Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
KingofBeasts Productions Present:
Fate/Zero Hour: A Fate/Zero Multi-Crossover Fanfiction
Chapter 8: The Big Little Adventure
"You didn't have to come, you know."
"Boss' orders." Alvin shrugged as he and Selvaria followed Edgar, flanking his right and left respectively, as they went on a walk about town under the bright noon sky with a not a cloud in sight "His exact words were 'Keep Silverstein in your sights at all times'."
"He still doesn't trust me, huh?" The Shadow Knight rolled his eyes "Kind of hypocritical coming from him, don't you think?"
Of course, he didn't mean to offend, but Selvaria took it that way. Fortunately, her more level-headed companion spoke before she could make any retort "True, but he did give you his word that he was going to make up for what he has done. 'Sides, he trusts you. It's just that seeing your-not-dead-girlfriend again can throw rationality out of the window. It happens to the best of people."
"I suppose you're right." Edgar conceded to that point. The idea of a loved one in danger fueled a warrior's blade, but it often robbed him/her of his common sense at times. He didn't want to dwell on that thought, however, and decided to steer the discussion into another course instead "It seems that no matter what universe I end up in, Fuyuki remains Fuyuki."
"You know, this reminds me of my own home." Alvin stated rather casually, a little tidbit to add into the conversation.
"It does?" The question came from Selvaria, an unexpected source, as her partner's life before joining up with their little group piqued her interest.
"Yeah. It had all the hustle and bustle you'd expect from life in the city, much like this place." The brown-haired ex-merc chuckled "Though, magic was called 'Spirit Artes' and it wasn't exactly a secret."
"Sounds like a place I should visit sometime." Edgar flashed Alvin a small smile before turning to Selvaria "And what was your home like, Miss Bles?"
"It was one torn by the ravages of War." The silver-haired woman began with a proud edge in her voice "It was a harsh place to live in, to be sure, but from what news and pieces I manage to learn since my departure, it has begun an era of peace thanks to the efforts of the brave soldiers who wish only for a world without wars."
At this Edgar could only nod; from what he had seen, Salem Azal's MO was similar to the OSG's: Seek out warriors whose roles should not end and enlist them in his fight to protect the universes from the evils within it. The colorful backgrounds of the members he had met so far was a testament to that mission.
"Didn't think I'd run into you here, Alvin-san and Selvaria-san."
The trio's attention were diverted to a man who had been walking towards them from the opposite direction. Like Alvin, he was clad in a black, crisp suit that fit his lean frame. His long hair was tied in a ponytail, and wore tinted sunglasses to hide his pale eyes.
"Well look what the cat dragged in." Alvin chuckled before turning to the surprised Edgar "This guy's Hyuga Neji, Director of Finance for Progressio Inc. Neji, this is Edgar Silverstein, Director of the Ordinis Sanctus Gladius."
"So glad to meet you. I'm familiar with your story, Mr. Hyuga." Edgar spoke formally as he offered the man a handshake. Of course he knew; he made sure to do a background check of all the Servants of the 4th War back in his own universe (among which is a current agent of the OSG), and Neji's name came up as he read on Assassin's.
The guy was supposed to be dead. Of course, Edgar had a feeling that Zasalamel pulled a few strings.
"And I as well." Neji nodded politely as he shook his hand, then turned to Alvin and Selvaria "It was a good thing I ran into you two, in any case. Would you happen to know if Mr. Azal is available? I have to give my report on the latest merger."
"The bossman and Rachel left a little while ago. The only thing he said is that he's looking at a prospective recruit." The brunette merc explained with his signature mischievous grin "Buuut...I hear Scarlette's on her way. In fact, she should be back at the Fuyuki Hyatt right now. You can give her the report, if you like."
"I...I see." At the mention of the woman's name, Edgar could not help but notice that Neji's pale cheeks tinged ever so slightly and began stammering with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "I-in that case, I must be on my way. If you will all excuse me..."
Before any of them can say anything, Neji vanished in a puff of smoke. Once the ninja was gone, Selvaria turned to Alvin with a brow raised "Must you always do this to him?"
"What can I say? it's fun watching Mr. Stiff get ruffled like that. He's just as easy as Jude!" Alvin let out a small laugh while the Valkyria shook her head.
