Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate series or other related works. They are the property of TYPE-Moon. Please support the official release.
A/N: Awww yes, more holidays to slow me down! Seriously though, I should be faster with these soon enough. Thanks for your patience everyone.
On Reviews:
-KnightOfZaku: Yep, Batreaux seems to attract dangerous women into his life. It is indeed time for the first big clash between Red and Blue. It took me literally everything I had to roll Mordred in F/GO, but I did. Got her to LV 100 with max Fous.
-narutofan020: At first glance, the Blue Faction's definitely got an advantage. Caster of Red's betrayal certainly doesn't help there. But, one of the Red Faction's Servants still has plenty of secrets…
On PMs (Not a big deal, just a bit unexpected compared to a review.):
-ZangetsuOldMan: Affinity and Origin, eh? Not sure about revealing his Origin. If I do it isn't going to be some kind of 'grand destiny' kind of thing. I'm trying to write Batreaux as kind of a guy who just happened to be in the right (or wrong) circumstances to get dragged into a Grail War. Affinity isn't really going to affect anything in the story though, so yeah, it's Fire. You'd think Mordred would be connected to Fire, being part dragon and all, but I don't know if it's her fairy blood from Morgana or what, but apparently Mordred's more connected to Lightning. Though, fire and lightning are both forms of plasma, so I suppose you are technically correct, the best kind of correct.
-Devin Sands: Glad to hear you like the story so far. I basically just remembered that Herakles wouldn't be able to beat Caster like Rin thought in UBW because of the bond of 'sacred hospitality' he shares with her and thought 'Shirou can use this to try and stop the fighting' if for whatever reason he decided/was tricked into making an alliance with Caster. As for why I chose Mordred? She's my favorite Fate character.
I've wasted enough of your time, let's begin.
.-.
Saber of Red yawned loudly as she and her Master walked through the southeast outskirts of Fuyuki City. The night air was cold and crisp, something she did not take notice of due to her status as a Heroic Spirit. Batreaux on the other hand was beginning to regret not taking a thicker jacket with him. The blond was visibly uncomfortable, though onlookers such as his Servant would likely mistake it for nerves. Understandable, given the current situation. The pair were walking straight into the middle of a literal warzone, where seven superpowered heroes of the past lay in wait to claim their lives.
Batreaux himself was silently thankful for his Servant's apparent immunity to weather conditions. After what he'd experienced in Mordred's memories/his dream world, he learned she didn't take very kindly to winter, snow, cold, etc. So the longer she was oblivious to the cold, the longer she'd be in top condition. Or something like that, anyway.
"Ah, man, it's great to finally be out of that plane," Saber said, stretching her arms above her head and shirt above her navel. Batreaux didn't really have a problem with how Mordred chose to dress, after all she did pick from his clothing, but it would cause them to stand out even more than they already did. The sight of two foreigners with blond(e) hair would bring them enough attention as it stood. Plus, he was curious as to what the local fashions were in Fuyuki. He resolved to take Saber shopping once they got settled in. He needed a new jacket anyway.
"Eh, I didn't really have too bad a time," Batreaux responded. "Kinda surprising for it being the first time I've ever been in a plane."
"Yeah, well, aside from our little discussion, you were asleep the whole time."
"What, did you have trouble getting back to sleep, Saber?" Batreaux asked, slightly concerned. All things considered, Batreaux and Saber didn't really know each other too well yet. If he had to, he'd say they were acquaintances at best. Still, that didn't mean he was going to turn a blind eye to any discomfort his partner might be experiencing.
"You could say that," Saber replied. Reliving a traumatic moment from her past like that was unpleasant to say the least, and Mordred had a feeling that wouldn't be the only time. "But really, it was just so boring most of the time. There was, like, one interesting thing." Saber took a moment to push some of her blonde hair out of her face. An inconvenience her Master often shared when the wind blew from behind.
"Oh? And what was that?" Batreaux asked as an old, seemingly abandoned building came into view.
