Fate/Fantasy Unleashed

[Chaukai]

A/N PLEASE READ: So this isn't relevant to the forums at all. Right now this is just a little snippet of the first chapter but I'd like to get some feedback on it so far. What this is is a fanfic in the universe of the Fate world (Fate/stay night and Fate/zero to be specific). Don't worry about knowing the series, instead, tell me how coherently everything is portrayed to someone who has no knowledge of the series. What I'm going to do is try and make it informative enough for people who don't know anything about the story to get, while still making sure it's not just a regurgitation for those who do know.

Title is work in progress

Chapter 1: There's a chapter title here somewhere

They could definitely hear it. The cracking of the fire contrasted the soundless night. To Kaast, that crackling could have just as well been a signal flare. 

"Isn't that a bit much?" he whispered with a tinge of annoyance. The fire would have usually been gladly accepted for Kaast since the cold of the night air bit at his thick coat, but the man who had created the source of the fire didn't seem to notice the amount of attention his fire could draw. The fire licked the blade of a sword, enveloping the blade without spreading nor harming the holder of the sword.

"Relax." The voice of the one who held the blade couldn't have been over 20. Kaast rose his eyebrow but didn't respond, instead examining the blade wielder. 

Compared to Kaast, the blade wielder looked young. Kaast's hardened and rough face seemed old next to the wielder's young and smooth look. His look almost seemed childish. No, if anyone were to consider him childish, the blade that he controlled with ease would dispel any thought of him being immature. 

"Saber." The wielder of the sword looked away from the fire of the blade with an inquisitive look. As he turned the sword was adjusted slightly, giving light to the walls of the warehouse they sat in, as well as the light blue hair of the wielder. Kaast opened his mouth to speak but stopped, turning away from Saber and focusing his view behind him. They were surrounded by aisles of enormous storage boxes, with the only clearing being on one side, where the moonlight crept in from the large opening to the outside.

"The boundary field was tripped. Any way of dimming that fire?" He pulled back the sleeve of his right arm. Before he could do anything else, his eyes saw a blur of movement that occurred at the doorway. Without a second to react, a red blur zoomed with bullet-like speed. Kaast didn't even have time to consider death, instead gazing in awe as Saber seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of Kaast, meeting the red blur head on. A loud clash was heard as steel met with steel. 

Kaast staggered from the wave of energy produced by the contact of the two titans. He heard the boxes around him shudder, as if knowing fear for the power which the red and blue entity created. As Kaast regained his footing, he focused his gaze on the blur that had charged at him.

Her long red hair left a trail where she had been as she jumped back and made distance between her and Saber. She wore a brown cloak that covered the rest of her, and her red hair was tied in a bun. While her arms were covered by the cloak, it couldn't hide the weapon she was holding. With a length much longer than the girl herself, she held a spear behind her back with one hand, in a relaxed stance.

"Well, I didn't expect it to work but I was still hoping it would." Her words were said with an annoyed tone, reinforced as she put her arms on her hips and sighed. 

Saber held his sword ready, the fire still blazing. Without looking behind himself, he murmured, "go and find her master."

Kaast nodded, then realized how stupid that was to do. Without another word he turned to the nearest aisle and ran away from the two fighters. He knew that trying to help Saber would be no use, as his own magic would only hinder the enemy. There was no doubt though, that was definitely Lancer.

Kaast simply needed to follow what Saber had told him to do, find Lancer's master. If he couldn't do anything against the servant, he'd simply strike at the master. 

The maze of boxes in the warehouse went up to the near top, there was no way to cut through. It was fine since he had scoped the place out beforehand. All he needed to do was use the side exit. As he approached, he slowed down and looked at his wrist.

The red marks that were on it were glowing and tingling. With just those signals, Kaast knew; a master was close.

With a deep breath he kneeled, placing his palm on the ground. The boundary field that had been placed around warehouse complex was a simple one–only to be used for detection. A magus that was a master should be smart enough to avoid this, though. then again, a master who was smart enough wouldn't send their servant charging blindly without precautions.

Found it. No attempt at suppressing their presence, instead standing just outside the warehouse opposite of the one Kaast was in right now. Lifting his fingers from the ground, he rose from his kneeling position with a small ember of anger burning in his eyes. 

'You're that confident that you'll just sit out in the open huh?!' he thought angry and was about to charge off to take on the master. Wait. His mind processed through the position he was in. With such an open space in front of the unknown master, there was bound to be traps. Perhaps something that couldn't be detected with the boundary field. To be that seemingly defenseless and unprepared must have been an attempt to bait him.

Kaast had no definite way to predict everything. It mattered not, for he was confident that he would be able to fight back any attempt that may be thrown at him. It seemed the world would not stop for him though, as he begun to hear the sound of clashing metal echo in the warehouse. With only a fleet hesitations, Kaast ran through the door and towards the master who still stood in the bright moonlit opening.

The figure was tall and slender, but definitely masculine. He stood just under e shadows of the warehouse, making his physical details undefinable. Kaast had another twinge of annoyance as the master seemed to ignore Kaast, who was beginning to close the distance between them. 

Kaast rose his palm as he ran, and an outline of a sword formed at his hand. The sword was not a majestic one, only a simple blade with small embroideries at the hilt. The blade floated above Kaast's open palm, laying horizontal and pointing towards the shadowed figure. Kaast's run instantly turned into a stop as he used the momentum to launch the sword straight at the master.

A hysterical laugh echoed into the night as the sword was about to make contact with the man. The man didn’t even move, but instead, a familiar red blur appeared almost instantaneously and quickly raised her lance, flicking away the sword as if it was only a fly.

“What?” Kaast was in shock. The Lancer standing before him couldn’t have been real. He could still hear the echoing of his Saber dueling with the other Lancer. The Lancer before him looked the exact same though. The long red hair was slightly unkempt, and the brown cloak only reached to her knees, her feet were covered in armored red boots. “That’s impossible. A master can only have one servant.”

“Ah! But you see, that’s where you’re wrong.” The man who stood calmly behind Lancer now stepped forward, revealing his face into the light. He put one hand on his ash blue short hair, giving himself an uncaring pose. He too wore a similar brown cloak to Lancer, hiding all of his physical aspects to Kaast. What Kaast did notice though was the eyes which were the same ash blue color as his hair, making them almost dead-looking. “Your magic is very unique as well. Why would it be so surprising to have such a unique servant?”

Kaast bit his lip. He’d never heard of a duplicate servant. Unless… Wait, of course, it’s the reason why they were wearing cloaks. Kaast grinned and stood defiantly. “What an interesting Noble Phantasm.” Of course. A Noble Phantasm was the Servants ace in the hole, a magic that is so powerful, it’s usually mistaken for sorcery magic. Lancer’s seems to be something that allows her to have multiple selves. Who was this red-headed girl, with the ability to split?

Kaast had no choice. There was no way he could take on a servant. He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining a sword. Yes. The sword didn’t need to be powerful nor fast, it just had to be enough to distract the master and servant. The image that he created in his head was almost instantaneously created in the palm of his hand. The sword was enormous, standing taller than Kaast himself. The odd shape of the sword made it seem inefficient in terms of weight, as the tip of the blade was much large than the base of the blade. Without hesitation, Kaast rose his arm and launched it at the Master and Servant while simultaneously turning around and running towards where his own servant was fighting. The clash of metal had stopped, but he didn’t sense any drastic movement. “Saber, back to me.” He spoke softly. He felt Saber’s presence pull back and near Kaast’s position.

Within a few seconds, they were close, but Kaast could feel death approaching him. The sword had been aimed at the ground to distract them, but Lancer couldn’t have been fazed for long. As if to confirm his suspicions, Kaast felt a brush of wind as the second Lancer charged past Kaast and launched at the same speed as the first one had straight into Saber. Saber stopped in his run and took a stance, and as before, the two forces met with a powerful shockwave.

Saber looked at the second Lancer in shock, then looked over her shoulder at Kaast. With a shrug of shoulders and a grin, Kaast spoke, “I found another one.” Saber shoved the Lancer away from him and turned to meet his own pursuer, the first lancer.

The hysterical laugh was heard again, distracting Kaast from Saber, who was now taking on both Lancers. The whir of blades that was eminent was something Kaast couldn’t even comprehend. Even with both Lancers, Saber seemed to be able to hold his own. Of course. Saber wasn’t called the strongest class for no reason.

