Fate/Division by Zero
Chapter 2
Difficulty Mode: Nightmare
Several seconds later
A voice was calling to her.
"!"
Some form of magic washed over her, unfamiliar, but friendly and warm.
"Oww…" She winced, then realised she was being cradled by someone.
As her eyes opened up, it was filled with green and yellow.
"S-Saber…?"
Irisviel could see her Servant interchanging between staring at her and looking above her head.
Seeing sparkling dust floating downwards, she had to look up to see what it was. There in the air, a tiny fairy with a wand was spreading it over her body and allowing it to fall naturally. As the glowing particles touched her skin, she could sense her wound healing rapidly. Indeed, her fatal injury was now gone, and all she felt was a minor pain emanating from her back.
The tiny person with wings grinned widely and then waved goodbye, disappearing into thin air.
"Y-You saved me, Saber?"
He nodded in reply, and kept his eyes and senses open for any new attempts. Helping her up, they watched the massive crates about them.
"Assassin… I can't believe that he was aiming for me." Irisviel winced and held her chest. "Masters need to be wary of this now."
Her eyes traced to the large storage containers around her, hoping that Kiritsugu would have seen her words, given he was an expert in lip reading.
Indeed, he was watching and cursing to himself.
"Maiya, can you see Assassin anywhere?" His sniper scope was focused on his Servant as he bit his lower lip hard.
"Negative, I can only imagine he is biding his time. However we cannot rule out that he may be planning another attack, either on ourselves or the other Master."
The Magus Killer frowned, "Why hasn't Lancer attacked?"
Maiya checked through her own scope and saw the lithe figure still steaming to herself, but standing where she landed originally.
"I'm not entirely sure. She should have attacked during this time of vulnerability, however, given that it is one of the Knight classes, perhaps some form of chivalry?"
Kiritsugu nodded to himself, "As pathetic as that notion is, it has served to help us since Saber does not have to defend Iri on two fronts."
At that moment, Irisviel stared at Lancer, thinking the same thing, only she had to speak out.
"Lancer…" The red eye swivelled and grew larger, as Irisviel bowed, "Thank you for not taking advantage of this situation. You are in my debt."
Lancer groaned and the red eye flickered to yellow and then green, as she too bowed even more graciously, with her arms spread out wide behind her.
"Lancer! You worthless Servant!" The echoing voice of her Master bellowed out across the port, "You failed to take out Saber during this crucial moment. I –"
A soft gurgling sound emanated outwards as panicked voices rose over the air.
"L-Lancer, help me!" Metallic sounds and flashes brightened the area on the top of the nearby warehouse.
Before Lancer was able to jump to his rescue, an explosion of sound blew her blonde Master down into the throng, bloodied and injured, but alive. He was surrounded by a glob of metal which was pulsating and deflecting attacks from the falling Assassin.
Then, the ground exploded from searing heat as two massive wings beat down upon them.
Irisviel only stared up at the beast and whispered to herself, "Oh my…"
Five minutes ago
Mion River
Waver felt the hairs on his neck tingle, "The fight is going badly for Saber." His enhanced vision was watching the battle progress from the bridge.
"Yes, the bladed warrior is being pushed back as we speak." Rider muttered, "However, they are not the only two Servants interested in use outcome of this battle."
"What do you mean by that, Rider?"
"There are others beside us observing the fight, one overtly as you can see by that strange contraption in the air." He indicated the location with a nod of his head.
Waver put a hand over his eyebrows trying to focus, and barely saw a four-winged device with a red eye observing the skirmish. It seemed to also be fluctuating in the visual spectrum, as if it had a cloaking device.
"That cannot be from Earth, the technology is far too advanced…"
"Like I said, that is not the only person watching," Rider stood up suddenly, "The slyest of them all has now decided to make their move, and has just killed Saber's Master unawares."
He picked up Waver as they dropped down to the bank of the river.
"But surely, that can only help us win the Grail?" The young Master held his heart for the sudden leap.
"It does, but such an act goes against all codes of combat." Rider pulled out his sword, "We must intervene, now."
He raised his face to the sky and roared out words which could not be made no sense to Waver.
"Mey Ont Paak!"
Within seconds, the air beneath the bridge grew warmer.
"Wh-What's going on?" Waver pulled at his top, feeling the heat rise further.
