LEVEL 1 – A BROKEN SWORD

The moon shone full and bright, filtering through the old glass panes above him like water through a fine mesh sieve. The only other source of light around him was the bright glow of his tablet screen, resting upright on the cracked floor he rested on. He raised his can of soft drink into the air, bringing it to his lips and draining the rest of it. He crushed it with a firm flex of his finger muscles, and tossed it aside. The air tasted almost as sweet.

"You there, Saber? Beautiful night, isn't it?" Beautiful indeed, he thought to himself. Perfect for an execution or two.

"Ready and in position, master. But… are you sure you want me all the way…"

"You just sit tight and wait for my mark, Saber. Caster and his master won't know what hit 'em" he smirked, stretching out his other hand. The second his finger came in contact with the hard glass screen of his tablet, a hard-red pulse exploded from the point of contact, making only the slightest sound. The ripple of magical energy flowed out of the electronic device and onto the floor below, over his body, then the crushed can beside him, and then passed even farther out of his field of vision. He knew it would take but a minute for the bounded field to completely close the four of them off.

"I just felt your magecraft go off, master. I presume we are starting?" Saber asked from within his mind, talking clearly despite being buildings away.

"Indeed, we are," Laurence Bellings spoke cockily as he rose to his feet slowly. As he stood up, he scooped his tablet up as well, closing the app that had set up the field and opening a new one; one that his family of mages had developed. His specialty. "Wait until I make contact with Caster's master. Knowing he's a third-rate magus, it'll be easy to destroy him instantly. It's a shame, though… I'd really like to harvest his magic circuits for my drones…"

"We mustn't underestimate them, master. We have no idea who or what Caster is capable of." Saber voiced with slight concern in his voice. Laurence chuckled softly to himself, but knew his servant was right. With two simple taps, he sent his magical energy through the screen and out into the open air. His drones would respond accordingly, he knew. 12 of them were circled around the entirety of the abandoned Farmwood Hospital. In only a minute or so, he'd have complete control over the battlefield, and Saber would be free to deal with Caster.

"Don't worry, Saber. I'll be careful. Now… commencing operation!" He set off like a bullet, flying down the hallway like a sprinter on the track. As he ran, he slipped his tablet into his bag and pulled out a more discreet tool: a wireless clicker. Normally, a mere citizen would use this to flip through songs on a playlist, or slides on a presentation. But not Laurence. He was a magus. The Bellings family had taken to magics latest faze with grace; they quickly adapted to the new rules and, as such, continued to develop their magecraft and magic circuits well into the digital age. Laurence was the new head of his family, despite only being 24, and had adapted much more than his father and his father before him. As his feet continued to push him forward, he felt his magic crest burning on his left bicep. He would take all of his family's knowledge, experience and struggles to their very end and win this war.

The Seventeenth Holy Grail War.

"I'm almost at the entrance. Saber, I need you to-" A sickening wave of nausea blasted into him like a truck, grinding him to a halt. His vision greyed and blurred as his balance faltered and nearly failed him. His bag slipped off his shoulder and crashed against the ground, filling the empty hall with a deafening noise. He clutched the side of his head and waited for a few moments for the feeling to wash away.

"Master!? What has happened?!" Saber shouted inside his head. Despite the feeling of slight panic, Laurence smirked nervously.

"Bastard… He tore through my field like butter…" Laurence straightened himself and looked towards the door only a few meters ahead. He gripped his clicker tightly and continued on, glaring at his path forward. "Caster has escaped, Saber. Pursue him, whoever he is. I'll deal with his master."

"Understood, master. Do not hesitate to use a Command Seal to summon me if you need to."

"Don't worry," The man spoke with grit. "I'll kill this kid dead." With a mighty push, he threw open both doors. Moonlight immediately hit him and filled his vision as he stepped out into the cool summer air. Surprisingly, he needn't look for his target; they were waiting for him, directly across the field under a broken-down arch.

"Your Servant surprised me!" Laurence shouted, throwing his arms wide. "Not anyone can destroy a bounded field just like that. He even took out two of my drones!" The figure across from him didn't move or speak. They simply observed. For some reason he didn't quite understand, that made Laurence quite angry.

"Make your Servant kill itself and run, boy. If you want to live, I recommend you listen to those words." Again, no sound or movement. The figure stayed still, silent as a shrew. With an angry scowl and the flick of his wrist and clicker, he began an incantation.

"Bytes become one and pixels spread its might! Eix elvenir throva!" He could feel the words thicken in his throat, becoming solid magical force. It spread down his body, through his arm and into his clicker. It then exploded outward, as a purple, spear-like bolt formed from his gadget and exploded outwards. Before he could even see the dust cloud form, he heard the splintering booms and cracks of an old, cement arch crumbling to dust in the impact. Direct hit.

"You know, I almost feel bad killing a kid," Laurence boasted as the dust cloud and rubble settled. "But then I remember what I'm here to do. Sorry, but no moral clause or guilt will stop me from attaining the Grail. Alright Saber, I'm finished here. How about you?"

Silence.

Silence.

Infuriating, rage inducing silence.

"HEY!" He shouted, ripping his phone from his pocket. "Answer me, Sa-" His phone screen seemed normal, to the average viewer. But of course, he was a magus. And what he saw rattled him to his core and almost broke his mental fortitude in an instant. Not a single Command Seal was displayed on the screen. Not one. As far as the rules concerned, he was no longer a master in the war. But that would mean-

"Game over, asshole." The voice, uncomfortably close, came from behind and was accompanied by a firm grasp on his shoulder. "Enjoy dying."

And then, he was somewhere else.

Falling over from the sudden shock, he placed his hands firmly on the grass. Grass? He was in a hospital plaza. Where was he now?

"Damnit Damnit DAMNIT! Useless Saber servant! The strongest class my ass! I need to-" He reached for the bag that wasn't there. I dropped it in the hospital. His million-dollar drones were useless to him now.

"DAMNIT!" He wailed into the dirt, as he realized everything was falling apart. That bloody kid. He's messing with me. I'm going to find him and I'm going to rip out his-

A single, black feather fell from above and landed directly in front of him.

He froze. He stared at it for a time he could not calculate, a period in which he did not now the length of. His heart was beating faster and faster, his hands sweating so much his clicker slipped out and landed on the grass beside him. Finally, his vision was ripped away from the feather and onto the weapon that failed to kill his enemy. In its smooth, silvery reflection, he saw a shadow slowly getting bigger. He shot his glance upwards with a gasp.

The last thing he saw before the long, slender blade slid right through his forehead were piercing green eyes that seemed to swallow everything in the world.