"Master."
"Hm?"
"Master."
"What, Karna?"
"It's almost time."
"Ehh? But I wanted to battle with Mordred a bit more. I'm almost at bond level 6!"
"That's fast!" Mordred yelped.
"Master, if you do not execute your plan in the next 15 minutes it will fail."
Haru sighed and put down her phone. "Let's go over this one more time, shall we?"
Kairi, Mordred, Arthur, and Karna nodded.
"Arthur, equipped with Volumen Hydragyrum, will infiltrate Yggdmillenia Forest and intercept Siegfried and his Master from reaching Astolfo and the homunculus… Sieg was his name, right? Or at least the name he will use. Karna, you get a second Volumen Hydragyrum. You'll be back up. In case Arthur ends up getting locked in battle with Siegfried, you get Sieg out of there and back here. I've been thinking about it, and we should keep Sieg safe. He can probably help us out."
"Wouldn't bringing Karna along be a bad idea?" Arthur asked. "The Black Faction will know that I am affiliated with the Red Faction and then it won't take them long to trace me back to you. You will be put in more danger."
"It's a risk we have to take. Actually… Karna, stay hidden unless Arthur is completely occupied. I'll just call you back immediately with a Command Seal if you guys get stuck. They'll restore themselves in a few days anyways."
"Wait, your Command Seals restore themselves?!" Kairi gasped.
"Mhm. I'm a Master with over 100 Servants; how would I be able to keep the troublesome ones in line with only 3 command seals? There were a couple incidents that forced me to use all 3 of them at once. I had to spend 3 days doing nothing to wait for them to replenish. Anyways, back on topic. Karna, here you go." Haru pulled a Craft Essence out of her phone and handed it to Karna, who took it with a nod of thanks.
"Shall I go then?" Arthur asked.
Haru nodded.
"Don't get into trouble, Mordred!" Arthur ruffled Mordred's hair before she could protest and swiftly dematerialized.
"I will be taking my leave as well." Karna dematerialized after he finished speaking.
"Now, the question is, what to do with Sieg," Haru mused. "He's not the version who's going to receive Siegfried's heart and gain powers beyond a normal homunculus, so he'll still be a pretty weak guy in general who's only useful for a mana battery… nah, that's too cruel. Jeanne would never let me hear the end of it once she found out. But what to do then? He's not a Servant so I can't form a contract with him, and he has no memories of the self that foiled Amakusa's plans in the war… oh, I hate parallel worlds," Haru groaned. "I could try strengthening his body with the items I have, but there would be no point in bringing him back to Chaldea…"
"Sounds like you're in quite the dilemma," a mysterious voice spoke.
"E-ehh?"
One of the perks of being contracted under the same Master was being able to communicate telepathically with the other Servant. Arthur and Karna did such as they sped their way through Yggdmillenia forest.
Karna, what do you make of this entire situation? Arthur asked, his voice serious and void of all the playfulness he had around Mordred earlier.
What part of it, King of Knights? Is it this rescue mission or is it this Great Holy Grail War in general?
This entire Great Holy Grail War. I understand our Master's motives for this rescue mission but this entire war feels strange to me.
Is it due to the fourteen-Servant rule?
I suppose… but why would our Master be called to this particular war in the first place? The 1000 Saint Quartz would definitely be an incentive, but there are multiple other Holy Grail Wars Zelretch could have sent her to.
I do not know either, but we should ask Master Haru later. We are close.
Karna and Arthur slowed down as they sensed two Servants up ahead. Still in spirit form, Arthur slowly made his way into the clearing, where he immediately noticed Astolfo and Siegfried locking weapons with each other, while the homunculus cowered beneath a fat blond man.
Were we too late?!
Arthur, reveal yourself. I will be your backup.
Trusting Karna's advice, Arthur materialized, his hood on and Excalibur hidden by Invisible Air. Siegfried and Astolfo turned as one to gape at him, and Gordes stumbled away from the homunculus, staring at Arthur in shock. "Servant?!"
