"It seems that my joke didn't come through the way I intended it to. How strange, back in our days, Siegfried would always laugh and compliment my sense of humor whenever I tried to lighten the mood," Caster said after Rosa's reply. The way she spoke, however, left some doubts about whether it was she who lost her sense of humor or if Siegfried was the one indulging her back then.

Regardless of the truth involving Kriemhild's past love life, the following developments regarding the mysterious Servant that shambled towards Lancer made her raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "A Berserker whose raging heart have been stolen by one of the world's most renowned thieves, huh? That's certainly an intriguing situation," she said, thinking out loud.

"Very well, then, I'll do as you say. Even though I'm not certain whether or not I can directly support Lancer after his insults to the Runes. Nevertheless, I do have a request. If this Berserker had her willpower truly stolen, it's very likely that I should be able to tamper even further with it and add her might to our numbers. So, command Lancer to not kill her if possible. Incapacitating an enemy who won't fight back to her utmost shouldn't be too much for a warrior of his skill, I believe," Caster said as she stroke the side of her mount moving away from Lancer.

To say the truth, she was only being courteous and indulging the others' interests at this moment. Disabling Berserker in a non-lethal manner would have been child's play for her but doing so before the others had their fill would be disappointing in more ways than one. In fact, instead of being worried about Berserker, Caster was more interested in seeing how Lancer and Archer would behave in a fight.

"With that said, I shall provide an opening for you. Try to exploit it to the best of your ability, Lancer," she said as she slashed her finger across the air, drawing a single rune...


She called forth the rune of ice, summoning forth the cold winds of the North. The swept by the park, no doubt reminding Rosa of the cold back in Chaldea, before congregating around Berserker, flash freezing her in a huge pillar of ice as blue as the heart of a glacier. Even if the cold didn't hurt her and paralyze, the frostbite would slow her down and make reactions sluggish.

"How fortuitous then that you are a painter." Pandarus said, with a flash of his teeth. "Rider has been requiring a painter for some time. Soldiers by the thousands, but... No artist to chronicle his war." He held his hands up, as slowly the soldiers gathered about turned to look at each of the servants, and their master.

The faces. Each without expression. An... Empty face. Smooth without a wrinkle or ear. Only a hole where they should have expression. Drooling out a thick mud, which sizzled away into nothing. This face on each soldier, regardless of armor or flag. Yet Pandarus did not stop walking. He seemed unaware, or perhaps simply uncaring of the soldiers around them. As if... He had become used to such a display. Further and further into the camp they walked, with soldiers shuffling by, or simply stepping aside as the Archer led the group further along. Ahead lay tents. To those who fought in the war... It was like being slapped in the face.

Each tent was laid out in a pattern. A near half circle, or the hoof of a horse. And yet... The fabrics. The way it faced them... They were home. Home outside Troy. Facing the very set up that had faced them outside Troy. As if they had stepped into a fantasy, with faceless soldiers standing around in droves.

"RIDER! I HAVE RETURNED WITH HEROES OF TROY! _{And Diomedes...}" Pandarus raised his hands, as if in salute. The largest tent, for a leader, opened up. His eyes narrowed as he stepped out into the field, eyes wide with pleasure.
"Welcome!" He laughed, arms out wide to accept each of them into his army. "I welcome you, to my camp!"

And so... They met Alexander the Great.
____________________________________________________




It was odd how much this knight reminded him of someone. No, not Fionn. But as Diarmuid looked across that distance, he was reminded of another knight. One brimming with energy, who fought to save the princess in every challenge, and... Well... Perhaps it was just better to treat it as a fondness. He twirled that golden blade in his hand, and stepped forward.

"Very well, I shall spar with you. But once I have laid you out on your back, I want you to remember that you asked for it." Diarmuid said, before charging forward. A flurry of strikes from his blade, as playful as a child swinging a blade around, but with the skill of a knight worthy of his title. For Diarmuid, it was all fun.





"I assume you mean the Rider that chased after your scout? I hope he didn't hurt him too much, it'd be bad if we lost our Rider in case Caster's Master is in a sea of enemies."