The masked man grinned, "My name is Rider. I would not live up to my name if I had a mere stallion as my mount, now would I?"
From beneath the bridge, a large form emerged from the darkness, claws and wings creating large gusts of wind, and its maw filled with serrated teeth.
Waver saw this and promptly fell back on his ass. As he began to cry, he whimpered, "A… A… A phantasmal – no, a transcendent kind – beast…"
"How can I be Dragonborn without such a worthy steed?" He climbed onto the back of the dragon, which had lowered its neck to allow him up. As he got on, he reached down with his arm, beckoning to the boy. "Join me in this battle, while our foes can only watch the skies."
Waver hesitated, thinking about the height he would be flying at, and the inherent fear associated with being so close to, and touching a dragon from the mythical era.
All of that was shattered in the presence of Rider, his confidence and charisma serving to breach the doubts of his Master. Swallowing hard, Waver moved closer and grabbed onto Rider's hand.
"L-Let's go, Rider." His Servant hoisted him in front so Waver would have the best view.
"Very well, Master. Onward to battle!"
He dragon roared and with two buffeting beating of its wings, they were in the air, Waver shouting out, not in fright, but of elation and joy.
Seconds later
As Rider flew over the port, he saw a tall man being assaulted by Assassin, the former being protected by some kind of globe of metal, which served to protect and attack, though facing the level of a Servant, it was vastly outclassed.
"Cover your ears, Master." He whispered. As Waver did so, Rider unleashed his long held breath.
"Fus Roh Dah!"
The projected voice acted as a wind funnel, pushing all obstacles out of its way. The only two things affected were Assassin, who was taken completely by surprise and took the blow in his stomach, and the blonde Master, who was somewhat shielded by that metallic globe.
As the two combatants landed in the presence of Lancer and Saber, Rider moved in between them all and landed with the dragon.
"Behold my power!" The dragon belched out flames to ward away any attacks, though none were forthcoming. The concrete docks slowly turned brown where the flames hit, and continued to spread though the fire stopped already. His eyes were burning bright, and glowed red too as he focused on the assassin in white. "If you dare to kill unarmed people again, you will face my wrath."
Assassin drew back and his hand blade stuck out, ready to fight.
"His head is mine…" From inside a storage container, someone emerged. "If you kill him, I will remove your own."
Archer held two Ingrams in either hand, and was aiming them for Rider and Assassin.
"Lancer…" The metal sphere fell to a puddle revealing the blonde Master and he stood up shakily, "You should have protected me…"
"No…" Waver saw who it was, "Kayneth…"
Hearing his real name caused the Master to look up at the dragon, and the boy sitting atop it.
"Waver Velvet, my most insignificant of students. I see you were the one who stole my artefact. So be it, by this War's end, you will face your death by me."
Trembling, Waver felt a hand placed upon his shoulder by his Servant.
"No Master who dares to insult mine will fare well in this world. I shall see to your end first."
Lancer geared up for an assault, only for a female voice to shout out.
"Please, let us stop fighting for today!"
They all turned to face the Master of Saber, and standing proud, she drew herself up to her full height, "We are all combatants in this Holy Grail War, we must conduct ourselves as fellow Mages, and fight with honour and wisdom."
Spitting out a globule of blood to the ground, Kayneth sneered, "And so, the doll of the Einzbern speaks of peace, in the midst of a war. Worthless!"
"I couldn't agree more." A man's disembodied voice came from one corner, before a strange person materialised from blue squares into existence, "What use is honour when heroes and villains have to fight each other to the death. Tactics like those of Assassin's Master while not exactly worthy, are the best at quelling all resistance." His smirk was wide and showed his brilliant teeth behind the skin of his mask.
Saber stepped forwards, sword outstretched as Navi emerged from behind him, "Who the heck are you then?" She swore uncharacteristically.
"Caster, at your service, puny little being." His smile widened, "Now, it is time for all of you to die by my hands."
He raised his arms, and a series of three booms came from above them. Streaking from the sky came three objects which landed with a crash away from the others. The first two were yellow robots with wide shoulders, and held guns on both arms, the centre one was much larger and didn't seem to be much of a fighter. However, its danger was heightened by the fact it was constructing another robot, much larger.
"Have fun boys!" He pointed to Irisviel, "I have a date with my girl here."
At the same moment, all hell broke loose.
