The streets came alive with the sounds of gunfire and metal. Archer took advantage of his distance, firing off multiple rounds as Lancelot tried to close the gap between them. The Knight of Lake used his claymore to either deflect or slice the bullets that came at him, demonstrating that his fighting prowess was not to be underestimated.
Lancelot jumped upwards at an angle, aiming for the building to his right. He then flipped in midair and landed on his feet, Lancelot took a half a second to see his target before spring boarding off the side of the building and right towards Archer. The silver haired Servant raised both his guns just in time as Lancelot came down with an overhead strike, the impact of his sword made the very ground beneath Archer fissure from sheer brute force.
"Well good, if you weren't strong this would be boring," Archer taunted.
This Servant…he's dangerous, too dangerous to let live. I can sense his emptiness, his contempt, I cannot allow someone like this to roam around to harm Lincoln and Lady Lucy, thought Lancelot.
Archer pushed back on Lancelot's sword, making the Knight of the Lake flip in midair and land back on the street, but Lancelot didn't let him get a chance to fire of his guns, instead he bolted straight for Archer, thrusting his claymore. Archer narrowly missed the stab and tried to fire his gun, but Lancelot parried his weapon, making the shot fly up and away from him.
Lancelot continued his assault, forcing Archer to use the blades on his guns to counterattack. No more shots were fired as Lancelot managed to force Archer into a close-range fight, the ringing of their blades made the very air vibrate.
Meanwhile, Lincoln and Lucy were watching Lancelot, the awestruck look on their faces was plain to see as they finally got to see just how skilled of a fighter Lancelot was. However, something didn't feel right, no something was off.
Lucy looked over her shoulder and noticed a figure approaching them. The figure looked ghostly white, and was carrying what looked like a knife. The ten-year-old didn't waste time speaking, she merely turned around and thrust her right arm forward. Lucy extended her right index finger as black and red energy began to swirl around her right hand and condense at the tip of her finger.
"Gandr!"
The figure increased its pace, breaking into a full sprint as it came straight at the two siblings. The condensed energy was then released, firing off like a bullet that flew straight down the sidewalk. The bolt of black and red energy hit the figure square in the chest and made it pause for a moment as it stumbled backward.
Lincoln had saw this, he wasn't sure what kind of spell she had cast, but it seemed to do the trick. But whatever its effects were didn't last long, the white figure began to run again going at the same speed it was earlier.
"Gasp! That's not possible, that should've struck with the same force as a bullet, no way anyone could still be standing after that!" Lucy stated.
Lincoln glanced at his card case and then back approaching figure. "Then it looks like I get use these!"
The white haired teen opened his deck carrier, his magical energy flowed into his right hand, it began to connect to the cards as Lincoln thought of the cards he needed to conduct the spell. The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Diamonds, the King of Spades, the King of Hearts, and finally a Ten of Clubs. Lincoln channeled elemental magic through this combo, calling on the raw power of lightning.
"Fulgur!" Lincoln exclaimed.
The five cards formed a star pattern and from it fired a bolt of lightning that crackled with power as it soared through the air and struck the attacker head on. A small explosion like that of thunder went off as the attacker was no longer standing. Lincoln's cards still hovered in midair, but it was only now that he realized that he had just killed someone.
However, before the weight of the situation could fall on him, something else fell, a head. Lincoln yelped when the attacker's head rolled on the ground in front of him.
Lucy bent down and examined it, when she did, she made a shocking discovery. "Lincoln, it's not a real person! It's some kind of mannequin!"
"Wait, you're saying I just blew up a one of those things that has clothes on it at the mall?"
"That's why my Gandr spell had no effect, it didn't feel pain because it wasn't alive," said Lucy.
Lincoln caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The white haired boy quickly turned towards it and spotted yet another of the mannequins coming towards them. Lincoln fired off another lightning spell, blowing it up upon impact. Another appeared around the corner of an alley, but Lucy fired off a stronger Gandr spell, this time punching holes through it until it was completely immobile.
Unfortunately, this kept happening, more and more of the pale white mannequins were appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. Lincoln brought out more cards and willed a few to them to spin at a rapid speed, he then launched the cards, turning them into energized flying buzzsaws that cut through the air. The energized buzzsaw cards sliced through several more of the mannequins, felling them easily enough, but there were still more.