Kaast nodded, knowing he could leave Saber to hold off both Lancers. He turned back to the master in front of him. “So, why don’t we slow it down a little and introduce ourselves?” Kaast, rose his arm towards the master of Saber in a gesture of ceasefire.

The man gave a smile, his lips seeming to go from ear to ear. His eyes focused as he stared at his enemy, amused at how Kaast acted so calmly under the situation. “Well then! I shall go first! It would be rude to kill a man without at least properly introducing themselves.” He gave a half bow with one hand behind his back. “I am Sair. Sair Reaves, a freelance mage who happened to run into a bit of luck.”

That burning smile was going to definitely be imprinted in Kaast’s head. He shuddered on the inside but remained calm on the outside, giving his own bow. The frantic clash of blades never stopped, giving Kaast a strong urge to turn and aid his Servant. No. The grinning shadow was his enemy right now. The trust he put in Saber would have to continue. “I am Kaast.”

“A loner without a family name?”

“A family name that has no meaning. May I ask you one question though?” Kaast didn’t think possible, but he could see Sair’s teeth more clearly than before.

“Well, as the Holy Grail Wars has just begun, I see no need to rush.”

Kaast smiled inwardly at that. ’If he was any more sane, I wouldn’t have been allowed to get us to talk like this.’ He closed his eyes and walked calmly towards Sair, at a pace so slow that Sair didn’t seem to mind. “That was actually exactly what I wanted to ask you about. The Holy Grail Wars hasn’t just begun. I didn’t even know any servant besides my own had been summoned. Why would you attack so early?”

Sair paused for a moment, considering Kaast’s question. “Well, speaking from one Master to another, it’s simply efficient. After all, nobody would expect any full on attack so early.”

“This is your full potential? Hmph, I do not need to fear you then.”

“Haha! Do you really think I would give my full potential now?!” He screamed the words and gave another hysterical laugh. The insane man started to hold his stomach from laughing so hard, moving around aimlessly.

With a small grin, Kaast charged Sair, with one smooth motion pulling his sleeve back to reveal his forearm. At first, there was nothing except his bare arm, but then a glow appeared around them. Symbols appeared that seemed to be tattooed onto his arm, and they changed from blood red to a glowing bright blue. “Your mistake!” Kaast launched his arm towards the back of Sair, still shaking from laughter. Kaast’s glowing arm changed trajectory from heading to Sair’s back to heading to his feet, approaching the concrete ground at high speed.

Saber and both the Lancers stopped their weapons and turned to look, the huge build-up in energy was something they did not expect. Kaast’s tattoos gave a brief but brilliant shine that was strong enough to illuminate the entire warehouse complex, blinding Saber from being able to see what had occurred. As the light died down, Saber tried to look into the light. The two Masters still stood. No blood had been shed.

Kaast’s shocked face was the first thing Saber’s eyes focused on. The wide eyes of Kaast looked down on his hand, which was barely inches away from the ground. An iron grip on the wrist had stopped Kaast from being able to finish his spell. Sair’s hand didn’t let go of Kaast, but what surprised Saber more was that for once, Sair’s face had turned serious.

“A magic crest that holds that much power?” He was not staring at Kaast. His eyes were completely fixated on the arm that had showed the glowing tattoo. He licked his lips, eyes flashing full of hunger. He lowered his arm to look closer, but Kaast started to resist, trying to pull his arm away from Sair. He pulled with all of his might, but even though he could gain some edge, Sair completely ignored the resistance and gripped even harder.

’He’s like a ♥♥♥♥ machine!’ Kaast had to quickly do something. He didn’t know what the man was capable of, but Sair definitely wanted his magic crest. Using his free hand, he began to trace a blade in his mind, all while pulling as hard as he could away from Sair.

Before he could finish, Sair released his grip as he was pushed away by Lancer, who had appeared suddenly. Kaast saw a blade swing beside him towards Sair, but Lancer used her lance to fend off Saber’s blade.

Lancer did not attempt to fight back, instead pulling far back as soon as the firstt swing had been deflected. Sair stood just behind Lancer, out of reach from Saber and Kaast. Sair only stared at Kaast, not trying to move forward. The standoff lasted only moments, as Sair seemed to make a decision and turned around. “I think that’s good for today.” He gave one last glance back at Kaast and Saber, who did not attempt to follow.

Their retreating backs disappeared into the night, but Kaast and Saber did not move from their spot. They prudently looked around, making sure not to relax until their presence was far from them.

Kaast gave a long sigh and slumped to the ground, his muscles tired from being so tense.

“Well, I guess this means it’s time to start.” Kaast gave another sigh and turned to Saber, who now stood calmly looking into the distance. At Kaast’s words Saber turned and looked at Kaast with a smile.

“Let’s begin, the 7th Holy Grail War.”


Chapter 2

“What? There has already been a fight?” The words which left her mouth contrasted the emotions she portrayed. While there was a hint of disbelief, she remained calm as she asked.

Priest Sade gave a small sigh in response to the lady. Her expression had barely changed since he had met her, which, while that wasn’t too long ago, was enough for Sade to know that she was difficult to surprise. The calm and relaxed composure fit her though. Her silk white hair that hung barely past her neck and her bright red eyes seemed to give a more regal appearance.

“Yes, there was evidence from the battlefield found of a Servant battle. We are not certain which ones exactly, although that information wouldn’t be too difficult to obtain if we really needed it.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything, instead sitting down in the second row of the church pews. Her eyes didn’t seem to focus, giving her a dazed and dreamy look. “Wow… Really? I haven’t even summoned mine…” She rose her left arm in front of her and stared at her hand. Her eyes focused on the gate shaped red marks prominently noticeable on the back. “I guess it’s time for me to summon mine.”

“If you want to back out, you still have time.” Sade watched the lady with a solemn stare. “Out of the 7 Masters, only three have summoned their Servants. If you were to back out now, the Holy Grail would most certainly choose another Master in your place.”

“No, but thank you for the consideration.” She rose from the church pews with grace, her black long skirt brushing the benches as she walked towards the center aisle. “I had all my questions answered, anyways. My gratitude for your aid.”

“I would suggest you not come here again. The Church is supposed to remain a neutral ground, it would be troubling if other Masters thought I was working with you.” His words weren’t words of care; instead they were words that were meant to state a simple fact, like a history teacher reciting an event.

The white-haired lady narrowed her eyes at him, but didn’t say anything as she walked away from the overbearing figure. As she closed the church doors behind her, she gave a shudder. She always hated communicating with anybody from the Church.

This was a natural feeling; magus never were on good terms with the Church. She glanced at her Command Seal again, the red mark on the back of her hand. The feeling she had now was similar to the one she had had when she first obtained her Command Seals-a feeling of capitulation. Letting out a deep breath, she walked away from the church and headed to her house.

The walk was short and straightforward to her house. She didn’t worry about any attacks from any Masters. Without a Servant, she would easily fly under the radar.

’Which Servant would work best for me?’ Her footsteps were the only thing that could be heard in the deserted path. The neighborhood which she walked through was empty and quiet, much like every other day. She quite enjoyed the walking through her small neighborhood. She started humming as she thought in her head about the entire Holy Grail Wars.

’Seven Servants…. Hmm, well three have already been chosen, not like I can tell which three those are. Saber would probably be a good Servant for me to have, good protection. Or maybe I should try and get an Archer… Archer would be helpful since I’d be so far away… Although if anybody were to get into close quarters I’d have no defence. Definitely not Assassin, I don’t prefer that kind of a battle.’

Her mind ran in circles as she thought of the various Servants. Her walking pace seemed to represent her mind, as she slowly walked faster as she thought more. ’Caster would probably suit me, but I’m going to run into the same problem as with Archer.’ She was deep in thought now, brows furrowed as she tried to think.

A brief hesitation of steps.

’Of course.’ She slowed her pace, her perplexed face transforming to one of delight and triumph. ’The answer is so obvious.’ She approached her house. It wasn’t anything spectacular, just a simple cozy house that blended in with the rest. Practically brimming with excitement, she entered her house and ran to her bedroom on the second floor. She opened the door to be greeted by her cluttered room. There was hundreds of random items lying on the floor, on the desk, and on her bed.

There was no pattern to any of it though. A bow that seemed to be made out of one long branch leaned on the wall. Various assortments of guns were scattered on the floor. A Rubik’s cube sat unsolved on the desk. A sword made out of leaves laid on the bed. A red staff laid with other pole shaped objects in the corner.