"Step away from the homunculus, magus," Arthur ordered, his voice cold and authoritative.
"H-hey! What business do you have with him?!" Astolfo yelled. "He's innocent!"
"I am here to aid you, Rider of Black." Arthur stepped forward steadily, and Gordes quickly shrunk back behind Siegfried, who moved in front of his Master to protect him.
"Who are you affiliated with?" Siegfried asked.
"That information is not required for this conversation. My contractor's desire is to keep that homunculus away from the Black Faction, and I have sworn to complete that task."
"You're not Saber of Red! How is a rogue Servant even here in this Holy Grail War?! Enough of this madness! Saber, eliminate this Servant at once!" Gordes yelled.
Arthur readied his sword, tensing as he noted Siegfried took a ready position as well.
"I apologize for intruding, but I believe the Red Faction will be the ones taking this homunculus," Karna said coolly as he materialized, his spear pointing at Siegfried's neck. "We meet again, Saber of Black." Follow my lead, he mentally instructed Arthur. We must prevent your connection to Master Haru from being revealed at all costs.
I will trust your judgement, Hero of Charity.
"Lancer of Red," Siegfried said in slight anticipation. "You did not choose a favourable time to appear."
"Yet I am here."
"W-why are you here?! Where's your Master?!" Gordes cried out.
"She ordered me to retrieve the homunculus solely to keep him from being returned to the Black Faction. I do not know of this rogue Servant's intentions, but we will be the ones taking the homunculus."
"Why are you so obsessed over one pathetic homunculus anyways?! He is the property of the Black Faction so this is our problem! What is your Master plotting?!"
"I do not have any reason to inform you, Master of Saber of Black." Karna turned and leveled a stare at Astolfo, who was currently trying to escape the clearing with the homunculus trailing behind him. "Where do you think you are going, Rider of Black?"
"Obviously to get him away from you psychos!" The androgynous Servant yelled. "He asked me for help so I'm helping him get away from this place! He deserves to live a life free from this war!"
In one swift movement, Arthur dematerialized and reappeared right in front of Astolfo, giving Karna space to attack Siegfried if needed. "I told you earlier that I was here to aid you, Rider of Black," he said quietly, out of Gordes' earshot. "I know what fate will befall the homunculus if he is taken back to the Black Faction. You will not be able to complete this task on your own."
Astolfo scratched his head. "You're right, but I can't trust you right here right now. You appeared out of nowhere and you know about the entire situation."
"Rider," the homunculus said softly. "I think we can trust him. I don't know… but he has a good heart."
"Really? You think so?" Before Astolfo could say something else, he yelped and ducked as a chunk of rock flew past his head.
Siegfried and Karna had clashed, although both were holding back so as not to harm Gordes, who was scrambling backwards as fast as he could.
"Ah, I guess I have no choice!" Astolfo grabbed Arthur's free hand and shoved it into the homunculus's. "If he trusts you, then you should be a good guy, right? Hurry up and get him out of here-and don't come back! I don't want you throwing away the life we gave you to come back to this bad place, okay?"
"Thanks… Rider."
"Thank you, Rider of Black," Arthur said gratefully. Before he could take his leave, though, a new voice came.
"What is going on here?!" Jeanne ran into the clearing, causing Karna and Siegfried to momentarily pause their battle. "No way… a rogue Servant was really summoned?!" She stared at Arthur, trying to discern his identity. Her purple eyes widened. "You are—"
Master Haru! Call me back, right now!
E-eh? Okay, okay! By the power of my Command Seals, I order Arthur Pendragon to return to my side!
With a burst of mana, space folded around Arthur and the homunculus and they disappeared.
Karna smiled internally as his spear clanged against Balmung. Master, I should return by myself within the next 5 minutes. If I do not return by then, call me with a Command Seal.
Be careful!
"By the name of the Ruler-class Servant, I order you to cease your fight for now," Jeanne's clear voice cut through the area. "I must confirm some things."
