"Do you know what a Noble Phantasm is, Master?" Saber asked.
Looking up from his workbench, Charles raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"A Noble Phantasm. The culmination of everything that makes me.. Me. If I were to be summoned as a Berserker, or perhaps even a Lancer, it would be more obvious."
"Your Bridal Chest, huh?" Charles wondered. "It seemed pretty out of this world. Your creator was a real genius, to have designed the beginnings of a perpetual motion machine that long ago."
"He.. was. He.. was.." Saber faltered. "He was very intelligent. But he got more than he bargained for when he created me."
"Yeah, I read the book. Still, Saber. Every great Hero's story ends with tragedy. Hercules, King Arthur, Siegfried, the list goes on. You're the greatest of the greatest and shine the brightest, it's no wonder your ends are always so.. Climactic. Ah, bend this metal for me, will you? Along those markings."
Saber walked over to his bench and bent the large metal bar as instructed with little effort.
"Woah! You're a beast!" Charles exclaimed. At this, Saber looked slightly hurt. "Er.. Sorry. In the best way possible," he murmured.
Saber hid her giggle behind a gloved hand. "It's fine, Master. I've made peace with my past.. For the most part. But- what I was trying to say is, my Bridal Chest isn't just a piece of machinery. In any other incarnation, it'd be my heart."
"So what you're saying is.."
Saber nodded. "Mmm. Even if I can't physically manifest it as a weapon, the main part of it is right here," she said, thumping her chest. "I call it my Bridal Heart!"
Charles scratched his head. "So your weapon won't need a core at all?"
"Hmmm..." Saber thought for a moment, before she suddenly grabbed her right wrist and tore away the first layer of skin. Charles was too shocked to object at first, as soon as he could, he grabbed her other hand.
"Saber, what're you doing?!" he asked frantically.
However, Saber only smiled, albeit with slight tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Sorry to worry you, Master. I acted without thinking."
Beneath the layer of skin were not bones and sinew, but wire and metal, which was now sparking.
"This is only surface level damage, but.."
"If I wired a pass-through from your wiring to the pseudo-Noble Phantasm-"
"And the sword is durable enough to withstand my bio-electricity-"
"It'd work as a weapon on par with your Bridal Chest! Saber, you genius!" Charles exclaimed, squeezing his Servant tight. "There is something in that head of yours after all!"
Saber froze for a moment, then reluctantly relaxed, putting a hand on her Master's head. "Mm-Mmm. Thank you Master, but.. You're a little close, aren't you?"
Charles instantly released her, backing up. "Well, then. I hope you know more about engineering than me, because I'm really just a hobbyist. My main area of expertise is in alchemy."
Fran put a finger to her chin. "In life, I went through all of my creator's papers trying to find clues as to where he may have after.. Well, at any rate, I remember some of it. Enough about my own inner works, at least."
"You can leave the rest to me, then. If you give me the know-how, I'll provide the highest-grade materials you'd need!" Charles grinned, barely containing the urge to fist pump.
"Man… this is going to be so awesome! Saber! Start absorbing those notes and I'll get the coffee. We've only got today and tomorrow until the Grail War starts, and I'm not going to give you anything but the best of the best! I'm not letting either of us sleep tonight, Saber!"
Charles walked away, seeming thoroughly pleased with himself as he hummed some nursery rhyme that Saber could only vaguely recognize.
'I've gotten myself an interesting Master, haven't I?' she thought, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto her face as she read the blueprints detailing her own conception.
'To summon me under the Saber Class and then build me, the Servant, a Noble Phantasm? Magi truly are a strange folk. I wonder what sort of Master his brother is.. He seemed.. Not cruel, but.. Not as considerate as Master is..'
"What's that? See something interesting, Saber?" Charles suddenly asked from beside her. Internally, she jumped, but she managed to keep her composure.
"Master, I know it's pre.. pre.. presumptuous for me to ask, but.. Out of all the English Servants you could've summoned, why me?" Saber asked. "I'm not the strongest, or the oldest, or even the most famous. I wouldn't even consider myself a Hero-"
"You were my only option," Charles said flatly, interrupting her. "That is to say.. I'm a bit miffed that my younger brother took my inheritance. Summoning Saber before he could was the least I could do to express my discomfort, and.. Well, I had your blueprints handy."
Saber stayed quiet for a moment, then put a hand over her mouth as she started laughing.
