On the Fuyuki Bridge.
Rider was enjoying himself, very immensely.
He had never enjoyed the mediocracy of life, in fact his conquest that would define him was his rebellion against fate. He wanted to be the master of his fate, to live as he chose, to live without regrets.
Dodging the fiery maw of the Watchdog and the singing blade of the Keeper, Rider grinned. It was only a few minutes into their tussle and already this pair had impressed them with their teamwork.
An army was made not by their strength or their numbers but rather their comradeship with each other as they walked on the fields of death. For what greater motivator to fight to the bitter death than to fight with those you have bonded with over the campfires, sharing stories and fears with each other. It was a point that Iskandar drove when he recruited new soldiers to his army, always ensuring that they would find a place within his army.
The Keeper and Watchdog shared the same bond that his army had fostered long ago. Neither of them was a match for him, it was abundantly clear from their first charge. However, where they may have lacked in strength, they made up for in teamwork.
Having abandoned the Gordius Wheel for better mobility, he was always on the defensive. The Watchdog would always open up, either by trying take a bite at him or wreathing itself in flames and charging right at him. Such attacks could be easily telegraphed but such attacks were merely a front for the Keeper to ready its own attack.
Dodging from the Watchdog's attack, the Keeper would always be right behind it, trying to find the tiniest of cracks in his defense with his blade.
A perfect compliment.
The Watchdog, heavy attacks but slow in execution.
The Keeper, light attacks but a whirlwind when facing them.
As Waver watched from the backlines, he knew that Rider was going to slip up eventually. He had already arrived at the same conclusion that Rider had, that Iskandar was hopelessly outmatched against their teamwork. "I can help," He thought but as he looked down at his legs, they were shaking in fear. Fear that he would be losing his life if he did try to help.
No that wasn't it. Bringing up his shaking hands Waver knew that death wasn't a problem. A magus walked with death every day; a spell that was mis-chanted resulted in a very painful death. Magi from a young age were drilled to not fear death and as a result many magi referred to death as a nuisance.
The problem was...
He feared that helping wouldn't do anything, it wouldn't cement any friendship or gratitude from Iskandar.
He knew such a line of thought was childish but his upbringing had instilled to him this fear. The first lesson that Magi were taught was to be ruthless. Friendships and bonds were meant to be exploited for a person to use so they could achieve their own desires. The Clocktower on the surface was this place to learn, for magi to refine their skills and make a name for themselves. In reality it was a lion's den, a place where you shook with one hand and kept a dagger on the other.
It was here that Waver learned the truth about magi friendships.
"You're wrong!" Waver yelled as he stood up from his seat in his classroom back at the Clocktower. They were reviewing a lesson on traditional magic circle designs, His teacher, Kayneth El- Melloi , was a firm believer in the traditional magic rules that their forefathers had set down. Waver was not however, he wanted to break from all these traditions that restricted them and wanted to push for new ways to do magecraft .
" Oh, Waver and do tell the class why you believe such a essential design can be considered wrong?" Kayneth challenged .
Feeling bold, Waver accepted his challenge . "If we utilize this old circle then we'd wasting precious materials that could be used for other things, with this new design we can cut the waste of such materials."
"And do you have proof that such a thing works?"
"Yeah!" Gesturing to his other classmates, Waver asked them to reply. "Tell him guys." Yet all he got was continued silence. Looking in shock, those he had considered close friends looked away. Their shadowed faces focused their gaze on anything in the room.
All except him .
Breaking his trip down memory lane, Waver was at war with himself as he saw Rider get pushed back even more. They could risk a Noble Phantasm but that would mean drawing the attention of anyone else on the vicinity and being thrusted into a whole new Holy Grail War, he wouldn't be able to tell from friend and foe.
Rider was someone different, someone unlike the magi he knew from the Clocktower. While they shook hands with a dagger behind their back, Iskandar shook with both hands, devoid of any schemes. Looking around the scenery had changed as the battle had pushed them towards the city and away from the bridge. One building caught his attention as a plan was built in his head.
An incredibly stupid plan, one a magus would never do.
But for Waver Velvet, a magus that didn't follow the rules.
It might just work.
"HEY!" He yelled as everyone fighting ceased their quarrel and just now stared at him. Steeling himself, he pointed a finger right at his intended target.
The imposing Watchdog.
"Man, Caster must be some lame servant seeing how he has to delegate such important work to his underdogs. Maybe he's just really weak that a little mutt has to do a job for him."
Silence.
All that remained was silence.
Wincing at his horrible attempt of mockery Waver looked up at Rider, who was split between looking proud and horrified. The Keeper just stared at him while the Watchdog...
Was just standing still, its fire dulling for a moment.
Another second passed.
Then another.
All of a sudden, the flames of the Watchdog flared up, it eyes now burning with an intensity greater than before. Waver did an internal cheer seeing how he's plan worked.
The now enraged Watchdog now glared at him before running at him, now on a quest for vengeance.
Paling at how his plan worked a bit too well, Waver ran for dear life as he moved to an alleyway. Even having a sizeable lead on the burning hell hound, he could feel the roaring flames getting hotter with each second. He was tempted to look back at his impending doom but he pushed down that urge as it would result in his death.
