Chapter V

When I came to, it was to Archer's worried face.

"Master!" she breathed. "Thank the gods you are awake."

"Archer," I grunted as I tried to force myself into a sitting position. Looking around, I could see that we were in a room I did not recognize. "Where are we?"

"No, Master, you are injured," Archer tried to force me to lie down again. "Getting up now will only aggravate your injuries further."

"I know a rune or two that can heal my arm, Archer. I can heal my arm," I replied, wincing in pain as I glanced at my broken arm which was now in a splint. "Was this you?"

"Yes," Archer nodded as she helped me up, "as for our location, well the local authorities had arrived at the hotel after our respective fights. I thought it prudent to gather our things and regroup where the mundane wouldn't bother us." Glancing over to the side, I saw our bags in the corner. "We are currently in an abandoned building I had found." It was then she hesitated as she grimaced, "Master… when I arrived, Lin…"

"I know," my eyes narrowed as I began to draw runes of healing onto my broken arm and poured mana into it, "they took her." From the corner of my eye, I saw Archer was watching me heal my arm, but I had the feeling that it wasn't due to idle curiosity. Rather, she did so because she did not know what else to do.

"The man who took her, I did not know who he was or why he took Lin," I said as I was finishing the last touches on my arm. Archer did not respond, so I turned my gaze back to her as I flexed my healed arm. "Would I be right in assuming that the kidnapper did not work alone and had an accomplice that kept you distracted?"

"Yes," Archer nodded. "I do not know who they were, they wore a cloak to conceal most of their face, though I do know it was a woman. Perhaps the one you saw earlier today."

"Maybe," I said, though I didn't care to speculate. Lin was taken, the only thing I was concerned with was getting her back. Shrugging my once-broken arm out from the sling and slipping it from the splint, I noticed my gear belt and my 5.7 sitting on a nearby table, along with my jacket which was folded over the back of a chair. "What happened during your fight?"

"After heading to the roof you designated, I only had enough time to surmise that there was no evidence that there was someone there," Archer reported dutifully. "I heard gunfire coming from our floor and tried to come to you, however, I found myself unable to due to the Bounded Field. Shortly thereafter, the woman attacked me. She fought me in a battle of attrition, which kept me from coming to you. In hindsight, it was no doubt her goal to keep me occupied and expose you and Lin to her partner."

I nodded, it was a standard strategy. We Enforcers used it all the time when dealing with runaway Sealing Designates and Magus turned Dead Apostles. Of course, these targets expected it, but when it's one runway versus a whole team, you layer distraction over distraction, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Unfortunately, in this case, all it took was the first move.

"She was quick," Archer continued, "used a gun and some sort of dagger to either block my arrows or force me to dodge whenever I founded a perfect angle to shoot. Unfortunately, I was unable to use multiple arrows per shot or my Noble Phantasm due to the public who unknowingly could've become a bystander casualty in our fight."

I couldn't blame her there, despite my desire to keep Lin safe, and now to get her back, the Clocktower would not look kindly if there was any magical evidence. And multiple arrows coming out of nowhere and disappearing in this modern age would've raised questions, especially since nearly everyone carried a camera in their hands. Sure, the town was rather out of the way, but the Queen of the Clocktower was aware of how advanced the humans' internet had become. All it took was one photo and things would be… uncomfortable.

"My adversary suddenly fled and I did not give chase. Seeing the Bounded Field collapse, I went back to the hotel room to find it nearly destroyed and you in the rubble. I gathered all our belongings and took you from the hotel," Archer finished.

Nodding minutely, I stood up, walked over, and checked my gear. The magazine in the sidearm only had two bullets left with one more still in the chamber. With that one guy's knives, a form of magecraft given that I felt mana coming from the man before throwing them, my bullets would be useless unless I could get a clear shot where he wouldn't be able to retaliate. I only had forty-three bullets left. Since we didn't know the enemy's numbers, I would have to be even more careful with how I use my weapon in battle.

"Archer, did the enemy you face reveal anything?" I asked as I put my gear belt on.

"No," she shook her head before raising a hand that held a folded piece of paper between her fingers, "however, the one who took Lin left a note."

Taking the note, I opened it and frowned at its contents.

I hope you wake up soon, caring big brother. You don't want to miss the fun that's going to happen tonight. After all, your sister is the one we are honoring in our little soiree. If you wish to attend, meet us at this location at midnight. And yes, you are allowed to bring your Plus 1 with you.

What followed was a set of coordinates. Pulling out my phone, I punched them into the map app. My eyes narrowed when I saw where it was. Domogled National Park, I mentioned it to Lin earlier today that we would need a guide in order to explore the place given its size.

"Master, I already read the note, however, I do not have a map," Archer spoke up, "though judging from your expression, I'm guessing you found it on your phone?" At my silence, I noticed her walk over to my side and look over my shoulder at the map on my phone. "Oh, I see. So that's where they are."

Putting my phone on standby, I pocketed it before turning to my Servant. "Archer, how long was I out?"

"Almost two hours," she replied, "there may not be a working clock here, but I do know that we have a bit over half an hour to arrive at the specified time." She then hesitated as she averted her gaze, looking down at the floor. "We may be walking into a trap…"

"I know," I said, looking to the cracked window and at the moonlit night sky.

"Lin…" I could sense the pain in her tone. "She might be dead or worse…"

My hand, the one that held my Command Seals, tightened into a fist. "I know…" There were too many scenarios, too many unknowns, and given it may as well be three on two in their favor, we might as well cut our losses. A true mage would. Feeling a tug on my sleeve, I looked back at Archer to see her gazing at me fervently.

"Master, whatever you decide, know that I will follow you into the pits of Hades, even if the War has not officially started yet."