"Uhm...did I miss something?" Edgar just had to ask, though he already had his suspicions on what they were talking about.
"Don't worry you're gonna find out soon enough." The taller man chuckled before looking towards the sky, which had turned a dull orange due to the setting sun "Looks like we've been out for a while."
"Indeed. The time to return to the hotel draws near." Selvaria nodded before turning her heel to leave, Edgar and Alvin following behind her "Remember the plan; For now, we observe. If a Master or Servant becomes too dangerous to ignore, we end them swiftly. Do I make myself clear?"
"Whatever you say, Sel."
Mackenzie Household, 7:30PM
"Damn. That bastard's not making it any easier to find him, huh?"
"Nothing worthwhile's popping up on radar, Jim." The buzzing of Matt Horner's voice on Rider's earpiece told him such as he was looking over a map of Fuyuki while he sat on the floor while his Master was preparing a chemistry kit of sorts. Unlike the Tohsakas and the Einzberns, he and Waver focused their efforts on finding Caster, going on scouting missions around the city to gain the lay of the land. He even went to to the river as his Master requested to gather water samples. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of the nefarious Servant.
"Magic, huh?" Rider chuckled humorlessly "As if things aren't already difficult..."
"Don't worry, we'll get him."
"Oh, I don't doubt that. If only we can find a lock on him somehow..." It was at that moment that he noticed that Waver was heavily concentrating on the vials of river water, each of them labeled with letters A, B and so on, while mixing what seemed to be a green liquid. "Be right back. Looks like the kid's on to something."
At this point, Rider stood up and walked to where Waver was, looking over the boy's shoulder out of geniune curiosity "Do you think it's a good time to play chemist?" he said with a teasing grin.
"This is alchemy, you idiot." Waver stated bluntly as he placed a drop of green liquid into one of the vials. There was an expression of shock on his and his Servant's face as the sample reacted by changing it's color into a blood red.
"What on earth..." Rider spoke in astonishment. Sure, he was summoned into this era with knowledge of Magecraft, but seeing it in action was still something to behold.
"This is spellcasting residue." Waver explained "If remnants of magic are present in the water, that means that someone was casting spell near the river." He gazed into the vial for a few more seconds before placing drops into the others "If we follow it's lead, we may be able to find the enemy's hideout."
Rider crossed his burly arms and whistled in response, the grin on his face showing that he was impressed "So you knew that Caster's been messin' with the water?"
"Nothing like that." Waver said absentmindedly as he continued placing waters into the vials, each replicating the effects of the first one "This city does have a huge river flowing through the center, so it's obvious to start there." He continued until he reached vial Q which, unlike the others, remained unchanged.
"Was there anything worth note between these two locations?" Waver asked as he brought out a map of his own, each section of the river marked with a the corresponding letter of each vial.
"As a matter of fact, there was something like a large sewage pipe located at that area." Rider nodded "Big enough for someone my size to go through."
"Then there's no doubt that Caster's atelier lies at the end." Waver nodded as he began to walk over his chemistry set and began packing it up.
"Not bad, kid." Rider gave him a wide grin "You sure you're not some great mage pretending to be a rookie?"
"Are you making fun of me?" the young Master raised an eyebrow in annoyance "What I just did was the simplest of methods. No great Magus would do it this way."
"No, but using a simple solution to solve a complicated problem's just as impressive as using a complicated to do the same thing" At that point, Rider activated his earpiece "You heard all that, Matt?"
"Loud and clear."
"I'll send you the coordinates now. Have a squad of Marines rendezvous near the area. If all goes well, we might be able to take Caster out of the game."
"Roger. Horner out."
Rider then turned to his Master, who was still giving him a rather skeptical look. "Well?"
"You seem eager today."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Rider chuckled with a grin "You did well to find Caster's hideout, kid. As your Servant, I gotta pick up the slack and kick his ass!"
Seeing that Waver had begun to be a little bashful at the praise, Rider's grin became wider as he went closer and locked Waver's head around one of his arms in a friendly headlock "C'mon! Let's get this show on the road!"
"Please be safe, Kotone..."
Young Tohsaka Rin knew that she was going to get into so much trouble for going against her father's instructions, but she can't just stand idly by: Her friend was among those who have been reported missing in the strange incidents occurring all over the city. Incidents which, she believed, involve magic. Which is why she got herself a train heading back to Fuyuki, to get to the bottom of this mess and rescue her friend.
