Arcueid walked through the dark streets at night side by side with her friend Satsuki. At their sode their servant's stayed incorporeal and silently observed the surroundings, or in the case of Anderson wrote steadily in his book.

"Do you have any clue what this is all about," Satsuki said to Arcueid. "I was hoping to get started on scouting out the masters of this war. Not to mention Shirou's going to get upset if his duel with Gilgamesh is delayed."

Arcueid walked in silence for a few moments, "Actually Shirou looked nervous," she said finally. "Whatever's going on has him quite worried."

Satsuki's head whipped towards the True Ancestor. Shirou could be quite combative and for him to be worried instead of excited about an upcoming fight said a lot about the magnitude of the coming danger.

A murder of crows burst from the trees harsh cries disturbing the quiet of the street, their forms momentarily blocking out the light of the waxing moon. Shiki materialised briefly scanning the the street and then became intangible again.

"Merem was right," Arcueid remarked. "The streets do really not feel safe."

"So your friend Merem, the one who killed the priest, is the moderator of this war," Satsuki mused to herself. "Don't they have to be impartial? I hardly think that him committing answering all your questions is the definition of impartiality."

"Merem does what he wants," Arcueid said. "He killed a priest to attend this war; I'm quite honestly surprised that he didn't participate himself."

"He tried but the grail wouldn't accept him," a voice rang out through the darkness a moment before its owner, an elderly priest, followed it.

"You should be careful around these parts ," Arcueid said to the newcomer. "I've heard there were people going around killing religious figures."

The priest coughed into the sleeve of his robe and after a moment straightened up with an amused closed mouth smile upon his face. "I'm afraid I'm currently contracted with the supposed priest-killer. I'll try and keep him on the straight and narrow from now on. Please follow me to the church. It is just around the corner."

Arcueid just stared at him taking his measure for the moment before nodding and following him. They quickly came to the church gates that the man unlocked and let them in. Stepping into the church they were presented with the sight of Merem sitting on a chair in the front with a bunch of forms that he was filling in with his one arm. He raised his head focusing on the approaching duo that came in and a smile came over his features.

"Lovely, you're here Princess," he said. "And you've brought a friend." He frowned in contemplation for a moment. "I never expected for this Shirou of yours to look so feminine though."

"This isn't Shirou, Merem," Arcueid said defensively. "He has red hair and he's very masculine."

"Ohh," said Merem smirking his eyes alight. "Do I detect a hint of ardour for this man? Do you two regularly act in the service of Venus?"

"Well not really," Arcueid said absentmindedly. "I think she watches sometimes but she doesn't really interfere. I'm not really sure Shirou would really be that happy with indulging in a ménage a trois."

Merem just stared at the True Ancestor for a moment before clearing his throat and putting the forms to the side. "All right," he said. "So whom do I have the pleasure of meeting," he said to the brown-haired girl who was watching them engage in conversation."

"My name is Satsuki Yumizuka," she said. "I… was Sumire's apprentice," she continued with no trace of the former bitterness in her voice. "I recently graduated."

Merem blinked before he suddenly scrutinized Satsuki more closely, "Sumire the Water Demon," he said with some incredulity in his voice. "Wow I haven't heard that name in a while. I thought she was wallowing the last few centuries, to think she had taken another apprentice."

"Wait she had another apprentice before me," Satsuki asked shocked by the new information.

"Yeah," Merem said with just a hint of melancholy. "Poor fool ran afoul of the Eclipse Princess." He suddenly smiled in that childish way. "The Water Demon apparently went on a rampage and beat the fake Brunestud half to death before she was driven off by the Beast of Gaia."

Merem coughed into his one remaining hand. "It's no use dwelling on pleasant memories. The reason why this version of the Holy Grail War is so much more dangerous than the others is that it is not the only ritual going on at the moment. Tell me Princess what do you know of the Dark Six?"

"The second Dead Apostle Ancestor. Apparently a greater threat to humanity than Crimson Moon," Arcueid answered immediately. "It was to be summoned in Aylesbury wasn't it?" She asked and her look conveyed to Merem that he better explain now or else feel her wrath.

Merem sighed, "Yes all of that was true and about as much as anyone not involved in the ritual knows. But it is outdated as one year ago church sources came to the conclusion that the ritual was being dispersed, or to be more accurate reallocated."

Satsuki gulped, "You think it's taking place in Fuyuki don't you," she said and then with a deep breath she calmed herself and stared Merem down. "Who was taking part in this ritual," she said. "And what specifically does it have to do with the Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail itself," Merem started. "Nothing, it has to do entirely with the grail system. While the site in Aylesbury had a strong leyline there was no infrastructure that the Apostles could use that would allow them to gather and store the huge amount of mana necessary in order to actualize the ritual. The Fuyuki Grail War however allows for the souls of defeated servants to be stored in special containers called Lesser Grails before they are deposited into the Greater Grail."

