Chapter 26: Another One

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.

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-???-

(A few years ago)

"Rin, meet Luvia Edelfelt. She is the heiress of the Edelfelt family and a prodigy just like you. Be sure to get along well with her, her family and ours do share some distant ancestry.

She barely recalled that moment of her life, years ago when her father brought her on a trip. There was no particular reason behind his actions at that time, or maybe there was but she couldn't remember anymore.

The face of a little child, one that resembled a doll or those princesses she'd seen in countless fairy tale stories. The dazzling blue dress and opulent room filled with gold and white marble helped with that image.

A stranger, one she didn't know how to approach at first. Though she greeted both of them politely so at least she differed greatly from the obnoxious children in her school.

"I'm Rin Tohsaka, it's nice to meet you." Not willing to make her father look bad even though he wasn't around and went to meet with the family head, the little girl chose to display an appropriate image as well. Bowing her head slightly and extending her hand.

The latter shook it, showing cute smile. "You're from Japan, right?"

"Yes, from Fuyuki to be more precise." She didn't know how long her father would take to come back, unsure how to engage in this conversation in the first place. The recent separation between her and Sakura still weighing on her mind, perhaps another reason why her father brought her along for the trip.

"Ah?" Forced out of her thoughts, she was taken aback as Luvia squished her face for no reason, making Rin wave her hands around as she tried to tell her to stop.

Luvia ignore it, focusing before letting go. "Hahahaha! I hadn't noticed, but you face squished like that reminded of a gorilla. And those those twin-tails only makes it funnier hahaha!"

"—!"

Rin's eyes twitched.

She suddenly felt a not so subtle urge to beat this arrogant brat.

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-Fuyuki-

(Present)

"This doesn't make sense," Rin muttered, leaning against a table as she rummaged through an endless pile of documents and papers provided to her by the fake priest.

Yawning as she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep and also because of that weird dream of her past.

"The pattern is erratic. First, they appear in random alleyways across Fuyuki, then inside an apartment complex without anyone seeing or hearing such a large creature even getting into the place. There were even no signs of breaking in, so it was inside from the beginning and then broke out. Yet there were no traces of any workshop anywhere near to allow the creation of such a creature."

For the past few days, she had been working on the mystery of these Chimera monsters' appearances. Artificially created entities sharing many features with popular phantasmal beasts. 

It became very obvious to anyone involved that these entities were not appearing naturally by any means. The fact that someone was responsible for their creation was her first thought, and she demanded to be part of the search for the perpetrator. As the Second Owner of Fuyuki, it was her duty to manage such things and make sure any other magi didn't just treat this place as their own little playground. 

"Then the biggest one showed up at the docks, but this time the people sent by Kirei found a small room beneath the area, not exactly a workshop, but with enough evidence that someone used to operate there in secret for a short amount of time."

A part of her theorized that the perpetrator purposefully placed these monsters at random all across the city to lead them by the nose, a red herring of sorts, to confuse anyone going after them, and to cause chaos as a smokescreen. Yet how they managed to transport such creatures around without resorting to outright teleportation was something she could not figure out. 

Unless these creatures had been there for many months or years and were awakened recently. She could not trace where they came from at all, as even their bodies would disintegrate upon dying, leaving very little behind, sometimes even nothing. This whole ordeal even attracted the attention of the Clock Tower, as they sent Bazett Fraga McRemitz on the scene to capture the would-be criminal and most likely slap a sealing designation upon them. 

"Putting aside the fact that this person is disrespecting my family's name and using my town as a little test area, the ability to partially recreate a Basmu of ancient times is already a feat in itself. But who could even be capable of such a craft?"

Multiple names appeared in her head, but last she checked, none of these people were even in Japan or alive for that matter. Having kept a surface-level record of such big entities, she made sure to always have at least some news of their whereabouts and activities. Unless they were purposely trying to hide from public eyes, then she could only wait and watch. 

"Mauuu, why does this need to happen now of all times!?" Rin scratched her head, messing up her hair in frustration at the headache this challenge posed to her. "I haven't even started the summoning ritual, and already it seems like I need to hurry up, or else these freaking creatures and the Magus behind them might come after me next!"