As he nodded at her, she shirked away, sensing something not quite with his mannerisms. Saber leapt into action deflecting the bullets Caster sent their way, with an advanced submachine gun of his. The shield did the most of the work, though his own blade did wonders to parry the bullets away from Irisviel.
Lancer launched herself at Caster, attempting to stab him with her arm syringe, only to miss by centimetres as he leant backwards.
"Tut, tut, big sister of mine." He taunted, only to see her other hand with her palm right in front of his nose.
Receiving a faceful of insects was not what he was expecting, nor did he exactly want them to be buzzing straight into his mouth.
"BEES! Oh God, why is it always bees?!" He reeled back and spat them out, swatting them away as they swarmed around his head, "And my gorgeous face too!" He snapped his finger and the flying Surveyor from earlier uncloaked and got nearer to him, casting a blue beam onto him as it hovered slowly.
The next icy blast from Lancer was instead nullified by an orange translucent shield around Caster, who was crouched down and trying to gain his strength again. Saber's sword was also parried backwards, and somehow his body became electrocuted by the contact with the glowing barrier.
"Lancer!" Kayneth shouted, "Forget about Caster, attack Rider!"
Left alone now, Saber then stood to look at the Surveyor and narrowed his eyes.
Lancer leapt at Rider, despite the latter being on top of the dragon. Ignoring her threat, Rider ordered flames to be sent out, which his mount obliged, and they engulfed Lancer, only for the intense steam to extinguish them, and the drill bit piercing the smoke to drive into the skin of the dragon. She had changed into the bulky form from before with the six red eyes.
Its scream of anguish meant nothing since it only chipped its scales. Batting Lancer away with its wing, it took off to the skies, Waver on its neck grasping for dear life; Rider chose to land alone as he drew his sword and shield.
Kayneth watched them fly off and ran to the storage containers to get to higher ground, his grip magically enhanced to be perfect, though he frowned at how easily the paint rubbed off on his hand.
Meanwhile Waver's Servant had something on his mind.
"Assassin!" Rider stormed towards the killer, "Prepare for your death!"
"Apple of Eden."
The golden globe shone once as Assassin now surrounded Rider, as he turned with his helmet to see which one was real.
"Such child-like toys are not to be played when you are a man." He holstered his sword and shield, before withdrawing a huge broadsword somehow from his back, though Assassin could swear it was not there before.
Slamming it down into the ground, the cracked concrete injured the clones, but only one of them seemed to be heading away from the others to avoid being hit the most.
As Rider jumped in to take the advantage, Archer flew backwards between the two, blood streaming from his chest.
"Increasing aggression. Moving to engage." The two yellow robots with the word 'Hyperion' emblazoned on them closed in, and commenced firing at all three.
The immediate threat was calculated, and the Servants faced the robots.
Assassin threw some small daggers, which were woefully ineffective at damaging them. Archer pulled out his dual shotguns and launched into an attack, whereas Rider felt the electrical power in his sword grow and slicing into one of them.
The robots faltered in their movements from the two attacks.
The shotgun pellets from Archer blasting the optical implant, shattering the red glass.
"Mission failed…"
Detecting its lifecycles about to end, it subsequently blew up, leaving only the legs behind.
Rider's attack left the other robot with only one arm left, though he didn't seem to notice it aside from sparks flying from the disembodied limb, and a lopsided gait. Seeing how Archer dealt with the previous Loader, Rider snorted and put away his sword, only to withdraw an ebony bow with a green arrow.
"Thank you, Aela…"
Releasing the glass arrow, the thrumming of the string indicating it had left the bow, it plunged straight into the eye of the robot, disabling it completely.
"Injuries fatal." Seconds later, the Loader collapsed to the ground and exploded.
The three Servants breathed a sigh of relief, only for a much larger robot to land now, black and growling to himself with a deep voice.
"Charging primary weapon." The huge gun barrels on the side of the WAR Loader, as long as it was tall, commenced firing and began to heat up, flames sparking on the surface of the metal.
When the bullets, or whatever kind of warhead it used, hit the Servants, their clothes caught fire and they felt the flames sear their flesh.
"Enough of this shit..." Archer dropped the shotguns and withdrew two silvery hand cannons, which even Rider had to appreciate the craftsmanship.
"Bullet Time."
