Fate/Division by Zero

Chapter 5

Boss Fight – Part 2

Earlier
Fuyuki Bridge

"Rider, by my Command Seal..."

Waver raised his head, those eyes dead-set on Kayneth and nothing else, his cheeks hardened and jawline firmed.

"Destroy Lancer once and for all."

The left wing on the Command Seal flared red and then faded to a dull maroon colour, resembling nothing more than scar tissue.

A light blue glow faintly illuminated the warrior next to him, as Rider's eyes turned red momentarily.

"Yes, Master..." He unsheathed his greatsword and stepped forwards, "Meyontpaak, defend Waver and follow his instructions. I will kill Lancer."

Kayneth licked his lips; he would look forward to disciplining his student as he nodded to Lancer to move forwards.

Command Seals are more than just ways of telling a Servant a specific instruction, or to teleport somewhere far beyond their normal reach and speed, or even a preventative measure to leave their service to their Master. None of these can be done without a large amount of mana, which each seal contains.

The Holy Grail system set up by the Three Families took this into consideration, since without a tether to their host, Servants would just run amok, or kill their own Master. Once a Master uses up all their Command Seals, the Servant is free to either find a new Master, allow themselves to fade away, or even kill their former Master, should they so desire.

The more focused the Command, the greater the power behind the statement. A vague and vastly broad request like 'absolute obedience to all my instructions' could not possibly be taken as a direct Command, since that very wish involves more wishes and tasks, thus spreading the mana within the Seal thinly. It could have influence over a Servant's thinking, but even so, it will be only slight, and will not have the desired effect as wished from its Master.

When there is a specific goal intended, and it is made clear during the usage of a Command Seal, that is when it is the most effective. The mana in the Seal would be transferred from the Master's arm into the body of the Servant, along with the Command. If the Command were to 'instantaneously appear at the home fifty miles away', it can be done; if the Servant was near death, it can be used to heal it to maximum power to either retreat or fight again.

In this instance, Rider was Commanded by Waver to destroy Lancer, so there was only one recourse for the mana to take.

With the extra energy granted to him, he converted it into something which would be more beneficial for a fatal combat.

The distinctive leather and fur armour melted away to grow sharper, the dark edges difficult to stare at without cutting oneself, and the hellish red from inside the metal was bubbling away. His sword lost its silver sheen, and grew darker than night, serrated markings appearing on the blade with new red tinges on the hilt and blunt side. His soft boots now clumped loudly against the tarmac of the road, leaving footprints from the weight of the armour.

Lastly, his goat-horned helmet, a sight Waver had gotten used to, was now replaced with a near-demonic visage, with four ebony spikes now protruding upwards and the entirely of the faceguard black, leaving only eyeholes for Rider to see.

"Wuld Nah Kest!"

The thunder that followed in the wake of Thu'um meant that was Rider immediately in Lancer's face. Though Servants can travel fast, this was instant, and not a single step was taken in that huge gap across the bridge.

Lancer was slow to react as Rider slashed at his head, cutting through the railings protecting the spheroid helmet. Steam blew out as the tip of the sword glided through two of the portholes without encountering any resistance.

All eyes red now, Lancer bellowed its guttural roar, and with its left hand covered the leaking portholes, and then using the drill arm to run Rider through.

This was nothing to Rider as he shrugged off the hit, sparks flying from the point of impact, but the diamond-edged drill refusing to dig deeper into the Daedric armour.

"Enough playing Lancer, full power, now..." Kayneth felt his headache return at seeing the Servant's lack in strength. His Mystic Code behind him rippled in anticipation too.

"So…" Rider landed a dozen metres away on his back, from the eruption of gas, "This is what you used to defeat Berserker..." He got up slowly to take in its new appearance.

The tall golden figure of Lancer stood there, clutching a gun in one hand, and wearing his intricate robes melding nicely with the deep-sea apparatus.

Lunging forwards, he stopped on a dime and aimed his large weapon. A beam of pure light seared through Rider's shoulder, piercing the otherworldly metal.

Grunting in pain, Rider stepped back again as the smell of his burning flesh and bone reached the air. The beam stopped, only for another to take its place. The beam was continuous and didn't stop until it hit something.

Now intimately familiar with the effectiveness of the weapon, Rider ducked and then swerved to the side to avoid the sweeping moves. He glanced behind him, and saw Meyontpaak protect Waver using its wings, as the laser deflected harmlessly off the leathery hide.

He chuckled as he heard his steed grumble using her own voice.

"Very well..." He sheathed the sword, "If I can't avoid it..."

He removed something new from his back, a shield.

This was no ordinary shield though. The main property of a shield is to deflect any blows or projectiles. Naturally, they are less effective against bullets and armour-piercing lasers if under bombardment. In any case, all shields are convex, bugling out from the centre to push away any weapons to the side, to then allow its user to counterattack.