Her eyes glazed over all the objects in search of a single item. “Yellow helmet. Yellow helmet. Yellow helmet.” She repeated to herself as she rummaged through her belongings. “Ah!” she brushed off a small toy pyramid puzzle and picked up what she had been looking for.

”Each of the objects has its own history. All you need is one single object. But even I do not know how well each will work for you. You must learn each of these objects and find what would best work for you.” The words of her father ran through her head and she nodded with confidence.

Now it’s time to start the summoning.

Preparations didn’t take too long. As she had the item clutched in her hand, she was confident that the summoning would go smoothly. The only thing she needed was to draw out a simple magic circle on the ground to make sure the magic flowed correctly. She placed the helmet in the middle of the circle and stood back to examine her helmet more closely.

The yellow helmet was sleek and looked new, a motorcycle helmet with a black visor to cover the entire face. A small silver S was imprinted at the top. That S was not an odd feature in comparison to the two ears that stuck up from the top of the helmet, giving a catlike feature to the helmet.

’What an odd feature for a helmet.’

She cleared the thought from her head and begun to channel her energy. The summoning would require all her concentration, she couldn’t lose focus now.

“The shield which protected the mind now sits before me.”

A small glow came from the circle.

“The power of a Servant is again needed.”

Would this work? What if she just obtained someone useless?

“The power of a spirit, lost from time”

The glow was brighter, this time enveloping the helmet.

“With the blood of a magi, a blood of the ancestors”

She felt the magic flow into her, then leaving into the helmet.

“I, Ariasviel von Einzbern, ask for your powers.”

Now or never!

“Rider! Servant of the steeds! Aid me!”

A brilliant flash of light erupted from the helmet. Before Arias could see through the light, her back hit the wall as a pulse of energy emitted from the glowing light.

Arias squinted her eyes as she tried to see past the brilliant light. The room filled with a hum of energy, dulling Arias’s ears. The light receded slowly, slowly being devoured by the darkness, while a dark figure rose from the ground.

At first glance, the figure seemed menacing, but the small build of her newly summoned Servant surprised her. The blinding energy had become a flickering light, the helmet still laid on the ground like a dying jack-o’-lantern.

The figure picked up the helmet, and placed it on its head, the light still morphing the physical aspects of her Servant.

“You are… My Servant… Correct?” A hint of fear crept into her heart. While her composed voice masked any emotion, her confidence wavered at the sight of a Servant. An actual Servant. A heroic spirit of the past.

The glow of the helmet had finally died, leaving the lamp in the room to provide the necessary light. The light wasn’t what had made her Servant difficult to see, it was the fact that it was wearing all black, giving her the appearance of a shadow. She also realized why her Servant’s build was so small. The Servant was a female. It was difficult to tell at first with the black coat she wore, but the slender arms and legs were definitely those of a female.

There was one aspect that Arias had seen, but didn’t believe.

“Which Servant are you?” Her Servant tilted her head at this question andthen looked down in thought. Without a word, she walked over to her desk and brushed through the various objects that laid on it. Half-paralyzed, Arias moved to her bed, carefully circling her Servant. ’Can she not speak?’

The yellow-helmeted Servant finally found what she was looking for, procuring a piece of paper and a pencil. The pencil gave a scratching sound as her hand scribbled one word. She turned and stuck the paper in front of Arias..

There was only one word, written neatly and within the lines.

Rider

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ray Stavour gasped for breath. The burst of light that had occurred would have surely attracted the security. Before they came, he needed time to recuperate. The light still shined bright where the summoning circle was. He had to keep them at bay until the summoning was complete.

The echoes of footsteps reminded Ray of the little time he had. As he waited for his breath to return to normal, he reached into his pocket.

Again, he had to murder.

A switchblade flipped out, which he managed with ease. The footsteps grew louder, but there were not too many, he should be fine.

He slid to the side of the doorway that led into the small shed he had hid himself in. They wouldn’t be able to see him until they were well in the shed. The switchblade he held was in a reverse grip, a grip he had grown used to.

“♥♥♥♥! He’s already summoned it!”

“No, quickly, it’s not finished yet!”

They were at the doorway, he could hear them breathing heavily as they had sprinted to the shed. What weapons were they armed with? Hopefully no guns. Ray hated guns. The first one stepped cautiously in, with a handgun guiding him.

’They’re just lackies. They’re insignificant.’ Without a sound, Ray moved in to attack. His switchblade moved like lightning, with two quick slashes through the man. The man didn’t have time to even shout, as his existence had already been halved. Ray finished by striking straight in the stomach, pulling out, then sprinting out the shed.

Three more guards stood ready, with handguns pointed at the door. Their reaction was not as fast as Ray’s movements though. He circled the one closest to him before the man even knew Ray had ran out the doorway.

’Their lines of death are very prominent.’ Ray took that mental note and slashed down the second man, again with only a few quick and precise strikes. He grabbed the dead man before he fell and used him as a cover as they fired bullets.

They were all wearing bulletproof vests. How ironic, their preparations and protections ended up saving my life. He kicked the dead weight off of himself onto the third guard. Giving no time, he sprinted at the fourth guard, his blade slashing four times to make a small square in his chest. Without checking to see his handiwork, he turned to the last guard, who had pushed the dead body off of himself.

Ray froze in place as the barrel of the gun stared him down. Only a second too late, Ray had not been able to reach the guard in time. With a few yards still separating the distance, the trigger would be pulled long before Ray reached him.

“Too bad.” There was only a tinge of pity in Ray’s voice. As if apologizing for the coincidence of guarding today.

In an instant, Ray disappeared in a blur, not giving the guard a moment to react. He stood dumbfounded, jerking his head around to find him.

“Calm down. You’re not thinking straight.” Ray’s smooth and calm voice echoed in the guard’s ears. There was no pity in it anymore: only malice.

He hung suspended upside-down above the guard. Like a bat, but with his arms spread out in a Christ-like manner. The guard was only able to glance upwards and see the blur of movement come down upon him, the small blade gashing straight through his bulletproof vest. The blood did not pour out, as if it was a perfect slice, avoiding all major arteries.

He didn’t notice when he hit the ground.

Ray had flipped in midair from his upside down position to straight up, allowing him to land neatly on his feet. The entire attack had only been a few minutes, but those few minutes were just enough time. The light had completely gone out in the shed, signaling that the summoning was over.

“So was this an opening show?” Her voice alone gave Ray a chill up his back. The voice of someone who knew who was more powerful. She was leaning on the doorway, surveying Ray’s work.

“That’s not what I intended, but if that’s how you see it.” Ray looked at the Servant in interest. For someone who talked big, she seemed to look very plain, with black hair tied neatly at her top in a bun, but leaving hair hanging down her side to from her face. Her outfit was some sort of army uniform. By the looks of her hairstyle, something from the Chinese Dynasty.

“Well, at least now I have already assessed your powers. I can see it from this bloodbath.” Ray grimaced at the word choice.

“I would prefer not calling it a bloodbath. I only did what was necessary.”

“Oh? Necessary for what?” Ray sighed. He had hoped the first meeting with his Servant would be less forward. Nevertheless, since she had already asked, might as well tell her.

“I have summoned you because I have one single girl. I want to see my sister again.”

Chapter 3

”Hmm, Caster makes the fifth. Then Rider…. And Berserker makes… That’s all 7.”

“Excellent. Put them in the records, the Church’s job must be fulfilled.”

A light drizzle began to envelop Fuyuki City, giving a gloom to the people as they rushed to search for cover from the aquatic bullets in the sky. The somber shrouded every building, but was especially prominent in the mansion of the Matou residence.

Had the rain arrived an hour earlier, there would have been many people milling around. Now though, the house reeked of death. The souls of those who had been in the house had been stolen, their drained corpse the only footprints of their existence now.

The only ones alive trudged through the harmless rain, away from the house of death. Ray and his Servant did not look back, they were finished with their deed. There was nothing else to talk about.

They walked through the quiet neighborhood, not worried about anyone. At 3 A.M. in the neighborhood they were in, there was no need to worry about any wandering eyes.

”So what do we do now? Wait?”

“Correct. Unless an event occurs where civilians are harmed, we do not intervene. Their fight is theirs alone.”

His Servant gestured at something off the distance. As Ray’s eyes followed her, he realized that the gesture was more of a warning. Before Ray could react, he felt a powerful force push him away. The red blur barely skimmed Ray’s body, the push being just in time to get him out of the way.

