Chapter 4: Passionate Fire

AN (Author's Note): So, in response to some things mentioned...yeah, Kai, I kinda realized that a bit into it. Although granted, its all of your choices to read the reviews regarding what people submitted, but the reason I was thinking of at the time was that I was worried about the chances of some people sending in several submissions at once for the same role.

Also, on that first note, that seems silly. Why ask for people to submit OCs and then not use them? I plan to see this Greater Grail War to its conclusion, whatever that may be. Who will claim the Holy Grail? What is Toko's wish? Who is Sabre of Red? I guess you will need to keep reading to find out!

Present Time:

"What the hell is going on in the forest?! Why cant I reach command?!" Rune asked Dr. Warren, running up to him at the designated hillside camp. Meanwhile, as Rune looked around, he spotted three battles alone going on during the dark and stormy night. First was his own servant, Set, facing off against the enemy Assassin, Horus. And then of course, on a projected screen, they could see the fight between Sabre of Black and Sabre of Red.

However, there was also a third battle taking place in the forest, far from the Sabres, which he had no information or visual on.

"What has happened?!"

Dr. Warren just shook his head.

"That...demon...killed all of the support staff in the Red Faction Command Room. It slaughtered them all! You need to get to him, and kill him!"

"You serious?"

"Yes! Its bad enough that we have to absolutely make sure that boy, Toko, does not achieve his wish, but now this...this has gone too far!"

"This isn't another one of your tricks right?"

"Of course not. While I do live only to serve Master Blood, I would never hinder his allies either. Certainly not in this situation!"

Although it seemed relatively peaceful, the tension between the two was easily felt.

"I swear, I liked it better when it was just as simple as one side versus another..."

Past Time:

"So, Master...I was kind of curious. Why are you so dead set on being in this Grail War?" Archer asked Mikaela Belmont, his master, right before Rider would reach Berserker of Red.

"...its for family".

"Huh. I suppose that fits someone like you".

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah. You just..."

The conversation was suddenly cut short however, as the sounds of combat began.

"Archer! Its time to support Rider! Just remember, the concealment spell has only been placed on this spot, so we cant move or do anything that would give us away!"

"Gotcha, Sheriff" the boy said, as he took out two pistols. "I might not be able to fly, but I will show I aint inferior to Archer of Red".

And while he said that, Mika channeled her magic circuits into Water Magic, and began to attack the Berserker using the various water sources in and near the forest, never once attacking from her own position. Meanwhile, the moment before their Rider was about to strike, Archer fired several shots into the face, or at least what he believed to be the face, of Berserker to slow him down, if headshots did not outright kill him.

They did not. Berserkers are crazy tough.

"What do you think? You think we will be able to take him down on our own, or will we have to call in others, use Command Spells, or reveal our Noble Phantasms?"

"Well...from what I have learned, Berserker is tough, and it looks like...it looks like he has had several Mad Enhancements done on him..."

"I agree. And unfortunately, that charcoal coating makings it hard to learn who or what he is. Maybe...someone who was burned at the stake?"

"You are quite knowledgeable, Archer".

"Well despite the looks, I did get a proper education".

At that remark, he noticed that Mika seemed to smile. At the same time, Rider cut through some of Berserker's leg muscle, but it began to regenerate almost immediately.

"There we go. Now I feel fired up".

"Huh?"

"Sorry, but up until now, I really have not been able to feel that motivated. Even if you seemed polite, kind, and happy...it always seemed fake. Like you were lonely. Even towards our Commander...but now that I have seen a cute girl like you have a genuine smile on your face, I feel like I can finally fight full force! After all, even outlaws need something to fight for!"

He then aimed both of his pistols in a more refined and controlled position, and built up mana in them.

"And I reckon in this concealed position, I should be able to pull of my Noble Phantasm at least once without them locating and identifying us! Noble Phantasm: Thunderer!"

ANd then at that point, three shots seemed to ring out of nowhere and strike Berserker at vital points.

And at the same time, Rider took this opportunity to go in close to Berserker and unleash multiple attacks at once. Berserker is hard to get close to, but he also wanted to restrict its movements, so Rider continued a strategy of slicing at close range, pulling back, and then utilizing a bow. Even though he was a Rider, he had the ability to use bows and swords, and even possessed a great tactical mind.

