Chapter 4: Conflicted Sides
"Well now, it took you long enough to arrive" Berserker stated as he stood in the warehouse, right at the open doorway. Soon after, Saber entered. "To think ye were just a wee lass too".
"I'm going to make you eat those words, Berserker".
"Oh are you now? Not if I split open your skull first!"
Berserker charged in, when suddenly slashes appeared in the sky all over and began to strike Berserker all at once as Asi swung her sword down to deliver a massive blow, the slash being so powerful the building itself rattled.
"Good, as we expected...you might have been summoned by the Grail, but you are no true hero. You are an evil that must be purged".
"Good and evil are subjective lassy. With the look in your eyes right now, I guarentee the same could be said about you".
Egill swung his axe down and cut through the slashes, and everyone in the area, Servant, Master, or other suddenly got a headache. The wind seemed to wisp around them as well.
When Saber realized what was going on, she just barely had time to block the slash.
"Impossible. You have Caster qualifications?!"
"Ye pick up things fast, Lassy" he shouted, a maddening look in his eyes as he began his rampage. His swings got faster and heavier, and every hit felt like it had the weight of a truck behind it. It was clear this Berserker was not only adept at fighting, but he excelled at it.
And yet, the more they clashed, the more his weapon began to get more and more useless against her, and she got stronger while his attacks just started to miss in wild and unpredictable ways at times. Normally it was Berserker that got stronger thee longer a battle went on, and while certainly that was the case, but Saber appeared to have a superior ability. No, it was as if his weapon simply did not wish to fight itself against Saber's sword.
He was forced to put it away and use his fists, moving around Saber as she slashed down and hitting her so hard she flew into the wall with a heavy impact. She immediately launched herself out of it though, and slashed Berserker with a counterstrike.
Berserker's master watched from a distance, concerned.
"What sort of monster did they end up summoning. Sabers are normally the strongest, but also the most straightforward. There must be a trick...figuring out hew true name will be the highest priority.
However, when she put on her glasses, she noticed something odd.
"...the flow of mana? I see, so that is her weakness. Certainly, that would make sense, a sword that powerful must take tons of mana. She can't support that ability forever".
Berserker, rampage harder and faster. Make her use more and more mana.
Berserker did exactly that, as he continued to rampage. As he did, swords began to appear in the air and proceeded to attack him along with her own attacks, and slashes came from outside the building, turning corners and coming at him as well. It was a brutal onslaught, but the more damage he took, the more Berserker went even more wild. Furthermore, it was like there was some sort of protective coating on him, unless it was a powerful blow, the hit didn't do anything more then superficial damage and powered him up.
In a grail war, you could never truly be sure how a battle was going even at the first, second, or third glance. That was how skills, noble phantasms, strengths and weaknesses, could all change things. Egill was without a doubt a berserker, and possessed all of the Berserker skills. Even if not summoned as one, he would likely still have Madness Enhance or some sort of similar skill. However, for those who knew his mythos, would know he was also a very powerful sorcerer and user of runes.
Sabers generally had high magic resistance, so magic might not work on them so well. However, that didn't mean one couldn't use magic to protect against them. And it did not necessarily mean they would be immune to magic either, or it would have no effect on them. Even Rulers could become the subject of a Castor's machinations after all.
Egill was known for having protective runes that would protect him against everything, even poison. And it appeared his Runes were unaffected by whatever strange ability Saber's sword had.
Saber raised the blade into the air, and it began to glow and try something...however, many runes appeared in the air in front of Berserker and seemed to cancel it out. He himself continued to rampage, and it was unclear what that ability had tried to do. The woman herself was quite shocked, but Saber continued to fight against the mad servant. Mad Enhancement had been active for quite awhile now.
And also, they had collected quite an audiance. Saber's master, who had remained in the tactical van, spotted several familiars, and even a servant, watching them. There was also a hooded figure, with green hair just barely visible coming out, but they had no idea who that was.
Wait, what if thats...
Director Hashiyama breifly considered the possibility that if what they did was percieved as too far, a Ruler might have been summoned. If that was Ruler, it might be dangerous to go so far at this time.