"…" Siegfried could only sigh and lower his sword. Once again, his battle with Karna had to be interrupted.
"Ah, Ruler-san, do you have any idea who that was?" Gordes asked, apparently recovered after Arthur disappeared.
Before Jeanne could reply, the clip-clop of a horse's hooves could be heard, and Vlad, Darnic, Celenike, Fiore, Avicebron, Chiron, and Caules entered the scene.
"…"
"Well, this is awkward," Astolfo laughed uneasily.
"That's an understatement," Caules muttered under his breath.
"Lancer of Red, what business do you have here trespassing alone in enemy territory?" Vlad asked.
"Simply my master's orders," Karna replied.
"I sensed the summoning of a 15th Servant and rushed over here once I had a confirmation of his location, but I do not know the full details. I wish to know what happened. The Greater Grail should not have allowed this to happen." Jeanne glanced at Astolfo and Siegfried.
Astolfo giggled nervously. "Well, uh…"
"Rider!" Celenike snapped.
"Eep!" Astolfo flinched.
"I believe I can fill in the majority of the details," Darnic said smoothly. "Caster reported a missing homunculus who was seen with Rider, and I sent Saber and his Master to retrieve the homunculus unharmed. My guess is that Saber was able to intercept them but was interrupted by the rogue Servant and Lancer of Red. What happened next, I do not know."
"My Master gave me a location and ordered me to retrieve the homunculus for the Red Faction," Karna said. "However, the rogue Servant disappeared with the homunculus, presumably transported by a Command Seal."
"How would the rogue Servant get close enough to the homunculus in the first place?" Avicebron asked.
Celenike glared at her Servant.
Astolfo scratched his head. "I kinda let him go with the Servant?"
"Rider, do you believe your actions are a betrayal to the Black Faction?" Vlad asked dangerously.
"Hm… nope!"
"Caster, restrain him. We can decide on what to do with him later. As for you, Lancer of Red… you are on enemy territory. We have full authority under the Grail War to kill you right here with the combined power of all our Servants."
"I do not mind taking on all of you," Karna said coolly. "Will you mediate this battle, Ruler?"
"Actually, before you start, did you figure out the rogue Servant's identity?" Darnic asked. "We will need to make preparations to fight against a possible third party."
Jeanne nodded. "Saber-class, Arthur Pendragon."
Fiore drew in a sharp gasp. "A third Saber-class Servant and the famed King of Knights?!"
"Calm, Fiore. Despite his legend, he is only one Servant. We will discuss strategies later." Darnic raised his hand, and the Masters all retreated. The Black Servants readied their weapons
Karna closed one eye and raised his spear, but he could already sense Haru calling him back.
Karna, by the power of my Command Seal, I order you to return to my side!
Space warped around him, and the last thing Karna could see were the surprised looks on Vlad's and Chiron's faces.
"Seems like you're in quite the dilemma," Zelretch said calmly as Haru shrieked in shock, falling backwards and onto her butt. "I don't have something on my face, right?"
"Who are you?!" Mordred growled, summoning her armour and sword, but Kairi quickly waved her down.
"Wizard Marshall!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
"I came to check up on Haru. Oh, but I'm only staying for a few minutes or so. I may have interrupted a certain parallel world's Lorelei Barthomeloi's rant when I teleported here."
Kairi sweatdropped. "That's beyond dangerous…"
"Anyways, I did hear your last few words, Haru. You intend on saving Sieg even though it means he'll be without Siegfried's heart and a stronger body?"
"What about it?" Haru groaned. "I have no idea how to get him back to Chaldea and he won't be the Sieg that Jeanne and Amakusa know. Even then, I…"
Zelretch nodded. "Since you're doing quite well in this war, I'll help you out. Consider it a bonus along with your quartz."
Haru's eyes shone. "Thank you! But what are you going to do?"
