February 3rd, 2007

Illyasviel von Einzbern was getting sick and tired of being poked and prodded to get moving in the war. As if she had any need to rush. In fact, she had all reason she needed to wait. It wasn't cowardice that held her back, or a lax attitude like her two... helpers... claimed. Sella just didn't understand but she also didn't have the same goals.

Sella and Illya's other homunculus maid/bodyguard, Leysritt, had been assigned to her to guard her until her time came to become the Holy Grail's vessel and, to that end, advise her on magecraft and tactics. As if Illya wasn't already a hundred times more capable on her own than the two of them combined. Illya didn't care about the Holy Grail or the war, though. All she wanted was her revenge, and she already had everything she needed, or wanted, to achieve that end.

"Mistress Illyasviel, regardless of Heracles's strength as a Servant, it is foolishness not to summon an Else-Servant when the opportunity presents itself!" Sella almost yelled at her.

"I don't need one, I have the strongest Servant already. Another would just get in the way," Illya told her, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"The Else-Servant doesn't even need to fight if you don't want them to. They can sit back and protect you while Heracles crushes everything in his path. Other Masters have been confirmed to have summoned two Servants, if they plan it right, they'll distract one Servant and attack the Master with ease!"

"No, they can't. Berserker won't let anything happen to me." She failed to keep the scorn out of her voice this time.

Sella didn't really deserve it, she didn't understand Berserker. She saw the strongest hero and the Madness Enhancement and nothing else. She didn't know what had happened in the woods outside her home. She didn't know Berserker saw her as a second chance, a new daughter to protect after his failures in life. Berserker wouldn't let so much as a single mosquito bite her.

"With all due respect, surely you don't mean to imply that you're handicapping yourself for the entire Holy Grail War?!" Sella all but spluttered.

That was it.

"Fine!" she snapped, "I'm going to go crush multiple Servants tonight and prove it to you that this is the best way!"

Of course she wouldn't harm Shirou or his Servant. Not until he summoned his Else-Servant. She had to crush him when he was at the maximum he could achieve, or none of this would have any point. Then maybe the shadows would stop whispering.

"Wow, it's cold." Rin said, shivering. She'd expected it to be warmer in Emiya's house. "Hey, this window pane is completely smashed!" she pointed out, noticing it.

"That's hardly my fault, I got attacked by that Lancer guy," Emiya protested. "Wait, you fought him on your own until you summoned Saber?" Rin asked, that should be impossible, she'd had no idea Emiya was a mage at all though... he might be capable of incredible spells.

"I was too busy getting my butt kicked to fight," he said.

"Huh... you're not even trying to brag," she said, impressed by his humility, "Well well, it looks like what you see is really what you get with you."

That one statement ruled out a popular theory among those that didn't like Emiya at school: that he did all the things he did for the recognition and fame. He'd survived an attack from a great hero of legend, luck didn't pull you through something like that, he had to have great instincts at the least, but he'd straight up told her he'd been helpless while wearing a face that said he'd hated it. Well, anyone would hate that, feeling helpless, but most people would try and spin it to the best light they could.

Emiya invited everyone inside and prepared tea, which was also fairly impressive, the guy had cuts all over his body, judging by the blood, but he didn't seem to feel them. Or maybe he possessed a self-healing ability? Well, regardless of his powers as a mage, he clearly knew nothing of the Holy Grail War or Servants. She wasn't going to let him enter the war without know what it was he was getting into.

"Let's get down to business," she stated, "You have now idea what you're caught up in, do you?"

Emiya just nodded affirmation.

"To be blunt, you've been chosen as a Master," Rin started, "Have you noticed Stigmata somewhere on your body?"

There was no proof that Command Seals only appeared on the hand/arm of Masters, though Rin had never actually heard of them being elsewhere.

"Stigmata?" Emiya asked, confused.

"She's referring to the Command Seals, Shirou," Saber said from her place beside him. She'd taken her armor off and was sitting to the side and slightly behind her Master. Archer was outside. On the roof if Rin wasn't mistaken. She gave Shirou a look that said he should already know this. Well, he had accidently used one on her.

"O-oh, this?" Emiya asked, holding up his left hand where a set of red Command Seals rested. One was used, of course.

"Yes," Rin told him, "Those mark you as a Master. They're also spells to control your Servant. So, as long as you still have those, you can keep your Servant under control." If you're not careless with the commands themselves, she thought wryly.

"What do you mean 'as long as I still have them?" Emiya asked, well that was fair, she hadn't explained that.

"Command Seals are inviolatable orders. Those marks are spells that can force your Servant to obey, even if it means bending them to your will. Saber broke off her attack earlier, remember? However, you only get three inviolatable orders, so try not to waste them. You'll probably be killed if you use them all, so I suggest you be careful with them."

