Sorry for the very, very long wait, but lots of stuff got in the way and I also had to finish another fanfic that I barely had the time for, among other things which took up just as much time. This chapter was kinda rushed at the end and I really just wanted to get something out to let everyone know this story isn't dead, even though I probably should just delete it and start over with something new. I dunno, if people still read this then I guess I may keep it around.

Well I've finally made it the first battle of the Holy Grail War. I'm aware it's similar to canon with Saber and Lancer fighting first but let's face it, it would still be those two either way no matter who the servants are and, in all seriousness, I have more options to choose from this way. I will say however that I'm not exactly the best at writing fight scenes but, I'll do what I can. If you haven't Reviewed yet, it would help if you took a moment to do so, the feedback is appreciated and I like hearing opinions.

Chapter 5:

'Change of Plans'

"Master Kirei, I have news..."

Kirei Kotomine turned to his servant, who materialized out of thin air before him. "Assassin, if this is about Saber and Lancer, Tokiomi and I are already aware. One of your brothers is already present and watching the two carefully. The first battle of the Holy Grail War is about to begin."

"The second battle, to be more precise Kirei. Do not forget our ploy with Archer and one of the Assassin's." Tokiomi's voice followed from somewhere in the room, to which Kirei and Assassin looked over at a rather old horn gramophone.

Assassin tensed up at the mention of his brother's sacrifice. An action that did not go unnoticed by his master, who replied, "My servant himself would rather not remember."

"Ah, yes, I apologise Assassin." Tokiomi said.

The servant took a long moment before responding, "Don't. As of right now, Saber and Lancer are the current focus. Anyway, I just received some information from another one of my brothers that I think both of you would be interested in."

Kirei looked at Assassin while Tokiomi listened closely.

When his master gestured for him to continue, Assassin spoke, "Saber and Lancer, and their masters are not the only ones present at the harbour..."

Irisviel watched with bated breath as Saber and Lancer continued to stare each other down.

Both servants had their hands firmly gripped on their weapons, but were still as statues.

It didn't take long for Irisviel to figure out that both knights were clearly waiting for the other to make a move.

Lancer wanted to see the fighting style of his opponent before the latter saw his.

Saber was no different.

However, Saber knew he was at a slight disadvantage due to his opponent using a spear.

And given the length of spears, and Lancer's in particular, it offered his opponent a slight range advantage.

It would allow Lancer to attack him while also avoiding any blow Saber would be able to throw back at him.

It reminded Saber of just how much he disliked spear fighters.

The longer their idleness dragged on, the more tensed up Irisviel got.

Finally, after a long few minutes of, doing nothing, Lancer finally spoke up.

"Well? Are you going to make a move Saber?"

Saber smirked behind his helmet.

This was perfect.

The fact that his opponent spoke and bothered to ask that very question immediately told him that Lancer was getting impatient, which meant he was on the verge of just going for it and making a move of his own.

Saber just had to wait a little longer, and let his opponent's patience reach its limit. His opponent growing impatient would ultimately lead to him making a reckless move that he would be able to exploit.

Lancer narrowed his eyes at the ash black knight, tightening his grip around his spear before shifting his foot slightly.

And with no hesitation, Lancer lunged forward, much quicker thanks to pulling his front foot back to give him a boost.

Saber recoiled briefly, not expecting Lancer's speed and swiftly brought his sword up just in time to block what would have been a serious blow from Lancer's spear.

Lancer pulled back, backing away from Saber a few feet before thrusting his spear forward.

A quick step to the side let Saber dodge the blow, he then moved to throw in his own attack, swinging his sword towards the vulnerable Lancer's head.

But the spear wielding servant again showed off his reflexes, pulling backwards just enough to spin his spear in the opposite direction and barely halted Saber's attack with the blade of his spear.

Saber narrowed his eyes at his opponent and pulled away, just enough to swing his sword down once again at the enemy servant.

Lancer quickly stepped to the side and leaped backwards away from Saber, creating a little distance between the two.

"Impressive. Normally I'm too fast for my opponents to react in time." Lancer stated.

Of course, Saber just shrugged off his compliment, replying, "I wish I could say the same."

This got Lancer's attention. "Pardon?"

Saber continued, adding, "Throwing the first move like you did showed me that you don't have much patience in combat. Without patience, you will get reckless and ultimately make a move that will only end up resulting in your own defeat."