Seriously, just what was this person's goal? Were these creatures just failed test subjects that he let roam around after having thrown them out? Or a freak accident where these same monsters managed to break out. It wasn't like they were searching for something. 

Rin just couldn't tell. 

Feeling her headache grow stronger by the second, the twin-tailed girl got up from her seat and decided that it would be best to rest and catch up on her studies. "I need some coffee…"

Looking at the jewel box near her table, she opened the lid to find a crimson gem pendant in the middle, the piece. A relic passed down in her family, the highest possible class of jewel, endowed with magical energy from generations of Tohsaka mages. She had been preparing for her summoning—a crucial item that would serve her well during the Holy Grail War. But her face further soured as she found a rather lacking amount of gems overall beneath the first layer of the box, those which she used for practice and further improving her craft.

"One, three, five... seven, fifteen... twenty-four left… At this rate, I'll run out of material in about a week or two," she muttered. Not to mention she had to keep at least a dozen of them within her pockets in case she needed to use them for self-defense. Now, with these creatures appearing out of nowhere, she was contemplating halting her research for a bit and focusing completely on staying safe until the summoning day.

She wanted to cry when remembering the amount of money she had left in her bank account, barely enough to buy a few more pieces of gems of average quality, but if she used it all, then she might as well be broke. "That stupid blonde-haired bimbo still hasn't replied to my letter after all this time. I bet she's laughing her ass off and mocking me in her fancy little castle."

A couple of weeks ago, to offset this problem, she contacted a particular Magus she knew, a person who specialized in Jewel Magecraft just like her and a supplier of premium quality gemstones, trying to strike up a deal to get these materials at a lower price than what was sold in the market, forced to swallow her pride and ask for a favor no matter how much she despised the idea.

But she never got a response after all this time, and with her dwindling reserves of gems, Rin started to contemplate just trying to sell off other items from her manor to gather enough money. 

"Urgh, just why did Gemcraft have to be so expensive? At this rate, I'll have to resort to eating only instant ramen for a month."

She collapsed onto her bed, limbs splayed out as she buried her face into the soft pillow. Closing her eyes, she let out a long exhale, surrendering to the welcoming embrace of sleep as it began to pull her into its comforting depths. 

Bzt!

"Hm?" Rin stirred from her half-dozing state, a buzzing sound piercing through the quiet of her room. With a groan, she reached out to her nightstand, squinting at the glowing notifications on her flip phone's small screen.

Reaching out for the device, she opened it and read a single message sent by a certain archery practitioner. "Another hang out? This girl just has too much free time on her hands."

Despite saying that, she did not outright reject and say no, her eyes focusing on the device and slowly tapping out the word "okay," making sure she pressed the correct buttons and figuring out how to even send the damn message in the first place. "Low battery? Didn't Ayako say that it can last weeks with no problem? Is it broken?"

This little device was a small gift that Ayako gave her recently, apparently, she won some sort of lottery and didn't need the phone as she had a newer model and instead passed it on to the young Magus as an early birthday gift of sorts. Of course, Rin denied it at first, having no use for such a device since her rotary phone still worked perfectly, but the brunette was rather insistent and just forced the thing in her back before running away. In a way, it put a smile on her face whenever she looked at the device, this being perhaps the first time she ever got a gift from a person she could call a friend. And to be honest, every time she hung out with her, it wasn't so bad and managed to relieve some of her stress. 

"Copenhagen again? Is there really nothing going on between those two?"

Another matter that caught her attention was how Ayako had been spending more and more time around Emiya Shirou, the redhead being a part-time worker at that bar was a rather surprise for Rin, and this was even more so when she found out just how frequently her friend had gone over there. Those two, despite saying they were just friends, Rin on the other hand suspected that this wasn't exactly the case for Ayako, most likely Emiya was being honest with his words but whenever she brought up the same question to the girl, the latter would be unusually evasive or laugh it out, trying to change the topic in a sneaky way but not escaping her perceptiveness. 

"And he's also hanging out with Sakura a lot."