Ducking into an alleyway, Waver heard a loud thud as the first part of his plan had worked. Turning around the Watchdog had gotten its massive armored head stuck in the alleyway, the rest of its body too big to fit in the alleyway.
"HAHA! Eat it you overgrown mutt!" He laughed as he mocked the stuck Watchdog with his finger. However, while Waver had a seemingly flawless plan, there were other variables that he forgot to account for.
One of those variables being just how enraged the Watchdog could get.
With a loud burst, the Watchdog became even more bathed in fire. It's actually body now hidden behind this veil of fire in which only its piercing eyes could be seen. With a loud howl the Watchdog started to force his way into the alleyway, cracking and destroying the building foundations as it slowly forced its way through.
Scrambling back, Waver ran as hard as he could to flee the devil behind him. Exhaustion kicking in, he turned the corner but to only back up in horror.
For he just ran into a dead-end.
About to run back, he fell on to his butt as he backed away from the Watchdog that had finally caught up. Hastily trying to think up of a back-up plan, Waver's thoughts were cut short as his back had hit the wall. Looking up at how there was no ladder for him to climb, he was a prisoner to whatever the Watchdog had planned for him.
Realizing that his prey was now trapped, the Watchdog took its sweet time in reveling with his despair. Slowly creeping forward, the hellhound mocked Waver. Puffing its throat out, it let the magma illuminate the darkness of the alley way. Stopping just a few feet from the master, the Watchdog howled loudly into the night, declaring its triumphant hunt.
"Is that what you think huh?" Standing up from his position Waver showed a grin that would've made the King of Conquerors proud. Holding his hand up high Waver revealed his true plan from the beginning.
"Checkmate!" He yelled triumphantly as a magic circle flared to life on the wall behind him. Usually it took a magus 30 minutes to set up a fully working circle but Waver's ingenious design had cut down the time in half and had downsized it so all he had to do was make a mock sketch of the circle before running off and attracting the Watchdog. With a creaking sound and the sound of flowing water had finally clued in the Watchdog what the building he had lured him into.
A water purification plant.
Water beats fire after all.
With the help of his magic circle the water pressure inside the plant had been pushed past its limit. In a loud explosion a vast amount of water spilled out of the wall. All the Watchdog could do was lower its ears and let out a pitiful whine before it was swallowed up by the tide. The buildings that the Watchdog had bulldozed its way through creaked loudly before collapsing under the pressure.
Spilling out back into the main street, Waver clawed his way back onto the sidewalk. Holding his drenched hair up he begun to cough up any of the water that may have accidentally drank. His clothes were drenched to the core and his eyes burned from having them open in trying to find a way out in the murky water. Heaving the last drops of water from his stomach, Waver addressed the aftermath of his handiwork. The streets had been absolutely flooded as the water, still pouring from the building, had continued to travel into the city; almost making a little river.
With a tired laugh, Waver fell on his butt as he basked in his victory. He did it!
A growl said otherwise.
"OH, COME ON!" He yelled as the Watchdog came into his view. It wasn't that his attack was successful as the Watchdog was no longer wreathed in flames, its once bright flames now reduced to tiny embers on its body. Its fur was absolutely soaked as the hellhound glared at the feeble master that had tricked it.
However, both had forgotten they had a partner in battle that they had left. While the Keeper was a great warrior, he was no match for Iskandar in a straight-up battle and with its partner missing from action...
Rider's signature war cry echoed across the street as he jumped onto the hellhound, rodeoing it. With a frantic howl the Watchdog desperately tried to buckle the rodeoing servant but with a yell Iskandar plunged his sword into the head of the hellhound. The struggling increased but a moment later the hellhound collapsed, dead.
With a huff Rider wrenched his sword free from the corpse before it disappeared into a cloud of mist. Walking over, he took a seat next to Waver as the two men sat in silence.
Until Waver started to laugh loudly into the night. Rider stared at him before joining in his joyous laughter with his own. Letting the absurdity of the past hour sink in, the two laughed their troubles away.
A master and servant had walked into this battle, at odds with each other
Now they would walk out of it as equals.
In the Hyatt Hotel, Lancer was not in good position as he dodged a feint from a knight before countering and stabbing him with Gae Dearg. He knew everything was not well when the lights shut off and his master begun screaming in pain. He was about to rush to his side when a bullet was fired at him from the Bloody Crow, who arrived in tow with his knights.
The current battlefield favored Diarmuid as in order to get to the penthouse they would have to cross the Atrium. It served as the Hyatt Hotel's ballroom and the wide-open space gave him ample room to dodge and break up the group of knights that tried to swarm him. If he kept this up then his master would be able to recover and then they could regroup.
However, he had severely underestimated the strength of the Bloody Crow as he was an equal in terms of skill. Backing away from a strike, he cursed as he found himself surrounded by all sides.
"Back away," The Bloody Crow commanded as he walked into the ring and pointed his sword at Lancer. "I shall deal with him myself." Having their orders, the knights resolutely stood in place, swords stabbed into the floor in honor.