My eyes widened for a moment. Even if the War has not yet started…? Oh. She was willing to do this even if it killed us? And even though we have only known each other for almost three days, she knows what I value most right now. "Thank you… Atalanta…" I whispered, knowing she would hear me clear as day anyway.

She nodded with a soft smile.

"We don't have a lot of time before the meetup time," I said, drawing my sidearm and ejecting the nearly empty magazine as well as the round in the chamber. Catching the 5.7x28mm round, I pocketed both it and the magazine before reaching for one of my last two full magazines and slid it into the pistol. "Our enemy, their capabilities as well as their numbers are largely unknown to us. But then again, I was completely unprepared when I killed my first vampire." I smiled wistfully at the memories of my first hunt. "And I assume you were as well when you took down your first monster."

"Indeed," Atalanta nodded, "my patron goddess, Artemis, trained me as best as she could as one of her hunters, but luck and experience are what truly matters on the field of battle. While yes, we are indeed in the dark concerning knowledge of our enemies. We have a goal that we must complete, at any cost."

"Indeed we do," I replied as I went back to the table to grab my coat. Pulling it on, I looked back at the full moon in the sky. "And something tells me, we have luck on our side anyway." I looked back at my cat-eared Servant. "Atalanta, we may have only fought in two battles before, but I am still unaware of your full capabilities, even though I know your stats and Noble Phantasms. But… if you find an opening."

"My bow will rain death," Atalanta promised, placing a hand on her chest. "Whoever these vermin are, they will regret their actions tonight."

"Indeed they will…" I said as I glanced at our luggage bag. I kept a weapon in there just in case, especially given we were in Romania. I had forgotten it in the heat of the moment against my opponent, but now with it, they were going to regret taking Lin.

…

"You sure they're going to come, Bell? It's almost midnight."

"Of course they will, Toll," the large man replied with a grin as he glanced over at their captive who was wrapped in restrictive bandages from her neck down while unconscious. "It's a shame you didn't see the love on her brother's face when I came in to take her." A grotesque grin pulled at his lips. "Maybe you'll see it when we gut him tonight. It's always fun to watch mages bleed to death while their guts spill out. Always crying about failing their families and unable to reach the Root. Whatever that is."

The cloaked woman shrugged, amusement tinged in her tone, "Maybe I will see it tonight, Bell, maybe. But don't take them lightly, especially the woman." She then placed a hand on her side. "Remember, she was the one who nearly bisected me with that bow of hers. Though I have to wonder what kind of human she is to be able to do that."

"Probably a mage who enhanced their bodies," Bell shrugged. "You remember how those mage types are. They'll do anything to further their research."

Toll looked down at her bandaged hand. "Yes…" She then stiffened before sniffing the air. "Oh, would you look at that, they're here."

"Oh?" Bell shifted his head to the side to avoid an arrow to the back of his head. "And they're still lively I see!" Turning around, he found the woman with the cat features, her bow at the ready. "So you came! Good, we'd hate to send off your little sister here into her greater destiny without a goodbye to her family like we were. Unlike you mages, we aren't monsters who tear kids from their families without consideration."

Archer's face twisted into a scowl as she drew the string of her bow with an arrow notched at the ready to fire, "Says the one who kidnapped an innocent child! You speak of consideration and concern, yet you are the ones taking her away from her family!"

"We don't have to be mages to know that the little girlie over there is special," Bell grinned with his arms spread out. "She will serve our master's goals quite well, well enough to create a new world!"

"A new world?" Faelan frowned.

"Indeed!" Bell grinned widely as his eyes lit up with glee. "A whole new world for us vampires, one where we'll be free! Free to do whatever we want!"

Atalanta scowled in distaste, "So you're one of those types, how boorish." She then looked at Toll. "You, cloaked woman, I wish to resume our duel."

"Oh?" Toll tilted her head, before throwing her head back with a laugh. "Ah, why not? It's been a while since I found a challenge. Plus, I want to find out what you are. You're different from other people, it's like you're not here at all."

A twitch on Atalanta's brow was the only response anyone could see.

Master…

I heard.

Do you think they might be trying to deceive us? She was confused as to what a Servant was when I announced myself, but I thought her confusion was false.

… No. I've fought some Dead Apostles with unique personalities, but they weren't stupid. Any Dead Apostle worth their salt would at least recognize a Servant is, much less recognize one. I hear true confusion in her voice over what you are.

Then we have the advantage then if they do not even know the capabilities of even a low-quality Servant.

Indeed we do…

With a smirk, Atalanta released the arrow at Toll, causing the vampire to react by raising her rifle and shooting the arrow. The bullet went through the arrow and continued on towards Atalanta, forcing the Archer Servant to dodge the iron projectile by leaping out of the way.

"Come vampire," taunted Atalanta as she leaped further into the forest via the overhanging tree branches, "I wish to resume our fight."

Bell watched the two women fly off accompanied by the sounds of gunfire from Toll's rifle. His nose sniffed once before he grinned and spun around and threw a fan of knives at a spot near his captive. From that spot, Faelan leaped from the shadows, deflecting the knives that got too close to his person with a knife of his own and shot them with his main firearm before they turned into their insect forms.

"Was wondering where you were, big brother," Bell chuckled, drawing another set of knives between his fingers. "Should've figured you'd try to save your sister while your friend had us distracted. But you forget, we are vampires, lamyros. I smelled you the moment you entered the forest, human."

Faelan frowned as he sheathed his knife and drew another sidearm in his left hand. Although, calling it a sidearm was an understatement. It was a hand cannon, a Desert Eagle but this one had a longer barrel than most.

"Ooooh, nice gun," Bell grinned maliciously. "You compensating for something?"