Meanwhile, Lancelot was still battling Archer, the dark Servant was surprisingly good at swordplay, it was almost strange that he was an Archer, it was as if he was a hybrid of both a Saber and an Archer. Lancelot came in with another slash at the same time as Archer, their blades clashed as both warriors were pushed back from the force of their attacks, putting a good five feet of space between them.
"You're Masters seem like they're in trouble over there," Archer pointed out.
Lancelot turned his attention back to Lincoln and Lucy and watched as they were being attacked by mannequins from all sides. They seemed to be holding their own, but if left alone any longer they'd be overwhelmed.
"I see, this was your plan! In that case…!" Lancelot's body erupted with blue energy, that same energy began to swirl around his sword as he widened his stance. "I'll have to get serious!"
"Whoa, whoa, you're saying that you haven't been serious?"
Lancelot ceased any movement upon hearing this new voice, Archer did the same, even the mannequins halted their attack. All present looked towards the opposite side of the street, a fair skinned girl appeared out of one of the alleys. She wore a black hoodie, and had brown, pixie cut hair. Her eyes gray like storm clouds, and in her right hand she held a pistol.
"Seems like an unfair fight, why don't we even the odds? Berserker, get in there."
Lancelot and Archer sensed a presence, both looked up and watched as someone, or some thing, materialized above them. The being came down right between them, causing the Saber and Archer to jump back as Berserker slammed down onto the road, kicking up a dust cloud.
Lincoln took this opportunity to use another combination, creating a barrier around both himself and Lucy. Neither Servant moved as they waited to see who or what Berserker was, but Berserker wasn't a fan of waiting, red shined within the dust as a gust of wind blew away the dust, allowing all to view Berserker's form.
He was a dark skinned man, with big, lean muscles. His body was covered in a strange, obsidian colored armor, the armor looked as if it had come from the hide of a creature as several spines grew out of the armor, even a bony tail slithered as if still alive. The man had a black hood up, with red eyes, and red markings painted on his body. In his right hand he held a long, crimson spear. At first, Archer and Lancelot thought they heard wrong, despite his armor, he looked like he was a Lancer, but the animalistic aura that came off of him was definitely like that of a Berserker.
"Who do you want me to kill?" Berserker asked.
"Hmm, go for the knight, I never really cared for that whole 'knight in shining armor' thing," said the girl.
"Got it."
Berserker twirled his spear around and dashed towards Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake immediately went on guard as Berserker thrust with his spear. Lancelot managed to parry the attack, but Berserker spun the spear around and came in with swipe. Lancelot used his sword to block the attack, but the moment he did, he had to dig his heels into the asphalt to keep from being thrown into the side of the building.
What do you think? Should I join in? Archer asked.
Attack where you can, but try not to draw the ire of Berserker. Fall back when it looks like Saber is about to lose, we'll need to rethink our strategy when it comes to Berserker, spoke Archer's Master.
Archer nodded and reloaded his weapons. Lancelot managed to parry a blow from Berserker and was about to go in for an attack, but Archer fired a shot at the knight, making him go back on the defensive as he blocked the bullet. That gave Berserker enough time to thrust kick Lancelot in the chest, sending him flying back down the street.
Berserker didn't let up as he chased after Lancelot, catching up with the renowned knight as he thrust his crimson spear. Lancelot managed to recover and sidestepped to the right to avoid the blow, but Berserker merely used that move a feint as he spun in place, using the bone tail of his armor to strike Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake was once again sent flying, but this time he impacted against a parked car, leaving a body sized indention.
On the other side of the street, Lincoln and Lucy huddled inside the barrier as the mannequins continued to strike at his shield, trying to break through it and end their lives. Berserker's Master began walking towards them, a sinister smile was plastered on her face as she revealed a gauntlet on her right arm.
"Guessing you're Saber's Master, or at least one of you is," said the girl. "Eh, doesn't matter, you'll be dead soon enough, count yourselves lucky. Trust me, you do not want to get hit with Berserker's spear. Compared to that, anything else is mercy."