Lancer frowned and lunged forward yet again, shooting towards Saber almost at the speed of a bullet.

The sword wielding servant dodged his attack however, quickly stepping to the side and just barely avoiding a potentially fatal blow, the blade of his opponents spear just scratching Saber's armour slightly.

Lancer quickly twirled his spear as he pulled away and then tried to impale his opponent, thrusting the weapon forward.

Saber again quickly moved to the side, and this time decided to grab the spear by trapping the shaft between his armour and his arm.

Not expecting such a move, Lancer, while trying to pull the spear free, looked up just in time to see Saber bringing his sword towards his head.

To save himself, Lancer let go of his weapon and leaped backwards into the air, landing a good distance away from his opponent, who was now holding both a sword and his own spear.

Irisviel couldn't help but be overjoyed. It seemed that Saber had the advantage and was handling Lancer's attacks with ease.

Now he had the enemy servants weapon in hand and from the way their bout went, it seemed victory was all but theirs.

Saber examined the spear, seemingly admiring its craftsmanship. "If I was a spear fighter, I would desire to use this as well."

Lancer just stared at him, unamused.

The sword wielding servant then added, "Tell me something Lancer."

"What is it?" Lancer replied.

Saber lowered his weapon and proceeded to ask, "Where is your master? Is it not the purpose of a master to be present and aid his or her servant if or when required?"

Lancer straightened, replying, "Oh you need not worry, my master is much closer than you think."

Saber tilted his head, curious. "And yet here you stand, alone. And considering the way our battle is going right now, it seems like you've just lost." Saber said.

"No Saber." This time, Lancer smirked. "You already lost the moment you came here."

Kiritsugu and Maiya were both keeping in contact with each other while scouting the battle from the shadows, using their weapons to scan the area for enemy masters.

As he continued to keep a close eye on their surroundings, the Magus Killer just so happened to catch sight of someone standing on the roof of a warehouse. "Maiya, northeast of Saber and Lancer. On the roof of that warehouse, it's Lancer's master. Can you see him?"

Maiya attempted to locate said master, but was unable to, replying, "Negative, not from my position."

"Ok. I'll take him out." Kiritsugu replied as he checked his weapon, preparing to use it.

Unfortunately, a gust of wind blew against him and Kiritsugu suddenly found himself face to face with a pair of eyes hidden behind a metal mask.

Kiritsugu barely had the time to register the individual standing before him before being grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air by a Servant he himself witnessed being struck down.

Assassin just stared stoically at him, silent and, curious.

"What's wrong? Kiritsugu?!" Maiya asked in response to hearing Kiritsugu's struggling gasps for air, before darting away towards his position.

Easing up a little, Assassin quietly asked, "Rather sloppy to be present near a battle of servants, without your own servant at your side, is it not?" The servant said as he grabbed Kiritsugu's hand to examine the command seals. "Enemy master, as I suspected. Who is your servant?"

Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he looked down at Assassin. "Y-You...how...?" He struggled out.

Assassin chuckled, "You'll be spending a long time in the next life trying to figure that one out. Now, answer me, before I resort to extreme measures."

Before the servant could raise the sharp dagger in his other hand, someone's footsteps caught his attention.

Assassin looked over at Maiya, who had her gun trained on him.

The servant smirked and let Kiritsugu go, dropping him before turning to fully face Maiya. "I can only assume by trying to stop me, you are working together. Aren't you?"

Maiya however simply kept her gun raised, aiming directly at Assassin's head. "Get away from him. Now."

Assassin chuckled, and raised a hand, tapping his pointed metal hat. "If you really believe that little toy of yours can pierce my armour, go ahead and try."

Before Maiya could entertain the attempt, both her and Assassin were caught off guard by a cloud of smoke that covered their area.

Kiritsugu quickly got to his feet and ran towards Maiya, grabbing her arm and dragging her with him, hoping the smoke grenade would distract Assassin just long enough for them to escape. "Looks like there's been a change of plans."

Assassin remained in the cloud of smoke, simply smirking to himself. "...Interesting."

Saber and Lancer continued to stare each other down.

Without his weapon, Lancer couldn't really do much.

However, something was off. Saber could tell right away that Lancer seemed far too calm for someone who had just lost their weapon.

