Chapter Text
"Do you possess any skills or special talents other than failing in battle and looking miserable?"
During his life Shirou Emiya went through many weird and difficult situations, yet the world still had for him something new in store. A lunch in the ruins of a snow-covered castle? Sure, why not. Just add an immortal queen of the Land of Shadows and a vanishing Counter Guardian as your company to get your recipe for a perfect picnic.
"How did you guess that I'm a Counter Guardian?" - the samurai-woman asked, when she finished the meal. "It's not a common knowledge among mortals. Usually we don't leave behind any witnesses of our... activity."
"I have some special circumstances," Emiya answered, then sighed, pinned by her piercing, demanding gaze. "I've met someone like you during the last Grail War. You look quite similar, that's all."
The swordswoman muttered under her breath, accepting this explanation, but something in her eyes told Shirou that she had some suspicions. She didn't ask, though, just glanced at Scáthach, probably expecting another surprise attack.
But the Queen of Shadows ignored her completely and just kept slowly munching her sandwich, as if i was the most important thing in the world. Emiya knew that his Teacher was teasing her former opponent and was listening carefully to their conversation, just felt no need to add anything yet.
"You see... We, too, have some unfinished business with the Einzberns." Shirou looked around, at the complete destruction of once magnificent fortress, and sighed. "We came too late, it seems. Maybe you can tell us, what happened here?"
The swordswoman was thinking for a moment, visiby conflicted.
"Since I failed and I'm vanishing anyway, I think I can tell you. To warn you, at least." She took a deep breath, like someone not used to admitting defeat. "I was sent after an entity materialized as a Servant. We fought in the castle in Fuyuki first, but it managed to escape. So I followed it here and we fought again... with the same result."
There was something bitter in her voice, a clear displeasure, maybe even frustration, that the Counter Force decided that her part in the story was finished. Shirou understood this kind of feeling, when the world itself reminds you, how useless you are, and you still refuse to accept it...
"I see. So it was you, who left the Fuyuki castle in ruin." His eyes widened, when he realized something. "Was there a girl among homunculi? A mortal prisoner, maybe kept in a dungeon? A woman with purple hair?"
The warrioress narrowed her eyes, trying to recall the details of her last fights.
"I haven't seen anyone like that, sorry. I killed many white-haired homunculi, although only those who attacked me first. Some of them ran to the woods, but no one with purple hair among them."
Shirou thanked her with a small nod, not sure, if he felt relief or disappointment. So Sakura wasn't held in any of the Einzbern's headquarters - did it mean that someone else had abducted her?
A meaningful 'Hmpf!' brought him back to reality. Scáthach had finally finished the sandwiches and gave her student a scorning look, which said: 'I told you so!' louder than a battle cry of an angry Celtic warrior.
Shirou sighed, knowing that his Teacher had every right to scold him this time for acting without thinking through all the possibilities. However, somehow by accident, they'd learnt about some important facts. So a Servant had been summoned, dangerous enough to alarm the Counter Force... Did it mean that this mysterious entity planned something more spectacular than Gilgamesh's efforts to 'save' humanity during the last War?
Anyway, they were back at point zero and the situation looked even worse than at the beginning. But Shirou Emiya wasn't a person to give up so easily. How could he look Rin or Shinji in the eyes, if he turned back now?
No, his path, as always, could lead only forward.
Travelling through the night sky in the arms of a Servant made Rin feel strangely nostalgic. Places and people were different, but the feeling of cold breeze playing with her hair, of freshness and excitement before the upcoming fights, remained the same after all those years.
Saber seemed a bit faster than Archer, but he carried his precious Master with the same care. Tohsaka sighed, annoyed at her own, silly thoughts. Comparing both Servants, although subconscious and with no ill intentions, had no sense and was rather unfair. The swordsman, who had answered her call, had no chance yet to prove himself in battle. According to the legend, the weapons he carried were gifted to him by the gods and had some insane traits. He for sure possessed outstanding qualities as well, Rin just needed to know him better.
"What's your wish, Saber?" - she asked, thinking that it was a start as good as any other.
"To serve you faithfully, as a knight should, my Lady," he answered, so quickly and solemnly, there was no reason to doubt his true intentions.