The building was in actuality a three story tall mansion, made of red brick and surprisingly built in a western style. Despite its age, the mansion was well put together. It was likely a wealthy foreigner had it built to use as a sort of vacation home, yet at the moment it stood empty and dark. Or so it seemed. The high concentration of trees surrounding the building did not help to lighten that perception, and as the wind moaned through the creaking, aged branches Batreaux found himself on guard.
"There were these two really tough looking guys a couple seats behind us," Saber said in response to her Master's question. "One of 'em looked real serious and had a grey suit. The other looked kinda insane, he had an eyepatch and wasn't wearing a shirt under his jacket, I think. I think they might've been Yakuza, the crazy one said something I caught as 'Heading back to Kamurocho to bust some heads.'"
Saber's head turned to look at what Batreaux was and caught sight of the mansion as well. Immediately she got the same feeling he did- particularly that something wasn't right about it. Even from as far off as they were, the two could feel some kind of odd presence inside the building. Was it haunted? They thought at the same time. Batreaux could've sworn he saw eyes staring back at him from the top floor and a massive chill slithered down his spine. The novice magus silently increased his pace and Mordred followed, both wanting to get as far away from the mansion as possible.
However, Mordred sensed something else that Batreaux failed to notice. Due to her unique parentage, Mordred had the blood of both fairies and dragons coursing through her veins, which gave her a nearly unprecedented sensitivity to magical energy. And what she felt flowing out of the 'abandoned' mansion was an absolutely enormous amount of magical energy.
Damn, I haven't felt something that strong since Mother and that jackass Merlin, Saber thought to herself. Batreaux may have been content to say the mansion was haunted and leave it at that, but Mordred knew better now. Even assuming the menacing abode was haunted, there was another presence. No living magus could possibly hold that much power, so there was only one possibility for what the source could be.
A Servant.
…Though it does feel a bit more like Merlin's energy than Mother's. Saber silently hoped whatever Servant radiated the energy was on their side.
.-.
Unknown to him, Batreaux had been correct when he thought he felt something watching him from inside the mansion. However, it had not been a ghost, and the building was not abandoned. Rather, the mansion was currently in use as a temporary base of operations for one of the other Masters. The figure watched Batreaux and Saber of Red until they were no longer within his line of sight.
Lancer of Red's Master was a highly experienced magus at forty five years of age. The man had flowing blond hair that reached down to his waist, and he was dressed in a pitch-black suit he'd personally crafted to use in his work. He usually took freelance work as a sort of magical mercenary, but on this occasion, he'd been hired to retrieve the Holy Grail for the Clocktower. The suit doubled as his Mystic Code, Ars Arcanum.
Lancer. He called out to his Servant mentally, grey eyes locked onto a notepad where he kept the results of his and Lancer's observations so far.
What's up, Boss? Came his Servant's response, an ever-present tone of joviality and mischief in the voice.
It seems a pair of our allies have arrived in Fuyuki. Follow them and make sure to keep them safe for now.
Heehee! You got it, Boss! Lancer of Red's presence disappeared from the mansion in the blink of an eye. Lancer's Master was still unused to his Servant's speed or wild nature, but for now they would come in handy. What little he had gleaned of the pair that recently passed by his temporary home was promising. Though the Master clearly lacked experience and power, the Servant held both. It was unfortunate she was being held back, but that limitation could be worked around.
Yes… it was imperative Lancer keep the two safe as long as possible. Lancer of Red's Master looked back over the notes he'd been able to take so far. They were disappointingly thin. So far they only had information on one of the enemy Servants, Caster of Blue. Still, what they did know was interesting. Caster was a powerful witch from the Age of the Gods that far outstripped even other Caster class Servants.
However, as Lancer could attest, she was not very good at dealing with scenarios that deviate from her predictions. Being in the Lancer class left the Servant with limited access to most of their own magecraft, but their knowledge of the mystic arts and far superior speed was more than enough to humiliate the witch.
That said, Lancer of Red's Master learned his lesson about underestimating opponents more than a decade ago. Caster of Blue would have to be dealt with before she got an opportunity to become an actual threat. For now, though…
Lancer. He called out to his Servant again. Do not directly involve yourself in any battles of theirs. Feel free to deal with any threats they haven't come in range of yet, but once Saber and her Master begin combat, stay out of it. Coddling them won't do any good.