The girl's gauntlet began to glow, the metal started to transform, molding itself into a drill-like weapon. The girl cocked back her right arm and thrust it forward, striking the shield head on. The drill began to spin at a rapid pace, releasing a shrill sound as it began to pierce Lincoln's shield.
"Master!" Lancelot called out. "Hold on!"
Lancelot ripped himself out of the car and was about to jump into the air, but as he did, Berserker intercepted him, grabbing the knight by his left leg and slammed him back down to the ground.
"Pay attention to your own life," said Berserker.
Things were not looking good, Berserker was not giving Lancelot any time to counterattack, and now this new person was about to break through their shield. Lincoln wracked his brain as he tried to figure out a way out of this situation, he wasn't going to lose another family member, not here, not tonight.
Just then, a loud screech pierced the night, making all combatants cease their actions. A shadow was cast upon the battlefield, making everyone look up into the sky, and what they saw confused them. The creature that made the noise was in fact a very large pterosaur, with very colorful markings and plumage. The giant dinosaur hovered in the air, as a figure rose from its back. That same figure jumped off its back and landed on the ground with a powerful, booming impact.
"THIS IS SOO COOL!" Ronnie Anne shouted.
Never in a million years would Ronnie Anne think she'd be riding on top of a dinosaur, to be more specific, a pterosaur, and one of the biggest ones to exist. Their flight from Great Lakes City to Royal Woods was way shorter than if she was traveling by car. Normally it was at least a three hour drive, but they were at the outskirts of the city in less than five minutes.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Ronnie Anne!" Quetz looked down into the town below, to the city proper. Something was going on down there, something that was drawing her attention.
"What's wrong?!"
"There's a fight happening down there, I sense at least three Servants down there, it seems there's a barrier protecting them from sight," said Quetz.
"Three already…" Ronnie Anne wasn't sure if they should wade into a fight right away, then again, this could be the only chance they got to take out more than one of their competition at once. "What do you think?"
"It's up to you, you're the Master, I'll fight whomever you decide. Just make sure you don't get in over your head," said Quetz.
Ronnie Anne looked down at the ground, she couldn't see anything, but she trusted that Quetz saw what she saw. The Latina teen took a deep breath and knitted her brow. "Quetz, let's go!"
"¡Si, mi Maestro!" Quetz exclaimed.
The giant pterosaur angled down, flying towards downtown and piercing through the Bounded Field, the pterosaur slowed down and hovered over the battlefield as Quetz shot a sharp, shark toothed grin at Ronnie Anne.
"Hang onto me!"
Ronnie Anne clamped her arms around Quetz's neck and then the Aztec goddess jumped straight up into the air, and then came back down with a thundering "BOOM" that cracked the asphalt of the road. After shaking off the daze of the landing, Ronnie Anne slid off of Quetz's back as she drew her weapon, at the same time, Quetzalcoatl formed a shield with Aztec markings around her left arm, and into her right hand she summoned a sword, it was made of gold, but on the sides were shards of obsidian.
"Okay, which one of you guys wants to…to…¡¿que demonios?!" Ronnie Anne couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The other Servants paused upon their arrival and their bombastic entrance, even the unknown Master and puppets did the same, allowing Ronnie Anne to take in the full scope of the battlefield. Lincoln and Lucy were huddled together inside a barrier, the puppets and the unknown Master were working to get at them.
Lancelot was on the ground, with Berserker still holding onto his leg, and Archer was behind them. The young Latina teen didn't know what to make of this. Why were Lincoln and Lucy here? Why were they in the middle of this mess? From the expressions on both of their faces, it seemed as if they were in just as much as shock as she was.
Then it hit her, one of them was a Master, which meant that one of these Heroic Spirits was their Servant. Ronnie Anne prayed that he was fighting for the same reason she was, otherwise this was going to be a short battle for her, and not in the good way either.
"WHICH ONE IS YOURS?!" Ronnie Anne yelled.
Lincoln understood what she meant.
"Brother, wait what if–?!"
"THE ONE IN THE PURPLE ARMOR AND USING A SWORD, SABER!" Lincoln replied.
Ronnie Anne nodded. "Quetz, help out Saber!"
Quetz locked onto Berserker, her smile morphing into something fierce as rows of sharp teeth appeared. "At your command, my Master!"