There was a good nature'd smile from the Shu general, and he nodded after a pause. "Yes, I refer to your Rider. Gawain, correct? Or perhaps he has not shared his name with you yet." He took a step closer, as if he was unworried by a sword. "I am an ally. The bounded field you have entered is my noble phantasm, Unreturning Army: Stone Sentinel Maze." It seemed so simple when he said it that way.

"I have placed this field all over Fuyuki. Particularly the outer edges. For close to the center of this city, lies an army set up by this grail war's..." He paused, as if he didn't quite know what word he'd prefer to use. "Winner. A servant known as Rider." He understood that it may be difficult for them to trust his word, considering they had arrived from Chaldea, without connection.

"How about this. I shall prove myself an ally, in one move." He raised a hand, the one holding the fan. His eyes never leaving the three...

"Wait, what do you plan to do, in order to prove your honor as an ally?" Liliana said, interrupting as she stepped forward. Only to then step back, as if that was too forward even for her.
"Simple... I am restoring the thing you need most. But don't tell anybody, because it's a secret." There was calm in that moment...



Nothing. Caster's words were spoken, and he turned to walk away. The maze did not fall. The world was quite. Liliana felt in that moment as if the tension in the world could be cut by a knife.

"-ello? A new channel is active on the monitor. Did they connect with others?" A voice from nowhere. A surprised laugh as if the world was kicked back into motion. "At last! Another team has established contact! This is Raphael, servant of madam Yuna Hoshiyumi! And you are in contact with Chaldea! Oh what glorious news! I thought we'd lost you for a while!" The figure of a man burst into life before them. "Madam, we have contact with a new party! I told you I was a genius! Must have been a glitch in the system. One of my drones must have made an error. No matter how hard I try, they never can match my artistic flare."

"What a strange man. I hate him." Was all Hatshepsut had to say.

"Haha, and I hope you remember your words when you're outduelled by a Rider without his mount," Gawain snapped back, his longsword flickering out to meet Diarmuid's. Silver clashed with gold, a steady stream of cuts and parries exchanged between the two knights under the unamused eyes of Gringolet. Divorced from supernatural powers and murderous intent, swordplay was mathematical and predictable, each swing and thrust leading into each other. A duel to protect one's honor spawned unorthodox technique, but a duel for entertainment's sake was simply that: Gawain may show off by switching to his offhand, doing a spinning strike, or bending over backwards for an inordinately inefficient dodge, but both sides were playful, dancing to the music of ringing steel.

"By the way," Gawain said, breaking the silence of several minutes of duelling, "Don't suppose you have a way of turning off your mole, Diarmuid? I think my fellow Heroic Spirits will be fine, but it'd be basically more awkward if the Master ended up falling for you. 'specially if we're gonna be working together n all. Chaldea's got quite a few ladies in it, y'see."

---

The soldiers were more and more odd the more she looked at them. Were...they the dead soldiers they found back where they had woken up at? The mud coming from the faceless soldiers was different, wasn't it? Or at least, it seemed to be so. No one here was showing much care for it however, so Marietta let it go for now. She was preparing to meet this Rider. If what Pandarus said was true, then it was likely a king or conqueror of some sort.

Her assumption seemed to have been proven correct. At the largest tent stood a man with such an imposing presence and visage it would have enraptured any with its greatness. It was easy to see why Pandarus was so taken with him. This Rider was definitely a figure of great military exploits and very likely leadership as well.

"Well, I believe my servants need no introduction." Marietta replied with a small smile to Rider.
"I am Marietta, Sir Rider, I am a humble painter and Magus. I am understanding you may have need of one of those? And I apologize if it seems a little forward to ask, but would you mind sharing what exactly is going on here?"

---

Mori didn't actually bother to read the stolen paper himself, passing it off to Rosa without much thought. It probably had some awesome tactical information that he had been responsible for retrieving, but his job wasn't to figure out who to beat the crap out of, just to be a badass when someone finally told him to. Luckily, he finally had those orders.

"Yeah, alriiight!" Lancer cheered as he was told to fight. He was ready to kill off this weirdo, but Caster's comment got his attention. "You can actually get this lame-brain to do stuff for ya? I like the sounda that. I'll just break her shins or somethin'!"