"Pff-Fufufufu."
Charles raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
Saber took her hand away. "You're a very honest person, aren't you, Master?"
Charles thought for a moment. Was it a trick question? After a moment, he shrugged. "I guess so. Why?"
Saber tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Well.. It either takes a lot of guts to tell someone you rely on that you were only paired with them out of sheer necessity, or a complete lack of tact. You could've stretched the truth even just a little, you know?"
"Ah, to make you feel better about it? In that case.." Charles adjusted his welding goggles. "Saber, I chose you out of all the Heroes in the world, not just for your sheer beauty, but also for your utter uniqueness. You are a true maiden amongst maidens, a rose among thorns, a- Yeeeow, what was that for?"
While he was working on the wiring that connected Saber to the main unit of the facsimile Noble Phantasm, a sudden surge of electricity had shocked him.
"My Master only tells the truth, after all," Saber said. "Any 'maiden amongst maidens' would feel her heart race when praised like that, even when they can tell you're being sarcastic."
Charles smirked over his toolbench. "That's a heavy concept for an old soul. You pick up quick."
"I am more.. Er.. my.. Vocabulary is larger than it was in life. I can thank the Grail for part of that, but I sense.. I'm also getting some from you as well?"
"A parapsychic link, eh? How far can it go?" Charles wondered.
Saber concentrated for a moment. 'Enough for me to do this, Master. The link between a Servant and Master is stronger than you might imagine.'
The voice reverberated throughout Charles' entire head, spooking him enough to make him drop the tool he was holding that looked like a mix between a hammer and a power saw.
"You're in my head now?"
'Only enough to communicate, Master. I can't read your thoughts. Or.. can I?'
Saber's expression was mischievous.
"Hey, hey, hey, your mouth is down there," Charles said. "Save the invasion of my mind-brain for when silent communication is a must."
"If you say so," Saber sighed. She couldn't help but admire the way that Charles poured over his work, using tools and materials she could barely even begin to name. Every so often, something would spark and a miniature explosion would light up in his face, but his goggles seemed to keep him safe. After that, he'd curse, put out the fire with a wave of his hand and get back to tinkering.
The two of them stayed like that for at least a few hours, Saber making the occasional quip which Charles would respond to with a mumbled half-response.
Saber felt like if she were anyone else, she would be bored, but she was used to inactivity. It wasn't her first time watching a scientist at work. For now, she was content to keep watch over her Master.
Eventually, Saber was interested enough to lean over. "Are you making progress, Master?
"Ah, perfect, thank you, Saber," Charles said, absent-mindedly, plucking a stray hair from her head. It only took a few moments for her question to register.
"Oh, this? It's.. Purely theoretical work, really. I doubt anyone's tried it before. I'm trying to see if I can bind the pseudo-Noble Phantasm's existence to yours as my familiar. Theoretically, that should make it unbreakable as long as your Bridal Core is active, but.."
"But…?" Saber asked.
"I have no bloody clue what I'm doing!" Charles groaned. "With the tools I appropriated from the Clock Tower, I'm doing the magical equivalent of smacking two things together until they fuse! Or- Duct taping them together, whichever."
"Duck tape?" Saber asked. Her head tilted quizzically. She was thinking of the bird.
"Nevermind," Charles sighed, resting his head on the table. "I just need to think on it more. Maybe if I put more emphasis on conducting your lightning, or if I-"
"Master." Saber said firmly, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You're stressing. No-one can create a masterpiece under duress."
"Stressing- Of course I'm stressing! You have to fight in two days! I can't build a Noble Phantasm in two days! It'd take.. It'd take a miracle!" he protested.
"Is that not what I am? A miracle? I should be ashes in the wind right now, but here I am. You're already capable of miracles. What's one more?" Saber asked.
Charles was silent for a few moments. "You're right, Saber. I just.. Need a minute."
"How about you get some fresh air and think on it? Just an hour's break couldn't hurt," Saber suggested gently.
Charles nodded. "You're right.. Just an hour's break.. After that I'll get right back to work."
The Kensington Gardens seemed to stretch out as far as Saber could see. "Are all cities like this in the modern world, Master?"
Charles thought for a moment. He had changed into more comfortable winterwear for the outing, but he still braced himself against the early hints of the night chill.
"London's a bit of an exception in terms of how much green there is, but.. Yeah. All over the world, people just like this. All different empires and governments, existing in their own way."
