Fate/Infinite - Game Thread

[drmigit2]

Assassin had done it, the explosives were primed, they would explode upon impact! Rider and his master had arrived too late to save the day! It was all coming together when...

There wasn't a kaboom. Assassin peered over at the house and instead of it being rubble, it instead had twenty large holes that probably messed up the supports. The manor wasn't safe anymore, that's for sure but it was still standing and Assassin mumbled under his breath.

"Every single damned time, messed up the mixture or something. Damn these humans, explosives just aren't what they used to be."

He sighed and glared up at what was clearly a Rider with his Master. Clay casted a few spells, probably worried about the explosives, they would still go off if a match hit them or something caught on fire, which now that assassin thought about it, probably could happen anyway what with the property damage and all.

Still, there always was the car bomb, that thing was ready to go whenever he pushed the button. With the Manor out of the picture for most of the remaining war however, Assassin's plan B had a new use.

"Do you not have any honour as a warrior that we would face eachother before our duel commences?"

Rider was of honor then? Interesting to know but Assassin had lost it a long time ago. He still could picture Caesar's face, surprise, grief, anguish and most of all betrayal all because of him. There wasn't any honor anymore, there was only this. His search for a final rest, to be done with it all. No more blood, fighting or death. Just peace. He knew how to accomplish it. The Rider would have to go.

Without a word, Assassin picked up a few rocks surrounding him. While they certainly varied in size, the lot of them fit into his hands snugly and felt nice to the touch. Assassin almost hated to part with them. He was still invisible and the rocks quickly camouflaged themselves along with him. Being invisible had its perks, but people could still see him walk around on the grass. Unless he was ethereal anyway, but that posed its own problems right now. A distraction could do some wonders right now he figured. Assassin figured the rocks to number about ten or so. Just enough to make this work.

The greatest trick as a general he had learned, was to make the enemy believe you are in one location, while actually being in another. Then you make your strike. A quick death blow would serve every purpose here and remove another obstacle in the way of the ultimate goal.

The first five he threw straight up in a cluster, causing the tree's leaves to go flying into the air. To anybody looking, it appeared he had jumped out of the tree and was headed right at Clay. The next part of the strategy was moving straight to the right towards the car. While Rider would move to protect Clay from a dive, Assassin moved directly to their sides and threw the other five rocks directly at Clay. They moved with lightning speed and intensity. Would they do the young master in? Probably not, so Assassin went ethereal before landing and blended in with the grass. He was still a few hundred feet away from the duo.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

The battlefield was unnervingly quiet as the pair waited for their assailant to make his move. Surprisingly, this didn?t bother Rider as much as one would think. He actually enjoyed the tension that was crackling through the stiff breeze that blew across the grounds. If anything, it reminded him of his life long ago, standing atop the scores of foes he had vanquished to obtain victory. A smirk crept across his face, licking his lips in excitement for what was about to transpire.

It was then the rustling of branches caught his attention, the rock clattering across the hard wood trees. His mind raced through battle strategy, prepared to engage his adversary the moment he showed his face. His right foot slid forwards, leading his body as his halberd appeared from the ether into his diagonally resting hands. It was brought to bare in a defensive position that crossed in front of his body, held with his palms outwards for an easy upwards motion. It was the perfect position for someone who would undoubtedly be attacking from above with the directions the sound shad been coming from. The servant would only need to wait for the foolish Assassin to fall into his hands.

Seconds crawled by like minutes as Rider waited for the inevitable attack to commence. Yet it never came. At least, not from the direction the servant had expected to be bombarded from. He could hear the barrage before he even saw the diminutive, smoothed projectiles whistling through the air at high speeds like arrows. He had fractions of a second to react and without hesitation he flung himself into action. The movement was blindingly quick, almost imperceptible to the human eye, traveling the space to juxtapose himself between Clay and the stones in a mere instant. As the warrior was grounded himself in a wide stance his halberd was already spinning out in front of him. Hand over hand he spun the weapon with force to repel the attack. To any untrained eye it would look simply like a flashy move, mimicking a great martial arts movie. To those who were more observant, the skill and precision that Rider executed the maneuver with would not be lost. Each rotation had been perfectly timed with just a momentary glance to knock away each stone. The force and speed behind the defense, as well as the martial flourish at the end, were pure pageantry. By the end of it he had the haft of the halberd resting behind his back, the blade pointed towards the ground and his left hand outstretched towards the direction the attack had come from.

?You should consider taking refuge inside the manor, boy,? the servant whispered to the mage. ?It may not be safe to be in the open once our assassin decides he wishes to make this a true battle.?

* * *​

Meanwhile, inside the attic of the manor, Alberta and her squad were running into their own problems. The moment the head maid had attempted to brush out the runes upon the ground, Aiden had activated it. The world around her began to slowly phase out of existence, a bland gray becoming the backdrop for her final moments. She knew the spell well. It was a favoured set of runes used by many magi in the Marks family considering their chosen methods in combat; the dreaded Ath nGabla - the curse of the Knights of the Red Branch. It was a spell that no one used lightly as it carried the direst of consequences, the ultimate price a man or woman could give. It was a duel to the death and Alberta would need to take Aiden?s life if she planned to release herself from the gray prison.

Aiden was much quicker to react, however, summoning a replica of the legendary Gae Bolg, if only in appearance. The maid tried to keep a bead on her adversary but he was moving too erratically for her to get a proper lock. Within seconds he had closed the gap between them, thrusting upwards into her cannon with the fake phantasm. It threw her center of balance upwards, firing wildly into the colourless void above. Without the recoilless cannon she was wide open for a finish blow and the wounded magus obliged. With a deft twist of his spear he changed the direction of his attack and stabbed downwards with all the force he could muster. Alberta's eyes went wide with shock, a small gurgling sound crawling up her throat before it was overtaken with blood. As the life fluid slowly leaked across her lips and down ehr chin she looked down to she the weapon plunged deep into her chest, straight through her heart. The Gae Bulg had stuck true once again.

As the spell slowly faded and reality began to set back in the troupe of maids shifted their formation to accommodate the repositioning of their captive. In one fluid motion, one particular woman with star white hair shifted the stock of her shotgun snugly into her shoulder and rushed forwards to have the barrel of her weapon almost touching Aiden's left hand. As his body finally phased back into existence she fired a single shot that rang through the attic, severing the appendage with brutal force. No one divided their attention to pay any notice to their leader as she collapsed onto the floor, still slowly dying with the spear stuck into her chest cavity. It was if they knew something that Aiden didn't.

 

[Arcanist]

"You should consider taking refuge inside the manor, boy. It may not be safe to be in the open once our assassin decides he wishes to make this a true battle."

"It's an Assassin, Rider. He has little interest in making this a true battle. Separating myself from you against such an elusive foe would be unwise. Besides..." Clay reached into his bag, producing a small white stone as he did. It felt chalky to the touch, the alchemical symbols for air and earth inscribed on its surface. "...I'm far from useless in a fight, even with my fire magic truncated."

He crushed the stone in his hand, reducing it to a fine powder. He could feel a discharge of prana emit from the pulverized stone as he did so - a signal to begin casting his next spell. "Shorn from the earth, come now to my grasp - Gale of Dust!" He released the shimmering white powder from his hands, a cloud of fine dust issuing forth. It billowed out in all directions, covering the surrounding area. It was fine enough to stick to most everything it touched, but thin enough to permit easy vision - in short, perfect for foiling invisible enemies.

'A simple trick like Concealment won't help you, Assassin. I've had 15 years to prepare for this war - no such obvious angle has been overlooked.' Once the cloud had finished spreading out, he took a braced position and took in a deep breath, centering himself. 'Come and fight, coward. I think you'll find me much more of a threat than your usual target.' Drawing deep within himself, he seized what prana he had left and began to forge it - willing it into the shape of lightning.

Electricity arced from his fingertips before exploding forth in full force, wreathing him in lightning. He was as ready to fight as he would ever be.

 

[drmigit2]

Stones flung in all directions, one passing right through Assassin, he watched it whiz through what would have been his appendix, though his current state made all physical matter worthless. It was a tight line some things crossed, Assassin had worked to make his one weakness in this form, elemental magic, almost nil. It did damage sure, and in large doses could harm the nerves, but it wouldn't kill him now.

"You should consider taking refuge inside the manor, boy," the servant whispered to the mage. "

Assassin cocked his head, if Rider was dumb enough to do that, it might not even be a fair fight. This was getting dull. It seemed his opponent was underestimating him yet again. Just like Saber. In fact, once Rider was down, Assassin figured he would pay Saber a final visit. That would leave Berserker, Lancer, Caster and Archer in his way. All of which could be dealt with. This one battle would decide everything as far as Assassin was concerned.

It seemed however, that Marks had other plans up his sleeve. They weren't fans of invisible people it seemed. The mage scattered what Assassin could register as Prana Sensitive dust everywhere around him. Assassin watched it for a few seconds, saw it hang in the air. It was actually quite beautiful. Small sparks of electricity going through the hyper-charged particles.

The robed figure saw this as his opportunity not only to use his car filled with bombs, but also to screw with the duo even more. He would lure them out of their hidey hole and let the mage waste even more of his precious Prana. Weakening his servant in the process.

Assassin noticed the primed lightning bolt. The one thing he really didn't want to touch from Marks. Assassin casually strolled over to a nearby tree. Brutus had learned from his fight with Saber, to make himself walk through not only air, but grass too. He felt the dirt under him, solid as could be. He was still ethereal so the grass didn't move while he did it. He jumped into the leafy top and made himself solid again, landing softly in between several branches.

After some inspection, a loose and soon to be dead piece of wood caught the killer's attention. He quietly gathered it and let himself fall behind the tree. His still invisible head poking out to the side, watching Rider and Clay, he broke the branch into multiple foot-long sections and marked his landing spot. The back of another nearby tree. Assassin lept out from the left of his hiding spot and threw the branches like spears at Clay and Rider. He landed safely behind the tree and went ethereal again. Assassin was clearly anticipating something to come at him now.