Emiya looked up sharply, "I'll be killed?"

"That's right" she said, he needed to know what it was he was getting into, if she could scare him enough, he might decide to leave the war and survive, "The Holy Grail War is based around Masters defeating other Masters. The Master who defeats the other six gets the Holy Grail, which can grant any wish.

"Hey, hold on a second, what do you mean 'Holy Grail'?" Shirou interrupted her. Really, that was what he latched onto?

"To make a long story short, you've gotten dragged into a ritual," she answered him, "one called the Holy Grail War, fought by seven Masters, a battle to the death between mages." She said it with absolute calm, she couldn't allow him to see that it fazed her to talk about death this way. The Grail War didn't actually have to end with any Masters dead, but it was a legitimate strategy and you could never bet on mages not being heartless.

"Come on, do you really expect me to believe all this?" Shirou asked, he looked more angry than incredulous, maybe this was working.

"I'm simply laying out the facts" she told him, not strictly true, but she was proud of how her voice stayed cold and distant, as if she didn't care. As if she was just letting him know what he'd been pulled into. Any moment now he'd ask for a way out and she'd provide it. Then Emiya would be safe. She kept pushing: "Besides, it should be clear even to you, you've almost been killed by a Servant not once, but twice." He stiffened, and something occurred to her, if he started to think of the Servants as people helpful, self-giving Emiya might try to stay just to help his Servant.

"Convinced yet? I'm another mage chosen to be a Master. Think of your Servant as a familiar granted to you by the Holy Grail to help you survive the war."

He looked at Saber, "She doesn't look much like a familiar to me."

"Of course not, Servants are technically familiars, but they're superhuman beings, heroes from the past..." her words trailed off as a problem she hadn't solved yet came up, "At least... most of them are."

Saber stiffened where she was sitting, and Emiya looked confused. As well he should be.

"Something's gone wrong with this Grail War, and more Servants are appearing than normal," she tried to explain.

"Else-Servants" Saber said, "Heroes from other worlds, other realities, with no way of knowing who they are or what they might be capable of."

Saber seemed as vexed as Rin felt by the oddity.

"One appeared when I summoned my Archer, an Else-Caster. He told me his name but no such man does or ever did exist on our world," she said, then remembered she was trying to make Shirou see that he shouldn't participate, "A Grail War is already one of the most dangerous mage rituals, but this makes it... much worse."

"So, Saber isn't your name?" Shirou asked his Servant.

"I am a hero from this world's past, but because revealing our True Names might tell our opponents too much about us, we use our classes as titles. Hence, I would ask you to please continue to call me Saber, Master."

Shirou nodded in understanding and acquiescence, and Rin continued the explanation, "The Servants from other worlds are called Else-Servants, but they don't really need to use those titles the same way the natural Servants do, unless the Else-Servants are being pulled from the same world... I've only actually met my own Else-Servant, so I can't really be sure about that."

"So if Saber and Lancer are classes, what are the others?" Shirou asked.

"There are seven classes in total, and each of the seven Masters summon from that pool of seven: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Since the Else-Servants are being summoned, there will be..."

"Ruler" Saber said, cutting her off.

Rin blinked, "What?"

"There's another class: Ruler. A Servant summoned by the grail to be it's judicator when something goes very wrong. When the Else-Servants started appearing, the Grail began preparations to summon a Ruler. I don't know where they are, but by now they'll have been summoned."

Rin had never heard of more classes than the seven, only... now she thought about it, Else-Caster and Archer had mentioned something about a Ruler that first night she'd summoned them, but so much else had been going on she'd forgotten to ask about it.

"Well, anyway, there will be an Else-Servant for each of the classes as well, minus the Ruler I guess. Which I means there should be fifteen Servants, and all but your own either want you dead, or at least won't stop anyone else from killing you."

Shirou still looked like he didn't understand the half of what was being said, but his eyes told Rin that he'd been paying attention. It was just that terms were being used he didn't know the meaning of. It seemed he wasn't stupid at least.

"I don't completely follow, but it sounds like this... Holy Grail War is... causing more problems than normal?" Not stupid at all, he was surprisingly sensitive to the mood of a place, for a guy at least.

"That remains to be seen, but possibly. This is really no place for novice mages, but you're in it now and I've already told you all I really know. If you want to know more, we should go talk to the overseer. He knows all there is to know about a Grail War, and he might know more about this Else-Servant business besides."

She rose to leave, the faster this was dealt with the better. One talk with that man, and Shirou would want out of anything he was involved in.

"Wait, now?" Shirou asked, looking at the clock, but it's so late."

"What, you won't go?" she asked, intentionally reading more into his words than were strictly there, "If you say so, that's your call. What about you Saber?" "Leave Saber out of this," he said, standing.