"That's it?" So he was of the chivalrous type then? Tohsaka could not be sure, if it was a bad or good thing, considering their situation. The Grail War could get really ugly at any moment. Still, their previous Saber, as shining and uncompromising as she was, stayed by their side to the very end.
"That's more than enough. Some parts of my legend can leave the impression of me being... not really trustworthy as a knight. I'm determined to prove it's not like that, Master."
"I see. Good that you don't need the Grail to achieve it then."
"Master?" Diarmuid raised an eyebrow, waiting for explanation.
"I'm going to finish what I started, Saber. I will destroy the Grail and end this stupid war once and for all."
Something in her voice, a fiery passion and determination, made Diarmuid smile to himself. Despite all the knowledge about modern times the Grail had fed the Servants after their materialization, it seemed that pride and honor were not only empty words in this hopeless future. Surely, this time he had a Master worth giving up his 'life' for...
He wanted to inform Tohsaka of that fact, but something in the distance made him feel uneasy. He jumped to the roof of the nearest building and looked around, searching for any signs of danger.
"Master, I can sense two powerful auras ahead, one clearly belongs to a Servant. The other... feels a bit off. Otherworldly, like a demon of sorts."
Rin also could feel it and frowned, confused. Even more, when she and Saber simultaneously looked in the same direction, alarmed by a far weirder discovery.
The same kind of energy, both in amount and quality, could be easily detected in the opposite part of the city. Was it a joke? A spell or some kind of trick to confuse the enemies? Or just two similar demons - with Servants! - arrived to London tonight?
Whatever it was, it seemed that the fight Assassin had observed in this area was already over, and they should immediately check on the survivors.
"Saber!"
"Yes, Master."
They needed no more words. Diarmuid accelerated to ridiculous speed, heading towards the closer source of the strange aura. Rin, pressed tightly to his chest and covered from the wind or any kind of possible danger, instincively checked and counted the spare jewels in her pocket. She hoped to meet new allies, not enemies, tonight, but the events from the last war had taught her to be ready for literally anything.
Here we go again. It can't be worse than the King of Heroes, right?
"It took them a moment to understand how modern technology works." Ji sounded somehow proud of herself, when she was explaining the details of the test landing operation from few days ago to the other members of the Ice Faction. "And we used that time to record everything we could."
"It's not much." Reines sighed. She watched the material many times already and still was impressed by total destruction recorded on it. And this was just the first obstacle they needed to overcome on their way to establish a base on the island. "But gives us an overview of the situation."
All persons gathered in the room, Masters and Sevants alike, came closer to the screen. They saw an empty landscape covered by snow, just a flat, white field as far as the eye of the camera could reach, and then outline of the castle walls on the horizon. With no cover of any kind, landing there seemed like asking for being shot down, but it was the only place on the island, where the mages of the Clock Tower managed to break through the protective barrier.
The hidden camera must have been attached to some kind of a flying familiar, because the view they got now was one from the above. Few dozens of big stone golems materialized on the shore, entered a battle formation and pushed forward through the thick layer of frozen snow.
The image flickered suddenly with strange disturbances, and the familiar swayed in the air, as if shaken by the shockwave. A series of flashes, similar to thunderbolts, lit up the screen for a short while. There was a lot of white dust everywhere, and when it fell down, a distant memory and a few large holes in the ground was all that remained after the golems. Then the familiar itself exploded, not really aware of what had destroyed it.
The members of the Ice Faction were devouring the gathered informations in silence for a long, unpleasantly tense moment. A little army of constructs, each one of them worth about thirty years of work and unimaginable amount of resources, just puffed into nothingness. Five seconds. Even without using his Noble Phantasm, Archer of Storm needed only five seconds to destroy them all.
"To pierce through this kind of magically strengthened armor so easily..." Luviagelita narrowed her eyes, thinking. "This Servant must be of some monster kind."
"Or divine." Lord El-Melloi agreed. "Have you noticed, how precise were those attacks? Not only every single arrow hit its target, but also used the exact amount of energy needed to destroy it."
Hearing such helpful and accurate observation, Iskandar patted his pupil on the back, almost knocking him down in the process. Years might have passed, but some things - like the difference in their size and strength - remained the same.