 

[Ruedyn]

Aidan's ears began ringing, and moving his hand produced no results, Aidan turned to look. An opportunistic maid had used his inattentiveness to remove his hand. He noticed his wedding ring on the wall in front of him, buckshot ruining its' gaelic inscription. His eyes widened, and all he could see was red.


"You..."

Aidan quickly attempted to grab her with his right hand, resulting in more of a throat jab, using his left to create Gae Bolg again, pushing it into the maid. He used his bad hand to grip it, moving it to put her in front of the other maids. The back of his mind told him there was something wrong here, that this wouldn't work. But one thought took presidence

"I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU!"

He kicked up the body of Alberta up, taking a shot in the gut. They had already begun shooting him, despite the body of their friend being held in front of them. Alberta took a few shots, but his shin was shot out from under him, completely removing it from the middle. He used his nub to catch himself, dropping the spell, the maid who no longer could be said to have a torso no longer protecting him he took a shot to a lung and the kidneys. He raised his nub again, throwing anothe Gae Bolg, going wide but still managing to hit a maid in the shoulder. Buckshot entered his cheek, and tore some flesh off his temple, revealing bone.

'They're terrible shots.'

The thought entered his brain for no reason, and he laughed wildly, taking several more rounds, though the sounds became muted beneath the ringing, he knew he had gone deaf. Pain was as lost as his hearing, and he tossed another Gae Bolg, hitting a maid in the jaw. Aidan stopped paying attention to his many bullet holes. He knew he was nearly out of Prana, however, and he decided to give in, and die, but first.

"Uck. Off." He raised his middle finger and dropped, noticing he had killed four or five, yet 6 remained.

'Str'

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Rider could already feel his impatience grow as Assassin continued to play his little game of hide-and-seek. He wanted to go out and hunt down the impertinent little wretch but he knew it would leave Clay relatively defenseless. While large quantities of lightning seemed like a good deterrent, they had no clue how strong their opponent's magic resistance was. The situation was like a cage - not particularly harmful but restricting enough that he had to wait for Assassin to make his move. Unfortunately for him, degrading tricks were all the opposing spirit had to offer.

A few large stakes were launched at a similarly high speed as the stones, though moving that much slower due to their size. It was pitiful to think that this is what the Holy Grail War had been lowered to a simple contest of hurling random projectiles. Rider sneered at the distasteful tactic, becoming agitated with this cowardice. His movements flowed with an expertise beyond anything one could imagine. He had barely had a chance to measure up the speed and distance of the looming projectiles before he was majestically weaving a deadly dance with halberd and martial arts to knock each spear out of the air with ease. The wooden stakes exploded into splinters as his strikes connected, using his superior strength to keep his unparalleled boredom in check to some degree. However, these foolish blunted attacks were unsatisfying.

"I was hoping for a spirit who could muster more than a childish offensive," Rider exclaimed, driving the haft of his halberd firmly into the ground to accentuation his point. "It seems I shall be forced to find a decent challenge elsewhere."

Clay could only smirk to himself as he listened to Rider's masked frustration. It must have been disappointing to have waited such a long time only to face an utter coward and of the weakest class no less. His servant had been sorely mistaken to believe any of the other spirits could hold a candle to the sheer power he possessed. It was the entire reason he had summoned him, of course. The strength of such a powerful spirit was only befitting the strength of such a powerful mage. In any case, Clay decided that hurling a few insults himself would most likely be enjoyable and make this little trip not a complete waste of their time.

"What's wrong, Assassin? Have you seen I'm not a little girl and decided to strike out like a petulant child? Pathetic."

The two men looked disgusted with the utter lack of a test placed before them. Rider then looked over to his counter part, disdain filling his expression.

"I tire of these petty games. We may as well seek far more entertaining pastimes within our home rather than continuously be insulted by the sheer audacity of sending such a whelp to harm us. Fighting him would not so much as be befitting of a warrior such as myself if he chooses to piss himself scared behind those trees."

Clay nodded back in agreement. "Quite. I could be putting my time to much better use, like watching Jersey Shore with Diana." The look of disgust that was conjured by the thoughts of that program were telltale enough of the magnitude of the insult. "Let's be off, then."

The two then strode confidently back towards their battered but structurally sound home. If Assassin wished to follow they would have no qualms in it. In fact, it proved to be quite the amusing thought for the young magus. How he would love to see their assailant jumping through traps just to find his own servant ready to strike a brutal blow.

 

[drmigit2]

Assassin was learning quite a bit about his opponent. Mainly in the speed and strength areas, where he was clearly even or outmatched. This guy was for sure going to require strategy and even a bit of manipulation to kill. Still, he looked like he had less honor and more arrogance, something Assassin could easily exploit.

His throwing rocks earlier had another purpose. They were now coming down at near terminal velocity aimed right at where Rider and Clay stood. Had they spent less time making noise and taunting, they might have heard the low whistle through the air, but now it was too late.

Brutus held in a laugh as he counted time in his head. A few more rocks were scooped up. Five...four...three...two...one! Assassin dashed out from his tree with rocks in hand throwing them in perfect sync. On top of the four rocks he had thrown, two of the other five were about to land directly on Clay, with the others falling somewhere near him, moving from his current location would only cause more rocks to hit him.

The rocks he had just thrown came at a lower angle than the earlier ones. Assassin wanted to see a phantasm from Rider. That, or he could hit Rider, or kill his master. There were plenty of great outcomes, but Assassin had determined off of Rider's speed earlier that there wasn't much of a way to block these. It didn't help the spirit or his master that he turned his back on an Assassin.

To Assassin, honor was just a term used to force people who would normally lose in direct combat to give up any tactical advantage they could have gained. It also seemed Rider shared his opinion and was only going to use it as long as it suited him. Killing Rider would be nice.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Spoiler: Rider

Rider:

Str: B++
End: B++
Agi: A+
Man: D
Luk: C

Magic Resist: C

Known Phantasms:

It could be seen as both fortunate and unfortunate for the would-be killer that Rider and Clay had made their way back towards the manor at a leisurely pace. If the pair had been traveling any faster they would have easily overshot the intricate trap he had set for them. Luckily they had spent most of their time insulting the opposing servant?s prowess as a combatant in this Holy Grail War. Assassin?s multilayered strategy would come to fruition within moments and crush both Rider and his master with a hail of stone. All too soon rocks would fall and the two fools would die!

Rider was the first to react, hearing the high pitched whistle of a projectile streaking through the calm night air. He had just enough time to tilt his head upwards before the first rock came crashing down onto the bridge of its nose. It instantly shattered on contact, the magical construct of his body far more resilient than that of mere stone. The slivers slid down the sides of his face as his eyes narrowed and his body shook from rage. This foolish trickery was becoming nothing more than a child's game and it was insulting that Assassin would treat this clash of heroes so lightly. The grip on his spear became that much tighter as he tracked the other stones by sound alone. He closed his eyes to picture the small rocks hurtling down to the earth below, his brow furrowing with both concentration and seething ire. As the rest of the stones neared their intended targets, Rider's spear shot out above Clay's head, striking with the speed and finesse of a master. Three pebbles shattered into a fine shower of dust that sprinkled down onto the mage below, the rest of the hazards clunking harmlessly off the giant's armour.

That had been the final straw. While Rider knew he had never been a terribly virtuous man, there were some lines he dared not cross. The rules of engagement of a proper warrior was one of the lines. By attacking Clay, Assassin had proven himself far beneath Rider and the rest of the servants within this war. He had given him his chance at a proper battle. He would have talked, found out what wish Assassin planned to make, offered conjecture and negotiated; he had wanted to parley with the man. If had come to a duel, it would have been far more enjoyable if his opponent had proven himself an honourable combatant. Now his soul was only filled with the white hot rage of a thousand suns, burning brightly into a fighting spirit that could not be stopped. That energy transferred to his spear, causing it to glow the same hot white his spirit now burned with. If Rider had been considering leaving the battlefield at any point it was no longer visible in the way he carried himself. His stance was firm as his muscles tightened underneath his armour, ready to perform a strike that would shake the heavens themselves.


"I tire of this game, you petulant child!" Rider cried out, the energy in his spear coming to an apex, glowing hot and bright like phosphorus. "This ends here. Heaven Force: Sky Divider!"

Spoiler: Heaven Force: Sky Divider

God Force: The Five Soldiers of the War God- Rider's personal houtengeki. The weapon can transform into five different weapons, making him an accomplished master-at-arms. Each form can also manifest a property of the elements, giving each weapon a unique ability.

Heaven Force: Also known as Halberd Force, this is easily the most powerful form of the weapon. It is Rider's legendary spear, Sky Piercer, and could undoubtedly be called his most familiar weapon of the five. Its ability, Sky Divider, is a large arc of pressure that flies out from a single strike made by the halberd that can cut like steel. Alternatively, the power can be focused into a thrust that can overpower an opponent using an unusually tough guard.

Rider pivoted his entire body on his left leg, arcing the slash of his halberd blade from his right to his left. It seemed to cut the air itself, a massive wave of razor edged pressure firing out from in front of the warrior. He had not even noticed the stones that his foe had hurled towards them, the invisible wave slicing them to powder as they passed through it. The low trajectory of the Sky Divider was also kicking up a rolling wave of dust, growing larger and taller with each moment that passed. It swept up the glittering cloud of prana particles, dispersing it throughout the rolling cloud in the back draft of the attack. As the wave dispersed the cloud only grew, bursting forwards in a gust over the entire front lawn before the servant and master.