He could only trust his Servant wouldn't feel like going on a rebellious streak.
.-.
After more walking and struggling with the cold, Batreaux and Saber finally arrived at their destination, the Fuyuki Church. Personally, Batreaux had wanted to head into the city proper and maybe hitch a ride on a bus to try and get out of the cold for a bit, but Mordred convinced him to just cut through the forest after they could no longer see the mansion. Batreaux was terrified the entire time, and with good reason.
"So why were you scared shitless of cutting through the forest again, Batreaux?" Saber asked as the pair approached the church, which the magus noted was identical in construction to Father Bianchi's church aside from materials.
"Let's just say I had a very unsettling encounter with a certain creature that will not be named while on a camping trip a few years ago."
Saber rolled her eyes at him. So he's always been spineless. "Oh please, I'm scarier than anything we're gonna find in these woods. Now hurry up and go talk to this second priest or whatever." Saber put her hands in the pockets of her jacket and leaned back against one of the pillars supporting the church's foundation, one foot resting on the pillar as well. Batreaux nodded and headed into the church.
Immediately the atmosphere changed as the solid oak doors creaked shut behind him. A dark, oppressive feeling washed over Batreaux. This feeling matched the lighting, as he noticed a single candle was lit at the far end of the room past the pews, on the podium behind which the priest would deliver sermons.
Man, he thought to himself as he approached the dark robed man awaiting him, Compared to Father Bianchi's, this place feels more like a torture chamber than a church. The man in question was the priest of Fuyuki's church and Overseer of the Holy Grail War, Kirei Kotomine. The brown haired man smiled as Batreaux approached.
"Welcome, oh lost and weary soul. What is your business here at this time of night?" The priest's voice put Batreaux further on edge. Still, he did not let his apprehension show. The blond simply pulled his right hand out from his jacket pocket and displayed his three Command Seals, in the shape of a knight's helmet. Batreaux now realized the helmet vaguely resembled Mordred's own horned one.
The priest smiles again. "Ahh. You must be a Master of Red, here to compete for the Holy Grail. You should be interested to know you are the first to check in with me."
Batreaux blinked in shock. "Uh, really? I'm the only one that's made it here?"
Kirei chuckled lightly. "No. You are in fact the fourth of your team to arrive in Fuyuki. However, you are the only one to come see me. The other three Masters must not have thought revealing themselves to be a good idea."
Batreaux clenched his teeth and cursed mentally. Damn it, I should've thought of that. For all I know someone from the Blue Faction might've seen my Command Seals and tailed us here!"
"Well, we all make mistakes," Kirei said, snapping the younger man out of his thoughts. Batreaux noticed a hint of condescension in the priest's voice. "After all, this is the first time you've been in a situation like this. You do understand what's at stake here, do you not?"
Oooh, you and I ain't gonna like each other. What's with your attitude?
"Yeah, I do. If me and my Servant win, we get a wish from the Holy Grail." Batreaux said, a scowl on the blond's face. Candlelight danced in the reflection of his glasses, giving the appearance of a burning fire in his grey eyes. In contrast, Kirei's darker eyes appeared almost black in the darkness. The priest smiles again.
"Oh?" he begins. "In that case, you should rejoice, boy. Very few are given the privilege you have. A wish from the Grail could make your deepest fantasies into reality."
Batreaux scoffed. "You call killing twenty six other people to get a wish from a counterfeit cup like that a 'privilege'?
"Indeed I do," Kirei responded. "Whether the Grail is genuine or not is irrelevant. Its power is very real. Such power could turn the world into a new Eden, if you so desired."
"Then why hasn't anyone done that yet? There've been other wars, right? Surely one of the winners was a bleeding heart?"
"Simple. None of the previous wars ended with a decisive winner."
"Yeah? I wonder why. Now if you'll excuse me, Father," Batreaux spat, "My Servant and I have work to do." He turned to walk back down the aisle between the pews, but stopped halfway when Kirei's voice called out to him again.