Mori flashed a confident thumbs-up to Rosa, then headed right back in the direction he had just come from. The sword chick must've been seriously out of it, since even his wittiest insults hadn't gotten a rise out of her. Well, if she wouldn't give him a rise, he'd make her fall! Hey, that's a nice line. I gotta write that down! Caster was surrounding the Berserker in ice, and since Lancer would eventually have to smash into that prison he figured he'd at least do it from a good angle. One moment he was charging headfirst for the enemy, and the next he was swerving around her as she froze. Once he made his way behind the restrained enemy, he sent a pair of vicious thrusts at her back. Boneless Man's blade cut through the ice like nothing, and it would do the same to this lady's flesh with this opportunity.

Belorophon

---

"Hey!" They shouted to the people below. "I can see a church, and what seems to be an army of... golems? They're advancing towards the church."

Flitting down with Pegasus, they landed and offered a hand towards the group. "Anyone wants a ride to battle? I can probably only throw you there and drop you off near the army, but you'd be there quicker."

A sound offer in Rider's mind. A ride to battle quickly, to end it swiftly. Plus they wouldn't be expecting another Servant to be dropped off, and they can fight immediately two man strong instead of just Rider until the rest arrives. Of course, it meant only a Servant confident in their close combat ability should take it; a Caster unskilled in close combat would be overwhelmed by an army after all.

"So? Anyone wants the ride? Or I can go there alone first. I think I can defeat this army by myself, truth be told."

As expected of the great Zhuge Liang... or any Caster with talents for that matter. Olivier made herself known to greet Raphael in full plated armor. "This is Saber reporting. I regrouped with this young lady and the Egyptian Caster's master, we were pursuing the young knight and if it weren't for Zhuge Liang guiding us here. We would have been stuck for hours in this maze he created. She turned back to the Chinese Strategist with a look of suspicion/

"That reminds me Sir Liang. If you are a Servant, who summoned both of you if not her or my original Master somewhere out in this hellish landscape?" She had every right to stay on guard. Just because someone is nice to you does not mean their intentions truly are.

@Stormborn @ERode @Love Detective @Reflection

"Ha, it seems the war was well under way before things went wrong. Let us escort young Waver to the church so we can hear the full story." Saber spoke with a cheer that was at odds with the situation, the oversized knight for all appearances unperturbed by the dire state of the city and unaware of the discomfort of the former Master.

Rider landed next to them, speaking to them from atop his flying steed and informing them of the approaching army of golems. "Ah, I would gladly accompany you into battle Rider, but would your horse even be able to carry us both? Dealing with this army would be a suitable test of my skills in this new body, but perhaps it would be best if I stayed to protect these two for now." A wide gesture of Saber's hand indicated both William and Waver.

@Grey@GreenGoat@ItMeGritty

---

"Velvet, huh?" William said as he took the magus' hand and gave it a firm shake. "Gotta say, I'm more for leather myself, personally."

He snorted and grinned like he thought that was actually funny. Which he did.

"Just a little joke to liven the air. City's already doom and gloom enough what with all the, uh..." William placed his hands on hips and looked around the area. "...Yeah."

He decided to refrain from answering any questions for now, and simply waited until Rider returned to give a brief scouting report. After receiving the appropriate information and considering Saber's input, William piped up.

"Sorry, big guy," he apologized. "Much as I'd love to let'cha off the chain, Mr. Velvet and myself would be mighty vulnerable if some unsavory fella like Assassin or some such wants to play while Caster's busy setting up in the church."

An idea struck William at that moment.

"Hey Caster, maybe you wanna send some of your winged friends there to help out Rider?" he suggested, making little flapping motions with his hands at the mention of wings, "Gauge their strength, get some recon done, that sorta thing? If familiars can take them you no problem, that's one less thing to worry about."

With his input on tactics out of the way, William turned his attentions back to the magus in green. "Great! Now that that's outta the way, we can mosey on down to this church and get our little Q&A session going."

The Chinese cowboy threw his arm over Waver and marched off in the direction Rider had directed.

