'Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!' A young girl could be seen playing the shamisen on a stage for an audience of spectators in the distance. She had long purple hair and wore shrine maiden's clothing, though her face was hidden by the kitsune fox mask on her face. As the girl continued playing the musical instrument in her hands, the plane that Jones and Archer were on drew ever closer to the land of Fuyuki as if both were on a map, a curtain painted orange, green, and black rose on the first act of this grand adventure…
Act 1: Dawn of the Third Holy Grail War
Chapter 2: The Adventure of the Great Trial
"Master. We've arrived." The voice of Archer woke his Master up as the latter grabbed the brim of his fedora and pulled it upward so that he could see again.
"Haah!" Jones let out a loud yawn as he outstretched his arms and blinked a few times. But upon standing up, he noticed a look of concern on his Servant's face.
"What's wrong? Did you get enough sleep?" Jones asked with a puzzled look on his face. However, that question is what Archer should be asking. The flight from Connecticut to Fuyuki took fourteen hours…
… Indiana Jones was asleep for the full fourteen hours and did not move a single inch from his seat. Not even the sound of snoring escaped from the great archaeologist's lips as he was silent for the whole flight.
David knew this because he had been keeping a close eye on his Master and his surroundings in order to protect the latter from harm. However, by doing so the King of Israel had borne witness to a peculiar attribute of his Master.
However, it was how long that his Master was asleep that concerned David. The usual amount of sleep that a person requires to function is six to seven hours though eight hours is generally recommended.
But fourteen?! J-Just what could have caused that?! And it was then that David had an epiphany! The only reason that a human would sleep for more than half a day is because they are sleep-deprived! Not only that, but his Master had known how long the flight would be and woke up fourteen hours like it was only natural to do so! Which means…
… That his Master is constantly deprived of sleep! Not even in the land of Israel over three thousand years ago where everyone had to work together to ensure that the civilization was kept running had to work under such excruciating circumstances! Or so David had thought.
'Master… you poor soul.' David thought internally, as he looked at his Master with an expression full of sadness.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Jones asked with a look of confusion on his face as he failed to ascertain the true feelings of his Servant.
Not long after departing the airport with all their luggage including the Ark, much to the displeasure of Jones, the Master and Servant made their way to a car shop. This was because of the aforementioned Ark and having to carry it around everywhere was costing them a lot of precious time. But once they were outside of the shop, the great archaeologist made a shocking discovery.
"Crap." Jones muttered as he pulled out his wallet only to find a lone ten-dollar bill inside of it. It was at this moment that the archaeologist had underestimated how much this adventure was going to cost him. Usually on his adventures, with a few exceptions of course, Jones only had to pay for himself which resulted in the travel expenses not being all that expensive.
However, now that he had to pay for Archer that doubled the expenses. And if you counted the Ark as a person the expenses would be tripled. It was safe to say that if Jones couldn't find some extra cash quickly then he would be carrying the Ark everywhere for the remainder of the War…
… And that was something that Indiana Jones flat-out refused to occur. Not over his dead body. But wait. Archer is David, the same man who used to be King of Israel from three thousand years ago! Surely, he would have some loose change to spare!
"Archer. Do you have any money?" Jones bluntly asked the green-haired man beside him, the latter of which then materialized something within his hands.
"Would this much suffice?" Archer asked as he extended his hands forward and opened them revealing a ton of golden coins.
"Gah!" Jones yelled out of surprise as his jaw dropped. He expected Archer to have maybe a few pieces of gold on him, but this much?! His hands were practically overflowing with gold! If Jones had known this before then he wouldn't have spent a dime on this adventure! Especially after Archer made a hole in his roof and ruined his living room! The archaeologist almost wanted to snap at him for not revealing such valuable information before but chose to remain calm.
"Just a few will be enough. Thanks." Jones thanked his Servant with a couple of the gold coins which would be more than enough to purchase a pickup truck from the car shop. And that's exactly what he did because only a few minutes later, Jones came out of the car shop while driving the pickup truck.
"Hey, Archer! Let's put the Ark in here!" Jones yelled out as he looked for his Servant everywhere only to find no trace of the King of Israel. This confused the archaeologist though this only lasted momentarily as the person he was looking for materialized out of thin air with a grin on his face.