"Good, good!" Rider grinned, seeing Waver's half-surprised, half-angy expression. "You've learned your lesson about warfare and tactics! Keep it up and one day I will make you a commander!"
Bram impatiently rolled his eyes.
"I hope you both will put that knowledge into good use then," he said, a bit too bitterly, as if he didn't believe in victory. "If their Archer is this terrifying, what about Saber or Berserker?"
"Terrifying?" Beowulf crossed his mighty arms. "Maybe for you, mage. I'm sure I can take this bowman head on and give him a fair, solid beating."
"But you must reach him first, Berserker." The most reluctant of all Masters of Ice looked questioningly at his Servant, who should have the most to say about range fighting. "What do you think? Can you take their Archer down from afar?"
Tristan was silent for a while, either carefully forming an answer or just taking another nap - it was hard to say, with his face hidden behind a veil of red hair and constantly half-closed eyes. Did he even watch the records they'd all been discussing for so long?
"I don't think so," he admitted eventually in a monotone, yet sad voice. "Skills aside, this Servant uses a truly magnificent weapon. I can think only of a few others to match its range or power."
"I see." Reines winced. "So just blowing them up won't work." Too bad, she thought, it would solve many of their problems.
"But, if my assumptions are correct, I think I can... neutralize these arrows, at least for some time."
"What's your plan, Archer?" Luvia curiously tilted her head. She was not one to give up easily.
"Judging from the records, Archer of Storm uses energetic missiles. No physical arrows, no fire or other elements, just pure magical energy. It may look like lighting, but the golems were not burnt or anything like that, just exploded. And if I'm right..." Tristan made a short pause for dramatic effect and touched the string of his harp-like bow, filling the room with gentle music.
"Soundwaves?" Waver raised an eyebrow. "They won't block such amounts of energy, I'm afraid."
"I have no intention of blocking them, Master of Rider." Archer gave him a tiny smile in response. "Cutting through them or forcing to miss the target would be enough."
He pulled the bowstring in a short demonstration, sending one wave after another in various directions. The air around him was visibly disturbed - with correct amount of magical energy it could mess with the trajectory of already shot arrows.
"I see." Reines seemed far from being enthusiastic about this idea, but... "It may work, with a proper back up," she admitted after a moment of intensive thinking. "For a while, maybe."
"That while should be enough for other Servants, especially mounted ones, like Rider here, to close the distance and engage Archer on our terms," said Bram, proud that the first serious battle plan came from his Servant.
"Good, at least it sounds possible." Reines crossed her arms, still a bit disappointed that simply blasting away the other faction's hideout wasn't an available option. No matter how she looked at it, as a leader of their team, she found the current vision of their landing on the island too dangerous to be acceptable. "Why Caster hasn't been summoned yet? We cannot wait for them for eternity."
"No idea who our missing Master could be?" - Ji asked through the communicator, sounding a bit gloomy. Without a talented spellcaster the major weight of the invasion would fall on Assassin and the mage did not like the idea of recklessly exposing her cute Servant to no one knows how much firepower for the first few minutes of the operation.
All Masters of Ice only helplessly shook their heads... except Luvia, who looked through the open door at Rin's purse, that had been vibrating for some time, abandoned on the couch in the next room.
"I think I may have an idea," she said with a mischievous smile, reaching for her cell phone.
Anyone sensitive to spiritual affairs and strange auras could feel that something weird was happening in London tonight. Even local rats and cats retreated in a hurry from one of the old, stinky back streets near the river, yet strange, animalistic noises were coming from there anyway.
Spectacular clashes of Servants and magical duels of their Masters were only a part of the Holy Grail War. Other battles, although much smaller in general scale, but not any less violent, took place literally on the ground level of the sleeping city. With critical information about the enemy at stake, familiars fought to the death in the darkest corner of the nearest sewer.
One of those little skirmishes had just evolved into a chaotic battle of many fractions. A small army of half-dead mouses, with weird spells attached to their heads, clashed with a similar force of rats made entirely of paper. Magical explosions colored the battlefield here and there, sending the tiny warriors flying in all directions, in bursts of halfly clotted blood and scraps of paper.