As the blast of dust surged forwards, Rider took the time to hone his focus and search out his adversary on the battlefield. Vision was deceptive with an invisible opponent and so he concentrated on the sounds, smells and feelings he was receiving from his surroundings. His ears quickly filtered out the loud rustling of branches from his man made squall, searching out anything amiss amongst the sounds of the scenery. Though he felt strained at first, he could clearly hear the low pattering of footsteps padding across the lawn, the fluttering of fabric and the sounds of the wind breezing past a person in motion. Most distinct of all, he could smell the unpleasant odour of grease from overcooked cheese. His eyes then opened quickly, centered upon the strange disturbance in the distance. His houtengeki then morphed into golden mana, changing its shape from a large halberd to that of an ornate compound bow. Without a second thought he brought the bow level with himself, quickly notching an arrow and drawing it back. The missile flared into life, transforming from physical to a lance of pure blue energy. As the servant took aim, he smirked to himself, knowing this would soon be over.

Spoiler: Water Force

God Force: The Five Soldiers of the War God- Rider's personal houtengeki. The weapon can transform into five different weapons, making him an accomplished master-at-arms. Each form can also manifest a property of the elements, giving each weapon a unique ability.

Water Force: Also known as Cannon Force, this form is Rider's classic compound bow and arrows with quiver. Each arrow is transformed into a lance of blue energy when notched, infused with prana to give it increased speed and power.

"Time to end this. Gate~. Halberd-"

"Rider, wait!" The cry of his charge snapped his attention from his task but didn't force him to take his focus off his target.

Clay was wreathed in lightning, still energized from earlier. His face was bright with a wicked grin as the energy grew larger in scope, more electrical arcs bursting forth from his body. His mystic code began to glow a shimmering yellow, the energy from the elements flowing through it. Each bolt that traversed its path grew larger as it exited, as if it were feeding upon the ancient power inside. Clay felt liberated to finally flex some of his innate power instead of bottling it up inside himself. It was an eventuality, however, there was nothing like reaching out and torching something in there here and now, even if it was only a scorching bolt of electricity.

"Rider, aim your arrow towards the heavens!" he boomed out, the power coursing through him dizzying.

He could already smell the ozone forming around him from the massive build up of plasma around him. He watched as his servant did as he was commanded, obviously sensing the queue in his tone. The colossal warrior even braced his stance, expecting something larger than life itself to come crashing down upon them. Clay aimed to not disappoint. He arced his back so that as he tilted his head it would face the sky. His arms became stiff as they stretched out to his sides, palms up and fingers curling as they twitched with energy unknown to the common man. His legs slid apart to brace himself, for he knew what was to come might knock everyone off their feet. The sheer monumental energy he was about to call forth would be difficult to match even by the standards of the other mages that had been groomed and chosen for this war.

"And let the wrath of the High God strike swift judgement down upon those who dare stand before us!"

From the sky rained great bolts of lightning with seemingly no end. They ravaged the grounds around the two partners, trapped within an electric cage of heavenly rage. The bolts then began to close in on Rider, drawing closer and closer as they encircled him. Yet the servant stayed focused, ready for whatever it was Clay had planned, the muscles in his legs so tense he didn't think he could move even if he had wished it. As the electrical cage finally licked his armour plating it fused into one massive charge of plasma and struck down upon the arrow notched on Rider's bow with such force he felt his knees buckle for just a moment before he recovered. The energy flared outwards from the tip into a cone, barely containing itself within the phantasm as the servant struggled to level the bow upon his target once more.

"Heaven's~..."

Again Rider focused upon the slightest of sounds, pin pointing his target with ease within the gritty storm he had caused. He could feel his muscles scream with pain as he tried to keep the rumbling bow steady. His knew his aim needed to be near perfect for the phantasm to work and the surging energies Clay had added to his already powerful strike was proving troublesome. He drew the string back as far as his strength could muster to keep the bow taut and steady, knowing he could only afford but a few seconds with his power in his arms stretched to their limits.

"...Gate~..."

His legs inched farther apart as he began to feel his frame shake with stress. His entire body felt as though it were going to literally fall to pieces with the backwash of force he was getting from his spell infused phantasm. He had one shot to make this count. He closed his left eye as the tip of the arrow became trained upon his target. Now was the moment of truth...

"...SHOT~!!!

Spoiler: Heaven's Gate Shot

Gate Halberd Shot- Rider is considered to be an expert marksman both from horseback and on foot. The epitome of his skills is his infamous shot that hit the blade of a ji spear from hundreds of feet away. This shot can be mimicked with his phantasm, powering an arrow fired from Water Force to eternally seek its target by bending fate itself until it strikes true. This phantasm can still be repelled by strong magical barriers or defensive phantasms and even partially deflected with weapon phantasms owned by the target. It will, however, subvert any outside interference, regardless of power. Rank B.

Heaven's Gate Shot- A fusion technique between Rider's Gate Halberd Shot and Clay Marks' Wrath of the High God. Lightning falls from the heavens to infuse Rider's arrow with powerful magic. Upon release, the arrow spins madly as bolts of lightning arc out from a cone of power that flares out from the tip, causing massive amounts of destruction in its wake. The arrow then seeks out its target by bending fate before striking with a force that can pierce all but the best of magical resistances and barriers, even going as far as breaking through some low-level defensive phantasms. Rank A.

As Rider loosed the arrow from its barely contained state the backwash of force that resonated from the spell blew his entire left side backwards, spinning his body to change his facing, his right shoulder now being forwards. After skidding across the ground for five feet, his body ground to halt, dust lingering in the air that he had kicked back up. His left arm felt numb and the rest of his left side tingled with both the impact of the backwash and from his prana having had such a potent magic coursing through it. The servant afforded his poor opponent the flash of his wicked grin, matching Clay's tooth for tooth, as he gazed upon the monstrous weapon they had created.

The arrow shot forth through the cloud of dust and prana towards its intended target, fate itself tying the two to eachother so that they would inevitably connect. It tore across the lawn creating a trench at least a foot wide as deadly arcs of plasma flung from its sides and blasted divots farther out. It was a wake of destruction the likes of which neither of them had ever witnessed before. What was even more hauntingly beautiful was the effect the lightning had on the prana fleck inside the cloud. Their sensitivity to magic had caused them to conduct, forming a massive ionic storm within the cloud that would intensify the spell throughout its field, which at this point had encompassed most of the front lawn and the surrounding treeline.

The two just had to sit and wait for the end to come...

Spoiler: Rider

Rider:

Str: B++
End: B++
Agi: A+
Man: D
Luk: C

Magic Resist: C

Known Phantasms:
God Force: The Five Soldiers of the War God- Rider's personal houtengeki. The weapon can transform into five different weapons, making him an accomplished master-at-arms. Each form can also manifest a property of the elements, giving each weapon a unique ability. Rank C.

Water Force: Also known as Cannon Force, this form is Rider's classic compound bow and arrows with quiver. Each arrow is transformed into a lance of blue energy when notched, infused with prana to give it increased speed and power.

Heaven Force: Also known as Halberd Force, this is easily the most powerful form of the weapon. It is Rider's legendary spear, Sky Piercer, and could undoubtedly be called his most familiar weapon of the five. Its ability, Sky Divider, is a large arc of pressure that flies out from a single strike made by the halberd that can cut like steel. Alternatively, the power can be focused into a thrust that can overpower an opponent using an unusually tough guard.

Gate Halberd Shot- Rider is considered to be an expert marksman both from horseback and on foot. The epitome of his skills is his infamous shot that hit the blade of a ji spear from hundreds of feet away. This shot can be mimicked with his phantasm, powering an arrow fired from Water Force to eternally seek its target by bending fate itself until it strikes true. This phantasm can still be repelled by strong magical barriers or defensive phantasms and even partially deflected with weapon phantasms owned by the target. It will, however, subvert any outside interference, regardless of power. Rank B.

 

[drmigit2]

"This ends here. Heaven Force: Sky Divider!"

"It's about time..." Assassin muttered to himself as Rider readied his strike. Assassin wanted to see a phantasm but also let Rider put up a weak point. Wasting valuable prana along with revealing some of his moves. Assassin quickly became ethereal and sunk underground, leaving the very top of his head exposed to watch what was coming.

While most would think phasing through the ground would cause him to go through all of it, layers of sediment and the varying rock patterns allow Brutus to pick and choose what he wants to go through. It is at this point mostly a reflex.


When the razor-like gust of wind came carrying dust from earlier, Assassin rapidly sunk down and began moving through the dirt more than disappointed. Rider said he was going to kill him and that was the best he could come up with? People had been underestimating Assassin this entire time and now this? First Saber doesn't even try in his fight, then Rider half heartedly sends a halberd? No. This man was going to pay for his arrogance right now.

Assassin began bolting towards Rider and Clay. The phantasm passing over he raised his head to see Rider prepping his next phantasm. It would be his last. As the duo was so close to the manor and had actively avoided damaging it, Assassin popped behind them as they gave off their show and gripped his chaplet and gladius.

Not only would they miss again with their phantasm, but this time, Assassin was going to take Rider out of the equation. Still ethereal, he threw the chaplet and landed it behind Rider and Clay. He then became solid again, tightening his grip on Emperor's Bane. As Rider pointed his Arrow and prepared to release it, Assassin yelled with extraordinary passion and anger, "Withered Chaplet and Emperor's Bane!"

Immediately, the Chaplet began working. The surrounding area was covered in a highly electric field of purple and black darkness. It seemed to be actively devouring the light around it, but that wasn't the only effect. Assassin's Chaplet would do immeasurable damage against a human exhausted to the point Clay had to be after using a spell like that.

But that was only part one of his assault. Immediately after his chaplet activated, Assassin tossed Emperor's Bane diretly at Rider's spine. Despite the energy surrounding it, Emperor's bane still managed to glow a sanguine blood red hue and while Rider normally would have been able to avoid it, the combination of the Chaplet and his own pre-occupation with his Arrow made it all but impossible to even move slightly out of the way.

Even compounding this however, was that the Bane, despite being from a servant, was still steel and started conducting the lightning arcing everywhere, shielding Assassin from the now intense arc of lightning and turning it into a lightning rod against anything it planted itself in. Rider then released his arrow.