---

Berserker continued to stare at Lancer, yet strangely she stopped just as Caster drew her first rune. Her gaze was still half lidded, the light in her eyes dull as she slowly turned away from Lancer and towards Caster. Her gaze was not necessarily focused directly on the pair thanks to her rune of avoidance, it was more like Berserker was staring at the general area they were in, but somehow the Berserker clearly felt something coming from the Magus as she began her initial "attack".

The winds coalesced around Berserker quickly, giving her little to no warning as a pillar of ice bloomed around the knight and froze her completely still. It should have been a simple attack for any Servant to dodge, yet she barely even reacted when the initial winds brushed across her skin. She had only begun to move when the ice first began to appear, a pointless endeavor as she was already caught by the spell.

Lancers follow up was met with no resistance whatsoever, from neither the ice nor Berserker's flesh as he cleanly stabbed into the frozen Servant. Blood stained the ice around her as well as Lancer's blade, Berserker's only reaction within the ice being a minor twitch as she registered the pain. A few seconds passed like this, with Berserker stuck in the ice and Lancer at her back raring for a fight. Yet nothing happened.

Then the ice shook once. Then it shook again. Once more, the ice beginning to turn red as it slowly began to melt and boil. Then all at once the pillar exploded as Berserker flexed free of her bindings, blood pouring freely from her wounds as an crimson aura surrounded her entire body.

"Whoa! We just got a bunch of info out of nowhere, all her Paramaters just went insane! Endurance is B, Mana is B, Luck is D, Agility is A, Strength is... no way. Her Strength is A++!" Yuna leaned towards the camera, her face filling up the screen as she stared at the stats in front of her. "For her to have a Strength that high, she would have to be absolutely inhuman! That's... so cool!"

Regardless of how cool it was, the fact of the matter remained that Berserker was standing completely still, visibly trying to process just what had happened over the past five seconds. Her free hand reached up to her wild blonde mane and scratched at her scalp, aggravating the wounds on her back from the impossibly sharp blade of the Boneless Man. She turned around and came face to face with Lancer, her eyes widening in surprise and a grunt of shock escaping her lips as she took a step back. There was no aggression in her stance by any means, she was actually completely wide open for another attack if Lancer so chose. It was abundantly clear that while Berserker was clearly a complete monster in terms of raw power, she completely lacked the capacity to actually defend herself and fight.

Belorophon

---

@Grey@ItMeGritty@King Cosmos

Belorophon sighed.

"Ah well, then I shall have to suffice."

With that, they zoomed back, moving faster this time.

"Alright, partner, lets do this." Patting Pegasus' flank, Belorophon put on the Bridle on the flying steed. Pegasus was normally a docile creature, but with the Bridle, they can unleash their true power. "Its us against another army. The usual, I suppose."

Bellorophon grinned widely, their blood already boiling for a fight. Water ripped out from the ground, draining from the pipes, homes, and other places where they might have gathered, but as they stopped in front of the army moving towards the church, it was clear the water wasn't what the enemy should be watching for.

"Perish!"

Pegasus' wings beat suddenly, sending enourmous gusts of winds towards the army, shearing through even the ground, ripping apart everything in its way, even as Belorophon's arrows rained on the army.

"This isn't half as useful as I thought it would be. If she won't defend herself even after an attack like that, it'll be impossible to judge anything other than the information we have at the moment," Kriemhild said as she maneuvered her mount away from Berserker. She expected a much more forceful reaction. Being met with something less threatening than the mewling of a newborn kitten was a massive disappointment.

"Very well, I was waiting to make use of this later, but you leave me no choice," she said to herself before extending a pointed finger towards the rageless Berserker. "Consider this an honor, child. You'll be bear witness to Lord Wotan's true wisdom, the real power of his Primordial Runes," Kriemhild said to the Master clinging to her as she drew another rune in the air with a swipe of her fingertip.

As soon as she finished, the atmosphere rumbled with power. Contrary to the traditional runes and staves she had been using until now, this was legitimate Magecraft from the Age of the Gods, a power strong enough that only the best of the mage killer Servants would have any hope of shrugging off its effects. The secret she invoked came from the rune of Thurs, the God of Thunder, son of Wotan, a warrior whose rage had no limits and, the effect she imposed on Berserker was just that: the mad rage of the God of Thunder. A blind and bloody rage of the greatest of all Berserkers.

