Naomi was sat at her computer, wrapped in a blanket, when knocking pulled her away from emails. There was a political email her mom thought was funny. Junk mail. And she had taken the time to pay her bills. Blinking blearily, she pushed out of the chair. She hadn't slept a wink.
Impatient knocking left her with no time to change out of pajamas, so she threw on a light jacket. She hurried into the living room where Lancer materialized.
"It's Edward," he said in a tight tone.
Naomi rubbed her eyes. She had been dreading this. She tugged her sleeves over her seals to hide the faded mark and opened the door. Edward and a looming Gawain didn't smile when they saw her. She returned the favor.
"Good morning," Edward formally greeted.
"Go away." Exhaustion was evident in her voice.
Lancer stood so close behind her that she sometimes brushed against him. His neck craned over her shoulder like a looming specter. Which wasn't far from his true nature.
"I came to inquire about how your findings went last night." Edward looked up at Lancer. "Your Servant is displeased at the sight of me." Edward didn't seem at all surprised that she was able to speak.
"Gee. I wonder why," Lancer said with a threatening smile.
Naomi wasn't in the mood for a verbal spat. Her head still hurt from lack of sleep. "I didn't find Caster, but we had a run in with Simmons."
Naomi would feed him just enough information to keep him satiated. There was no need to give Edward the whole run down. It was one way she could openly defy him.
An eyebrow twitch was Edward's only physical response. "That's a surprise. Did you gain any new knowledge?"
A cold wind made goosebumps rise on her skin. Her front was cold but to her back she could feel Lancer's radiating body heat. "No."
"You didn't beat him down? Make him talk? Or follow him?"
"Well. Rider is dead…so is Simmons."
In a blink, surprise flashed across Edward's face, but it was gone just as quickly. "I honestly can't tell if you're intelligent or stupid. He would have been more useful alive."
Naomi was too tired fell the barbs. "Good thing I don't hold your opinion in high esteem."
"You should. I hold your Servant in my hands."
Naomi tilted her head and didn't correct his likely assumption that the seal was still in effect. It was highly probably he could redo the seal. "How imperious of you."
Edward continued, "Though I should congratulate you for causing the first Servant to fall. You need to come with me to check a candidate location."
Naomi shifted her weight, crossing her arms while being careful to conceal the faded seal on her left hand. This guy had a lot of nerve, but she had to take the bait to keep up the charade that Lancer was under Edward's Command Seal. It felt like it didn't really matter that she reversed the spell, and that pissed her off. "Where would we go and what would you expect to find there?"
"An old part of the city. Simmons was living up there for a time. I was holding onto the information, so I could go after them once Caster was dealt with."
Maybe if she was lucky Caster and Saber would off each other. Damn. Naomi wondered when she had started thinking so morbidly.
"Give me about fifteen minutes."
Naomi locked the door and was throwing clothes from her closet onto the bed and took her time going between her bedroom and the bathroom to get ready.
"Ya know you could drop the act and not go." Lancer stood in the doorway, watching her saunter back and forth. She was taking great pleasure in making Edward wait longer than fifteen minutes.
She leaned out of the bathroom, eyeliner held up like a paint brush. "I thought you were always up for a fight?"
She flinched when she turned around too fast. She had been trying to forget the feeling of chains biting into her arms, but they had left a great present of blossoming bruises.
"I am," Lancer emphasized, "but it's not the greatest strategy to put yourself on the front line. You could send me and stay here if you're that adamant about keeping up looks."
"What? No. I'm going. I have to make sure Dick-ED doesn't mess with you." She wouldn't be able to stand sitting alone in the apartment, twiddling her thumbs while wondering what was happening.
Lancer threw up his arms in defeat but was grinning despite his objections. "You have A class stubbornness. Or I'm too used to the other kind of Masters."
Almost thirty minutes later, Naomi was fully dressed. When she swung open the front door, Edward was leaning against the railing.
"Lancer carried me home last night, so I don't have my car…" Naomi trailed off.
The car was parked in a business parking lot. She could get it later when it was dark again and Lancer could take her there with a low chance of being seen.