"You talk too much," Faelan observed coldly before raising his 5.7 and fired.

…

Atalanta leaped onto a high branch, looking down to observe her adversary from above. The cloaked woman was skilled and if she were to live long enough, she could become a true threat to humanity.

"It's too bad you won't live to see it," she grinned, notching an arrow to her bow. "Despite your vampirism, you're not even a Dead Apostle. You're no match for a Servant." Releasing the arrow, one became a dozen as it rained down on the cloaked woman, kicking up dirt in the wake of the attack. However, when the woman flew up from the cloud of dirt and landed on the same branch, holes in her cloak, Atalanta was not perturbed. "Hm, it would be a shame if that killed you. After all, any hunter enjoys the thrill of the hunt."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Toll sneered, throwing off her ruined cloak, revealing that her whole upper body was covered in bandages, save for her eyes and mouth. "But you seem to think that you're the hunter and that's where you're wrong, bitch!"

Atalanta was forced to dodge gunfire from Toll's Modello 38 rifle, firing off her arrows in return. A few arrows that managed to get past the vampire's guard and the cinquedea she kept were not vital areas and healed rather quickly.

Faelan, is everything going to plan?

Unfortunately, yes.

Have you fired that other gun of yours, yet?

No, I cannot find an opening, and firing it would temporarily paralyze my arm, even with the preparations I've made. Until I've fired my Desert Eagle, you have to either kill or distract this guy's partner until I put him down.

Understood.

Pausing only once to fire another volley of arrows, Atalanta was forced to dodge another shot from the vampire's rifle. "Even if Faelan uses a weapon such as that, they are still distasteful," she remarked as she spied a bullet hole in a nearby tree with a modicum of disdain. "Those weapons lack grace." Leaping up and toward a high branch, she fired an arrow that impaled the vampire's leg to the ground.

"Gah! You bitch!" snarled Toll, grasping her injured leg. She tried to pull the arrow out, but it was stuck, no matter how much of her vampiric strength she used.

"How uncouth," Atalanta commented drily. "Still, you managed well against a Servant, even as a lesser vampire-"

"Lesser?! Who the fuck are you calling lesser?!"

"I will grant you a painless death," the huntress of Artemis continued as she drew another arrow and aimed at the vampire's head. "Take comfort in the knowledge that your friend will soon join you in death."

"Bell!" Toll gasped in horror before she used her cinquedea to cut off the part of the arrow that kept her bound to the ground, She stumbled off as best as she could given that the rest of the arrow was still in her leg.

"You're not going anywhere!" Atalanta barked, firing another arrow to stop her. But to her surprise, the vampire merely placed her rifle on her shoulder and fired a shot to deflect the huntress's projectile. Furthermore, her surprise turned into shock when Toll began shooting at trees, somehow able to cut straight through them and causing them to fall behind her. "How…?" But then she realized where the vampire was going. "Master!"

…

In a battle between a knife and a gun at a distance, in normal circumstances, the gun would win. But then again, the gun I was using was customized by a gunsmith and I inscribed with runes. And on the other side, the bug-knives that Bell was using were either fully capable of doing things autonomously from their master, or the lamyros could really multitask. Plus, he could make this fight a two on one with that clone of his.

As I took cover behind a tree, I couldn't help but feel incredibly annoyed. I had already wasted one magazine for my 5.7 and was already into my last mag. All the shots so far were to destroy the vampire's insect-knives and only three were used to actually try to hit the vampire himself. Unfortunately, all three shots were non-vitals. Though even if they were vital shots, even a lamyros would be able to heal from a shot from my custom 5.7 sidearm. The personal defense weapon was more suited in killing mages than vampires. But my Desert Eagle, which I alternatively called Custom Eagle was a different story.

The ebony plated gun was different from my 5.7 Custom. There was a freelancer mage infamously known to the Mages Association as the Magus Killer for reasons that only a few knew. He could destroy magical circuits, the lifeblood of a magus. I could only speculate as to how he was able to do so as the man was quieter than an abandoned cemetery. But I was able to deduce that it had to do with that gun of his, a Thompson Contender, when I first crossed paths with him in Germany while I was out hunting a Dead Apostle and he was after a Clocktower bounty on a Sealing Designate. I admit that I was inspired to have made this Custom Eagle while watching him fight and even though I still didn't have a concrete idea of what allowed him to kill Magic Crests the way he did, that didn't mean I couldn't get creative on my own.

"I still need an opening though," I muttered to myself.

"Come on out, big brother!" Bell called out with a malicious grin. "You must be running out of ammo by now, arencha? Don't think I haven't noticed you're not firing as many shots as you did before!"

"Dammit," I sighed as I peeked from behind the tree, looking over to where Lin lay, still bound. Several bat familiars hanging upside down from low hanging branches were keeping an eye on her. And while my strongest familiar was more than a match for them even fighting twenty to one, an attack from my familiar would draw the lamyros's attention.

"But since you like shooting that gun of yours so much, why don't I give you two targets to shoot at?"

A swarm of insects flew from Bell and soon congregated to form a clone of their master.

"Two for the price of one!" said the clone with glee. "Ain't that grand?"

Sonuva… not that I wasn't expecting the clone to show up, but it would've made life easier! And while I know that it's rich coming from a magus, but his abilities were bullshit! But the thing was… like I said, I was expecting it.

Firing at the original, I drew three of my own knives between my fingers. I only had one shot at this as I had only had enough time to prepare only three of them and wasting it would be… unwise on my part. Still, that meant I had to get up close enough that I would be in the effective range of the bug-knife familiars when either of the two threw them. You'd think hunting Dead Apostle and their cronies would've prepared me for this, but shit, the guy was different. And for reasons, I don't know why, but it spooked me.