This particular shield was concave, so any attack would actually be drawn into the centre, defeating the primary goal of a barrier. With its white exterior and golden trimmings, it looked less like a shield and more like a satellite dish made to receive TV broadcasts.

In Rider's world, it was used as a defence against the mages of that time, absorbing a certain amount of damage that lightning, fire and frost magic could make.

Its name was the Spellbreaker for good reason.

Lancer aimed for Rider, who quickly held the Spellbreaker between him and the incoming beam. He didn't know if this would be the same as blocking a chain lightning attack, but he was willing to give it a try.

The next instant, the beam connected with it, and was drawn into its centre, the vibrating barrier of anti-magic surrounding the shield. Seeing that it wasn't penetrating through yet, Rider stormed in and withdrew a new one-handed blade, this time smaller than his greatsword, with another helpful ability for him.

Slicing into Lancer's arm, he felt his health grow as red energy flowed from Lancer's wound to his own, healing his laser-inflicted injury.

About to strike again, seeing Lancer's gun falter, he leapt in, only for a bright flash to hit him.

Though his face was protected from attack, it did not take into consideration for a blinding light, preventing him from seeing where he was going for a few precious seconds.

The next beam hit him from behind, lancing through the side of his waist and exiting the other side of his body.

Coughing, he felt the blood drip from inside his helmet through the thin grill to the outside.

"A true knight shows his face..."

Peeling away his faceplate, Rider made sure his words were not impeded.

"Fus Roh Dah!"

The concussive air waves pulsed into Lancer's body, and propelled him backwards, slamming into the girders of the bridge. The entire structure shook violently, vibrating from the impact, the odd cable breaking from some of the supports. Lampposts blew out as well near to him. Rider could tell Lancer was stunned, as it took several seconds to move his arm.

Without a moment to lose, Rider emptied out his pockets, bottles of red and green liquid falling to the ground. Gulping them down one by one, he felt his health and stamina replenish themselves from the restorative measures, just as Lancer shook its head and repaired the laser tweaking the valves and dials on the side.

As Rider prepared for the next wave, the air shook as Meyontpaak flew over the Servants towards Kayneth.

"Good luck, Master..."

He smiled at his young host, before turning back to his real opponent, and leaping into the fray once more.

Earlier

Waver saw the new figure of Lancer, and immediately saw its stats.

"An Ion Laser? But -"

Meyontpaak moved suddenly, draping her large wings over Waver, protecting him from the attack. Though Lancer wasn't targeting them, the beam was so dense and powerful that it would reach them even without any effort on his part.

"Rider's in trouble..." He looked up at the creature, "Do you think you can stand up to a full onslaught of that?"

The large grey eyes of the elder dragon stared down at the tiny human she had covered with her wings. It was small, barely a morsel for her stomach; all skin and bone, no fat or muscle to chew on. When comparing life and battle experience, still nothing when compared to her real master, Dovahkiin.

Yet, he was burgeoning with power. Not through mana, as she and Rider knew their Master was a Magus, but one with low prana reserves, and not enough to be able to properly assist them in battle. Some spells could be used, but active healing and restoring Rider's prana to full would be beyond Waver. Rider made up for this by providing healthy meals with recipes from his time, which helped to boost his own reserves as well as his Master's, and so far it was working well.

No, Waver's strength came from within, and if there was anything Meyontpaak could attest to, it was that inner strength is all that was needed. If you didn't have the convictions and confidence to push through the obstacles in your way, all the muscles in the world would never be able to hold back the doubt and insecurity.

Evaluating the laser was easy, her wings felt the heat and energy inside it. From that distance, its power was reduced, but it would be exponentially higher the closer they were to Lancer. Dovahkiin must be having a hard time.

If the blast was ongoing, her wings and the scales on her body would not be able to stand more than ten seconds. Human flesh, milliseconds only. Even though she was from an ancient time, such new firepower can break her barrier to harm or even kill her.

She shook her head at Waver.

"Then, there's no other choice..." Seeing how Rider and Lancer were both down, the former consuming his potions, Waver stared past the two Servants.

"We have to take down Kayneth..." He turned up to look into her narrowed eyes, "Together."

For once, they were in agreement. Seeing it to be an astute argument to assist Rider, Meyontpaak nodded and using one wing, pushed Waver onto its neck.

Then they were in the air, soaring metres above the bridge, and landing in front of the other Master, whose expression never changed.

"Waver Velvet," He glanced up, "And your little pet."

Her throat rumbled indignantly as she felt the magic inside her threaten to boil outwards in a flame-spewed retort. Waver patted her head to calm her down, before dropping to the floor.

"You can't win against a dragon, Lord El-Melloi, you must understand that." He didn't need to point out the giant creature behind him.

"Waver... I think we're past the pleasantries, call me by my first name if you would."