Edward understood her predicament. "Servants are more agile and quicker to get around with than a machine." Edward beckoned Gawain who kneeled and allowed Edward to climb onto his back. "I didn't bring a vehicle either."
"Need a lift?" Lancer crouched so Naomi could climb on. She clasped her arms across his chest, and he tucked his arms under her knees.
"This isn't the position I prefer but I won't complain," he said cheekily.
Naomi flicked his ear and he chuckled. He always managed to bring out a dumb smile on her face.
Her stomach flipped and flopped as Lancer fell. The ground rushing to meet them and Lancer connected with a roof then took off again. The cold wind made her eyes tear up and she ended up burying her face into the base of his neck. She would have opted for his shoulder, but the silver armor bit into her cheek. His scent wafted up and filled her senses, further lulling her to sleep.
Lancer landed on the ground behind Gawain and said to her, "We're apparently at our destination."
Naomi slowly looked up.
"Don't tell me you're going to be too tired for this mission?" Lancer good-naturedly teased.
"I wasn't falling asleep." Naomi denied how off kilter and tired she felt and slid off his back and tucked her hands into her pockets. "Man, I wish it would warm up." She was shaking slightly from the cold ride.
"You just need more muscle on you. "Lancer poked her side, and she was sluggish to pull her hand out and swat at him.
Grass and weeds touched their knees and tree limbs tapped the powerlines running through the front yard. The plantation house before them was cracked and leaning. Dirt coated the windows and moss grew over the bricks. The surface was tinging red and orange and was covered in a sickly green.
"It doesn't look like anyone lives here," Naomi commented. She supposed that would make a good place for a hideout.
Edward knocked on the door with the back of his hand and craned his head to see the building's front.
"It's faint but I can sense a Servant." Lancer held hands on his hips as he looked over the house.
Edward stepped aside. "I need this door opened."
"Yes my lord." Gawain approached the door, but Lancer beat him to it.
With a swift side kick, the door splintered in two and flew inside with a loud crash. Plums of dust flew into their faces. Lancer lowered his leg, looking smug. "Door's open. My lord. Am I following your orders closely enough?" Sarcasm dripped from him as he mockingly referred to Edward by the name Gawain referred him to as.
Naomi was amused by Edward's pinched brow as she coughed and waved away the thick dust. Fuller must not use the front door. She wondered if Simmons had ever been here since they had worked together. A little fact she had dutifully neglected to tell Edward.
Floorboards squeaked under them as they made a cautions precession into the foyer. The old green carpet loosened dust where they walked, and an overwhelming musty scent permeated the foyer. A large chandelier hung in the center of the room above a staircase that stood between door frames on either side that gave way to different rooms.
Edward gave the entryway an apprising eye then faced Naomi. "You should check down here and I'll look around upstairs. We're looking for anything that is suspected of magecraft. Since you killed Simmons I take it you can handle yourself if you run into anything?"
Naomi grimaced when images of Simmon's guts being spilled on the road came to mind. She still couldn't believe her aunt had straight up murdered him.
"Is that concern I detect?" Lancer leaned toward Edward, his eyes sharp and small devious smile.
"We can handle ourselves just fine," Naomi stood between them and tried to shew Edward upstairs. If Lancer provoked him too much, Edward might use another Command Seal.
Lancer threw an arm across her shoulders and leaned toward Edward with a wink. "Yep. We'll do just~ fine."
Naomi dug her elbow into Lancer's side to make him calm down.
Edward sneered. "If it wasn't a paltry use of Command Seals, I would silence that unchecked mouth of yours. Your Master doesn't know how to tame a Servant."
"Good thing he's mine, not yours," Naomi spat. Damn it, now she was riled up.
"Hoo?" Lancer drawled. "I didn't know you saw me that way, Master."
Naomi's face turned bright red when she realized too late how that could be interpreted. "That's not what I mean! I-you're not his Servant. I-"
Lancer leaned closer and his face split into a large grin. "Your face is turning red. Something the matter?"
Her face blazed.
"You know what I mean! I'm going to look over there."