Ray recovered instantly, rolling backwards from his fall and rising again, in time to see a red blur bullet at him.

“Berserker!” He yelled instinctively. As his words escaped, his Servant was already there, grabbing Ray and hurdling away from the direction of the red blur. Berserker did so without a word, oddly, with such a calm demeanor that Ray started to doubt his Servant’s class.

“Missed twice? You’re pretty good at running away.” Lancer spoke almost playfully, her eyes glinting like a cat playing with a mouse. “So, you’re Berserker? Not like any of the ones I’ve heard of in the past Wars.” She eyes Berserker. Lancer herself seemed very young as well, but Berserker couldn’t have been much older.

”One thing I’ve noticed though. Something about the Servants themselves, if I may ask…”

Berserker smiled at the intended insult. “You’re not like any Servant I’ve heard of in the past Wars as well. I thought there was a height requirement to become a heroic spirit.” She spoke as her hand waved off Ray behind her back. Ray nodded once and ran off in the opposite direction, allowing Lancer and Berserker space to fight.

“I’ll make you regret that.” Lancer’s smile was one of excitement. The warriors blood for battle.

She sprinted towards Berserker, closing the gap in seconds while lashing her lance out to slice into Berserker. Berserker hopped backwards, sidestepping the moment her feet landed on the ground as Lancer followed with a thrust.

A brief look of annoyance passed over Lancer, but she shook the feeling off. The lance was too far out to use efficiently, so she instead stepped forward and attempted a headbutt at Berserker. Again the attack made no contact, as her enemy had already jumped further back to a safer distance.

“Grr.. Damn it! Is that all you’re going to do?!” She charged again, the floodgates opening up her murderous intent.

”There seems to be an odd pattern with the Servants this time around. Is it me… Or do their legends all seem fictional?”

“There is no fiction as long as it is believed, young priest. As long as there are those hearts that believe that it exists, there is possibility for existence. That is the magic which it possesses.”

“Wait. What do you mean? That suddenly all these fictions became a reality?”

“Not necessarily reality.”

The blade slashed at the concrete of the building, leaving an enormous gash. The lance was a gleaming red, diamond shaped lance that was razor sharp at all sides. Even so, without any contact, the lance would not be effective.

They had danced circles around each other for ten minutes, but Lancer became increasingly annoyed by the lack of bloodshed. She gripped her lance tightly as she stopped to assess the situation. Neither of them were gasping for breath, but without any threat, Berserker seemed to have the advantage. Not only did Berserker have more time to analyze the attack style, she didn’t need to show her own.

“I’ll just have to force you to fight.” Lancer muttered to herself.

“Hmm? Give up so soon?” Her voice was annoying. Lancer didn’t like her. It was condescending. That ♥♥♥♥♥ treated her like an inferior.

“Shut up!” She jumped forward and slashed again at her. The lance was slightly slower this time, both Lancer and Berserker knew this. Berserker had already cleared the zone of danger before the lance had begun its swing. Lancer saw it. A mistake.

The pole of her lance seemed to break. Each section of the pole detached, lengthening the swing by nearly triple the original length. A chain that was in the center of the pole seemed to be keeping the entire lance together,

The swing radius was now more than enough to hit Berserker.

”Reality is only what we perceive as our own reality. If something is unthinkable for us, we can not perceive it as reality. That does not mean that those within that unthinkable world perceive what we perceive as that same reality.”

“Wait. Hold on, my head hurts.”

“Imagine this. You have two people, on opposite sides of an enormous glass wall. Person A will think that his own reality is whatever is on his side of the wall. He may be able to see through the glass, but he can never confirm that the person on the other side is indeed part of reality.

“Person B, thinks the exact same though. Person B believes his reality is what is on his side of the wall. Vice versa, he can not confirm that Person A is part of reality.”

“So you’re saying there are walls between us and these Servants from fiction? Wait… These walls…”

“Yes. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

The lance extended too far, and only the pole struck Berserker, but the whip-like strike of the lance launched the unexpected Berserker into the wall of another building, a small smoke cloud forming where she crashed.

Lancer gave no time, jumping up into the air to perform a finishing move: a dive with the spear straight into Berserker. The lance retracted its chain and became sturdy and straight again, allowing Lancer to point directly towards Berserker. As she gained speed towards her destination, a glow of energy enveloped her, as if she were a red meteor descending from the heavens.

But the spear never made it.

Berserker’s fingers gracefully moved through the smoke.

Two fingers pointed directly at Lancer.

”They are not from this world.”

A burst of lightning shot out of Berserker’s fingers, attempting to grab everything in its path. Lancer’s dive crashed straight into the lightning, causing an explosion that made the earth shudder.

The fight was over, with that single lightning shot.

Lancer fell from the skies, burned from the explosion. Her body bounced once as she slammed into the hard concrete ground.

“To be able to hit me once, I’m quite impressed.” Berserker brushed off the dust from her own crash. There was not a scratch on her. “But I think this fight is over.” As she glanced over at Lancer, she gave a look of surprise. “Oh? You’re still able to stand up?”

She was using the lance to support herself, and was breathing heavily, but she didn’t seem fazed by the various burn marks that were on her skin. “I’d laugh at myself if I were to lose that quickly.”

A new wave of interest filled Berserker. She hummed in thought. “I see. What then, do you fight for?” Berserker’s will to fight had left her.

“A new self.”

“What if I told you that it was possible without completing the Holy Grail?”

The words made Lancer freeze in place. Was that witch trying to catch her off guard? Still, there didn’t seem to be any deceit behind those words. Although, that’s what any good deceiver would be able to do… Hide their emotions. Or perhaps not have any.

“What are you talking about?” Lancer didn’t trust her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t listen.

“Well as you know, the Holy Grail summons us Servants because it needs our energy to be filled. Once we are defeated, our energy goes into the Holy Grail. Once the Holy Grail is full, then the wish will be granted and everything will be grand.” She spoke while walking around, circling Lancer.

“But.” She stopped and turned to Lancer. “What if we were to fill the Holy Grail with some other means? Something… Infinite. Something that all Servants, not just one, could bask in?”

“Impossible. Servants are already in the field of magic that is far above humans. What could possibly be able to supply the Holy Grail with near limitless magic?”

“Oh, I’ll find a way. But I can’t do it myself. Not with my Master. You see, my Master doesn’t seem to be an actual Mage. He has no Magic Circuits at all.”

“Are you asking me to team up with the likes of you?” Lancer never took her glare off of Berserker.

“No, no. I’m sure you would hate that. No. I only need you to hold peace with me. Just for now. I do not want to destroy such a powerful asset like you. I’ll make a deal with you. If I can show you that such a plan is possible, will you aid me in executing the plan?”

“What happens if it turns out to be all lies?”

“I’ll let you execute me on spot.”

Lancer scoffed. Her last words were definitely a lie. But the rest of Berserker’s idea sounded interesting. Perhaps leaving her alone would allow some entertainment.

“Fine. I’ll call it an impasse for now.” Lancer rose to her full height and turned to walk away. “But whatever this is you’re planning…. It better be good.”

“One more thing.” Berserker called to Lancer’s retreating figure. “Keep this a secret from our Masters. I’m sure they would not be pleased to hear about it.”


“Wait you’re joking right?” His words seemed to rebound Priest Sade’s ears, as he walked away from Aylu. He already knew how Sade was though, and stormed off to follow. Aylu’s fixed determination to know the truth was the only reason why Sade had allowed him to “apprentice” under him.

Of course, apprenticing under a priest wasn’t what Aylu was searching for. His fascination drew towards Sade, and his role in Fuyuki City. To look over the war of heroes, that was what fascinated Aylu.

“You are familiar with the source of the Servants?” As he walked through the twists and turns of the church, he spoke. Even though Aylu was still struggling to keep up with Sade, his voice bounced around the halls.

“Yeah, heroes will obtain amazing powers in exchange of becoming a heroic spirit when they die.”

“Correct. What’s important to know is that it is OUR past. Humankind’s past.”

“Wait, that’s contradictory to what you said before.” Aylu finally caught up with Sade, who was still walking at the same pace, not even looking back. The several turns they had taken had confused Aylu to the point where he wouldn’t be able to leave without Sade’s help.