While Assassin figured this would be a powerful phantasm, he did not expect it to be as powerful as it was. The blast from it's release caused him to lose his footing a bit and while the Emperor's Bane would remain unhindered in its course, Assassin almost fell on his back, stumbling a bit, he jumped on top of the Manor and got behind it in order to let the Bane work its effects.

Something unexpected happened, however. The arrow didn't just go straight, it made a wide angle turn and started heading directly for Brutus. It wasn't stopping. It had locked onto him somehow and was headed directly for him! The size of the arrow did not help and while it was physical in nature, it was carrying all of the energy Clay had put into it. Assassin began running in the opposite direction to buy himself some time, he saw the arrow pass by Rider, a large amount of energy being aimed directly at where the Emperor's bane was from the arrow.

Assassin smirked a bit. The Emperor's bane was acting again as his own personal lightning rod and Rider would be the victim, compounding his own phantasm's electricity to what Assassin figured his current wound was. Still, the arrow was entirely unimpeded and came directly at assassin who activated his guise.

The arrow was mostly magical in nature, but Assassin himself was more than a little bit resistant to it. It came crashing into his right side, electricity burning hot, but the spell cast earlier by clay putting out any fires that could have started. It seared his flesh and Asssassin fell to the ground like a meteor leaving a gigantic hole in the turf. The now spent spear sized arrow falling close by. The only thing comforting Assassin from the intense pain was his knowledge Rider was probably in worse shape right about now.

Spoiler: Emperor's Bane

Emperor's Bane: Assassin's blade glows a brilliant crimson, and gains the ability to paralyze anyone it even scratches. Though it does not have the strength to fully immobilize its target, Emperor's Bane makes escaping from Assassin all but impossible.

When combined with The Withered Chaplet, it works much faster and can immobilize targets entirely. It works as a poison that infects both the body and the prana supply in a target. When hit in a vital area such as the heart, the effect takes place instantly. Being hit in the chest or stomach area will take about ten seconds and any of the extremities will take a minute to fully spread. This effect eventually fades an hour after it reaches its Apex.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Rider could barely move. It felt as though the weight of the world had been placed upon his shoulders, yet as broad as they were he still felt his legs shake under the pressure. His brow furrowed with frustration, struggling to gain footing against the Phantasm as it leeched upon his very being. That withered tree branch had certainly made a mess of things. The warrior's eyes shifted over to where his arrow had impacted something which he assumed was Assassin, yet nothing remained. So why did the phantasm persist? His mind was becoming clouded as it tried to piece together the exact chain of events that had placed him in the predicament...

"Withered Chaplet and Emperor's Bane!"

The ground had erupted into a pit of murky prana. The small, lifeless twig hadn't caught his attention until it had been too late. It crackled with an energy most foul, the stench of death and decay emanating from the area surrounding him and his master. As the aura of purple lightning and black sludge enveloped their position, Rider knew their only chance was for him to complete his attack. So he focused intently on his target, seeking him out within the chaos to obtain the link he would need for the shot to strike true.

Just before he loosed the arrow his eyes picked up the tiniest of glints that reflected the light his own arrow had created amongst the darkness of the Withering Chaplet. A blade was soaring through the air straight at him, red as the blood it sought to shed. With a near uncontrollable phantasm, bursting with energy in his clutches, the servant was well aware that he had no chance to move out of the way in time. There was one option, however. He kept his aim true and released the arrow, sending it on its path of retribution for the two phantasms Assassin had unleashed upon them. The backwash of force that bled from the arrow was intense, blowing Rider back as he had expected it to. The sword flew by, kissing his left bicep ever so cleanly as his body was spun around and sent hurtling backwards. The lightning from both phantasms were attracted to the blade, making it sing with reverberation as each new bolt was redirected to a different target. Luckily for Rider and Clay, it had caused them little consternation with the speed it was flying through the air at. If anything, Assassin was now disarmed of what one could only assume was his most potent weapons with his sword now firmly placed behind his two adversaries. As the giant ground to a halt his legs finally gave out and he dropped to one knee, breathing hard and trying to sort out his thoughts...

He could already feel the fogginess being cleared from his mind like a light had shone down upon it. The magical defenses Clay had invoked upon him the previous evening were beginning to work their magic, fending off the harmful effects of the two phantasms. The servant slowly rose to his feet, his body aching against the pull of the chaplet's spell. While Rider was aware it was foolish to strain himself after such a short amount of time since using a phantasm of that magnitude, he needed to keep on his feet and fighting in case Assassin tried another one of his tricks. However, he knew just who could assist him with such a task.

Bringing his left hand up to his mouth with thumb and forefinger pressed together, he whistling loudly into the night. The high pitched shout burst through the surrounding area, causing the creatures of the night to scatter about in fear of predators prowling about. Within those same surroundings came a blur of red that shot towards Rider in the blink of an eye. As the beast came to a full stop not inches before its master, it winded onto its hind legs, displaying its graceful but powerful beauty to all who beheld it. Not a hair was on its body was blemished with a colour other than its deep red coat and even deeper red mane that flowed like stalks of silk. Its whinny rang through the night before slamming its hooves into the ground, causing a small tremour of sheer power before snorting menacingly. He too was prepared for battle and Rider couldn't help but smile at his companion's eagerness.

"It seems I have kept you reigned in far too long for your liking, Red Hare," Rider cooed affectionately between strained gasps. "However, it is time we showed these peasants what a true warrior and his steed are capable of!"

Spoiler: Red Hare

Red Hare- Rider's trusted steed; it is said Red Hare is peerless. He stands at eight feet tall and ten feet long and is coloured as an ashen red with not a hair otherwise. Red Hare can leap far distances and fearlessly carries his master into battle with unwavering trust against the direst of odds. The legendary horse runs at blinding speeds, a literal blur that can't be seen by most humans. He effectively doubles Rider's agility parameter so long as the servant is astride him. Rank B.

The horse nodded excitedly before taking his master's queue as if it were only natural. Red Hare fluidly kneeled before his master and scooped him up onto his back before standing back up in one motion. The mounting was performed as though it had been practiced a thousand times, though in reality it was their bond as rider and mount that let them anticipate eachother's motions flawlessly in a completely improvised maneuver. Immediately Rider could feel the weight the chaplet had forced upon him suddenly become bearable. While his own movements still felt stiff it was muted compared to the lofty feeling his warhorse granted him. He felt more complete then ever astride Red Hare and it showed as his disposition went from agonized recovery to acute awareness. He had faced worse conditions than fatigue on the battlefield and with Red Hare assisting him he would persevere.

"We must be wary, brother. Our quarry can appear from the wind itself without warning. We must be vigilant."

Red Hare confirmed his understanding with a powerful neigh and began scanning the field with his master. The two worked in tandem with an efficiency that felt both drilled and natural. It was the perfect blend of practice and instinct that enabled them to cover all angles of the field at once. Each shifted with the other, transitioning positions with a grace so divine one would swear they were a two headed creature. It would prove difficult for Assassin to get by the two sentries rather than simply the one.

Spoiler: Rider

Rider:

Str: B++
End: B++
Agi: A+
Man: D
Luk: C

Magic Resist: C

Known Phantasms:
God Force: The Five Soldiers of the War God- Rider's personal houtengeki. The weapon can transform into five different weapons, making him an accomplished master-at-arms. Each form can also manifest a property of the elements, giving each weapon a unique ability. Rank C.

Water Force: Also known as Cannon Force, this form is Rider's classic compound bow and arrows with quiver. Each arrow is transformed into a lance of blue energy when notched, infused with prana to give it increased speed and power.

Heaven Force: Also known as Halberd Force, this is easily the most powerful form of the weapon. It is Rider's legendary spear, Sky Piercer, and could undoubtedly be called his most familiar weapon of the five. Its ability, Sky Divider, is a large arc of pressure that flies out from a single strike made by the halberd that can cut like steel. Alternatively, the power can be focused into a thrust that can overpower an opponent using an unusually tough guard.

Gate Halberd Shot- Rider is considered to be an expert marksman both from horseback and on foot. The epitome of his skills is his infamous shot that hit the blade of a ji spear from hundreds of feet away. This shot can be mimicked with his phantasm, powering an arrow fired from Water Force to eternally seek its target by bending fate itself until it strikes true. This phantasm can still be repelled by strong magical barriers or defensive phantasms and even partially deflected with weapon phantasms owned by the target. It will, however, subvert any outside interference, regardless of power. Rank B.

Red Hare- Rider's trusted steed; it is said Red Hare is peerless. He stands at eight feet tall and ten feet long and is coloured as an ashen red with not a hair otherwise. Red Hare can leap far distances and fearlessly carries his master into battle with unwavering trust against the direst of odds. The legendary horse runs at blinding speeds, a literal blur that can't be seen by most humans. He effectively doubles Rider's agility parameter so long as the servant is astride him. Rank B.

 

[Arcanist]

"Withered Chaplet and Emperor's Bane!"

Clay felt the effect of the Phantasm wash over him like a kick to the gut. With his prana drained, he had next to no recourse to physically resist its effects. Dropping to his knees, he let out a gasp, panting for breath. 'I... I can't move. I can't even feel my legs. What... what's going on?' Even breathing was a laborious task - he had to focus hard, forcing his fatigued lungs to continue their vital work.

He managed to force himself to fall back against the manor wall, albeit with great effort. Was that really it? One big spell, and he'd be out of the fight for good? Even weakened as he was, his expression twisted into one of pained despair... Until he began to feel a familiar thump against his chest. A warm glow he knew all too well.

Looking down, he saw the Shifting Storm begin to... well... shift. Much to his surprise, he could feel a current of prana move through it. Almost as though he had activated it. Almost as though...something were pulling the very lifeforce from his body, moving it through the gem as a result.

'So that's how this little trick works - pulling lifeforce from a victim, then sucking it in to parts unknown. A pity that it's competing with such a... voracious appetite. This may well be the first time this accursed stone's thirst for Od has worked IN my favor.'