"OH, so you do think like a Master!" she said in mock surprise, then put on a suggestive face, "You don't want me talking to Saber?"

"Why would I care?!" he asked, clearly both upset and embarrassed by her implications. Perfect.

Shirou turned and muttered something to himself that she couldn't quite make out.

Then he turned back to her, "Anyway, Saber's a hero from the past right? So she's not going to be able to make sense of the modern world." "That is not true, Shirou," Saber put in, "Servants adapt to whatever time period they find themselves in. As such I am quite familiar with this era."

"You're familiar with it? Really?" "Of course, this is also not the first time that I have been summoned to this time." That tidbit caught Rin completely off guard, and she spoke without thinking: "No way! What are the odds?"

Saber stood, expression still very serious, "So, where are we going?"

"The church in New City," Rin answered.

"So that's the plan to build up the mana I need to power you and Rider," Shinji said.

His Else-Assassin had listened intently and quietly, and only now that his explanation was complete did she speak, she really was perfect, "Master, do I surmise correctly that this plan will catch even your friends in it's net?"

"Uh... yeah I guess. I don't really have any real friends, none of them treat me with the respect I deserve, but there are some people there that I've had some fun with. Mostly it's people who ignore and ridicule me though."

"Perhaps you did not mention because you felt it is not my business, in which case I apologize, but I assume you've laid plans to keep these certain people, as well as your teammate sister, away from the danger?"

Shinji stopped, he hadn't at all really. Hmm... there were certain people he could keep as an ally... Rider had reported that both Tohsaka and Emiya were Masters, Tohsaka he'd known would have had to be, but Emiya was a complete surprise. He was supposed to work with Sakura, but the little monster had only summoned another little monster, he wasn't going to bother with her.

"There are some plans being laid, Else-Assassin, but it depends largely on them. If they won't work with me, it's their own fault what happens to them," he said.

It wasn't a lie, he'd just only made those plans between her asking him and him answering her.

The maid nodded, "As Master says, if they will not accept my Master's grace, they cannon blame him for what happens." Shinji smiled, he really had pulled the perfect Servant.

"You don't have to fight, you know," Sans said.

Sakura looked up at him, it had only been a few hours since she'd summoned the odd skeleton Else-Archer, but she'd already explained much of her circumstances to him.

"I wish I could believe that," she told him.

His skull for a head couldn't give much in the way of facial expressions, yet the fact that he always appeared to be grinning worked nicely with the mischievous tone he used now: "I was supposed to guard the gate to the Underworld, but I didn't want to kill anybody. So I slacked off, made pathetic puzzles and traps that would never have stumped or caught anyone. I think my brother caught on eventually, but even he thought it was just me being lazy. He never realized it was because I'd promised to protect, rather than harm, anyone who came through. Only two people ever knew what I was about. I bet we could pull something similar for this Grail War thingy."

Sakura considered, Sans must've led an interesting life to have a story like that. It might work… if Grandfather actually thought she was trying but incompetent. She was still worried and anxious about it but, as she nodded to her Servant, half a smile graced her lips.

The Bounded Field let Kirei Kotomine know when Rin Tohsaka and the boy from her school stepped onto the church grounds. The boy who'd summoned the Saber Servant that perfectly matched the Saber Servant from the previous Grail War. An interesting coincidence that, and Kirei intended to discover if it was more than coincidence.

The Saber Servant stayed outside the gate for some reason, while the Archer perched atop the roof of the building. Likely a good place for an Archer. A pity Lancer had failed to determine the true name of either Servant he'd faced tonight, while being identified by both, though even Kirei agreed that second one truly was just ill luck. No matter, if he needed to crush them he could. His Else-Servant longed to be... set lose.

The large doors to the church opened, and he set down the Bible he'd been reading from, "You never accepted my repeated invitations, and now here you are with an odd guest," he turned to face the two teenagers, "I take this means he is the seventh, Rin?"

The boy glanced back at Rin before stepping forward, Kirei decided to learn his name, "My name is Kirei Kotomine. What is your name, seventh Master?"

"Shirou Emiya," he answered with a tone somewhere between hesitant and curt.

"Emiya," Kirei only barely managed to keep the surprise out of his voice, but long practice saved him.

It couldn't possibly be, could it? The adopted son of his great antithesis joining the Holy Grail War? This was far too great an opportunity. He suddenly realized he was chuckling, and stopped it. It wouldn't do to frighten the boy off.

"Which Servant or Servants did you summon then, Shirou Emiya?"

"I made a pact with Saber," he said, his voice was certainly curt this time, it seemed Kirei had managed to put his hackles up, "but all this stuff about Masters and the Holy Grail War is gibberish to me. If a Master is supposed to be a proper mage, you really ought to pick someone else." Well, that could be a problem. If Emiya's son wanted out... well at least his objection was fruitless either way.