He was trying to prevent Berserker from moving in any direction, to keep him contained as Archer and his Master hit him from afar. Rider also noticed that Archer decided to use his Noble Phantasm, but understood why. It seemed he figured he could at least use it once without revealing himself or his location, or his identity.

And because of that, it was bothering him. From the headshots from before, to the fact he withstood that Noble Phantasm and only took some damage, to the fact that even sword attacks seemed ineffective. This was a Berserker, who clearly had used Mad Enhancement way too much, but...their weapons were barely doing anything.

And because of that, Berserker started moving forward towards the school...until the ground he put his foot down on exploded.

"Archer, it looks like he has started to go into the trap filled area".

"Yes, we wanted to see if we could keep that a secret too, but...hold on..."

That was when he saw it. The explosion, the flames...it had managed to do serious damage to the leg, at least considering it was a Master and not a Servant who delivered the blow...

"Wait, no...could it be he has some sort of extra physical resistance? Master used a Flame Magic Rune Trap...wait no, now that I think about it, my arrows were having a good effect...then..."

"I have heard everything" Suzuki told them all telepathicly. "Rider, I believe you are correct. While magical fire was effective, so were your arrows. I have been watching the whole time, so I can say that with certainty. The only attacks that were low in effect were bullets, and your swords. In other words, I believe him to have some form of protection against metal".

Rider was not one hundred percent sure himself, but Suzuki seemed sure of it. It seemed she had been working on the same conclusion.

"Wait, then...aren't most weapons made of metal?"

"Indeed. Which means, they either wanted us to go with pure power, and reveal our Sabre, or...reveal our Castor. We cant do either of that though. Without knowing either of those, it will hinder their future plans. As much as we want to go into battle ourselves, we cant risk losing the Grail".

"I see...yeah. Especially when Castor finishes his Grand Project".

"Alright then...Rider, do it".

"FIne then. Activate Noble Phantasm: Geobukseon!"

And with that, Rider activated his Noble Phantasm, and a ship appeared flying in the sky. It proceeded to unleash a huge volley of cannonballs and arrows into Berserker, except the moment the cannonballs made impact, they exploded, and the arrows were doused in fire to incinerate it. However, that was only to distract it...as it rammed right into the Berserker with full force while releasing poison gas.

Berserker went to counter and stop it though, but as it raised it hands to do so, blades of water came out, several times compressed to the point of ridiculousness and went at Berserker with full force.

"Report, Rider" Suzuki said.

"Fire is also having no effect, as expected. But even so, its vision was obscured enough from the smoke, in combination of being hit by the ship, for Archer's Master to finish a Multi-Compressed Water Blade...and..."

As Berserker stumbled back, its hands fell to the ground. It already started to regenerate, but it was continuously being rammed into the ground by the ship, being scrapped across dirt and rock. The magic shields that had been protecting it had long since run out of power, and the poison gas was weakening its abilities further.

And that was when it seemed to be covered in a bright flash of light, and dissappeared from sight.

"It retreated?!"

"It was likely pulled away by a Command Spell, or a Castor perhaps. However, the amount of magic that was used...that should keep it busy for some time at least. No way it could retreat from a fight like that normally. Either way, we are victorious, and we have learned about Berserker. Rider was forced to use his Noble Phantasm, but it couldn't be helped. Next time however...they probably wont give us a choice..."

"Indeed. Next time, it wont just be one or two servants. It will be a Strike Force, aimed at one of us".

"Then lets head back and get some rest".

"Well now, a giant ship huh? How troublesome".

Dr. Warren stated that as he looked over all the data they had collected.

"Their Archer used some form of powerful attack, likely an Anti-Personal Noble Phantasm, but we were unable to collect data on it as he fired from a point of concealment. Furthermore, the flying ship that released cannon attacks, arrow attacks, and possessed both poison gas and a ramming ability that caused damage to Berserker is likely an Anti-Army. A rather effective weapon, but not unbeatable".

"However..." Terry Blood started, causing the rest to go silent. "We did not achieve the primary goal of learning about their Sabre. Dr. Warren, bring up the images from the remote spy Golems".