No! I had to focus, Lin was the only thing important here!

Uttering the name of my haste runes, I made a dash for the clone while at the same time firing at the original to force him to cover once the fan of bug-knives he threw was punctured with Gandr enhanced bullets.

The clone grinned at me, "A suicide run? Against a vampire? How stupid of you, big brother!"

Yes, take me head-on, you idiot…

"I ain't your brother!" I snarled as I swung my knife arm up, throwing the three knives toward him.

Before he could react, I flipped over in order to use the back of my leg to propel my knives faster, using the momentum built up from my mad dash. I landed on my back and slid right underneath the clone and dove for cover behind another tree. Even without looking back at the clone, I knew I had hit my mark. For soon….

"AAIIGGGHH! AAAIIIIIGGGH! AAAAAAAIIIIIGGGHHHHHGHHH!"

Smirking behind my tree, the clearing began to be engulfed in light as the clone began to burn. The knives I had prepared were inscribed with a large number of runes, enough that the knives themselves were close to their breaking point. But then again, that was the point, using a rune opposite of Ehwaz, the rune of hardening, the knives were supposed to break into shrapnel, and on each piece was an inscribed rune of fire. By design, the knives are supposed to break apart when they reach their target and by doing so, each piece of shrapnel would be scraping against each other and causing enough of a spark to activate the fire runes on each piece. Thereby creating multiple points of origin of fire as they spread through the body via the blood vessels. At least on a human body.

Since the clone was made of thousands of familiars with no central core, then I thought the best way to deal with that, was to burn 'em all. Instead of going through blood vessels, the shrapnel went through the whole hive that made up the clone, puncturing each familiar individually. The screaming of the clone began to distort as it soon began to lose its shape, crumbling into the hive of insects I knew it to be.

"NOOOO! YOU PIECE OF SHIT MAGE! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Like I was stupid to answer…

"ANSWER ME! GRAH!"

Hearing him cut a tree down somewhere told me that he wasn't looking when I had made the move that killed his clone and likewise didn't know where I was currently hiding. Of course, if the guy had kept his head clear and used his senses properly, then he would've been able to smell me out. But given the smoke from his dead clone and his rage, he was just rampaging around.

Unable to stop smirking, I ejected the spent magazine from my 5.7 and put in the last one that I had for it. Still, it didn't mean I was worried. With the clone gone, that meant using my Custom Eagle on the lamyros vampire before me would be a lot easier.

Faelan!

Atalanta? What is it?

The female vampire is headed your way! I'm trying to slow her down, but she is almost like a Berserker with the way she is fighting now!

Dammit… how long until she arrives? I scowled as I kept myself hidden from the rampaging lamyros at the loss of his clone.

Two minutes at the most, shorter even.

Which direction?

We're coming back to the clearing from the North.

I looked around, ignoring Bell as the vampire continued to roar every insult, cutting every tree in his wake.

Alright. Let her come.

Faelan? I thought the plan was to split these two up so we could kill them individually.

Plan's changed, these lamyros aren't the normal type, especially the one you're fighting. I don't know what their deal is, but me fighting them under armed as I am is foolhardy and I've already used all the knives I prepared on the way here. Even for you fighting these without using your Noble Phantasm would be difficult and would take time. Something of which, we don't have much of.

… You're not wrong. So then, what's your new plan?

Wait for an opening.

Isn't that your original plan?

Sorta, just make sure you capitalize on the opportunity I'll make.

Turning around the tree, I raised my 5.7 to fire at Bell as I made a rush for the vampire.

"There you are!" laughed Bell, throwing several insect-knives to deflect the bullets away and made a rush for the human as well. "C'mon! Show me what you'll do for your little sister! Show me your resolve so I can show you how futile it all is!"

My 5.7 clicked empty as the slide stayed back to signify the magazine was empty. And just as that happened, I glanced in the direction behind Bell just as I raised my Custom Eagle at the vampire.

"BELL!"

Toll leaped out of the shadows of the trees, causing me to smirk.

"And there's my opening."

Instead of meeting Bell head-on, I slid so that I went past Bell, beneath him and instead aimed my Custom Eagle at the vampire's partner, Toll. And with my current position as well as Toll's at the moment, I had such a clear shot at the female vampire that it might as well have been point-blank. From Toll's expression that changed from desperation to horror, she knew it too.

"Toll! Nooo!" shouted Bell, twisting around to push Toll out of the way just as I made my shot.

Given how much larger Bell was compared to Toll as well as Bell's different position, the clear headshot I had on Toll wasn't the same. So instead of a headshot, my Custom Eagle had been pointed at Bell's arm. But when the bullet dug itself into the lamyros's arm, Bell felt a burning pain that caused him to screech in pure agony.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAIIIGGGHHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, grasping his shot arm. "AAAAAAAIIIGGGGGHHHH, IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

Jumping back and away from the two vampires, I regarded the two as Bell continued to scream in pain as Toll went to his side. Though I had to suppress a wince as my left hand locked up while the rest of the arm went limp. I chanced a glance at the hand that held the Custom Eagle, only my pointer finger on that hand remained free from the paralysis so that I wouldn't accidentally make a second shot while I suffered the recoil and repercussions of firing my Custom Eagle or rather firing the bullet. The bullet was a .50 caliber built with the fang of a manticore as its core, more notably one of the manticore's venomous fangs. In addition, the bullet was designed to splinter itself and explode in the target's body, spreading the poison as far it was able to. The pain would be excruciating.

"AAAGGGH!" shouted Bell, grasping his arm. Giving a hard glare at me, his own blood seemed to boil as it flowed from the bullet wound as the skin around the shot started to turn purple. "You, you bastard, what did you do to me?"