Not so far away, an origami fox tore apart several paper dolls, before ending up smashed by mandibles of a suspiciously big scarab. But the warrior beetle found itself cornered by cute, pink crabs, made of perfumed stationery. Having no other choice, it retreated hastily, climbing to the nearest windowsill, from where it was captured by a partially decayed, undead owl and taken away into the night sky.
A stray dog sniffed around the corner for a while, lured there by the smell of burnt meat, but quickly regretted coming too close to the source of it. It ran away, with a tucked tail and magical lightning raging on its charred fur.
Behind its back the familiars kept fighting their little wars, until only one was left standing.
"Hey, Berserker! Care for a little spar?"
Saber looked at the other swordsman from the castle walls and gestured towards the open, snowy field below. Berserker tilted his head, thinking for a while, then simply nodded. Other Servants of Storm gathered to observe their duel, having nothing better to do anyway.
Both dragon warriors jumped down from the walls, raising a cloud of snow off the ground. When the white curtain fell down, they saluted each other and charged forward.
To show his respect towards the opponent, Sigurd performed in full armor, so the spectators couldn't see his expression during the fight, just a wild, cold light in his blue eyes. Surprisingly, even now Berserker looked much calmer than the King of Warriors, only a strong glow of the dragon pattern on his chest and whirls of magical energy around him told everyone, how seriously he treated the other swordsman.
It started slow, like if the Servants were only measuring their capabilities or range of the blades, teasing each other with the tips of their longswords. The sound of cracking ice was the first signal, that they started using more of their strength - fragments of frozen ground were sent flying and soon the two dragons sparred on the bare ground.
Although both warriors shared the same legend to some extent, their styles differed significantly. The brute force, crazy amounts of power put into every single blow, and some kind of peculiar persistence in their fighting, characterized both Servants. Saber, however, seemed more willing to attack recklessly, to charge boldly forward and crush everything on his path, while the other combatant focused rather on peerless technique of his legendary swordsmanship. To most observers it looked like Sigurd, not his opponent, was truly a Berserker.
So similar, yet different in almost every aspect, their mastery over blades seemed indisputable, and the spar was a feast to the eye of a warrior of any era. Rider realized she was holding her breath in awe, when she understood the true meaning of Berserker's seemingly calm tactic. He was slowly pushing forward, like a suicidal maniac, blindly exposing himself to most of the blows of the demonic blade. If not the invulnerability of his dragon skin, Siegfried should have been already cut to pieces, because Sigurd, well aware of the abilities of his opponent, did not really pull his punches too much.
"Is he truly...?" Martha asked quietly, covering her mouth in shock. Archer, who was standing next to her, nodded mechanically, also captivated by this brutal spectacle.
Saber growled in anger under his helmet, seeing that another series of impossible feints had been read and blocked almost effortlessly. Pretending, that he was about to perform a horizontal slash, the King of Warriors threw his sword at Berserker instead and targeted his right hand with a powerful kick. It was enough to make Balmung slip out of its owner's grip...
"Got you!"
Berserker should at least try to avoid the blow, but he barely moved his head, letting Gram slide by and leave a deep, red line on his cheek. Then, with the same, flat expression as always, he grabbed his own sword by its cutting edge and punched Saber in the nose with the hilt, so hard the other swordsman was pushed few steps back.
"Ha!" Sigurd took off his helmet and wiped a tiny line of blood coming from the nose. The punch was this strong, it seemed. "That sturdiness is something I am somewhat envious of. However, by no means do I intend to be outdone in a battle!"
Siegfried smiled faintly at this declaration, wiping the blood off his face. He picked up the other Servant's sword from the ground and threw it back to him with a respectful nod. Saber smiled like a wild beast, ready for another round.
But before they managed to clash again, several arrows hit the ground between them, forcing both swordsmen to jump back.
"Don't get too excited, you two," Archer said, glancing meaningfully at the small window on the highest floor of the castle. When Sigurd followed the bowman's gaze, he saw Assassin, observing them from above with an utterly displeased, scolding look.
Berserker was first to lower his weapon, as if even a small comment coming from Arjuna was an absolute command for him. He bowed before Saber, thanking him for the satisfying duel. For the first time since the summoning, his eyes were full of something close to joy.