"I see, this is serious indeed," he said, knowing both of them would misunderstand him.

"You need to start from square one with him," Rin said, proving his thoughts.

"Oh? Very well. This is the first time you've come to me for assistance," he said, as expected, she didn't much like having that thrown in her face. Oh that fruit was almost ripe for the picking, after ten years of careful tending, it would taste sweet indeed.

"Shirou Emiya, the status of Master cannot be yielded to another and, once conferred, it is not something one can walk away from. Being a Master is a trail you have been chosen to undergo. You will not be freed from that pain until you win the Grail. This battle you find yourself caught up in is called the Holy Grail War."

"Some crazy thing where seven Masters fight to the death, right?" he said, curtness gone from his voice, replaced by defiance. Good.

"It is a ritual meant to select the one worthy of holding the Holy Grail," Kirei corrected.

"This 'Holy Grail' you keep talking about, you don't mean the Holy Grail, right?"

A fair question, in all honesty, only a true answer would likely scare Emiya off. Kirei had to know if the son was as... incredible as the father.

"The Grail that appears in this town is the genuine article. For proof, one doesn't need look further than the fabulous miracle of the Servants. A Holy Grail capable of that will surly grant its holder limitless power. The item's authenticity is irrelevant in the face of such a fact," he answered.

"Why make people go through this Holy Grail War thing then? If it's that powerful, why not just share it?" the boy countered.

Fascinating, no such question could be asked with any understanding of the war, but the boy had none and this question revealed a good deal about his character. He just might be what his father had been.

"A fair opinion, but only one may win the Grail. It is not we who decided that, but rather the Grail itself."

"The Grail decided it?" Emiya sounded unbelieving.

"This is all the work of the Grail itself. It selects it's one true owner by having the Masters fight over it. That is the Holy Grail War."

The boy glanced at his Command Seals, and Kirei noticed that one was already missing, before responding, "I'm still not convinced. Even if only one can be chosen, I don't like the idea that that person has to kill the other Masters."

Rin suddenly burst in: "Hold on, we don't have to kill each other, Emiya."

"It is a fight to the death." Kirei objected.

"Hush Kirei!" Rin shouted angrily, and Kirei suspected he now understood why Rin had brought Shirou Emiya here. She turned back to Emiya, "Listen, the Holy Grail that appears in this town is a spiritual object. If it's intangible, we can't touch it."

Shirou's face gave away understanding immediately and Rin continued, "That's right, the point of the Holy Grail War is to get rid of all the other Master's Servants. Which means there is no rule saying you have to kill the other Masters."

She was trying to help Emiya work past the need to kill living people as opposed to familiars, that much was clear. But her explanation, while all true, left out something simple. It was time to test Shirou Emiya's nerve.

"Shirou Emiya, if I may ask, do you think that you can defeat your Servant?"

The boy made a noise of incredulity and Kirei push forward, "Servants are difficult to defeat, even with Servants. What to do, then? The answer is simple, is it not? No matter how powerful the Servant, if the Master is killed, the Servant vanishes with him. In which case..."

"Killing the Master is the quickest way," Shirou Emiya finished, he did not look happy with the thought, but the boy was clearly no idiot.

"Exactly," Kirei confirmed.

"But what about the opposite, where the Master's Servant is destroyed first?" he asked, this boy certainly left no stone unturned, "Only Servants can touch the Grail right? So a Master who's lost his Servant no longer has any value."

"No, as long as his Command Seals remain, so do his rights as a Master. This means that if there were a Servant that had lost it's Master and had nowhere to go, it would still have a chance to rejoin the battle. It is for that reason the Masters kill Masters."

Emiya took a determined expression and raised his hand with the Command Seals on them, "Then what would happen if I used all pf my Command Seals right now?"

Rin looked at him with horror on her face, but she only saw as a mage did. Command Seals when used were almost on the level of true magic. Even if the target of those spells was already set, that was a gift, a power, every mage dreamed of. But Emiya, who clearly only dabbled with magecraft and did not take it very seriously (at least compared to mages), could see their lack of value outside of the Holy Grail War. Not an idiot at all.

"Wait, that's..." Rin began, but Kirei cut her off.

"True, your rights as a Master would be lost. Although I cannot imagine a mage using magic as powerful as Command Seals in such a wasteful manner," Kirei began to walk around the building, as if considering, "If there where, he would either be a novice, or a merely a coward."

Emiya clearly saw the simple manipulation, and made a sound of anger.

Kirei chuckled just a moment before continuing, "Have I convinced you? Then let us go back to the beginning. If you insist on forfeiting your rights as a Master, you may do so. Simply use up your Command Seals and break your pact with Saber. If you do so, I will guarantee your safety until the Holy Grail War ends."

