VI.
As Louise fought her battle of spells and ideals, Rider and Saber continued their clash of steel and resolve against Lancer. In any other situation, against any other foe, the advantage the duo had by outnumbering their opponent should have been enough to win them an easy victory. Unfortunately Lancer was not any other foe. Her strength and capability were being artificially enhanced as she siphoned excess magical energy off of what was being generated by the extreme emotions caused by her Noble Phantasm, though she made sure to always leave enough for it to continue its self-perpetuating nature. As well, the advantage Rider would have enjoyed by having a companion was almost completely negated by Lancer being able to will Saber away at any moment.
Saber could do little else than momentarily distract Lancer before he was once more forced away, and Rider, despite his best efforts, was unable to capitalize on any of the openings. Lancer, a cyclone of spinning weapon and threatening blades, was keeping perfect tempo with the veteran swordsman and, while she was not necessarily gaining the advantage, she was certainly stopping her opponents from making any headway themselves.
Rider, hoping a different approach might break the stalemate, disengaged from Lancer and put considerable distance between himself and his opponent, or at least as considerable as the smaller arena afforded by the rooftop terrace would allow. So as to waste as little time as possible changing weapons the musketeer gripped his sword between his teeth as he drew both pistols from the brace and fired repeatedly upon Lancer. He was focused less on landing lethal shots or targeting vital locations and more on pouring as much fire onto his opponent as he could. If Saber could not afford Rider an opening, perhaps he could find one instead.
The chevalier's plan seemed to be working to a degree. Lancer was so occupied using her boar spear to parry and block the hail of bullets that it was more difficult for her to spare her attention, even momentarily, for her other opponent. Saber made his move, once again rapidly closing in on the queen with all the speed he had displayed the last time Rider had witnessed him fight, and wasted no time in raining innumerable thrusting strikes down upon her.
Several times the tip of the sword touched skin and drew blood, and multiple times the bullets tore through garment and flesh, yet for all these wounds, piling upon her one after the other, Lancer seemed to notice the next less than the previous. She turned towards Saber, shot after shot tearing through her side and back and, seeming to ignore his blade as it pierced her shoulder, drove the spear through his thigh, its multiple points tearing ligament and muscle apart. Without losing any momentum she spun around, the wedged-in points dragging Saber along, and rather than willing him away with her Authority as before, physically launched Saber towards Rider as a humanoid projectile.
Rider had no time to fully anticipate the rather unorthodox attack and, unable to avoid his airborne companion, dropped his pistols and attempted to catch Saber in the hopes that he wouldn't be bowled over by the impact. As the aristocratic Servant crashed into Rider's arms, the pair found themselves stunned and immobilized, even if only for a second, which was all Lancer needed. She hurled the spear at them with all of her superhuman strength behind it, the shot intended to skewer the enemy Servants simultaneously.
The only thing Rider could do, burdened as he was with Saber, was to let both of them drop to the ground and hope he did so with ample speed and that they both fell low enough for the deadly projectile to miss. The spear did, in fact, pass over them, impacting and cracking the multi-layered glass safety barrier around the terrace's edges as it did so, but before its momentum could carry it fully through the barrier and out into the smoke-filled sky, the low rumble of Lancer's teleportation sounded and she appeared standing over the pair, her strength stopping the spear in midair.
Rider snatched his sword from beneath his teeth and swatted at his opponent's outstretched weapon, trying his best to buy some time to raise himself and the injured Saber from their prone position. As Lancer attempted to bring the spear down onto them, Saber too parried the attack away and kicked out with his uninjured leg, the strike hitting the queen right in the knee, causing her to buckle slightly. The few moments afforded by the stunning attack was enough for Rider to rise form the ground, even as he hauled the injured Saber up as well, holding the other man erect between himself and Lancer.
The female Servant brandished her weapon menacingly at the pair, though the motion and lack of strength behind it did not imply an attack of any sort. There was a moment's pause, the weapon hovering between them, before Rider realized what was coming.
"Devil take me." Rider muttered.
"Begone." Lancer said with her usual tone of calm dominance, though this time a tone of slight amusement could be detected.
Saber, fully affected by the power of her royal Authority, became an unstoppable force that propelled himself and Rider into, and then through, the damaged barrier surrounding the villa. Several layers of protective glass became a glittering hailstorm as it rained down on the city below.
Lancer could only indulge in her feeling of triumph for a moment because, as her spear was still outstretched, Saber had seen what was coming and just as she had issued the order stretched his hand out and seized the sharpened tip of the weapon. He was determined that, no matter what, his grip would stay firm, and it had. Moments after sending her opponents flying out into the nothing, Lancer was joining them in freefall.
Falling from this height was a new experience for Rider. The air was whipping past him in one single, endless, harsh gale, pulling moisture from his eyes as he struggled to keep them open. The view was a jumbled mess of smoke-blackened sky one moment, and the glowing embers of the city below the next. His tabard was less fluttering and more akin to a whip that constantly tore across his body as it flapped back and forth with surprising intensity. Perhaps he would have spent more time taking in the novelty of it all had it not been for one very important detail.
Lancer, seemingly completely unbothered by the situation, struck out repeatedly with her spear, attempting to skewer Rider and Saber midair. Both were doing their best to parry her attacks, even as they tumbled clumsily in freefall. Saber, his attacks more well aimed than his companion, managed to pierce Lancer an inch or so deep with his blade, but before he could deepen the wound the young queen wrenched his blade between the prongs of her spear and turned in midair placing Saber above her. "Begone!" She shouted, and with the magical command Saber was sent spiraling upwards, back the direction they had come, his sword coming dislodged from Lancer in the process.