She ducked out from under him and stomped into an adjacent room, swinging aside a creaky door. What came out of her mouth was unbelievable. What was she thinking? Why did she say that? Putting aside insinuations, it sounded awful. Lancer wasn't property. Well, in a way he was, but she couldn't see him as anything but his own person. Argh! It was confusing.
Naomi made a frustrated sound deep in her throat. She walked around a once white fabric couch that sat yellowed and ripped before a darkened fireplace.
"He's not much different from lords I've dealt with." Lancer walked through the doorway and swiveled his head around the dilapidated room. "I can tell when they're really about to snap so don't worry about me pushing him too far. Unless he goes past that line first."
Naomi scratched at the peeling flower wallpaper, exposing black mold. She wondered how anyone could stand to call this place home.
Using her foot, Naomi opened the bottom cupboard in a china cabinet. It was empty. "Make sure you don't misjudge what pushes him over."
She was grateful Lancer was done teasing her for the moment.
"Don't worry about it. I know you don't want him using another Command Seal. You only have so many yourself to reverse them."
Naomi nodded. He knew what was at stake. She really should give his intelligence more credit. "Check out the next room. Look for any runes or residue prana. I'll look in here."
"You got it."
She split off from Lancer by entering an adjacent doorframe that led to a dining room. A large oak table coated in cobwebs stretched the length of the room and an ornate table piece sat at the center. She opened swinging doors to a buzzing wind whistling through a crumbled hole in the wall the size of a dinner plate. She found herself in a surprisingly modern kitchen comparable to the rest of the house. The space was industrial with equipment from perhaps the seventies.
Stainless steel appliances were untarnished through a thin film of dust came up when she wiped their surface. Large burners and stovetops with large hanging air vents made two isles in the tiled room. Counters big enough to perform an autopsy on ringed the room with dishwashers and deep sinks.
Opening cabinets revealed nothing but more cobwebs. Moving further into the room, she opened what she suspected to be a pantry. It was, in fact, a giant empty freezer. The concrete floor made the room colder than the others, but the cooling systems were inactive. Large tarps hung from the shelves and rusted hooks dangled from the ceiling.
One of the tarps swung from a hook, moving slowly back and forth. She suspected it was from the slight breeze coming from the kitchen. It seemed to be covering something solid. Pinching the tarp with her fingers, she pried it to the side.
A boxing bag with cracked leather and stuffing sticking out of the splitting seams jingled on its chain. She cocked her head at the strange find then shoved it out of the way. She made a small 'oh' when a wooden door was revealed behind it.
She wasn't familiar with giant freezers, but she didn't think old wooden doors that looked to be from the original design of the house should be at the back of one. Maybe an extra storge room. Naomi jiggled the knob and was disappointed when the rusted brass broke clean off the door.
Curious, she stuck her finger in the rotting hole where the knob used to be. Her magic circuits tingled with an electric shock as if she had just stuck her finger in a low voltage socket. Digging around inside, she pushed out the remainder of the lock mechanism and swung the door open with a creak. Face to face with a low ceiling, she looked down into a pitch-black room.
"That's not creepy at all," she muttered and took out her phone.
Naomi turned on the built-in flashlight and shined it down the steps. The bottom was about two stories down, but she couldn't see anything because of the steep ceiling.
Something intangible wafted from the cellar that brushed her skin. It coursed through her circuits like a repelling force. Perhaps magic. Her foot creaked on rickety old stairs. She took another step and squinted in hopes of catching a glimpse of something. Even with the phone light she misjudged her footing on the uneven steps. Her heart jumped to her throat when she missed the step.
Gravity and the harsh impact of the stairs hitting her shoulders, back, and head were her only sense of direction as she uncontrollably hit every step. Her arms flailed out, trying to grab onto something but there was no railing, and the walls were slick concrete that scrapped her skin.
She came to a stop on her side with a grunt as pain radiated from every scrape and bump. Her body still felt a bit raw from last night and this was icing on the cake. Her heartbeat frantically her chest as her magic circuits flared, expending demanded healing energy.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she chanted in annoyance while sitting up in the dim sunlight coming from the entrance.