“No, it is not, if you were to think for a moment.” Aylu used silence as a response, knowing any retort would just become an excuse. “The human past does not just mean what happened in history, but it encompasses everything that has relations with humans. Think about it. History can only tell us so much that we are certain of. We are not even sure that what we know now about history is correct.

“Yes, you are correct in saying that the Holy Grail summons heroes who obtain powers. And that is why such heroes like what has appeared now can become Servants.”

A wave of understanding came to Aylu. “Because a heroic spirit is an idea, not an actual person.”

“Correct. The heroic spirit needs to only exist in the mind. Most of the Servants summoned this time around can be described as such.”

“But why now?”

Sade seemed to finally reach his destination. The last hallway they had taken a turn into led to a single wooden door. By now, they were far under the actual Church, the only lights provided by a dim flicker from the old lightbulb.

“Because.” Sade gave his first glance back at Aylu since they had begun moving through the labyrinth of the Church, and then opened the door. “That.”

The room which the door opened up to was enormous, but more surprisingly, there was little that was actually within the room. The shape of the room was odd, as it was what seemed like a mini-stadium of steps that encircled the center of the room, a good ten meters lower than where Sade and Aylu stood. At the bottom of the circle was what drew their attention though.

There was only a very dim light of the torches Sade lit within the room, but the flicker was enough to make out the item.

At first Aylu thought it was an golden empty pool. Its curves and size would mistake it for such. As Aylu walked towards the bottom, he was able to see what was underneath the pool.

“A cup.” The stand which supported the top of the cup narrowed and then widened out. It was a bejeweled and molded. A shining object that five meters tall. “The Holy Grail.”

“Just one variation of the Holy Grail, but yes.” Sade stood at the top of the steps and watched Aylu examine the Grail in detail.

“But it’s enormous!” He paced around the entire circumference of the Grail, marveling the small details made on the enormous cup.

“That is the reason for the change in servants.” Aylu rose his eyebrow at this, prompting Sade to continue. “Every Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail is created in preparations to be filled. The creation is a ritual in itself, but we can only create what the Holy Grail chooses as its physical form.”

“So this time, it decided to be gigantic?”

“An enormous grail that would be able to hold more magic than tens of thousands of magi.”

“Why?”

“We can not be sure.” Aylu frowned at the answer. This had been the first time he’d heard Sade back down from a question. “The magic of the Holy Grail is a miracle which no magi can comprehend except maybe those who have found the Akashic records. The problem is, those who have-“

“Died.” Aylu didn’t need to know anymore. He had studied enough of the Magi Association to know that Sade was not lying. “So we’re just playing along and trying to fill this cup because it exists. We don’t even know anything about it anymore, huh?”

“Perhaps before, but as far as the Church is aware, we do not.”

“Sickening.” The word escapes from Aylu before he has time to think. A quick glance at Sade shows that he remained his calm and solemn self. “These Magi simply chase their own dreams without thinking of what it really means. Those idiots don’t deserve to touch the Holy Grail.” Sade didn’t say a word, which Aylu noted. Whether his silence was because he agreed or disagreed, Aylu never found out.

Chapter 4

“What do you wish for, Saber?” The rays of sunlight pierced through the cafe, dancing onto the quaint wooden tables and chairs. Saber wore a white tank top with brown shorts, a very simple apparel that eyes passed by without a second thought. Kaast, who sat across from Saber, watched his calm demeanor as he ate. He seemed to be in complete tranquility.

“Why do you ask? A wish is a wish, I never believe it to be attainable whenever I have one.” The vague answer only managed to make Kaast’s smile widen, entertained by the odd way he responded.

Kaast took a sip of tea before responding again. “Alright then, how about this. What will you do when you obtain the Holy Grail?” Again, he gave a pause before he spoke.

“I don’t plan to use the wish the Holy Grail grants. What did you want?” Kaast smiled. He was aware that Servants who did not aim for the Holy Grail existed. They were only made Servants because they had become Heroic Spirits, after all.

“My wish for the Holy Grail? I...” A moment of hesitation. A gulp of tea. “Hmm, what I want, is... An end.”

“An end?” Another bite, but this time with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, I would like to say that I’ve done good for the world.” Kaast’s eyes avoided the raised eyebrows of his Servant, instead trying their best to focus on the tea. The inquisitive look Saber was giving him wouldn’t change without further clarification. “I want to know that my efforts to save people aren’t just useless.”

“By using the Holy Grail to save people?” Saber wiped his hands as he finished the last bite of the sandwich. With the business of eating out of his way, he gave all of his focus to the piercing stare which struck Kaast. The silence that stretched didn’t seem to come to any agreements, as Saber’s question was met with no answer. Allowing the reticence to grow before continuing. “I won’t criticize your ideals. That’s not what I’m here for. All I would like to do is obtain the Holy Grail.”

Kaast gave a long sigh, his eyes moving from his tea to the decorous ceiling. “So you do have an incentive?”

“If you could call it a goal.” Saber stood to adjust the blinds on the window, blocking the sunlight from intruding. “With the knowledge of the current world that I obtained, I was also informed with the events that occured in the previous Holy Grail Wars. All I want is to make sure that such power does not fall in the wrong hands.”

“A true do-gooder you are, huh?” With a slight smirk, Kaast’s empty cup was set on the ground. He opened his mouth to say more, but whatever was on his mind was lost at the waitress’s timely arrival. A slice of cake was placed in front of Kaast.

“Ah, I almost forgot!” A smile lit on Kaast like that of a small child. The conversation was halted as Kaast feasted on the cake, Saber patiently watching.

“Cake is one of my favorite, you know? It just entertains me. Having so many different layers that sit on top of each other.” Kaast placed his fork down with just a few bites left. “But I don’t know why, it’s always been a habit for me to never finish the last few bites.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun dipped into the horizon as Kaast and Saber walked home, down the empty roads while listening to the clicking of the cicadas. Only a few other people could be seen walking around the neighborhood, the cool nights of the encroaching winter persuading residents to stay indoors. The full black apparel of Kaast and the tank top of Saber’s seemed out of place in the freezing neighborhood.

“So will we be attempting another ‘training’ tonight?” Saber began the conversation with a mocking tone, although his Master didn’t seem to take note of it.

“Yes, I just want to check back home beforehand.” He didn’t even turn to look at Saber, continuing on at the steadfast pace. “Hopefully we won’t attract another Servant this time. I was not even able to see your full potential.”

“Oh please. With how cautious you were last night, I wouldn’t have been able to show a fraction of my potential.”

“Well so much time lapsed, there’s only more reason to be cautious. Besides, if a Master does come, it may be better. Less work hunting them down.” Saber only gave an accepting sigh. “Anyways, we’ll just go out tonight to scout the area, look for other Masters. I’m still bugged about last night.”

“Didn’t like that feeling of defeat?”

Kaast shook his head. “That man moved in an inhumane way. Something about the look he had, it wasn’t normal. Of course, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t mentally stable, but what made him unsettling was the fact that once he gripped my arm... My magic circuits just stopped.” A look of surprise past through Saber’s face, but not from the words of Kaast, but from his face which looked truly bothered by what had happened.

“I’ll figure him out next time. I owe him for the bruise he put on my arm.” They had finally reached Kaast’s house. After a brief rummaging of pockets for his keys, the door opened without a sound.

To look down the barrel of a pistol.

The blade appeared in Saber’s hand in a split second, but before the blue warrior could move forward, he was stopped by a single word.

“Wait.” A steady voice, the wielder of the gun showed no emotion at all, as if pointing the gun was as natural as breathing. “A bullet will travel faster than a sword. You’ll be dead before you can touch me.”

The darkness in the house masked the face of whoever was holding the gun, but the tall build and deep voice hinted of a man.

“Your pistol is a single barrel. Once you get your first shot, either one of us could finish you off. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that now would you?” Kaast was confidence in his Servant’s capability of dispatching whoever this man was, and only slightly less confident of his own skills. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to leave your Master alone now, would you?”

Even Kaast’s attempts to lure emotion out resulted without a bite, as the man gave no immediate reaction. “Why are you here? I see a human here but don’t feel any presence, magical or otherwise. There’s only one person who could completely conceal their presence.”

“I’m impressed. I guess the one trait of an Assassin that keeps him hidden is also the one that identifies him.” The man edged into the light, his gun still ready to fire at any moment. “That does not change our situation though. You can not kill me, but I also do not want to die, so will not fire my gun.” Black messy hair, a long black trench coat that went over his white shirt and black long pants. In a sense, his apparel was similar to Kaast’s, but the one trait that bothered Kaast were the eyes. The soulless eyes that have seen too much. If there was any sort of embodiment of regret, that would be what the man portrayed.