"Go, nameless Berserker. Let us see what what you can do when you are at your peak. Let me judge if your strength is worth adding to our cause," Kriemhild said, again to herself, as she filled Berserker's heart with a rage that only she could extinguish.

---

Well, Rosalyn was mostly fine with Servants doing what they needed. That aside though... What was that stat distribution? "Did you just say A++ strength?!" By all that was holy, what are these shenanigans? Forget a C rank servant strength, A++ would leave her as paste on the floor is she got so much as flicked by that. "Director, if you think it's so 'cool' perhaps you'd like to come here and try it first hand, hmm?" Well, as far as she could tell... Yes, the berserker can still get a power boost... Just... From a teammate rather than her own powers.

The Master wasn't sure what to think about this. "Alright, she's still got an A rank in agility so be careful. Don't get hit! That much is an order. Mori, Archer... I'm trusting you to do your thing. Caster, I know this goes without saying, but don't kill me. I'll give you massage later if you get me out of here unscathed." She made sure to hold on tightly to the Nordswoman. There were many terrible things that could happen with a servant involved... Especially a Berserker class servant. "I'd rather not die on my first outing after all."

"That reminds me Sir Liang. If you are a Servant, who summoned both of you if not her or my original Master somewhere out in this hellish landscape?"

Liang did not miss a beat, and nodded at the question. "Ah, it's a bit of a long story. Just know that I was summoned for a Holy Grail War. Everything happening now is the aftermath of it. Seven servants summoned by their masters, each to help their summoner win a war. It... Didn't go exactly as planned." He took a step away, as if to guide them. "But, I shall tell you the full story when we are someplace a bit safer. My maze is... Well I feel we'd all be happier to be at my workshop instead. No doubt we'll have your friend arrive shortly with us."

Liliana stepped over, and began to walk by the Caster's side. "Well, aren't you all going to follow?" She said, as if that was so simple. It was less trust, and more a realization that even if they said no, it was unlikely they'd ever get out of the maze without somebody to help them. And she for one did not like to get lost. It was one thing for a corn maze, but this was something else.

Even if her current team wanted to, she was forcing their hands. "Now, Mr. Zhuge Liang, tell me about China. Is it lovely this time of year?" His response did not reach Saber's ears, but judging from how excited Liliana acted, it must have sounded rather lovely to her ears. As soon enough... Time moved on.

At Caster's Workshop...

The workshop was simple. It lay upon the old school, which was good enough for a Caster at least. Making it rather clear where he most stood to benefit. The building was noticeably gutted, but quite a bit of it had been restored in a way that clearly hearkened to the Caster's homeland. A warm cozy look, with quite a number of artifacts he had no doubt re-purposed from the museum.
"Do you like that one?" Caster asked, while watching Lilianna pick up a helmet. "It's the catalyst used by a master in the second grail war. I believe it was used to summon a persian hero. Likely someone like Cyrus the Great, or one of the many Darius's. I suspected the master must have been from the same region, since I heard that the Berseker of the second war was quite the monster. The Berserker of this war was a formidable beast too, but she passed up against assassin early on, and he stole her rage. It would have helped to have her in the war."

Caster then glared at Diarmuid, who had been forced to take a seat in the corner after Caster had returned to see him and the Rider fighting again. It was kind of like seeing him lightly punish a giant dog. Kind of silly, despite Saber being more than a match for Caster.
"Though, I guess it's time to explain where it all went wrong." Caster said, and pondered for a moment just where he should begin. "Well, I guess... I should start with the very end of the war."

Caster... Was defeated... He was on his knees, eyes wide, and finally defeated. Not by a quick mind, or a strategist above his level, but by sheer attrition. Waves upon waves of soldiers, and he only one man. It was like facing off against his rival again. But unlike Sima Yi, who was smug as could be, there was no sense of an equal match here. It was simply the reality of being overwhelmed by a wave. As if he was once more fighting the whole hordes of Cao Cao's Wu. And finally... He had folded.
Having been impaled by three spears, it was a wonder Caster was still alive, much less able to focus on the man in front of him. Because before him, was Rider. Alexander the great. A conqueror of such renown that even Caster knew his name from simple knowledge alone. His breathing was heavy as he watched the conqueror stand aloof and distant, as if judging rather than getting involved.