He had practiced with it many times in his youth - gaining the ability to manipulate the artifact with no physical effort on his part. Taking in what little breath he could, he centered himself, focusing the entirety of his attention on the beating gemstone. It quickly responded to his mind's touch - and he felt the familiar sensation of insatiable hunger arise from within. It was tasting his Od, however little. It wanted more. It burnt for more. It NEEDED more.

But Clay still had his senses, however battered. This wasn't the first time he'd resisted its influence under duress, and it wouldn't be the last. Pushing aside the gem's will, he continued his work. He may not be able to stop Assassin's Phantasm from rendering him crippled...

But he could give himself a fighting chance, however weak, however slim. He could still assist Rider, and fulfill his duty as a Master.

With a low breath, he incanted. Two words, acknowledging their pact. Two words, to reach the distance. Four in total, he whispered in silence. With a hum, the gem responded, then complied. Clay could feel a small channel between Rider and himself open - then close. Casting his mind's eye to the stone around his neck, he felt the built current of prana disappear, having been sent to someone with more use for it.

'That will likely be the best I can do for a bit, Rider. Keep me alive another minute, and I might even be able to do it again.'

 

[drmigit2]

Assassin rose out of the crater he had made slowly. He looked to his right side and while it wasn't burned like he had expected, probably thanks to Clay's anti-fire spell, it was still in bad shape. He cracked a few ribs, his leg was hurting though still usable, and his right arm...well...that was a different story.

It seemed as if every single bone in that arm had been pulverized into a fine powder, though Assassin knew that wasn't the case. He took his arm and twisted it around, large cracks echoing through the manor. This would cut the pain largely, though that arm was out. Assassin wished he had a pizza right now, and Mordecai. Mordecai could heal this. Where was that guy anyway? Assassin shook his head and disappeared into the ground, heading around and popping up in the trees near his car. Looking out at Rider and clay he could see the Emperor's Bane had struck, even if it didn't plant itself. This was fine because the worst part of the bane wasn't that you get stabbed, it was the poison that came with it. Assassin could feel the poison in Rider's veins working its way. He might not know it yet, but Rider was in more trouble than he could imagine.

Assassin contemplated watching and waiting for the bane to take effect, but if Rider started to get a bad feeling he could end up leaving and that would be problematic. No, Assassin had to make it work faster, get Rider's heart beating. He had the way and the will, it was time to make magic happen. The solution was simple.

Brutus's car was still humming. He had left it on for a while and it was ready to get going. Knowing Rider, he doubted the guy would simply let him leave, but if he did, Assassin had a backup plan. Either way, he phased inside, jammed the accelerator so hard it wouldn't pop back up and wheeled it away from the manor. After that, he grabbed a small remote from the passenger's seat and phased out with it and into the ground. He then quickly gathered some distance and was a ways behind the manor, still able to clearly see the car make its getaway. By the time Rider caught up with it, the car would already be a ways out of the field of that blasted spell.

 

[Ruedyn]

Mordecai, shortly after Gerald left, paced around his apartment, worried about his Brother, his Servant, and the asshole who was apparently living in his place now for whatever reason. Too many damn people for his liking.

'Should've stayed in America. Goddamn safe there. Could've turned down the risk to my life, but noooo, I've got to play hero. Lot of good that's doing.' Mordecai brought his hand to his forehead, trying to rub the beginnings of a head ache out. Ineffective.

Sighing, Mordecai flopped onto his couch, hopefully to sleep this crap off. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out the Ambien he forgot he put in there.

'Convenient.' Mordecai smirked, downing a few and taking a sip of water. He dozed off quickly enough....

Spoiler: Dream sequence 2

Mordecai's home, again. Still Victorian, though it seems less cared for. The lawn is overgrown, the garden is rotten, and some joker sprayed male genitalia on the driveway. A minivan sits outside the home, a pretty red headed girl approaches slowly. She seems hesitant to even ring the doorbell, as though it would bite her. Still, after a minute or two, she overcomes her fear.

*Ding*

... No response for several minutes, she stares up at the white door, to the white house of her childhood friend. She hasn't seen him in (days, weeks?) months. She seems to turn away, but the door flings open. A younger Mordecai opens the door, 5 o' clock shadow and his glasses are askew.

"Yes? OH, Hayley!" she looks apprehensive, pointing down slightly. Mordecai, visibly embarrassed, slowly zips up his fly.

"So... What are you doing here?" His look of naivety made Mordecai feel bad, he looked like a puppy, unaware of the fact he was about to be taken to the vet.

"You... You didn't show up to my wedding." Mordecai's smile dropped, in the blink of an eye his disposition changed, a shadow moving over his face.

"Oh. Still with him then?" Hayley seemed to bristle, but calmed noticing the State Mordecai was in. A quick peek over his shoulder showed it reflected his current look perfectly.

"What's happened here? Why does it look like a hurricane of crazy has shredded your house." Mord looked behind him, turning around quickly.

"It's none of your concern, Hayley. Please, just leave for now. I can't explain this to you, just take my word for it my sanity is intact." The pleading in his eyes made her consider it, before she shook her head, turning around and heading for her car.

"Oh, my, this moment. Really, your only friend driven away because you were jealous of her boy friend and hating cleaning."

"I continued your work, Dad. I learned how to heal people through magic."

"And nearly got caught several times over. You know what might be fun? Replaying ANOTHER memory. Your subconscious is kind of a dick like that."

Mordecai was no longer in, or around his home. Now he was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere he barely remembered. Repressed, perhaps? Hayley laid on the table, Mordecai passed the room, muttering under his breath. Hayley wasn't breathing, and Mordecai held his cross close to his chest. After several moments, He put it over her head, brushing away hair to reveal her bullet wound, a clean kill, though it didn't leave much in the back of her skull.

"Please god forgive me." A brilliant light came from the cross, blinding Mord and lighting the room. It was the collapsed cellar Hayley had been meaning to fix completely. It looked completed now, at least. The hole shrank, and after several minutes, a haggard gasping breath came from her lips.

"Hayley? Hayley, it worked!" She sat upright, an unhinged look in her eye.

"STOP THE FUCKING DREAM!" Mordecai yelled, suddenly, and the image dissipated.

"Tsk tsk, you should face your fears. You doomed Hayley, you should've known it only fixes PHYSICAL damage. Emotional... Well, you saw the look in her eye, you have the scar on your hand. Right underneath your command seals. You should be happy Aidan put her down, he could've killed you too." Mordecais father had turned into a corpse sometime during his speech, his skin was rancid and green, his eye sockets hollow. He began laughing, and laughing, the laugh of the truly insane. His head expanded, until finally it exploded... into a bear?

Mord sat up, breathing heavily. Gerald was back, watching TV.

"You alright, man?"

"Yeah, yes, I'll be fine... Aidan back yet?" Gerald shrugged, and Mordecai relaxed slightly, though he was still worried. Mostly over his servant.

"Mind if I borrow your car? I think Assassin's been out too long. Might need to save him." Gerald tossed him the keys, and Mordecai quickly left the room. He'd take a scenic route around the city, listening to big explosions to know where his friend was.

 

[Pappytech]

Meanwhile, back at the Park...:

The rotting army shambled forward, their lifeless, soul-wrenching moaning filling the air like a discordant choir. Encircled on all sides by towering walls of flame, their forms were covered in flickering light and shadow, lending their already inhuman appearance even more horror. Their corpses, all in various states of decay, plowed through dirt and clambered to the surface with ease, limbs loosely coated in strands of skin and muscle stretching towards their master's enemies. They wanted to reach them, wanted to grab them, wanted to drag them down. They wanted to slaughter them, and they could not, would not rest until their foes had fallen.

Beneath Archer's hood, a bushy, graying eyebrow flicked upward. "Really? This is what you're going with?"

Chuckling, the Servant strung another arrow to his bow, taking aim at the array of large, slow-moving targets lined up before him. "This is almost insulting," he muttered as he loosed the shaft, grinning in satisfaction as it tore through one of zombies' eyes. "I have been to Hell, and let me tell you, you have got it waaaaaaaay off."

The horde, though likely enough to strike utter horror and despair into any normal human, was slightly less effective against Archer. They couldn't really hurt him if they couldn't touch him, now could they? Unable to repress a laugh, the aged Servant danced around the battlefield, his feet nimbly keeping him out of reach of any foe. As he moved, he fired shot after shot from his bow, some going wide, most tearing into the zombies with lethal accuracy. When taking out their heads and hearts proved to be little more than a minor hindrance to the monsters, he took aim at their legs and knees. Even if it didn't finish them off, it was more than a little satisfying, watching them crawl around with missing legs.

Had he been alone, odds were Archer would have carried on until all the undead had been dealt with. As it was, however, he soon felt somebody, somebody quite alive and human, clutching at his cloak. "Scan the treeline. The enemy's Master is close. I'm certain of it."

"Mmmmmm..." Clicking his tongue, the Servant looked up, trying to decide if there was any merit in the lad's request. "Sorry, little Master," he replied, his sharp eyes trying, and failing, to pierce through the circle of hellfire that surrounded them, "but that's going to be easier said than done. Unless you could, oh I don't know... find some way of taking down this barrier, then odds are I won't be of much help in finding this other Master that you think is out there."

If his playful tone wasn't a dead giveaway, the shifty smile splayed across Archer's face made his unspoken words quite clear. "Let's see exactly what you and your Servant are capable of."

 

[CJ1145]

The look of sheer indignation on Dirk's face was like telling the child of a Forbes 500 lister that they'd be receiving a clod of dirt for Christmas. His jaw dropped open, an unconscious attempt to keep from biting his own tongue off as he gaped. "Unless I--what--I meant in the circle you damn--"

Clarity struck a hammerblow to the boy, and he shut off with a vitriolic glare as his only remaining communication with the Servant. Of course. What on earth had he been expecting, from any Servant but his own? He was hardly more trustworthy than the zombies. At least the zombies had no pretenses of friendliness. The one called Archer could turn on them at any moment, Orihara reminded himself. He couldn't afford to forget that. As long as he was on the subject, mentally, he stored away the reminder the clue that the old bowman had given. Whoever he was, he'd been to hell, and presumably back. However hell was defined in this man's culture. He'd have to do research when he got back home. Start with Orpheus. He seemed a likely candidate.