Rin did not know why she felt irritated about this news; it wasn't like the boy was bad. He was not a scumbag like Shinji nor was he a rude person at all. Quite the opposite in fact, helpful and nice to everyone around him, the school's janitor as people liked to call him, but she didn't see it as a bad thing.

But still, that nagging feeling remained.

A slight chill crept up her spine, a signal of someone walking past the bounded field around the mansion.

The doorbell chimed, yanking Rin from the edges of sleep further until the last embers of drowsiness were utterly extinguished. With a heavy sigh, she dragged her hand over her face, feeling the weariness etched into every line. "What now..." she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration and exhaustion. "If it's that damn priest again, demanding another spicy tofu meal, I might just lose it and shoot a Gandr to his face!"

Of course, it would be him! No one else came to visit her at this hour of the night. She was pretty certain it wouldn't even be Waver Velvet, as the man mentioned that next time he would contact her in advance whenever he'd come over to visit after she gave him her number. Color her surprise when she saw that the man had his own cellphone and was a new model, and used with familiarity. 

With a frustrated huff, Rin pushed herself off the bed, feeling the nausea intensify as her body resisted leaving the comforting softness of the mattress. Donning her fluffy slippers, she descended the stairs with purpose, each step echoing her irritation. Her hand clenched around a single gemstone, ready to use it as a weapon against the intruder if necessary.

"What the hell do you want at this hour now, you fake priest!? I swear if it's not some important matter about the recent accidents then I'm shooting you in the face!" she bellowed, her grip tightening on the doorknob as she yanked it open, nearly tearing it off its hinges in her impatience.

"—!?"

However, her anger instantly dissipated when the person on the other side turned out not to be Kirei or Waver, God forbid Lord El Melloi. In fact, it was much, much worse: a person she never wished to see standing on her doorstep.

"Ohohohohohoho! What do I see here?" The obnoxious laughter and voice grated on Rin's nerves as she stared at the unwelcome visitor, her annoyance palpable. "Ms. Tohsaka greeted her guests in such an unbefitting apparel. Why was I expecting otherwise… regardless, you should feel happy that I have dedicated so much of my time to travel halfway across the world to—!" 

Before the person could finish their sentence, Rin acted on pure instinct, moving to shut the door. However, her attempt failed as a foot blocked the wooden door from closing.

"Ara ara, trying to close the door upon an honored guest's face without a word, how gorilla-like of you. Last I remember, this is not a befitting way to greet an old acquaintance. Have you gone and lost your ma—Ouch! Are you out of your mind!? Stop using your Reinforcement to push the door harder!" 

"Then remove your feet from my doorway!" Rin stood her ground, leveraging the opportunity to exert even more force. "What on earth brings you here, of all places? I assumed you'd be too preoccupied pampering yourself in your opulent castle, fussing over your nails!"

"What business is it of yours to find out why I'm here in the first place?" Luvia retorted, using her hands to push the door as well. Both girls gnashed their teeth as they used their strength to gain even the slightest bit of advantage.

"I am literally the second owner of this place."

"With everything that has been going on lately and your inability to solve them makes it obvious that you're only the second owner in name alone rather than anything else. It's only a fancy title you're using to establish a semblance of power you do not possess!"

"You shouldn't be the one to judge. Whether you like it or not, I am the second owner! Technically, I have more authority than you here, and I'm telling you that you're not allowed to be here! I'm pretty sure that you weren't amongst the people the Clock Tower sent to be a Master, so you're just here to make my life miserable like usual."

"I don't need to do anything since you're already doing it to yourself, Tohsaka Rin," Luvia said, trying to gain an advantage, their fingers digging into the wood, causing splinters to fall onto the ground. Clown, on the other hand, remained quiet, watching the scene from the background without having any plans to intervene unless his mistress ordered him to do so, absently looking at his watch just to make sure they wouldn't be at it for more than an hour.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep talking. I'll have you know that my title of owner isn't just for show. Even a Lord addressed me respectfully, so you better be careful."

