[] It was time to retreat. Have Assassin come up with a stall tactic as the two of you withdraw with the Grail, you can't have this Servant chase the two of you so you need to deter him.
"I'll support you in your retreat. Open him up and we'll pin him down long enough to leave. Let's do it in 30 seconds," you told her as you held your cane hard.
This feeling was different. It was different from all the fights you had till now. A new emotion budded inside you as you felt your blood pump hard. Sweat slid down your cheek as you let out a breath.
Further ahead, Assassin moved.
Kicking off the ground, she darted towards the Servant Rider. He held his sickle and blocked her first blow, turning to cut her apart as she dodged to the side. Assassin jumped and flipped to throw several kunai at the man.
He swept the air with his scythe and knocked them aside, kicking off the ground to chase her. Placing two fingers before her body, Assassin unleashed an explosive fireball at Rider, forcing the other Servant to cut through and swing twice.
Assassin blocked and was forced to crash downwards. Stone split beneath Assassin as she drove her feet down. Rocks and debris flew upwards and she struck them with her feet to launch at her foe.
Rider cut through them as Assassin led him towards her.
"You can't run," Rider declared as he sped up.
Assassin blocked his strike and clashed with his blows. She stood steadfast as she expertly broke his guard, surprising even Rider himself.
This was your chance. Assassin moved in for a fatal blow but Rider dashed back. You created a rune from a distance, utilizing your magical energy to have it activate.
Gravity pulled down in Rider as he was left open to Assassin slamming her foot into his abdomen, sending him flying into a pillar. You cast a decay curse and forced the pillar to crumble on top of the Servant before you and Assassin looked at one another.
"Run!" You barked as you reinforced your bum leg to work as you ran to the outside.
Assassin kept up with you and hoped that Rider was taking his time. However just as the two of you were getting out, the world began to fall apart. The grand hybrid of castle and hospital began to fade as the World rejected the presence of the fictional one.
The sandy city soon turned into a parking lot filled with cars and open spaces. You ran and immediately found the young girl you left behind. Now it was really time to go!
"Hold up!" You barked as you ran and picked up the sleeping girl using levitation and your lone arm.
It's moments like this that you can't help but hope your negative thoughts reached a certain Cheese Girl. You hoped that Scathach was kicking her ass for all the trouble you have of not having an arm!
Eventually, the Reality Marble shattered and you were back in the real world. But this only left you exposed as you turned to see Rider walking out of the building.
You kept running just as Rider jumped to catch up to you. Assassin moved in to catch his blade and the two Servants were locked in battle once more.
"Leaving so soon?" Rider asked as he and Assassin bounced off one another.
Assassin flipped and threw her kunai and shuriken, forcing Rider to dodge until she revealed the thin wires attached to them. She then yanked back her blades and pulled them towards Rider, forcing him to jump in the air.
The projectiles were maneuvered by Assassin to strike several cars instead of hitting near you.
Rider landed on the ground and held his sickle, "Not bad. How many tricks can you do?"
"Enough to get you eventually," Assassin replied as she bared her sword. She glanced at you, "My Lord, go! I'll hold him back!"
"Got it," you breathed as you moved.
Rider tried to intercept you but Assassin blocked his path with a wall of fire. Rider stopped and turned to look at her as the Shinobi stood in the light of the flames.
You moved out of the barrier and grit your teeth. Carrying this girl with all you had, you fought through the growing pain of your leg and the overuse you were putting your circuits through. Not only that but Assassin fighting was also depleting your prana but not at the rate you needed to be worried about.
So you ran with the Grail in your arms, pushing your body to the limit as you ended up finding yourself being met by someone down the road. Manaka stood with a smile before you and held out her hand.
"Let's go home, Hans," she said in that same pleasant voice she always directed towards you.
.....
....
...
Assassin knocked Rider's scythe into the air and the two of them moved to cut each other down. One strike. That was all she needed! All she needed was to aim for his neck!
However before she could land it, the Scythe's blade drew close. She ended up smashing against a sword, sparks flying as she had her eyes widen.
"That's enough out of the two of you," Berserker said as he caught you and Rider at the same time, "Why don't you both
relax."
Berserker shifted his weight and flung Rider away. The masked man spun in the air and landed on nothing but air, stopping his fall and began levitating... No, it was as if air itself solidified beneath his feet.
Assassin drew back and held her sword before Berserker glanced her way, swinging his sword. Assassin's eyes widened and she dodged his strike, only for him to give her a wink.
Right...
This battle was over. She blended with the darkness and vanished from sight.
Berserker glanced at the wraith above him, "You could have won if you pulled out all the stops. Isn't that what your class is about, pulling cheat after cheat to win?"
Rider looked down at the Hero beneath him. He let out a chuckle before jumping away, vanishing from sight. Berserker lowered his swords then with a sigh.
"Guess it's our win, huh," he murmured as he looked up the sky. He felt a chill run down his spine, making his blood immediately boil.
His Master sure was something...
.....
....
...
Rider landed in an alleyway before taking off his mask. He let out a breath as he leaned against the wall and looked up.
"Things just aren't going the way we planned. What do you think, Ophelia?" Rider chuckled as he took off his mask.
"It's getting complicated. I'll see what I can do," the woman named Ophelia said as she looked at her Command Seals, "We'll have to try harder next time."
"I would tell you to relax but this
is a War," Rider said as he put his mask back on and walked to his Master's side, "Indeed. There are a lot of opportunities in the future."
.....
....
...
It was 2am and you were sitting out on your sofa with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass. Sitting in front of you was Berserker with his own glass while the two of you sat in silence. You poured yourself a shot and downed it and swallowed hard.
You were exhausted.
"Hey," you said as you coughed.
"What?" Berserker glanced at you.
"Your Master's scary," you told him with a dry tone.
Berserker stared at you before downing his own drink before pouring himself another glass, "No shit, boy. No fucking shit."
Manaka was currently in the spare room in the current floor, enhancing the defensive charms and putting all sorts of traps to ward off invading Magi. You... Left it to her. Now that you were sufficiently buzzed, you thought about it. Manaka was all alone with that Grail... No, that
little girl all by herself.
Assassin was standing nearby and was looking out the window. The tension from the previous battle hadn't left your group at all. Only Manaka seemed to be carefree.
You stared at your glass as the ice melted.
Captured Flag
[] Maybe you should go check on Manaka after all. You didn't like the idea of leaving her with that Grail. You're drunk enough to be brave again.
[] Just keep drinking. You won this time. You deserved this. You should go get the better stuff for the occasion.
[] Go see the sleeping girl. Make sure you cleaned up after the messes Manaka would leave while working. You wanted to make sure that the girl was all right before you stop worrying.
[] Talk to... (Choose one)
-[] Assassin
-[] Berserker