Once she got off the train, she only had a magic compass gifted to her by her father to guide her along the barely lit streets. Despite her best efforts, fear and anxiety set into her features as the young girl traversed the night-veil city. With her compass spinning around due to the numerous sources of magical residue, Rin began her search in earnest, looking through every nook and cranny until...
"What on earth?"
"Right this way, kids! Don't fall behind now!"
She was about to emerge from one of the alleyways when she glimped an orange-haired man, his attire a long-sleeved purple polo worn over a white shirt and black pants with a sort of green bracelet around his wrist. His youthful appearance did little to hide the ill intent the man had for the children he was guiding with his hand. As she looked at the kids, she noticed that they had a dazed look about them, an empty stare that told the girl that they were not of their right minds.
The question now was why?
"What does he want with them?" The twin-tailed pre-adolescent wondered while hiding in the corner, gazing at her compass in worry before snapping herself out of it "Wait a minute! Why am I just hiding here? I won't be able to accomplish anything at this rate!"
She stood up with renewed determination as the compass got a lock on the magical residue left by the man. She was about to go after him when...
"N-Nee-san?"
Rin would never fail to recognize that voice, not in a million years. She slowly turned around at the source and, sure enough, what stood before her was a familiar sight: A trembling girl about a year younger than her in age clad in a purple frilly dress with matching shin-high socks. Whilst the color of her hair and eyes have changed, the twin-tailed girl recognized the ribbon that tied her hair. After all, she was the one who had given it to her.
"S-S-SAKURA?! What are you doing here?!"
"I-I w-was wandering around the city when I saw that scary man and hid behind the corner." The meek girl explained "I-I didn't expect you to be here, nee-san."
"Ugh! That's not what I mean!" Rin's fiery temper flared to life despite the situation "Aren't you supposed to be staying with the Matous?! Do they even know that you're gone?!"
"N-no..."
"You idiot! You have to go home right now! It's too dangerous for you to be out here!"
"I know that!" The Tohsaka Heiress was taken aback by her former sister's outburst "It's just that...Kariya-ojiisan's been away for too long. I...I'm worried about him, you know?"
"I see. Just like me with Kotone..." She respected her sister's resolve. Even after being forced to live with other people, Rin could never really dismiss the bond they had once shared. In a way, Sakura was like her. Of course, she had questions about Sakura's current appearance, but felt that they could be answered later should they make it out alive.
"Listen." She finally spoke aloud "If you insist on finding Kariya-ojiisan, then at least stick with me. It's too dangerous to go alone."
"N-nee-san..."
"S-stop calling me that. We aren't sisters anymore, remember?"
"S-sorry..."
"Like I was saying, you can stick with me." Rin sighed once she saw the downtrodden expression Sakura wore "I'm looking for someone too. Maybe if we help each other, we can find the people we're looking for. So trust me, okay?"
The smile that formed on Sakura's lips proceeded to melt Rin's heart with little to no effort at all. With a nod, both girls stood up and began heading towards the direction the eerie man had set off to.
Little did they realize that they had been watched by a single bug familiar.
In an alley near where Rin and Sakura were...
"What are Rin-chan and Sakura-chan doing here?! They should be at their homes, safe and far away from all of this!"
Berserker could only watch as his Master began a tirade that ultimately cursed the names of Tohsaka Tokiomi and Matou Zouken for being too lax with the children. Hell, he was cursing their names because of the circumstances they were in in the first place!
"Master." The Servant of Madness finally let out a groan of annoyance "If you got time to whine over all this, then you have time to go after them as well. Just in case you forgot, this guy could be Caster's Master, which means the bastard might not be too far behind!"
It took several moments for Kariya to calm down, but Berserker was right; the more time he wasted venting like this, the greater the danger the girls will be in.
"Forgive me, Berserker. I lost myself there." The Master of Matou took a deep breath before flashing the red-clad Servant a sincere smile "You know, you're a pretty calm guy considering your class."
"Eh, that's because I'm used to being surrounded by idiots." Berserker rolled his eyes at the thought of his past company; sure they were good-natured, but they annoyed him so much "Anyway, we gotta go. If Caster's truly the one behind the disappearances, then we can't leave those two alone."