"A Lord? Are you sure he wasn't just pitying you and being merciful just to not break your fragile little ego?" Despite using a confident tone, Luvia couldn't help but click her tongue as she noticed that she was beginning to lose her ground, her high heels having long since gotten crushed by the pressure as she was slowly being pushed back inch by inch. "As expected from a gorilla, despite your small frame, you carry enough strength to even put those primates to shame. I even doubt you needed any spells to help you in the first place, all muscles and no brain as usual."

Frustrated to the brink, Rin's teeth gritted against one another tightly. "Alright, you've pushed me to this!" 

With a surge of anger, she abandoned the idea of nudging the already warped door threatening to break at any moment, opting instead to leap backward. This sudden movement caught Luvia off guard, causing her to stumble and crash face-first onto the ground. A small yelp came from her mouth as the door was broken off its hinges as well.

"My head…" As Luvia struggled to regain her composure, Rin delved into her pocket, fingers searching frantically for the phone Ayako had given her. Recalling a nifty feature the device her friend kept boasting about constantly, she hurriedly tried to locate the desired application before Luvia could rise to her feet. 

"Camera… Camera… Why is there a flower here? Ah, lenses, I guess this must be it? Right, got it!" With a swift press of a button, a shutter sound echoed, swiftly followed by a blinding flash of white light.

Luvia, recognizing the sound, froze, slowly turning her head upwards to find Rin holding her flip phone upside down with the camera pointing right at her. The blonde's face went slightly pale while her eyes widened while the person in front smirked smugly. "Well, would you look at that? The dignified Edelfelt heiress finds herself groveling on the floor like a peasant. How does the floor taste? You seem to be quite into this particular door; you can have it if you so desire."

Luvia fell silent for a moment, her hair casting shadows over her eyes as she whispered with an icy edge, "Hand it over. Immediately. Or face the consequences."

Dismissing Luvia's attempt at intimidation with a scoff, Rin rolled her eyes. "Is that supposed to be a threat? I'll consider burning this image if you beg me nicely. A few rounds of bowing down on your knees and a coffer or two of high-purity gems will suffice… maybe. Only then will I consider—oof!" Engrossed in her imagination of potential blackmail material, she missed Luvia removing her gloves and cracking her knuckles. In a swift motion, Luvia moved like the wind, reaching Rin in less than a second and tackling her to the ground with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs.

"That wasn't a request, you gorilla girl! Delete it right now!"

"Shut up, you blonde bimbo! I do what I want with what's mine. Also, who are you calling a gorilla when you're the one using violence in the first place!?"

"You're the one who started this, not me! Now you're facing the consequences," Luvia demanded, reaching for the phone as Rin fought to keep it out of her grasp. Their struggle intensified, each using their strength to gain the upper hand. Rin found herself pinned down, her hand desperately clutching onto the phone as she struggled to breathe under Luvia's breasts pressing against her face. The latter completely flushed, not from embarrassment or anger, but from the suffocating pressure bearing down on her and making it impossible to breathe.

This fact only served to make Rin more angered than anything else.

Meanwhile, Clown remained outside the house with his arms behind his back, looking away from the scene towards the setting sun in the distance. "Nice view," he mumbled, ignoring the crashing noises coming from inside. With a bounded field around the area, no outsiders could hear what was happening, and his large frame blocked anyone from taking a peek. "At least she's having fun." 

He tilted his head just in time to effortlessly dodge a piece of stray debris from the scuffle.

"Did you just shoot a Gandr at my chest!?"

"Stop using them as weapons to kill me! Keep those lumps of fat away from my face!"

"Excuse me!?"

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(An hour later)

It took a while for the two to calm down after Clown finally intervened. After a series of Gandr shots across the mansion, destroying nearly half of the furniture and shattering some windows as well, both girls managed to reach a ceasefire before they took down the entire mansion itself. Now seated in the living room, Rin wore her red turtleneck sweater and short skirt, having changed clothes and gotten into something more presentable despite some of the black and blue marks covering her face. Luvia, on the other hand, had changed her dress from the previous ocean blue to a newer crimson one, as the former dress had been burnt and torn apart from their little scuffle.