"That was awesome!" - Martha cheered, genuinely impressed by the show, and clapped her hands in childish applause. Obviously, she did it to lower the tension between the gathered Servants and the rest was grateful for that.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive." Archer also dispersed his weapon and bowed deeply, showing respect to both warriors. "If there's anything good in being summoned to a Holy Grail War, it's a chance to watch the legendary heroes from all around the world, showing off their skills."
The corners of Sigurd's lips curled up in an undefined smile.
"Showing off it was, indeed," he said, somehow mockingly. It was a good excuse, after all, why not play along then? "Thank you, Berserker. It was very... enlightening."
The other warrior replied with a small nod; there was something in his gaze, that made all Servants, not only Saber, wonder, if Berserker couldn't speak due to the Mad Enhancement or just chose not to.
"What's wrong?" - Goredolf asked through their mental connection, when Saber was already back in the castle, wandering the gloomy corridors in his spirit form."You seem really... angry," he added hesitantly; it was unusual for his Servant to show such deep emotions. Did that bowman, who always spoke in riddles and interrupted their duel, annoy him this much? Most unlikely, Sigurd did not care about such trivial things. It must have been something serious then.
"Master, it's worse than we expected."
Even a short exchange of blows was enough for an experienced swordsman to say that the other dragon knight wasn't supposed to be a Berserker at all. It must have been a forced change of class, that messed up with his mind as a side effect. Sigurd suspected that any less composed or kind-hearted Servant would have already become dangerous or mad beyond saving after such treatment.
Who were these mages to humiliate Heroic Spirits like that? What vile goals they wanted to achieve through such questionable methods? Did they manipulate or hurt other Masters as well? Saber already suspected that no one in the Storm Faction, maybe except still seemingly oblivious Rider, shouldn't be trusted, but now he knew for sure that his Master was in danger.
"What should we do then?"
Sigurd was thinking about it for a while.
"Just stay alert, Master." He tried to warn the boy in a way that would not cause unnecessary panic. "We will figure this out eventually, if we act carefully. Let's focus on gathering clues and not causing troubles. It would be also wise to not ask too many questions."
"Ah, this is the best we can do now. Thank you, Saber."
To the Servant's's surprise, the young mage did not start panicking. He either he had taken the advice from their previous conversation to heart or trusted Sigurd, his chosen hero, with his life. Although flattering, it was also a bit problematic for the King of Warriors. But he decided to stand up to these expectations no matter what.
"Do you possess any skills or special talents other than failing in battle and looking miserable?"
Vergil did not even waste a glance at his Servant, just kept strolling through the rain, in a suspiciously good mood. If he had an umbrella and a proper hat, he probaly would have been cheerfully performing 'Singing in the Rain' right now. So he was a type to truly enjoy a good duel? Or maybe there was another reason of such behavior?
Bradamante did not know it... yet. Feeling that she won't gain anything by putting up a fight with her Master, she once again swallowed her pride and answered simply:
"I'm good at finding things."
"That should be useful. After all, we need to find the Grail and our enemies in their lairs. Among other things, that's it."
Not sure if it was a real praise or advanced sarcasm, Lancer just nodded and followed him obediently, trying to at least not cause additional troubles.
Shady back alleys and smoke-filled pubs were not the kind of environment she felt familiar with. Her Master, with his strength and inner dignity, did not look like fitting in either, yet somehow was doing great here. What kind of life he must have lived to end up surrounded by so many shadows? Maybe a demon part within him naturally attracted this darkness?
"Are you sure this is the right place to start searching, Master?" - Bradamante asked quietly, when they entered a particularly gloomy underground bar.
"For information? Yes," Vergil replied shortly. They also needed funds, a temporal hideout and basically everything, that could help them speed up the process of finding and obtaining the Grail. Food and spare clothes would be welcomed, too. "Leave it to me and try not to provoke them more than you already have."
Lancer raised an eyebrow. She wasn't provokig anyone! She just took off her Master's coat and looked around, that's all. The predatory gazes of suspicious individuals gathered here were something they should be ashamed of and certainly not her fault. Bradamante straightened up proudly, showing them, what a brave and shining knight like her thought of this kind behavior. She will not hesitate to teach them a lesson, if they try something inappropriate!
"Aren't the mages of this era particularly determined to keep their secrets safe?" - Lancer asked again, almost clinging to her Master's back, not convinced. What a bunch of non-magical criminals could tell them about the Grail anyway?