"Wow! I've never seen such a wonderful contraption in my life!" David exclaimed while marveling at the sight of the red pickup truck.
"W-W-Where did you come from?!" Jones yelled out while gripping his chest as he felt his heart was about to pop out! J-Just where did he go?! No. Archer was definitely 'here' the entire time! Jones was sure of it!
Wait a minute. David died three thousand years ago. Now Jones wasn't someone to believe in superstition, but he had come across some unexplainable things throughout his adventures, one of which involved Thuggee Cultists in India who somehow obtained the power of voodoo! Not only that, but he was literally with the King of Israel in the flesh!
W-W-Wait a second! Just what were 'Heroic Spirits' exactly?! Jones understood that he had summoned David into modern times through magic, but did this mean that he gained a physical body…
… Or was Archer a g-g-g-no! Anything but that! There's no way such baloney exists! There may be some things that the great archaeologist will never be able to fully understand! But ghosts don't exist! He refused to believe that something so absurd was real! And he was going to prove it!
"Archer, stand right there for a second." Jones ordered his Servant who did just that.
"Like… this?" Archer asked as he stood motionlessly without moving a single muscle.
"Perfect." Jones replied as not even a second later-
'Poke.' Jones poked Archer right in his forehead much to the latter's surprise.
"W-What was that for?!" Archer yelled out with a perplexed look on his face.
"Phew… I knew they didn't exist." Jones muttered to himself with a self-satisfied look on his face.
"What didn't exist?" Archer asked as he heard every word that his Master had said though the latter of which was already by the Ark which was safely back in a wooden box since the sight of something huge and gold would alert the common folk.
"Doesn't matter. Help me out with this." Jones asked as his Servant did as he was ordered to do. The two men then used all of their strength to lift up the heavy artifact from the ground and onto the bed of the truck. At long last the trial of having to carry something so heavy was at an end.
"D-Does this mean we'll never have to carry my Ark again?" Archer asked with a look of happiness on his face.
"That's right. We can just use this truck from now on." Jones replied with a smile of his own. It was then that the two men felt a heavy burden released from his shoulders. Especially Archer as he couldn't help but jump for joy.
"Wahoo! Yes! Finally! We're free! Free at last!" Archer shouted with an immense level of satisfaction though he noticed his Master was still composed.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Archer repeated over and over as he held out his hand outward so that his Master could slap it until-
"Yeah!" Jones yelled out as the two men high-fived each other in delight. They then got into the pickup truck and drove off from the car shop. While driving down the road, Jones remembered how his Servant disappeared and then reappeared like a magician at a magic show. He then decided to ask Archer about it.
"Hey, how did you appear out of thin air like that?" Jones asked with a smile on his face as he paid attention to his surroundings since he was the one in the driver's seat and probably the only one who could drive.
"Huh? You didn't know I could enter Spirit form? I thought I'd told you that?" Archer responded to his Master's question with a question of his own. However, this only further confused Jones since he did not recall such a thing occurring. But then, the great archaeologist had an epiphany of his own. Which was-
"If you could always do that at the drop of a hat… then why didn't you do that on the plane?" Jones asked as he attempted to remain as calm and composed as possible while focusing on what was in front of him and awaited Archer's response.
"Well… you never asked." Archer replied matter-of-factly. The King of Israel was not wrong since Jones asked him of no such thing, the latter of which knew this fact best. However, even if David was right doesn't mean he was correct.
"Good grief. Next time we board a plane you better turn invisible." Jones spoke with an annoyed expression on his face as he remembered how expensive those plane tickets were, not to mention the Ark being put in the cargo hold. Jones wanted to ask his Servant to compensate him for all of those expenses but chose not to.
"Sorry, Master." David apologized while noticing the look of dissatisfaction on his Master's face. As Jones heard the apology, he remembered the words that Archer had spoken to him the night before-
'… I, David King of Israel, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm truly in your debt.' Archer had come from who knows where not just to say these words but to help fight the enemies that would surely reveal themselves in due time. This meant that Archer was ready to risk his life all because his Master had successfully kept the Ark of the Covenant out of the Nazi's hands…
… But the truth was that Jones didn't go through all of those trials and tribulations just to keep it out of Germany's control. A part of him did, though another part of him sought the Ark for the pursuit of fortune and glory. He couldn't deny that his greed played a role in the adventure of three years ago, though he would not tell Archer this because it would do no good whatsoever.