Suddenly, images were projected in front of everyone, showing a blonde haired woman, and a shimmer next to her. "We believe the shimmer is Sabre, who they likely shielded in magic to prevent identification. Thus, we know nothing about the Servant. But that Master...she may explain why the homunculus is there. After all, there was one scientist involved in that HeroBurst project that we were never able to identify...a blonde haired man..."

A projection of a rough image of that man was put next to her.

"Its rough, but there are certainly similarities..."

"So then, she is his daughter most likely?"

"Yes. If so, it would explain a lot. From the reports we got, the project was never completed. So someone with knowledge of maintenance would have to be there to maintain its body and finish the process. Most likely, Assassin's Master was brought to that place by her. We cant be certain for sure, but given that, it seems likely she may be the Mastermind behind the Greater Holy Grail War, and the one in control of the homunculus".

"If so, she essentially is in command of three Servants. The boy, Sabre, and Assassin. A terrifyingly powerful force for sure".

"Given her position on the battlefield, and what we observed, she is also likely the Commander of the Black Faction".

"In other words...she has everyone dancing in the palm of her hands, provided our information is correct".

"So, we finally know the face of the enemy we need to target next..."

"About the boy though, we actually have a current working theory. We didn't see any sign of him, which would make sense since he was probably using that time to replenish his mana, but...its about the way he caught the arrows".

"About the way he caught them?"

"Initially, we thought it was an indication of his power that he could catch them, but to catch an arrow of an Archer Class servant should not be so easy...so what if it wasn't?"

"What are you getting at?"

"What if he caught the arrows only on reflex, but the power actually hurt him? He had fire manifest in his hands for sure, but he didn't actually demonstrate much attack power other then magic. He was zooming around for sure, using his legs, but he didn't physically attack Archer despite the fact he should have known about Archer's Magic Resistance".

"So in other words, it was not that Archer was evading him, but rather he couldn't physically strike with his hands?"

"Yes. After all, the idea of catching a projectile fired from an Archer and not taking damage is absurd. Some damage should have been dealt for sure".

"That said, we dont actually know for certain, but we think its extremely likely".

A river of blood...

A sea of corpses...

A madman in glasses...

Clashing Mana of Masters...

Those images flashed through Horus' head as he suddenly awoke. Normally, Servants dont really need to sleep, but Horus finds that his Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, works even better if he sleeps, and it makes it so he uses less mana to exist, not that his Master had any lack of it though. However...the situation he woke up in was interesting.

Sleeping next to him was Toko, and next to him was Suzuki, all three of them were naked. Toko fussed and complained, until Suzuki essentially forcibly convinced him to comply. It seemed she was rather protective of Toko, and wanted to keep him close.

Horus was not sure how he should feel about it though, because it felt like his Master had a Master in a way. However, he remembered the light in Toko's eyes, and his wish, and it helped settle those feelings. Even if he was loyal and in debt to Suzuki, he fully planned to win the power of the Grail.

However, what he was really worried about also was the vision he just had. His Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, allowed him extremely enhansed sensory abilities, general predictive abilities, allowed him to see around walls, through concealment, and such. But also, it occasionally allowed glimpses into the future, the past, and potentialities. It could be cryptic most of the time, but it was still useful.

Still, the sea of corpses was kind of concerning to him. Generally speaking, a vision about that stuff never ended well.

"Mmmhhhmmmm...what the...where am I..."

"Naked in a girls room being cuddled by Suzuki".

Horus bluntly answered that question, causing Toko to get very red. However, Suzuki had fully engulfed him and he had no means of escape.

He certainly could not risk hurting Suzuki while Sabre was there, staring at all of them.

"Good morning everyone" Suzuki said with a yawn. "Feeling better Toko?"

Toko's reddened face certainly suggested otherwise. "N-no!"

"Really, not even your hands? You didn't really think that I wouldn't have noticed last night right?"

Horus ended up getting out of the bed, leaving Toko with Suzu while he put his hands behind his head. "Like I said, moron!"

However, when he looked back, he did give a bit of a look at Suzuki.

"That said, while I understand what you both truly feel and think, if you tease him too much, I may have to get revenge".

Suzuki tightened her hug on Toko and squeezed him even closer.

"He was mine before you came along".

"Save me!"

"Well, just wanted to make sure I got the message across" Horus replied, before looking at Sabre. "Come on, lets talk a bit, servant to servant".