"Kayneth..." Waver held up the arm showing his Command Seals, "We're both Masters of this war. Are you willing to risk your life over this?"

"Hehehehehehe..." The blond Master covered his face up, chuckling loudly, before bursting out in full laughter. "GYAHAHAHAAA! YOU THINK...! You think..." He paused, trying to get his breath back, "You think I will leave without a fight...? You are sorely mistaken, boy." His veins on his forehead grew as he felt his magic circuits go into overdrive, "I will not stand here and be schooled by a pathetic student!"

He held a palm towards the two.

"SCALP!"

Waver widened his eyes, seeing that while they were talking, the metal globe behind Kayneth had been slowly getting smaller in size, seeping through the drains and reappearing behind them.

With that order, the Mystic Code lashed out at them. The blob morphed into lethal razor blades a fraction of a micron thick, guaranteeing the ability to cut anything in the known universe.

Then again, this was the first time it had to contend with a Phantasmal Beast of the Transcendent Kind from before the Age of Gods.

Scythe met dragon skin, and never before in its existence, encountered impedance to the attack.

Meyontpaak immediately noticed the danger as it started to cut into the scales slowly with friction, a chainsaw of teeth gouging out a path though the hardened plate towards the heart, one micro-millimetre at a time. She dared not to use her wings against it, as the skin there was much weaker and lighter for flight.

She did the next best thing and kicked at the centre of the mass, only for it to surround her leg.

As it was creeping up her legs towards her softer underbelly, she noted the way it tracked towards Waver. She opened her maw.

"Bo Nu!" She boomed, "Krif Keynaas voth ahkrin, Wahheyvbah!"

Meyontpaak used a strange way to pronounce their names.

She wasn't stupid; it was simple to transliterate their English names into Dragon Tongue. Yet, in this new world, as with the Dragons in Tamriel, all names held meaning by the words used to make up their names. Such ideas were created by Man in the ancient eras to identify and set themselves aside from other. Be it a profession, like Carpenter or Smith, or even being born in certain areas, such as Ainsworth, a place in England.

Once surnames were hereditary, then first names would need to be customised. Most parents put little thought into naming their child, or wanted to project great ambition onto the youngling.

Waver as a name led to him growing up fickle; he almost always would bow down to pressure from above, be it Kayneth, or even Rider's own ideas on how to win the war. He would be unable to stand up for himself with that name holding him back.

Meyontpaak growled. Even she was subject to this, since her own name exposed her embarrassing past as a dragon fooled by a priest in an older era of Fuyuki.

Therefore she chose to approximate personalities with the language of the Dragon.

Since they were in the land of Japan, and her knowledge of the Japanese language reminded her that not every culture pronounces certain consonants and vowels the same way, especially if the person was born in another country, namely the two Magi. The letter 'V' wasn't present in Japan, instead needing to use 'B', however this was instrumental in getting the perfect translation.

Waver's name consisted of three words, 'To Duty Wrath', and when put together, it meant 'Towards Moral Wrath', emphasising the boy's righteous anger at being belittled for his knowledge, and to express that intent violently.

She didn't need to try hard for Kayneth, since his name phonetically sounded almost exactly like 'Key Naas', meaning 'Horse Corpse'.

It didn't take much imagination to figure out what that meant for his future. Though the ageless dragons didn't possess a sense of humour in her world, after receiving knowledge from the Grail via Rider, her lips curled upwards at hearing of the expression 'flogging a dead horse', and how apt it was to this situation.

Feeling the Mystic Code press in closer to her chest, she pushed away the puny human; she knew he could understand her voice from earlier.

Looking down at the metal, she thought of a way to stop it.

"Yol Toor Shul!"

Waver leapt out of the way as Meyontpaak breathed flames onto her own feet. Even though she was a magical beast, it would still damage her in some form.

The Mystic Code started to melt away, not like a normal piece of solder when near heat, but retracting itself since the flames served to disrupt the Code inside the construct.

It was retreating to protect itself.

The flames were magical, and burned through the tarmac of the bridge, reaching the supports beneath the road, but so far there was no danger to a collapse.

Waver then thought back to her words which made his head pound, and recalled that he could understand it.

"Go now! Fight Kayneth bravely, Waver!"

He turned away from the dragon and looked at Kayneth, his former teacher smiling wide.

"How is that, Waver? Your Dragon cannot compare to my Mystic Code."

"What about you? Are you going to fight me alone then?" The shorter young adult stood taller as another Shout from the dragon was used on the metal, this time to freeze the Mystic Code, icicles appearing on the roadside.

"Please, don't make me dirty my hands with pitiful fisticuffs." The blonde man cracked his knuckles, "I can still best you in a purely magical fight."

The wind began to gather around Waver as his prana grew.

"I may not have as many Magic Circuits, nor generations of Crests implanted into me," The wind started to spiral inwards, "but I do possess something you do not..."

