the sniper into a sling attached on his back. Climbing along the roofs of Fuyuki had taught him that having open hands was sometimes more advantageous than having a weapon out at all times. So he bought a sling for his rifle. Not wasting any time in concealing himself, Kiritsugu moved behind the crane before peaking down at the battlefield where Saber had been. Lancer and her seemed to be conversing, with the former of the two glancing back and forth between his target and the previous location of his master. He nodded towards the King of Knights, then suddenly leapt off away from the battlefield.

"Maiya, incoming servant!" Kiritsugu said with a little more panic than he intended, toggling the microphone off and awaiting a response. Sending mana through the runes inscribed in his clothes, Kiritsugu leapt over the handrail of the crane and landed on the hard pavement below. Rather than shatter his legs, the clothes distributed the impact evenly through his entire body. With slight reinforcement of his bones and muscles - which he trained with Maeve - the landed was almost soft. He moved through the seacans back towards a hole in the fence he had originally entered from.

"Master!" Or he would have, anyway. The voice came from Saber, there wasn't any doubt. In response to his name being called, his shoulders lifted and his head shot down like a scolded child. Caught.

Three days ago, he thought his head would find itself displaced from his neck. Now though, with the tone of her voice - he was outright prepared for it. Thankfully she wasn't at the point of violence, as she simply moved behind him and glared into his spine.

… … …

… … …

"Saber, are you using focused wind mana to keep your blade concealed? No doubt for good reason. Would it be because the blade reveals your identity?" The spearman said with a smirk, body exuding confidence and the thrill of a good fight. He had dropped the shorter yellow spear, deciding on using the now unravelled red spear. The aura it produced was ominous. Saber made a noise - a blunder on her part, as Lancer's smile only widened. "I will discover whatever it is you're hiding, Saber." And just like that, he was upon her once more. A simple thrust, but as she deflected the spear, Invisible Air gave way and revealed the gleaming sun-like blade beneath. Their blades were locked for seconds as shock ran through Saber.

On reflexes, she leapt back, blinking at her blade which had returned to its normal invisible state. His spears are able to disrupt Invisible Air? She questioned in her mind, eyes widening as a thrust nearly took off her ankle. She leapt back, smoke obscuring the view forwards. Her mind suddenly screamed right! And she darted her head in response. The tip of the crimson spear grazed her left ear. Left! Her instincts burned, and the body responded. Stray hairs off the right side of her head were sliced clean off as the bloodthirsty lance tried to find purchase. His strikes were twice as fast as they were before, his technique more fluid. Even though he wielded two spears with extreme finesse, using one was obviously his better option. A strike for the arm, barely missing her elbow. Unable to even comprehend what her body was doing, she dipped her shoulder to avoid another blow, then hit the ground to dodge a slashing attack which cleared the debris dust from her front. Standing, her body screamed to duck once again, but her body was already moving in one direction, up. Rather than reverse her movement, she simply leaned her body backwards into a roll. The tip of the crimson spear could have been used to shave a slice off her nose like deli meat but it only managed to slice off a longer portion of her hair. This was the true speed of a Lancer?

The backwards roll gave her time to take a breath - but nothing more. The spear was thrust and her blade moved to defend. A blow to the chest, to the arm, the thigh, her hip. Each strike against her blade released a bright flash of golden light from the material beneath Invisible Air. Attempting to gain the advantage during a lull in his strikes, Saber ground her sabaton into the pavement, creeping forwards and making a strike which was met halfway by the red lance. Even with Mana Burst aiding in the power behind her blows, Lancer was able to rattle her arms with his attacks. The ground around them exploded upwards, chunks of pavement and idle dust on the ground blew up to about head level from the force before the next parried blow scattered the raised debris in every direction. The true power of a Lancer.

He was smirking, twirling the spear in his hand before lowering it to the ground. "I know the length of that blade now. I won't let my master down. Go, Gae Dearg!" Lancer shouted, spear shining a foul crimson shade in response to its name as his attacks redoubled in intensity. Saber continued maintaining the defensive, she had to learn the weapon and its capabilities before even trying to move on the offensive.

The lance struck at an impossible rate. A thrust, a slash into a reverse jab with the blunted end. All were aimed at joints and vitals. A miscalculated parry sent the weapon skirting across her gauntlet, curiously not making sparks at it carried on harmlessly to her right. Saber had enough, suddenly gritting her teeth and crying out as she parried his weapon and planted a sabaton directly into the spearman's chest. With a crunch, he flew backwards several dozen feet. Lancer tumbled along the ground a few times before scrambling to his feet and lunging forwards like a feral dog. Saber lifted her blade and prepared to strike the weapon down towards the ground. If he carried on, he would be severed in two. But Lancer twisted his body and planted his feet into the pavement. Saber gasped and her mind showed her the incoming scenario.