Zelretch reached into an alternate space and pulled out a vial with a mysterious glittery substance. "I anticipated you would probably do this, so once Sieg arrives, make him drink this. It will strengthen his body as well as restore the memories of his counterpart. He won't be able to utilize Siegfried's abilities or gain Command Seals, but I think he'll be able to help you out quite well."
Haru eyed the vial. "What exactly is this?"
"You don't want to know. The Second Magic is highly complex." Zelretch tossed the vial to Haru, who scrambled to catch it. "If I'm not mistaken, Saber should be returning quite soon, so I'll take my leave. I'll return once the war is over." And with that, Zelretch disappeared, leaving a dumbstruck Kairi, Mordred, and Haru.
"I wasn't dreaming, right?" Kairi said cautiously.
Haru would have replied had Arthur's voice not spoken in her brain just then.
Master Haru! Call me back, right now!
E-eh? But Haru quickly got over her shock. Okay, okay! By the power of my Command Seals, I order Arthur Pendragon to return to my side!
Haru's outermost Command Seal flashed red before vanishing, and Arthur appeared in front of his Master, carrying a pale boy with him. "Master!"
"Where's Karna?" Haru asked as she helped the homunculus sit down.
"He's battling Siegfried."
Master, I should return by myself within the next 5 minutes. If I do not return by then, call me with a Command Seal .
Be careful!
Haru nodded. "I just received a message from him." She knelt down in front of the boy, putting a reassuring smile on her face. "Hi there, my name's Haru. You're completely safe here, I guarantee that."
"What do you want with me?" the homunculus asked softly.
"It is up to you whether you want to help me or not," Haru said. "However, I want you to drink this. It will strengthen your body and give you a longer life. We will talk afterwards since you will most likely be disoriented. It won't kill you, trust me."
The homunculus cautiously took the vial from Haru, uncorked it, and tipped the contents into his mouth, grimacing at the taste but swallowing. His eyes widened before they rolled up into the back of his head, and he fell unconscious.
"Was that supposed to happen?" Mordred asked.
Haru quickly placed her fingers by the boy's neck to check for a pulse. "He's just out of it. We'll talk later." Checking the time on her phone, she held out her hand. "Time to call Karna back. Karna, by the power of my Command Seal, I order you to return to my side!"
Karna appeared with a flash of light, looking just the slightest bit concerned. "Jeanne figured out your identity, King of Knights."
"Well, that's not good," Haru muttered. "Do you think she knows he's contracted to me?"
"I doubt it," Karna said. "We should have left the Black Faction quite confused and apprehensive about the future. They now think there is a third party to this war, and they should be proceeding more cautiously than usual."
"That's the good news then," Haru sighed. "You guys weren't hit by anything, right? Like Vlad's stakes?"
Karna and Arthur shook their heads.
"Then keep your Craft Essences for now, I'll give you better ones later. For now, we should just rest, I think." With that, Haru flopped onto a mat and closed her eyes. "Someone wakes me up when Sieg wakes up. You guys can do whatever until then." The sound of her soft breathing filled the air not long after.
Karna, Arthur, and Mordred exchanged glances. "I will go scout around Trifas," Karna said quietly.
"I'll stay here with Mordred then," Arthur responded. "I hope you will not run into any trouble, Karna."
"I will not." Karna dematerialized.
"Master, what're you gonna do?" Mordred asked Kairi.
"I was going to sleep. But do you need me for anything?" He asked.
"No. Go sleep."
"If you say so."
Arthur and Mordred gave a final glance at the sleeping homunculus before silently agreeing to keep guard outside the mausoleum. They both dematerialized in a burst of light.
All the while, the homunculus later known as Sieg slept, new memories and old mixing within his mind.
The mausoleum's silence was broken by a very cheerful ringtone.
"Kimi to (hai!) issho ga ichiban (iei!), suki yotte motto gyutto ne~ kimi wo (hai!) atarashii basho e to (iei!) hippattecchau ruranra! okurenai de ne~"
Kairi sat up with a surprised yelp, dropping his bone tools. "What the hell is this music?!"