"Pray tell, is it your theory? Is it your hidden potential?" Kayneth stood there, arms wide, his chest rocking with laughter, "Why don't you indulge me, Waver?!"

"You won't be able to silence me..." His breath grew warmer, condensation broiling around his mouth, "You can deny my ideas, even the very words I say, but you can never stop my VOICE!"

A large inhalation of breath, and Waver went to open his mouth. Kayneth's grin drooped and he started to see his entire life flash by him in a relentless collage of grey, before uttering one last word.

"Shit..."

Earlier that evening
Mion River

Tucking into an apple cabbage soup, Waver looked up at his Servant, "So, that shout you used at the port...?"

"The Thu'um, yes. What of it, Master?"

"You've explained it to me, it's the language of the Dragons in your lands, and when using this 'Thu'um', you can project power in your words. Are you the only one who knows it?"

"No, there are others." He lowered his bowl of venison stew to his lap, "There was Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of a rebellion in my world in Skyrim. He used the same shout to help defeat the then High King. Ulfric was a good man, but he used the wrong methods to achieve his goal, and ended up losing in the bitter Civil War." Rider shook his head as the memories returned to him, "Miraak, the first Dragonborn, used the power to control Dragons and people, and eventually was killed by me to stop his plans." He munched into a loaf of freshly made bread, "There are a few others, apart from the Dragons and Draugr, but the Greybeards were those that used it for meditation and not for battle."

"Meditation?" Waver paused in his meal, "Can you meditate on those words?"

"For them, it was a peaceful way of life, away from others, and to practise use of the words, without anyone else suffering the consequences. It took years of learning for them to speak a single word." His grin seemed a little abashed, "Apart from me, because I was the Dragonborn, once I saw a word, I would learn it immediately, and they showed me the remainder of the words of that shout you heard."

"You mean, they taught it to you?" Waver was amazed, "How? Through books or lessons?"

He chuckled heartily, "Not quite, Master." He stood up and faced away from Waver and looked at the ground, "Let's see... I think it was like this." He took a pose with his hands, and yelled at the ground.

"Fus!"

The soil was singed as if branded with fire, and a glowing green sigil was on the ground.

"Are those runes? It looks like cuneiform…" Waver stood next to Rider.

"That is the language of Dragons. In my time, I just had to move closer to it to learn its meaning, and its ability."

"Incredible, thaumaturgy of this level, it would need days to generate this much prana..." Waver knelt near to it and touched the edge of the burnt grass.

Rushing winds then flowed from the Word and into Waver's body, invigorating him but also filling him with knowledge unbeknownst to him. Within seconds, the air died down and he shook from the cold.

"Aah..." His head was woozy, and found that he was now on his backside, "What happened to me, Rider?"

"Hmm..." Rider stared at the now dull patch of earth and thought aloud, "How do you feel, Master?

"What...? Dovahzul... Dragon Tongue?" His eyes were wide, he hadn't been able to say things like that so easily, "I... I'm scared... What's going on?"

He grasped both sides of his head, feeling a massive migraine grow and affect his vision as images came and went in his mind.

"There, there..." Rider patted him on the shoulder, "Here, drink this..."

Having been handed a bottle, Waver gulped it down, only to cough wildly, "This is alcohol!"

"That's right! Argonian Bloodwine, the best in Tamriel." His grin returned after taking a sip himself, "Feeling calmer now?"

"Y-Yeah..." Waver slapped his face twice to get rid of the red flush from the effects of ethanol on his system.

"I don't know why, but it seems you can absorb the Words of the Thu'um. Master, no disrespect intended, but I doubt you are a Dragonborn." He looked at the arm of Waver, "Perhaps because we share a connection, you may be able to tap into this power."

Waver traced his view and saw he was staring at the Command Seals.

"So, because of this I can learn more words and abilities?"

Rider shook his head, "Right now, you learned the language of Dragons, and one Word of Power. While it might make you strong, it can also crush your mind if not trained and harnessed correctly. The Greybeards took decades of self-reflection to be able to cope with one of the words." He folded his arms, his mood pensive and troubled by his furrowed brow.

Waver looked at the runes Rider blasted onto the ground, and his brain instantly recognised it as 'Force'.

"Does that mean I can shout like you?"

"Perhaps, but the strain will be too much on you, Master." He lowered himself to Waver's level, making them eye-to-eye. The Servant's gaze was serious; without his helmet he wasn't as intimidating, but he did seem stricter, "I'm no trainer, I'm a mere warrior. I cannot hone your mind to cope with all the knowledge. Perhaps, in time, you will be able to speak Dovahzul without pain. Right now though, as you are currently, I believe you will only be able to use the full shout once and only during this Holy Grail War. Your unique circumstances will not be duplicated again in the future."

"Just once?" Waver pinched his hand to feel his nerves react, trying to get his senses back to normal.