"Impressive, Caster. I shall remember you as one of the more worthy challenges I have faced in this war." Rider said, with a smirk on his lips. "It's a shame I can't recruit you to my cause, but loyalty to your own ruler is a quality that I would never force from another. After all, a willingness like yours should be congratulated, and not stolen." It was odd, but despite such a defeat, it was hard to feel anger at this man. No, it made sense. It explained why he had been hailed a god in some places.

Caster let out a deep sigh, still holding on. Until there was a pain in his heart. A sudden feeling, as if a connection had been severed. As if on cue, a man stepped from the shadows. His hair a snowy blonde, almost white, and his black cloak all to obvious. Caster didn't even need to say the name. They all knew who he was. Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald...

"What did you d-" Caster opened his mouth to speak, but it didn't matter. He was silenced by another figure moving from the shadows. Light dancing off its form... The Volumen Hydrargyrum. A slick silver abomination of magecraft, and a genius work of a genius mage of his era. But that was not what drew Caster's eyes. That wasn't what made him shut up.

"Waver?"
The boy's head rested on top of the strange sphere. The rest of his body hidden inside it. But no doubt... Waver Velvet was dead. His body shredded apart, as he had tried to match his own teacher in a field he was never destined to succeed in. The very definition of an impossible battle.

"Tssk, a real shame." Rider said, shaking his head. "That boy had spunk. Well, spunk buried under fear and cowardice." Rider added that last part, and for a moment Caster wished he had the strength to move, so that he might strangle both men who took satisfaction in the death of Caster's master.

"Rider..." Caster spoke, but the words hurt so much. "I damn you... I damn your quest for conquest. I damn your master. I damn all who participate in this war." His words were bitter. "I hope that when you look upon your grail. Your prize at the end of the rainbow... It is as black and meaningless as the those of a demon from the deepest part of humanity. Damn your grail war. Damn you." Caster closed his eyes... And the last thing he saw was Rider walking away with his master... And Waver's mutilated body hitting the floor. Life discarded so easily...

What a waste...

What a waste...................

What a waste........................................................................................

Then Caster woke up. Magic filled the air. The grail had been destroyed... And he was there once more.

"That is what happened. The war ended when another master attacked the grail. Unable to destroy it, he had instead released its contents upon the world. A black mud that corrupted any human it touched, and twisted any servant who stepped into it. Rider was the closest, and thus was tainted forever by its madness."

"Well, I guess we know who our enemy is..." Lilianna said after that long silence.

"Hrmmm..."

Sitting in the corner of the room opposite of Diarmuid (because it wouldn't be fair for only one to be 'punished' when both were equally at fault), Gawain mulled over Zhuge Liang's words. For the greed of magi to corrupt the Grail in which Jesus Christ once offered the covenant of his blood, it certainly sickened the Knight of the Surcoat, who had once so fervently defended the Christian world. And now this far eastern city was ablaze and distraught, a battlefield for phantoms pulled back unto the world by black mud and foul curses. He didn't care so much for the tragedy of a life cut short; many a youth had been vanquished in pursuit of glory and recognition. The valor of this 'Waver' could be respected, but, well, a death on the battlefield was a death.

The brash knight folded his arms, before asking, rather insolently, "So what's the plan? Will the world be saved if we simply took the head of the Conqueror King? Or are there blacker machinations at hand here, Zhuge?"

There was a pause, a furrowing of the brow.

"Do I refer to you as Zhuge? Or as Liang?"

The Paladin found herself sitting beside Liliana but facing the two Servants from where she sat. Arms crossed and a brush of her silver hair made her think that war hasn't changed there will always be casualties. That isn't something for her to mope about however, she joined the war of her own volition so she had thought that Waver Velvet had done the same for his own reasons but failed in the process because of a Heroic Spirit, one with a higher rating above others.