“So what, we stand here until another Servant comes and kills us?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Assassin seemed to have heard something as he lowered his pistol.

“What are you doing?!” A fourth voice, one familiar to Kaast. “Assassin, back off, that’s my brother!”

“Altair?” Kaast calls in disbelief as a figure jumps in front of Assassin, literally and emotionally splitting the opposing menaces in half. His short red hair, he wore a disheveled blue jacket over a red shirt with the logo of whatever new rock band he was in to. “What are you doing?” A hint of menace crept into Kaast’s voice, but the 16-year-old glared defiantly back.

“Are you two... Brothers?” Saber’s incredulous voice interjected the standoff, pulling both of them out of the separate world they appeared to be in. The choking tense mood lightened slightly, but the glares didn’t break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you crazy? You can’t cast magic! You’re making both me and you extremely vulnerable.” Kaast’s outburst trailed his younger brother, who seemed to ignore the words as they walked through the hallways of the house. “Do you even comprehend what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

“Look!” Altair turned and looked at his older brother, a good six centimeters taller, “It’s not like it was even my choice! It just... It just sort of... Happened.” His defiant tone wavered at the end. Knowing this, Altair scoffed and showed his back again to Kaast, heading to the living room. “I was just in the shed grabbing the ladder, I was gonna go through my old stuff in the cellar. And while I was getting it I knocked over a box. What would you know, a ♥♥♥♥ gun spilled out of the box.”

“And so this guy appeared?” The two Servants silently followed, Saber walking in front and cautiously looking back every few seconds. Assassin didn’t seem to be listening in on the conversation, instead having his eyes focusing on some distant place, far away from Kaast and Altair’s household. There was no malice Saber could feel from the blank-faced gunwielder, but Saber still gripped onto the hilt of his sword, which was currently in the sheath slung behind him on his waist. Even though Assassin had taken note of that fact, he did not seem worried.

“Yeah, a huge flash of light, I was freaking the ♥♥♥♥ out, but I mean, I had heard of what it would be like, so I guess I had an idea of what was happening. But what the ♥♥♥♥ was I supposed to do? I mean, seriously, I was just trying to keep my heart from ♥♥♥♥ beating like a machine gun.” Kaast winced at Altair’s words but brushed them off.

“Want some tea?”

“Uhh... Yeah. It’s pretty cold in here right now.” A bit worn-out, Altair’s caution could be heard in his words.

“The winter air kicked in.” Kaast moved to the kitchen to fetch the tea, coming back to see Altair sitting at the table and the two Servants standing in the shadows. “You guys can sit down, you know. It’s obvious that right now we won’t be doing any killing.”

Even with the assurance, the Servants stayed where they were, leaning on the walls but in a distance still close enough for attack. With a gesture of resignation, he moved to sit with his brother, pouring tea to share.

“So what do you plan on doing now? You do realize what having a Servant means, don’t you?” Kaast’s did not give a reprimanding look, instead there was a hint of concern in his voice that betrayed his tranquil look.

Altair rocked back and forth slightly, but tried to keep a straight face as he thought. He looked into the distance as he considered Kaast’s question carefully before responding. “I was just planning on teaming up with you for now.”

“For how long? While there have been occasional times in the past where Masters work together, there’s a reason they don’t usually suggest it. It’s because the-”

“They wake up with a knife in their back, yeah yeah, I know. But I mean, we can work that out later. Come on dude, are you saying it would be better to just start killing each other now? I mean, I’m pretty athletic but I’m pretty sure in such a cramped place, we wouldn’t have a chance to even blink before you guys destroyed us.”

Kaast chanced a glance at Assassin, but he remained unfazed. “So you would be fine with such a lax Master? Doesn’t the Servant usually have some sort of need for the Holy Grail?”

“I will follow my Master unless I believe that what he does will not aid me for the search of the Holy Grail.” Those words were enough to relay the message Assassin wanted to give Kaast. There would be no bloodshed for now, but Assassin could easily turn his back on his own Master whenever he wants.

’Oh well. It may not be the safest but maybe I could take advantage of another Servant.’ Kaast chuckled at the statement. “Fine. It will be difficult for Assassin to maintain himself without a proper mage. I can help you two sustain energy for now, in exchange, you guys will work with me, we’ll have an advantage with two Servants.” The moment he paused in case of a voice of dissent was passed without noise. “Well, then, Altair. We have a deal.”

“Alright then.” Altair, who began to rise, was forced back down by Kaast’s steady hand.

“Not so fast. I still haven’t reprimanded you.” Altair’s look of shock caused unexpected laughter not from Kaast, but from Saber, who had been watching intently in the back. At the cool glance of Kaast, the blue-haired swordsman stifled his laughter into a chuckle. “I’m glad you enjoy this.”

“I guess I didn’t expect you to actually act like someone who cared about others.” A gleaming smile radiated from Saber that wasn’t deterred by Kaast’s scowl. “It’s good to see you can still act like a big brother.”

Kaast rolled his eyes and waved him off. “Leave us, both of you. See what you can learn from each other. I’d say it’s better to atleast have a basic understanding of each other.” Saber shrugged, leaving the room with Assassin silently following.

“So.” Saber begun, knowing that unless he spoke, the conversation would be unproductive. Even then, he took a moment to glance over Assassin. “I’m just wondering who you are.”

“So you can’t figure out?” Assassin sat down in the empty room next to the one their Masters were in.

“I’m not too familiar with any sort of legends. I guess that’s one disadvantage that I have. All I took note of was that odd pistol that you were using. An odd gun for battle. Single shots?”

Saber’s words were met with silence, the gray eyes of Assassin simply staring listlessly. “A single bullet gun seems to be extremely inefficient, but well, every hero has their own reasons.”

“I’m no hero.”

Saber gave a look of curiosity to those words. “Eh? And yet you have the powers of one? Well then you must be an anti-hero of sorts?”

“I am neither one or the other. I don’t think anybody can really achieve an ideal form of a hero or anti-hero.”

“Really? Why do you think that?”

“Because sacrifices always have to be made.”

“Are you speaking from random thoughts on life or experience?” A solemn look pierced Saber, which was the indication to not cross that line. Yielding, Saber allowed silence to take over the room. The quaint but small traditional Japanese room was something Saber had not seen before, so revelled at the style. The house was small but offered a lived-in, cozy feel to it.

“What about yourself. Do you believe yourself to be a hero?” Saber turned in surprise, not processing the question but the fact that Assassin had actually spoke first.

“W-well...” A brief moment of hesitation overtook Saber as he thought a moment. “Well... I don’t know if I was a considered a hero to the people, but I’d like to say that what I did helped the people.”

“That’s not what I asked. I asked if you believed that you were a hero.” The cutting voice of Assassin slashed through Saber’s train of thought.

“Direct aren’t you? Fine then... Yes. I think that in my life I have achieved something that deserves to be called a heroic spirit. I believe that I am a hero. As conceited as that might sound, I do not regret the choices I made to make it to the path that I did.”

Assassin’s eyes narrowed at the words, as he considered his partner Servant for a moment. “I guess that is good.” He said nothing else, rising from his seated position. Saber watched, but before he was able to respond, a spark of energy pierced through both the Servants, causing them to turn to the window outside.

“Did you guys feel that?” Kaast rushed into the room, a defeated Altair trailing behind. Both of them nodded, but were unsure of what exactly they had felt. “It’s the boundary field I set up in this house. Instinctive awareness, if there’s an intruder we’ll know where they are without thinking. They’re within a hundred meters of this place, it’d be best if we move the any potential fight outside.”

Without the group being aware of it, the sun had finally been swallowed by the horizon, leaving darkness shrouding the outside. Kaast moved first, out to the front of the house, into the cul-de-sac which they had lived in for their entire life.

“Who is it?” Altair is right behind Kaast, but without the magic circuit that marked a magi, his body was unable to comprehend the magical charge that the boundary field sent, and so could not detect intruders.

“Enemies. It seems we are going to be greeted by a Master and his Servant.”

Before Altair or Kaast could react, their Servants had leaped in front, guarding their Masters. At first Kaast thought it was only a precaution, but his face turned to a scowl as he heard a brief heavy clash of metal on metal. Kaast looked for the source as he heard the clattering of metal on concrete. Five throwing knives laid on the ground, blocked by Saber’s quick blade.