Kariya affirmed with a nod before the two sprinted towards the direction the girls took. Unknown to them, a girl clad in a pinky frilly dress had been watching all of them with obvious interest.
"I could tell Archer-kun that his Master's daughter is out in town..." Servant Assassin mused with a childish grin "But that would take the fun out of everything!"
"I-it's here..."
Rin and Sakura had been following the compass' lead until they had reached what looked like a run-down underground pub on the far side of Fuyuki. They both squeaked in surprise when a massive spike of energy caused them to flinch, the lavender-haired girl clutch onto her sister for dear life.
"I-I'm scared..."
"I am too." The trembling from of Sakura looked up to see Rin, who was just as terrified, but was fighting to maintain control "But it's too late to back down now."
With a mutual nod did they enter the dark forsaken place, seeing nothing but tattered posters and splintered wood floors illuminated only by the blood-red lighting. Once they reached the door at the end of the hallway, they collectively gulped before Rin slowly pushed the door, only to reveal nothing but darkness.
"N-no one's here?"
"D-Do you think he left?" Sakura asked, her shaky tone of voice showing that she was still quite fearful of what is to come.
"Only one way to find out." Rin took a deep breath before making small cautious steps. Despite the coast apparently being clear, the young magus was still wary of what lay ahead.
So, it was understandable that she and Sakura shrieked when she felt something touch her feet.
"Wh-what the..."
"What is it?"
"It's a person..." Rin said as she slowly collected her thoughts and knelt close to the prone body, apparently a brunette around her age "H-Hey! Are you alright?" upon turning the body over, Rin's eyes widened when she got a closer look "Kotone?!"
"Do you know her, nee-san?" Sakura knelt beside Rin, trying to get a closer look at the entranced girl
"She's my classmate. The person I was looking for." The other girl nodded before turning to her younger sister, not noticing that the compass was pointing at the direction behind her "We have to get her out of here before something bad happens!"
"But what about the others?" Sakura pointed to the far end of the room, where many other children lay with the same stupefied expression as her friend's. Before Rin could answer...
"Welcome, children."
Upon hearing the deep baritone coming from behind them, both Rin and Sakura turned slowly to the source with fear in their eyes. They looked up to see a tall purple-skinned blindfolded man sneering down at them with his leathery wings folded "It is most fortunate that you have joined us. After all, it would not do to have our guests leave early, wouldn't it?"
"Wh-what do you want with us?!" Rin, trying to be strong for the both of them, defiantly stood in between Sakura and the monster despite her obvious fear
"Isn't obvious, little magus?" The malevolent entity gave her a wide grin "You and your little friend will make wonderful soul stones for what I have planned."
"Magus? You mean she's just like you, Caster?" From the shadows, the orange haired youth emerged with a laid back smile on his face, feeling rather excited about what he was witnessing Master.
"Indeed she is, Master." The aforementioned Caster chuckled, a green glow emanating from beneath his blindfold as he leered at the two.
"H-How did you-"
"The fact that you found us is one piece of evidence. Also..." Caster grinned as he pointed to Rin's compass, the item whirring to life as it was dangerously pointed at the man "This little trinket is no toy a normal human would possess, am I right?"
"This is bad..." Rin looked in between Caster, then to the man as they surrounded them "If this guy's a Master like oto-san, then we're in big trouble." After weighing her options, there was only one thing she could do...
"Sakura." The trembling girl looked up to see the girl she used to call her older sister speak while facing the monsters "I'll try to distract them somehow. Once I do that, take Kotone and run as fast as you can."
"B-but nee-san..."
"We're not sisters anymore, remember?! You should be thinking about the future of the Matou!" Rin snapped out of desperation as the situation became even more dire "Besides, why should you even care?! Shouldn't you hate us for giving you away?! Hate oto-sama, okaa-sama and me for making you leave us?!"
"...I did."
Rin blinked in surprise as Sakura's shoulder's began to shake, tears pouring out of the younger girl's eyes as she spoke "I-I hated you because I thought you abandoned me. L-left me w-with ojiisama so that he could do scary things to me... B-but right now, even if you insist we're not family anymore...the fact that you were looking out for me the entire time means that you still care for me, r-right? So I'm not leaving you here nee-san, even if you tell me to!"