Karna materialized, spear at the ready, before he realized it was Haru's phone and reached over to shake her awake. "Master, your phone is ringing."
Arthur and Mordred materialized as well, both staring at Haru's phone in awed disbelief.
Haru groaned and fumbled around blindly for her phone, her eyes still closed from sleep. Grabbing it, she hit the Answer button and pressed the phone to her ear. "Whoever it is, you better have a damn good reason to wake me up this early in the morning or else."
"It's noon, Haru-san. I was calling merely to inform you that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been completed and that we will commence our attack tonight. If you wish to come over, now is the best time to do so," Amakusa's smooth voice intoned.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for the information." Haru yawned loudly. "I'll come over with Lancer later this afternoon, then. Please don't kill me or take my Command Seals, and—oh yeah, can you keep Shakespeare out of my way? I might accidentally kill him if he comes within my line of vision. High-school nightmares and all that."
"Noted. We anticipate your arrival then."
"Yeah, bye." Haru hung up. "Well, my transportation's handled for the battle. Sorry, Kairi-san, you and Mordred are probably going to have to carjack a vehicle to get there yourselves."
"Wait, what's going on?" Kairi asked.
"The Red Faction's going to launch an attack on Yggdmillenia Castle and steal the Greater Grail tonight. This is the first and last major battle between the Red and Black Factions, so you and Mordred wouldn't want to miss it. In the original timeline, Jackie's rampage through the city with you fighting Fiore postponed the attack to tomorrow night, but since I gave her stuff to replenish her mana, she's no longer attacking magi. That reminds me, I'll go visit her today. As for what happens tonight… I'll meet with you guys in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon if things go as I planned."
"What else is going to happen tonight?" Kairi asked.
"Mordred's going to end up in a battle with Rider of Black—that's Astolfo, Sieg was originally going to interfere and Frankenstein pops up as well, but since Sieg's with us, that might not happen. How is Sieg, by the way?" Haru asked, making her way to the sleeping homunculus. "He's still asleep."
As if on cue, Sieg slowly blinked his red eyes open. "Where… am I?" He rasped out.
"You're in the hideout of one of the Red Faction Masters. Do you understand the circumstances you're in?"
Sieg nodded slowly. "My memories are mixing together, but I believe I know what happened. This is another version of the Great Holy Grail War where I never received Siegfried's heart or Command Seals, right?"
"Smart," Haru complimented. "If you remember any of our conversation last night, you should know I'm not affiliated with the Red or Black Faction even if Karna's my Servant. My name is Haru Fujimaru, and I'm also from a different timeline. I was sent here to prevent most of the events that originally occurred from happening, and so far, I've messed with the timeline a lot. Siegfried is still alive, Karna is no longer with the Red Faction, and Jack the Ripper is guaranteed not going to kill any of us."
Sieg blinked. "If this is the morning after I was supposed to be saved by Siegfried, is the Red Faction due to attack Yggdmillenia Castle tomorrow?"
"No, they've moved up their schedule. They attack tonight. I'm hitching a ride on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with Karna."
"I see… May I still join this battle? I may not have Command Seals or Siegfried's heart, but I still wish to rescue my fellow homunculi."
"If that's what you want. However, I want you to agree that you won't do anything stupid like battling a Servant, okay?" Haru said.
"Agreed."
"Alright, I'm giving you some control over Arthur, then."
"Master?!" Arthur said, shocked.
"You're going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid; plus you need an extra source of mana since I can't maintain both you and Karna when you're battling. Your task is to liberate the homunculi only, alright? I'll take care of the rest," Haru said seriously.
Sieg nodded, knowing he couldn't do much with his current body. "Thank you, Haru-san."
