V.
Louise wasted no time in entering the workshop. Opting for efficiency over stealth, she rushed into the room, letting the sounds of her heavy footfalls ring off the high walls, instead of slower softer steps that may have produced less commotion. Rider followed invisibly close behind, wincing to himself at the amount of noise Louise was making. Having the room described to her by Rider ahead of time helped Louise to narrow her search, choosing to go first immediately to the dais at the center. Judging by the sparse nature of the room, any rituals or spells being cast were guaranteed to be carried out there.
As Louise was using a dimmed version of her light spell to get a better look around the stone structure's base, she felt a telepathic message from Rider.
-"An addendum to my earlier evaluation. There is some sort of balcony or upper platform that looks over the room. My apologies, it is above the tunnel we entered through and my angle prevented my seeing it initially."-
-"That's fine, provided it is currently unoccupied."- Louise wasn't sure how well she could inject a tone of sarcasm-laden concern into telepathic communication, but assumed that Rider was able to detect her apprehension.
-"As far as I can tell right now, yes, we do not currently have an audience."- Rider responded, relieved though slightly embarrassed.
Louise shot a reassuring glance in the direction of where she thought Rider might be, hoping he noticed the silent comfort. Returning to her work, Louise finally found something that piqued her interest. It was no surprise to find traces of blood in a mage's workshop. Any number of animals, mundane or magical, could be used in completing all manner of spells, and in the workshops of some mages who were less ethically inclined, human blood was also an expected sight. Louise didn't have time to set up any ritual that could help her identify the traces present, but considering everything they had come across in the catacombs so far she was comfortable assuming this particular fluid belonged to her fellow man.
Louise had also noted several bone fragments spread around the area, and was about to take a closer look to see if they belonged to one of the longtime residents of the ossuary or were perhaps fresher when, without even warning her, she saw the magical sheen of Rider materializing from spirit form as he vaulted over the dais and tackled her to the ground. There was the boom of several energy discharges that sounded vaguely familiar, and the cavern was momentarily illuminated by bright red beams streaking across the room from tunnels opposite each other. Several more bolts of energy followed, all of them passing through the space Louise had only moments before occupied.
"I think our investigation is over, Master." Rider said as he drew his sword and one of his pistols.
"Oh my, he is plucky as ever is he not? Yes, just as capable as when I first faced him. Did you see, Rouge, did you see how deftly he saved his Master form the fusillade? Why, it was most impressive!" l'Archer Noire's enthusiastic words echoed throughout the chamber as he emerged from the tunnel to Louise and Rider's right, the arm partially concealed by the purple cloak keeping his rifle leveled at the enemy Servant.
"Unfortunate really, considering things would have been far easier for us, and less painful for her had he not interfered." Rouge, whose black cloak at first hid him in the gloom, emerged from the opposite tunnel, a pair of flintlock pistols in both hands.
"I see you're going to insist on giving me no end of trouble, Madame Saint-Hermine." The mocking voice that spoke out from behind Rouge was not the expected sing-song tone of Zoe, but the curt humored voice of Leo. "But that has been the case from the start." He entered the room as well, clicking his cane against the stonework with a satisfying tapping sound. "You really could have saved us all a whole lot of trouble and heartache if you had just died during your fight with Berserker and that mad woman they call a Master."
"That was faster than expected." Louise replied, trying to mask her concern with mock confidence. "I knew this was coming, but I didn't think you would be quite so prompt. Why are you here though? I sent the bird to find Zoe."
"Oh, you mean this?" Leo produced the crumpled form of the paper bird Louise had released when her and Rider had fallen through the hidden chasm. "It seems to have ended up in my possession. Fancy that. No my brother is not here right now and, between the two of us, hardly your most pressing concern."
"But your brother is the de Franchi Master. Why are the Servants with you?" Louise, unsurprised as she was by the betrayal of a de Franchi, was confused about the loyalties of the Heroic Spirits.
The question elicited laughter from both Archers, and Leo himself was unable to suppress an audible reaction and accompanying smile. "Oh Louise- pardon me, Madame Saint-Hermine." Leo injected a mocking tone into the word 'Madame' as he spoke, "Despite what my brother may have said, I assure you that I am definitely a Master involved with Archer." These final words were accompanied with Leo lifting his right hand into view, a command seal in the shape of two circles chasing after one another, long tails between them, clearly present on his skin.
Louise wasn't sure what it meant, if Leo had somehow taken the seals from his brother, or if one of them was merely faking his Master status, but she also knew she didn't have time right now to mull over the implications. "Rider," She whispered to get her Servant's attention, "I want you to go after Leo and Rouge, they're the unknown elements. I've seen how Noire fights, I can at least buy you some time."
"I don't know that you trying to fight a Servant is the most advisable strategy, Master." Rider responded. "Not to downplay your own capabilities, I have faith in you in most situations, but this-"
"Is near suicidal. I know. But we have no other options. Best possible outcome is I manage to break away and get to safety before you join me. On my signal."