"Why would I need you to guarantee my safety?!" Emiya asked in an angry tone.

Perfect, the true manipulation was ready, now: "I was dispatched here to oversee the series of Holy Grail Wars, safeguarding mages who are no longer Masters is the overseer's top priority."

"Series? Hang on, the Holy Grail War didn't start just now?" the boy asked, taking the bait.

"This is the fifth, the previous was ten years ago, making this the shortest cycle yet." Kirei answered, hiding his smile. He might not have tracked Kiritsugu's life after it was clear he'd lost his fighting spirit, but he knew what event had triggered that loss, and what event had led to the adoption of a small boy Kirei had never learned the name of.

"This has happened four times before?" Emiya asked, as if incredulous anyone would allow that.

"Yes. Each time the Holy Grail War has grown ever more brutal. Driven by their desires, Masters have engaged in indiscriminate slaughter," well, only two Masters to Kirei's direct knowledge, but it was still true.

"Indiscriminate slaughter..." the boy repeated softly, then louder: "Then what would happen if the guy who wins the Grail is a completely evil?"

"It is beyond our ability to stop the one whom the Grail has chosen. After all, it is the all-powerful chalice that grants any wish. If you do not wish that to happen, Shirou Emiya, then win it yourself. If you win, at the very least it will not go to an indiscriminate killer, yes?"

The boy's hands tightened into fists at his side but he answered in the negative despite it all: "I have no reason to fight."

Kirei did not expect that, but he had one last card to play.

"Oh, so you have no interest in what the holder of the Grail does, even if there is a disaster as a result?"

"That's not-" The boy started, but Kirei didn't let him continue.

"If you have no reason to fight, fine. Then you also have no interest in the events of ten years ago?"

"Ten years ago?" he asked, finally catching on.

"Indeed," Kirei said, turning his back to hide a smile he couldn't prevent, "At the end of the previous Grail War, an unworthy Master touched the Grail. I know not what that Master wished for, all that is clear is the aftermath of the disaster that resulted." "Wait a minute... I don't believe it... are you saying..." He sounded shaken, just as Kirei had hoped, possibly re-experiencing some traumatic memories.

"I am," he said in answer, "The New City fire, whose cause remains unknown, is the aftermath of the Holy Grail War." The boy had to catch himself on on of the pews.

"Emiya?!" Rin sounded surprised, well, she couldn't know the boy was that very fire's sole survivor.

Emiya held up a hand to forestall any further concern and stood back up, "You said this one is the fifth time, right? Has anyone ever won the Grail, then?"

"One man did indeed hold the Grail, however briefly."

"What happened to him?"

"Nothing," Kirei said, managing to keep out the bitterness, "The Grail did not achieve completion. The result of a foolish man letting sentiment get the better of him," he failed to keep all emotion out of his voice that time, he needed to get back on track, "Simply making the Grail appear is trivial, once seven Masters are gathered, the Grail will appear in time. As Rin says, it is not necessary to slay the other Masters but, unless you do so, the Grail will not be complete. It chooses the Master who is worthy of it. That is why this man, who avoided fighting, did not win the Grail."

"Humph," Rin interjected, "In other words, even if you do get the Grail, it's pointless unless you finish off the other Masters. The Master who was the first to get his hands on the Grail in the last war was weak."

"That is all I have to say. Decide here and now if you will participate in the Holy Grail War, Shirou Emiya," Kirei said, his hook was cast, any more would harm his chances of success. The boy didn't look happy about it, but he did agree and, as he walked the two children out of the church, he gave the boy one piece of encouragement, "Rejoice, boy, your wish has been granted."

When Emiya looked back as him quizzically, Kirei elaborated: "Surely you realized, your wish cannot come true without a clear and distinct villain. Even if you refuse to admit it, a hero of justice must have a villain to defeat."

With those ominous words ringing in his ears, Shirou walked back to the gate where Saber waited. The worst part was how much sense it made, if the world had no wrongdoers, there could be no heroes. But phrasing it like that made Shirou feel... dirty somehow. He certainly didn't wish for villains to exist... did he?

"Shirou, have you concluded your business here?" Saber asked him.

"Yeah," he answered. He really hated this, everything that priest said followed a kind of logic Shirou couldn't argue with, but the conclusions he reached were... distasteful was an understatement.

"And?" Saber asked.

He turned to her, if he was going to do this thing, he might as well start fresh with his Servant, whatever pact they'd made was done in necessity more than agreement, "I've decided to fight as a Master. Will you consent to me being your Master, Saber?"