"One more thing. What is the class of your Servant?" Batreaux simply stared back at Kirei. He'd already made a mistake by coming here, that much was evident by the priest's attitude. Batreaux had no more interest in speaking to the man, but it seemed Kirei either didn't understand that, or simply didn't care. "I need to make note of which Masters have come to check in. It's one of my duties as the Overseer, you see."
"Saber." With that, Batreaux hurried the rest of the way down the aisle and out the doors of the church, one of the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind him. Kirei smirked to himself.
"Twenty six? So, you consider your Servant to be something more than a tool. Very well then, Red Master Saber. Let's see just what you and your Servant are capable of."
Get them, Lancer.
Yeah, yeah, I got it. Let me guess, you just want me to test them this time.
But of course.
.-.
Saber of Red stopped leaning on the church pillar and turned her head towards the door after hearing it slam shut. Her combination Master and subordinate had an angry expression on his face, and the blond was muttering under his breath. Saber raised her eyebrows slightly at the sight.
"You seem upset. What, did the priest not speak English or something?" she asked. Batreaux took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Nah, he spoke English. I would've been kinda surprised if he couldn't. The problem is he seems to think this is all just a game." Saber nodded in understanding.
"Yeah. I've always hated fools like that. Regardless of what you think of 'em, human lives aren't something to treat like a toy." Master and Servant smiled at each other. It seemed they'd managed to understand each other a bit better after the brief exchange of words. The smiles on their faces quickly faded however, as a voice called out to them from the church roof.
"So you're both taking this war seriously then? Good." A man with long blue hair tied back into a ponytail, blue stone earrings and a blue jumpsuit like outfit jumped down from the roof of the church and over their heads. When he stood back up Saber and Batreaux got a better look at the man. A serious yet disinterested look was on his face, and all the blue he wore was contrasted by his piercing crimson eyes- and his piercing crimson spear.
Batreaux was stunned for a moment by the man's appearance. He was about to speak, but Mordred was slightly faster than he was.
"Alright, what's your class, Blue? It's clear from your stupid getup you're a Servant like me."
"Please, shouldn't it be obvious from my weapon?"
Saber Smirked and crossed her arms. "Oh? Let's see…" she said, putting on a look of fake confusion and tilting her head towards the sky. "Could it be Archer? Caster? Rider? Berserker? Assass-"
Faster than he could blink, the man's spear thrust forward, aimed directly at Batreaux's heart. The magus' eyes widened in shock and he stumbled backwards. He had survived the attack. Just as fast as the other Servant had struck, Saber shot out her hand and caught hold of the weapon mere inches away from her Master.
"Oi, oi. Just what do you think you're doing?" Saber asked, left hand now covered by her gauntlet. "I don't recall giving you permission to touch my property. Now then, you can't be Saber- that's me. So you must be Lancer."
"Is stating the obvious one of your class skills, Saber." Lancer said, effortlessly pulling his spear back out of Saber's grasp. "A bit slower than I expected, though. And a lot less observant. I've been watching you two since you arrived here. If I wanted I could have killed you and your Master at least twelve times by now."
"Heh. Why don't you prove it then, Lancer?" Saber taunted, a burst of flame covering the rest of her body with her armor, minus head. Clarent faded into existence and fell into her right hand. Lancer took a combat stance, spear held between his own hands.
"I must say, this Grail War's been pretty strange so far. I didn't expect both of the Saber class Servants to be little girls."
Mordred's expression hardened and she glared at Lancer. With the tell-tale series of metallic clangs her helmet constructed itself. She raised Clarent to her side.
"I see you're looking to die again, Lancer." She said, voice distorted by the magic of her armor. Lancer's red eyes drifted to the side, coming to rest on Batreaux, who'd been watching on in tense silence.
"Hey you, the Master over there," he said. "I'll be nice this time and won't kill you until I've done in your Servant, so back up a bit, alright?" Batreaux mentally breathed a sigh of relief and gladly stepped back a few more feet. A few more moments of silence played out, Lancer and Saber each waiting to see who would make the first move.
Saber's impatience got the best of her, and she shot forwards towards Lancer with Clarent held high. When she thought she was in range, she smashed down towards Lancer with her blade, only to find it rebuffed by his spear. She tried a head-on charge several more times, each one swinging Clarent from different angles and directions, only to find herself rebuffed each and every time.