Leo had watched Louise for a few seconds, hoping for something entertaining like a shocked and confused outburst, or some attempt to bargain with him for her safety. When Louise had shown no signs of providing such amusement though his patience quickly ran out. "I'll keep this simple. Goodbye Madame Saint-Hermine." Leo tapped his cane powerfully into the floor once more, the echoing sound serving as a signal for his Servants to resume their attack.
"Now!" Louise charged toward Noire, a modified version of her normal barrier pulsating in front of her as she closed the distance. Rider, with a powerful step, sent himself flying towards Rouge and Leo, his pistol firing several shots aimed at the opposing mage.
The cavern became a cacophonous melee as the Archers returned fire. Rouge was forced to place himself between Leo and Rider, parrying both of the opposing Servant's solid rounds away with the barrels of his own firearms, before using them to return fire, dozens of small red beams flashing out towards the oncoming chevalier.
Rider dodged the bulk of the shots, but refused to slow his approach, and was forced to let multiple of the beams cut across his extremities. He returned fire several more times as he closed the distance, but didn't manage to land any substantial hits. He was relieved, however, when his weathering of the storm of fire was rewarded by finding himself in range to switch the fight over to a more melee focus, and brought his sword down on his foe.
Rouge deftly made the switch from ranged combat to close to quarters, as his pistols, which had already proven invaluable for deflecting other projectiles, just as easily deflected the lethal blade now aimed at him.
"I didn't know there was a hero famed for fighting with pistols in close combat." Rider remarked, as the two combatants took a moment to size each other up now that the distance had closed.
"There is not one to my knowledge either." Rouge responded snidely. "That was more out of necessity. For a proper duel at this distance I prefer to use this." The rifleman dropped his pistols onto the dusty stonework and drew a long rapier out of its sheath on his back from beneath his cloak.
"A shame." Rider shrugged. "I was excited to defeat someone with so singular a fighting style."
"Get used to disappointment. It suits you." Rouge said as he lunged toward Rider.
Louise for her part had succeeded in surprising the ever cheerful Noire. He had faltered for a moment when he saw the Master charging him, but a moment was no great loss and, remembering how it had nearly shattered after a single shot before, gleefully fired a pair of bolts of crimson energy into Louise's barrier. Louise was satisfied to know the gambit had paid off, as the modified barrier at first seemed to buckle under the destructive power of Noire's shots, but soon lurched back towards the Servant, both beams of light streaking back towards him.
Noire's enduring smile disappeared momentarily as his own shots were returned to him, both exploding in an extraordinary fashion as they collided with both him and the cavern wall. As generating the barrier and giving it enough energy to reflect an attack as powerful as Noire's had taken a considerable amount of Louise's magical energy, she was forced to let it fall apart and disappear after only the two shots. The young Saint-Hermine wasn't too worried about that though, because the surprising nature of the attack had bought her enough time to close in on Noire.
l'Archer Noire watched as Louise emerged through the dust and smoke, her left hand wreathed in the swirling purple magic of her mana blade and, continuing to defy his expectations, launched an attack on him. Her attacks were far slower than any a Servant could launch, and it was exceedingly simple for him to dodge the ethereal blade. What had started as shocked excitement quickly dwindled away into the realization that she was not quite as exceptional as he had started to briefly believe.
"Madame please, I respect your enthusiasm and, far be it from me to quash it, but I'm afraid that we both must admit this is hardly an even match." Noire moved to swat Louise away with the side of his musket, but before he could she disengaged voluntarily, hopping back into the workshop. Her retreat was accompanied by several catalytic stones exploding around the Servant, Noire's lack of real rebuttal and her subsequent retreat being all the time she needed to shift her magic from blade to propulsion.
The other side of the cavern was a blinding clash of steel, as Rider and Rouge set upon each other with far more evenly matched amounts of ardor and superhuman capability. Leo momentarily attempted to keep up with the blistering combat, and though his face looked as though he was perfectly following the impossibly fast duel, he had in actuality lost track of who was where and doing what almost immediately.
Rider was feeling confident at first. Just based on class he was sure that Rouge, being an Archer, would be weaker in close-quarters, as his specialty was more focused elsewhere. As the fight continued though, and his opponent was expertly deflecting his blows and making some dangerously capable attacks of his own, Rider was forced to remember that from a class standpoint he was likely in a similar situation. He was no Archer or Caster to be sure, but he was also no Saber or Lancer. His role as a Rider was more meant for him to capitalize on mobile combat and mounted excursions. He had all the faith in himself based on his skills in life, but whoever Rouge had been before joining the Throne of Heroes, he too had clearly been known for more than unwavering accuracy with a pistol or arquebus.
They carried on that way for several more strikes, trading equally back and forth, neither, it seemed, willing to give any ground to his opponent. Rider had faced many skilled duelists, and knew that, matched as they were, he would need to try something a little more risky if he stood any chance of ending the stalemate. The chevalier then chose to purposely yield a modicum of ground to his opponent and intentionally shifted his own movements to a far more defensive style than it had been, hoping this would give Rouge the false idea of his having gained some sort of advantage. The feint had apparently worked, as the Archer lunged forward with a more aggressive strike than any he had been using up to that point. It was only the most minute of mistakes but Rider, knowing when and how to capitalize on an opponent's folly, took full advantage of this gap in the defense and pierced Rouge through the side, tearing a great gash through the ranger's torso. The injury caused him to falter even more and Rider turned his sword once more and drove the blade through his opponent's stomach.