Launching into the fray, he went by the two destroyed yellow GUN Loaders and straight for the black WAR Loader. Watching the bullets skim by his face, he fired his Desert Eagles straight into the red eyes in the central portion, and even into the barrels of the large guns.
Reloading once, he continued to fire in the barrels and again at the red eye, noticing that also it seemed like the bullets simply pinged off its surface, they were slowly beginning to chip the glass.
Lifting its foot, the WAR Loader stomped it on the ground, causing Archer to stumble and then be kicked back by the force of it.
Rust flew up in the air from the cracked cement, giving Kayneth a good view of the battle from high, and also to see his former pupil on the dragon.
"I can't get him from here, when he gets closer, I will show the difference between new and old blood."
As he grinned to himself, someone stared down at him from a different perspective, one even higher than Kayneth. The scope of the sniper rifle had successfully zoomed in on his face fully.
"This battle has taken an unpredictable path." Kiritsugu moved the rifle over the other contenders, "Maiya, do you have any shot?"
"Rider's Master while flying is a fairly easy target, but I seriously doubt that the dragon would just allow me to shoot. A transcendent kind beast would be able to detect any kind of projectile and defend against it." A small pause and then she continued, "Lancer's Master would be simple to take out, even from your area, though he does have his Mystic Code. It is safe to assume it activates with any attack on its owner. It was even able to defend itself against Assassin for a short time, so it has to be formidable."
"Understood." Kiritsugu nodded and thought of it as such, he would need to take out Kayneth at a closer range, "No other Masters in your visibility?"
"None, however I'm noticing a strange occurrence with the battlefield itself."
"What do you m-" Kiritsugu said, and then paused at hearing the loud shrieking of metal.
Assassin, Rider and Archer stood at the WAR loader was shorn in two, the waist literally ripped apart, before a giant blade cut through it vertically, leaving the Loader in four ruined pieces.
"No!" Archer pulled out his sawn-off shotguns since he could use them again and prepared himself, needing to wait before he could use his temporal shifting Noble Phantasm again.
Assassin just lowered his hood and promptly vanished from sight.
It was then that everyone realised that whilst they were all fighting, the grounds were slowly decaying, allowing the new Servant to enter at full power.
"Berserker..." Rider grinned widely, "I've been waiting for you." He pulled out a different broadsword this time, one with glowing red marks on its surface, "Come! Show me your strength!"
"▀██▓██▄▄▬▬▬!"
The inhuman oversized knife curled through the air aiming straight for Rider's neck, only to be stopped by the Daedric sword, sparks flying from the impact.
"Ugh... A tough opponent I see. Then, you won't mind if I hold back."
Feeling the Thu'um in his lungs, Rider turned his face directly at the pyramid-shaped helmet.
"Fus Roh Dah!"
The winds buffeted the tall man clad in the human-skinned apron, but did nothing more than a slight angling of the head, as if questioning what Rider was doing.
Blasts from pellets rang out from behind and landed into Berserker's back, but unlike their first meeting, he did not flinch nor seem impaired in any manner.
Lancer dug himself out of the hole in the ground from where the dragon smacked him, and proceeded to let off steam, before charging straight at Berserker. The blade deflected the drill bit with ease.
"Lancer!" Kayneth shouted, "What are you -?"
However, his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum, was now active and working in a flurry at his feet, fending off some unseen foe.
"What is going on here?" Indeed, as he spoke, parts of the liquid metal protected his face, then his arms, chest, legs hands back, all at seemingly random intervals.
"Well, this sucks ass..." The loud voice of Caster echoed across the docks, "Someone who just wants to spoil my fun time. Very well, I'll take you out now."
Clicking his fingers, the Surveyor stopped granting his a shield, and instead went to Berserker, firing red beams. Even as they watched, it went directly through his body, but the Servant didn't seem at all concerned with the damage caused to its body.
"▀██▓██▄▄▬▬▬!"
The ground shook with the roar, and then Berserker finally started to attack first, a single step was all it took to get to Caster, as the latter found the tall beast was directly in front of him now.
Dematerialising quickly, Caster reappeared on top of the Constructor, which was idling away at the edge of the area.
"You know what, screw this shit." He ripped up the hood of the Constructor and started to fiddle about with the wires inside of it, "I was going to play nice, but now, you've pissed me off." His twisted face was lit up in blue from the quick welding techniques, "So, please, feel free to die!"