"Any more will put your life at risk, and I will not permit you to do it again. You will need to make it count, Master." Rider stood up from his kneeling position, "Do not waste your gift." The prana swirled around Rider, "You have learned one Word. I will 'teach' you two more, but if you are suffering, I will cease the lesson. Agreed?"

Swallowing loudly, Waver nodded, afraid to speak aloud his true feelings.

Present Day

"FUS ROH DAH!"

Unrelenting Force bellowed outwards across the bridge, but its user was neither Rider nor Meyontpaak.

No, it originated from the person shaking opposite Kayneth, the boy of nineteen years yelling the loudest he ever had in his short life.

The blast from his mouth was deafening and filled with prana the likes of which Kayneth had never seen. It was indeed Waver's own life energy, but infused with a new source. It was in no way comparable to Rider's own version, but it was vastly more powerful than most forms of magecraft. The Thu'um was amplified by the soul of a Dragon, kindly donated by Meyontpaak.

Having named Waver and even 'shouting' his name earlier, she granted him a tiny portion of her soul to use its energy as an aid, something they all discussed together in their plans.

Unmistakably though, it was Waver's own skill, determination and ability that allowed him to use it.

The coiling air took an oval shape with blue highlights as a tunnel of intense gravitational thrust surged towards Kayneth.

There was no time to react other than raising his arms in a futile gesture. His Mystic Code, his standard defence, was now using its full body attacking elsewhere and could not return in time. Kayneth cursed himself for relying on his tool so often, without casting any protective spells, nor administering of fortifying potions, or any kind of bodily enhancements.

Though Rider used the same Thu'um against Lancer, it didn't seem so effective; that was only because he used it on a Servant, filled with the legacy of its myth, and as such would be able to cope with attacks of that nature.

Humans however, even Magi, were brittle by comparison.

The first thing Kayneth felt was his skin being compressed, as if he were in a gale force wind, struggling to keep his balance. His cheeks were flapping backwards as his mouth widened in a scream.

The next thing was a series of ruptures and cracks, some audible, others less so. His scream turned to a screech as the bones in his body fractured, splintered and even shattered from the force. His fingers, hands, wrist, arms and elbows bore the full brunt of this, leaving them as useless husks of meat, dangling worthlessly and unfeeling.

Lastly, his body was flung backwards, carried by the funnelling effect, forcing him to spin endlessly. Crashing to the tarmac face first, he gouged a trail ten metres long with his body at least half a metre at its deepest. His pained whimpers and sobs came to a stop as he slumped, immobile and bleeding profusely.

Waver staggered, his exhalations coming out cooler, and his lungs begged for time to relax. Breathing was a struggle for him now as his chest was sore and stinging a great deal from using the Thu'um. His heartbeat pounded harder, demanding more oxygen to function.

"Goodbye, Lancer!"

Rider used his time after convalescence to fight the other Servant, having seen through his strategy.

Just as Kayneth hit the ground, distracting Lancer for a vital second, Rider lunged in and impaled the Servant on his Daedric sword. Gallons of water and blood flowed down the blade onto the tarmac.

Meyontpaak had succeeded in pushing back the silver globe into a small lake of mercury, which had now detected the near death of its owner.

Gas erupted from Rider's area, and the lithe female Lancer scrambled away towards her brutalised Master, grabbing his collar and pulling him from the debris. Turning back to the three people there, her red eye turned yellow, and she saw the Mystic Code latch onto her oxygen capsule, using her as a conduit to escape.

It was apparent to all of them that Lancer was dying, her wound was still there, blood streaming from the gaping tear in her chest. Nicks and cracks were on her legs, arms and helmet. There were glimpses of a face behind the porthole, but it was still too hard to see who or what lay in there.

It would take moments to kill them both fully.

Waver stepped forwards, hand outstretched, only to fall forwards. Rider caught one arm, and Meyontpaak using her wing held the other.

Their Master was well and truly spent.

Rider stared at the Servant.

"Go. You have lost, and your time is ending. Tend to your Master before you fade away." He holstered his sword, and soon his black-red armour frittered away to its usual leather and fur appearance, along with the classic two-horned helmet. Rider looked straight at her, "It was an honourable fight. Should we meet again in Sovngarde, I look forward to our rematch."

Her spherical helmet rotated downwards slightly, before she turned away and ran off into the distance, then leaping buildings to her safe-house.

Rider watched his defeated foe retreat, fully aware that this battle was won. He, his steed, and his Master, all beat their respective opponents in single combat.

Looking at Waver's sleeping face, he pulled a blue bottle from his pocket and coaxed some of its liquid down his Master's throat, rubbing his neck to encourage the swallowing reflex. The Magicka potion he hoped should help to replenish some of the lost prana and help him recover.