"Sakura..." Rin couldn't help but feel tears trickle from her eyes, genuinely touched by the young girl's declaration. She also wondered what the 'scary things' Sakura mentioned were. Something to do with her hair color change, perhaps?
Unfortunately, this revelation couldn't have come at a worse time; with Caster and his Master closing on the two, there was no doubt in her mind that they had little no hope of escaping. As such, she was determined to stand with Sakura to the bitter end. At least that way, they could be together again.
Of course, Fate had a habit of throwing a monkey wrench into plans.
"Belial Edge!"
With a mighty roar, a red-clad man with silver-hair emerged from the ceiling with his bludgeon like weapon extended, forcing Caster to grab his Master and jump back before they could get crushed in the debris.
"Sakura, are you alright?"
"I-I think so." The younger girl looked up to the older girl with a smile before turning to their savior, who took a glance behind him for a second.
"My Master should be on his way to pick you two up." The newcomer smiled before bearing his giant weapon at Caster "So stay there and behave, okay?"
"R-right!" Both of them nodded as the man stood ready to engage.
"So glad you can join us, Berserker." Caster smirked as two warglaives appeared on his hands "Congratulations on being the first to find me. Pity you won't live to tell about it!"
Meanwhile, by the river.
"Okay boys, you know the drill." Rider said with grim determination to the Marines assembled "We go in fast and hard, kill anything that looks like it'll want to bite your head off. If Caster still has hostages, we rescue them. As for Caster, you all take him and his Master down on sight. Is that understood?"
"YES COMMANDER RAYNOR, SIR!" His men saluted before they began their march inside, the Marines up front while Rider followed from behind with his Vulture. Waver could not help but be impressed with his Servant; it turns out that beneath the drunken facade, Rider was in actuality a capable military commander who can inspire loyalty in his men. The fact that he can summon his soldiers to his side made him wonder just what kind of Noble Phantasm his Servant possessed.
Sure enough, they had reached the end of the tunnel when Rider and his men suddenly came to a sudden halt.
"Hey, what's the hold up?"
"The good news is that Caster and his Master ain't home..." Rider explained in a rather somber voice "The bad news...well, are you sure you wanna see this? I won't blame you if you don't."
"What are you talking about?! If Caster isn't home, then we should at least find some clues to learn his whereabouts!"
"...Suit yourself." Rider nodded to one of the marines, who gave the order to turn on the flashlights on their suits, illuminating the atelier.
Waver's eyes widened at what he saw: There was blood everywhere, the sea of crimson overflowing as the dead bodies of children and adults alike littered the floor in a macabre display. At the sight of this apalling scene, all Waver could do was hunch over and vomit.
"This is war, kid." Rider sighed as he gave a look around "In all it's glory...and all it's horror."
"H-How..." Waver could only stammer, utterly broken at what he just saw "How could you just stand there so calmly like that?!"
"'Cause I know I'll harnessing every bit of emotion when I beat the hell out of Caster for this later." Rider spoke evenly as he placed a gentle hand on the young lad's shoulder "For now, we owe it to these victims to give 'em a decent burial. Owe it to them to not lose our heads and plan for when we see that monster again."
"Sir! We have a survivor!"
Both Rider and Waver turned to the direction where the marine had shouted
"You sure about that? You better run that by me again!"
"Positive, sir! It's a little girl!"
Both Master and Servant wasted little to no time to run towards the lone survivor of this massacre. Sure enough, she was indeed a little girl. Her brown hair was disheveled and her bespectacled blue eyes were letting loose tears as she sobbed by her lonesome, the white lace dress she wore stained with blood as her shoulders shook.
"Oto-san..." she mumbled helplessly "Okaa-san...why?"
Those grief-stricken words told the two all they needed to know; that her parents were the unfortunate victims of the incidents, and that she was the lone survivor.
"I'm sorry, kid." Rider smiled sadly as he placed a hand on the girl's head "But don't worry, it'll all be over soon. We'll take you to a safe place."
"Th-thank you..."
"What's your name?" Waver this time would be the one to ask.
"Sajyou." The young meganekko chirped in reply "A-Ayaka Sajyou."
Before they could continue the conversation, a familiar voice buzzed right at Rider's earpiece once more "Jim! Can you read me?!"