"We know how the System works Merem," Arcueid interrupted. "Shirou has explained it before and I understood it then. What I want to know is how they could have created a lesser grail and why there are fourteen servants."

"I don't know that," Merem admitted. "I personally believe they somehow summoned their servants using the system a while ago and the Grail noticing that none of them wanted to compete for it allowed Masters to summon servants to oppose them. As for who could have made a lesser grail for them, the Ancestors are full of those who have achieved the pinnacle of magecraft," he said a smile coming over his face.

"Speaking of that," Satsuki asked. "Can you give us any information on those who are taking part?"

Merem deliberated for a bit thinking on the matter. "Yes I can," he said after a moment. "Neither I nor the church would recognize this as a True Grail War as one side does not even seek the grail."

He raised seven fingers in the air leaving the thumbs lowered.

"Trhvmn Ortenrosse," he began lowering a finger. "The White Wing Lord ruler of a huge amount of dead apostles. While I personally don't rank him highly he is also not somebody to be underestimated. Nothing special can be said about him."

"Gransburg Blackmore," he continued lowering another finger. "He's obsessed with birds, can transform into a huge bird and possesses a reality marble that probably has something to do with birds. His minions take the shape of birds and by now almost every avian in the city will probably be linked to him somewhat. He's also exceptional at magecraft, you should not underestimate him."

"Altrouge Brunestud," he said and his voice held a noticeable disdainas he lowered a third finger. "The Eclipse Princess of Black Blood is a failed knockoff of yourself. Unfortunately it is the beast she travels with that presents the real problem. The White Beast of Gaia is an incomparable monster unlike any other living today. As humanities strength has increased it, as the death of humans, has only grown in power unlike other phantasmal beasts that have waned. Quite frankly," Merem Solomon said with a completely serious face. "I can't think of a single way I could defeat it."

"The last one I know of," he said. "Is Rizo-Waal Strout."

"That's the one that Shirou met," Arcueid interrupted.

"Really," Merem said intrigued. "He's Altrouge's bodyguard and he's immensely tough, his time curse reaching levels unheard of among the ancestors. He wields a demonic sword with an unknown effect. So he's strong, hard to kill and can probably inflict some kind of curse on you with his sword."

The two girls remained there digesting the answers for a bit analysing them. "Do you know any of the non-Apostle Masters that we could possibly reach out to for assistance?"

"Yeah," said Merem with an uncharacteristic look upon his face. "I have actually met two other masters. One of them was a terrifying waifish looking girl with blonde hair. I retreated rather than have any contact with her."

Then Merem smiled. "The other one, well do you remember how I was disappointed that I wouldn't see your friend Shirou today. A lot of it was due to the fact that he would be the second Magician I have met so far taking part in this war," he said to the dumbfounded surprise of those surrounding."

xxx

The two women walked down the stairs from Mount Enzou. The red-haired one was frowning. She had planned to examine the grail before the hostilities started but unfortunately the item had not manifested yet and she was not experienced enough in magecraft that she could decipher the incredibly complex system created by three different families. So she was forced to leave the grounds knowing nothing new about the situation. Walking down the street with her petite servant Berserker decided to go and get some shopping done while she was in Japan as she hadn't been back in her hometown for such a long time.

"Where are we going beloved," the pale green haired girl spoke up from behind her.

"We're going shopping at the nearby district of Mount Miyama," she said. "We'll go to a restaurant and do some shopping for the next few nights, and call me Aoko," she finished.

"All right my beloved Aoko tonight I will cook you such amazing food that your heart can't be helped but to be moved."

The red-headed girl turned around and smiled at her servant. "Are you sure you're up for the challenge," she said. "The best food I ever ate was made by my mother."

"I will surpass her, do not worry my cooking will be so great that she will acknowledge me as her daughter," the young woman boasted.

"Might be a bit hard seeing as she's been dead ten years," Aoko said offhandedly not noticing the sudden freezing of the servant behind her.

She was suddenly hugged behind her by the diminutive servant with a force that would have sent most ordinary woman falling down into the floor below. Turning around she was confronted by the teary face of her servant who was staring at her.

"I'm so sorry Master," she began. "I didn't mean to…"

"Relax," Aoko said silencing her servant in the middle of her apology. "It's been ten years. A large portion of my family died in the prior year Grail War but I have got used to it. This may seem unusual for me to say but you can't change the past. All you can do is to keep moving forward and make sure all your days are ones that you don't regret." She smiled at her servant. "So dry your eyes Kiyohime, those tears don't look good on you."

"Beloved," her servant said smiling at her.