"You don't have to be sorry… you can make it up to me by paying for the rest of the expenses while we're here. I'm broke now after all." Jones spoke as this was his way of trying to make Archer feel better.
"I will. Thanks, Master." Archer replied with a bright smile on his face. Upon noticing this, a smile appeared on the face of the archaeologist. Jones had feared that his words had soured their relationship though his worries were all but eradicated after seeing the look of happiness on Archer's face.
'Well, he rebounded quickly.' Jones thought internally as he continued to drive the truck through the foreign land.
Time passed by as Jones drove the truck deeper into the city of Fuyuki. There had not been much conversation in a while and David was all too curious regarding where they were going in particular.
"Hey, Master. Where are we going?" David asked with a curious look on his face. It was then that Jones had realized that he never explained what his true goal was to Archer. All he had said before was that he was fulfilling a request for his late friend but there was a bit more to it than that.
"That's right. I never told you what my late friend had asked of me to do once I became a Master. Right now, we're heading over to his house since his daughter is apparently considering joining the Grail War. I'm going to everything in my power to stop her from summoning a Servant." Jones replied. Not only would joining the War make the target on Tohsaka's daughter's back become much bigger…
… It would also mean that whoever she ends up summoning would become Archer's enemy. Jones had no clue how he was going to stop his Servant from doing the deed since he was not yet aware of the Command Spells on his hand.
"What did you just say?" Archer asked as he looked at his Master in the eyes as the latter feared the worst. Damn. Did I just piss him off? Perhaps he wants Tohsaka's daughter to summon a Servant so that they would be easy pickings. Crap. I guess I really shouldn't have said th-
"Did you just say… daughter?" Archer asked with an interested look on his face. Jones then instinctively slammed on the brake pedal in response. Thankfully there were no cars behind them.
"Huh? What's her gender got to do with anything?" Jones asked as he blinked his eyes over and over again in surprise while looking at Archer. Though this reaction only made a smile appear on Archer's face.
"Hmm. So… you never thought about it? What his daughter… looks like?" Archer asked with a grin on his face, but this only confused his Master further.
"What do you mean?" Jones asked with a confused expression on his face.
"You are a man, right?" Archer asked.
"Of course, I am." Jones replied.
"You like women, right?" Archer asked.
"Of course, I do." Jones replied.
"Then you're telling me you never thought about letting her rely on you until an all-powerful villain appears and through the skin of your teeth you manage to prevail against them and what would happen after that?" Archer asked with a wide grin on his face as he awaited his Master's answer. But then-
"No. Of course not. She's my friend's daughter." Jones replied as he stepped on the gas pedal once more and drove forward. However, this did not amuse Archer in the slightest. Not. One. Bit. In fact, it-
"A-Are you kidding me?! The dashing hero saves the girl from a perceived to be unstoppable force! The girl's heart beats over and over as she realizes her true feelings! It's at that moment she says 'my hero' with a lovely look on her face! You both kiss! And then…" Archer spoke as he imagined several dirty thoughts in his head until they reached a magnificent crescendo!
"… ANYTHING'S ON THE TABLE! YOU CAN COMPLETELY HAVE YOUR WAY WITH HER!" Archer shouted at the top of his lungs with a look of ecstasy on his face as blood dripped from his nose.
"Not a chance in hell! If you want her be my guest! But there's no way I'm going to do that! I've already opened that can of worms once and I'm never doing it again!" Jones snapped back at his Servant as events involving a certain woman flooded through his mind.
"Fine! Then I'll just take her off your hands! You're going to be so jealous when you realize you could have had her easy-peasy and you blew it! And I'm going to be like 'you snooze, you lose!' Ahahaha!" David spoke as he proceeded to laugh hysterically like a diabolical villain straight out of a comic book.
"Tch." Jones clicked his tongue as a vein bulged from his forehead. The archaeologist used all of his willpower to resist the urge to drive into a car and jump out of it at the last second, which would surely be the end for his Servant. It wasn't long after that the two men arrived at their destination.
'Thankfully, the address of Tohsaka's house was on the back of the letter.' Jones thought to himself that this would have taken so much longer had he been forced to ask around for the residence of his late friend. It was noon when they arrived in Fuyuki, and it was still early in the afternoon though since it was Winter the sun would be setting soon.