"Fascinating. So there are major powers other than the English?" Saber asked.
"Yeah. You have America-"
"Oh, I know about the Americas! Do Indians still roam the desert wastes?"
Charles chuckled. "Not for a long time now."
"Ah.. I'd like to ride a wild horse one day," Saber breathed. Her eyes almost sparkled at the idea.
"There's also the Oriental nations of the East. Some of those guys were the ones to create the Grail War, actually." At this, Charles internally grimaced. There was a good chance he'd run into at least one representative of the Three Founding Families in this War.
"Master?" Saber asked.
"Er, nothing, Saber. Australia is also pretty big now-"
"The convict nation?" Saber asked, sounding shocked.
"Mmm. But they pulled an America about a hundred and twenty years ago. Britain doesn't control it anymore. You've been everywhere else, right?"
Saber nodded. "Mmm. My pursuit of my creator took me all over Europe before- Master, watch yourself!"
She suddenly stopped Charles in his tracks and pushed him back. Her traditional bridal dress started to form around her.
"Reveal yourself, Servant!" she barked.
'Master. Without my Noble Phantasm I my chances of victory are very low. Please be ready to run,' she said telepathically.
"Hark!" a male voice called. In front of them, a spriteful-looking adult materialized. Immediately, his green vest, dramatic leather cape, and pointy brown beard stood out to Charles.
"A maiden stands before me, her fists raised as if to pummel me herself! But surely that cannot be. No maiden dressed to marry the love of her life would manifest as a Saber yet go to battle with her fists, no, no, no. That is the fitting role of a Berserker, who rejoices at the chance to bloody her fists with her enemy's insides."
The Servant laughed. "Haha! Still, please, lend me your ears, just for one moment, O' Master."
Charles concentrated for a moment, attempting to use the limited Clairvoyance that his Master status gave him. The unknown Servant's parameters were fairly low across the board, but a Servant's Noble Phantasm, their ultimate trump card, could make all the difference.
"Master," Saber spat. She was trembling. Something about her seemed terrifying to Charles. He was seeing her angry for the first time, and she seemed like a completely different person. "I don't know this man, but every inch of my Spirit Origin wants him dead. With your support."
"S..Saber..?"
But Saber had already launched herself forward and was swinging at the unidentified Servant. Charles suddenly felt a sharp increase in the mana that Saber was consuming as she filled her body with green electricity. The unknown Servant only chuckled, and the moment before her fist made contact with his face, he vanished, leaving Saber swinging at empty air.
Meanwhile, Charles couldn't believe what he was seeing on Saber's stats output. Her Madness Enhancement had suddenly spiked from an E rank all the way to C, meaning even if he could give good directions, she might not listen.
'Madness Enhancement?! It should've just been a leftover from her proper form! Saber! Don't make me use a Command Seal this early! Let's retreat, we're at a disadvantage!'
'NEVER!' came the reply. Charles felt his brain ache at the raw fury behind the one word. 'THAT MAN.. I.. NEED TO..'
Charles suddenly felt a presence behind himself. He turned to see the enemy Servant smirking down at him. "Hello, there, my fine fellow," the Servant greeted. "May I interest you in a talk with my Master? I give you my guarantee that you or your Servant will not be harmed."
Charles had to make a split second decision. The Servant's parameters were low, so he could probably stall him with his Mystic Code until Saber crossed the distance. On the other hand.. For some twisted reason, Charles felt like he could trust him.
'As if.'
He suddenly dropped the vial containing his Mystic Code and crushed it underfoot. Liquid mercury rose up to batter the enemy Servant, and Saber was a spit half-second behind.
"Oh!' the Servant exclaimed. "We're out of time. I suppose I will have to make your decision for you."
And with a swish of his cloak, both he and Charles had vanished.
Saber's fist once again swung over empty space, though this time neither the Servant or her Master remained.
A split second after that, her madness lifted, and Saber looked at the world around her with clear eyes.
"Master..?"
"What.. have I done..?"
SERVANT STATISTICS
CLASS: UNKNOWN
TRUE NAME: UNKNOWN
STATISTICS
STR: E
END: E
AGI: D
MAN: C++
LUK: B
NP: ?
CLASS SKILLS
TERRITORY CREATION: ?
ITEM CONSTRUCTION: ?
PERSONAL SKILLS
?