"My consent is irrelevant, Master," she said with a smile on her face, "You have been my Master from the beginning. Did I not swear to you that my body would be your blade?" Her tone almost made Shirou smile despite everything, "Right, in that case... I will be your Master," he resolved, holding out his hand, "I'll be counting on you, Saber." She looked oddly at his outstretched hand.

"What? We're not supposed to shake hands?" he asked.

"No, that is not it," she said reassuringly, "I was not expecting it, so I was startled." She took his bare hand in her gauntleted one, "Allow me to renew my vow: as long as there are Command Seals on your body, mine will be your blade.

If the Holy Grail was what caused the fire ten years ago, I can't let anything like that happen ever again, he hold himself, pushing down the tiny voice that now whispered that he'd wanted this chance, that he had indeed wished for it from his heart.

Rin was not happy, sure Shirou seemed to be in better spirits after leaving the church and talking with Saber, but she'd wanted him out of the war, not doubling down on it! Still... she'd taken him there, she should've known Kirei wouldn't do as expected, but deftly manipulating him like that... he'd somehow gotten a read on Shirou she couldn't follow. No use crying over spilt milk, there was another way to make Shirou leave the war. She stopped in the street.

"Tohsaka?" Shirou asked, behind her.

"No offense," she said, "But go home by yourself." "Huh?" he asked, clearly not following her meaning.

Rin turned to him, "I brought you here because you weren't officially my enemy yet. But now you're a fellow Master, Emiya."

"I have no intention of fighting you, Tohsaka," he said casually, what was wrong with this idiot? "I should've known..." she lamented, not bothering to hide her exasperation, "Sheesh, why did I even bother bringing you here?" Archer suddenly appeared behind her, only half facing them, "Rin" he said.

"What?" she asked him.

"If presented with an enemy that is easy to slay, we ought to do so," he said.

"You don't have to tell me that," she said, bitterly.

"If you understand then take action. Or what, you going to take pity on that boy again?"

He waited, but Rin couldn't think of an answer in time and he spoke again," Just as I thought, that is the case."

"Wha-! Of course not!" she yelled, though the truth was even more embarrassing, "I just... I owe him you know. I can't fight him with a clear conscience until I repay him."

"Humph, making this difficult again," he said, turning his head away, "In that case, call me when you've repaid this debt of yours." He vanished into spirit form again.

"Debt?" Shirou asked, "Do you mean...?" "Yes," she said, cutting him off, "Accidental or not, you used a Command Seal to stop Saber. So I have to go easy on you to balance the scales."

"You get hung up on the weirdest things, Tohsaka," he said, well at least he didn't know what had happened well before that.

"I know that, but I have no choice. I hate being in someone's debt." "You're a decent person aren't you, Tohsaka," he said.

"Smooth talk won't make me go easy on you," she countered.

"I know that, but I don't want us to be enemies if I can help it. I like people like you." he said, and so help her she thought he actually meant it, which only made her even more embarrassed than she already was!

She sat there, stunned into silence, as he started walking again, trailed by Saber, "See you around!" he said cheerfully.

Then Saber suddenly spun, sensing the danger that Rin herself had sensed at the same moment.

"So, are you done chatting?" the little girl said. She was wearing winter clothing far too heavy for the current weather, but she was very short, she had to be younger than Rin and Shirou, and had long white hair. But that wasn't the important thing.

"Berserker..." she said aloud. It didn't really matter if that thing standing more than double it's Master's height was the Else-Berserker or the normal one: it had to be a Berserker.

It was still mostly shrouded in the night and light mist, but she could sense it's stats, as all Masters could, and... and...

"Good evening, brother. This is the second time we've met like this," the little girl said with a smile.

Rin didn't really process it, though. It was still trying to understand that monster behind her.

The girl walked forward, into the light, and did a perfect curtsy, "It's nice to meet you, Rin. My name is Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern," she looked up, "The Einzbern, you know the name, don't you?"

That did manage to pull her attention from Berserker, "Einzbern..." she said. She did know it. Einzbern was the name of one of the founding creators of the Holy Grail War. She'd known she'd likely have to deal with one in this Grail War and that they'd likely be her toughest opponent, but this... she checked again the creature's stats.

"In terms of raw ability... that thing outclasses Saber," she said, disbelieving, but saying it anyway for Shirou's benefit.

"It's incredible," Archer said, though he was still invisible, "That one Servant could face the other six alone."

"Meaning that this isn't an opponent we can beat using brute force, huh," Rin agreed, "Archer, you should use your classes usual methods," he couldn't 'pretend to be a swordsman', as Lancer had put it, for this fight.

"What about defense?" he asked, this time speaking in her mind instead of aloud, " I doubt you could stop it if it charges."

Illya had seemed to be admiring her Servant, but she turned back to them again, smiling cutely like a child showing off her favorite toy.