"What is it, Matt?" Rider answered back as quickly as he could, figuring that this sounded urgent
"I have a visual on Caster!" This information caused the Servant of the Steed to take two steps back "I repeat, I have a visual on Caster! He's engaging Berserker in a run-down part of the city. If you want to slug that sonuvabitch, now's the best time!"
"Alright, get Tychus down there. In the event I'll end up fighting Berserker, I'm gonna need him to bring his A-Game."
"Roger that. Horner out."
As soon as he was finished speak, Rider strode purposely towards his Vulture, though that did little to stop him from issuing orders. "Two of you take my Master and the young missy to the Mackenzie House. Everyone else, blow this place apart after you gather the dead."
"YES SIR!"
"And where are you going?" Waver could only ask in shock as the Raider turned on the ignition and brought his hovercraft to life
"Where do you think?"
Without another word, he sped out of the waterway with every intent of joining the battlefield.
"Inferno Divider!"
Berserker swung an upward slash that, once it connected, launched himself and Caster through the roof. The Betrayer used his wings to recover quickly and land on his feet. The Black Beast wasted no time and rushed right at him again, swinging his Blood Scythe in wild arcs in hopes that the massive weapon alone would overwhelm the opposing Servant. To his surprise, Caster smirked as his warglaives met him blow for blow, matching his speed and strength almost effortlessly.
"You disappoint me, Berserker." Caster smirked as he pushed his opponent back "I had heard that your class is the most imposing in physical confrontations. It appears I was wrong."
"Heh, don't count me out just yet!" Berserker growled as he dashed towards his opponent to re-engage, not giving any quarter as he surprised Caster with his renewed vigor. The second wind forced the Lord of Outland to take this clash more seriously. He wreathed his glaives in emerald green fel-fire whilst Berserker called upon the Azure to coat Blood Scythe in black and red.
As the furious clash commenced, Uryuu had climbed up to spectate the fight. Needless to say, he was thrilled by what he was seeing.
"THIS IS SO COOL!" He exclaimed in excitement. His manic expression showed glee as he opened his arms wide, as if to take it all in "So this is the War you're fighting in, Mister! So much violence...so much bloodshed...You have to show me more!"
Unbeknownst to Ryuunosuke, Rin and Sakura had followed him quietly. From their hiding place, they had observed the entire battle from afar.
"That's Kariya-ojiisan's friend..." The younger girl's eyes widened in amazement, having glimpsed the Servant just before Kariya left the mansion
"So he's a Servant too. Wonder what kind oto-sama has..." The elder quickly snapped out of it. Now was not the time to dwell on that as they had to find a way to free Kotone and the others.
"Nee-san."
"What is it, Sakura?" Rin turned to the younger girl as she pointed to that green bracelet Ryuunosuke wore and how it was glowing eerily. Rin nodded as she took out her compass once more and hoped that they were far from the ongoing battle for it to interfere. Sure enough, it was pointing directly at the item in question.
"So all we have to do is to destroy that thing, huh?" The nod from Sakura told her all she needed to know "Question is, how am I gonna get near it?"
"I know the Gandr spell. I can use that to distract him while you get close."
Rin wondered how her younger sister learned the spell, but didn't dwell on it as there was no time. Without another word, Rin began creeping towards the older man while he was entranced by the battle unfolding before him.
"Be careful, nee-san." Sakura thought as she called upon the knowledge grafted into her body due to the Crest Worms. The young girl took a deep breath as she concentrated mana right into her finger tips, holding it back as the other girl crept closer.
In the mean time, the tables were turned as this time it was Caster being slowly overwhelmed by the Grim Reaper. As much as he tried to keep up, the Servant of the Spell was being overwhelmed by the sheer power Berserker was putting behind his blows.
"Eat this!" The white-haired warrior roared as he reared up and swung Blood Scythe like a baseball bat. It was enough to take Caster off his feet, disarming him of his glaives while tumbled a bit before landing on his belly.
"Not so tough now, are ya?" Berserker smirked as he slowly stepped towards the downed Servant, no doubt ready to deal the killing blow.
"You have done well." Caster smirked as he slowly got to his feet "However, you're not forgetting why I was summoned as Caster, are you?"
With a gesture of his hand, magic circles appeared on the ground, each of them glowing with an eerie purple light. From them emerged tall, muscled giants clad in gladiatorial armor while wielding cudgel much taller than Rin and Sakura combined.