His feet spread, he would stop short and the spear would miss her weapon by inches. But he knew this, he wanted her to miss in striking down his weapon, it would leave her wide open. His spear would slip right past her guard into her chest before she could lift her sword and cut her from shoulder to shoulder. But, if she took a step to the side, she could move out of his attacking range into an area where he would be unbalanced. The spear tip would glance off her shoulder and her blade would lodge itself in his spine. She would trade a glancing blow for a decisive strike.

Deciding on her path, Saber held her blade high, taking a step to the side but awkwardly moving onto a dislodged piece of pavement. The uneven surface sent her off her intended path and positioned her too close to follow through. The glancing blow she had intended to take, would turn into a direct hit to her chest. Thankfully, it would no longer be directly straight on. Which meant her breastplate would deflect the blow into her shoulder - so it wouldn't be a decisive strike on her end. However, when the spear tip reached her armour, her eyes widened as blood poured from her chest. It had passed straight through and clean out her back. Gritting her teeth through the searing pain, her sword descended and cut Lancer from his hip to just below his ribs. Since he didn't wear proper armour, his flesh sliced open like a Christmas ham. Both of them cried out in agony and both weapons withdrew from one another. Falling to the ground, the pair grunted in pain, sprawling along the pavement and clenching their muscles as they tried to stand and continue fighting.

"A well thought out blow, Lancer." Saber growled, pushing herself up off the cold asphalt with a gauntlet-clad hand.

"An efficient recovery and retaliatory strike," Lancer replied, gripping his spear and using it as a hold. "I expected nothing less from the King of Knights."

Blood spewed from Saber's mouth as she coughed violently. "Saber!" Came a shriek from behind. Suddenly a warm feeling washed over her body. "Are you alright?" The voice asked, actually forcing Saber to realize she was in fact perfectly fine. Coughing a glob of mucus and blood out of her throat, Saber gripped her sword tightly and pushed herself off the ground. One hand immediately went to her chest when she was standing to confirm her suspicions. Her breastplate was unharmed, which could only mean…

"I see now Lancer, that spear - Gae Dearg - disperses mana around its edge. Is this correct, Diarmuid of the Love Spot?" She commented, still touching her breastplate in disbelief. She allowed Lancer to stand, managing to do so even with his wound dripping blood down his legs. She watched as his skin stitched itself up. Obviously, Lancer had a healer on standby as well.

"Wise of you to discover its ability, even if after the first real strike." Lancer conceded, wiping a bit of dirt from his face "Excellent trading of blows. King of Knights, wielder of Excalibur - shall we proceed?" Lancer asked, smirk returning before turning into shock almost as fast. "Master…" He murmured, turning behind himself to look at the roof of a warehouse. "Something had happened to my master." He commented idly, spear tip lowering to scrape the pavement.

"Lancer," Saber commanded, lowering her blade as well. "Go to your master's side, if he is in danger it is your responsibility to protect him." Saber nodded with a stern look.

Lancer's face softened. "My thanks, Saber. However, do not believe our duel is over. I shall take pleasure in finishing it the next time we meet." He stated, turning quickly and leaping off to the roof of a nearby warehouse.

"As will I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."

… … …

… … …

"Why? Why would you disrupt our fight in such a dishonest manner?" Saber asked, voice and face full of fury. She was baffled. Her master had used her to get a chance at killing another master, the master of a distinctly honest knight. It went against everything she stood for, it was… It was… Her mind went back, mere hours ago to the airplane.

"Unfortunately, you and Kiritsugu hold different ideals and if you were to be forced around one another you would never get anything done. Don't hold it against him, his goal is to achieve his wish and this has been the route he has chosen."

Was this what Irisviel had meant? Kiritsugu turned, and the cold look in his eyes actually made her whole body chill. He didn't tense or seem frightened by her anger. He just stared into her eyes with an unnatural dead gaze. "I did what I believed had to be done to follow the easiest route." He stated, jaw tight with determination.

Saber gaped, blinking as her hand unconsciously tightened around the grip of her blade. "I don't understand. Kirit- Master, what you have done is dishonest. Disturbing a fight between two knights is an insult to my honour. The act makes me question your righteousness as a person. Do you have no sense of morality? No guilt? Regrets? I revealed to you my life, expecting us to share a similar goal only to have all my trust thrown back at my face. Irisviel has vouched for your character and incredible ability. You have shown nothing but graceful qualities with Illya so why-why do you disregard all sanctity of combat now? Without rules to battle, what stops hell from becoming reality?" Saber paused, anger growing at the silence she received as a response. "Answer me! Do you have no honour!?"