"Touche, Monsieur Rider." Rouge fell to his knees, bleeding profusely from both wounds. "I suppose this is it then. I am defeated."
"Defeated, yes." Rider responded, placing the tip of his blade under Rouge's chin. "But not fatally. I'll not make the same folly. No. You I leave on the brink while I go deal with your companion."
"A fine plan, my capable opponent. Though I fear it will not work." Rouge gave a pained smile to accompany his vague taunt.
"Oh really? And why is that?" Rider's confidence waned once more.
There was a sharp, sudden blasting sound as a blue beam of magical energy tore through Rouge's head. The Servant fell to the ground dead as Leo placed his cane tip, still glowing with the discharged mana back on the ground.
"You may want to hurry over. I don't know that your Master has fared too well against one Servant, and two feels just a little more unbalanced to me. What do you think?" Leo raised a sarcastic brow as he taunted Rider with his words.
Rouge's body burst into an orange conflagration just as Noire's had that first night. Rider turned quickly from Leo and made to cross the room. As he headed for the other end he saw Louise, down on one knee, Noire leveling the long rifle at her. Suddenly there was a burst of flame beside Noire, and Rouge rose from the fires of rebirth, his death impossible unless it was accompanied by his partner's, just as they had said.
The two Archers smiled at each other as Rouge raised one of his pistols to level it at Louise as well. Rider realized he wasn't going to make it in time. Louise raised her barrier in one final act of defiance, but a shot from each of the Servants shattered the magical protection instantaneously.
"Goodbye, Madame." Noire said "It has been an honor."
"That is quite enough. By my order, kneel!." Before the Servants could fire the lethal shots, a powerful voice rang out through the cavern, echoing off the stone walls. The distinguished, sonorous, feminine voice must have carried with it some sort of magical capability, because immediately followed by those words of command Rouge, Noire, Rider, and Leo all found themselves forced to their knees, an intense pressure pushing them down.
"We go out to enact the night's work and what do I find upon our return?" A second woman's voice chimed in, higher in pitch and sounding somewhat older, but no less regal and commanding in tone. "That some trespassers, some interlopers, have seen fit to worm their way into my abode. Are any of you aware how uncouth it is to enter someone's chamber without permission while they are away?"
Two figures appeared on the overhead ledge that Rider had noted when he and Louise first entered the room. The low purple torches on the wall flared to life, trading their dim violet light for a vibrant white glow, illuminating the Master and Servant now poised to look down upon the combatants below.
The Master, a woman of a more advanced age than any of the others in the room, was to Louise's eye somehow more wrapped in the aristocratic energy of a high ranking mage than even Camille. The mage had a pale, almost marble like complexion. Though her age showed in the visible lines around her mouth and eyes, she was far from a wrinkled old crone. The youthful beauty she had always possessed still yet clung to her despite the passing of years. Her hair was a lush silver river that poured down her shoulders in a shimmering cascade, which spoke to its length considering some of it was pulled up in a bun on the top of her head. Her already natural air of elegance was intensified by the red, floor length opera dress she wore, the attached mantle gliding along behind her staying always mere centimeters from the ground. She held her right hand outstretched, showing the claw-like nails and multitudinous chained bracelet rings she wore. She gazed contemptuously down on all whom she perceived as invaders in her domain.
The Servant who stood beside her, whose words had brought nearly all to their knees, was equally regal, perhaps even more of an imposing personality than her Master. She was opposite her Master at least in terms of her apparent age, looking just over twenty years, judging by the healthy glow of her delicate peach skin. She had long black hair that she let flow freely in a sheer torrent down her back, the particularly lengthy bangs partially concealing the left side of her face. Charm, intelligence, and awareness all stared out from her voluminous and beaming blue eyes. Her long slender neck gave way to a full, enchanting figure that was robed in a golden dress, the round pannier emphasizing the refinement of the garment, and the gathered length in the back, the grandeur of its wearer. The dress itself shined with its own enchanted light, a golden glow diffusing on occasion from different places before fading and then reappearing elsewhere on the clothing. A tall shining crown, its long points stretching out violently, adorned the top of the Servant's head, a physical icon of her royalty, though her bearing left no doubt of that.
The only thing that seemed at odds with this appearance of a lady of the court was the imposing spear she carried with her. The handle was a dark, almost tarnished gold coloration, while the blade itself, more than two feet long, was a polished silver. The base of the blade where it met the shaft was flanked on either side by imposing hooks that pointed forward giving the weapon almost the appearance of an uneven trident.
The Master, without turning her eyes from those below, addressed her Servant."Now, Lancer. What say we get a look at our uninvited guests."