"Meyontpaak." He looked up at the dragon, who returned the gaze, "Let us find somewhere secluded to rest. Our battle cannot have been invisible to prying eyes." He picked up Waver and leapt onto Meyontpaak's neck, "To the skies! Fly in the clouds and head for the forest."

"Naal hin uth Dovahkiin."

Beating her wings, the trio left the bridge as the bounded field dissipated slowly, showing the craters, melted steel beams and crumbling concrete from the all-out attack. Following her Master's commands, she hid away in the cloud to avoid onlookers from seeing or hearing her swooping wings, heading to a safe haven.

Later
Unknown Location
5:41am

Mewling sounds trickled out of Kayneth's mouth. His entire body was reduced to pulp, and moving even a toe caused him to spasm more in pain and fall unconscious.

Sola-Ui was not amused.

"I can't heal you and Lancer at the same time..." She looked at the Servant and saw how worn-out it was.

Once the female version arrived at their hideout, it reverted to groaning bulky suit, but the hole in the armour remained, showing bare skin, flesh and bone, torn apart by that sword. The rest of the Servant was likewise battered.

Willing Lancer to go into spectral form was difficult, but she managed to make Kayneth do it before he fainted for the third time. Once Lancer vanished from view, it would be easier on her prana flow to try to mend the injury.

Deep down though, she knew there was no turning back. The damage was done, and whatever was in that blade served to permanently ensure Lancer would not be back in the running for the War, save for a miracle.

From the shared view she had with him, though the connection was distorted by its fight against Rider, she saw what Waver did to Kayneth.

For the first time in her life, she felt sorry for her fiancée.

He tried his best, only to suffer and lose spectacularly. His condition was worse than Lancer; Sola-Ui even doubted that he would be able to function normally as a human, let alone a Magus.

There was no other option.

"Kayneth..." She whispered a spell to gently wake him up, but to keep his nerves from registering any pain.

The blonde-haired man twitched, and one eyelid opened up, lolling about before settling on her face. A tear streamed from his eye, tinged red from a burst capillary in his nasal cavity.

"Kayneth... I don't know how to tell you this..." She closed her eyes, feeling them well up also.

Yes, Sola-Ui recognised what she felt in her heart.

Love.

True, she hated the man, and despised the fact they were put together for marriage. He treated her badly, looking down on her and others, his ego stronger than his Mystic Code, and his single-mindedness in pursuing his craft.

But, was she any different?

She spoke back to him, sniping from a distance with her words, cutting him down when his superiority complex reached her personal limit for the day. She was strong-willed too, and outside of interactions with Kayneth, she didn't entirely respect everyone she met.

Waver's paper though did give her pause for thought.

She was also dedicated to magecraft, and even though she rarely saw her future husband, being as he was in the labs or the lecture rooms, she would be away studying or performing new spells.

Where Kayneth adored attacking people, she enjoyed attacking him.

She relished it. She loved teasing him, insulting him, complimenting others, and contradicting his ideas. In order to one-up her, he would come up with more harsh words, only for her to retaliate, lighting up his fury.

Perfection through co-dependency, feeding each other's bad habits in an endless spiral of destruction. That's what her father said, but she cared not.

Sexual inhibitions were non-existent within the walls of their home. The hours performing depraved acts on one another were the final measure of releasing the pent-up frustration through mind-blowing orgasms. With dozens of energising potions on hand, they were able to continue their lust-filled bites, scraping nails and wet flesh pounding harder and faster until the climax; they were both satisfied by the end.

Sola-Ui felt alive around him. She craved his attention, his passion, his madness.

How could she allow a resource like him to simply die on her?

"Whatever Waver did to you, your bones are like glass, and you can't even stand up, let alone heal yourself. As it is, your own Magic Circuits are the only thing keeping your body together and alive, for now..." Her words were shaky, "Y-You're dying... If we don't get you a team of healers, I'm afraid you're not going to make it..."

She shut her eyes, allowing the tears to flow out.

"I don't know what to do, I can't heal you alone, and I don't think the Church will be a good place to go now." She bit her lip, "If you yield your Command Seals to me, I'll continue the war on your behalf. I'll get you on a plane today to London so the best Magi in the Clock Tower can fix your body."

She wasn't lying; she would try to win the war, but knew with Lancer the way it was, her chances were slim. At the very least, Kayneth would be receiving the greatest care in the world, and when she retired from the War, she could re-join him.

"S-Sola... Ui..." He croaked out loud, his throat dried up. His eyes had lost their vile temper and disdain, and were softer, mellower.

She could see there was some movement from his arm, but without any bones, they could not function on muscle alone. Reaching down, she clasped his fingers, cringing inside for the way they failed to grasp her own hand, and how weak it felt.

Kayneth mumbled some words beneath his breath, and soon the Command Seals flowed from his arm to that of his wife-to-be.

Sola-Ui felt more of a connection to Lancer now, and though he was immaterial, she could sense his thoughts more clearly and exactly where he stood. It would take a few hours before he could be willed into reality.