'Hopefully, it's not too late.' Jones thought internally once more as he stared at the house before him. No. 'House' would be an understatement. The Tohsaka residence was far bigger than your average house! Not quite on the level of a mansion but pretty big, nonetheless.
"Come on, Archer. We've made it." Jones spoke as got out of the truck and began walking toward the Tohsaka residence in the distance.
"Oh wow! She's wealthy too! My soon-to-be wife, here I come!" David yelled out with hearts in his eyes as he too got out of the truck but upon noticing something else in the distance his eyes went wide.
"Master! Don't move another inch!" David shouted but as soon as his Master stopped moving-
"Ow!" Jones groaned in pain as he fell on his butt. But unbeknownst to the great archaeologist, he had just come into contact with the Bounded Field around the Tohsaka residence which alerted the people inside.
"Rider… kill them." The voice of a girl spoke within the house. Her voice could not be heard by Jones or Archer for that reason. Furthermore, her entire appearance was hidden by shadows as well as her Servant.
'Finally, some action.' Rider thought internally before opening his eyes.
"You've got it, Takina." Rider replied as not even a second later-
'CRACK!' Rider crashed through one of the windows on the second floor of the Tohsaka residence.
"That idiot." Takina spoke as she looked at Rider who just ended up destroying the window of her bedroom.
A few seconds earlier…
"Master! Are you okay?!" David yelled out with a look of worry on his face though his Master has suffered through much worse injuries and lived to tell the tale so falling onto his butt wasn't enough to ensure the end of the great archaeologist. The man in question knew this better than anyone though he couldn't deny that it hurt.
"I think I broke my ass." Jones replied as he stood up only to hear something that sounded like glass shattering. Before he could even look to see what was above him, Archer had already noticed and prepared to intercept the approaching enemy!
'WHOOOSH! BAAAAAAM!' Archer leaped into the sky and materialized his staff! Not even a second later, Archer's staff struck against his opponent's sword! The resulting clash sent shockwaves that knocked Jones back onto his butt!
"Agh! Just what the hell was th-AH!" Jones groaned in pain over his butt colliding with the cement though it did not take long for him to notice two figures in the air. One was already familiar to him, his Servant David.
However, the other was someone that he had never seen before. The person in question had bright red hair that was tied into a ponytail as well as clothing that was not of this era that revealed their chiseled abs and part of their biceps. The person had an impressive physique that surprised the archaeologist because the former looked no older than twelve.
'There's no doubt about it… that kid's a Servant.' Jones thought internally as he deduced the truth of the enemy above him. Since there was nothing that he could do about an enemy in the air, Jones had no choice but to rely on his Servant and let him handle this. But before he knew it-
'BAAAAAAAM!' The two Servants had returned to the Earth and destroyed a huge chunk of the ground to boot. They both stared at each other for a few seconds until Rider decided to say what was on his mind.
"A staff? That's an interesting weapon of choice." Rider spoke with an excited look on his face as he stared at his opponent. Since Archer wielded a staff and not a proper bow like most Archers do this gave Rider no clues regarding the Class of the former. However, not knowing what exactly he was up against…
… Made him feel very exhilarated.
"Thanks, I guess. With that sword in your hand, I'm guessing that means you're Saber?" Archer asked with a serious look on his face. Compared to Rider who clearly enjoyed fighting, Archer was not a fan of it. Furthermore, the King of Israel chose to avoid fighting in most circumstances…
… But if in this situation, with his Master only a few meters away from him, and a Servant close by… Archer had no choice but to fight. And he was sure as hell not going to lose to some child pretending to be a warrior. However, what this child would say next would end up surprising both the King of Israel and his Master.
"Nope. My true name is Alexander the Great! But you can call me Rider! Hahaha!" Rider laughed in delight as he casually revealed his true name to his enemy much to their confusion.
"T-The legendary king of conquerors?! The same one who took control of Macedonia?!" Archer yelled out as his eyes bulged out of their sockets and his mouth dropped to the ground. Not in a million years did he expect his first opponent to be the man who almost conquered the Earth!
"Yep! That's me! Hahaha!" Rider laughed once more while grinning. Archer may have believed what his enemy had said but his Master was of the opposite opinion.