“As expected of the strongest of all Servants.” A child’s voice. Two silhouettes stood at the entrance of the cul-de-sac, the darkness was all that they shared though, for the duo could not be more different. A short boy, somewhere in his early teens and a tall girl in her late, standing confidently while they watched the group. “4 versus 2? Well that might be a problem.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll easily take your Servant on by myself.” Saber spoke with equal defiance, his blade held in front with both hands. “What class are you?”

“I’m sure you can deduce from the knives we just threw.” The boy’s mocking tone would have been more effective if not for the cracking in his voice.

“Well, then Saber’s opponent will be Archer.” Kaast stepped to give his Servant space, then turned to face the unknown master. “Then, boy, what is your name? I’d like to know the name of the little fish I’m going to gut.”

Even from the distance, the white of his teeth could be seen as a wide smile appeared on his face. “People call me Creed. Tohsaka Creed.”

Chapter 5

“So our opponents are Archer and the son of one of the most powerful magical families in Fuyuki? That seems a bit much.” Kaast scowled at Saber’s comment, not for the snarky comment but because it matched what Kaast had been thinking so similarly. “Well, I guess my problem is dealing with Archer. Not that that’s a problem really.” Saber’s smile widened as his blade slid smoothly out of his sheathe. He held it as before, with two hands gripping onto the hilt, ready to be cleaved at his right.

“Hold it.” Kaast took a step back, a surprised look showing on Creed. “This is not a fight I need to take.”

“What? Then I’ll be fighting by myself?” Saber’s incredulous look was ignored by Kaast.

“No, it’s just simply the fact that all that kid over there wants is a fight with the servants. If I go in, we leave Altair vulnerable. Assassin is not made for defensive fights. We have no need with such an advantage to fight with both strikers.”

“So you’ll sit there and do nothing?” Saber did not try to hide the annoyance in his voice. While he was still focused on the two figures in the distance, his voice was just loud enough for only his allies to hear.

“No, if Creed interrupts you and Archer’s fight, then I will interrupt him. But, I believe Tohsaka wouldn’t try to get in the middle of a Servant fight, would he?” The last sentence, Kaast said loud enough for Creed to hear.

“Hmph, so you just want to watch the Servants fight huh? Well, I don’t mind. I know who you are, a blades projectionist. I know that a fight against each other would end badly.” Kaast grinned. For such a young kid, Creed knew that Kaast’s defensive method was a double-edged sword. “If Saber is beaten in battle, I can dispatch the rest of you easily with Archer.”

“You seem like you’re confident in your fight against Saber.” Kaast brushed aside his feeling of unease. He was sure that Archer’s knives wouldn’t be able to scratch Saber.

“Please, you don’t realize how outmatched you truly are.” Creed and Archer began to walk forward, closing the huge gap between them.

Slowly the darkness slipped off the duo, revealing their masks. Creed wore a dull orange coat and khaki shorts, a white beanie covering most of his short black hair. All in all, he was even more childish than he sounded. His height, average for his age, was dwarfed by his Servant.

She looked in her late teenage years, but was tall for her age. Her height was not what drew attention to her. Her short silver white hair, which had two braids on the side to frame her face, was not even the odd feature.

“A maid?” Altair spoke aloud what was running through the rest of the group’s head.

She wore a blue french maid outfit, with short sleeves and skirt. The small white apron and headpiece gave her a more mature look.

“Archer.” She nodded and stepped forward, keeping grace and a look of poise with every step.

“You do not mind if you lose, right?” Saber gave a hearty laugh.

“Go ahead and try.” Saber didn’t give any more moment for preparation, his feet leaping off the ground to give a powerful boost forward. They were still ten meters apart, but the distance closed quickly. Archer did not mimic Saber, instead hopping backwards, unleashing knives that seemed to appear in her hands.

6...7... Saber processed the knives as they charged toward his direction. 10 knives in total. Not wavering in his charge, he put forward his sword, using it to deflect the knives that came his direction. The knives struck with a dull ring, the power and speed easily managed by Saber.

As the gap closed, Saber swept his blade in a dangerous arc towards Archer’s neck.

“What?” Blinking a few times, Saber realized that something was wrong. Archer, whose stance had been completely still, suddenly changed into a blur, moving out of range in mere seconds. Saber’s lunging sweep was replaced by a screeching halt as he readjusted, watching as Archer’s inexplicable movements carry Archer to a safe distance. Once again they stood ten meters apart, too far for Saber to close quickly.

She stood as calm as before, her arms crossed, her red eyes gazing at her opponent. Saber repositioned his blade, pointing in front of him in order to protect against incoming projectiles.

Her movements were easily readable as she threw four knives in one graceful sweep. Before the knives had taken off though, Saber had begun to move.

His feet began to step to the right, as he watched the knives approach. He suddenly forced himself to drop to the ground, an instinct that proved to be right as the knives shot past Saber, only a few centimeters from hitting. His body made a dull thud as he hit the concrete, a gasp of surprise escaping his mouth. There was only a moment that Saber laid still, recovering by pulling himself up quickly.

Midway through his rise, he realized that there was no more knives flying through the air. In fact, Archer’s attention was not on Saber anymore, but on the figure which stood behind the fallen bladewielder. In his hands was a submachine gun, resting like a bird in its nest, pointed directly at Archer.

“What are you doing?” Saber yelled the question while rising, his eyes glaring at Assassin’s unresponsive gaze.

“I am stepping in. She is not suitable against you.”

“What are you talking about?” The venomous words spewed from his mouth. “You’re an Assassin, you’re not supposed to fight against other Servants!”

The man in black did not respond, standing with an unwavering composure. “This is not a fight for you. You can no doubt defeat her, but the wounds you’ll obtain won’t be worth it. I can handle her much better.”

“Why do you say that?” Saber’s initial annoyance abated, but his skeptical thoughts still stood firm.

“Please, just stand back.” He took a few steps forwards, smooth strides that passed Saber and closed the distance between him and Archer. “I shall be a substitute against you.”

Archer did not respond, her eyes narrowing as her hands produced five knives, held at the very tip of her fingers.

“Fall back Saber.” Kaast knew that his Servant wouldn’t like the command, but if necessary, Kaast could always use one of the three command seals he possessed to force him to obey. “We’ll give him a shot.”

Gritting his teeth, Kaast rose from his position and backed away, until he reached his Master. “Do you think he has a chance?”

A slight shrug from Kaast. “I’m sure he has some idea in his mind. I’m sure you didn’t notice what she was doing, huh?” The curious look Saber gave was enough of an answer. “Well what did it look like from your point of view?”

“Those knives were irregular or something. It was easy to predict their course, but the thing is they seemed to speed up to a blinding speed midflight... Didn’t you guys see it?”

A light of understanding dawned in Kaast’s eyes. Nodding, he turned back to the knife thrower in the distance. “I see. No wonder you were moving so slowly. I’m surprised you were still able to dodge the knives, if that’s the power she has.” He ignored the bewildered look of Saber and continued. “I had heard of this sort of power existing, but the quick use and concentrated use of it is extraordinary. It seems her ability not only slows the physical aspects, but the mental aspects as well, so you perceive your surroundings as going much faster.”

“Are you saying the knives weren’t speeding up, but I was just slowing down?”

“Exactly. That woman, whoever she is, can slow down time.”

An intake of breath reminded Kaast and Saber of the person in the background, who had been watching in silent awe. “Wait, are you serious?” The two turned to Altair, watching as his legs shook and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. “How the hell is Assassin supposed to go up against time?”

“You don’t know anything about your Servant right? Hm, makes sense, as you were not a mage, so did not study. I recognized him instantly.”

“You know who he is?”

“Yes. In fact, I’m sure Creed over there has an idea of who he is as well, don’t you, Creed?”

Creed gave no response, even though Kaast had made sure to make his voice loud enough. Instead, the kid was focused on Archer and Assassin, who had yet to move.

“So you can slow time in a specific area?” Assassin held the submachine gun with one hand, outstretched and pointing at the poised maid. As before, the maid was unresponsive, but that did not matter to Assassin.

His finger squeezed the trigger, unleashing the barrage of bullets.

“Watch Saber, you’ll see what happened to you.”