Kayneth looked up at the night skies, noting that the sun was beginning to rise from the East, the stars fading from view gradually.

"I..." She turned to see him try to speak again, "I... was wrong..." His eyes grew watery, "All my life... Sp-Spitting on amateurs..." His smile returned, without a trace of malice, "P-Perhaps... I can learn t-to change..."

Sola-Ui nodded, as she cried silently, the teardrops getting absorbed in her top.

Until her face splashed with red.

The explosion from Kayneth's face and torso was not unexpected, given that less than a metre away the barrel of a huge pistol resembling a cannon was smoking from its recent discharge. The Magus was now minced, indistinguishable to something you would find in an abattoir, no thanks to the gun firing off seven bullets with a single shot.

"Man... I so love this baby, Unkempt Harold was it? Might have to purchase the rights from Torgue..." His arm holding the gun bleeped, leading to him raising it, "Well, that is surprising, the souls of Magi are worth much more than that of normal humans... Maybe I need to use this to my advantage."

Sola-Ui no longer spoke, her statuesque face pondering over the remains of her fiancée. She found it curious that he wasn't breathing. She cocked her head, she could see his lungs and heart from inside the shattered ribcage, why weren't they moving or beating? Perhaps she needed to help get the blood-flow moving again in the body? Therefore, she chose to reach over and start massaging the heart by hand. Pumping it a few times didn't seem to do the trick; the hole perforating the left ventricle instead squirted the life fluid everywhere. Maybe mouth-to-mouth? Moving to the cavity which used to be Kayneth's face, she found what she thought were his teeth. Pulling away sharp skull fragments and a gooey grey matter, she moved nearer to breathe air into him. His chest did rise from the input, but deflated, again from holes, blood drops spraying upwards in a grim fountain. Wiping her moist mouth with her sleeve, she tried to find the reason for that. This time it was no thanks to the bone shards shearing into the outer wall of the lungs. Hmm... Then maybe chest compressions, this would stimulate both heart and lungs at the same time. Kneeling closer, she placed both hands above his lungs and heart, and pushed down hard in a rhythmic fashion. As her hands and sleeves grew damper, she ignored the wetness and the coppery smell filling her olfactory senses, nor the crimson vision as his blood flecks dripped from her brow and eyelids.

"Wow, you must really be broken..."

Standing opposite her was Caster, watching with amusement as the woman tried to resuscitate her – far too dead – lover. He put away his pistol and glanced to the side, sensing the disassociated mass of prana.

"Looks like I picked the right time. You can't even materialise to stop me from killing him, nor this lady, the new Master."

Lancer, groaning loudly in his own world, could not even hope to match him at this point in time, nor even appear to save Sola-Ui in a last-ditch effort.

"Well, lucky for you, I have no intention of ending her life, not just yet." He pulled out a yellow collar, "She'll make a useful tool."

Moving around behind her, he snapped the collar around her neck, sending a large electrical surge through Sola-Ui's body.

"That's the sound I love to hear..." Caster put his cheek against her bloody one, "You and I are going to have a whale of time together…" He couldn't shrug off the anger over his shoulder, "Now, you're going to order your mute Hero to not attack me, my Master and any of my allies, using one of those…"

He tapped her Command Seals on the hand.

"Pretty please?"

"Ahh… Aaaaah…" Her motor functions returned with a jolt, as drool seeped from her mouth… "Kay… Kayneth…"

Caster tutted, shaking his head after moving his face away from hers, "You women are all the same, you just don't know who's in charge any more…" His grip on the collar grew tighter, and more current flowed through her skin, "Now, I'm not going to play nicely any more. Do it…"

"Ahhh." Sola-Ui looked at Caster and smiled, "K-Kayneth? You're alive?"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded and grinned widely, gritting his teeth at having to pander to the imbecile, "Yeees honey, that's right. I did it myself, with, umm, magic!"

"You're a great Magus… Ahahahaa…" She licked her lips, the blood from her dead partner entering her mouth, "R-Right, the Command…" She held the arm, "Lancer, I order you not to attack –"

"Yeah… Uhh, sweetie… Call me by my new name, Caster…" He interrupted her to make sure she got the right person after all...

"Yes, Caster, my love…" She cleared her throat, "Lancer, I order you not to attack Caster, his Master or his allies."

"Unless I ask you to…" He prodded her, and helped it along by moving his hand down to her ample bosom, tweaking the nub there.

"Aahn!" Her cheeks flushed from the intimate contact, "U-Unless he asks you to."

Groans from the invisible Servant were now audible, but the Command was accepted, another Seal burning away from her arm.