"Something wrong?" Lancer's voice resonated in her mind.
Naomi cursed, not meaning to broadcast strong enough for Lancer to hear. "I found a basement that feels distinctly magic-y."
"Any reason to call it stupid like it's going out of style?"
"I tripped," she said while still seething the embarrassment and pain. "There's a basement entrance is in the back of the freezer in the kitchen."
"I'll be there in a sec."
Naomi found her phone a few steps up and to her dismay the screen felt cracked. To add to her problems, she was starting to feel like she was being watched. A shadow casted over her from entrance above. Someone jumped down to the bottom of the stairs. A line of fiery magic was traced in the air, creating a rune in the shape of an ancient Nordic letter resembling an F. A small ball of fire sprang from it and hovered in Lancer's palm.
"I can definitely feel magic down here. And it doesn't feel friendly." Lancer cocked his head at her. "Tripped, huh?"
Naomi went red. "Yeah, so?"
"My poor Master. Defeated by stairs."
She was denied giving a scathing retort because Lancer turned around in a flash with a materializing Gáe Bolg braced above his head. The fire went out, dousing them in darkness. A sword collided and slid down the length of Gáe Bolg weapon, screeching and producing sparks.
Raw magical energy wavered like a flame in the shape of a floating human's upper half. Its face was covered by a wispy sheet. Lancer rapidly drew a rune in the air above the blade of his lance and slashed through creature with Gáe Bolg's burning tip, cutting its chest in half and destroying the floating, corporal being.
Lancer lazily spun his weapon in the dim light coming from the door upstairs. "Casters," he sighed in disappointment. "That creep likes to insult my abilities."
"You're going to jinx yourself," Naomi warned in a straight voice though her heart was pounding from the surprise.
He gave a toothy smile. "Nice. I'm raring for something good."
"You think there's a dragon boss at the end?" She asked.
"Oh. I like how you think."
Naomi rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smirk.
There was only one door in the room. Naomi cautiously walked up to it and peered through the crack. A hallway held up by wood frames led further underground and disappeared around a bend. From around the corner a red glow pulsed and sparked. An angry, anguished cry erupted from down the hallway and echoed down the corridor. Naomi found her feet moving on her own as she flung the door open and speed walked in its direction.
Lancer was at her back in an instant, covering her flank. "Most people walk away from tortured screams," he quipped.
The door slung open without effort and Naomi had to pause to take in the scene.
Three sparking summoning circles glowed on the walls. Magical chains sprang from them, wrapping around and holding captive striking individuals. Chains rattled against a muscle-bound man with sagging strands of blond hair. Veins in his neck popped as he screamed and yanked at his bonds. His eyes were clouded over with pure crazy.
There was one inside a summon circle who wore all white. She looked at Naomi's sudden arrival with stoic red eyes.
One man wearing a red Chinese outfit sported red hair. His severe expression was stony and less than pleased. He was in the third and final summon circle.
The energy in the room was so overwhelming and the obvious summon circles, Naomi had no problem sensing that they were servants.
The air in the middle of the room wavered. Appearing from spirit form, Caster in all his clownish glory materialized with a chuckle.
Lancer put himself between Naomi and Caster. He twirled his weapon and aimed it at the clown. "Well if it isn't the joker himself. Finally going to fight me?"
"What are you doing with these Servants?" Naomi couldn't take her eyes off the others in the room. They looked freshly summoned but that shouldn't have been possible.
Lancer, Saber, Assassin, Caster, and Rider were accounted for. Berserker and Archer were the only Servants she wasn't familiar with. There were one too many unfamiliar Servants in the room to account for the remaining Grail War participants.
Caster waved his oversized scissor in the air. "Hello hello! Observant you are. Yes, yes, false servants. Master is not pleased to see the Lancer and his fledgling magus in this adobe. What say, what say? Will you join Master's experiment?"
Naomi had already seen one of Fuller's experiments. Seeing the Servants bound in the room made her more nervous about what his next idea might be. Melting down Servants for another monster?
"What is he planning?" Naomi demanded.