Archer had begun moving before the trigger had been pulled. The bullets sprayed at the spot where she had just been. Not losing any moment, she threw all five daggers as she sprinted to the left, her eyes beginning to glow.

Saber saw it, now that he had the advantage of perspective. The area around Assassin darkened slightly, distortions in space causing a small ripple effect. Assassin himself seemed to move in slow motion, the knives flying towards his exposed self. It happened in an instant. Assassin’s slow sluggish self seemed to jerk instantly to the right, the knives flying harmlessly past him.

“What?!” A shout of exasperation from Creed is drowned out from a spray of bullets from Assassin’s gun. The bullets leave a mark at the ground, but Archer remained unharmed. She threw two more knives before jumping back again. The cul-de-sac, empty of cover, put Archer at a disadvantage, but her speed seemed to compensate as she was able to outmatch Assassin’s bullets.

The knives again missed as Assassin seemed to suddenly speed up through Archer’s powers, not only returning to normal, but going faster than normal time. As he sprung out of the field of time slowing, his submachine gun disappeared and another gun formed in his hand. The same pistol that he had before.

“Here it is. His Noble Phantasm.” Kaast didn’t need to say it, even without knowing Assassin’s identity, Saber and Altair were aware that something was about to happen.

The Thompson Contender was the gun which he held now, a single shot gun that gave a ton of power. Any sort of firearm versus a Servant wouldn’t be able to affect them as they would a human. But the bullets which Assassin used were special, bullets not made to defeat Servants, but mages. After all, he was not made to fight against Servants.

Assassin’s sudden turn gave Archer enough time to realize her mistake of preparing to avoid. She had never been the main target.

The name of the Noble Phantasm was not heard, for Assassin barely uttered the words-but the power of the magical words resonated throughout the area, sending a chill down the mages’ backs. The bullet shot at a completely different direction, to the left of Assassin, towards the unexpecting Master.

“Creed!” A flow of energy towards Creed created a massive spike of power. The field around Creed gave the same distortion that it had with Assassin, except instead of slowing, Creed took a quick step to the left at a speed so fast that even to Saber’s keen eye, it seemed like he had teleported a meter to the left, the bullet already far past before the sound of the fire echoed the streets.

Assassin did not stop, his Contender disappearing and the submachine gun reappearing. He pointed at Archer and unleashed a torrent of bullets. Seventeen out of the twenty bullets he shot found their target, striking Archer directly.


The bullets struck her and dropped to the ground, but they seemed to only do as much damage as a barrage of punches. She recoiled from the bullets, but there were no wounds visible. The results left even Assassin with look of uncertainty.

“Projectiles are my specialty. Do you think you can harm me with such tiny bullets, when I have withstood a world where bullets were a lifestyle?” Archer glowered at Assassin, but did not move.

They had both tried their hand at being offensive, and failed. Neither of them would allow the other to land a strike.

“Tch, Archer, pull back.” Creed voice was full of restrained animosity, but he did not act. He broke the silence and started to back out, knowing the stalemate that had occurred. “Maybe next time we’ll be on fair grounds, but I think it’s time for us to retreat for now.”

Kaast began to weave a spell as Assassin prepared to fire again, but as Archer reached Creed, the little mage pulled an item out of his pocket, a small gem. The small gem flashed with brilliant light, blinding everyone for a brief second. As quick as the light flashed into existence, the recession was just as long, leaving no trace of Creed or his Servant.

The neighborhood seemed even more quiet in comparison to the raucous noise that had existed only moments ago. Even after the ruckus, the lights of the houses surrounding the cul-de-sac remained unlit.

“Looks like they escaped. I can’t even trace their magic.” Kaast looked back at Saber, who gave a gesture of resignation. After he had pulled back, a bored expression had washed over his face. “It seems that the boundary field kept up though. The neighbors heard nothing.”

“Wait, when did you set up all of these fields?” Altair seemed to have forgotten about the enemies now that they had vacated.

Kaast grinned at his younger brother, “You’d be surprised at how much you don’t know.”

---

The battle had ended without any victor, but to Tohsaka Creed, that was as much of a loss as anything. His outside composure betrayed the boiling anger which filled him to the brim inside. Looking through the corner of his eyes, he saw his ever serene Servant, her silver hair reflecting the brilliant moonlight. Even though he would give anything to blame it on her, he knew that she had done as well as she could have.

He had never expected for Assassin to have been there. If it had been a one-on-one battle between his Servant and Saber, he was confident that Saber would not have been able to handle her. In fact, until now, he had been certain that his Servant had the best chance. What he had not expected was another person who could manipulate time just as easily as Archer could.

From the first sight, Creed had known who Assassin was, but still he decided to press forward. Creed’s hopes had risen when Kaast had proposed the one-on-one, but even then, there was still slim chances, with the advantage being on their side.

“Fine. Guess we were just unlucky today.” While he was only muttering to himself, Archer’s attention focused on him. “Well, what do you expect, I’m only a kid.”

“Your self-defeated tone does not suit you, Tohsaka-kun.” Her reserved smile made Creed blush slightly. “We have done enough for today, it seems. I think we should rest for a bit. I used more mana than I expected.”

Creed’s head tilted forward slightly. His shoulders relaxed and he took a deep breath. “Well, I think that’s fair. Next time though, I want to fight. Sitting in the back as a spectator sucks.”

[Yoshi Boo 118]

This sounds pretty good so far. I can understand the introductions you're trying to give to your readers, and it makes sense. Keep going, I like it.

[brandoprojectm]

YOU DIDN'T THINK I FORGOT, DIDYA? NAAAWW, I DIDN'T FORGET. ANYWAY WE'RE TODD AND AARON BRINGING YOU OUR BEST PICKS OF-

wait that's wrong

So yeah your storee.

In a word, it was intriguing.

About your worries of being able to convey the Fate universe without confusion to new readers, you did well, since you subtly established the Master/Servant relationship without outright stating it.

The writing style was a bit simple, but not too much, which I think fits the genre I believe you're going for pretty well. Nice, descriptive, to the point. There were some grammatical/spelling errors that you might've missed though, which broke the flow a bit since I had to reread to understand what you were saying, but it happens.

My biggest problem was that you didn't end the chapter (or excerpt or whatever) at a very good spot, which kinda left me wanting more. Or maybe that's what you were going for.

But yeah, I'll keep looking out for your story, just ask me any time you need more feedback. :>

[Chaukai]

This is actually not the end of the chapter, this was only a little tease. Don't worry, there's still more to come

[Chaukai]

I've released the rest of Chapter 1. Please read Thanks for the response, I love responses.

[brandoprojectm]

Okay, after briefly re-skimming the first part of the chapter I read the rest, and I must say that you're still going on solidly. I liked the brief little exchange between Kaast and Sair, who I found to be an interesting character. I'm still a bit curious about things like the setting and the whole deal with who Saber is, but I'll just wait for further chapters I guess.

Oh and you should capitalize the terms "Master" and "Servant". :3

[Ridder]

This is terrible. Kaast didn't make a retarded attempt to protect Saber at all. WHAT KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT ARE YOU RUNNING HERE. Jeezis.


In all srsness tho, Loved it.
Also, KYOUKO?

[~MP3 Amplifier~]

OMG Ridder returned. /off-topic

But seriously, this is great. I don't actually know the series, but i'm more just focusing on the style of writing and the structure. I think sometimes the names are repeated a little too often, but overall this story seems really good.

[Chaukai]

This is terrible. Kaast didn't make a retarded attempt to protect Saber at all. WHAT KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT ARE YOU RUNNING HERE. Jeezis.


In all srsness tho, Loved it.
Also, KYOUKO?

Oh noez, the Main Character is not a complete idiot this time! D: But yeah, thanks for the very short review.
Also, IS IT?!

OMG Ridder returned. /off-topic

But seriously, this is great. I don't actually know the series, but i'm more just focusing on the style of writing and the structure. I think sometimes the names are repeated a little too often, but overall this story seems really good.

Thank you! Let me know what you think of it just as a stand alone. Even though you don't know the series, I'm trying to set it up so that even people who don't know the series can still understand it. I'll work on the names a bit. I'm still getting used to writing again, I haven't written in forever. DX

I might as well add it now since I have it. Chapter 2 is up.

[Ridder]

OMFG CELTY WTH.



...I said with a posed look.

Anyways, is this version of the Holy Grail allowing these pepole to select from a Servant pool like this because its really into anime? or is it just looking to make a lot of contracts in the future?