Damn it! She thought. I need to get in close to take away his range advantage!
It's not gonna work. Batreaux thought to himself. Lancer's spear gives him a range of three meters to work with. If she wants to do anything, Saber's going to need to force him to make a move instead. Lancer stepped forward and swung his spear up from the left. Saber, who'd been anticipating a thrust, stepped in to try and slash at Lancer's neck, only for the crimson weapon of her enemy to smash into her armored ribs instead.
"Ghhh!" Saber staggered back in pain, almost dropping to one knee. Her armor had protected her from most of the blow's force, but Lancer's savage, beast-like strength still made it hurt like hell. Lancer took advantage of her temporary vulnerability to rush forward again. Saber readied her blade to block the swing, but instead Lancer stabbed his spear straight down onto the ground and used the momentum to vault into the air and over Saber's head.
"What?!" Saber twisted around just in time to block another swing from Lancer's spear with her sword, a smirk on the blue haired Servant's face. The ground cracked under Saber's feet from the force of the collision. Eventually Lancer pulled back from the deadlock, and the force Saber had been putting into pushing him back sent her falling to the ground.
Lancer swung his spear around in his hand before placing the bladed end at Saber's neck. "Looks like I win. At least our Saber put up more of a fight." Mordred retracted her helmet and growled at Lancer, teeth bared.
"Don't get too cocky, jackass! I ain't finished yet!" She drove her right hand against the ground, fingertips pressing into the concrete. Glowing bolts of scarlet lightning arced out from her fingers towards Lancer and shot up into the sky once they were beneath him. The spearman leapt away as fast as his agility would allow, just a moment too late. A single bolt of lightning managed to strike out and burn his right cheek.
Lancer rubbed his cheek with one hand before glaring back at Saber, who'd accepted Batreaux's help in standing back up this time. Her left arm was draped over his shoulders, metal armor uncomfortably pressing into his back.
"That was a pretty clever move, Saber," Lancer said. "I didn't expect you to know magic." The warrior was now standing on the other side of one of the hedges that lined the path leading up to Kirei's church.
Neither did I. Batreaux said through his link with Saber.
…My mom's a witch, you idiot. Of course I know a little magic. She responded. Though now I know I not to just rush in against this guy.
Hey, Saber. I've got an idea. Can you get him into the air again, facing me this time?
Maybe. Whatever this plan of yours is, it better work.
Saber rushed forwards again, this time having woven a small chain out of her magical energy and connected it to Clarent. Stopping her charge just outside of Lancer's range, she threw her sword at his head, straight as an arrow. Lancer effortlessly dodged to the side, and Saber pulled back on the magical chain. To Lancer, it looked as if she was cursing at herself.
"Nice try, Saber. Too bad I've got a little skill called 'Protection From Arrows'. It lets me avoid any projectile attack, and now you don't have your weapon!" In truth, Lancer actually avoided projectiles by detecting the disturbances the made in the air, and he couldn't use the skill to avoid explosives. Saber didn't need to know that, though.
Lancer's spear began to glow with red energy, and he lunged forwards even faster than before. Saber's eyes widened in shock as he easily knocked her into the air with the blunt end of his weapon, then viciously twirled it in a circle, continuously slamming into her with alternating blunt and sharpened edges.
Behind him, Lancer could hear the sound of cutting air that indicated Saber's sword was coming back around. "Damn it!" Lancer leapt over the sword and into the air, exactly as Batreaux had been hoping for.
The magus rushed forward and pulled out the bag of sand and dirt he'd brought with him and dug out a handful of it. After briefly charging it with magical energy, he reared back and threw it up towards Lancer as hard as he could.
"Too bad you can't dodge while you're in the air, Lancer! Pocket Sand, Shshshaaa!"
Lancer and his red spear fell to the ground separately, the Heroic Spirit clutching his face in his hands. "Oh, god dammit!" As Lancer continued to rub his eyes and yell expletives in pain and annoyance, Batreaux ran over to Saber and helped her up once again. The armor on her chest had several deep gouges in it, but fortunately she hadn't lost any blood.