"Tch, not gonna make it easy for me, are ya?" Berserker spat on the ground before giving the demon a nasty grin "Fine! BRING IT ON!"
As the Servant of Madness engaged Caster's goons, Rin was close enough to grab Ryuunosuke's bracelet. Sakura held her breath as she primed her Gandr, waiting for the right moment before letting it loose.
Unfortunately, he noticed her just as she was about to reach for the artifact. "What are you doing, little girl?" He asked her with a nasty grin, causing Rin to quake in her boots in fear.
"Gandr!"
Fortunately, Sakura had her back as she fired the curse. Her aim was off as it missed Ryuunosuke's cheek by mere inches. Fortunately, this distraction provided Rin the opportunity to grab the bracelet with both hands and began pouring as much mana as she could.
Looking back at the experience, Rin would not deny that touching the thing hurt like hell. She described the sensation being akin to holding hot iron, only a hundred times worse. However, she would not give up. Not when the life of her friend, her sister, and many others are at stake.
"This..." She growled as the compass spun erratically before it stopped to point at her "Is...NOTHING!"
With one final surge, Rin overloaded the artifact with enough mana to shatter it outright, the backlash sending both participants flying and breaking the spell. Rin, for her part, flew past Sakura and landed on the wall next to where Kotone lay.
"Nee-san!" Sakura rushed frantically to Rin's side, worry set on her features as she examined her sister.
"I did it..." Rin's vision began to fade into black, but not before she glanced at the awakening Kotone, then to the worried Sakura "You're all...safe..."
"Rin!" The awakened Kotone ran to Rin's side just as she lost consciousness. Upon hearing the slow breathing, both girls sighed in relief; Other than the burned hands, she would be fine.
However, they weren't out of the woods yet. Caster and Berserker were still engaged in battle outside as well as the fact that they have to vacate a basement full of children.
"There's no time!" Sakura spoke with a courage rarely seen, stepping up to the plate since Rin was knocked out "We have to go before that guy gets us again!"
The children needed no second warning as they began running towards the exit, not minding the battle occurring before them as they ran for safety.
"Those kids are something." Berserker breathed heavily with a grin. As much as he wanted to be happy, he had to deal with minions who seemed to replace the ones he slays. It would only be a matter of time before he'd get overrun, at least, until he decides to utilize his Noble Phantasm.
He was just about to when a spray of automatic fire mowed one of the fel guards down with little to no remorse. Both turned to see the newcomer enter.
"Jimmy was takin' too long, so I decided to start the party without 'im." The deep, western drawl came from a mountain of a man clad in blue CMC Power Armor and wielding the mother of all mini-guns with both hands. On his rugged face was a cigar and a grin eager for bloodshed.
A roar of challenge from the other fel guard was heard. The massive red-skinned demon charged the man without any regard for it's safety, not carrying if it would get mowed down by a hail of bullets.
It didn't expect to be taken off it's feet by a high-caliber Penetrator Round to the skull.
"I'd like to think that I'm right on time." Rider smirked as he entered the scene, this time clad in a black version of the CMC Armor and armed with what can only be described as a giant sniper rifle.
"It seems the odds are now against me. No matter." Caster shrouded the area in shadow with a but a gesture of a hand, then grabbed his unconscious Master before taking flight "This is but a minor set back. The next time we meet will be the last, Servants Berserker and Rider!"
With those words did Caster and his Master vanish into the night, thus ending yet another battle for the Holy Grail.
"That guy's gonna be pissed that ya wrecked his house, Jimmy."
"Yeah, you missed a lot, Tychus. but I gotta feelin' that won't be the last we hear of him." Rider sighed as he dematerialized his armor, reverting back to his casual wear before turning to Berserker "I'm hoping you won't be giving me trouble tonight, since I saved your ass and all?"
"Heh, I had him, you know." The silver-haired Grim Reaper scoffed as he strapped his weapon onto his back "Still, I guess I can let this slide for now. After all, we're all supposed to be after that sonuvabitch, right?"
"Now yer speakin' my language, kid." Tychus chuckled before turning to leave "See ya at the hub, Jimmy."
"Will do." Rider nodded as the burly Marine vanished into thin air. It was also at that moment that Kariya had run in, his state of mind frantic.