This flash of thought occurred in but a second. The rest of his body was honed in on the rage at Archer's challenge. If Dirk wanted his help, the Master would have to provide an escape in return.

So that's what you want, bastard? Fine. I'll do it. Watch me.

With renewed purpose and vigor in his body he turned back towards the flame... and promptly stumbled on his wrenched knee. Only a lucky save from the lady spirit came between his face and the hard ground. "Watch yourself, Master, you are injured."

He shook her off with a thrust of his arm and returned to his feet. "I'm fine. Focus on the zombies, and I might stay that way. Educe Arms."

A long wooden shaft with a polished black knob at the end mapped itself out, and rested in Dirk's hands. Primarily, it was a cane, though if the Servants failed their job the blade concealed within would do quite nicely at self-defense. Dirk carefully hobbled over a few branches and knotted roots, coming within a dozen feet of the horrifically high wall of flame. He felt roasted just standing near it, and he was desperately wishing he hadn't lost his shades. But he had a job now... No. Not a job. A challenge. A bloody insult, even, and he intended to prove to this Servant that he was no Master to be trifled with.

"All right, Phantasm..." he muttered. "What makes you tick?"

He inched a bit closer, and found the heat overwhelming. He backed away and limped to his right, where the flames seemed a tad cooler. Perhaps there wasn't as great a concentration here. That might be key to their escape. His eyes ceased moving entirely, pupils growing wide as he silently absorbed the information of the flames. Magic or not, fire was fire, data to be analyzed and calculated. Everything has its weakness. What weakness did this wall possess? He considered using Round Table Sundering. One of Saber's most powerful Phantasms, it could surely rend a hold in the ground great enough to wrench the flames apart... But closer investigation led to his heart sinking a distance. Dropping to his knees and planting his cheek against the ground, he had a low enough view to confirm his suspicions: the flames' origins were not on the ground, but a sliver of space above it. Demolishing the earth would have no effect.

Well, perhaps we could sunder the flames themselves?... No, that's STUPID! Flames are fleeting, and aren't atomically connected on a reliable level. Not reliable enough to sunder it properly, anyway. At best, we'd get an inch of free space that will be instantly filled back up. That won't work... but SOMETHING has to. Damn, maybe we could just wait the stupid thing out? But with Caster, that could take all night. Plenty of time for even more Servants to stumble onto our fight, further lowering our chances of escape... Not like I'd let Archer make his challenge unheeded, either.

He clambered back up to his feet, a popping in his knee filling his frayed mind with torment and discomfort. Something had to be done, and soon. If the Sundering couldn't part the flames... it could still part the earth. Saber could construct a tunnel, and they could escape using that. The spark in his mind flared with hope, only to fizzle out almost immediately. These zombies were rising from the earth. There were likely more. Going beneath the ground would be playing directly into Caster's hands. He had no intention to be made a meal of today, which forced Dirk to file that thought away. It was certainly a strategy to remember for future use. But not what he needed.

Dirk scrambled, taking a further step right, avoiding a falling, burning branch. The flames spreading from a part of the wall had engulfed a nearby tree, and the grass was shriveling up into black flecks of spent life. He let out a deep breath, thanking whatever spirit was watching out for him that he wasn't clocked over the head by the thing. He gazed back at the fire, watching its consuming flames spread forward and into the circle. The vegetation crisping over as the oxygen and water it thrived on were denied. He stepped again, neglecting to mimic the motion with his cane. A jolt of pain sent him buckling to his knees, and the pain from that impact put him face down on the ground. Face down and nose caressing a small flower. His eyes slowly opened, jittering with pain as his nostrils neglected the smell of smoke, just for a brief moment, for the fresh scent of a flower. Dirk took a deep breath, body shaking as his body rose back to its feet. One, two, three even breaths before he growled, "I wont stay down. There's a secret to this wall. Everything has a weakness."

He glared at the wall, feeling his entire consciousness take a backseat to his eyes. In a madcap flurry of gathering, they darted across every inch of the wall. Analyzing. Comparing, contrasting, and consuming information. There was a secret, and he would find it.

 

[Glasgow]

The two servants decided to tie their fate together in order to flee the ring of fire. Maria stood next to Hansen when they huddled around Caster and watched the fire consume more and more of the park. The ring of fire began to tighten and encroach more on fertile ground, and the lush environment proved fine for the fire. It didn't matter much to the flames as they were mostly moved by Caster and not physics. The two servants will have to face the fire which will burn them to a crisp if they do not find a way out of Caster's trap quickly.

The hot temperature of the air around the two was making them uncomfortable. They could only imagine how the servants and single master felt. Maria was relatively safe underneath her enchanted robes but Hansen was feeling the full force of Caster's phantasm. Maria saw Caster's blue eyes pop out at the sight of ungodly fires surrounding the park. He seemed pleased with the flames and into some sort of a day-dream.

"Caster, we have to improvise. We didn't expect another servant. We have to leave here, but I want you to keep the flames going. I have an idea". Maria spoke eloquently and with that she sealed the fate of the two servants. Caster's dream was burst and he begrudgingly agreed. Something in that park brought memories to his old mind.

The dead holding Sophie burst from beneath the ground and pulled her up besides Caster. He stood over the shaking body of the still-alive girl and stared at Caster for his approval.

"You did well for us, thank you". Caster tilted his head forward in gratitude to the dead body. A semblance of a smile appeared on his face as the spirit inhabiting it rejoiced in the idea of his master thanking him.

"You-", Maria pointed at the dead body, "-I need you to go to the arena and take this". Maria handed the walking dead man a small bag and sent him on his way. She tried to hold Sophie up but couldn't until Hansen helped her carry the girl. Caster made a path through the fire behind him and outside of the ring. He looked at the flames for a few seconds before a cry from his master dragged him away. The four left the scene without much to say. Caster was angry at the remarks of that insolent knight saber, and the surprise arrival of archer ruined their plans. Nonetheless, he trusted his master's ingenuity enough to follow her. She proved herself quite clever when she helped his creatures in the battle and nearly leveled the playing field.

[hr]

At the middle of the ring, a woman dressed in white eerily resembling Sophie walked through the flames without any disturbance. She stopped when the two servants noticed her and spoke up in a loud yet gentle voice.

"Dear Spirits, you have been chosen to compete for the heart of this fair lady. May the winner of this fight to the death win me, and win life ? for you will not be able to leave this inferno until one of you is dead". The pale woman held a handkerchief in her hand and showed it to the two of the spirits before letting it fall to the ground.

"Begin!'.

While the two servants were fighting Caster's summoned spirits they neglected to notice the rise of the fire around them. The magical flames of Caster's phantasm were consuming the ring and growing the more biological material it ate through. Perhaps the next enemy they will face will not be the zombies or demons of caster - or not even each other, but the fire itself that was all around them, slowly closing in on them at an alarming rate.

[hr]

"I can hold her on my own". Hansen took the injured Sophie and held her with both of his hands as he proudly marched forward even though his back bothered him. He won't let his fragile sister carry the injured girl by herself, and he couldn't just leave her there or wake her up. He held her tightly and corrected his walk every time he swayed slightly to either side.

"We can't assume them dead". Caster remarked. He was still disturbed by the poisonous words her opponent threw at his face.

Maria was lagging behind the two. She had to pull a cigarette out from her bag and light it before catching up to the two. She inhaled the smoke and gently pushed it out.

"I haven't seen you smoke in years". Hansen said pass the passed out girl on his hands.

"You haven't seen me in years, period." Maria replied with a scathing remark. Hansen looked away from his sister and concentrated on the road ahead.

"We're taking the girl to your apartment, am I correct?". Hansen asked his two companions.

"You are taking Sophie there. Tell her you are my brother, and that you came here to rescue her. We could bring her to the judge later, but now we don't have much time. We have something else to do beforehand". Maria placed her keys on top of Sophie and bid her brother goodbye.

Why is she leaving me with this young girl? damn it sister, is this a test of yours? I should have taken your role myself.

[hr]

Spoiler: OOC

I am assuming you didn't get to find Maria and her companions and stop her. Feel free to stop me in the chatroom and I will delete this segment if I concede defeat.

Hansen was sitting in his sister borrowed apartment and nervously tapping his fingers at the dining table as he watched the German girl lay down right in the living room. She was knocked out cold on the sofa and before Hansen could stop his sister she was only gone. He only received some information about the girl so she won't panic when she sees him and not recognize Sophie. He put some water in the kettle and hoped to drink some of the local green tea. Perhaps he could make the best of this trip, even if the trip possibly means the death of his sister.

[hr]

"Send in a small one". Maria suggested Caster to summon one of his demons for a quick reconnaissance mission. The little devil popped out of thin air and ran straight into the abandoned motel his sibling visited not too long ago. Maria couldn't risk trapping herself into a trap or two, but the demon was disposable. Caster seemed apathetic and detached throughout their entire walk to the boy master's hideout. Maria leaned in closer to Caster and grabbed his robes, then pulled them down a couple of times to get his attention.

"We set up a trap for the boy and finish him. I assume you can still call in one of them, is that correct?". Maria asked curiously. Caster nodded in agreement but didn't respond.

"Good. I want to see Gabriel ready. There are also a few other things I need?"

 

[Pappytech]

The last of the zombies fell without too much trouble; the combined efforts of Archer, Saber, and Saber's Kin had proven more than a match for the shambling, albeit tenacious, army. Still, the Servants' troubles weren't over just yet, as evidenced by the ever encroaching walls of flames. They may have bested the summoned creatures, sure, but Caster and his (or possibly her, Archer supposed) Master still posed quite the threat.