"I do not have to answer you, vampire," I replied, sneering at him.

"Faelan!" Atalanta called out as she arrived, leaping to my side with her bow at the ready with an arrow already notched.

"Archer," my eyes narrowed.

Replying through actions instead of words, Archer pulled back on the bowstring of her Tauropolos and released it. Like before, one arrow became many as the cloud of arrows threatened to turn the two Lamyros into undead pincushions. But with a small scoff, Toll raised her arm again, causing a score of bats who had gathered before them to become living shields. But they were a match for an Archer Servant's arrows.

"Can you fight?" she asked her partner, raising her rifle at the ready and pointed at us.

"Not like this," Bell grunted, wincing in pain.

"Then we'll run," I could see the female lamyros grit her teeth in frustration. "Bell, take the girl and head to the safe house, I'll stall them and meet up with you later."

"Toll, with that gun, you won't stand a chance!" protested Bell, glaring at my Custom Eagle.

"The only thing that matters is our Master's dream!" snapped Toll as she readied her Modello 38 in one hand and her cinquedea in her other. "That girl is the key to everything, so take her and go!"

Bell sent a glare at me as I watched as impassively as possible before he nodded to Toll. "Alright, but you better be behind me, Toll." He turned to go and grab the girl but paused in surprise.

Oh, they finally noticed…

"What the…? Where'd she go? She's gone!"

"What?" Toll drew in a sharp breath. She wanted to look back to see if it was true, but with my gun and knowing what it was at least capable of, she was smart to keep an eye on me."No, that can't be possible! Our familiars were watching her the whole time!"

"You mean the familiars you used as shields?" I raised a brow, gesturing to the fallen dead bats that littered the ground. "My familiar took my sister the moment you no longer had your bat familiars to keep an eye on her."

The two Lamyros stiffened.

"Though I admit, you managed to take us by surprise," I continued as Atalanta kept her bow trained on them, "I commend you for that. It has been a long time since anyone has managed to do so. I guess the old saying is true after all; the best swordsman doesn't fear the second-best, but the worst. But unluckily for you took the sister of an Enforcer of the Clocktower and a Servant of the Holy Grail War! And I will not abide such an offense!"

"Holy Grail War?" Bell scoffed, "is that the name of your maid service or something? Who hires servants in this day and age, anyway?"

I frowned at him for a long moment, before scoffing in barely-contained laughter. "Oh, holy shit, you're serious, aren't you?" Beside me, even I could tell Archer was smirking in amusement as she held her bow at the ready. "You're not regular Lamyros, are you? You were probably just turned by one, am I right? It would explain a few things. So let me do you a favor and explain a few things, vermin, a Servant is the spirit of a past hero given metaphysical form in this modern era. Heroes such as King Arthur or Hercules for example."

The two Lamyros' eyes widened.

"No that's impossible," whispered Bell in horror.

"Mages are capable of that?" breathed Toll past gritted teeth, realizing how out of their depth they were.

"While my Servant isn't as famous as those heroes, that does not mean she is incapable," I jerked a thumb back at my Archer class Servant before smirking. "In fact, I believe that makes her doubly lethal given you have no idea as to what her identity could be, you don't know her strengths and most importantly, you don't know her weaknesses."

Before the two could even formulate a reply, they had to jump back to avoid the two arrows that were shot at them.

"As I said before, my sister's safety is my only concern, so if you run with your tails between your legs, we won't chase after you," I said as I holstered my empty 5.7, but left my Custom Eagle in my left hand's grip. "But if you want to fight," I raised the semi-automatic hand-cannon now that the temporary paralysis faded away, "we're more than happy to oblige."

"Bell…" Toll bit out, "fall back."

His frustration reflected on his face, Bell glared at me one more time before he turned and ran, melting into the shadows of the forest.

"Know this, magus," spat the female Lamyro as she began to slowly walk back after Bell, keeping her own firearm aimed at us, "we will meet again and we will have the girl. And when that happens, nothing will stop us…"

I maintained my glare at the woman's figure, tracking her form with my eyes until her silhouette became one with the shadows. And even then, I maintained my glare at the spot she vanished into for a long while.

"They're gone, Master," Archer eventually said, dematerializing her bow.

Releasing a breath, I didn't know I was holding, I relaxed from my stiff and ready posture before I returned my Custom Eagle to its holster in my jacket. It was a gamble taking this. If those two were actually Dead Apostles, a bullet from this gun wouldn't have weakened them but instead annoy them.

"If only Lin wasn't being held with them, I could've used my Noble Phantasm," Archer sighed, sending a withering glare in the direction the Lamyros fled in.

"Unfortunately true," I gave a small smile at my Servant. "However, I am somewhat glad that Lin was here. It's a miracle that those two decided to bring Lin with them instead of hiding her away. Else if we did assume she was not in the area, she might have been hit by your Phoebus Catastrophe."

Archer's bottom lip jerked upward in a pout as she crossed her arms.

"Still, thank you for helping me save Lin," I said gratefully, "I wouldn't have been able to do it alone."

"I am your Servant, I swore a vow to serve you to win the Holy Grail War," Archer smiled back at him. "And I am also your friend, Master, as well as Lin's. Saving her was my wish as well." She then sent a smirk my way. "And yes, you wouldn't have been able to do it without my help."

"Hm, what a prideful Servant I seem to have been summoned," I rolled my eyes just as the large owl that was my familiar came in flying, and in its talons was Lin.