The Aztec goddess took off at lightning speed, raising her sword into the air as she approached Berserker. The indifferent look on Berserker's face began to change the closer that Quetz got to him. Once she was upon him, Berserker released Lancelot and raised his spear up to block her overhead strike, but that was just a feint. While still in midair, Quetzalcoatl spun around and delivered a kick to Berserker's unprotected chest, sending the armored beast flying into a couple of cars before smashing through the window of a locally owned business.
Lancelot managed to turn over and sit on his rear as he took a mere moment to collect himself. Quetz appeared next to him and offered the knight a helping hand.
"Might I lend you a hand, Saber?" Quetz asked.
Lancelot grinned and took her hand, letting her hoist him back up to standing height. "Much appreciated…Rider?"
"Si, I am a Rider. It was the giant pterosaur that gave it away, wasn't it?" Quetz asked jokingly.
Berserker smashed his way out of the business and jumped into the air, landing back into the street as he twirled his spear around and readied himself for combat. Lancelot and Quetz got into ready positions, but Lancelot made sure to face Archer who still had his guns trained on them.
"What do you suggest our battle plan be, dear knight?" Quetz asked.
"Berserker is dangerous, that's a fact. He's very strong, if I had to venture a guess, he may be a demigod. Archer is another story, I sense nothing but cold hearted destruction from him, he's equally, if not more dangerous," said Lancelot.
"I see, so, would you like me to handle Berserker while you take Archer?"
Lancelot glanced at Quetz. "Are you sure, he's a strong one?"
Quetz gave a shark toothed grin. "I am not your average Heroic Spirit, actually, I'm not a 'Heroic' Spirit at all."
Lancelot wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he could sense that Rider was on another level than he was, and perhaps a match, if not more, for Berserker. "Very well, I shall leave Berserker to you!"
"Then you can take care of Archer!"
Lancelot once again glowed with blue mana, at the same time, Quetzalcoatl glowed with golden mana. The two Servants dashed in opposite directions, heading straight for their opponents.
Quetz came in again with her sword, this time Berserker countered by thrusting forward with his spear. The goddess backed off and raised her shield, letting it take the brunt of his attack. The impact caused a shockwave that rocked the nearby parked cars and rattled the windows. Saber was right, he is powerful, this might actually be a challenge! Though, it's going to be hard getting in some wrestling moves with all that spikey armor.
Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne spun the wheel of her revolver-like weapon and pointed it at where Lincoln, Lucy, the unknown Master, and puppets were gathered. She have Lincoln a direct look, trying to convey her instructions the best she could through her eyes and hoping he understood her. Luckily, all this time away from each other didn't diminish their connection as much as she thought, especially when she saw Lincoln hit the deck and bring Lucy down with him.
"Bala Mágica: ¡Luz de las Estrellas!" Ronnie Anne cast.
A surge of magical energy flowed through the gun, Ronnie Anne pulled the trigger and let loose the bullet. A silver streak exited the mouth of the gun, but not a moment or two after that did the bullet break apart into multiple pieces.
"Oh, shit!" the unknown Master exclaimed.
A rapid fire barrage of silver shards pelted the area, each one streaking through the air as the bullet was broken down piece by piece and fired at incredibly fast speeds. What wasn't pierced, the shards embedded themselves, this kept going until the bullet was completely gone.
In the next moment, the individual shards glowed brighter and brighter until each one detonated in a cascade of explosions that blanketed the sidewalk, building and part of the street. When the dust settled, the only things that were left standing was the barrier, and a shield made of rippling metal.
The metal shield came down slightly, allowing the unknown Master to look from behind it. "Okay, that was wicked!"
"Glad you liked it, here's something else!" Ronnie Anne spun the wheel again. "Bala Mágica: ¡Armadura!"
Ronnie Anne fired yet another bullet, but this one glowed bright blue. The bullet flew through the air, but it didn't move in straight line, it bent and curved as it traveled towards the unknown Master. The unknown Master raised her shield again as the bullet struck the shield from all sides, but then turned around and headed for its caster. The young Latina ran towards her opponent and towards the bullet. With her left hand she punched forward, striking the bullet. The bullet broke down into pieces that began to enlarge and form around her.