Presented with a cup of tea, Luvia took a sip before frowning at the taste. "Hm, don't you have any high-quality blend in this house? This tea tastes more like sugared water than anything else. Last I remember, Japan is amongst the few countries known for their exceptional tea-making ceremonies."

"Don't even get me started on that," Rin sighed, massaging her temples to ease the headache brought on by dealing with this person. She suspected that her lack of sleep and her many strikes in that area were also contributing factors. "You're fortunate that I even bothered to make you a drink. Most people wouldn't serve their guests anything after they've practically demolished half of their house like a petulant child." 

In truth, the tea offered was just a cheap brand she had stored in her cupboard and forgotten about for the last few months. It was originally purchased for Kirie when he once requested tea, but she didn't see the point in using her high-quality leaves on someone like him. She had picked up this cheap blend from the supermarket as it was nearing its expiration date. It had likely expired by now, but she doubted this woman would even notice.

"Is that so? Plain water would have been much better than this."

Her hands were already starting to twitch, getting closer to fire another round of Gandrs at this person. But fortunately for Luvia, Clown cleared his throat to get both of these girls' attention. "My lady, we don't have much time. The sun has already set," he said while looking outside through one of the broken windows, the sunset having already passed, leaving behind a dark atmosphere with the full moon's light illuminating the surroundings.

"Right, I have more important matters to attend to after this, so I'll keep this brief," she stated, her gaze fixed on the girl before her. "I came to Japan to address a personal matter of great importance to me. It has nothing to do with the upcoming war, nor am I on any mission from my family. I have a friend who has been causing me concern in recent weeks, and I've come to check up on him and make sure he doesn't end up dead."

"I didn't realize you were capable of having friends," Rin remarked.

Ignoring the comment, she continued her explanation. "I'll only be staying here for a couple of days, perhaps a week or two at most unless urgent matters arise unexpectedly and I'm called back. So, Tohsaka Rin, rest assured that I won't be plotting any schemes against you or attempting any assassinations on behalf of another Master. If that were my intent, you would already be dead."

As much as she yearned to counter that remark with a scathing retort and a barrage of insults, Rin restrained herself. Deep down, despite her reluctance to admit it, she recognized that Luvia was an exceptional magus with real experience in dealing with other magi, given her background in a family of mercenaries. If the blonde had truly come to Japan with ill intentions toward her, she knew there would have been little she could do to defend herself, except perhaps to utilize every tool at her disposal to survive or potentially incapacitate Luvia long enough to escape. 

Yet, the chances of catching her off guard were slim, and the risks were far too high for Rin's liking.

Moreover, Luvia's Gandr was undeniably more potent than hers, and her overall magical prowess surpassed Rin's own.

"Well, it's apparent to me that isn't the case. I wouldn't have offered you anything if I believed you intended to harm," she replied evenly. "But I must admit, I find the notion of you visiting a friend rather dubious at best." 

To her knowledge, there were no recorded mages in Fuyuki who could plausibly have any connection to the Edelfelt heiress. It couldn't be Waver, or it would have been mentioned outright, likely as a boast. And it certainly wasn't anyone like the fake priest or anyone else associated with the Church stationed here. 

Perhaps she had connections with the person behind the Chimera monster attacks? No, that couldn't be it. Luvia wouldn't be foolish enough to admit to having ties with such an individual, especially when such news could easily be reported back to the Clocktower. "Care to enlighten me on who this friend of yours might be?"

"Huh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What do you mean, 'who it is'? He's literally the only one… Wait a minute… You truly have no idea who lives in your own territory, do you?" Her statement carried more bewilderment than mockery, yet it didn't deter Rin from glaring daggers at her. "Interesting, very interesting indeed."

With this revelation, Luvia had no intention of divulging the identity of Shirou Emiya to Rin. The fact that someone like him was living right under Rin's nose and attending the same school was undoubtedly a blow to Rin's pride if she were to find out… that impact becoming more significant the longer this went on for. 

So, with a smug smile, Luvia placed the empty teacup back on the table and rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Under normal circumstances, I would have gladly told you his name. But since we're friends, and he may or may not be involved in the upcoming war, it would be foolish of me to disclose more than necessary. You'll just have to figure it out on your own. After all, as the town's Second Owner, it's your responsibility to handle such matters and not mine."