"Come on Saber, let's get the hell out of here!" The Knight of Treachery nodded and grabbed hold of her Master's arm. The two of them ran off into the night, away from the Fuyuki church.
.-.
Eventually, Lancer of Blue was able to get the sand out of his eyes. "Alright you bastard, where are you!?" he yelled out, brandishing his spear menacingly. He was met with nothing but silence and the night air. "…Huh. I guess they ran off."
"Damn. Those two are more crafty than I gave them credit for. Still," Lancer continued, "I've done what my Master ordered. If they're smart, they'll be thankful he only wanted me to test them. The next time we meet they won't be so lucky." …And I'm interested to learn who was watching us just now. Lancer faded away into blue mist, shifting into spiritual form.
.-.
Batreaux and Mordred came to a stop near Fuyuki's Station Front, Master and Servant both breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Batreaux's throat felt like it was on fire, the effects of overexerting himself in the cold night air.
"….Damn."
"Saber, are you okay?" Batreaux asked, concerned for his Servant's safety.
"Yeah, fine." She responded, pulling her arm away from him and dispelling her armor and sword. Red flame washed over her body and she was once more clad in the outfit she'd borrowed from Batreaux. She exhaled deeply.
"Tch. So that bastard was testing us just like Rider, huh? He was holding back. I could tell."
"Seems like it. By the way, Saber. You aren't mad about this? You have kinda lost two fights in a row now."
"Heh. Cheeky aren't ya, Batreaux?" Saber smacked his back with her left hand, making him stumble forward a bit. "But seriously? 'Course I'm mad. It just wasn't your fault this time. Lancer of Blue's gonna be tough to beat even if I do get back to full power."
"Yeah, I can tell." Batreaux nodded to her. "B rank strength, A rank speed, not to mention how good he is with that spear. I think we should wait and see if we can get you back up to your former strength before fighting him again, Mordred." Saber smirked back at him.
"That's the plan, anyway. Speakin' of strength, let's go get some food. You still got some of that cash the other priest gave us, right?" Batreaux reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"Of course. Most of it's back at the hotel, but I made sure to bring enough to pay for the amount of food you're probably going to eat. By the way, you mind if I ask a question real quick?"
"Shoot."
"If it's not too…. Troubling to answer, just how much magic do you know, anyway?"
Saber's face fell to a more serious expression. "I picked up a little bit from watching Mother as a child. As you can guess, I never learned any healing magecraft or anything like that. I don't know enough to qualify as a Caster class Ser-"
Mordred's voice cut off at the sound of an object cutting through the night air. Her and Batreaux's eyes widened in shock as what appeared to be an arrow stabbed into the ground just in front of them. The arrow began to glow bright blue. Saber uttered just one word.
"Shit."
A red flash filled his vision just before the arrow exploded, and then Batreaux's world went dark.
.-.
From his vantage point atop the Center Building, the tan skinned and silver haired Archer of Blue watched his arrow explode. It hadn't been a serious shot. If it had been, he would have Traced Caladbolg and used that for the arrow instead. No, this arrow was a simple poke, to see what Saber of Red would do. Archer watched as Saber reequipped her armor, grabbed her Master and jumped back as far as she could, the strain of doing so knocking her Master unconscious. Perhaps that was for the best.
Still, as his red cloak billowed in the wind and he produced another arrow, Archer couldn't get his mind of off the strange feeling Saber of Red gave him.
Saber of Red looks exactly like… like… Arturia. Archer thought. It had been a long time since he'd used that name. How long now, he couldn't remember. But he could still remember the sound of her voice, the warmth of her smile.
But that was something he could never go back to. He wasn't able to save her heart then, and he couldn't do it now. He didn't let the past get the better of him that fateful night he crossed blades with Arturia, and he wouldn't let it get the better of him now. He refocused his thoughts, attempting to work out Saber of Red's identity.