Leaping off the Constructor, it started to squeal as new armour, orange in colour grew from its sides, and a deep voice modulator spoke.
"Engaging targets."
Two beams started producing two WAR loaders, only this time they were even more brutal in their appearance. Berserker stood there without any answer.
On the sidelines, Saber kept near Irisviel, aware that Assassin could strike at any moment.
The Einzbern Master could only gaze at the Servant, "Poor Berserker..." She started to walk towards him, only to be halted by Saber, shaking his head grimly.
"Saber, your feet..." She looked down, "See?"
The entire docks were now a bare skeleton of what they used to look like, bright shipping containers were now barren rusty husks, cranes broken and the concrete itself chipped and dangerous to even walk on.
However, Saber's influence on the area around him provided a small circle of light, and the land was perfectly normal, no damage whatsoever.
"You have the ability to break out of whatever Berserker is doing." Irisviel felt her legs grow weaker, as red tendrils peeled up from the rust to latch onto her, "They're sapping my mana..." Her eyes widened, "My spirit... Oh Saber, stop Berserker!"
A rush of wind, and the elfin warrior vanished.
Berserker was fending off the gunfire and missile attacks from the Badass Loaders, polishing them off quickly, even stepping in quickly and taking out the constructor for good measure. Caster stepped backwards, and snarled.
"This isn't over... I'll be back for your head..." The blue squares of his distinctive departure came and went, leaving behind one less Servant for the time being.
Berserker didn't respond, he only turned and swung the blade, cutting into the leg of the pouncing Rider, who grinned back.
"Twas worth a try..." He winced as he leapt back.
Hanging from a buckled container behind Berserker, Lancer in her female form used her limbs to keep still, before pulsing her legs once, landing hard on the ground, and then throwing the entire container at Berserker.
Without flinching, he shredded the metal with his devilish blade, only to see Lancer's red eye speed by him, firing ice at his legs.
Shattering out of the lock easily, he raised the sword high up, and then slammed it into the earth, the wind forcing away Rider's arrows and Archer's bullets. Wanting to create more space, Berserker swung the blade in a wide horizontal path, knocking all three Servants backwards.
Suddenly, a sword cut into his chest, the cut leaking light from within Berserker's body.
"▄▬▓██▓████▀!"
With his spare hand, Berserker clutched the wound, feeling it begin to close up, but at a much slower pace when compared with the other attacks.
Saber stood there with his shield and sword, reading another attack. Spinning around, he extended his holy sword against Berserker's damned version.
As the two knife-edges collided, an explosion of light and shadow emanated from the point of contact, as both of them placed their strength into the attack.
Two things then happened to conspire against both Servants.
The dragon, still flying in the air, grew tired of watching his charge and upon a mental query and then order from Rider, swooped down to where Kayneth was standing. The Mystic Code was now fully defending him against the effects of Berserker's corruption, and now needed to contend with the flames from the beast.
"Waver Velvet..." He held up a ring, "Prepare yourself." Muttering an incomprehensible tongue, Kayneth then flooded the skies with red, intent on taking out the dragon through some arcane magic.
As Rider jumped into the maelstrom to reach his mount, Lancer watched all this, but instead focused once more on Irisviel, lunging at her.
"Eek!" Ducking fast, though knowing inside that her death would be instant, the Einzbern instead felt a wet thump above her head.
"B-Bastard..."
Peeking up, she saw the white-robed Assassin now impaled up to the chest with the hypodermic needle of Lancer, her red eyehole glowing irregularly.
Scooting away from the two, Irisviel felt more power flow into Assassin somehow.
"Lucky for you my Master wants me alive..." As the Command Seal granted Assassin power, he extended the hidden blade from his sleeve and stabbed Lancer in the eye.
Pulling back, releasing the skewered Assassin, she covered her head as water flowed out of Lancer's puncture wound. Fading away, the former used the majority of the mana to leave the battlegrounds and return to his base.
Lancer jumped to the side fleeing a multitude of bullets which rained upon her.
Archer stood away from them, holding a fully automatic machine gun, "I thought I told you all, Assassin is mine to kill..."
Hissing steam again, Lancer reverted to the male version with more armour and six red eye portals, spinning the drill with a high keening sound.
Lunging at Archer, they both levelled their aim on the other's head.
"████████▀▀▀▀▀███!"
"!"