"In honor of my King and Queen, I, The Bloody Crow, challenge you to a duel!"
Smiling at the offer, Lancer responded in kind. "Very well, I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, accept your duel in honor of my master."
As they both stood just a few feet from each other, they bowed to each other. From one knight to another. No personal feelings or grudges here, this was just two knights trying to fulfill their oath to their respective kings.
And for a moment there was a silence, nothing in the ballroom moved. One could drop a nail and it would have the effect of a bomb.
Then as if simultaneously deciding it was time, begun to move at each other.
The Chikage ready to drink the blood of is opponent.
Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe poised to strike.
Meeting in the middle, the two begun to weave through each other's strikes; unable to land a devasting blow on the other.
All the while a certain schemer moved behind the shadows, ready to kill their original prey.
"Sola-Ui how is Master?" Asked Lancer from his mental link as he crossed blades with the Bloody Crow. While he fought, Sola-Ui was tasked in trying to nurse Kayneth back to health. Even in the darkness of their penthouse, she could still try to work on her husband.
"Don't worry Lancer, all he needs is rest and he'll be up in no time," She lied as she cut their link so that he could focus on his fight, no need to worry about his master's condition. Heaving a tired sigh, she looked at her husband's scarred body. Whatever magecraft they had pulled off had severely damaged his magical circuits. The influx of magic had been too much for his circuits to handle, resulting in them popping like balloons. He still had some magic circuits left in his body that she was able to save but, in the end, his current circuits were a far cry from what it originally had been.
She would've left this sorry excuse of a magus behind, let him die from his wounds but not only would Lancer be distraught but she needed a scapegoat in these uncertain times. While she did have some fair knowledge on how to use his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydragyrum, there was a reason why he was its master.
Her brooding was interrupted when the door creaked open, if Lancer hadn't given them an all-clear then...
Dragging her comatose husband's body, she hid themselves behind the kitchen counter as their visitor scanned the room. She held her breath in terror as the visitor seemingly spoke to herself.
"Hmm it seems that no one's here," Irene said as she scanned the room. She knew that the two masters were still in the room, after all this room only had one exit and that a very noticeable blood trail was leading to the kitchen. She wanted to...enjoy the hunt for as long as she could. After all, it was amusing how far the human mind would go in order to outlive death
Feigning innocence, she pretended to look around the room. "Oh, my it seems that I was a bit too slow, maybe I should go look outside for them." Keeping up the act, she closed the door from the inside before sneaking back into the shadows.
Mentally counting to ten, Sola-Ui peeked her head from the kitchen counter. Seeing how the visitor seemingly left the room she silently moved to the door, dragging her husband's still comatose body with her. "Just a bit more," If she could just get out of here then maybe she could get out of this ordeal alive. If she wasn't so set on the idea of escaping then maybe she could've dodged the strike that was aiming for her back
Sola-Ui gave a pained shout as the steel edges of a whip slashed her back. Unable to deal with the pain she dropped Kayneth's body before joining him on the floor. She was about to chant a spell to ward off the intruder but her body was unresponsive to her commands.
"Poison!?" She thought in distress as the world around her was fading to black. Holstering her Threaded Cane, Irene kneeled in front of the poisoned Sola-Ui with a sadistic smile on her face.
"I had originally come here for the master but you my little princess," Cupping Sola-Ui's face, she leaned in closer to whisper the last words that she would hear before blacking out.
"Will make a fine experiment my dear."
Back at the ballroom Diarmuid was getting paranoid. He had been trying to contact Sola-Ui but to no avail. Noticing his distress, the Bloody Crow backed off from their current exchange of blows. Looking around the room he noticed that Irene was nowhere near them. "That damm vixen did it again, dishonorable curs like her have no honor for duels between knights." Tipping his helmet in regret, the Bloody Crow apologized.
"Forgive me Lancer, you were an honorable servant to clash swords with. You do your lord honor with your skills, However..." He motioned for his knights to retreat from the hotel. Joining them he spared Lancer one last glance.
"We shall resume our duel in a better place and time, but first finish your duel with Saber. I shall not fight a worthy opponent that has already pledged a battle to another." With that he departed.
Rushing back into the penthouse, Lancer stared in horror as he saw his master's wounded body lying on the floor and his wife nowhere to be seen. Cursing in Celtic, he was about to run off to try and find the culprit until he felt that something was flying towards the hotel at high speeds. Quickly grabbing his master and putting him on his shoulder, he jumped out of the window.
The next second later a cosmic laser decimated the lower floors of the Hyatt Hotel, courtesy of Amygdala. Without a stable structure to keep the hotel standing, the Hyatt Hotel collapsed in a massive cloud of smoke and debris.
Well that's Chapter 7 finished with. Poor Sola-Ui, I have much diabolical things planned for you *maniacal laughter echoes in the background*. Not much to say here but the next chapter with Saber and Kiritsugu will have their fights next. I'll try to make the fight scenes much better than the way I handled Lancer's fight.
Never would I have thought that this story would be getting such positive feedback! I'm so thankful for all you guys loving my work.
That's it for now and as always...
May the Cosmos shine in your favor this day!