Saber, Bereserker seems to be holding some secrets. We are pulling back for now, we dont want to expose too much. Also, it looks like our location got leaked. Considering Berserker was waiting for us, its possible Mila herself leaked it ahead of schedule to expose us to others.
"Sneaky. How irritating. Very well, this guy seems like he might be a bad match for me if he can fight be barehanded and can resist my Noble Phantasm".
Yeah. Lets get back to base. Use the tunnels to shake off any pursuers.
"Understood".
They began to pull out, as Berserker seemed to calm down all on his own. Mila watched from her own perch.
We got some good data. Saber's specs are weird though...most of that mana was in that sword. Could they mainly be famous for their weapon rather then themselves? Would someone like that even be summonable? We will need to look into it.
Collecting her thoughts, she also pulled back.
Assassin watched sitting in a cross legged position.
"Master, those two might be difficult for me to deal with. Berserker might require an even more creative approach to the use of my ability".
"The madness is it? It seems you are ill suited to such a target. But thanks to this, I now have data on both servants. The only one we are missing data now are the extras. 8th, and perhaps a 9th may even exist. They have yet to join any battle so far".
"It's still the first day. Perhaps they are the cautious type, like yourself".
"Perhaps. Although I do believe we will soon see a response. Activity within the World has been detected. Possibility of Counter Force is increasing. The Grail Singularity and its abnormalities are too large to ignore after all".
Assassin took out a device, and displayed a holographic map of the city. It even showed leylines, mage establishments, and things like that.
"It appears that there are already malicous tumors growing from everyone's abuse of the grail system. We should expect Intruders soon".
"Do not worry, Assassin. My promise to you stands no matter what. You will have your wish granted".
Assassin nodded.
"Then, what is my next task?"
"There are two. Find and identify the remaining masters and servants, and find ways to strike against Saber, Rider, and Castor. Eliminating any of them may buy us time with Counter Force or a Ruler being summoned. We also need to deal with archer at some point as well".
"Sheesh. Just how many Rule Breakers does this Grail War have?"
"At least four or five, not including us".
Perhaps as expected, people who have a wish they want the Grail to grant were determined to get it even if it means ignoring the rules.
Is that why everyone is so gung ho right off the bat? Do they plan to eend the war before Counter Force or Ruler even have a chance to make sense of things? Well, it makes my job easier as well. For me, and my master. My wish will be granted, even if I have to use my powers in full. Even if she ends up hating me once more, I wont hold back. Not after all I have learned.
"Rider is probably the easiest, considering they walk..."
"No. something about that duo is strange. It's far too odd they are this open".
"Understood".
"If you do see an opening though that feels totally safe to you, don't be afraid to take it".
Assassin nodded as he stood up, disappearing once again.
"So, will you wish to see your friend again?" Flat asked, as he worked on his territory, his hideout. Waver felt incapable of even uttering a word about what he thought of it right now, at least not any more: he had already given Flat plenty to think about. However, in the end, it was still a rather interesting idea.
"Considering you ruined my attempt, I may...perhaps even have him fully incarnate. But somehow, I am not sure he would like that completely" Waver muttered, as he watched a video a familiar he released took of Saber and Berserker's fight. When he saw Saber's face, he grimanced, but then he noticed something strange. "...something weird is going on with Saber".
"Oh, let me see?"
Flat came over and watched the video, as some magical formula continued to grow in the space they were in even without his support.
"Hmm? Is it some sort of erosion...no, perhaps a manipulation ability?"
"Yes. This should be the Saber Class, its appearance is identical to previous sabers. And yet somehow, this one acts less like a Saber then any I have seen before. Furthermore, that slash attack. Its strange. It almost looks like the attacks came from elsewhere, and Saber herself...the Noble Phantasm, the Sword. Its clearly different".
"Do you think that is the sword's true form?"
"Obviously not. They probably disguised it. However, its strange. Saber should be a straightforward attack combat class. And yet, its displayed the greatest variety so far aside from yourself. I am also concerned about Berserker. It appears that he can essentially become invincible to anything that isn't a major blow, yet still gets benefits to being hit. It appears to be some sort of Runecraft".