"You have got to be joking! There's no way some pipsqueak is Alexander the Great! You should be ashamed of yourself for claiming that you are someone who changed history!" Jones shouted with a scowl on his face though his scolding only had the opposite effect.
"I-I wouldn't go as far that I changed history, hahaha." Rider spoke as he quietly chuckled to himself with a look of embarrassment on his face that matched the color of his hair.
"Tch." Jones clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He was still clearly unconvinced that this kid was Alexander the Great. But even though he was not fighting the self-proclaimed 'King of Conquerors' it did not feel right to be involved in a fight with someone so young. Archer noticed this.
"Master, what are your orders?" Archer asked as even though his eyes were on the child in front of him, he could sense the look of discomfort on his Master's face.
"Let's withdraw. I wouldn't want you to have to beat up some kid." Jones replied as he turned around and started heading in the opposite direction of the Tohsaka residence. Though this was counterproductive to his goal, Servant or not, endangering the life of someone so young didn't sit well with him. However…
… This course of action would make Rider incredibly furious.
"Now who are you calling some kid?" Rider asked as Jones felt something tug on his leather jacket. The archaeologist turned his head to the side and noticed that the self-proclaimed King of Conquerors had closed the distance.
"Crap! H-He's fast!" Jones thought internally as he noticed the expression on Rider's face was one of intense bloodlust. The archaeologist wanted nothing more than to leave the kid uninjured but was that even an option now? Furthermore, could he even do anything right now with an enemy so close to him that had a sword in his hands? No. There was only one thing that he could do right now.
"Ar- Jones spoke but before he could finish Archer was already engaging with the enemy Servant once more.
"Back off." Rider spoke as his opponent's staff was the only thing preventing him from stabbing Jones, which would most certainly be a fatal blow.
"You first." Archer snapped back as he knew his enemy's intentions and refused to let him harm his Master in any way. Not because he wanted the Grail but because he had a duty to repay the archaeologist for everything, he did to protect his Ark, and for that…
… He would gladly sacrifice his life so that his Master could live another day.
"Fine. Have it your way." Rider replied as he leaped backward. This action confused Archer. Surely his foe was not going to give up that easily. No. There was no way that someone as proud as that child would just call it a day. Which means that he has something up his sleeve.
"You know if it wasn't for that geezer then I would have greatly enjoyed fighting you. But your Master insulted me. So, I've got no choice but to go all out." Rider spoke as thunder roared from the heavens!
"I knew it. This must be your Noble Phantasm. Looks like I don't have a choice either." Archer replied as something materialized in his hands, a certain sling, the same one that made Goliath fall back down to the Earth!
"Good. Now I don't have to feel bad when I kill you." Rider spoke with a grin on his face as this friendly bout had turned into one to the death. Even though Jones had no clue what a Noble Phantasm was even he could tell he was about to see some serious shit.
'BAM! BAM! BAM!' Thunder turned into lightning and struck the ground! Not long after that, a horse came out of nowhere and approached Rider. He then mounted his stead as he was about to engage with his opponent one last time.
"Mind if I ask you for your true name? I wouldn't want to never know the identity of someone who holds great power." Rider asked as his eyes were fixated on Archer.
"I don't mind. My true name is David, king of Israel." Archer replied as he stared at Rider as well. It was as if nothing else mattered at this moment. There were just two men who had decided to put their lives on the line for what they sought to protect. One wanted to protect their Master. The other their pride. That's all there was to it. And without further ado-
"HIYAH!" Rider shouted as he rode his horse into the pitch-black sky cackling with thunder and lightning! Archer could do nothing as his opponent was in the heavens above him except ready his attack!
"You have the right to reform. But you leave me no choice." Archer spoke as he charged up his Noble Phantasm by spinning his slingshot over and over as his enemy soared through the sky to meet him head-on!
"For the place, I shall reach one day! Now is the time… for me to take my first step…" Rider spoke as he rode his horse on top of lightning as he traveled back to the Earth! This was it! This was the decisive moment of their fight!
"HAMESH AVANIM!" Archer roared at the top of his lungs as he fired his slingshot at his foe! Even though nothing but a stone was contained within his sling it raced through the air and into the sky like a bullet!
