Chapter 7: The Swordsman and the General

16 Days after The Breach, edge of Vytal Festival grounds, Vale

Marshall Pembroke, summoned into the Holy Grail War as the Saber-class servant, stared down his mounted opponent. Scale armor covered her torso, and a laurel wreath crowned her head. The ground surrounding them was pockmarked with deep depressions and craters from their repeated strikes, and a light amount of dust hung in the air.

He shifted his grip on his weapon as Rider's warhorse brought itself to a stop. A long, simple spear the length of a lance was in her hand, and she had a short sword at her waist. She brought her horse around to face him and lowered her spear, the point shining with the influx of aura.

"Hyah!" The scream entered the air as she kicked her stirrups, the warhorse moving at an incredible pace despite its size. He prepared himself, waiting until the spear was less than two feet away. When it was, he angled his sword to catch the tip with his crossguard and the blade pointing directly at Rider's heart.

He took a step backwards in surprise as the spear point glanced off his crossguard, moving his sword in a different direction as she rode past. He heard a clash of metal as he regained his bearing, looking back to see Rider clutch at her shoulder.

Satisfaction filled him as he checked his blade, small metal scales lying at his feet. The blow was stronger than he anticipated, but he knew his strength stat would be enough to tip the odds in his favor. Riders weren't known for the strength, and as long as he whittled down her mount's health he would eventually force her to fight on foot.

It seemed that their masters had begun a fight of their own. He heard sounds of metal clashing and small explosions further on in the treeline. He didn't worry for his master though; Being an experienced hunter, he surely could be able to handle a huntress in training.

That aside, he wasn't able to miss an opportunity to chat with an opponent.

"So, Rider. Would it be too much to assume you'll gift me the knowledge of your identity?" Rider turned around to face him, hand off her shoulder. No blood, he noticed glumly.

"I thought it to be obvious, Saber. If you don't know me by now, then I shan't tell you." He gave a small pout at that.

"No jest? Surely our identities don't matter in these forms."

"Why give away valuable information when it can be prevented?" He put a hand on his hip and rested his blade on his shoulder and let his stance relaxen.

"It's disrespectful is what it is. We've both gained our place on the Throne through our actions, so why hide it? Your identity will be learned in due time, so you might as well reveal yourself now." Rider shook her head, her face remaining blank.

"I've always done what it takes to save mankind, why should I worry over hurt feelings? The respectful soldier will lose to the pragmatic soldier, given time." Saber shrugged slightly at her words, remaining calm.

"Then it's good I'm not a soldier then," he remarked. Rider curled her nose in distaste at his words.

"A brigand then? If so, your skills must be great indeed to be worthy of a heroic spirit."

"I'm not a brigand," he replied crossly. He brought the blade away from his shoulder and pointed it towards her.

"I'm Marshall Pembroke, first guardian of Vale and protector of the Novicii." Rider's expression became more disgusted.

"The Novicii? Then you truly are a barbarian," she sneered. He said nothing, only calmly letting out a breath. He brought up his sword to a guard position and waited for her next pass. Bringing her horse around to face him, she mockingly lifted her spear in a taunt, and rode her steed towards him.

As she approached, three spectral riders in similar equipment appeared alongside her. They lowered their lances in unison and formed a single line, as if to hit him with their lances one after another.

"Adamant Shade!" With that, Rider increased her speed. Saber deflected the first shade's lance with his crossguard and slashed quickly at its armor. The shade fell from its saddle and disappeared. He brought his sword low to the ground and swiped at the second shade's horse, which crashed into the ground and also disappeared.

The third shade decided to change tactics and instead threw his lance forward. Saber deftly dodged it and looked up in time to see the shade draw his short sword. Taking action, he leaped forward and impaled his sword into the shade's stomach. Rolling into the fall from dehorsing his foe, he made a stabbing motion with his sword.

"Inferno Drift!" He roared. A thin beam of light came from the tip of his sword, forming a straight line towards Rider. The beam expanded, with flames violently erupting to form a an explosive cylinder of heat. Rider saw the flames, and instead broke her charge, quickly dematerializing.

The flames moved past where she was, scorching the ground and the vegetation around and behind where she once was. Saber paused and knelt where he was, taking a moment to get his breath back. Rider rematerialized to where she was when her charge first started, remaining mounted on her horse.

"Hmph. A barbarian though you may be, you certainly don't lack for strength," she remarked casually. Saber let out a small snort.

"You Romisians just don't know when to admit us 'barbarians' are just as strong as you, do you?"

"Perhaps. Your performance tonight was quite entertaining, I'll admit. And truth be told, I never put much stock into the empire's teachings of northerners." She paused, brushing off a miniscule piece of dirt from her shoulder.

"Much too arrogant for my tastes." Saber felt his breathing go back to normal and stood up, twirling his sword slightly.

