The sudden appearance of a Servant right outside the Shadow Border was enough to terrify everyone aboard. Looking at each other, unable to speak, all anyone could do was stare until Meuniѐre dashed over to the cameras.
He swore. "Damn it! Somehow they've gotten right in the blind spot! Can't make out even the slightest detail!"
"Interesting." Holmes took a steadying breath before closing his eyes and thinking. "So we cannot see them, yet they have allowed us to detect their presence."
"Are they moving?" Fujimaru asked.
Holmes looked back at the radar and shook his head. "No. They're standing still."
"Why aren't they attacking us?"
"That I cannot say, Mrs. Kyrielight. Perhaps whoever this is doesn't know our precise location?"
"Well," da Vinci said, "they're going to find out one way or another. No matter how well-cloaked we are, we're still giving off magical energy. If they can detect that…"
"Then it's only a matter of time before they sniff us out." Fujimaru slammed his fist into his left hand. "Then we'll have to fight them. Mash, are you recovered enough?"
"Affirmative, Senpai. Exoskeleton is ready to go!"
"Good. What about you, Holmes? You coming with?"
"Of course?" Holmes let out a mirthless laugh. "Who else is there, especially as da Vinci needs to stay on the ship." He turned to her. "The moment we step outside, start the engines. We will escape as soon as we are able."
Suddenly, the door opened. "YOU'LL DO NO SUCH THING!" Goredolf burst into the room, panting. "It's a Lostbelt Servant! Do you really think we can take on something of that nature right now? I mean really, Fujimaru can't even summon any servants yet!"
"Then what?" Meuniѐre challenged. "Do you just want us to sit here and hope that whoever's out there just goes away?"
"We can't do that either! Any action that involves us staying put here is too dangerous - the chance of either Fujimaru or Mash dying is too great." Goredolf gulped loudly before continuing. "Our only option is an emergency dive back into Zero Space. Technical advisor, prepare the Border to dive immediately."
Da Vinci looked at Goredolf, then over at Holmes, and shrugged. "Know what? I'm actually with the director on this one. It'll be a little riskier than normal, but considering the other options it's probably the best thing we can -"
"No. That's the worst thing we can do." Patxi spoke for the first time since the alarms went off, causing everyone on the bridge to turn and stare at him.
The whole time they'd been talking about what to do about their mystery opponent, Patxi had been thinking: the entire thing felt strangely familiar to him somehow, like something he'd seen before. The Servant knows enough about where we are to stay in the blindspot, so it doesn't want to be seen. But it wants us to know we're there, otherwise it wouldn't have let the radar point it out… Damn, why does this feel like something I've done before. It's like… like...
And then, he got it. It's just like going hunting.
"Wh-what in the blazes do you mean, it's the worst possible idea?!" Goredolf looked as though Patxi had just told him to go out and fight the Servant himself. "You don't honestly think we can fight that thing, do you?"
"It's going to come down to a fight either way. The Servant knows we're here."
"Yes, but not exactly according to Holmes."
Patxi shook his head. "No, Mash, it does. Otherwise it would've started moving around, trying to get a more exact fix."
"Maybe it's just being cautious?" Da Vinci suggested.
"No, wait…" Holmes gave a start. "Patxi's right. If it was being that cautious, it would never have let the radar detect it."
"So then what's it just standing there for?" Meuniѐre asked.
"Have any of you ever gone hunting?" Patxi's question was only met with a flurry of shaking heads. "Ok, then. Lots of times, when you're hunting one of the first things you have to do is flush out whatever you're hunting from their hiding space. Then, when they're fleeing, you charge in and attack." He looked over at the radar; the Servant was still in the exact same spot, waiting. Just as he and the other Yaga had done countless times, waiting for just the right opportunity to frighten a Demonic Beast out into the open.
"That's what the Servant's doing: trying to get us to break cover and run. When we do, it'll charge in and attack." He turned to Goredolf. "So it doesn't matter what we do: one way or another, we're going to have to fight that thing. Better to do it on our terms."
Goredolf looked at Holmes and da Vinci, grinding his teeth. "Please tell me he's wrong about this."
"No, I don't think he is." Da Vinci replied. "When you think about it, what Patxi's saying makes too much sense. We have to stand and fight, I'm afraid."
"Maybe we can just fight a little and then retreat once the Border's up to full speed?" Mash suggested. "Like we originally planned?"
