[] "Let's go find Emiya first. Make sure he's all right. Plus he might be worried about us. Call it a hunch."
You leaned on your Servant as the two of you walked down the road, "Let's go find Emiya first. Make sure he's all right. Plus he might be worried about us. Call it a hunch."
"Isn't your intuition like dog shit?" Rider asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well I have nothing else to go on. Let's just go find a friendly face," you grumbled as you walked.
You need new clothes first. You were going to get sick at this rate.
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...
You were wearing a black short sleeved blouse and skirt once you stepped towards Emiya's burnt apartment. There were still Emergency responders all around while you crossed your arms and studied the damage. You could see see traces of your battle here in the previous night.
The city didn't feel safe anymore, not with Archer just waiting to snipe you at night. You didn't know where to go or hide in the coming evening but you needed to make sure your other and only ally in this war was all right. You couldn't help but be worried yourself.
Medb was running around looking for clues too and told you to sit tight. There were people lurking about discreetly watching you from a distance. Seems like it's a collection of people watching each other today, Hans' people were on the lookout for the culprits while Archer's allies were mixed with the wandering crowd.
You perked up once you noticed someone coming towards you. Turning, you recognized him as a tall friendly faced man with silver hair. Saber raised a hand in greeting while you nodded.
"So you're safe. I assume Emiya made it out too?" You asked him.
"Indeed. The attack caught us by surprise but we escaped unscathed. We tried getting a hold of you but we couldn't. We feared the worst," Saber replied as he glanced at he wreckage, "Innocents perished last night but while it may be commonplace in a Grail War, it is still distasteful. Lady Brie, would you like to take this elsewhere?"
"Yeah. There's too many eyes on us. Rider will follow us," You told him as the two of you walked.
You and Saber left the area while the people lurking in the corners kept their gaze on you. You figured they won't just ignore you but just as you were about to express your distaste, Saber smiled your way and spoke.
"Then can we go to that alley? We can lose them there," Saber suggested with a nod.
"Oh! Good thinking," you grinned before you both stepped inside.
Behind you Saber suddenly picked you up, "Excuse me."
"Whoa!" You yelped as he carried you in his arms before he rushed forward and jumped.
He broke through the air in one leap and cleared the building surrounding you both. You soared for a few moments before he landed on the rooftop.
You grunted as you gasped, "Warn me next time!"
"They may pursue us so deliberate actions were necessary," Saber replied before he jumped down the next alley and hit the ground.
You yelped before you were let down. You could imagine the spies you left behind being confused of your sudden disappearance. They may be more alert now. Saber pulled you along out of the alley and went down an underground tunnel leading to the subway. You walked behind him as he navigated through the crowd going to and for the area before stopping by the nearby trains.
Perking up, you noticed Rider nearby in her Spirit form before her presence lingered behind you. She caught up and Saber noticed this as he glanced at where your Servant was. He seemed to appreciate her addition to your little rendezvous.
"So where's your Master?" you asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"Settling down the second safehouse. I'll bring you there myself but it will be a long train ride," Saber said as he looked around and got in the train. You walked in as well and noticed that the car was close to empty save for a few people, "Archer and his goons do not pass through these tunnels. My Master and I have been using it as a means of going around the city."
"For a guy like him, I'd expect Emiya to have a car. Isn't Luvia kind enough to hand him some wheels?" you wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"Well I've only heard this from my Liege but the Tohsaka household has broken enough cars to nearly indebt it to the Edelfelts. It was only thanks to a fortunate job that Mr. Emiya was able to absolve the debt. After that cars were no longer to be lent to him," Saber replied as he shook his head.
"What a cool guy," you muttered as you crossed your arms while Rider giggled silently on the side.
"That's besides the point. But yes, we're using the subways more often. However there's reason to believe that there's more to these connecting tunnels than meets the eye," Saber said as he glanced your way, "We just don't know what. It's kept Archer's allies away for a long while."
"I'm just glad you're safe. I mean, last night was pretty rough. Archer's becoming more eager," you murmured as the train rumbled while traveling through the tunnels.
"We know. Master has been conducting his own investigations. The attack was spurned by the creation of a new drug. This had sent the cultists into a frenzy of violence directed to the Masters of the city. Of course it's effectiveness varies with those that had been struck. If anything, you were the one who got it worst but no more," Saber pointed out as he patiently waited for the next stop.
Well that's just embarrassing.
"Don't worry. We can move through the tunnels now. I don't expect Archer to shoot us while out of his sight," Saber said as he pat your shoulder. He had a kind smile on his face and nodded, "I'm sure my Master will think of something."
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You met up with Emiya soon after and found him underneath an old building's basement near the outskirts of the city. He had relocated rather extremely having lost his previous base of operations but he seemed to be already hard at work with his plans. He had his map laid out as well, looking up from it as Saber brought you in his new home. His base was underneath a tailor's shop and seemed to be a rather inconspicuous hideout.