However, it seemed as though the ever rising temperatures weren't quite enough to upset the bowman's cool. Resting his weapon against his shoulder, Archer leaned against one of the few unharmed trees left within the ring of fire, a faint smile still splayed across his face as he watched Dirk appraise the flames. Heh, apparently the Master meant to find a way out of the trap using only his head, instead of recklessly charging in or resorting to simple brute force. Not bad, not bad...

The Servant's musings were interrupted, however, by the entrance of a beautiful women, clothed in the purest white.

"Dear Spirits, you have been chosen to compete for the heart of this fair lady. May the winner of this fight to the death win me, and win life - for you will not be able to leave this inferno until one of you is dead".

"Begin!"

...It was a solid ten seconds before Archer responded. Unless you counted squeezing his bow until his fingers turned white as a response.

"You know," he began, his voice cool and oddly devoid of its earlier merriment, "this is all starting to get rather bothersome. Sure, it was interesting at first, getting to play around with all of your little friends. But this? Offering yourself up as a prize to whichever one of us is moronic enough to waste their time killing the other? That's nothing short of insulting.

"Oi, Saber." Taking a few steps into the clearing, towards the other Servant and the woman in white, Archer continued to speak. "Do you have any intention of listening to her?"

The knight's reply was strong and sure, his voice tinged by righteous indignation and fury. "I long ago took a vow of purity. Only once have I ever betrayed that vow, and even then, it was under the influence of a powerful spell, and a woman many times this one's beauty. This is not even near that power,little more than a weak shadow. She may appear to be the Master Sophie, but her mind has been poisoned if it is truly her."

Saber turned on his heel, towards where he believed the center of the fire ring to be.

"Caster! You and your Master have played your tricks long enough! You have lost what little power you had to begin with, and I give you one last chance! Leave now, so that I might fight you another night, or die again until the next Holy War!"

"Still offering them mercy?" Archer couldn't quite hide his surprise at the knight's choice. "Hmmph. Each to his own, I suppose.

"But anyway," he continued, striding towards the woman in white, a flash of steel appearing in his left hand. "You've got his answer now." Before the woman even had a chance to react, the bowman thrust a short sword into her chest, twisting the blade to further worsen the wound. "And now you've got mine. I'd advise running as well, by the way. My bow has a very, very long range."

Leaving the blade buried in the girl's chest, Archer turned back to face his new allies. "Hey, little Master," he shouted, making his way over towards the prone lad, "any luck yet? I'd like to get out of here before being burned alive."

 

[CJ1145]

Leaving the blade buried in the girl's chest, Archer turned back to face his new allies. "Hey, little Master," he shouted, making his way over towards the prone lad, "any luck yet? I'd like to get out of here before being burned alive."

"Don't waste your energy on that girl," came a call through the burning woods. "She's just another illusion. The real Sophie--and her ally, the master of Caster--left some time ago."

Dirk squinted as the bright orange flames threatened to blind him. "If I can help it, they'll come to regret that."

As the fire roared, the Orihara found himself scrambling for cover. The desperate attempts from Caster to spawn conflict only spurred him on, not to mention the motivation to escape the growing heat directly in front. His skin felt ready to drip right off his bones. And yet he did not blink. His dry eyes felt ready to crisp over. They could be served with tartar sauce at this point. He'd watched the fire. Everything seemed uniform. No faltering flames, no uneven distribution. Not even a damned color swap so he knew the hotspots from the cooler zones. His knee ached terribly in the shifting temperatures, ready to pop like a kernel of corn. Sweat poured down his brow, but it was dwindling fast. He suspected he was simply running out of fluids at this point.

"Keep... looking," came the pained whisper from his dry throat. His body heard the order, but refused to comply. A shaking in his legs preceded the total failure of his muscles, and he collapsed to the ground, begging for respite. His hands reached out, propping himself above the lush green grass. He took in a ragged breath, and prepared to push himself to his feet once more.

Wait.

Lush grass. His eyes widened and took in the eureka moment in all its glory. His eyes followed the trail from his position back to the roaring wall of fire. A line of clover and green blades went right up to the point where the flames spouted half an inch from the earth. There they sat, unburnt and pristine. On either side where their brethren were wreathed in fire, these were untouched. Dirk almost shoved himself onto his feet as his racing mind creaked back into motion, piecing together the evidence.

Of course. It makes so much sense when I see it... If the Master is an illusionist... then so is the Servant. They do say that Servants are chosen by compatibility, when there is no artifact to catalyze the summoning, don't they? This wall is broken up into segments. Some burn, but others...

He tugged at his scarf, ripping it from his neck and wrapping it around his hand. He leaned back before putting his weight into the swing. The woolen article snapped out from his reach, directly into the flames... and came back unscathed.

Others are as fake as the demons she sent against us. Same concept, more or less. Can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner.

"Archer! Saber!" he called out in a croaking, wretched voice. As the Servants came to his flank, they found a boy whose nerves were steeled even in the blistering heat. He pointed directly at the wall, at a very specific point.

"I've found a gate. We leap through that section of flame, approximately five feet wide. That's the exit."

He found his Servant looking at him uncertainly.

"I'm certain of it," asserted Dirk, his voice rising just a bit in indignation.

Saber nodded, not one to go against the word of the only man who could get them out of this oppressive place. On his command the Servant's daughter scooped Dirk up in a bridal carry, letting him dangle there as they approached the flame. Archer went first. "Up and over, then!"

He took off at a running pace, hopping up into the air and tucking into a somersault. The others bit their lips, save Dirk, as they watched him approach the flames... and pass through unsinged.

"Saber, you're next."

The wounded Servant obeyed and launched himself through the fire, followed immediately by the lady spirit and Dirk. The Master, for a single second, genuinely thought he was going to die. Getting through that place directly between the roaring flames seemed like passing through the gates of hell, into a terrible pit of fire. But in a moment that passed, and came through to the other side refreshed and born anew. The spirit ran after Saber and Archer, who put quite some distance between themselves and the spreading flames, regrouping at the edge of the park.

As Dirk was let down to his feet, he gave a victorious smirk at the man who had challenged him to grasp victory and escape the wretched place. Orihara had delivered. Archer gave him a cocky glare for only a moment before withering into an amused grin. "...Impressive, little Master. You did not disappoint." The man straightened his back out from the hunch he'd been in, feeling the bones pop as he got a chance to really relax. Dirk, however, leaned heavily on his cane and continued to stare right into the soul of this Servant.

"Don't get comfortable yet," Orihara warned. "The enemy Master escaped, with her Servant untouched. Not to mention stealing my prisoner." He gave an accusing glare at Saber after ending that particular complaint. "So we're right about back at square one. Unless you want to go through this ordeal every night, those two must be eliminated immediately. Well, Archer? Care to wring a little more out of this truce and put another notch on your bow? You do owe me, I'd think, for guiding you out of that mess."

 

[Glasgow]

The kettle finished boiling the water in it when Hansen first heard Sophie wake up. He took out two cups from the cupboard, placed them on the counter and started looking for any container for dried coffee. In the meanwhile Sophie was trying to get over the shock that she experienced a short time ago. Hansen looked down at her all the way from the kitchen and smirked.

"Do you want coffee?". Hansen asked the girl in German. He found some foreign brand in a metal box and opened it. The smell indicated it was of poor quality but still good enough for this situation. He filled up his own cup with black coffee.

"What happened, wait ? where am I!?". Sophie jumped up from the sofa in a single movement. The girl was hit with a throbbing headache which only intensified when she threw herself up to her feet and staggered away from the sofa.

"I helped Maria and rescued you from the battle. That boy master wanted to kill you? not a gentleman, not at all". Hansen put down his cup of coffee and walked quickly to Sophie. He held out his hand and offered it to her.

"Maria was in the park? I can't remember what happened". Sophie tripped and nearly fell when Hansen grabbed her and helped her back on the couch. She held her head and tried to work through the pain of her injuries.

"I'm her brother, Hansen. I'm sorry for your loss". He walked away from Sophie and returned to the kitchen and then repeated himself from earlier, "Do you want coffee?", he asked. The girl didn't respond. Hansen was appalled at the poor excuse of black coffee when he drank a few sips and then returned the foul thing on the counter.

"My loss? No, I can't feel him, I can't feel berserker-". Sophie looked down on her hand and saw its three signals were slowly fading.

"He was killed by Archer, a nasty surprise attack. Listen, girl, I'll drive you to the church tomorrow. Now it's too dangerous to go outside, and I told Maria I'll keep you safe for now". Hansen walked back to the living room and sat next to Sophie. His left hand stroked her right shoulder and he hoped he could calm the girl down. She managed to pull out of the fight and keep her life, a feat not many accomplished in the past. "Coffee?". He whispered.

The girl nodded in agreement. "?with milk and sugar, three? and, err, thank you".

[hr]

Maria and Caster had reached the place Caster's demon last found the boy master. Maria had hoped to set up an ambush there and wait for the boy so she could seal the deal, assuming he would have successfully escaped Caster's fiery prison. She forced open the front door and walked inside. Suddenly a candle ignited in the darkness.

"They have escaped. I am disabling the phantasm". Caster muttered when he walked behind Maria.

"How did they get away?". Maria asked her servant while she looked at her surroundings.

"-jumped through the flames". He answered even before Maria finished her sentence. She watched the flames for a few seconds before putting on her glasses and noticing the prana coming from it. She looked around and saw another source up above, and curiously three other sources below her.

"Is there something wrong?".

"No. It was just old memories that bothered me".

She weighed her options before turning to Caster with an idea.

"We can't fight them again tonight; it's too risky against two servants. How are you feeling about setting the place on fire?". She asked Caster mischievously.

A wide smile slowly spread across Caster's face.

"With pleasure".

[hr]

The Master and Servant were walking away from the motel after Caster set it on fire. Caster knew that since the two Servants were already out they will probably follow them. The burning motel could be something to slow them down or stop them completely while the two make their escape.