"Who would you say is the bigger threat, Archer or Saber?"
Waver thought for a moment.
"Until I understand the full extent of Saber's abilities, Saber. However, it looks like Berserker gained the advantage when he stopped using a weapon. As we dont use one at all, if we can just bypass Saber's Magic Resistance, Archer...Gilgamesh...is the bigger threat. That said, Saber might still have a brute force ability given its class, so we cant underestimate it".
"And then there is Assassin".
"So far, nothing on Assassin. There were reports that a Servant engaged Archer's master inside her own domain, but nothing actually got a look at him. Or her. In fact, from what was seen, it appears the only one who could see him was the Master".
"Not even the Servant?"
"No, she had to direct the location for him to attack".
"Heeeh. Sounds interesting".
"We cant even be sure it was Assassin. It could have been a second Caster, since apparently more then Seven Servants were summoned".
Waver then moved on to the next video, which showed the area around the fight, including a hooded green haired individual. The hair was long enough to come out of the hood and cloak, but otherwise no details could be discerned about them, not even gender.
However, Waver could tell at the time it was a Servant.
"That might be Assassin. But there is also a chance that Ruler might have been summoned, given the irregularities so far. Summoning more then Seven Servants for a Grail War probably breaks some sort of Rule after all. Greater Grail Wars would be an exception, but this clearly isn't that".
"If it was Ruler, then why are they standing there watching, not looking into things?"
"The fact a Grail War happened here at all is an irregularity. This city also seems to be an irregularity in itself, there is an unusually high number of Magecraft shops in the area, plenty of Magecraft supplies come through here, yet its just gone unnoticed until now. Someone deliberately kept it off the map and radar until now, which begs the question: how long has this been planned?"
"Should I use my Noble Phantasm to investigate?" Flat asked. Waver shook his head.
"Not yet. I want to gather more data first. That Noble Phantasm works better the more information you collect beforehand after all".
"I gotta say, I didn't expect Noble Phantasms to be so diverse. I always thought they were all about battle, but to think information gathering and even healing Noble Phantasms existed too".
Hmm? Hold on...
"Flat, you should already know and remember this. Especially if you managed to make it to the Throne of Heroes..."
"Ah, sorry. Since I came from the future, it looks like the Grail War might have taken some of my memories".
"Probably to protect the timeline...very well".
Waver looked over, as the magical construct continued to form.
"Still, I must say. This is quite the unexpected Noble Phantasm you have".
"I ended up with quite a few, even if they are just advanced and fancy Magecraft".
Waver rubbed his temples once more.
"...this feels like a premonition that you continue to be a major headache for me in the future".
Suddenly, Flat stopped moving and looked out, in the direction of the city.
"What is it?"
"The leylines just surged again".
"Another summoning?"
"Maybe...but not quite. More like...spawning. It feels different...darker even".
Kuro and Shiro were busy buying some supplies for Shiro, including his own sleeping bag, when they suddenly felt something. A reverberation.
"What was that?"
"Something just reverberated in the leyline...it felt like something similar to a bounded field was just set up around the city...perhaps even larger".
Gilgamesh and Ayumi also felt it.
"It appears something troublesome is arriving".
"The leylines, they seem to be surging on their own. I cant pinpoint a direct event causing things".
Elle Puc and Astolfo paused as well.
"Not good".
"Indeed. It appears the Grail War, and everyone's abuse on the system, has caused quite a few problems".
Assassin paused, shocked.
"What was that feeling? It was weirdly familiar?"
"The leylines just surged again. New problems are developing" the synthetic voice said.
"Anotther Servant?"
"Maybe, but analytical data suggests this method was different from a normal summoning. It could be a natural response from everyone's abuse of the system, or it could be someone plotting something in secret. Whatever the case, we need to hurry".
Matou and Lancer meanwhile, felt the disturbance as well.
"Master, that feeling...something evil stirs, we must defeat it".