Caster stroked his weapon. "This is all Master's work. Well, his idea, my work. I lent my skills. Summon servants. Bind them. Break them. Kill Berserker's Master, take his Servant. Yes, yes! Much fun to be had. Soon they will become something fun."
"You have a loud mouth," the red clothed servant said irritably.
The blond haired Servant was still screaming and yanking at his chains.
Maybe she was asking the wrong person. The other servants in the room obviously held no love for Caster.
"Is Fuller your master?" She passed her eyes over the three servants surrounding the edge of the room.
"You're the first Master we've seen. We have no Master-Servant bindings," The girl in white said.
"Girl. You're obviously not with this lot. This is not a place you want to be." The Servant in red said to Naomi. "But I wouldn't complain if you decided to free us." His eyes were sharp and serious. Naomi took the hint and knew she would have few precious minutes to consider it.
The Servant wanted to be freed, but would he be friend or foe?
She didn't need to free them right away. "He's obviously not going to answer anything. Lancer!"
A feral grin spread over Lancer's face. "You're mine!"
Lancer charged forward and Caster backflipped. The purple haired Servant was nimble enough to dodge a flurry of attacks that looked like a red blur.
"I'm a pacifist you know. I hate fighting." Caster lifted his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. "Berserker you are well broken in. Kill this intruder. They're oppressors. Both of them!"
The shackles on Berserker shattered and the summoning circle faded until the symbol was inert crimson paint.
The massive man with shaggy blond hair in need of a good wash stood up and roared even louder. The man wore sparsely anything aside from iron vambraces, a cod piece, a strange iron harness, and a mask that outlined his eyes and mouth. Naomi vaguely thought it looked like he had metal underwear on his face.
A massive sword appeared in Berserker's hands and his teeth bared like wildebeest that was about to charge. Underwear face or not, he was capable of smashing her into a bloody pulp.
Berserker struck at Lancer as he passed him, and Lancer was forced to break away from Caster to avoid being crushed.
Lancer crouched and looked happy about the situation. "I prefer one-on-one but I'll take you both!"
Berserker charged forward like a steam engine and swung down. Lancer dodged just in the nick of time. Berserker was too fast for something his size, but Lancer was still much faster. Lancer engaged him, flashing his spear and spinning over the giant servant.
Caster laughed as if he were enjoying an entertainment show until Lancer's weapon skimmed by his face.
"You're quite rude!" Caster was making no move to join the fight, but Lancer kept taking jabs at him anytime he was close.
Berserker swiped at Lancer, barely missing his mark. Lancer fainted and thrust his spear up and into Berserker's chest where his heart should have been. Gáe Bolg sank in deep, but the colossal man hardly flinched. He gripped the lance stuck to his chest and Naomi immediately saw the situation going south. She sprinted toward them as Lancer's grit his teeth.
Berserker's sword began a downward descent. Lancer let go of his weapon, but he wouldn't be moving out of the way fast enough. Lancer was inches from losing his head when Naomi latched around Berserker's sword arm and used the rune on her palm to strike the tendon's in his wrist. The sword fell out of his hand and clattered to the ground.
Berserker roared and flung Naomi around as she clung with both arms fully wrapped around his tree trunk of a forearm. His violent swinging shook her free and she went flying across the room with deadly velocity.
All of her bones were about to shatter against the concrete wall and she wanted to cry just imagining the impending impact. A loud bang should have been the last thing she ever heard, but she flopped onto her stomach mostly unscathed aside from the wind being knocked from her lungs that sent her into a coughing fit.
Lancer's arms were around her and his back had cratered the concrete wall. A trickle of blood dripped from his mouth and his eyes were closed tight in pain.
"Lancer!" Her heart stabbed on the tip of her ribs as put her hands to his sides and started performing healing magic, seeking out internal damage.
Berserker yanked Gáe Bolg out of his chest and threw it to the ground where it clattered. The wound in his chest was wide open and sprouting red crystals. He picked up his sword and stalked toward them with heavy, ominous footsteps.
"Hey big ugly. Your technique is sloppy." The Servant in red seemed to try and goad Berserker but the insane Berserker heard nothing.