That was before Berserker and Saber finally had their fill of distractions. Their swords were still intertwined, struggling against the other to push forwards. Allowing the power to flow outward and ignite their mana with the sparks from the clash, they flooded the area with fire and smoke from the resultant explosion.
"Iri!" Kiritsugu scanned the region with his scope but found no sign of her, or anything else through the smoke. Switching to an infra-red vision, he could several irregular heat signatures, then discounted that thought as the detonation of energy created its own heat.
From the smoke, at high speeds, were three objects. The largest by far was Rider guiding his dragon mount away from the docks back to the river.
A steam-covered creature carried a silvery man away into Fuyuki city, leaping across building rooftops.
Finally, running as fast as he could, Saber carried Irisviel like a princess, swerving into alleyways and dark streets, to get her to safety.
"Three Servants including Saber have left the area." Maiya's voice clinically cut through the tension, "Cursory examination of the docks shows no sign of either Berserker or Archer."
"Archer is gifted with Independent Action, he can pretty much go anywhere he wants. Berserker also has an uncanny ability to disappear when he wants, perhaps to do with what he does to the environment." He lowered the sniper rifle and detached the scope to watch Maiya from the dock crane far above them.
"That would be my assumption too. We must assume it to be a Noble Phantasm of sorts." She was leaning against the metal framework having her own rifle nearby.
"It may be more than that; it could even be a Reality Marble, implanting his internal existence onto that of the world around him." He shook his head, "Without knowing his name or any other information, it would be difficult to verify this. Regardless, he is probably the strongest opponent we have in this War, since Berserker shouldn't even be able to form one."
"Saber appears to have an advantage over him though." Her head turned toward Kiritsugu, knowing he was looking at her.
"True, but we thought Archer did as well until today's failure; perhaps Berserker can adapt to new threats, something which I am not willing to test any time soon."
"Agreed. Shall we depart?"
He lowered the scope, "Yes, I'd like to talk with Saber and Irisviel when we return to base."
Even as they spoke, the wind shimmered behind them as someone watched them closely, chuckling to himself.
"So, there was an observer here, not exactly a Master, but somehow affiliated with Saber." Caster spoke to himself as he pulled out a circular ring, large enough to fit around a neck, "I'll need more information before I use this. Next time though, I won't be as hesitant like now."
Seeing the two snipers disappear into the distance, Caster looked back and felt his own Master's glee rise up through the connection they shared.
"Ah, must be playtime for Ryuunosuke. I'd better help myself to siphon the life energy he's harvesting."
The multitude of squares signified his disappearance from the docks.
Elsewhere
"Well done, Berserker..." Matou Kariya coughed, "That was incredible work… You fended off nearly every Servant that has come to you."
The tall Servant growled beneath his helmet as his blade dragged across the ground.
"That swordsman in green, he must be Saber..." Kariya muttered before glancing at Berserker.
Even though he was his own Servant, he had no desire to get any closer to the abomination. The chest wound caused by the original slash was almost healed, but by far was the most devastating wound he had ever received. Even the shots from Archer at the Tohsaka manor didn't injure him this much.
The growling grew as Berserker remembered the pain.
"I know that you cannot talk, but I have to assume that you are not a typical hero, In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you would be a villain. Saber is usually associated with light and goodness, so his power is probably your antithesis." Kariya paused for a moment, "Why would I be able to summon a person like yourself?"
Berserker stopped walking and turned his helmet in Kariya's direction. Though there were no visible eyeholes, Kariya felt a deep glare penetrating his body, analysing him down to the marrow of his bones. The gaze wasn't one of respect, but of condescension and disgust. Berserker's gait could only mean one thing to Kariya.
You know why I am your Servant.
Shivering, Kariya went to the home and entered it, thankful that the horror which was his Servant would keep away all members of his family. Heading straight for the dank basement, he allowed Berserker to rest there for now. Kariya knew that this had three advantages; firstly, he could regenerate by consuming the crest worms that inhabited the numerous bodies there.
Second, if his ancient father, Zouken was still around, then he couldn't easily return to his base during the day, since he needed to farm more mana from the worms. If Berserker was there and already doing the same, then Zouken would be at a critically low level of power. Regardless, Berserker would instantly attempt to kill him on sight again.
Finally, and the most important benefit to this method, there was a perfectly valid reason for Sakura to not have to enter the basement for her nightly ministrations.