"BUCEPHALUS!" Rider roared with enough ferocity to match Archer as he went straight for the stone! Would the horse crush the stone into pieces? Or would the stone pierce through the horse? This battle was about to be decided in a matter of a nanosecond! And then…
'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!' A massive explosion erupted from the sky that sent shockwaves to the earth! After that nothing moved an inch, nor did anyone make as much as a squeak with their vocal cords. That was until-
"Ow. Why does this keep happening to me?" Jones muttered to himself as the clash between the Servants had knocked the great archaeologist onto his butt once more. He didn't know what happened, all Jones could see was a flash of light that obscured his vision. Though it didn't take long for his vision to return and when it did, Jones had noticed his Servant.
"Archer! Are you alright?!" Jones yelled out as his Servant stood motionlessly until the latter turned his head and flashed a smile to his Master.
"Phew." Jones let out a sigh of relief as he thought for a second that his Servant had been a goner. Since David survived and there was no sight of their enemy, that could only mean that Rider had fallen. Even though he was an enemy, Jones couldn't help but feel bad that a child had just died. David noticed this.
"Master. There's nothing to feel bad about. We Servants aren't just randomly forced to join the Holy Grail War against our will. Each of us has a wish that we want to achieve even with the chance that we may die before seeing it come to fruition…" Archer spoke but paused for a few seconds as he approached his Master and put a hand on his shoulder. And then…
"… Even still… fighting for what you believe in… that's nothing to be ashamed of. Never forget that." Archer finished with a serious look on his face. That was when Jones remembered that apparently the Holy Grail can grant wishes or at least that's what Archer alluded to. Even still…
'But is a wish really worth sacrificing your life for?' Jones thought internally as he chose not to say this since he did not want to upset Archer. The outcome of this battle left a bad taste in the archeologist's mouth, and he hoped that no one so young would be involved with the Grail War from that point onwards.
"I understand. Thanks, Archer." Jones replied as he lied through his teeth while approaching the Tohsaka residence. With Rider defeated, it appears the Bounded Field had disappeared, that's what Jones surmised but he was mistaken. He was simply being 'allowed' entry into the residence that was before him.
It wasn't long until he reached the front door but upon seeing the keyhole, Jones remembered the golden key he had in his pocket. The same one that was in the envelope with the letter that his late friend had sent him. However, upon attempting to use it, the archaeologist found out that it was too small to open the door in front of him.
'Guess I'll just knock then.' Jones thought internally before doing just that. It was then that he had realized the presence of his own Servant as the latter stood next to him with hearts in his eyes, clearly dreaming how beautiful the woman next door would be.
"Just watch, in a few seconds, the woman who will open this door will be the most gorgeous one you'll ever meet! And when that happens, she'll fall into my arms after seeing how much more of a man I was than that shrimp! Ahahaha!" Archer laughed like a villain once more as he waited with anticipation for Tohsaka's daughter to shower him with affection. Or at least that's what his delusions told him would happen. But then…
'Creak.' The door was opened as the Master and Servant looked to see… nothing at all.
"Huh? Didn't you say your friend's daughter was here?" Archer asked his Master as they were the only two people around. It was almost as if the door suddenly opened by itself. But wait. That can't be right. Doors don't open by themselves. And ghosts don't exist! Jones had proved that only a few hours ago! Rider had just emerged from the Tohsaka household. That can't be a coincidence. So, then where exactly is Tohsaka's daughter-
"Down here." A voice spoke from close by. Jones and Archer had decided to do just that but upon doing as they were told to do, they were met with a shocking discovery. Tohsaka's daughter was alive and well, but she was…
… A child.
"Pfft." Jones put a land on his mouth in order to contain his laughter at the sight before him. Archer's eyes had gone wide in disbelief at the sight of the girl in front of him. Jones noticed this and moved closer to his Servant until the former's mouth was near the latter's ear. And then…
"… She's all yours." Jones whispered with a grin on his face as Archer felt like he was having a nightmare. It was as if a black void was consuming everything in sight and there was nothing, he could do but let it consume him as well. Archer then fell to his knees and-
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Archer shouted at the top of his lungs at the sight of Tohsaka's daughter who couldn't be older than a ten-year-old. The daughter that Jones's late friend had asked him to protect was undoubtedly none other than this child.
"Huh? W-What's with him?" The child asked as she looked at Archer with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Don't mind him. His expectations were just too high." Jones replied with a smirk on his face. To think that his friend's daughter was only old enough to be in elementary school… it all started to make sense now.