The owl gently placed Lin on the ground before it flapped her large wings to perch herself on the overhead branch. Archer and I immediately rushed to the little girl and tore off her bindings. Fortunately, she was unconscious, and upon inspection, it didn't look like she had been bitten. Of course, we'd have to do a more thorough search when we got back but luckily the powers of Lamyros were typical of the mythos of what mundane humans understood of vampirism. Well, except the garlic and wooden stake thing. Stupid as it was, that little excerpt came from the Legend of Dracula. So that meant the only way to transfer vampirism with a Lamyros was with a bite, instead of magecraft or blood like an Apostle.

"This was one hell of a night," I sighed.

…

As Atalanta and I began on our way back to the abandoned building, we were heading back to Bucharest on the next available train, to gather our things, I looked up at my owl familiar as she flew in the night sky above us. She and many others would keep watch in case those lesser vampires got any bright ideas with Archer guarding Lin and I directly.

"You know, Atalanta, compared to this, I think the Holy Grail War is going to be a breeze," I said aloud as we continued walking.

"Oh?" Atalanta raised a brow at me. "Do you really think so? As you said, we learned that those two were lesser vampires, not even Apostles of any rate. A fight with actual Servants would actually pose a threat."

"But Lin would be safe," I countered with a small sigh, looking down at the ground, "what happened tonight, I could've lost her… and it would've been all my fault."

"Master what happened wasn't your fault," Atalanta said softly as she put a hand on my shoulder. "Even I know that a Bounded Field like that would have taken time to set up, we were simply at the wrong place and the wrong time."

I stayed silent for a moment, contemplating her words. She had a point, it could've happened to any other mage family. Well, if they were actually inclined to explore the world and stop being the introverted, power-hungry butt hurts that most of them were. "She's the heart of my family," I said softly, "I don't know what I would have done if we lost her tonight."

"Luckily you won't have to, Faelan," Atalanta replied.

For the rest of the hike, we were quiet. Upon reaching the building that served as a temporary base, we did a more thorough search of Lin's for any signs of bites. Though given my knowledge of standard magecraft and advanced knowledge of runecraft as well as Atalanta's enhanced sight as an Archer, our quadruple checks seemed a little excessive in hindsight.

Lin was now resting on the bed with her head on Atalanta's lap while I was crouched on one knee at the bedside. Looking at Lin's sleeping face, I brushed some of her hair away from her face. Taking in a deep breath, I raised my finger and channeling mana, I wrote in the air, drawing a rune.

"Faelan?" Atalanta frowned at me suspiciously. "What are you doing? What is that?"

"A rune," I replied, "one that alters memories."

"You seek to change her memories?" I noticed Atalanta frown incredulously.

"No, to suppress them," I shook my head. "I don't know if they did anything to her, though I doubt it since they almost revered her, but I'd rather she forget this moment, even if she doesn't understand what happened."

"How much will you suppress?" she asked quietly.

"Everything after she fell asleep earlier tonight," I replied, counting the hours required and channeling the required amount of mana to accomplish the task. "To her, when she wakes up tomorrow, nothing happened."

"I see," she replied. Though her face seemed guarded.

Finishing the spell, I let the mana fade, allowing the rune to dissipate into motes of light that eventually blinked away. Standing to my full height, I went over to our bags. Luckily, Archer packed everything before she took me to this building, so nothing was missing. Shouldering the backpack, I grabbed the luggage bag by its handle.

"C'mon, we're heading back to Bucharest," I said.

"This late at night?" Atalanta frowned.

"I can sleep on the train," I shrugged, "Lin'll keep and I doubt there will be any more surprises not pertaining to the Holy Grail War. Additionally, we are technically still in the territory of a vampire. I'll call this in to the Mage's Association of course for an eradication in the morning, but until then, I'd rather not linger in town."

"Of course," she nodded, gathering Lin in her arms and stood from the bed.

It didn't take us long to get to the train station and luckily we made it just in time to board the last train back into the city. Additionally, there were hardly any other passengers on board, mostly late-night workers or university students who were too tired to even register us. Though given we had a sleeping Lin with us, I decided to splurge a little and pay for a room in one of the sleeper cars.

Setting aside our luggage in the corner, I turned back to the bed to see Lin still asleep in the middle of the bed with Archer sitting on the bedside, her green eyes gazing at Lin gently. Staring at the scene for a moment, I fought a yawn as I took off my jacket and tossed it onto the backrest of one of the chairs. Tugging off my boots, I placed them near the wall on my side of the bed before crawling in under the covers.

"You just gonna keep staring at her like that or are you gonna join us?" I covered another yawn as I raised a brow at my Servant.

Caught by surprise, Atalanta's cat ears twitched as she hesitated. "Oh, um, you are aware that we Servants don't require sleep do you not?"

"I do," I nodded, "but that doesn't mean you can't. C'mon, Atalanta, humor me."

She stared at me for a moment, no doubt she could see how tired I was and she likewise knew that my patience was running thin given the night we had. "Very well," she eventually sighed. Dematerializing her boots and gloves, she lifted the blanket to crawl under them so that Lin was lying between us with the two of us lying so that we faced her.

"Good night, Atalanta," I yawned one last time before I settled into my pillow and closed my eyes.

"Good night… Faelan," were the words of my Servant before I drifted off into sleep.

…

When I dreamt that night, it wasn't my usual dreams of old memories and jumbled tales that my mind came up with. Instead, I saw a man walk into the woods of a mountain, and in his hand, was a basket and in it, swaddled in cloth, was a sleeping baby. But the man, I could see that in his eyes wasn't love or adoration for the child, but disgust and disappointment. Following him, I realized that the man was walking towards the peak of the mountain, far from civilization. And to my shock and horror, once the man reached the mountain's high peak, he set the baby on the ground before he turned on his heel and walked back in the direction he came.