"Great…" Dropping her like a sack of potatoes, Caster got up, "Now, I've got a plan, if a single Magus soul is worth at least ten normal people, then I need a new target…" He paced around behind Sola-Ui, "The Masters are too well defended for me, and their fortresses are quite strong with the Bounded Fields…" He clicked his fingers, "Yes, I think I know just the kind of person which would be perfect for my needs…"

Holding onto the collar, he dragged Sola-Ui backwards as he started to laugh, making the two of them disappear in a cloud of blue squares to his hideout.

Author's Notes

Holy God…

This took a long time to write, but I loved every second of it.

Before you start saying Waver is OP, well, he is, but this is the only time he can Shout. Just as Avalon provides coverage for Shirou etc., the soul of a real dragon from Mion River is a live catalyst of sorts. I also just finished Skyrim now, so I really enjoyed writing those sections.

I also felt that Waver and Kayneth never really had their final battle in the anime, so this was to replace that.

Now, for the info on another Servant:

Class – Lancer

Master – Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald / Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri
True Name – Big Daddy / Big Sister / Lancer
Game Series – Bioshock
Alignment – Lawful Neutral

Theme Song – Pairbond - Main theme – Bioshock 2 Soundtrack
Battle Theme – Big sister on the move – Bioshock 2 Soundtrack

Base Skills
Strength – B
Endurance – B/C
Agility – A/A+
Magical Energy – C/D
Luck – E

Class Skills
Magic Resistance – B: Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.

Personal Skills

Dignity of the Rearguards – A: The power displayed in the Battle of Thermopylae turned into a technical skill.
Guardian Knight – A+: As the guardian of many Little Sisters, the Big Daddy et al are always expected to "guard over others". And such expectations give him unlimited power of protection.
Innocent Monster – B: In the case of Big Daddy et al, their reputation grants a rank up in Endurance, though lower sanity than one would expect with a Knight class. It prevents the Servant from communicating normally with words. It is still far from the Berserker Rank of Madness however.
Mechanical Armour – B: It grants a rank up to Strength. No change in other ranks as damage done to the armour will reduce the effectiveness of the Servant.
Transformation – A: The Big Daddy can change forms to the Big Sister, and after the initial use of a Command Seal, 'Lancer', and back, each variant possessing different skills and parameters. Ties into the Noble Phantasm below. Though it isn't technically a true 'transformation', it can be said that observers believe it to be true.

Noble Phantasm

Protector of Rapture – Instant Heroic Spirit Swap

The only power available to Lancer. In the chaos of the civil war in Rapture, in order to defend the Little Sisters, large protectors were created and formed a bond with them to ensure the child's survival. There are two base forms of Lancer which can be switched to at will without any loss in prana, the third requiring a Command Seal to unlock at first. All forms are modelled on that of a deep sea diver with armour and helmets to match, and were considered to be 'Heroes' to the Little Sisters.

The original form, the Bouncer, also commonly known as the Big Daddy, appears to be slow at first, but can have short bursts of incredible speed. The drill on the arm ensures that anyone being struck by it would suffer greatly. This form is also much more durable than the second form due to the bulky armour on its body. He can also create a steam cloud from the canister on his back to temporarily obscure him from the enemy's view.

The second form is known as the Big Sister. While not an official protector when compared to the original Bouncer, its legend grew within Rapture as a formidable foe. Her powers include plasmids, which allow her to ignite, freeze, or release bees, along with various other abilities learned in Rapture. Her Magical Energy is one rank greater than the Bouncer. Her agility is also higher than before, allowing her to cling to vertical surfaces and leap huge distances, without any reduction in strength. The only downside to this is due to her tighter armour, her Endurance suffers a lower rank. Her hypodermic needle allows for easy puncturing and absorbing of prana, essentially healing herself, but it depends on a Strength roll against the opponent.

The final form is only known as 'Lancer', and was the final weapon to be used in the Rapture civil war. Unfortunately, he saw little active combat and thus has a lack of experience in the field. Yet his abilities are high, keeping the higher ranks of both the previous forms. As stated earlier, this form requires the use of a Command Seal to release it officially. The reason is that it uses a higher amount of prana to keep the Servant running at full capacity, and can affect the Magus providing the prana by draining and tiring them faster. His appearance is much cleaner than that of the two other forms, since Lancer did not fight at all during the worst times in Rapture, and his weaponry is far more advanced. An Ion Laser, the latest in technology back then, allows a concentrated beam of energy to be fired at an opponent. Again, effects on the opponent are determined by a Strength roll, but generally effects include burning, cauterising, piercing, and in extreme cases incineration or instant death. The downside to this weapon is that the user cannot move whilst using it, but he can adjust the aim as and when required. A second power to this form is a flashbang, created by reversing the Ion Laser onto Lancer as light, and then reflecting it tenfold, blinding an opponent temporarily. Lancer is not able to use plasmids since most of his energy is dedicated to its primary weapon.

Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit (Self) Noble Phantasm
Range: - 1
Maximum Target: 1 person