The realization that another magus lived under her nose all this time hit Rin like a ton of bricks. How did she miss it!? Luvia's condescending smirk and arrogant demeanor made it abundantly clear that she was reveling in her ignorance at something that must have been rather obvious. 

'No names come to mind,' thought the girl to herself. 'I'm sure even Kirei made no mention of another magus living here. I didn't know about living in Fuyuki… and Shinji definitely doesn't possess an iota of Magical Energy, so it can't be him. Perhaps this person arrived recently and is deliberately hiding from me? I have to uncover the truth about this, one way or another, and soon.' Another source of stress added to Rin's already burdened mind.

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you? You could easily be lying to me." Rin retorted, her voice tinged with skepticism.

"Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern," Luvia said dismissively. "I'm just telling you the reason behind my arrival, and you should know that I don't take my words lightly. I have many things to look after rather than participate in this war, and I'm pretty sure it would be in your best interest if I were not to be involved. Knowing you, you're probably hoping to summon a Saber to win the war for you. As if someone in the Saber class can bring you any closer to victory in the first place. I suggest you focus on staying alive rather than being the strongest, Rin. The others will kill themselves in the process, and it will leave you as the last one standing."

"Duly noted," Rin thought to herself, though she hesitated at first but still pushed herself to say it nonetheless. "From your tone, let me guess, you already have an idea of whom most of the Masters will be or even the kind of Servants they are hoping to summon."

"It is in my best interest to know such information, part of my job, you can say. I can't know the identities of every Master and their plans obviously, but yes, I do have an idea about most of their identities, and I've noticed you overlooking a certain fact, and it is a glaring issue."

"The fact that there is a Lord who will possibly be part of this war and going against him is the least ideal situation for me even if I won?" she added but was surprised to find Luvia chuckle before shaking her head.

"Not that. That is up to you to decide on how to deal with this matter, and I will not meddle with such affairs. No, what I'm trying to hint to you is that you are under the impression that no one has summoned any Servants so far."

That startled Rin, "Eh? You're kidding, right? That's literally impossible for it to happen. It's far too early for any Servants to be summoned to begin with."

"So you say, but if I remember correctly, wasn't it a rule that each war would occur sixty years after the last? You know, giving the Grail enough time to recover basically. It was supposed to be a standard unbreakable rule, yet here we are barely a decade later with the fifth Holy Grail War. Rules can be bent or changed according to many different factors, and when or how a Servant can be summoned can vary. That is why I'm telling you to be on your toes, for you are not as safe as you'd like to believe," Luvia said while getting up and preparing to leave. But just as she was about to do so, the young lady stopped in her tracks as she remembered something in particular. "Clown!"

With a snap of her fingers, the large man brought forth a small box, placing it in front of Rin, much to the latter's confusion. Luvia hid her smirk behind a paper fan and watched gleefully as Rin's shocked reaction unfolded, her bodyguard opening the lid. Greed and joy flashed within Rin's eyes, making it harder for her to suppress her laughter.

"Take it as a small gesture of gratitude for receiving me so… kindly. It is polite to always visit a Second Owner bearing gifts after all, right? A little bird told me about a certain letter that someone sent not that long ago. Though I was too busy to read it, it was obvious enough what the content of such a letter would have been in the first place — Pigeon Blood is a rare commodity even for me. Now, I'll take my leave, so have a good night, Tohsaka Rin."

(To anyone who is confused, just Google Pigeon Blood, and hopefully you'll see what it is. Hint: It ain't actual blood.)

{Break}

-Fuyuki, Commercial District-

"Bazett!" It was shocking, to say the least; Shirou couldn't believe his eyes as he gazed at the fallen woman's body in front of him.

"Careful, Master," before he could rush towards her, Rider extended her arms and stopped him from running forward, a chained nail held firmly in her hand as she pointed at the area behind the fallen woman. He watched in shock as from the background, multiple red eyes glowed within the darkness and the sound of rattling came from them. "We are surrounded."