'No wonder Tohsaka wanted me to protect her.' Jones thought internally as he stared at the girl in front of him. This lasted for a few seconds until-
"Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside already." The child spoke with a serious expression as she walked back into her house without waiting for a response.
"Just like that? Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Jones asked as even though he knew the identity of the girl before him, she couldn't possibly know his, or that is at least what he thought. However-
"This is pointless but whatever. I'm Takina Tohsaka. And since you aren't trying to kill me even though you are obviously a Master, that can only mean you're Indiana Jones." Takina spoke while not facing Jones as the latter could only see her back. This was highly disrespectful especially in Japan as even though Jones had been to Japan a handful of times before, even he knew this.
It all painted the picture that this girl didn't like him but had no choice but to put up with him because of the outcome of the fight that occurred just a few minutes ago. But since she knew his name this only further confused the archaeologist.
"What of the chance that I'm simply posing as Indiana Jones." Jones spoke as he lied through his teeth. He had thought of himself as a pretty good liar with a poker face that would even make the most skilled of gamblers shake in their boots at the casino. It's not that he wanted to get on her bad side, he just wanted to mess with her a bit, after all, children always believe whatever adults say-
"Oh please. What person would go so far as to impersonate you in a land where you stick out like a sore thumb. Only an idiot would do that. Do you take me for an idiot?" Takina asked as she turned around with an annoyed look on her face.
It was then that Jones took note of her appearance after learning of the true age of the girl he was requested to protect. Takina had short black hair that didn't even reach her shoulders and an all-red kimono that was decorated with drawings of flowers on it. In fact, if it wasn't for the kimono which is typically worn by women, and her feminine voice, she would look like a boy.
"Jeez. Just get in here already! You're letting all the cold air in!" Takina shouted with a pissed-off expression on her face.
'Is it just me or am I just inspiring anger in women nowadays.' Jones thought internally as he recalled a certain woman that he remembered a few hours ago, as well as a woman who was constantly complaining in India, and finally a woman who turned out to be working for the Nazis that tried to have him killed. Indiana Jones has not been having luck with the ladies.
"Come on, Archer. Let's go." Jones spoke as he did the same as Takina by walking into the house and not waiting for a response from his Servant. Archer was left outside alone, almost like an abandoned pet.
"I guess I really did get my hopes too high." Archer muttered to himself in disappointment as tears went down his cheeks while walking into the house. With that everyone was present within the house, Indiana Jones, his Servant Archer, Tohsaka's daughter, and Rider…
… Wait, WHAT?!
"How the heck are you still alive?!" Jones yelled out with a dumbfounded expression on his face as he noticed Rider who was sitting on the couch in the living room. Not only was he alive, but the red-haired child was completely uninjured! H-How is this possible?
"Because Takina cheated." Rider grumbled with a pout on his face. This got a reaction out of Takina as she turned to face her Servant.
"I did not cheat. I used a Command Spell to teleport you out of the way before you would have certainly been engulfed by Archer's Noble Phantasm. You should be thanking me. Jeez… to think I had to waste one so early on. I blame you for this Rider. And stop calling me Takina. It's Master. And 'only' Master. Got it?" Takina spoke with a serious expression on her face. She was correct, if she had not been watching the entire fight from her bedroom window, or lack thereof, then her Servant would have surely met his end. But just because she was correct did not mean she was right, at least that's what Rider surmised.
"Nope! You're just a big fat cheater Takina! Bleah!" Rider spoke as he stuck out his tongue at his Master, but this pissed off the latter as a vein bulged on her forehead in response to her Servant's childish demeanor.
"Why you little! Gandr!" Takina shouted as she fired her magic several times at her Servant who swiftly dodged every attack with ease. The two were now engaged in a fight befitting of someone their age. But what Takina had said earlier confused Jones.
"Hey, brat." Jones spoke which earned him the attention of the 'brat' in question.
"Just who are you calling brat, you old man?" Takina replied as she glared daggers at Jones, the latter of which thought 'They are two peas in a pod.' Before asking his question.
"Just what are Command Spells?" Jones asked as Takina's anger was replaced with immense confusion.
"Just… how senile are you, old man?" Takina spoke as she stared at the man in front of her with bewilderment.