"Was it now? I'm impressed," he said sarcastically. Rider brought herself down from her mount, her lance and horse dematerializing into the air. She wielded only her sword now, but remained relaxed.

"Oh, I'm honored that you would deign to let a mere barbarian such as myself be on the same ground as you," he said snarkily, giving a mock bow. Rider put a hand on her hip, her expression souring slightly.

"Watch yourself, Saber. You're better than your associates, I'll grant you, but there's a limit to the insolence I'll tolerate," she replied. He grinned at that, bringing his sword up.

"Good, I'll take pleasure in bringing you down a peg." The two began to circle one another when a large boom was heard in the distance. Saber kept his sword up, but took a moment to look over to where the sound originated. A small fire had sprouted in the trees, and the faint sound of gunfire filled the air.

"Well, sorry to cut our match short Saber, but it appears my master is need of rescuing." The blonde quickly brought his attention back to Rider. Her sword had already disappeared, and her back was turned. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, he leapt forward and slashed diagonally with his sword.

Nothing. His sword continued its path unhindered through the air, Rider vanishing at the last moment. He grunted softly, sticking his sword in the ground.

"Damn," he muttered quietly. He picked his sword up from the ground and jogged over to the fire. If he was lucky he would be able to catch Rider and her master in time. When he made it there, however, the only person there was his master, who was leaning against a tree.

The fire had died down to the size of a small campfire, and multiple trees had bullet holes or were mangled. His master slid down to sit at the base of the tree, and Saber sat himself down next to him. Carmine looked over to him.

"Hey Saber. How'd the fight go?" Saber shrugged.

"Alright. I know what era Rider's from, and what one of her noble phantasms is." Carmine nodded slightly, shifting his body into a better position. Saber looked him over once for injuries, but found none.

"Tired?" He questioned. Carmine nodded again.

"Yeah, it's hard to fight a huntress in training while trying not to kill them. At least when they're trying to kill you too," he yawned.

"What's her noble phantasm?" he questioned after a minute.

"It seems to be able to summon shades, probably very low servant quality if I had to guess. They're outfitted in similar equipment as her, so it's a good bet she was some type of military commander in life."

"Oh. That's a start, right?"

"Mhm." Saber stood up and pulled Carmine to his feet.

"Come on, let's go back to town, it'll be dark yet." Saber started walking back towards the fair grounds, his master not far behind.


16 Days after The Breach, Vytal Festival grounds, Vale

Rider watched her surroundings intently as her master lay in her arms, her noble phantasm speeding up her aura's healing process. The fatal damage was minimal, but the damage her body received was extensive.

Multiple broken bones, fractured ribs, and many cuts from a bladed weapon. She cradled her master in her arms as she prepared to move again, keeping an eye out for Saber and any other Servants that might make their way over to the battle site.

In truth, she doubted any would appear. They were quite aways from Vale proper, and the only Servants who she thought would be able to track her was Caster and Assassin. Assassin would be trouble, but nothing her Adamant Shade couldn't hold off for her to escape. And Caster would most likely be too weak to handle a face to face fight with most servants.

Her attention was brought back to her master as she stirred slightly.

"Rider?" She croaked.

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"Near the edge of Vale. I'll bring you back to your team, but in the meantime keep resting. My noble phantasm works best when one isn't straining themselves." She nodded weakly and silence overcame the pair again. Rider continued to hop around the forest, slowly making her way back to Beacon, where the rest of competitors were staying.

It continued like this for a half-hour, and in that half-hour Rider found her thoughts to be drifting back towards Saber.

Watch yourself, Barbarian. Next we meet my lance will skewer your heart.


17 Days after The Breach, roof of Team CRDL's dorm, Vale

Cardin sighed, sitting down on the edge of the roof and leaned back. He ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what had occurred nearly an hour before hand.

Two first-year students, from the same school no less, had admitted to being masters in the Grail War. Not only that, they were from the same team, with two classes that were well-suited for each-other. And to add more to the pile, his servant and one of theirs had known one another in life.

Archer was right, the Grail War is always interesting, he thought tiredly. His mind was brought back to the meeting he had with the first half of RWBY, specifically Archer's reaction to Caster. He knew her name, and by the way they talked with one another afterwards, they seemed to have known each other in life.

And what happened afterward, well….

"Hey Archer, I have a question for you," he called out lightly. A few seconds passed before his Servant materialized, standing next to him.

"Hm?"

"What's the deal between you and Caster? You seem kinda...close," he managed. He was able to comprehend that the two knew each other, that was easy. But when they kissed….

He coughed into his hand. Better to just have Archer explain it. Archer sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Well, the two of us knew each other when we were alive…"

"I could gather that. But I want some details, like how exactly you know each other."

"She's my wife." Oh. That makes sense.