With never before seen emotion, the man stepped forward, face set in steaming rage. "Honour? Honour and chivalry? Did you learn nothing at Camlann? Your own son's blood staining your hands? After Lancelot and the other knights abandoned you even though you were the perfect king? Do you not understand that every battlefield is hell with or without supposed rules? Chivalry has always been a lie. Something which only served to inspire young men into fighting a war they believed would be fair."

He lifted a hand. For a moment she thought he would strike her. Instead, he pulled off the glove of one hand and revealed the bare skin underneath to her. "My entire life has been nothing but death. I've ended thousands of lives with my own two hands, more if you include the tools I've used. From one battlegrounds to aftermaths to crimes, I've experienced all forms of death." He began, staring through her with those piercing dark eyes. The way this was going, she was prepared to strike him down at a moment's notice. "At the same time, I've saved a hundred times that many by killing just those few. My hands may be stained, but they are justified in their actions. If you believe there can be honour or grace in war then you're still just a naive little girl. In my life, I've experienced hell on Earth - too many times. Even my dreams..." He paused, perhaps regaining his sense before revealing sensitive information. She would let him speak, so far she was rather appalled at his outburst.

"I've seen the ends of two Grail Wars. One of them held my death at the hands of Kirei Kotomine - the deceased master of Assassin. I've made sure to kill him before that end could unfold. I believe that by doing so, a new ending has been created - something far, far worse." He menaced, eyes dimming even further as the memories of that inescapable hellscape flooded back in front of his eyes. "Thousands will die, maybe tens of thousands - I don't know. I don't even know if it's by my hands or not. It could be caused by you, or another servant. Perhaps even the Grail itself." He said, eyes latching onto her accusingly. "But whatever it is, the end result kills indiscriminately near the center of the Shinto region. The rubble of the buildings were evidence of that. Men, women and children all burn to death but continue burning beyond when they should have died. There was so much fire and it was cursed. It left those it attached to alive while causing them intense pain. Out of the hundreds of bodies, I found in that dream, only a single one - a child - still had life in them. If they would even function as a proper human being after experiencing that travesty I don't know.

He paused again as if thinking about it while trying to will himself not to think such a thing. "If this War can be the cause of that, then my only goal is to stop it from ever happening again - as well as preventing that outcome in the first place." He paused, shutting his eyes tightly and clenching his fists. "I don't know how, but I know that I will need your help to accomplish that goal. If you refuse to assist me, then you may as well end one of our lives right now."

Saber took a few steps back, lowering her head and clenching her fists. "... What is your wish?" She asked quietly after some time.

"My wish?" He asked, affirming the question in his own mind. It was strange that something that peculiar had been her only question. "My wish is the end of all conflict, the halting of injustice. In my path to accomplishing that, I'll limit casualties to the best of my ability and only kill those standing in my way. There's no way I can turn back now, It's been my goal since." He pulled the glove back over his hand, then suddenly his head snapped to look behind Saber. "Servants… Irisviel!" He shouted, sprinting past Saber as if she weren't even there. The woman hardly had a moment to think, before she realized she had left Irisviel all alone. In a burst of speed, she blew past Kiritsugu to perform her duty as a knight.

… … …

Kiritsugu made it to the battlefield a little after Saber, trying not to fall in the large gashes cut into the pavement by both spear and sword. In the sky, roaring with laughter like a madman was some brute in a chariot. Squinting, Kiritsugu recognized the chariot-rider as Waver Velvet's servant. The Magus Killer unconsciously felt the weight of his Contender within his coat. He had no idea what would happen to a servant hit by Origin rounds and he hoped he would never need to find out. Rather than stick around and be found out he decided to slink behind a sea-can and go with his preferred method of operation - recon. Saber was much more suited for a direct assault anyway - and she was loyal to Iri at least.

Irisviel moved back away from where she was standing, moving into the battle-torn area and facing the water. Saber stood ahead of her and brought up her invisible blade. The chariot came in quickly from the sky but slowed and settled down near the edge of the water. Lightning crackled from the wheels and the bulls snorted while pawing the pavement. The man in red threw his head back in tandem with both arms. His eyes were closed but upon opening he was confused.

"Hm? I thought there were two servants here." He commented, pulling one massive arm back to scratch the top of his head.

"Thoughts and realities are often two separate things. Who are you and why would you wish to disturb a battle of knights?" Saber retorted, locking her arms with the sword at chest height.

"So it was another of the knight classes who had battled you, was it? Archer or Lancer?" The man asked, suddenly looking behind him on the chariot. "Boy, are you not going to introdu-" He paused, realizing the irony and laughing boisterously. "I've already jumped ahead of customs. In my time, I was recognized across the empire so my skill in introductions has dwindled." He paused, throwing out his arms once more - already growing to be a tiresome gesture - and flapping his cape. "I am the Great King of Conquerors, Iskandar! In this Grail War, I have been summoned under the Rider class." Beneath his intro, was a long tired groan from within the chariot. Reaching down, the source of the noise was revealed. A small young man wearing a green suit. He looked positively nauseous. "And this is my master, Waver Velvet.