"I don't think so." Fujimaru's face had gone taut. "Like the Director said, whatever that Servant out there is they're going to be strong. If we fight them, we're going to have to go at it with everything we've got. No half-measures."
"Then I had best join in the fray, too." Da Vinci stepped up besides Fujimaru. "I may not be able to deploy my Noble Phantasm separated from the Border , but I can still act as extra support. And before you say anything, Goredolf," she glared back at him, "if we lose both our one remaining Master and our only two other Servants, it won't matter if I live or not."
"You sure?"
Da Vinci took Fujimaru's hand in hers. "Absolutely...Master."
They exited the Shadow Border in formation: Mash in the very front, Holmes, da Vinci and Patxi behind her, and Fujimaru in the very back. Facing them was their opponent.
The Servant was dressed in all black from head to toe, complete with a mask covering their entire face; rather than eyes, all Patxi could see were two red lights staring back at them. The servant wielded a blood-red sword, one that they now pointed towards Fujimaru.
"Well, now. I see you have decided to stand and fight." Their voice was deep and full of malice. "I was counting on you all trying to escape while you could. Perhaps you are braver than I anticipated."
"Just lucky enough to have someone that knows a hunter's trap when they see one." Patxi pointed his rifle right back at the Servant.
"Oh? But you are…" The Servant shook their head. "No matter. Humanity's last master, three servants, and a refugee from a world much like this one." The sword dropped into an offensive position. "Let's see if your path will prevail over my own."
The Servant charged. Mash was barely able to raise her shield in time to intercept the sword - one of the Servant's shortswords, Patxi noticed, not the longsword he'd orginially been wielding - before it cleaved her head off, flinching and almost losing her balance under the sheer strength. Again and again the Servant attacked, hacking and slashing and jabbing away at her shield, and each time Mash was barely able to avoid being knocked off her feet. The Servant seemed to sense it and raised his sword for a final strike -
And in that single moment, Holmes leapt in himself, kicking outwards, aiming to sweep the Servant's legs and knock him to the ground. It almost worked and the Servant stumbled for half a heartbeat, and in that time da Vinci followed up Holmes' attack with a blast from her staff. Finally, the Servant was forced to back up.
Perhaps two feet, if that. Then the sword was back out and aimed at Holmes, who dodged around it - right into the path of a second, unseen short sword. Then Holmes grunted and spun to the side, a wave of blood spurting through the air.
"Holmes!"
"I'm fine, Fujimaru!" Holmes got to his feet. "The cut was shallow, and -"
The Servant pounced again, short sword aimed right at Holme's neck -
And was thrown off course at the last moment by Patxi's machete, the impact of the two swords jolting through Patxi's shoulders.
"Brave of you, castaway. But do you really think you can take on a servant?"
"My name is Patxi," he growled, "and I don't care. I won't let you hurt them."
"Heh. I'm afraid that may be beyond your skill level to accomplish."
The two clashed, the Servant's speed against the reflexes Patxi had built up over his years hunting and fighting just to survive. He managed to deflect blow after blow by the skin of his teeth, only managing to respond with his own strike perhaps one time in five, until finally the Servant managed to break through his guard and slash his left shoulder. Patxi cried out, both from the pain of the slash itself and the residual pain it awakened from back in Russia, and slashed back wildly, managing to land a similar cut on his opponent's right shoulder.
It did absolutely nothing. "I see. So you're too weak to harm me after all. How disappointing."
"I am NOT weak!" Patxi yelled before charging in again. This time, rather than raise his own sword, the Servant merely turned, spun out of the way, and tripped Patxi into the snow. Before Patxi could get up, the Servant turned back to his earlier opponents.
By that time Mash had recovered, her shield raised high once again. Fully prepared this time she managed to take the Servant's attacks somewhat easier, and fully dug into the ground with her feet before pushing back with a strike of her own. The Servant flipped through the air and landed some distance back from the Border , and as he advanced again da Vinci began firing off blast after blast of energy, forcing him to zigzag and occasionally fall back. As things went on, Holmes began to chant.
"We shall begin."
The back of the detective's coat unfolded, unveiling some kind of strange machine with a large number of lenses.
"It's quite simple, my friend."
The lenses lit up and focused on the enemy Servant, who stopped and shielded his eyes. In the midst of the confusion Patxi staggered back up and raised his gun back towards him.