"Ok," he said dumbly. A little straightforward, but better than beating around the bush. They stayed silent for a while, Archer watching the edge of the campus grounds and Cardin staring at the night sky. Unlike Vale, Beacon had relatively few lights constantly on during the night, and was far enough away from Vale to avoid most of the light pollution.

Cardin shuffled slightly, uncomfortable in the silence that had fallen between the two. He wracked his brain for something to discuss about, and had a slight a-ha moment when he did.

"So. How did you and Caster become heroes? If you remember, that is." Archer gave a small shrug.

"Eh, I don't know the specifics, but my memory's coming back a little. Short version is that we got into trouble as usual, fought some bad guys and ended up saving the world in the process," he said casually.

"Just like that?" Cardin responded incredulously. Archer shrugged again.

"It was probably more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it. Don't remember much else." Cardin nodded, another question already in his head.

"You mentioned back in the forest that heroic spirits need to have a wish to be summoned. What's yours?" Archer took a seat next to Cardin, stretching back like him as well.

"I want to destroy the Grail. I told you before how it isn't how it appears, and if I'm going to be a heroic spirit then I might as well stop it from ruining whatever world it shows up in."

"But do you think it's always bad? I mean, it had to be good at some point," Cardin argued, if only to play Devil's advocate.

"Caster told me once that it was probably more like the stories at one point, capable of granting any wish with no strings attached, but now it's more than likely that it's corrupted. Either way, it's safer to just destroy it than to risk having curses spill out."

"Curses?"

"Ah, that's right. The Grail spits out curses instead of wishes. If it comes down to it, avoid anything that looks like dark mud, I doubt you'll be able to survive it." Archer stared off into the distance as he said that, his gaze becoming unfocused as if he was remembering something. Cardin ignored the look however, instead pestering him with more questions.

"Alright, but what about before then? What did you wish for before that?" Archer suddenly looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, it might sound a little stupid to you, but I when I was younger I wanted to be a hero."

"A hero?"

"Well, a hero of justice, to be specific. I thought that if I tried hard enough I could save everyone. For years I would try my hardest to help those in need, even if it was just a small task." Cardin digested the information for a couple seconds.

"So what happened? Do you still want to be one?"

"I met someone, a Servant, during my Grail War. You could say he was my ideal in Servant form. We clashed with each other throughout the war, unable to tolerate the others presence." Cardin was puzzled by that. Wouldn't they have gotten along if they shared the same ideals?

"Why'd you two fight?"

"He pointed out the flaws in my ideals. You have to understand, I wasn't someone who wanted to save everyone, I needed to save them. I couldn't handle being unable to help someone if I could do so. He pointed out the hypocrisy with my dream, how it wasn't even mine." He let out a small laugh.

"I guess he was right. It was flawed and hypocritical of me to put others before myself, but I thought, wouldn't it be great to be like that? Even if it wasn't my own, does that make it wrong to try and be a hero?" Archer continued.

"I decided then and there that I'd be a hero, even if I failed to save one person and even if I was alone, because my dream wasn't fake. It's a beautiful dream, and I'll see it through to the end." He seemed to realize that he'd go on a tangent, and became even more embarrassed.

"Sorry about that. Pretty stupid, huh?" Cardin didn't say anything, looking back up to the night sky. He thought back to the moment during the Breach, when he had the choice of leaving the two people to their deaths. It would've almost certainly lead to his death, but he did it anyway.

He hadn't really understood why he did at the time, and he just chalked it up to being a better huntsman, morally at least, but now he could see why.

He wanted to be a hero, or at least strive to be like one. He didn't care if the others at Beacon didn't believe him to be changed, he'll keep on trying all the same.

"...Yeah, it sounds kinda stupid," he said at last.

"But who cares what others think, right? All that matters is what you do. Even if you fail, you kept doing what you believed in." He turned towards Archer, a grin on his face. Archer returned the grin, and the two sat there on the roof for a while longer.

Eventually they went back to the dorm room, and Cardin flopped into his bed, ready for a night's rest.

He was not, however, ready for the images in his dreams.

Fire, burning everything and everyone.

A boy, walking alone through the destruction.

A man, tears in his eyes and joy on his face as he cradled the boy.

The same man, years later, sitting with the boy under a moonlit sky.

Cardin sat up in his bed, panting. The morning sun shone through the windows as he brought a hand to his beating heart.

Just who are you, Archer?


Well, sorry for the long wait, I had to study for finals and then got sidetracked by Overwatch, which is a great game by the way. Anyway, I decided to start off with the Saber vs Rider fight and then end with some Archer and Cardin stuff. Next chapter will either be another servant fight or a tournament round, maybe both, so idk. Anyway, I'll get started on the next chapter right away and hopefully be done with it before I get swamped with other things.

Collaredblock4

Words: 3021

Pages: 8