In a matter of seconds, Ronnie Anne was covered in blue metal armor, with claw gauntlets, a tuft of white fur which formed a collar around her head, and a helmet that had a wolf head design. The Latina continued running towards her opponent as she jumped up and slammed her left fist into the shield. The added power of the armor forcefully pushed her back.
Now that the danger of the puppets was gone, Lincoln brought down the shield and commanded another combination of cards to come out of his deck. Lucy prepared to cast another Gandr spell, but she kept an eye out for more puppets.
"I can't believe you're here," said Lincoln.
"You have a lot of explaining to do when this is over, Lame-O," said Ronnie Anne.
"Heh, fair enough."
Lincoln energized the cards and flung one of them at the unknown Master. The moment the card made contact it exploded, forcing the Master to remain on the defensive. Ronnie Anne came in from the side, ready to slam her gun into the side of their opponent's head, but the girl merely raised her left hand, and from it a bronze metal blade came out to intercept, a clash of metal against metal rang out as Ronnie Anne grunted from the impact along with the unknown Master.
While this was going on, Quetz and Berserker were having at it. For a large man with heavy looking armor, Berserker moved incredibly fast, however, it was still not enough to out pace the Aztec goddess. Quetz was throwing off Berserker, due to her unusual fighting style, she would come at him with her sword a few times, but then would abandon them for a moment to engage in hand-to-hand combat. She'd also make use of their surroundings, either jumping or bounding off the walls or cars to give her an extra bit of power into her attacks.
Not that she needed it, Berserker could feel that this Servant had incredible strength, comparable to his, if not stronger. The more he fought, the more this battle intrigued him. Quetz picked up one of the cars and tossed it straight at Berserker, the large man swatted it away, only for Quetz to come in with a drop kick right behind it, catching Berserker in this chest.
The black armored Servant coughed from the impact, staggering him just a bit. That was all that she needed. Quetz managed to get behind Berserker, avoiding his bone tail and hoisted him up by the middle. Berserker didn't know how to respond as he was lifted up and then brought back down into a powerful suplex drop, with Quetz showing off her perfect bridge.
The goddess rolled away, seeing how Berserker's head was pile drived into the hard asphalt and concrete of the road. But that didn't last long as Berserker tore his head out of the hole and glared back at Quetz.
"Aye, it looks like I finally made you mad," said Quetz. "Good, it's no fun if you're not giving it your all!"
Lancelot and Archer were back at their old tricks, with Lancelot deflecting or dodging his bullets to get in close to him. Archer contemplated unleashing his Noble Phantasm, but he couldn't risk it yet, he needed to limit Saber's mobility first. However, that was proving to be easier said than done.
The Knight of the Lake thrust with his claymore sword, as expected, Archer dodged it, but left his right arm stretched out ever so slightly. Lancelot took this opportunity to strike upwards, knocking Archer's gun straight into the air. Lancelot jumped after it, but Archer didn't care.
"You kidding?" Archer's right hand glowed yellow as yet another gun appeared. "I'm never short on weapons."
Lancelot reached out with his left hand grasped the gun, his abilities already kicked in as the ominous glow of Archer's power was snuffed out and replaced with Lancelot's power, the knowledge of how to use such a weapon flowed into his mind as if the weapon itself was speaking to him. Lancelot took aim, surprising Archer.
"What the hell?!"
*Bang!*
A bullet flew out from the gun Lancelot procured, Archer jumped back just in time to miss the shot. Lancelot landed back onto the ground and looked at the weapon with a bit of disappointment. "Such an uncivilized weapon."
Archer glared at his opponent, feeling that he had been dealt a great indignity. "That's not possible! How are you able to use my own weapon?!"
Lancelot twirled his claymore in his right hand, and the gun in his left. "The real question is: how are you going to fight back now that I have one of your weapons?"
The Knight of the Lake fired more shots as he charged for Archer. The added distraction of bullets flying at him made it hard for Archer to return fire safely, he didn't dare let one of his own bullets hit him, if he did, and activated his Noble Phantasm, Saber wouldn't be the only Servant lying dead in the streets.
Archer, retreat for now, spoke his Master.
This is a minor setback, I can still –!