" Elementary, my dear. "
Suddenly filled with knowledge he'd not had a second ago, Patxi fired at the bottom of the enemy Servant's neck, where the mask and body armor had seemed to meet. In truth there was a minute gap, Patxi saw now, and it was there that his bullet struck. The Servant flinched and clapped a hand to the spot before looking at his hand and examining it. Even from the distance, Patxi could make out a small amount of blood.
The Servant looked at him. "So...a gun that can harm servants? No, if you had that you wouldn't have bothered with your sword. It was the Noble Phantasm that did all the work. But it has passed, and it will not save you now."
This time, Patxi knew better than to try and meet the sword with his own. So instead he dodged and fell back, running towards Mash. He managed to get behind her shield a hair's breadth ahead of a diagonal slash aimed at his stomach, and the second he did he heard da Vinci shout "Mash, NOW! "
For some reason, the ground under da Vinci lit up. The light shot up and over to Mash, after which the latter rushed forwards and slammed into the enemy Servant with all her might, forcing him back once again.
"Ortinax, commence pseudo-link… Mold ... CAMELOT! "
Mash's shield projected a giant wall, one that the enemy Servant was unable to make the slightest dent in despite swinging at full strength. As the wall began to vanish back into Mash's shield she ran forwards and bashed at the enemy Servant from below, the force and last remnants of the Noble Phantasm combining to send him flying through the air…
Over Mash's head and back towards the Border , landing right next to both Patxi and Fujimaru. The Servant swung out, aiming at both of them, but Patxi managed to dodge once more.
Fujimaru wasn't so lucky.
"Master!"
Fujimaru was trapped in an armlock, a sword at his throat, the enemy Servant standing right in front of the Border 's open door.
"Open this ugly slab up," the Servant called out, "or the kid here will be short a head."
Those still inside complied. The Servant turned to face all those still outside. "You, stay. If the rest of you cooperate, you have my word that I will return your master unharmed, but if any of you pursue he will die."
The two of them vanished through the door.
"Do - do we go after them?" Mash asked, exhausted.
"No." Holmes shook his head. "Our opponent was quite clear as to what would happen, and we lack the strength to prevent that. All we can do for now is wait."
And so they did, for several agonizing minutes, until the door opened again and the Servant stepped out while holding the bronze disk that normally sat in the middle of the Border 's bridge.
Da Vinci gasped. "Is that…"
"It is." The Servant nodded. "Fear not, your Master is safe. The Paper Moon was the price of that."
"How cunning." Holmes was the image of serenity, yet Patxi could see his fists clenched tight. "Truly, your reputation is not unwarranted, Sigurd."
"Ah, so you know who I am. What gave it away?"
Holmes nodded at Sigurd's weapon. "That longsword is Gram, is it not? It is unmistakable."
"It is."
"Why not use it, then? A Demonic Sword like that could have cut through us easily."
Sigurd held up his longsword and studied it. "A fair question. One that I do not feel like answering at this moment." Then he looked down again, straight at Patxi. "You, castaway from another world. Your presence intrigues me. We will meet again...Patxi."
"Have...you... completely lost your mind? " Everyone re-entered the Shadow Border to find Meuniѐre and Goredolf having a shouting match. "You do realize that without the Paper Moon we can't leave, right?"
"Of course, you idiot! What do you think I am, stupid?"
"Well considering you just handed that Servant our only lifeline like it was some kind of Christmas present, I'm really starting to wonder!"
"I did it to save Fujimaru, you imbecile!" Goredolf grabbed Meuniѐre and shook him. "Didn't you hear the Servant? 'Give me the Paper Moon or the kid here dies'. What was I supposed to do?"
"Precisely as you did, Director." Holmes pushed the two apart from one another. "Meuniѐre, I understand that the Paper Moon is valuable, but it was either that or the life of Mr. Fujimaru. We can take the Paper Moon back; the life of a human has no such luck."
"Speaking of Senpai, where is he?" Mash looked around.
"Back in his quarters. I know that if I had been held at swordpoint by a Servant that deadly I'd need to rest." Goredolf cleared his throat. "Anyways, what do we do now?"
"First of all, I think we should be grateful that nobody died. After that," da Vinci shrugged, "well, I'm not sure. I'd say we should go ahead and try and reclaim the Paper Moon, but we don't exactly know where it is."
"Agreed." Holmes took out his pipe and took a long puff. "What we need is information. I say it's time to pay a visit to this Lostbelt's inhabitants."