Lancer opened his eyes and grit his teeth with a pained sound. He reached out his hand. Gáe Bolg disappeared in orbs of blue light and reappeared under his waiting palm. He curled his fingers around the shaft, gripping it tight.
"This guy. Doesn't know when to die." Lancer pushed Naomi who climbed off him and coughed, still trying to regain her breath.
Lancer twirled his weapon around his back then rushed at Berserker.
Lancer wasn't going to win this fight. He lost his advantage of speed in the confines of the small basement. Berserker's overwhelming strength was better suited for a cage match. Biting her lip, Naomi knew she had to do something more drastic. Glancing at Caster standing to the side, watching the fight, then to the other Servants in the room. She knew what she had to do.
Running to the closest Servant, the girl in white, Naomi felt in her pocket for the chalk she knew to be in there. The piece she had was broken and hardly the size of the tip of her thumb, but it would do. She traced a rune over a small part of the summoning circle. Her rune glowed upon completion and flashed blue. The red glow of the summoning circle faded, and the chains dissolved. She had successfully severed the summon circle's power.
Naomi jumped to her feet and sprinted toward the red headed Chinese man before seeing what the girl would do. She copied the same rune, breaking the seal. He grinned and jumped up, breaking loose before the chains fully disappeared. He jumped into the fray without question. She prayed these Servants wouldn't turn on her and Lancer or they would really be dead.
"Hey, hey!" Caster yelled angrily. "Master will not approve of this!" Dark pools began appearing on the floor like approaching footsteps.
Panting and full of adrenaline, she glanced at Berserker and was pleased to see all the servants hacking away at the mountainous man. Her plan to take pressure off Lancer was working so far. For now.
Naomi scrambled away when the fight came too close. She felt incredibly vulnerable in this room that had become tiny for such a huge battle. a missed punch by the Chinese Servant meant for Berserker put a crater in the concrete floor, acutely remind her that she ws the most fragile thing in the room.
The white-haired Servant summoned a tri-colored sword and dodged the agile Berserker then spun to strike at Caster. The clown vanished before the hit could land.
Lancer fainted Berserker and and thrust his weapon into the large Servant's side. Lancer yanked his spear back out while dodging a swing of Berserker's weapon.
"Hello dear." A voice whispered in Naomi's ear. She spun, heart hammering in her chest.
Caster grabbed her wrist and yanked it behind her back and locked his arm around her throat.
"Don't touch me you freak," she ground out and thrust her free palm under his chin.
A micro barrier erupted under his face and he let go in surprise. Naomi ran away from him and put her back to the wall.
Caster laughed and summoned his comically oversized scissor weapon. "Master would very much like to meet you again."
Naomi balled her hands into fists and held them in front of her. "I'd rather never see him again."
"My master likes art and collecting. You could help with both." Caster ran forward, his scissors gleaming.
"No you don't!" Lancer came at Caster like an arrow. Caster narrowly dodged and had his shoulder nicked.
The Servant danced back, and Berserker charged up from behind Lancer.
Lancer dodged the sword then looked behind him at Naomi and ground his teeth. Her back was up against the wall and he was the only thing standing between her and the two Servants. If he moved, she would be in the immediate crossfire.
Berserker swung his sword down and Lancer blocked it with his weapon. His muscles shook and his knees started buckling.
Naomi jerked forward, ready to help him instead of being dead weight like their fight against Assassin. She couldn't let Lancer get injured again because of her vulnerability.
Caster laughed and jumped in with his scissors held open wide. "Quite the delicious predicament!"
Lancer couldn't block Caster and Berserker at the same time. His knees hit the ground under Berserker's pressure. He grit his teeth and veins sprung about his eyes as his eyes warped. With a yell, he pushed back and gained half an inch before being stuck in a deadlock.
Naomi didn't hesitate and ran to Lancer's side. She held her hands up and with a micro shield burst, and blocked Caster's scissors front cutting into Lancer.
Caster's face twisted with wide eyes and a frown of surprise. The weapon wasn't deflected far but he gave pause.