Just as she said, he instantly noticed their surroundings were filled with the same glowing eyes and the sound of countless bony footsteps drawing closer. Not long before, from the darkness emerged dozens and near hundreds of walking skeletal creatures. Too big and having horns to be considered human, grayish in color rather than white. "What the hell are those things?" he was certain they weren't chimera monsters or anything of that sort. 

The sensation they gave him was far too creepy for his liking.

A horde of both humanoid and animal skeletons, all walking towards them, some missing their head and even arms, others having part of their broken yet still able to hold their shape. Many of them wielding what seemed to be blades made out of stone and simple, rusted steel.

"Summons, undead familiars from the looks of it," Rider answered, to which Shirou grew visibly nervous and far more vigilant of his surroundings. He instantly brought out a handgun which he aimed at the back, making sure they wouldn't get attacked by surprise. "What do you plan on doing?"

Shirou took a few moments to think about his next course of action carefully, with Rider patiently behind them with her weapons ready while he focused on Bazett's body. The latter was bruised and didn't seem in the best shape.

"Do you think we can retrieve her without getting overwhelmed?" 

"Might be better to just leave her," the woman suggested, getting a dissatisfied look from the boy which caused her to sigh. "They may look fearsome but I don't believe such creations pose any threat to me." 

A loud bang happened next to her, Shirou holding a gun with the barrel smoking as he watched one bullet dispose of four skeletons in a single line of shot without any difficulty. It shocked even the boy with how easily they were destroyed. "That… was easier than expected." 

"They are weak monsters," Rider said, mostly worried about what hid beyond this horde, her senses trying to locate the very person responsible for having brought this army in the first place. 

"Let's go, we can't waste time or they'll kill her!" 

He was far too concerned about this woman than his own safety. Whether or not he had a Servant like her by his side did not mean he could just completely disregard every other smaller threat. But Rider did not say anything else, having gotten her orders she raised her nails and disappeared from her spot. 

"—?" 

Shirou was startled, taken by shock at her being gone right before his eyes, moving so fast that neither of his senses could have picked up the slightest trace of noise, wind pressure, or anything for that matter. It was no different to teleportation even. He saw shards of bones and steel fly everywhere as she reappeared in the middle of the horde. 

A single sweep of her legs held enough strength and speed to instantly destroy dozens with a single strike. Shirou protected his face from the wind pressure and bone fragments that where blown around. "W-Woah…" 

Amazed, completely in awe at Rider's power she showed yet executed them with so much grace that he had become momentarily entranced by it. Not a single one of these skeletons was so much as capable of getting anywhere near her before getting crushed. Even with a blindfold on it became obvious that nothing escaped her senses, able to target each of her nail throws with precision and pure brutality. 

Not to mention, it was very likely she was still holding back.

"Damn it, this is not the time to get distracted!" He slapped himself, hesitating at first to use his guns against so many creatures so opted to go for something more practical. "Trace, On!" His hands glowed green as Magical Energy gathered before taking the shape of a katana — opting to save his bullets and energy in case he ran out.

He rushed to Bazett's side, the area having been mostly cleared thanks to Rider, cutting through one skeleton after the other with ease. "Ah!" The Reinforced blade easily sliced through the bones as if they were butter, steadily weeding out the few that remained until he was right next to her. "I got her!"

What to do now? Part of him wanted to return to his house and offer Bazett the treatment she needed but another part refused to allow such creatures to roam around town longer than necessary. 

"I'll remain behind," said the blindfolded Servant, guessing her Master's worries and landing by his side. "There are still more of them, it will take some time to destroy all of them."

That wasn't something Shirou wanted to hear. "Leave you behind? Of course, I won't!" he said loudly, having Rider freeze for a second from his answer, even with the blindfold on he could tell she was frowning at him, displeased by his answer. But he knew what she would say next, and continued speaking. "Don't bring me Servant and Master roles, I don't care about them. If I leave you behind you can get targeted by whoever is behind this!" 

"There are more of them," she pointed once again at the area she previously cleared. More of such creatures came forth endlessly, the scattered bones dispersing into ashes with two more taking their place. 