Sensing that there wasn't anyone around her in the dark night, the baby began to fuss and opened her mouth to cry. And to my anger and rage, the man didn't even stop or flinch at the cry of his child. He just kept on walking. The babe continued to cry for a long while, lost in the dark, unforgiving woods. With no one to nurture and care for this child, I knew that she wouldn't even last the night. Why was I dreaming something like this?

Before I could ponder further, I sensed footsteps approaching the child. And as the clouds parted to reveal a full moon, a beautiful woman with silver-white hair and round blue eyes bent down to the basket and picked up the crying baby. Feeling the warm arms holding her, the baby's cries quieted as she stared up in wonder at the woman carrying her. And as the silver-haired woman shifted to coo at the once-abandoned baby, it allowed the moonlight behind her to shine upon the babe. Who I realized looked a lot like Atalanta.

No.

Not "look like," that was Atalanta when she was an infant! This was a memory, her earliest memory. So that man who abandoned her must've been Iasus of Arcadia, the king who wanted a son to continue his family's legacy. Glancing at the woman, no, the goddess who was undoubtedly the moon goddess Artemis, continued to coo at baby Atalanta, I saw the edges of this dream begin to fade.

…

When I woke up, it was to the insistent poking of my face, and this time, instead of one designated spot, the finger chose my whole face as a target as the one poking my face never poked a spot on my face a second time consecutively.

"FFFFFFFaaaeeee, wake up!"

My eyes opened to see Lin looking at me with an adorable pout.

"Fae, where are we?" she asked, confusion setting into her pout which made it even more adorable.

Glancing over, I saw that Atalanta was awake and was staring at the two of us in quiet amusement, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Though more, specifically, Lin. And given what happened last night, I didn't blame her. Seeing Lin being her usual self, I do not regret erasing her memories of her kidnapping, even if I myself do not know what happened in that time interim to when she was kidnapped and when we got her back.

"On a train, little miss," I answered as I sat up with a stretch. Glancing at the clock, I saw that five hours had passed since we left Baile Herculane. Meaning we had an hour left before we reached Bucharest.

"Why?" Lin tilted her head as she frowned in disappointment, "I wanted to go to the hot springs again."

"I know," I gave her an apologetic smile as I ruffled her hair. Hmm, she would need a shower soon. "But there was an accident at the hotel and we had to leave. So Atalanta and I decided that it was probably better to just go back to Bucharest last night."

"Oh, okay," Lin's disappointed pout lingered.

"Come now, little one, don't be sad," Atalanta reached over and gathered my sister in her arms and set Lin on her lap. "Since we're going back to Bucharest, how about we go back to the Herastrau park?"

Lin's eyes lit up, "Can we?"

"I don't see why not," I shrugged with a laugh at Lin's excitement. "But first, how about we get ready. Atalanta, can you help Lin in the bath? I have to make a call."

"Are you calling Mommy and Daddy?" Lin asked curiously. "Can I talk to them?"

"Sorry, Lin," I teasingly poked her nose, causing her to giggle. "But I have to call my work, I forgot to leave a message with them."

"Okay," Lin shrugged before allowing Atalanta to lead her to the bathroom installed in the room.

Once Atalanta closed the door behind them, I reached for my phone where I had plugged it in to charge overnight. Leaving the room, I looked for a corner in the train car where I wouldn't be disturbed and drew some runes that would draw people away and prevent anyone from eavesdropping on me. Going to my contact list, I found the number I wanted to call.

"Yes?" came the monotone voice.

"This is Agent Ashford, authorization code Tau-Omega one one thirty-eight," I replied, getting down to business, "I'm calling to report a duo of Lamyros in the town of Baile Herculane, unknown if there is a full coven, however, they did mention a master to which the two reported to."

"Description?"

"The first subject, male, of Spanish origins, approximately over two meters in height, dark hair and brown eyes. Uses knives that are capable of turning into insects, or perhaps the other way around, and was able to control the insects to form a clone of himself. He was called Bell. The second subject, female, approximately 1.7 meters tall, physical description unknown due to her wearing a heavy cloak and bandages to conceal her appearance. Uses an Italian Chinquedea and an old Benelli Modello 38. She was called Toll," I replied, going off from memory.

"Time since the last sighting?"

"Almost six hours ago."

"Was your altercation witnessed by the public?"

"Unknown, however, our first bout occurred at Hotel Aphrodite where the male target destroyed my hotel room, room nine hundred six, as well as the hall to the floor," I replied, glancing down at the arm the vampire had broken in two places, it was still sore. "Our second bout occurred in the nearby national park, Domogl-"

"Our records show that you have been recently entered into the Great Holy Grail War, Agent Ashford," the clerk interrupted. "The war is to be held in the city of Trifas, why were you in Baile Herculane?"

I sighed, god, the Queen's employees can be a bunch of stiffs. "My record will also show that I also filed a request to go on vacation," I explained patiently. "The Vice Director approved my request and I also sent where I would be having my vacation, Romania, before leaving. My itinerary will also show that Baile Herculane was one of the locations I was going to."

"Ah, yes, I see. Very well, a notice will be sent to the Church within the hour. If they decline our request, a team will be sent by the end of the day. Is there anything else you'd like to report?"

"No, that will be all, thank you."

"Have a good day."

Ending the call, I leaned my head back against the wall and released a sigh. If I had it my way, I would've petitioned the Vice Director to use her brigade to kill the Lamyros, because yes I can be just that petty, but she wouldn't lift a finger unless there was a confirmation of a Dead Apostle Ancestor. She may have a hard-on for killing vampires, but her pride wouldn't allow her to kill or use her brigade to hunt down anything short of an Apostle Ancestor.

Releasing another sigh, I scrolled through my contacts and made another call. One I was dreading to make. Mom was an early riser, so she would be awake by now. Unfortunately, she probably wouldn't have eaten breakfast yet, so she could be a little hangry.