 

[CJ1145]

In the quiet apartment, the smell of fresh coffee teased the senses of those present. A beautiful aroma that covered the scent of dried blood. Hansen sat next to the dazed lady Master, offering her a cup of coffee.

The girl nodded in agreement. "...with milk and sugar, three... and, err, thank you."

And then the peaceful air was shattered. A chilling voice, disturbingly calm, came from behind them. "You know, that sounds lovely. Mind making me a cup?" The pair turned in their seats to see the man they least wanted to be standing under the arch to the hallway. Dirk Orihara sans coat rested his right shoulder against the wall, hands tightly gripping the stocks of both taser pistols, one aimed at the head of each of his foes. His face was coated in soot, grime, and his hands and side were caked in blood. Yet his eyes were as serene as a summer breeze, and the barest amusement touched his lips. They had been outmaneuvered.

"Saber."

On command, the Heroic Spirit coalesced from his hidden state, reappearing directly in front of the both of them. Grasping his sword, he held it up in a position to swipe, and end both of them with one stroke. Regret and shame plastered his face. "I warn you both, I do not wish to end your lives. Do not force me."

"So... this is her safehouse?" Dirk asked, looking around the apartment. "Not bad, for what a foreigner could scrape together. Not up to my standards, but I suppose it's got merit. At least your friend will take a good blow when I wipe it off the map..."

[hr]

Some time earlier...

Outside of the park, roaring flames belched smoke into the air as Dirk examined the area. With a wave, Saber dismissed his daughter, to return to the fray at a different time. Archer watched the two curiously, to see what they might do. Dirk held one arm folded onto his other, which pressed down on the cane to keep him balanced. His brow furrowed, he pondered the withdrawing sensation on his hand. His Command Seals.

"So?" asked his Servant. "Any clue what they're up to?"

"They're on the move." Dirk smacked his lips together, trying to get a little moisture within them. "Both of them. But in opposite directions. One I believe must be headed south. And the other..."

He spun on his heel as he understood the motives of Caster and his magus. Off in the distance, a second blooming cloud was rising from the horizon. Smaller than the one adjacent to the trio, but arguably far more damning. "...Shit. The Magus and her Servant are the motel. They're burning it down."

Saber wasted no time in placing his hand upon the pommel of his sword, drawing up beside his little lord and preparing for combat. "Shall we pursue them then? I believe they need a lesson on the sanctity of one's home."

Saber was surprised to be cut off, Dirk throwing up a hand to bar his passage, no hesitation. He shook his head at the knight. "No, Saber. The fight with Caster is already over, tonight. Even if we got there, we wouldn't be in time to save anything of worth. We're going after a different target."

Saber--and Archer as well--looked oddly at the young boy. "You mean?.."

"Yeah," he confirmed, turning back the way he'd been looking before. "I felt at least one Master moving in the direction of the hotel. That means that woman and Caster are there right now, wreaking havoc. What that also means is that whoever's taking Sophie isn't even a Servant. Just a single magus. Taking on that other pair would be a risk... but we can get useful info out of whoever this is."

Saber immediately felt disgust at what Dirk was suggesting. It was a low blow to go after such comparatively defenseless foes. But with the one called Archer present, he held his tongue. No need to show the discord amongst the pair.

The dilemma was solved quickly, with Archer nodding as if coming to a conclusion, and stretching his arms as he took a few steps away. "I see, so that's your plan, little Master? Well, as fun as this has been... I don't think I have the patience to stick around for that. Have fun with your little hunt, but I'm going to be on my way for now."

Dirk cast a betrayed--though not surprised--glare at the gray-haired fellow. "I got you out of that fire. And I don't do charity."

The boisterous man threw out a glorious guffaw, hands on his hips and chest thrust out as his thunderous voice boomed in laughter. "So you don't, little Master, so you don't! In that case, should fate perchance place us as pursuers of a common goal again, consider it a favor owed. But honestly, if I do owe you anything, would you wish to waste it on pursuing a target as below you as this? Save your blessings for when you truly need them."

And in a flash, the Spirit was gone, quickly moving towards wherever he desired to be next. Dirk, frustrated though he was, could see the wisdom in the kook's words. Slowing down his breathing he nodded in the direction, south, that he believed Sophie had gone. "This will be easy enough with or without him. Get to high ground, Saber, and seek them out. From there, we'll pursue them to whatever hideout they're heading for."

I already know they're not heading for the church. They're moving in the wrong direction. So if I'm lucky, they really will just take me to Caster's safehouse.

With the strength and agility of Saber, climbing a nearby building took only seconds. The knight clambered onto the roof and set himself one foot on the raised edge, peering out over the southern half of Miyama. A Servant's senses were sharper than any man's, by great magnitudes, and could perceive details from great distances. And sure enough, hustling down a street, past the bridge, he could see a strange man. And along with him, Sophie. Mission accomplished. He hopped back to the street below, where his Master waited, and pointed in the direction he'd spied them.

"They're over there, Lord Dirk. Past the ruins of the bridge and moving... fairly, considering the state they are in."

"Excellent." Motioning with his hand, Saber knelt to allow to boy to climb upon his shoulders. Saber hoisted him up, and began at a fast trot in their direction. Dirk nodded in approval. "Keep out of sight, but stay on their tail. Once we see where they stop, I'll give you the details on the next step."

Saber acknowledged his order and kicked up the speed a little, jogging after the retreating magus and his precious cargo.

[hr]

On a rooftop, across from the second story window of an apartment block

Dirk crouched, for the most part out of sight as he quietly waited for his Servant's return. On cue, Saber re-appeared to him, also keeping low to avoid being spotted.

"Well?" the boy asked.

"Neither senses my presence when in Spirit Form, Lord Dirk. Topfer is just beginning to wake. The back of the sofa she is on faces the hall to a bedroom, with a window on this side of the building. That is your likeliest point of entry."

"All right then. We have to hurry, Sophie might be out of it now but she'll notice my presence before too long. Can you make the jump with me on your back?"

Saber just smiled. "You underestimate me, Master." He held up a finger and put it close to the boy's face. "But promise me one thing: Lady Topfer is a non-combatant now. We are simply removing her from a position where she could be used against us. Promise that you shall not harm her."

Dirk's face soured, and he rolled his eyes. "If she doesn't resist, then fine. Let's just get going."

Setting Dirk on his back again, and making sure to time his leap to when neither of the pair in the apartment looked his way, Saber crossed the gap between the two buildings effortlessly. He came down above the window, arms and legs sprawled awkwardly to keep traction as he slid down. When the opportunity arose Dirk moved off of Saber's back and set himself on the windowsill. Saber disappeared once more, moving back into position. Crouched down, body aching, Dirk considered what he could use. The window did not seem to possess any magecraft sealing it. That just left the lock. He almost laughed.

"Gradation Air," he whispered, a crowbar appearing in his hands. With what little leverage he could find, he pulled up on the window, forcing it up an inch. A second pull gave three more, a third five. With a final pull he opened the window as far as it would go, leaving him unhindered in approaching.

Dirk slunk into the room, removing his boots to walk more softly. The door was closed, presumably leading to the hallway Saber had told him of. He approached it, putting his ear to the wood and listening to what was happening outside.

"Maria was in the park... I can't remember what happened." Sophie tripped and nearly fell when Hansen grabbed her and helped her back on the couch. She held her head and tried to work through the pain of her injuries.

In that moment, Dirk hoped that neither was looking his way. He took the scuffle of what was definitely Sophie falling over to twist the knob gently, pulling the door open. To his relief, it was not a loud knock, and the door glided smoothly over the carpeting at his feet. It swung inwards to the bedroom, and when given enough space to comfortably move, he whispered once more. "Gradation Air."

Hiding the shimmer of air and light underneath his heavy coat, he now held in his hand a mirror. Carefully, he put it just so slightly around the corner of the door as to see what was happening.

"My loss... No, I can't feel him, I can't feel Berserker--" Sophie looked down on her hand and saw its three signals were slowly fading.

"He was killed by Archer, a nasty surprise attack. Listen, girl, I'll drive you to the church tomorrow. Now it's too dangerous to go outside, and I told Maria I'll keep you safe for now." Hansen walked back to the living room and sat next to Sophie. His left hand stroked her right shoulder and he hoped he could calm the girl down.

Dirk nodded to himself, dismissing the mirror and retrieving both of his tasers from their spots in his coat. He slipped the knuckles onto his hands as well, but then removed the rest of the coat. It was too bulky to move so stealthily in. Wielding his weapons, he quietly snuck into the hall, moving with even and soft steps on the carpeting as he drew up the hallway and closer to his prey. Only four feet away now, at best, he leaned more comfortably against the wall and held out his weapons, waiting for the cue to begin the fun.

"Coffee?" He whispered.

Showtime.

[hr]

Hansen and Sophie were surrounded. On the one side stood Saber, ready to strike. And behind them Dirk Orihara, coldly holding a thousand volts of pain in his palms. He moved from the wall, moving a little closer. The tasers were no more than a foot from the heads of them both now. He began speaking in his inappropriately smooth tone.

"Let me lay out the situation for you. It doesn't take much lateral thinking to figure out you," he emphasized as he pressed a taser to the back of Hansen's neck. "were the interloper who thought he'd try and get in my mind. I'll be frank: try any of that again, and I'll know what you're doing. I'll pull this trigger, and you'll be on the floor, foaming at the mouth, wishing you were dead. And then I'll grant your wish. Even if you fool me, you won't fool my Servant. Snicker-snack, off with your head."

"And you," he continued, pressing down on Sophie now. "I remember your tricks at the park. Good ones, too. You can alter the earth beneath someone's feet to screw with their balance and momentum. Powerful stuff. Not so much good on plush carpeting over wood, though, is it? So I'll give you the same deal. Stay still, and do exactly as I tell you, and you don't get the wrath of Zeus on an express ticket down your spine."

The room floated in terrible, mind-fraying silence for a brief moment. Dirk let it linger as long as he could, savoring it.

"Any questions before we begin?"