The two smaller girls had differing emotions. One was snickering and trying to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation while the other looked furious. "As you have given your name, I am honour-bound to offer my own - even if the introduction was severely lacking." In a flourish, the King of Knights reversed her grip on Excalibur and set its point onto the pavement, resting one hand upon the pommel she spoke. "I am Arturia Pendragon, True King to Britain, wielder of Caliburn and Saber of this Grail War." She stated defiantly, twitching her eyebrow when the now identified Rider laughed once more.

"Ohoh, who would have thought the exalted King of Knights to be a little girl!" He boomed, halting suddenly as the sound of steel lifting from pavement met his ears.

"If you believe my appearance to understate my prowess, allow me to make an example, or has your mouth grown larger than your mind?" The proclaimed little girl bit back, sabaton creaking along the asphalt below, preparing for a strike.

Rider smacked his forehead with the palm of his head, grumbling. "Already it would seem my attitude has gotten us into more trouble than anticipated." He returned to speaking normally. "I have come with no intentions to fight. In fact, I had originally intended to break up the fighting between all four servants." He explained, smiling as he gazed down at Saber.

"Four servants? There have only ever been two here tonight to my knowledge." Saber corrected, confused as Rider looked behind her somewhere. Had Kiritsugu revealed himself? Or had Lancer returned? She glanced back in the direction Rider's eyes and found still air. Lancer and herself were only two. Rider made that three, but why would he include himself in that count?

"Hmm, perhaps you are correct. I see only two types of battle marks in the ground here. If my eyes are correct, I would guess Lancer had made his appearance, hadn't he?" Rider deduced, rubbing his beard affectionately. "Say, King of Knights, where has he gone off to? I'd rather not ask this question twice."

Saber brow furrowed, hands tightening around the grip of her blade. "I know not of where Lancer has gone, only that it was to assist his master. Which question would pose importance to both Lancer and I?" She asked in return, essentially bidding him to get to the point.

"Why, the only question which matters! My entire point of visiting." Rider spouted as if the way his mind worked was common knowledge. "It was to ask if you would wish to join my ranks and a distinct and well hono-"

"No." Saber interrupted, voice scornful. "I will not stoop to a mere retainer, I am the King of Britain. Even asking such a preposterous question is a severe insult to my honour as a knight." She menaced, body tensing to hold her frame back.

"What is it we have here? Two stray dogs barking over who takes a bone?" Came a smooth voice from the air. Its entire tone rang with mocking condescension which almost bit at the heels with its sheer venom. "Do not let the True King interrupt you. Settle your quarrel, and I shall judge whether either of you is worthy enough to live." It spoke again, seeming to condense on a location. Rider and Saber both turned to look, having to crane upwards to see a truly impressive newcomer. Clad in gold from the ears down, he stood with the rigidity of rebar and the pompousness of a thirteen-year-old from a wealthy family. With blazing red eyes even deeper in colour compared to Irisviel's, and a face that would melt the heart of any normal woman - he gazed down on the two with one open eye and a turned nose. Upon being noticed, he simply smirked and revealed almost fanged teeth. In the back of her mind, Saber acknowledged this man as one of the four servants Rider had detected.

"Who said either of you could gaze upon me like that?" He growled, the air behind him suddenly rippling like stones thrown into a lake.


Just piling away at this thing! I'll be taking a brief break so I can study and focus on upcoming tests. So far I think Unbalanced Scales is going in a good direction! Saber almost died to Lancer already thanks to D rank luck, Rider is saying some strange stuff and Golden Boy makes his appearance! A lot of fan fictions make him seem... Nicer than he should be. Or less pompous. I'm gonna try to get the overzealous nature of the King of Kings down pat. Make him a character who gives you chills just by seeing him like he does in the anime. (Is it strange that Kiritsugu hasnt revealed his new slills?) Don't worry, Tokiomi won't die... Yet... Or will he?

(How many tension makers can I put before it's no longer effective?) Anyhow. I hope you all enjoyed, I've gotten a small boat load of views which is absolutely amazing. 502 views on the day Chapter 2 went up! I wonder if we will break that record with this chapter! (I hope so!) Oh! And just as I was going to put this up, I noticed a new review.

It pointed out that Kiritsugu couldn't use Triple Accel without Avalon which I actually didn't know (but have since done some reading). Unfortunately that was a mistake on my part but what has been done is done. I won't be changing it and we can all say that he lived because it was such a short time or something lol.

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