Feeling another tug of the worms in his chest, he sensed Berserker's mood elevate to what was considered by Kariya to be happy, though it came off more like targeted violence.
Walking up the steps, and sensing mild magic blocking off certain doorways, he knew that other members of the family, those that hadn't chosen to leave, were sealed up in their rooms. Yet, there was always one room which was unlocked, for any male to enter.
Knocking three times, he heard no answer, only to knock again in confusion.
"C-Come in." Came a quiet voice.
Opening the door, slowly, and peeking inside, he saw Sakura kneeling on the bed, cocking her head to one side.
Entering slowly, Kariya shut the door behind him.
"Hi Sakura-chan..." He smiled at her, "Why didn't you answer the first time I knocked?"
She angled her head back to its neutral state, "I never heard it before, that's why. No one knocks on my door. They just open and come in whenever they feel like it."
Bile starting to collect at the back of his throat. Swallowing the urge to vomit, he moved closer to her. After being exposed to the crest worms for a year, Kariya knew what toll it had on the body, especially when being forced to increase his magic reserves. Thankfully, he was able to satisfy his carnal needs through methods of his own.
Sakura however...
Shielding his eyes from seeing what was happening behind his back all this time, he turned to fully focus on the young girl. The former Tohsaka had lost her vibrant brown hair and was now tinged with the poisonous purple which was a commonly seen shade in the Matou dynasty.
"What is it Kariya-ojisan?"
Realising he must have been staring, he shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking about how long it has been since I last saw you."
Her lips failed to curl upwards into a tiny smile, "We only saw each other two days ago."
"I know..." He laughed awkwardly back at her, putting his hand behind his head, "It just felt like a long time."
"Okay then..."
"I'll come by as often as I can. The War is difficult, and I don't want you to go outside just yet, it's too dangerous."
"I won't, I promise." Sakura nodded.
Patting her on the head, Kariya tried to grin, though the one side of his face refused to cooperate thanks to the atrophied muscles, "You take care of yourself. As long as I'm here, things will turn out well."
Getting up off the bed, Kariya moved to the door only to feel a small tug on his top. Tracing the source, he saw that it was Sakura's tiny hand holding it tight.
"D-Don't go, sleep here tonight, please?"
Those eyes of hers weren't misty, Zouken said she stopped crying a while ago, but there was some sort of emotion flickering there.
"Sure thing." He held her hand, "Let me just grab a futon to sleep on the floor, okay?"
Sakura nodded at him, and waited for his return.
Laying the clean futon on the ground, unrolling it slowly, he guided Sakura to her bed and tucked her in first.
"Good night, Kariya-ojisan..."
"Good night, Sakura-chan."
He turned the light off in the room, and laid down in the futon, waiting until he heard her breathing become deeper.
Nodding to himself, he closed his eyes and prepared himself to sleep. He thought about something and sent out a mental command to his Servant.
"Berserker, stand guard at the door. Let no one in here aside from myself and Sakura."
The rumbling of his crest worms were the response from the insane Servant. Kariya coughed lightly, feeling a blood vessel pop in his mouth. Swallowing the trickle, he sneered.
Even though the Matou line was a rotten apple in terms of magical power now, most of them may not be aware of the full meaning of their lineage in the home.
He didn't care what anyone thought, Zouken must have told them a tiny amount of their heritage, so if they dared to interfere with Kariya, then they would have to answer to Berserker's rage, one not even Zouken would be able to stand up to.
Sweating, Kariya closed his eyes. Since Servants and Masters share a link, knowledge is passed between them whether they like it or not. Though he like all humans required sleep, Kariya was not looking forward to what was coming.
The nightmare world of Berserker.
Author's Notes
Nice little free-for-all here. Can't have Iri die so quick in the plot though, thankfully Assassin is being pacified by pretty much all Servants now, so they will be much more cautious in future.
Time for another character profile, everyone's favourite…
Class – Rider
Master – Waver Velvet
True Name – Dovahkiin
Game Series – The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim
Alignment – Chaotic Good
Theme Song – Dragonborn, Track 1, Disc 1, Skyrim Soundtrack
Battle Theme – Watch the Skies, Track 12, Disc 3, Skyrim Soundtrack
Base Skills
Strength – B
Endurance – B
Agility – B
Magical Energy – C
Luck – D
Class Skills
Magic Resistance – A: Cancel spells of A-Rank or below. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer". This is due to the Dragon blood and soul inside the Servant's body.