"King of Conquerors huh?" She muttered to herself. She, Roland and Turpin were kingslayers... Saracen Kingslayers anyway, twelve of them fall underneath their sanctified blades so what makes this one any different? Of course she won't underestimate anyone, underestimating even the weakest of foes will only open a gate to your defeat.

"Young Rider, I'd rather you do not add the word: Simply we might not be dealing with just any ruler around here. If this person calls themself a King of Conquerors they're not bluffing. They are a Heroic Spirit after all." She turned back to Zhuge, trying not to look at Diarmuid.

"Is there anyway to contain this mud?"

@Stormborn @ERode @Love Detective @Reflection

---

It was kinda disappointing, when the attacks connected without resistance. Lancer didn't usually get the chance to stick Boneless Man into a person who didn't immediately fall over, and he found that when he moved it a little slower it felt less like slicing through air and more like... He wasn't sure. Wiggling the blade around inside Berserker for a second, he tapped into his Grail-given knowledge of marshmallows. Yeah, a marshmallow would probably be pretty good right now. He wouldn't wanna eat a whole bag, though, so maybe he could convince his Master to get a bag for herself, and then just sneak a few..?

That one chick was letting them know Berserker's stats. It didn't mean much to Lancer, all that letters-and-math-thingies business. Her power was insanely high, but he was carving her up like a pumpkin, so how much did that really count for? He stepped back, realizing that the damage he was dealing didn't mean a whole lot, and he at least had the sense to not want to be within a sword's-length of that kind of force. That turned out to be a good call when Caster started working her magic.

Mori, who had been looking like he would just as easily chow down on a mediocre burger as take another swing at the unresponsive woman, dropped into a lower stance with his spear forwards when he realized what was going on. "No shit! I was thinkin' you had a huge stick up your ass, Caster, but was it actually a massive pair'a balls?" He genuinely liked the magus a little more based on her recent action. Without really checking to see if Berserker was on the move, Lancer lunged to one side making for the edges of her vision before making a rising slash with Boneless Man. He had done some serious work on her organs without much reaction, so he figured this time he'd take care of a few limbs to make things go smoother, starting with the girl's left thigh and arm. Given his Noble Phantasm's effect, there was actually a chance to plough right through multiple body parts in a single swing if it was angled right.

---

It was an immediately noticeable shift. In the first moment she had been relaxed, confused about her surroundings, trying to understand what exactly was going on in the situation around her. Then her muscles tensed, her eyes widened, blood vessels began pumping faster as she turned towards Lancer. Her teeth bared like a mad dog, rage filled her eyes as she looked upon the one who skewered her. The one who impaled her upon the holy spear, the one who would not acknowledge their only heir. She swung her sword downwards at the rising spear, sending it directly into the ground with no chance of resistance. Her eyes burned into his, spittle flying out of her mouth as she screamed at her foe, stepping forward and shattering the ground beneath her. Through the veil of madness, she saw only one foe, only one person worthy of her l͏̧̟͓͠ͅo͔̠͠v҉͉̼͇̮͈̹͎ͅe̗̖̹̳hate.

"A̴͇̭͍̣͕͚̩͓̼̪̘̩̥̟̻̼̻R̷͔̯̙̼̠̻͔̫̀͘T̵̴͈̘͎͎͖̥͉̙͖̼̪̱̬͈̦̲̟͜ͅH̶̡͙̺͔̞̦͚̞̥̦̩̱̝͠ͅU̸̱͉͈̞̻̲̮̻̪̙̥̘̖̜͍U̡̮͎̝̜̝͓̻̦̜̣͎̤͚̕U̵̴͉͓̗̭̬̱͘Ù̵͇̟̮̤̩͕̠̗͔̠͍̱̟̦̬̮́͞U̢͏̮̝͚̥̠̙̱͈̝͚ͅU̸̖̼̰̣̖͚̳̕͝͠U̢͙̥̘̯̫̼̝̟̪̣̻͘͝U͏͏̰̟̼̜U̡҉̛͈͙̩̪͕̘̗͉͇̮ͅU̶̳̗̪̥̬͚͔̱̘̱͜͢R̺̝̠̯͜͝!̴̨̥̟̹̹͇͍͕̫̻̝͚ͅ"

The world shook around them as she burst forwards, her arm rearing back as she prepared to annihilate the one who would deny her birthright. The Director screamed in the background, but it was simply drowned out by the sheer noise that threatened to crush them all underneath it's weight. There was only a moment to react, his options were fight or flight. Perhaps Archer could intervene, but he hadn't shown his face in a few minutes, so it was unknown if he was even still around. Caster was too far away, it was all she could do to just protect Rosalyn from the deadly spray of concrete shrapnel that rocketed towards them. All Lancer could rely on, was himself.