With a laugh, Caster held his palm up and light shimmered above it. A golden pocket watch with a short chain that was the size of a football fell into his hand. The ticking it produced was loud and echoed in the room. She recognized the shape of that item though she had only seen it in near darkness before.
Lancer turned wild eyes on Naomi and yelled in a strained voice. "Get out of here! Run!"
He was crazy if he thought she would abandon him at a time like this. He was completely pinned by Berserker and would have no way of fending off both servants let alone an explosion "I'm not leaving!"
Caster dropped the ticking clock at their feet and ran backwards while cackling. The clock started glowing white at their feet and Naomi's chest wrenched. She fell to the ground and drew a quick rune and let her prana flow into it.
"Naomi!" Lancer screamed in anger. "Draw that thing faster!"
A translucent shield expanded like a bubble around her and Lancer. Berserker backed up away from the shield out of uncertainty. The clock exploded, making the room shake. She squeezed her eyes tight as the vibrations reverberated through her bones. The sound was partially muffled by the barrier, but her hearing temporarily left her.
Plums of gray dust rolled over and around the barrier. Naomi's ears were ringing as Lancer moved to crouch on one knee, Gáe Bolg gripped tightly in his hand. His eyes strained to see through the smoke.
Naomi's barrier flickered and fell. Not a moment after, a clock bounced out from the fog and rolled to a stop between her and Lancer.
"Get down!" Lancer sprung to his feet and grabbed her, pushing her against the wall with both his hands plastered next to her temples. Gáe Bolg clattered as it flattened against the wall next to her head under his palm.
Lancer curled over her as Naomi thrust her flattened palms out on either of his ribs and created a barrier just in time to block the next explosion with a flat barrier. Lancer's ponytail flipped over his shoulder, the strands and his single earring waved from the blast.
The smoke was slashed aside from Berserker's large sword, revealing his face. Parts of his limbs were charred and looked enlarged by tumors. Crystals were pocking his arms and legs where there should have been gaping wounds. Blood leaked from the wounds, dripping down his limbs and into his eyes.
Naomi's barrier fell, unable to keep it up longer than a few seconds. Berserker swung his sword down, aiming to slash Lancer's back. Lancer turned sharply to strike him but a flash of red beat him to it.
The Servant clad in traditional Chinese attire struck Berserker's arm with his fist. With quick successive punches, Berserker's mangled arm went dead. With a final, powerful punch to Berserker's ribs, the behemoth stumbled to the ground with a great crash.
The red Servant danced back on his toes, his fists held up and his back turned to Lancer and Naomi. "Can't say I'm fond of this guy. I'll help you for the time being.
Lancer crouched with Gáe Bolg at the ready. "Fine with me. Ahhh!"
Berserker was starting to get back up when Lancer thrusted his spear. The red Servant danced around behind Berserker and struck his back, stunning Berserker, then the red Servant struck Berserker's legs to make them useless.
Berserker fell forward and Lancer aimed his lance just right. He thrust it forward, his lance blazing with red prana. Berserker was struck through the center of his chest then fell flat on his face.
"Caster!" The girl in white charged the clownish servant with her tri-colored sword.
Caster danced away, his hands flailing. "This is getting far too out of control. I think I should make a timely retreat. Away!" His last word echoed as he vanished into orbs of light.
Naomi felt something touch her head and she wiped her hair. Dirt. She looked and saw chunks of concrete missing from the ceiling. She was honestly shocked the cellar hadn't collapsed already.
Berserker's body was starting to vanish, but he wasn't giving up the fight.
A large block of concrete crumbled from the ceiling. Naomi burst a barrier at a falling block that nearly hit her in the head.
She ran to the door, an arm thrown over her head to protect her exposed cranium. "This place won't hold up much longer! Lancer! We have to get out of here!"
The red Servant thrust his hand back at them. "Go! I'll cover your retreat."
The woman in white thrust her sword through Berserker. "Go."
"You two better live so we can have a match!" Lancer shouted and retreated to Naomi.
They ran down the hallway and back up the stairs. The underground cellar was shaking the entire time and she could hear yelling from the enraged servant. She burst through the freezer and nearly ran headfirst into the punching bag. She hit it with her forearm and ran around it into the kitchen where Edward and Gawain were standing in the connecting hallway.