Riding – EX: Can ride anything in existence. Rank is high due to the Dragon blood and soul inside the Servant's body.
Personal Skills
Bravery – A+: Bonus effect of increasing melee damage. While Rider's Strength was ranked D, at this level of bravery, it is permanently ranked at B.
Charisma – C: Participating in a civil war in the land of Skyrim, the mere act of joining a side, whilst not being its outright leader, raised the morale of the soldiers to the limit and united the troops to victory. Thanks to his charisma, it is possible to make others believe in his words without basis. While not powerful enough for a hypnotic effect, it allows listeners to open their minds to be more willing to accept his statements.
Expert of Many Specializations – A+: Access to and use of many expert skills, including smithing, archery, heavy armour, one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, alchemy and others for a total of 18 skills can be used with proficiency of Rank B or above. Whilst this Rider is able to use magecraft to attack or heal, or even sneak around and pickpocket from people, he chose to focus more on direct physical combat and defensive measures. In other realities, Dovahkiin could instead be a fully-fledged Mage or Thief; the one summoned for this war is a Warrior.
Eye of the Mind (False) – B: Calm analysis of battle conditions, by which competent grasp of the status of the self and the opponent are obtainable even in the midst of danger; utilization of such to deduce the appropriate course of action that permits escape from a lethal predicament.
Instinct – B: Near sixth sense to feel the best course of action during battles. Raised by one rank due to influence of Dragon blood and soul within Servant
Salve of God – B: Receives a massive boost to his self-healing capabilities using ancient remedies and ingredients from phantasmal species (such as giants and hargravens) from the era of the Gods. Cannot cure decisive fatal injuries. Raised by one rank due to experience in concocting potions with greater effects via alchemy.
Noble Phantasms
The Last Scabbard of Akrash – Weapon Retrieval
A hidden ability, and constantly active. Rider has during his time in Skyrim handled and created many weapons when smithing. Some weapons he notes are more effective than others. Discarding all worthless items he has forged, he can withdraw any sword, bow, shield, even armour should the need require. Should a weapon break during use, he can simply produce another one from his smithing archive. Dropped items disappear when he wishes it to. Basic items which he considers useful, such as cutlery, plates, mortar and pestle, etc, are also in this storage.
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Unit (Self) Noble Phantasm
Range: -
Maximum Target: 1 person
Thu'um – Dragon Shouts
As Rider is Dragonborn, he can naturally learn and speak the ancient and powerful tongue of the dragon kind, called the Thu'um. The most common 'shout' used by Rider is 'Fus Roh Dah', loosely translated in English as Unrelenting Force. Determining how effective it is requires a Strength roll against the target. Against an equal Strength rank of A, it would stagger the enemy in its path. For weaker strength ranks, it can, knock them back and even kill them. Other shouts are possible to use against enemies, though are used rarely. For a special Thu'um usage for the War, see the next Noble Phantasm.
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm
Range: - 1-10
Maximum Target: 3 people
The Ancient God of Mion – Summoned Dragon
Upon looking over the lands of Fuyuki City, Rider noticed an old Dragon soul trapped in the very river. Sensing the sadness of the beast, he spoke its true name. Using the Thu'um, he roared out Mey Ont Paak, translated literally as Fool Once Shame. Without words, he understood the history of the old god, how it was tricked by a mere human to train judou at a nearby temple. Rider needs to summon Meyontpaak on the shores of the Mion River, and given the power needed, the summoning Thu'um needs to rest for five minutes before he can call out the dragon again, if it was defeated within that period.
Once released however, it can freely use Dragon breath of fire and frost, whatever is required for the situation. Thankful for being released from the stagnant prison, Meyontpaak abides by Rider's mental commands by his own choice, so much so that Rider doesn't need to use the 'Bend Will' Thu'um used to control wild dragons. He can allow Rider's Master to ride on his back as well, and can even accept orders from the Master if need be. If enough damage is sustained, he will disappear, but can be summoned again by Rider, though its total health will be slightly lower each time. He can also be made to return to where he was summoned from without any ill-effects upon re-summoning, so that Rider can remain inconspicuous during the day. Rank is extremely high due to him being one of the Transcendent Kind.
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm
Range: 10-300
Maximum Target: 200 people