"I am." Rin replied, forcing her voice to sound more confident than she felt. She had just been magically drained, blown up, and thrown from a four story tower. She was bruised and bleeding. And after all of that she had the sneaking suspicion that the mutilated creature standing in front of her wasn't even Saber.

"Who are you? And where are…ah!" She began but was interrupted by a flash of agony from her left arm. The sleeve was tattered and she tore it the rest of the way off, revealing a glowing spot that moved over her flesh. It raced over her skin like a spark, like the point of an invisible pen tracing a complex multi fluted glyph in molten ink. It burned like a brand and glowed like a star, emanating the exact same golden light that had filled her barrier just prior to the summoning. Rin gritted her teeth and clenched her fist against the pain as the symbol blazed with a final burst of light before fading into an angry red tattoo.

It was a simple symbol, traced in three distinct sections. All were triangular and linear, evocative of forward motion or sudden violence. More than anything else it resembled a stylized blade or spearhead.

Command seals!

Rin thought with wonder. So the summoning had worked after all, and her contract had been formed. Despite the rather minor setback of partially demolishing her friend's summer home she was a Master. A combatant in the Grail War. A rich flood of emotions washed over her; relief that all of her work had paid off; fear of the War; but most of all a rush of elation unlike anything she had ever felt. Everything she had done in her entire life had been building towards the coming conflict. She resisted the urge to pump a fist into the air as she turned back to the tall figure.

"Who are you?" She asked again, her eyes stern, her voice full of command.

"I…I am…I'm…" He said. He didn't stammer but he seemed confused, almost disoriented. Moments ago he had been a monstrous apparition of power and force. Now he glanced around as if questioning his very existence.

"I do not know. There are…gaps in my memory. You are Rin. This I know. How could I know that and not know my own name?"

Rin was taken aback. How could he know her name? Did the contract somehow grant him supernatural knowledge of her? Of the Grail War and the circumstances surrounding it? How could he be amnesiac? And how could she gauge her own servant's powers if he didn't even know who he was? Suddenly an idea occurred to her and she reached inwards, probing for new powers.

Subtly her vision shifted. Everything about the scene remained the same but overlaid on her vision was something like an academic or scientific report. The front portion of the report was very simple.

CLASS: Berserker

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: Tohsaka Rin

Rin's hopes drooped when she saw what was written there. Not only did it give no clue as to her servant's true identity, but it confirmed her suspicions. It was Berserker, not Saber, that had been summoned. Could it be a result of whatever accident had caused her magic circle to malfunction? But as she scanned farther through the report her confusion deepened. It had to be some malfunction, because there was obviously some error with the way her servant's statistics were being displayed.

WEAPON: ?

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES: Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement…

Her eyes flicked downwards but as far as she could see the report was unending, an infinitely repeating loop listing Berserker's single apparent skill. She was already cautious that there might be something wrong with her servant, however any hopes that Rin harbored for winning the war were shattered when she flicked her eyes to the next page.

STRENGTH: e

ENDURANCE: e

AGILITH: e

MAGIC: e

LUCK: e

NOBLE PHANTASM: e

Not only was he unidentifiable, every single stat that he possessed was the lowest possible value for a heroic spirit. Even with his mad enhancement power he would barely be D rank, unable to compete with even the weakest of servants in any area.

A wave of bitter disappointment washed over Rin. She had nobody to blame but herself. She had made some mistake with the ritual, or she hadn't been strong enough, or she had over stepped her bounds by trying to summon Saber. It didn't matter any more. She was stuck with a useless servant and the broken hope that she could make her family proud. Reluctantly she dropped Berserker's stat report.

"At least I think I know why you have amnesia." Rin said morosely.

"You're a Berserker class servant. That means you died in madness. Evidently the Grail was able to restore your body, but your mind remains lost."

Berserker's brow furrowed but he said nothing. Rin's mind reeled from the trauma of the summoning and the realization that she had little to no chance of winning the War. What would she do? Give up? No, she had never given up on anything in her life. Rin steeled herself and decided to play the hand she was dealt. In a chess game even a single pawn can tip the scales between victory and defeat, if it survives long enough and finds itself in the right position. Rin's strategy would be one of defense, manipulation, and surgical strikes.

"For now we need to get inside and decide what our next move is." She said.

"I would suggest that you decide sooner rather than later, Master." Berserker replied.

"We have company."

His eyes flicked over Rin's shoulder and he dropped into a combat crouch with the practiced ease of a longtime warrior. Rin whirled, eyes seeking frantically for some new opponent. How could she be so stupid? The summoning would be like a magical beacon for every magus in a fifty mile radius. If any of the other masters were even halfway competent they would jump on the chance to eliminate a rival while her servant was still weak from the summoning, perhaps before a contract could even be formed.

But her fears were unfounded. Standing in the doorway of the mansion in various states of undress were the members of Ilya's household. Ilya was at the fore, her night dress unruffled but her eyes as wide as saucers as she surveyed the flaming wreckage scattered over her lawn. Behind her stood the housekeeper Melva and a short Spanish man that Rin assumed was her husband Estavio. Looking over all of their heads was the tall, lanky form of Shane the driver. Rin cringed. Ilya looked stunned. She looked from the ruined tower, to Rin, to Berserker, to the wreckage littered over the lawn, and back to Rin.

"Ilya, I can explain…" Rin began.

But Ilya's eyes continued to roam as if she was in a state of shock. She took in Berserker's scarred and monstrous appearance. Her eyes drifted downwards and suddenly got even wider, if that were possible. She blushed down to her roots and gasped. Rin followed her gaze and realized something about Berserker. Something that she was surprised it had taken her so long to notice.

The silence stretched on for several agonizing seconds. To Rin's great surprise it was Shane that finally broke it. He approached Berserker, gave him a good once over, and then gestured towards the house.

"Let's, um, let's get you some pants." He said.