Sabre looked back at the two of them, shrugged, and then ended up stepping out of the room and onto the balcony, as the morning sun covered the entire school campus. The two gazed at the sunrise for a bit, and Horus even managed to smile.

It was Sabre who started the conversation though.

"You know she was just messing with him, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Its pretty obvious she just considers him to be a little brother, not an object of affection. However, I cant just tolerate my master getting teased without some form of revenge. Nothing hostile of course, maybe just filling all of her dresser drawers with cream cheese or something..."

"...to a woman, that is pretty hostile..."

"I suppose that you would know".

Sabre seemed surprised.

"I have had my helmet on the whole time..."

"Not the whole time. And you forget, my Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, is an information gathering type...even information I dont mean to gather".

At those words, Horus suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and an invisible sword touch the nape of his neck. His entire body shivered a little, and it wasnt from being exposed to the morning air.

"That extra weight is from the heavy armor, understood?"

"What extra weight?"

"Good answer".

As the sword drew away, Horus sighed with relief.

And then he felt it return.

"...and you tell no one about any of those numbers, understood?"

"...yes ma'am..."

And then, he was finally out of trouble he somehow got himself into.

"Anyways, you probably should put something on..."

"This is home though, so its fine right? Besides, this is partly because I am depicted this way, so I guess it made me okay with it. Though...I am glad some things did not appear as depicted".

"You mean, like the bird head?"

"Yes. Especially the bird head. I swear, one time, I transformed one time, and suddenly everyone thinks I have a bird head!"

"Indeed. Mis-information seems to plague a lot of history".

"Yeah. Pretty sure you were male in your legend".

"YOu know my true identity?"

"Like I said, my Noble Phantasm".

"I see...Concealment doesn't work on you".

"Me or my friend Iris here" he said as he held out his arm, and a falcon came down and perched on it. "I can easily identify your sword. But I must admit, the real trick that you came up with...that was clever. BUt yes, I have seen past that as well, Sabre of Black".

"The hell...do you mean..."

"Yeah" Horus said, as he looked back to Iris. "And according to Iris, who I sent scouting last night, it seems another attack will be coming soon".

"I see...then, I will use it with full force then".

"Indeed. And don't worry. I will be there for support. After all, my Master's wish is on the line".

"I wonder what Suzuki's wish is though..."

"YOu haven't asked her yet?"

"She is always so busy, I have not had the time".

"Well, if its anything like Toko's wish, it will be damn interesting. The kid really though his wish out well, including the consequences of it. He has planned everything down to a T".

Sabre looked at HOrus for a moment with a face of disbelief.

"Is it truly that incredible? Didn't you warn him though?"

"You mean, about the fate of people who wish like that? I dont want to ruin his happiness. You know what he has been through...he deserves to be happy for as long as he can".

"I see...so you understand the likely outcome then..."

"I understand there are fourteen sides in truth to this Grail War. That our percentage of winning is actually quite low if we put it in one perspective. But...I also understand that if its one of us, or our masters, that make the wish...I will be content. So, Sabre...for them, we must win this Grail War".

"Yes, I agree. For them, we must win...we must succeed".

"And then, maybe you can stop acting and be happy as well" Horus mentioned, before looking at the sun. "Also, when I sleep, my Noble Phantasm lets me have visions, of things in the past and future".

"Wait, what are you suddenly saying..."

"Sabre. I saw a vision...of a river of blood, and a sea of corpses...and two Masters clashing, though I did not understand which two they were. But there was also a madman in glasses. He might have had blonde or white hair or something like that...but, I think its a warning...and if its of the future..."

"Say no more. We cannot allow civilians to get involved in this Grail War".

"Good answer. Now, last time I checked, our Masters still had school and work to do, so I will get them out of bed this time" Horus mentioned, as he went back inside.

AN: Well, that was fun! We got to see another member of the Black Faction be a badass, and we got to see Berserker of Red (who still needs a master) be a badass. That said, I think I am probably going to fill the remaining positions myself if no one submits anyone else soon.

That said...stay tuned, as it appears we will finally get to see a Sabre fight in the next few chapters! One of the things we all love to watch! Anyways, just keep a watch out, because the further we get into this, the more action we will probably see!

Oh, and also, here is a pseudo-poll. What do you all think Toko's wish is?