The fact that Lancer stated he had already lost the moment he arrived only confused him further. How so? Here he was, holding Lancer's weapon after having shown himself to be the superior of the two following their short bout, and yet...

"NOW!"

Saber recoiled in response to Lancer's shout, what was he...?

But it happened so quick.

A very, very huge and fat armoured knight came crashing out of the large container right next to Saber.

In the few brief seconds it happened, and despite dropping the spear in order to use his sword more effectively, all Saber caught sight of was the giant hammer that collided with him and sent him flying across the battle zone and right into another container.

"SABER!" Irisviel cried out in shock.

Lancer leaped forward and landed right next to the large, fat knight. He picked up his spear and faced the new arrival, commenting, "Good work Smough. He fell right for it, just as we planned."

Irisviel looked back and forth between the two, trying to process what was going on. "Two servants working together?!"

The large, fat knight, Smough, as Lancer called him, looked over at Irisviel, the latter freezing in place when she looked upon the face of his grotesque helmet. "Now to deal with the master. That, I believe is an executioners job, no?"

Before he could take a step forward, Lancer stopped, holding an arm out. When Smough looked down at him with a questioning glare, Lancer called out. "Shall we proceed as such, master? Saber is defeated, no more bloodshed is necessary."

For a moment, there was silence, until a voice echoed around them. "I will not take any chances. Eliminate her immediately Lancer."

Lancer frowned behind his helmet but nodded. "...As you wish." He turned and faced Irisviel, who had a look of fear in her eyes. "Apologies, but our masters word is absolute."

"Our?" Irisviel repeated him, confused and terrified.

Tightening his grip around his spear, Lancer rushed forward with the intention of giving Irisviel a quick and painless death.

At least, that's how it would have gone.

His spear didn't find its mark however.

Instead, Lancer found himself unsuccessfully piercing a large Greatshield carrying the design of a raven.

In his moment of confusion, Lancer failed to stop the greatshield from hammering into him, bashing him back and forcing him to jump away and back to Smough's side. "What is this?!"

Saber was revealed as the holder of the greatshield, holding his sword in his other hand and looking very much intact despite the surprise attack.

"But how?! I hit you dead on! That strike was enough to kill a god!" Smough shouted, enraged that Saber somehow escaped his attack unharmed.

Irisviel however couldn't be more happy, looking up at the servant with tears in her eyes. "Saber...you're okay."

Despite lacking a smile behind his helmet, Saber replied, "Of course. You are my master, and it is my job to protect you." He pointed his sword at the two enemy servants, adding, "And make no mistake, I will never allow cowardly villains such as this to lay a hand on you."

Lancer frowned, "Villains you say? It's true, that tactic was distasteful, but in a battle such as this, we must achieve victory at all costs."

Saber just narrowed his eyes at him. "Even at the cost of your pride?"

Before Lancer could respond, Smough interrupted. "Enough! How did you survive that attack?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Saber replied, raising his greatshield proudly. "I materialized my greatshield at the last second just before your hammer struck. So rather than hit me, you hit the shield instead, and the only damage I suffered was an aching back after crashing through that container."

Smough growled at him. "Damn you!"

"Calm down Smough." Lancer said, trying to calm his partner.

This time, Saber smirked. "It was a good attempt Lancer, I'll give you that. But a warrior doesn't get by with just weapons alone." He pointed his sword at him, adding, "I expect every opponent I face to have some trick up their sleeve, so I just decided to make sure I kept some of my own tools on reserve. Clearly, that was the wise decision. Right, Irisviel?"

Irisviel nodded. "That's right."

Lancer chuckled, "Very well. You outsmarted us this time Saber. Unfortunately, it will be the last, for against both me and Smough, you stand no chance of winning." The servant said, twirling his spear, preparing to strike.

Smough grinned like a madman behind his helmet and readied his giant hammer. "Back in our world, many had fallen in their attempts to defeat us. You, will simply be another added to the list."

Saber's smirk remained, moving into a fighting stance as he replied, "And many have fallen in their attempts to defeat me, I dare say I've slain far more than you have."

"Well..." Lancer started before jumping towards his opponent, Smough charging right behind him.

"LET'S FIND OUT!"

Next Chapter:

"That servant, I sense something, familiar."

"It can't be...why him of all people?"