"There's three of us," she said aloud, resigning herself to working with Emiya for this, there really was no other way, "We'll be able to hold him off at least." " Understood ," Archer said, and Rin felt his presence growing further away.

"Master" Stark, her Else-Caster spoke in her mind, " Given what Red Flag just said, are you in trouble?" "Can you fight yet?" she asked.

"Not at full capacity yet, but I have some operational equipment. I'm on my way ."

Servant Compendium

Saber Servant

True Name - ?

Noble Phantasm

Invisible Air (Barrier of the Wind King) - Rank: C - Anti-Personnel - A super-dense sheath of compressed wind mana that distorts sight, bending it around the sheathed item and rendering it completely invisible and dangerous to touch. When the spell (Noble Phantasm) is released all at once instead of decompressed slowly, it becomes a projectile attack called Strike Air (Hammer of the Wind King).

?

Skills

Magic Resistance A - Grants a small protection against incoming magical effects, most modern mages will be unable to produce anything powerful enough to bypass.

Riding B - A skill that expands the ability in riding from Servant's natural mounts to other possible mounts (i.e. a Servant born before the 1900s will be able to instinctively drive modern vehicles). At higher levels, this even allows the Servant to enhance the mount, increasing speed, stamina, or durability. A separate skill is require for riding dragons.

Charisma B - A skill that composites natural charm as well as natural talent in leading others, it increases all ally Servant's skills a small amount in team battles.

Instinct A - Allows the Servant to identify 'the best personal course of action' in battle. Because this skill enables the prediction of trajectory, it is possible to use it to avoid projectiles.

Mana Burst A - Grants the ability to instantly infuse a Servant's body and/or weapons with a large amount of mana all at once, granting an incredible increase in stats, for a short time.

Stats

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Agility: C

Mana: B

Luck: B

Archer Servant

True Name - ?

Skills

Independent Action B - Allows the Servant to exist and even fight for a time with little to no mana supply.

Magic Resistance D - Grants a small protection against incoming magical effects, most modern mages will be unable to produce anything powerful enough to bypass.

Clairvoyance C - Improves vision and accuracy to match the increased strength of a Servant's body.

Mind's Eye (True) B - Allows the Servant to calmly assess the situation in the heat of battle, letting them both think carefully and fight at the same time.

?

?

?

Stats

Strength: D

Endurance: C

Agility: C

Mana: B

Luck: E

Else-Archer Servant

True Name - Sans

Noble Phantasm

?

?

?

?

Skills

Independent Action A - Allows the Servant to exist and even fight for a time with little to no mana supply.

Magic Resistance C - Grants a small protection against incoming magical effects, most modern mages will be unable to produce anything powerful enough to bypass.

Clairvoyance D - Improves vision and accuracy to match the increased strength of a Servant's body.

Mana Burst C - Grants the ability to instantly infuse a Servant's body and/or weapons with a large amount of mana all at once, granting an incredible increase in stats, for a short time.

Psychokinesis (Earth Attribute) B - A skill that allows the user to forcefully alter a target soul or Spirit Origin's gravity to any direction with a platform to stop them. This effect cannot cause damage and cannot be combined with any form of attack or Noble Phantasm.

Stats

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: A

Mana: B+

Luck: E

Lancer Servant

True Name - Cu Chulainn

Noble Phantasm

Gae Bolg (The Barbed Spear that Pierces With Death) - Rank: B - Anti-Personnel - A single cursed strike that reverses cause and effect. It determines that it has already hit the target's heart and then path to that end is determined to meet the paradox. This can be thwarted with luck or precognition or some other means that interferes with the curse.

?

Skills

Magic Resistance C - Grants a small protection against incoming magical effects, most modern mages will be unable to produce anything powerful enough to bypass.

Battle Continuation A - A skill that both reduces the mortality rate of heavy injuries and allows for the Servant to continue fighting even having sustained mortal injuries up until truly dead.

Disengage C - A skill that aids in breaking safely away from combat or resetting combat conditions.

Divinity B - A skill that measures the Servant's aptitude for being a Divine Spirit, at high levels the Servant is treated as a mixed spirit, a demi-god. It allows the Servant to break through Divine defenses, even as powerful as Protection of the Faith and Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig.

Rune B - Allows for the creation and use of runes in place of magic circuits for casting spells.

Protection from Arrows B - Grants an incredible ability to deal with physical projectiles through means such as predicting the path said projectiles will follow, and sensing the killing intent of the attacker, even if said attacker is unknown and unseen.

Stats

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Agility: A

Mana: C

Luck: E

Caster Servant

True Name - Medea

Noble Phantasm - ?

Skills

Item Construction A - Allows for the manufacture of magic items. Components and time are still required.

Territory Creation A - Allows for the creation of a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself.