The red haired man glanced up from his map and had a smile of relief once he saw you. You walked up to him and raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey there," you smiled back at him as he crossed his arms.
"You had me worried back there. Good to see you," Emiya replied as he noticed Rider manifesting behind you, "You as well, Miss Rider."
"Hellooo handsome," Rider giggled as she winked at the older man. You elbowed her and she winced once you reinforced your arm for a heartbeat.
"Rider. Why don't you cool off outside," you told her with a narrowed look, "I'll bring Mr. Emiya up to speed."
Medb scoffed at that and vanished, but not after making her dark chuckle known as she left. This left you alone with Emiya and Saber before the latter sighed and went after Medb. It was better to have two Servants on the lookout for trouble than just one.
"How about I make you some tea. You look like you haven't slept a wink," Emiya said as he brushed off his hands.
"I'd like that," you nodded.
He led you through the basement that had been converted into a living space. There were already furniture and you noted how the place seemed lived in already. It was also well stocked judging by how filled the pantry was as Emiya opened it up. He must have noticed the look on your face given he piped up while working.
"This is an Edelfelt property. It's been prepared for me much like the last apartment was. I really am going to owe Luvia a lot by the end of this. But! No rest for those wielding justice," Emiya said as he brewed you some tea with some hot water and tea leaves.
"Well isn't that convenient. Though I suppose owing her a lot can get hairy," you noted as you sat on one of the counters.
"Yeah. My wife hates it. But Luvia is a good person, especially for a Magus," Emiya said as he poured your cup some tea before offering it to you. Oriental... It had a nice fragrance to it.
"What about you? You're pretty kind for a Magus," you pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Well... It's mostly because of some issues I have. I wouldn't say I'm kind. It's just how I am. Plus I'm not really cut out to be a Magus," Emiya said as he sat before you with his own cup. He then met your gaze with a serious look, "Are you all right?"
Ah. This guy's sharper than he lets on.
"I met Berserker's Master. Not a nice person," you judged as you took a sip of your tea. Your eyesbrows raised as you felt your body relax, the held tension on your muscles soothing as you set down your cup, "Almost died."
Emiya looked at you and studied your expression before speaking, "That happens. What did you learn?"
"Well... For one thing she's an asshole and looks like me. Except she's smaller and younger. Like a little girl," you explained to which Emiya choked in his drink and started coughing.
"Oh... Really?" Emiya coughed as he tried to compose himself, "That's... Huh."
"You okay?" you frowned in concern.
"I... I was just reminded of something. Go on. She looked like you?" Emiya tried deflecting your question as he cleared his throat.
"Yes. A big name Model named Minerva. She's guarded by a retinue of my lookalikes wielding weapons. I suspect that they're a pain in the ass to fight as a Magus but can be dispatched by Servants," You reported as you thought back to that group, "They're dangerous. The Luctworth, the people that manufactured me sent them here to end the War fast. If anything, things are going to roll tonight."
"I see. So what did you have in mind? Fight Berserker? Didn't you have an alliance with that Hans Derrinsmith?" Emiya wondered as he leaned on the table.
"It might as well be shot. Can't trust the guy after he messed with my insides. But that's a risk I was prepared for when getting his help. But yeah, I need to fight Berserker and I can't do that alone. Which is why I have... An idea," you proposed as you looked at him.
"And that's?" Emiya frowned in turn.
"We need to get Assassin and Archer's help. Berserker is too powerful. Even if Rider and Saber worked together, as long as Berserker's supported by Minerva we can't do anything. We'll get killed one by one. If we want to stand a chance we have to make a temporary truce," you told him with a serious tone. You can only hope he would understand because you had no one else to turn to at this point.
Emiya was caught by surprise and blinked, "Wait... Archer and Assassin?"
"Yes. Berserker's faction only has eyes on Lancer's group. If we take this time to convince Archer and Assassin we'll stand a chance while Berserker's busy or tired from fighting Lancer. I know for a fact that Lancer's a thorny asshole," you growled as you looked to the side. Hans will have to be put to the slaughter if you want to live through this, "After that, we can resume the war once Lancer and Berserker are dead."
The older man had a thoughtful look before rubbing his chin, "I see. But how will you convince them?"
"I'll figure something out... But I would prefer to get your help. If possible," you replied with a quieter tone.
"Then who would you be willing to talk to? We can begin tonight if you wish. We won't have much time left," Emiya said with a nod.
Hatching
[] You'll talk to Assassin while Emiya meets with Archer's people. It's going to suck but you'll have to do it. It's your mess after all and you're not going to sleep right until you made things clear.
[] You'll talk to Archer's faction while Emiya finds Assassin. He might have a better chance of convincing Olga if he finds her. Archer was going to be tricky given the whole cult thing but you'll have to shoot your shot.
[] You'll talk to them both and have Emiya as your back up. Safety in numbers but this is going to take a longer time and the ball may roll while you're putting off one for the other. Still, it's more secure this way with two Servants and Masters.