"I'm not even forty years old yet, brat." Jones snapped back at Takina. The girl then got angry for a second but calmed down and thought to herself for a few seconds until-
"Come with me." Takina spoke as she headed to the entryway to put on some shoes. This confused the archaeologist.
"To where exactly?" Jones asked though his question wasn't answered as Takina ignored him and put on a red coat with a scarf that matched it. Being ignored only made Jones angry as a vein bulged from his forehead.
"Answer me you brat!" Jones demanded with a shout.
"You really want to know what Command Spells are?! I'll take you to someone who can explain it to you, so I don't have to waste my breath explaining! Now let's go!" Takina shouted back with a pissed-off expression on her face as she headed outside.
"Well, I guess that means we should follow her." Archer spoke as he headed outside and followed after the young girl in red.
"Wait for me, Takina!" Rider shouted as he followed after his Master. This left Jones all by himself in the Tohsaka residence.
"This girl is going to be a pain in my ass… I just know it." Jones muttered to himself before following after his Servant as well as the children, thus ending the first fight of the Third Holy Grail War.
Meanwhile in a certain hotel…
"En Garde!" A man shouted as he thrusted his blade forward. His intention was to pierce the man before him. However, before he could-
'Whoosh!' The other man had dodged the attack with ease as well as several more with the swiftness of a fly. No matter how many times the man had tried to land a blow onto the man it was simply inevitable that he would miss. This meant that the victor of this battle was already clear.
'Stab!' The man who had successfully dodged every attack had landed a blow onto his foe. If this were a real battle this would surely mean death. However, what had just occurred was none other than a fencing match between two fencers.
"You never cease to amaze me with your skill with the blade Major Yggdmillennia." The man who had been defeated spoke as he took off his helmet. The other fencer did the same revealing that the man in question was indeed Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia.
"No need for praise. You did your job to a satisfactory level. Honing my skills against another is the only way to achieve results. For that, I'm in your debt." Darnic spoke as he sat down on a nearby chair and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.
"You are too kind Major." The man spoke as he bowed toward Darnic. Everything was quiet until-
'Knock. Knock.' The two men heard a knock on the door of the room.
"You may enter." Darnic replied as the person who knocked did just that. It was a soldier from the unit that he was given control of by the Fuhrer himself. Though this one was different from the one from last night since the latter of which had long since departed from this world.
"Major! I have urgent news to report!" The soldier shouted as he saluted his commanding officer.
"You may leave." Darnic spoke to the fencer as the latter saluted him and did just that by leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Now, with only Darnic and the soldier in the room, both were free to speak about matters concerning the Holy Grail War.
"If I were to guess… the seventh Master and Servant have been found, the Servant being of the Archer-Class?" Darnic asked as the soldier was dumbfounded over everything that his superior was saying was completely correct.
"It is as you say, Major! However, we have uncovered information on the Master! His name is Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr!" The soldier replied.
"Hmm… never heard of him. Tell me about this… Dr. Jones." Darnic asked as he looked at the soldier with a smile on his face.
"Well… it appears that Dr. Jones is none other than someone who has been a nuisance to Germany ever since the World War. Jones used many different aliases during the war, such as Henri Defense, Lieutenant Pierre Blanc, Fritz Diefenbaker, Captain Duval, Nils Anderson, and Amadeus Shooblegrueber, among many others. This was all because he was a spy for the Belgian army!" The soldier explained though this confused Darnic.
"Why would someone like him join the Grail War? I doubt some spy for the Belgians even knows of Magecraft." Darnic spoke as not even as someone as intelligent as him could have predicted this turn of events.
"Well, it appears that Dr. Jones has a connection to Tatsuo Tohsaka. Not only that… but he is an enemy of Mr. Che." The soldier spoke but that caught Darnic's attention.
"You mean to say that this Dr. Jones… is an enemy of Lao Che?" Darnic asked as the soldier nodded in affirmation.
"When will Mr. Che be arriving?" Darnic asked with an all-knowing look on his face as he already knew the answer but just wanted to hear it.
"Within the hour, sir." The soldier replied as his commanding officer's face lit up with impish glee.
"Hahaha…" Darnic laughed quietly until-
"… This could prove to be very interesting indeed." Darnic finished as at that moment he was concocting a scheme, one that would shape the forthcoming events of the third Holy Grail war in his favor.
To Be Continued…