The odds are no longer in our favor, plus, he just used your own weapon against you, we need to rethink our strategy for dealing with him, Berserker and Rider. Now do as I say!
Archer scoffed, he didn't like to admit it, but his Master was right, the odds certainly weren't in his favor, and Saber's ability to wield his weapons in addition to his own was troubling. A puppet jumped out of another alleyway from one of the buildings and landed between Archer and Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake sliced through the puppet, but that was what Archer wanted. The puppet exploded, creating a bright light that temporarily blinded Lancelot. When the spots were gone from his eyes, Archer was gone too.
The unknown Master saw this and grimaced. "Okay, that's not good. Two against one is not my thing."
"Oh really?! You had no problem when you ganged up on us!" Lincoln accused.
"Only when it's not my ass on the receiving end, kid. Berserker! We're out!"
Berserker looked to his Master, and then back at Quetz. With a reluctant grunt, Berserker dashed towards his Master, picked her up and jumped away into the distance. All five of them waited to see if there would be anymore attacks, but so far there were none. Now that Archer and Berserker were gone, a new tension was mounting between the two teams. Yes, they worked in perfect sync earlier, but that was mostly due to their friendship, but Lincoln didn't know what Ronnie Anne's involvement in the Holy Grail War was, Ronnie Anne had an idea why Lincoln was in it, but she couldn't be entirely sure.
"Well, this is awkward," said Ronnie Anne.
"That's an understatement," said Lucy.
The two Servants looked between their young Masters, noticing the tension.
"Perhaps we may a call a truce, Master?" Lancelot suggested.
"I wouldn't mind that, Chica, besides," Quetz punched the side of Lancelot's arm. "I like this one!"
Ronnie Anne chuckled and then turned to her friend and his sister. The Latina held out her hand and asked, "Truce?"
Lincoln glanced to Lucy, he could sense that Lucy didn't want to trust Ronnie Anne, and she had a point. They really didn't know the reason why she was in the War to begin with, and there was a good chance that they could take out Lancelot, but Lincoln didn't want to suspect one of his best friends, not yet at least.
The white haired boy took Ronnie Anne's hand and shook. "Truce."
"¡Excelente!" Quetz exclaimed. "Now is there any place we can talk?"
"You're house?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"My house," said Lincoln. He glanced to Lucy who still didn't seem to like this. "C'mon, Luce, it's Ronnie Anne."
"Sigh…fine, but one wrong move I swear I'll curse you," she threatened.
Ronnie Anne held up her hands as if surrendering. "Whoa, down girl, I promise I'm not here to hurt you guys. Cause, if I'm right, we're fighting for the same reason."
While all this was going on down below, another team watched from the top of a nearby building. A girl of twenty years, she wore a purple skirt, black blouse, and a matching purple jacket. Around her neck was a powder blue ascot, and upon her hand were the Command Seals of a Master. She had shoulder length blonde hair, with a blue hairband, and blue eyes that sparkled in the night.
Next to her was a heavily armored young girl, about the same age as she was, maybe a year or two younger. Her armor resembled that of a medieval knight, with a large, broad shield strapped to her left arm, and in her right she held an ornate jousting lance. The Servant's green eyes narrowed as she looked upon Saber, her grip on her lance tightening in response.
"Are you okay, Lancer?" her Master asked.
"No – I mean – Yes! I am, Master Carol, please don't worry about me!" Lancer stated.
"Saber seems to make you uneasy, do you recognize him?"
Lancer sighed heavily. "I do…we have history, and I mean that literally."
Carol placed her hand on her Servant's shoulder and said, "I don't doubt that you do, you guys are from the same legend after all."
"Humph! Well, that doesn't matter! You are my Master, and as your knight, I pledge to fight by your side and take down all that stand in your way!" Lancer proclaimed proudly.
Carol smiled sadly as she looked back down to the streets below. She set up that Bounded Field as a means to flush out any Masters and Servants, she was certain that there were more than just the four teams who were watching, but they seemed to keep their presence hidden. From what she could discern from the conversations below, Saber, Rider, Archer, and Berserker had made themselves known, which left Assassin and Caster as the last two who were probably watching this battle.
Still…
Why Lori…Why did one of those Master's have to be your little brother…?