Just who the hell could maintain such a spell? Shirou was getting worried. 

"Unlike me, you'll get tired, which will also affect me. I can keep handling them for a few hours more efficiently, and you can't protect this person the entire time." 

He understood that point, his reserves were not unlimited by any means, quite the opposite even. Having seen how pitiful his well was compared to the likes of Luvia and even Rin who had plenty according to the former. Providing Rider with a steady stream while overusing his own Tracing was just asking for trouble. 

"I know that, but… " he was scared something would happen to her. It sounded childish and even unreasonable to fear for the safety of someone so powerful, but he couldn't let go no matter what. "... I… I can still help. My Magecraft may be very limited but I can rely on my endurance. If a thousand bullets won't be enough then I'll just slice them apart. Isn't a Master's role supposed to provide support to their Servants?" 

If he had to fight with a sword for hours then so be it. 

Right, it was this feeling of helplessness he despised. To be saved once again by the action of another... this wasn't how he would be able to achieve his dream. 

Rider did not say anything, her arms waving around the chained nails and piercing through dozens of familiars with Shirou unloading a full magazine on the approaching horde. Throwing the handgun to the back before holding the katana firmly. "Don't underestimate me, Rider. Just don't risk your life for me, please."

"You can get badly wounded, Master. A Servant can heal within hours."

"That's fine, I can take on a few hits in your stead, so you can use me as a shield if you want to. I've survived getting my organs pierced in the past, so a few broken bones and cuts are nothing. I doubt they'll do as much damage as what Bazett would dish out." He said with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever, even having the nerve to smile confidently, his eyes completely clear of fear and self-preservation that it felt disturbing to Rider.

She just couldn't understand him.  

She existed as a spirit, temporarily inhabiting a physical form to serve a Master in a war for a wish. His persistent desire to help everyone, even at the expense of overlooking his own well-being, left her bewildered and unable to comprehend his actions. A thought that surfaced in her mind in the past now coming back, but this time holding more weight than ever. 

Maybe she had been too lenient with him, too accommodating, which might have prevented him from realizing the true nature of the monster he had summoned. Hopefully, once he learned this fact, he would come to grasp the naivety of some of his beliefs.

There was something very wrong with her Master and it was at moments like these that was she able to perceive those aspects.

"... Fine, but after this is over with, we have a lot to discuss." she relented, internally shaking her head at her Master's stubbornness. "But if it gets too dangerous then I'll forcefully take you away from here, with or without this woman."

Shirou grinned confidently, "Heh, don't worry about that, I'll make sure to be careful—!?" His words were cut off abruptly as both his and Rider's senses went haywire. A powerful light emanated from beneath their feet, catching him off guard, not having enough time to do anything. The last image the redhead was able to perceive was a giant purple magic circle, holding countless moving characters swirling around, gathering a staggering amount of energy. "Oof!"

Rider on the other hand was quick to react, prioritising Shirou and pushing him and Bazett away just in time before the entire area around her giving way to a giant pillar of light fully coming crashing onto her body.

A loud crashing sound reverberated across the streets with cars and windows getting shattered by the shockwave, pushing Shirou further back until his back struck a wall. "Argh!" He groaned, feeling his ears ring but more worried about something else than his own state. 

"R-Rider!" He shouted, calling out his Servant's name, his mind racing with worry as he looked all around him. Emotions on the brink of going haywire at the realization of what just happened once again, almost making him see red.

Yet his heart stopped as he heard a soft voice come from above. 

"Oh my, I almost shed a tear at such a touching conversation between Master and Servant — would have been an excellent theater play. Unfortunately, I had to cut it short; my time is precious after all. I was hoping to eliminate you first, though it worked out in the end regardless." 

His attention turned towards the full moon in the sky, where a figure floated in the middle with... wings? No, not wings, but rather a large cloak of some sort extended to resemble something similar to wings. A hooded figure whose features were hidden, leaving only a pair of luscious smiling lips and some strands of bluish-purple hair peeking through.

He didn't need to ask any questions, as his instincts were already screaming to him about the nature of this woman.

"A... Servant…"

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 2 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.