High-Speed Divine Words A - Allows for the use of divine language in place of magic circuits for casting spells.

Stats

Strength: E

Endurance: D

Agility: C

Mana: A+

Luck: B

Else-Caster Servant

True Name - Anthony (Tony) Stark

Noble Phantasm -

? - A Noble Phantasm that draws both from the owner's near-infinite wealth in life and a firm grasp of chemistry to grant the ability to transform mana into matter of nearly any form with the limitations of being in individual parts, and created from component elements that could otherwise be found and purchased. This replaces (at least functionally) the Class Skill of Item Construction, as Stark is not a traditional 'Caster' and does not use magic in any form. It is also useless without a high ranking Golden Rule Skill.

Arc Reactor (A Warm Light for all Mankind) - A Noble Phantasm in the form of a mechanical device that uses Vibranium (an element not found in Proper Human History) as the key component to a generator that produces more energy than is required to power it. With one kickstart in power, it will become a power source of self-sustaining clean energy. It does not produce mana (magic energy) and cannot power a Servant's existence or any non-technological skills, Noble Phantasms, etc.

?

Skills

Item Construction E - Allows for the manufacture of magic items. Components and time are still required.

Territory Creation B - Allows for the creation of a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself.

Pioneer of the Stars EX - A skill powerful enough to alter circumstance, it makes paths or challenges that should be 'impossible' turn into 'events that can be realized'.

Golden Rule A - A skill that manifests a Servant's ability or tendency to acquire wealth.

Charisma B - A skill that composites natural charm as well as natural talent in leading others, it increases all ally Servant's skills a small amount in team battles.

?

Stats

Strength: D

Endurance: D

Agility: D

Mana: E

Luck: A

Else-Assassin Servant

True Name: Sakuya Izayoi

Noble Phantasm

Eternal Silver (The Tools of the Perfect Maid) - A simple Noble Phantasm that manifests Sakuya's ability to conjure any number of small throwing knives made of silver for nearly no mana cost at all. The knives must still appear in her hand, but after being thrown she can recycle them and recover the spent mana. Each knife is only rank E.

Eternal Clock (The Ultimate Stopwatch) - A Noble Phantasm in the form of a simple stopwatch that can be activated as long as the user has it on their person. It perfectly stops time itself for everything but the user and the non-living things she's touching. Living things (including Servants) cannot be harmed while time is stopped.

Skills

Presence Concealment C+- - Grants the ability to conceal one's existence as a Servant either in physical or spirit form. At lower ranks this drops while attacking.

Loyalty B - A skill that grants the Servant a increase in effectiveness (depending on rank) to all the Servant's skills and stats while they are dutifully serving their Master. It also provides the same level in demerits while the Servant is working against or outside their Master's needs or wishes.

Stats

Strength: D+-

Endurance: D+-

Agility: C+-

Mana: B+-

Luck: B+-

[New] Berserker Servant

True Name: Heracles

Noble Phantasm

?

?

Skills

Madness Enhancement B - A passive skill that increases a Servant's physical abilities and stats but decreases their mental ability and/or their sense of reason. In some cases, it can even seal away a Servant's skills or Noble Phantasms.

Battle Continuation A - A skill that both reduces the mortality rate of heavy injuries and allows for the Servant to continue fighting even having sustained mortal injuries up until truly dead.

Valor A+ - A skill that negates the effects of metal interference such as pressure, confusion, and fascination. It also as the added bonus of increasing physical attack strength. Not usable under the influence of Madness Enhancement.

Divinity A - A skill that measures the Servant's aptitude for being a Divine Spirit, at high levels the Servant is treated as a mixed spirit, a demi-god. It allows the Servant to break through Divine defenses, even as powerful as Protection of the Faith and Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig.

Mind's Eye (Fake) B - Allows the Servant to foresee/sense and therefore avoid danger via a form of 6th sense. It is so instinctive that it is not hindered by afflictions on the mind or sight, even Madness Enhancement.

Stats

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: B

Else—

True Name: Sephiroth

Noble Phantasm

Black Materia (The Meteor that Breaks the World) - Rank: EX - Anti-Planet - A Noble Phantasm in the shape of a black and purple orb that summons a meteor large enough to break apart a planet.

?

Skills

?

?

?

?

?

?

Mana Burst A - Grants the ability to instantly infuse a Servant's body and/or weapons with a large amount of mana all at once, granting an incredible increase in stats, for a short time.

Psychokinesis (Heaven Attribute) A - A skill that grants the ability to use telekinesis on non-living and living physical objects as long as the Servant can see them and the space they are moving them to. This includes the Servant's own body, but will not work on Servant's spirit forms.

Independent Action A - Allows the Servant to exist and even fight for a time with little to no mana supply.

Stats

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Mana: EX

Luck: A