Vergil smirked. Everyone could be bribed or threaten, all one needed to know was the trigger. He was already sure they will find what they seek, with or without help of any of the factions.
Sewers and scum drowning in them were the same everywhere, after all.
"So, I guess it's time for me to go," the Counter Guardian said, watching helplessly, how magical energy was steaming into the cold air from various places on her vanishing body. Yet, she gave Shirou a genuine, suspiciously cute smile. "Farewell, young hero. And you, too, Witch of Dún Scáith. Know I wished you both luck from the moment I saw you."
Emiya raised an eyebrow. It might not be the best moment for that, but the question literally just asked itself:
"Really? Then why did you pick up a fight with Teacher?"
"Hero's pride, maybe?" The swordswoman chuckled awkwardly. "It's hard to resist, when you see a worthy opponent."
"Do not try to flatter me, girl, when I'm already on your side," Scáthach said coldly, but her 'anger' was just a pose. She was thinking intensively on some plan and decided to ask her runes for guidance.
"Is it some kind of divination?" - the samurai-woman asked, coming closer and curiously tilting her head.
"Rather a conversation. I form a question and seek solutions." Scáthach stared at the bits of bones of some mysterious sea creature scattered before her. "Some would say it's just a way to organize one's inner monologue."
"But it's more than that?"
"If the one, who asks, is skilled enough... probably." She picked up one of the runes and tossed it nonchalantly several times for no particular reason. "Now, girl. Do you want to finish your job or not?"
"Huh?" The sudden question caught the Counter Guardian off guard. "You say it as if I had a choice, Queen of Shadows..."
"You're lucky to have an available Master at hand." Scáthach shrugged. "If that can't be called a smile of fate, I do not know what can."
Shirou sighed, instinctively stroking a bruise of forming Command Seals on his skin.
"You knew it all along, Teacher?"
"Hmpf." The sound was dismissive and filled with annoyance, that could be interpreted as 'Who do you take me for?' kind of scolding. "Honestly, I was wondering how long you intended to pretend that it does not concern you."
Indeed, Shirou felt something was wrong since they parted ways with Tohsaka. Yet he decided, consciously or not, to ignore the problem as long as possible. For many reasons.
Saving Sakura was the top priority for him. If the Grail hadn't been involved, Shirou would have searched for the girl among families of mages with decreasing potential. She was of both Tohsaka and Zenjou blood, after all, and that would make her a good 'breeding material' for any magi family, like someone as twisted as the old Zouken would say.
But it turned out to be nothing more than wishful thinking. If the Grail was involved, someone probably intended to use Sakura as a vessel. And since Tohsaka most likely was up to her ears in this mess as well, there was no turning back.
Even after confirming that the new War had already started, Shirou did not like the idea of joining it again... or rather of summoning another Servant. Saber had a special place in his heart and no other Heroic Spirit could ever fill the emptiness after her departure.
"I wasn't very good as a Master," Emiya admitted, more nostalgic than really self-loathing. "My incompetence must have been rather hindering for Saber. Maybe you would consider becoming a Master, Teacher? Your magical energy levels are outstanding."
Scáthach shook her head, focused on the runes again.
"I haven't been chosen as a Master by the Grail, Shirou. But you shouldn't hesitate to form a temporal pact. This Counter Guardian does not need energy, after all, just an anchor to stay attached to this world." She narrowed her eyes, thinking. "However, the situation seems serious enough to proceed with the proper summoning. You should not postpone it any longer."
"Indeed, it must be serious, if a Servant capable of alarming the Counter Force has been summoned."
Sensing the unspoken question in Emiya's gaze, or at least a request to confirm his suspicions, the swordswoman said simply:
"My blade has the ability to annihilate anything that should not or must not exist in this world. This is all I know about the enemy." She caressed the surface of the demonic weapon. "This is all I need to know. Being aware of that, are you still willing to help me, Shirou Emiya?"
"Do not worry about it. The Grail is... a kind of an unfinished business for me as well. And my responsibility." Shirou reached out a hand to the vanishing Counter Guardian. "I look forward to working with you, if you think I'm worthy."