"Good morning, Faelan, what's up?"

"Hey, Mom."

"Are you and Lin enjoying Romania? Lin wouldn't calm down when you called, it took almost an hour after her bedtime for her to even go to sleep. She was so excited to spend time with you."

Great, she was in a good mood…

"Mmhmm."

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? You sound tired."

I told her everything. Berzinsky, Atalanta's summoning, Baile Herculane. Admittedly, it wasn't much in total, however, given that it all occurred within a span of a few days and she probably already knew about Archer, but all of it was stress-inducing. By the end of it, Mom was quiet. I didn't have to be there to know that she had an angry look on her face. I know it wasn't directed at me, but at the vampires who almost took Lin. I wouldn't be surprised if she sent a hefty donation to the Vice Director and the Church on the condition that the funds be used to aid in hunting down Lamyros. Mom could be vindictive like that.

"Are you okay?" she broke the silence.

"Yeah, just… tired," I sighed, unable to describe how truly exhausted and frustrated I felt, "I was caught by surprise by freaking lamyros. If it was an Apostle or an Ancestor, it would be understandable. But Lamyros? I should be better than that."

"They are still vampires, Faelan," Mom countered. "Not only that, they are classified as Phantasmal Beasts. So even if they are significantly weaker compared to the true vampires, they still hold a significant threat. Not only that, but your supplies were low and you were caught in a trap that was ready to trigger for a long time. If you were fully stocked and had your Mystic Code with you, then yes, I would agree with your frustrations. But take this as a lesson, Faelan, learn from it."

She always did know what to say.

"Thanks, Mom," I smiled wryly.

"Now tell me about this Servant of yours. Your father tells me that our little Lin approves of her. Tell me, is she pretty?"

On second thought, my mother was a demoness.

"She's of the Archer class," I began.

"Oooh, one of the noble knight classes, good job. Of course, I'd prefer that you would have summoned a Servant of the Saber class, but an Archer is good too."

I rolled my eyes, "Technically, I didn't summon her, remember? The Grail probably just latched onto the closest viable candidate to be a Master within walking distance, which just so happened to be me."

"Semantics," Mom dismissed. "Regardless, I am glad that she is there, watching your back. I might've lost both my children if it wasn't for her. Hmm, perhaps I will make her a feast as a thank you when we arrive in Bucharest."

I stilled.

"Wait, you're coming to Bucharest?" I asked slowly as my anxiety began to grow.

"Of course, my son is going to participate in a Grail War, what mother would I be if I didn't ensure that you didn't have a proper send-off? Also, I would quite like to meet your Servant to see if she is worthy of you."

"You just said you were grateful to her!" I protested. This wasn't good.

"And indeed I am," replied Mom. "However, for all I know, what happened could've just been a fluke. I must see your Servant with my own eyes. Oh, your father and I have to pack first. We'll see you and Lin in a few hours. I love you!"

So surprised in my shock was I that I didn't even move after the call ended. This… was going to suck. I was rather tempted to go find Bell and Toll and have a fight with them and their whole coven rather than sit around with my mother, who would be scrutinizing every move that Atalanta and I made, as she judged my Servant. Sighing once more, an action of which I noted that I was doing a lot this morning, I pocketed my cell phone as I dispelled the runes and walked back to the room. Lin and Atalanta should be ready by now.

"All right, Lin," I began, my tone reflecting how tired I was already in the early morning, as I walked in, "Mom and Dad are-"

I stopped when I opened my eyes and froze up even further. For standing there with only a towel covering her slender frame, was Atalanta. Idly, I noticed Lin was sitting nearby on the bed, with a towel of her own wrapped around herself. And while Lin was blinking curiously at the two of us, Atalanta's face was growing a rather bright red. An action of which my own face mirrored. A moment passed and before either of us could react, my body went on autopilot and dashed back out the room and closed the door before I pressed my back to it, as my breath quickened to my feelings of embarrassment and to enhance that feeling, desire.

My Servant was beautiful, there was little to doubt that. And her personality was just as admirable and her skills were nothing to scoff at either. In fact, if I had been born centuries earlier, I probably would've propositioned to court her when her father told her to marry. And if she had been born in this era, I would've undoubtedly asked her to go on a date. Wait, why the hell am I having these thoughts for my Servant?! She was a Heroic Spirit given physical form due to the mana provided by myself and the Grail. She would be gone when the war ended, whether I won or not. I shouldn't become attached…

"Er, M-um, Faelan, you can come in now," Atalanta opened the door a smidge and while I couldn't see her face, I knew from her tone that she was embarrassed.

"R-right," I stammered and cursed myself inwardly for doing so.

Going back into the room, I couldn't help but be stunned again. Atalanta was now dressed in a black and green sundress, reminiscent of the dress she wore in combat and a pair of greek style sandals. I don't remember getting those while out shopping, but then again, I let her get whatever while just paying. Still, I won't lie in saying that she looked breathtaking right now.

Her cheeks, which were already red from her earlier embarrassment, grew more so from the intensity of my staring. Idly, I noted that she fidgeted a little as she looked away shyly.

"Y-You're staring," she stammered.

"That's because you look pretty, Atalanta!" Lin, who I idly noticed was dressed in a tee-shirt and shorts, bounded up and took one of our hands in each of her own, beaming up at the two of us.

Releasing a sigh, I couldn't help but bemoan my existence. Really, I knew I was screwed, but I didn't know I was just freakin' hopeless.

AN: As promised, here is chapter 5 and an ending to the small lamyros arc. Will they come back? Maybe? Probably? Who knows?

And next chapter, we meet Faelan's and Linnet's parents. That'll be fun!

See you guys next week!