The regal Servant had her back to Rider and he saw his opportunity. The chevalier spread his limbs wide, slowing his fall just enough for the falling Lancer to drop closer to him. He thrust out with his sword, driving it into and through the torso of his opponent. As the blade passed out the front of his target, Rider placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled Lancer towards him, burying his blade up to the hilt, and then held tight onto both the woman and the weapon and she writhed in his grasp.
Despite the grievous nature of the wound Lancer only seemed to register it as the most minute of an injury. "Grahh! Unhand me you dog!" Blood occasionally flew from her as punctuation of her enraged words, but despite her protestations and struggles Rider would not break his hold.
Rider could see Lord Wilmore doing his best to catch back up as the three of them continued their descent. In a bid to slow their own fall, to bring his reluctant ally closer to hopefully finish their mutual foe, the chevalier kicked his feet out to contact the surface of the tower. His legs struck out, glass shattering as his Servant strength easily broke window after window. Despite his efforts, Lancer would wrench them away from the tower as they tumbled upside down through the ever-shortening distance, forcing Rider to steer them closer again to shatter another window. The few seconds spent struggling with his opponent in this way felt like an eternity for Rider.
Soon enough though Saber had managed to finally close the distance and rejoin the combat. Lancer managed to parry his first few attacks despite her compromised position and leveled her weapon once more at him in that familiar threatening posture.
"BEGO-AGGH!" She was unable to finish the command as Rider wrenched his blade sideways, the pain finally being too much for her to brush off as she had other attacks.
Saber plunged his sword through her, running parallel to Rider's, passing through Lancer and only just barely missing his compatriot. He too seized hold of her opposite shoulder, the three now locked together as they plummeted. The queen was a tenacious foe though. She brought the boar spear up and, placing it between her own back and Rider, used it as a lever to wrench him off of her, his sword messily dislodging along with him. Rider tumbled up and away from the other two, Saber proving a harder burden to remove.
Rider could see the ground approaching, They had already fallen more than half the height of the tower, and there was little time before their journey came to a sudden and incredibly painful end. The Musketeer narrowed his body, becoming more streamlined in order to approach the other two faster as he brought his sword up to his face in the position of salute. He hated doing this in the presence of Lord Wilmore whom he still considered a prospective enemy, but the situation seemed to leave him little choice.
"I am here before you on only my own power." Rider began the chant of his Noble Phantasm once again. "But I am not alone. We are tied together in the bonds of brotherhood and friendship." The motes of pale blue light started to flow from Rider's person, a glowing azure trail left in his wake as he fell.
"Porthos! Your herculean strength and unbreakable spirit!" The titanic phantom of his jovial friend joined him, his sword pulled back in readiness for the strike that was about to be unleashed.
"Aramis! Your unrivaled genius and incontrovertible acumen!" Aramis too appeared, and gave Rider a smile that communicated how rash, insane, and completely in character for d'Artagnan he found the situation.
"And Athos! Your immovable honor and imperious authority!" The third and final phantom appeared, his stalwart features echoing his feelings of trust and adoration for his companion.
"We are," Rider continued, "The Four Inseparables!" The blue energy that had been increasing in quantity gathered from behind the group and coalesced into Rider's sword, the tip of the blade now outstretched and aimed towards Lancer. "All for one! AND ONE FOR ALL!"
Saber had been turned by Lancer and, though her back was to the approaching Servant, he could clearly see Rider's impending attack. Wilmore turned the queen once more putting her in an almost upright position, his own back towards the tower. "As you have asked me to do so many times, I will now begone, Madame." With a swift, single motion he kicked off his opponent, the motion pulling his sword free, pushing the other Servant away, and propelling himself through a window and into the tower all at once. Saber tumbled for several dozen meters before finally coming to a stop in and amongst the wreckage of the half a dozen cubicles his arc had demolished.
Lancer only had so much time to be confused by Saber's sudden departure, before she noticed the rapidly approaching light, like a comet streaking towards her. As she looked up and beheld the approach of Rider's Noble Phantasm she attempted to bring her spear up in defense, but the weapon was little protection from the built up magical energy of Rider's most powerful attack. The sword continued unimpeded, the spear broken in half as his blade passed through it as though it weren't even there.
For the second time Rider's blade buried itself in the queen's body, but this time it was joined by three more impacts, the other musketeers' swords all driving themselves just as deeply into her. "This is adieu, Madame. Though my enemy, you were still royalty, and I offer you all the respect such a title deserves."
The built up blue energy erupted throughout Lancer, the magical power finding the most vent in the two wounds that opened from her back. The release of power was so great that, because he was still midair, Rider found himself propelled up and away from the other Servant as it all loosed itself from her, the enemy Servant was completely rent apart as the one who had delivered the blow was thrown up and through one of the tower windows, only a few floors lower than where Saber had made a similar entry.
The phantoms of his friends had already disappeared, and Rider found himself lying, quite painfully, on his back and alone in the empty room, the disorder and discord of it all mirroring the tumult outside. "I know you're not there, Aramis, but I don't suppose I could afford to just take a quick rest here could I?" Rider asked out loud of the empty room. The only reply he received was the sound of the wind blowing through the opening his body had created. "Devil take me, I hate how you're always right." The Servant slowly picked himself up, his body sore and battered all over, and hurried as best as he could towards the stairs.