"Of course! Under the name of Majin Okita Souji, Protector of Balance, I accept you as an anchor... I mean: as my provisional Master, Shirou Emiya! I shall be your sword, drawn in the righteous purpose."
They signed the pact with a firm handshake. The energy, that formed the final shape of Shirou's Command Spells, raised the swordswoman's hair in a sudden whirlwind. Feeling 'alive' and strong again, Okita smiled; as in response to that gentle expression, her sword emitted a warm, red light.
Finding herself only mere inches from death or at least severe wounds, Tohsaka thought that Saber's reflex and speed were, indeed, admirable.
The bullets were coming like a stream, fast and deadly accurate. Rin's jewel shield, raised in a hurry, when they emerged with Saber from around the corner, shattered to pieces under their constant assault. To avoid them, Diarmuid was moving so fast, that he resembled a smuge of light, jumping from spot to spot between the buildings.
Were all white-haired guys in red this good at shooting, Tohsaka wondered, or fate had weird sense of humor to make her cross paths with another one?
Rin waited for a good moment to strengthen her legs and jumped to the ground, releasing Diarmuid from the duty of protecting her during a fight. With no additional weight hindering him anymore, Saber bounced off the nearest wall and flew like a swift arrow towards the mysterious gunslinger, deflecting the bullets with his blades.
Their opponent did not move; his only reaction to the frontal attack was a tiny smirk. After all, he hadn't been left unprotected. A demonic black rider charged at Saber from the side in a perfectly executed surprise attack. Whoever the Master and Servant truly were, they knew the advantages of teamwork.
Sparks burst into the air, when steel scraped against steel. Diarmuid hissed through his teeth, retreating to his Master, in a series of impossible, almost acrobatic dodging maneuvers.
Luckily, the gunshots stopped and both Master-Servant pairs were now looking suspicously at each other from their chosen positions. Rin checked briefly Saber's condition; she noticed few holes in his white cape and a scratch the barbed spear left on his gloves.
"A Rider class Servant?" - she asked, checking the mounted warrior with her eyes of a Master.
"Or a Lancer," Diarmuid said, not taking his eyes off their opponents even for a second. He seemed disoriented, clearly not expecting to meet a Master capable of battling a Servant, so he went on full defense. The safety of Rin was Saber's top priority and he was thinking intensively about the best tactics, when a cold but indisputably feminine voice snapped him out of this brainstorm.
"The rules of Holy Grail Wars are really troublesome, forbidding us to give our names to worthy opponents," the mounted creature said from under the helmet, with a hint of amusement ringing in her voice. "Such knightly aura and magnificent blades... are you a Saber of Ice or Storm?"
Rin shivered at the sound of the armored Servant's voice. Diarmuid eyed her suspiciously, strangely sure that he, too, had met that awe-inspiring warrioress before.
"Oh? It's a nice feeling, to be recognized by such mighty Heroic Spirit," he answered with a smug face. "However, you were the ones, who attacked us without warning, like some masked bandits, so you can at least introduce yourself first."
Rin needed all her willpower to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. She stepped forward, taking the initiative.
"We belong to the voluntary alliance known as the Ice Faction. If you're not supporting the Masters and Servants of Storm, you are welcome to join, no matter how the Grail had categorized you at first."
The man in red looked at his mysterious companion; the mental exchange between them was more than obvious.
"It's nothing personal, Miss," he said eventually, swirling his guns for a while before putting them back into the holsters on his belt. "We've been already attacked tonight, that's all. I'm Dante. Of that Icy Team of yours, I suppose. And the charming lady is..."
"Just Lancer. For now." Arturia tilted her head, answering the provocations of Diarmuid. "I will take off this helmet, when the time is right, swordsman."
"I'm looking forward to it."
The Devil Hunter chuckled at this exchange, visibly amused. He reached out his hand to Rin and she accepted it with a smile of relief. These two were powerful and it already felt good to have them as allies, not enemies.
"I'm Rin Tohsaka. As you have noticed, this is not the best place to exchange pleasantries tonight. Let's finish the talking in our base." She led them through the narrow streets, showing the shortest way to the Clock Tower. "Although I bet you have a lot of questions..."
"Only one at the moment." Dante rubbed his forehead, in a rare gesture of embarrassment. "Can we order a pizza?"