"Hahaha! Yes, that's more like it, show us what you are made of, Berserker!" Kriemhild said before bursting out in a fit of crazed laughter. Whether it was to kill, or capture, going after a prey that wouldn't fight back was not enjoyable at all. Seeing Lancer pay the price for his insolent barking was just icing on the cake. However, it seems like the mad dog—the one that was their ally—was still enjoying this battle. If that's what he wants, then so be it, Kriemhild didn't care either way. If nothing else, Lancer thinking that she was doing this for the same reasons as him would probably make him less obnoxious to stand around in the future.

"Beware, Lancer, if you let your mouth do the talking instead of your blade..." Caster snapped her fingers, producing another Rune which made a wall of roots and brambles to burst from the ground, shielding Rosa and herself from the spray of concrete shards, "... you might end up having to eat a mouthful of dirt," she said before weaving her hand, causing the same brambles that protected them to shoot towards Berserker, trying to skewer her like a hail of many enchanted rune spears.

"Also, don't worry about it, Child. You have amused me so far, letting you perish would be too much of a waste," she finally said, answering Rosa's plea. "You can hold on tighter if you want more comfort, or enjoy the confrontation. Our enemy doesn't seem to have any form of resistance to magecraft, maybe even your spells could harm her, if you are willing to give it a try. There's no need for a Master to be passive while their Servants do all the job, is there?"

---

Waver simply nodded at William's terrible joke with a shaky smile. "Y-yeah, I've never heard that one before... ahaha." When Rider landed and gave his report, for a brief moment Waver tensed up. It was when he mentioned golems, it was only for a moment, a blink and you miss it kind of thing. Waver certainly calmed down when William asserted their need for a Saber to accompany them to the Church. And so the plan of action was decided, Rider would assault the platoon on his own while Saber would act as a guard to the two of them on their route to the Church.

Rider's assault on the platoon did not go unnoticed, their faceless gaze drawn immediately to the sky as he drew near. Shields were drawn from their backs, raised to the sky in a perfect defensive formation to block to hail of arrows from the sky. Some perished from the winds, but their bodies shielded the rest and quickly disappeared into the crowd without a trace once the initial attack ended. Thus began the return volley. Shields lowered all at once, revealing dozens of archers with bows drawn and pointed directly at Rider. A wordless screech erupted from each of their 'mouths' in unison, a noise reminiscent of p̬̟̪̜̫͌͘a̦i͊̂ͤ͏ņ̞̣͚̩̠̜͍̆̎. The arrows were released like a storm, a wall of steel flying towards Rider rapidly to try and bring him down so they could overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

Meanwhile with Saber and William, Waver simply lead them through the streets as quickly as possible, jumping at every little sound made by the eerily quiet city. "I haven't been here for all that long honestly, but it never used to be this quiet. Even at night, there was always some sort of noise. Crickets, two people talking in their homes, the quiet rumble of a car as it drove by. This quiet... it just feels wrong." Waver seemed... angry as he looked ahead. His posture was stiff and his fists clenched tightly as he looked straight ahead with anger blazing in his eyes. The awkward silence was deafening.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this silence was interrupted by the clattering of a trash can as a faceless soldier came from around a corner, it's blank 'face' turning towards the group as it began to drool black mud. It didn't hesitate one bit as it sprinted towards the group, a spear materializing in hand as it ran directly for Waver. His eyes widened with fear as he backed up, trying to move behind Saber as quickly as possible. It spoke volumes of how much he feared these things, despite his training as a Mage, he made no attempt whatsoever to defend himself. He simply hid.