"Stop Lancer, if we rush in there we might get caught in another battle with all those servants. Besides, you are an executioner, not an investigator".
Hearing those words, Lancer stopped for a moment.
"...apologies, master. But we cant just let this evil go unchecked".
"Says the one whose actions resulted in a great deal of evil" Matou said, a twisted look on his face. "Leave it to those capable of investigation. When they corner it, and they fight each other, we can just crush both sides then and there, eliminating the evil and our opponents in the Grail War. After all, killing andd causing death are your specialties".
Lancer grimanced, remembering a painful memory.
"Yes, master. You are right".
"Of course I am, I am the rightful heir to the Matou line, even if my family was sidelined and ostracized unjustly. Thats why you have to help me grant my wish right? So we can both set our foul deeds right? Why you have to listen to me and do what I say?"
Lancer wiped away a tear, and she turned and nodded. "Yes, master".
"Good. After all, we have that annoying fake lord, El Melloi II, or rather, Waver Velvet in the Grail War. Investigations are his specialty, he will surely find out what is going on. And when he and the evil is weak, we can crush both those bugs into dust! Hahahahaha!"
Director Hashiyama was just arriving in the command center, with Saber and his second in command walking in with him.
"What is going on?"
"Leylines surged! For a moment, summoning energy was everywhere, all across the city, but then a bounded field emerged and engulfed a large area, with the city as its center".
"What about summonings themselves?"
"Only faint traces, some more servants may have been summoned, but we cant be sure. All of our magical energy sensors were overloaded".
"Sir, we have a problem! Right before the bounded field, I got a confirmation about a special type of Command Spell being used from the Grail itself!"
"From the grail itself?"
"Yes sir, which means..."
"A Ruler has been summoned" Hashiyama muttered. "Our summoning should still be legitimate, but we need confirmation on the Ruler's identity. If they are known to have personality traits or ideals that clash with ours, that would end up being problematic".
"Sir, its possible that our location may have also been leaked as well. The disruption did center around the Grail after all".
"Shore up our defenses and go to orange alert. Enact vigilance protocol. Make it so even Assassin cannot sneak his way in here".
Director Hashiyama turned around and entered a specific room, full of computer equipment. Servers, towers, sheer processing power. The room was chillier too, kept cooler to keep everything running well.
"Tell me Mirror Mirror on the wall, what do you know of the possibilities emerging?"
"Command accepted. Generating vectors" a computerized voice said. "Error. Not enough data to form guaranteed accurate forecast. Do you still wish to know the results?"
"Yes".
"As of right now, according to analysis index, you have an 85% chance of defeating Berserker, Rider, Archer, and Lancer. Castor and Assassin are too unknown, and Castor likely does not use a weapon. Require input of Saber's data to..."
"No. Continue without".
"Understood. Based on recovered surveilance footage and spy magecraft, Assassin did not appear on any security camera, and no security guard or even Servant or Automaton was able to see it. Only the target, Master of Archer, was able to see it, although her servant apparently could attack it".
"What assassin possesses such an ability?"
"Unknown. Without data from the person who experienced it, algorithms cannot calculate with reasonable accuracy, or at all really".
"Stupid tool. But I suppose its still useful" he muttered to himself. He wished they could have made it smarter, a true AI, like the Kurogami's could do with their magecraft, but they weren't anywhere near as good, especially with stolen tech. He had hoped for more from this system though.
"As for the leyline surge, multiple things were indeed summoned. However, it is unknown exactly what form they took without more data".
"Clarify".
"Based on some of the locations where it spiked the highest, it seems highly unlikely that a master would summon a servant there. As such, either Servants without Masters may have been summoned, or...something else entirely".
Something else entirely? What could that mean?
A couple, happily walking through an alley on their way home. The sun was beginning to set, the last vestiges of light fading away unto the darkness of night.
As they walked, they found themselves suddenly facing a strange figure. They both went wide eyed in shock.
"Wh-what is that, some sort of costume? No, no, stay away!"
"A-a-a monster! Someone, help!"
By the next morning, the two were found...their hearts ripped out of their bodies, entirely missing from the scene.