So, are you Arturia from some point in life after she lost her honor? Or are you another possibility for the King of Knights entirely? He let the second arrow fly. Saber dodged to her right. Perfect. Archer drew a third arrow, and fired. And a fourth. And a fifth. And a sixth. None of the arrows made contact. None of them were intended to. Slowly but surely, Archer of Blue would drive Saber of Red towards the bridge over Mion River. Then, Berserker and Saber of Blue would…
No. I can't risk the two Sabers meeting just yet. The two had the same face. If one who did not know them met both at the same time, or even at all, they might believe them to be twin sisters. Physically, they were perfect copies of each other. The two meeting this early in the war would be poor judgment on his part. He still didn't know enough about Saber of Red to predict how such a situation would play out.
Archer, have you found anything? The voice of his Master, Rin Tohsaka, came through over their mental link. Archer cursed under his breath.
Yes, Rin. I have. The enemy Saber.
That's great, Archer! What do we know about them? Archer furrowed his brow and fired another arrow at Saber, grey eyes tracking her every move with machine-like precision.
Saber appears to be female, the Master is male. Both blond and Caucasian. My guess is that Saber is a European hero. An eighth arrow. Based on their fight with our Lancer, Saber is skilled with her blade, but acts more like a Berserker in combat. The Master clearly lacks experience.
Tch. Another amateur outsider in way over his head like Emiya, huh? God damn it, what do these idiots think they're doing in my city?! Should I tell our allies to eliminate them, Archer?
No. Tell them the information if you want, but I'd prefer to deal with this one by myself. Something about this Saber interests me.
Well, alright. Just be careful Archer.
Of course. The bowman fired another arrow at Saber of Red. Though carrying her Master was slowing her down, she just passed by the building he was on top of. Saber had surely figured out where he was, but couldn't do anything to pursue him due to her unconscious Master.
After taking a moment to calculate trajectory, Archer shot three arrows in rapid succession into the air, each at a slightly different angle from the others. The delay between when they would hit the ground would give him enough time to find a new vantage point and throw Saber off. Once she'd been driven onto the bridge, he would engage in combat.
Archer began his pursuit anew, using his superhuman strength to jump between the buildings of Fuyuki effortlessly. As he twisted and turned in the air, firing off more arrows as he jumped, the myriad lights of the city's nightlife combined into a splendid rainbow. Below him, above him, to the sides of him. Yet no matter how he moved, the Nameless Archer never lost sight of his quarry.
After shooting one final arrow, Archer shifted into spirit form and followed Saber of Red in silence. He watched as she set her Master on the ground on one of the sidewalks running parallel to the road of the bridge. Saber gave the magus a smack on his right cheek then stepped back and waited for him to wake up. Archer jumped up onto the red framework of the bridge furthest from his enemy's location.
Rin, he contacted his Master through their mental link, Have you contacted Shirou and Illya yet?
Not yet, Archer. Came her reply. I was just about to send a letter to them. Do you have more information?
Yes. I've driven Saber of Red and her Master onto the bridge over Mion River. They seem to think they're safe for now, as they're talking to each other.
Can you make out what it is they're saying?
Archer narrowed his eyes and tensed up. Something was wrong. There was another, powerful Servant nearby. How could he have been so foolish as to let himself be snuck up on? Still, he kept calm. He decided not to tell Rin about this, so as not to cause unnecessary panic.
No. By the way, Rin. I know I said I want to fight Saber of Red myself, but I think we both know Shirou and Illya won't listen even if you do tell them to stay away. Tell them anyway, but there's no telling when Saber of Red's allies might arrive. I'll try to finish this before then.
Got it. Good luck, Archer.
….The presence was still there. He couldn't pinpoint its exact location, but it was close. Still, whatever kind of Servant it belonged to seemed content to observe for the time being, so after another small moment of focus, Archer of Blue jumped down from his perch.
Trace, on. A group of simple, steel longswords appeared out of the ether and stabbed into the ground one after another, forming a circle. As Archer landed, the swords faded into blue ether once more. Archer stood and drew forth not his bow, but instead his twin black and white swords, Kanshou and Bakuya in bursts of golden light. Though his back was turned to his opponent, he looked over his left shoulder at her.
"You remind me of someone, Saber of Red. Let's see if you're as strong as her."
.-.