"Come let's get some shopping done before it gets too late," the red-haired Magician said taking off towards the market her devoted servant following a bit behind.

xxx

The two of them walked down the street carrying several full bags of groceries. The food was delicious and brought a nostalgic smile to the Aoko's face. She had been out of the country for so long she could barely remember the taste of authentic Japanese foods. Whistling to herself she headed back to the hotel at which they were staying when the sight of yellow caught her eyes. Walking towards it she came across a crime scene surrounded by various onlookers and cordoned off by police. Alert she walked up to the nearest bystander and inquired about the scene his alert shocked her.

"A man drained completely of blood," the servant replied to her explanation. "And you think it is a dead apostle. Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately I am," the master replied. "That is not good. Why would there be a dead apostle outbreak here and now."

"Well it's only one," Kiyohime stated. "Maybe it's just a small infestation and will be killed by the other masters."

"No," Aoko replied. "Dead apostles are like icebergs. If you see a murder due to one it means there are fifty murders you didn't see." She tapped her arm. "Give me a moment." Aoko manoeuvred herself through the crowd until she could obtain a look at the crime scene. She then used the fifth to gaze backwards in time and pick up the trail which lead to a nearby sewer vent.

"They're beneath the city," Aoko said when she returned to her companion. "We'll have to go through the sewers."

"If you say so Master," her servant said wrinkling her nose cutely at the thought.

"Don't worry," Aoko said smiling at her servant. "We can have dinner first."

xxx

They walked in silence throughout the sewers. Aoko was leading the way inspecting every possible shadow for any signs of a dead apostle. Kiyohime was bringing up the rear still slightly sulking that her super-amazing oriental love dish was only awarded an 8/10. Unfortunately despite both of them holding huge amounts of destructive power they had absolutely no way to clear the dead fetid air that they had been experiencing for the past hour.

"Beloved, are you sure, this is the correct way," her servant asked for the tenth time. "Are you sure you don't want to go home and we can take a bath together."

Aoko turned back to respond and then stiffened, "We're close," she said her voice barely more than a whisper. Holding her fingers to her lips and walking silently forward she peaked her head around the next corner and then immediately pulled it back. "Room full of enemies, fire on three," she whispered to her companion. "Are you ready?" At her companion affirmative nod of her head she stepped back bending her right foot slightly. On three she kicked the wall sending rubble and masonry into the next room and her servant breathed flames through the hole causing the interior of the sewers to boil.

Stepping into the remnants of the room Aoko scanned the blackened chamber. The piles of ash on the floor were the only remnants of the dead that had filled the room previously. Ignoring the charred remains Aoko contemplated the situation. Even taking into account the immense power of her servants attack the fact that none of them survived yet there were so many of them told an uncomfortable story.

"The vampire was not among them," she said to her servant. Looking around the room her eyes fell upon a slightly melted statue. She walked up to the mound and examined it jumping backwards as partially melted arm took a swing at her. "An autonomous puppet," she mused to herself having had experience with the like of them before. Her circuits whirled to life and the already damaged rock puppet was torn to pieces its limbs twitching slightly before it finally went still.

"Very well made if it managed to survive the initial attack," she said. "This is at the Touko's level. Puppet makers of this skill are very rare and for one of them to be a dead apostle."

Turning away from the destroyed room she gestured to her servant to follow her. "Something is very wrong with the war," she said to her servant. "Come, we need to talk to that priest again."

As they both left the room they were watched by a puppet with golden eyes that relayed the events to its master.

Author Note: Wow there were not a lot of reviews on last chapter. I know this is going to make me sound like a whiny piece of crap but I am genuinely interested in knowing where I went wrong and right. Did PM feel like a truly hopeless boss battle. Was every person acting in character. How was the evolution of Shirou's ultimate attack.

Guest Who said he already hasn't.

The Wolf Paladin Lorelei specifically told him not to mention Rome. Altrouge would hug and cuddle Fou. I specifically took into account the possibility of a divine construct. The wiki states that it was made out of the body of a seamonster. This shares the same origin as Gae bolg which is traceable.

The staff is a B++-ranked construct that raises to A++-rank when weilded by somebody with divinity but it is automatically strong against water.

The stats for Counter Guardian Emiya are as follows.

Class: Saber

Strength B+

Endurance B+

Agility B+

Mana B(A+)

Luck E(A+)

NP E-A++

Skills

Blessings of Alaya: Due to being on the job Emiya's luck and mana are raised to A. In addition when facing off against Shirou his stats will further increase.

Tools from Unlimited Bladeworks: Due to being out of class Emiya can no longer actualize his reality marble into the world. However he now has the mana to utilize all noble phantasms that he draws from his reality marble as well as the memories from his multiple prior jobs and Grail Wars that he participated in.