"What the bloody hell is going on down there? The whole house is shaking and I sense massive amounts of mana."
"Yeah, thanks for the help," Naomi seethed. "Move!" She grabbed Edward's arm and started dragging him.
He resisted and pulled back, stronger than her and able to stop Naomi in her tracks. "Unhand me! What happened?"
"I'll tell you if you're still alive after. Move your ass!" She let go. If he wanted to get caught in the crossfire, fine with her. She wasn't sure why she was trying to help him in the first place.
Naomi ran out of the house with Lancer next to her and was a little disappointed to see Edward and Gawain not far behind.
"Are you going to tell me what happened down there?" Edward asked.
Gawain drew his sword and faced the house, ready for any Servant that emerged.
Lancer spoke. "Fighting Servants. A crazed Berserker maybe something else. Take your pick."
"Berserker?" Edward mimicked.
"My lord. I think we should retreat further." Gawain muscles were taught.
A loud explosion that caused half of the house to cave in on itself swayed Edward. "Very well."
Edward led the charge and ran away from the location until they were three blocks away. At a sidewalk stop sign, he about-faced and jabbed his finger at Naomi. She narrowed her eyes but backed up in surprise when Lancer inserted himself in between them.
"I need a more detailed report of what happened," Edward demanded.
Naomi sucked in deep breaths, trying to catch her breath after running. Damn. She was out of shape. And sore between yesterday and today. Though she didn't hit the wall, her ribs still hurt. "Servants fighting in a small area. The house went boom."
"What specific characteristics can you tell me of these other servants?"
Naomi recounted everything she remembered and Lancer filled in some of the gaps. She left out the fact that they claimed to be Masterless and what weapons they used. She had a hunch that the white-haired Servant was a Saber. The sword was a dead giveaway. She wasn't sure about the guy in red.
"It doesn't make sense. How could there possibly be more Servants? It's unprecedented. I'll see if I can identify the others true names. I need to go back to the church and make arrangements to makes sure a mess wasn't left behind." Edward's gaze became distant as his mind went into overdrive.
A mess. She wanted to scoff. There was going to be a crater where that house used to be. She had a hunch that the other Servants hadn't gone full out. Lancer sure hadn't. If they had been, she would have been paste and the basement would have been obliterated as soon as Lancer started fighting Caster. Berserker must not have been at full strength or didn't have the mind to do anything other than smash at the moving Servants.
"That's it for today. I'll send for you the next time I need your assistance." Edward said almost offhandedly and beckoned Gawain to carry him.
Naomi crossed her arms over her chest. "I hope that's never."
Her arms dropped after Gawain took Edward away. "He really just dragged us out here then dumped us."
"Well, like you said. Dick-Ed." Lancer flippantly threw an arm in the air as a throw away gesture but flinched halfway through the action.
Naomi grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her. His head bowed down, and she rested her palm against his forehead and sent a wave of healing magic through him.
"They really beat the shit out of you in there. What hurts the most?"
"I got knocked around, but they hardly beat the shit out of me. I could still get back in there and fight them no problem."
Naomi frowned. "I was in the way."
"You're sweating that? It's not like you got in the way on purpose." He winced, realizing too late how that sounded. "Uh, I mean."
"I was." She wasn't offended by the admission. It was true. If she had half a brain she would have sent Lancer in first. Then his ability to fight wouldn't be hindered by her presence. "Thanks for not letting me die."
He puffed out his chest. "Hey now. I gave you my word. It's my job to fight your battles and keep you from kicking the bucket. How many times do I have to tell ya?"
"I believe you. Can't I thank you every now and then?" Naomi tried deflecting her insecurities but also meant her thanks.
Lancer grinned. "I have no complaints if you want ta thank me." He rested a hand on her shoulder and she swore he was sticking his fingers through her hair on purpose.
He was overly touchy-feely sometimes.
It took all of her will power to pull away. She had to admit she liked being touched by him. "You seem good enough now. Let's go home before I pass out. I need real sleep."