When Batreaux came to, he was in a completely different location than before. In front of him were some guardrails and a river, looking further out he could see the ocean and Fuyuki's harbor. Behind him were more guardrails and red framework constructed over a road. The framework and guardrails must have been meant to separate the sidewalk he was on from where the cars would drive. A strong pain stung in his right cheek.
"You alright there?" came Saber's voice next to him. Batreaux stood up and looked to his right, where the blonde stared at him with a look that could vaguely be described as concern.
"Yeah, I think so. What happened?"
"We got attacked by another enemy Servant, Archer of Blue. I kinda knocked you out to get you away from the bomb arrow he shot at us. We're on the bridge in the middle of the city right now." Saber cracked her neck.
"Oh. Well, thanks, Saber." Saber narrowed her eyes at Batreaux.
"Oi, what do you mean 'thanks'? That's it?" she said. "You realize you were unconscious with one of the most hated traitors in all history, right? What was to stop me from killing you and finding a better Master instead, huh?"
Batreaux shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You tell me. You've had several chances to kill me so far." He held up his right hand. "Hell, these Command Seals are the only things really stopping you from doing it now."
"W-well, that's because, I…"
"I'd like to imagine we're at least decent friends. It'd make it easier to work together."
"Hmmm. Yeah, I'd say we get along pretty well." Saber nodded and smiled. "Getting along's important. Even if you are beneath me, I guess that doesn't mean we can't be friends. And I gotta admit, that little stunt you pulled on Lancer with the sand was kinda cool."
Batreaux smiled back at the Servant. "See? Even if we weren't friends, you still saved my life. I owe you for that." Batreaux held out his right hand. "So thank you, Saber. I mean that. I'd be dead without you." Saber flushed bright red.
"C-cut the s-sentimental shit Batreaux!" she stammered out. Saber folded her arms and turned her head away. "B-besides, we need to stay focused! We might be safe for now, but there's no telling when Archer will strike again!"
As if on cue, a series of noises sounded from behind Saber. She and Batreaux turned to look at the source to see a tanned, silver haired man in black clothes and a red cloak stand up and produce two black and white swords in a burst of golden light. The man looked over his left shoulder at them.
"You remind me of someone, Saber of Red." The man said. "Let's see if you're as strong as her."
Saber growled and rolled her eyes as her armor burst to life around her again.
I'm too angry and too hungry to put up with this shit right now. She thought.
"So, I take it you're the jackass Archer that shot me with all those damn arrows, huh? What happened, your quiver run dry?"
"Hmmph. Taunt me all you like, Saber. I've got you right where I want you." Archer of Blue settled into his combat stance.
"That so?" Saber's helmet clicked into place around her head and she drew forth Clarent once again. Fighting an enemy Servant for the second time in a row in one night was taking a rather large toll on the Heroic Spirit. Batreaux, after this you're taking me to the most expensive place we can find in this city. And then somewhere else after that, got it?
The magus nodded in affirmation to his Servant. With the promise of her stomach's every whim being tended to later, Saber could ignore her hunger and fight to the full extent of her remaining power.
"Don't get overconfident, Archer. You're clearly weaker than your team's Lancer was. I'm gonna enjoy poking you full of holes, nice and slowly."
.-.
Fate/stay night: Dai Taisen
Episode 6: Red vs Blue: Part 1
.-.
Yeah, I know I said there'd be 3 fights in this chapter, but I thought this was taking too long to release as it was. So, I decided to take the other fights and move them into the next chapter instead, alongside Saber of Red vs Archer of Blue. Thanks for understanding and over 9000 views. By the way, there's a reference to Fate/Extella somewhere in this chapter.
Also, I'm actually kind of worried Batreaux and Mordred's relationship might be moving a bit too fast, so it'd be great if I could get a second opinion on that. If there are inconsistencies with the last chapter, please let me know and I'll see about fixing those soon, along with some spelling and grammar issues I noticed with previous chapters.
Finally, I'm not too sure about the Saber vs Lancer fight. If enough people are interested, I could go back later and see about improving it.
As always, leave questions/comments/concerns in the review should you decide to leave one.