"Rin-chan! Sakura-chan!" He immediately sprinted towards the two girls, both of which were sleeping due to being knocked and exhaustion respectively, out of concern.
"They're fine. Though you might wanna get Rin's hands looked at." Berserker said as he gently carried Sakura on his shoulders while Kariya did the same
"Looks like you guys have it all sorted out, so I'll leave ya to it." Rider chuckled as he summoned his Vulture, thinking about what he and Waver were gonna do about Sajyou "I'll see ya around, kid!"
"Same." The Grim Reaper nodded as he watched the Servant of the Steed ride his craft and immediately take off into the night. With that, he turned to Kariya "So, what are we gonna do now, Master?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kariya sighed as the two began walking "We're going to have to return to these two to their respective homes, where they'll be safe away from these wars. Imagine the fun we're going to have explaining what went on earlier."
"...Damn it."
End Chapter 9
Omake Time: The New Recruit
"Are you sure about this, Salem?"
"Are you doubting me now, Rachel?" The man asked as they stood amidst the grassy field and under the overcast sky that shrouded the land.
"It is not you I doubt, but who you're planning to bring into the Sentinels." The scion of Alucard aired out her concerns as she stood to his left, Valkenhayn flanking hers "This monster will no doubt cause trouble for us in the long run."
"I too was once a villain but, after being given a chance, I was able to use what I have for good. I am sure he can do the same." He pointed to the massive body being held by a giant hand made of the very earth they walked upon, charred but barely alive. "And if he should choose to turn against us, then I am more than prepared to deal with him."
"...I hope you are right, Zasalamel." Rachel sighed as she gave the go signal for Valkenhayn to free the body of it's bonds.
"I could use one of his tenacity." The man assured her with a smile as she gazed upon the axe buried into the ground next to it's owner "And in that department, very few can best a Hellscream."
End Omake
A/N: Okay, THIS is the longest chapter I have ever written.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Fate/Zero Hour! This time, we cover Rin's little adventure with the twist that Sakura came along for the ride! Did you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it?
How will this change affect the story? Will the Servants band to defeat Caster? What is the nefarious Servant planning? And who was that Salem and Rachel brought into the fold? This and more questions will be answered as the story goes on!
Ragna: Uhm...
Oh right, Berserker's stat sheet is the last to be up (used some info from X the Reaper's version), thus completing the cycle! Whether you liked this chapter or not, kindly leave a review when you're done reading! Okay, now that I'm done, I'll see ya all next time!
Ragna: Next time on Fate/Zero Hour: Civil Diplomacy!
Servant: Berserker
True Identity: Ragna the Bloodedge
Title: The Grim Reaper, the Black Beast
Master: Matou Kariya
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength – A
Endurance - B
Agility - B
Mana - C
Luck - B
Noble Phantasm - A+
Class Skills
Madness Enhancement - E (B*)
*When under the Black Beast - Raises stats, but loses most of his sanity when activated
Personal Skills
Battle Continuation – A
Berserker has received inhuman amounts of punishment (among which is being skewered over and over in a timeloop) yet he keeps coming back for more.
Monstrous Strength - B
The more he taps into the Azure, the greater the chance he can be overcome by the Black Beast
Disengage - C
As many would put it: Rebel 1, Action!
Noble Phantasms
Azure Grimoire: The (Fake) Blazblue: A+: Berserker's right arm and the source of his power, the Azure Grimoire is actually a high density mass of seithr that could kill in large uncontrolled doses. When activated, it raises all Berserker's stats by one rank as well as coating his attacks with a dark aura that drains life force and bypasses Magic Resistance.
Idea Engine: Gift of the Mechanical Soul: C: Stored in Berserker's left arm which was made of the 11th Prime Unit's regeneration tank, he can bypass its safety procedures to gain one rank. Best used in conjunction with the Azure Grimoire.
The Dark Beast: Monster Born of the Cauldron: EX: Whilst this is Berserker's most powerful Noble Phantasm, he cannot activate it at will. Only by bypassing the Idea Engine's safety protocols as well as overusing the Azure Grimoire will turn Berserker into a raging eight headed monster. In this state, his sanity robbed of him, making him no better than an animal. If left unchecked, he could possibly destroy the world and nothing short of death or a Command Seal can revert him to his normal state.