"This is for my benefit as well," Haru said as she tossed a Craft Essence of a book to Sieg. "The Book of the False Attendant would normally transfer Command Seals to the owner but not the mana flow, but I tweaked it with Medea's help to reverse the original function. Arthur will mainly rely on you for mana, but I have the Command Seals. Arthur, I don't want you to use Excalibur unless necessary, so keep Volumen Hydragyrum on you. Since Jeanne already knows who you are, there's no reason to keep your identity concealed. Let everyone think the mysterious third faction Master made Sieg a proxy Master to control you. I want you guys at Yggdmillenia Castle tonight. I'll give Arthur instructions where to regroup, but it's most likely going to be in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Do we all understand our roles?"
Everyone nodded.
"To recap: we're all going to end up on the battlefield and get out alive. I'm going to go pay Jack a visit; Karna, you're coming with me. Mordred, make sure you don't kill Frankenstein because she's a sweetheart. None of you target Jack as well, please. And yes, they may be enemies but the factions won't last long anyways after this battle. Arthur, keep Sieg safe and alert me if anything goes wrong. Kairi-san, good luck."
"Thanks for the information, Haru," Kairi said, firmly grasping Haru's hand and shaking it.
"You better make it out alive so I can spar with Father again," Mordred half-threatened.
"Mo-chan, don't be too hard on my Master," Arthur said, ruffling Mordred's hair. "But in all honesty, Master, please be safe."
"Thank you for your efforts, Haru-san," Sieg said.
"Glad you guys all decided to join my crazy plan," Haru said gratefully. "Later!" She disappeared out of the mausoleum, Karna following her.
"Now then…" Kairi said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Guess we'll wait a bit longer."
"Welcome to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Haru, Lancer," Shirou said with a friendly smile.
"Ho? You're Lancer's Master, girl? What's your name?" Achilles asked, sitting up.
"Haru Fujimaru."
"You're quite young for a Master," Atalanta said with a critical eye. "How old are you?"
"Ehehe, I guess? I'm only 18. Well, age doesn't matter as long as I know what I'm doing, right?" Haru turned to Semiramis and curtsied. "When do we head off?"
Semiramis' lips quirked up slightly at the respect that Haru still showed her. "We move out in 1 hour. I give you permission to explore as you wish, but any locked doors will remain locked. You may use this time to also interact with the other Red Servants if you like.
"Sounds good to me," Haru said cheerfully. "I'm going to go explore then. But before that…" A dark aura started to mist off her as her lips curved up into a tormented smile. "I think I'll take revenge for all the torture I went through in high school." A multitude of portals opened up. Tips of Black Keys poked out, all aimed in the direction of Shakespeare.
The Caster began to sweat. "… What fault have I committed against who I have just met…?"
Haru staggered around to face Shakespeare, her eyes wide and crazed. Even Shirou flinched a bit at her stare. "I went through hell in high school… analyzing your plays… reenacting your plays… being forced to memorize sonnets and monologues… writing stupid analyses on Lear and Hamlet and Macbeth and the like… almost failing school thanks to you… NOW, I CAN HAVE MY REVENGE—gyah?!" The portals disappeared, as well as the dark aura.
Karna had flicked Haru on the forehead. "Master, calm down."
Achilles stared openly at how easily Karna took care of Haru. "What…?"
"I do believe she asked Caster—no, Shakespeare to be removed from her presence," Karna said mildly, "The trauma from her schooldays has warped her mind so badly she cannot prevent herself from attacking Shakespeare when he is in her presence." Indeed, even though Haru had been snapped out of her temporary madness, Karna had to pin her arms down to her sides to keep her from flailing around.
"Let me go! At least let me shoot 10 of them! I need revenge for high school and for all the other kids who got traumatized by him! I almost failed school thanks to me bombing my essay on Hamlet!"
"No," Karna said firmly.
"Come onnnnnn! I'm not going to kill him! Just a little bit!"
Karna shook his head. "Master, we are leaving the room. Rider, keep Caster safe."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Before Karna could carry off a struggling Haru, though, Haru had yelled out her aria. "Black Key Hell, activate!" 10 portals swiftly materialized and shot verdant Black Keys at Shakespeare.
Achilles could have intercepted them.
He didn't.
With pinpoint accuracy, the Keys buried themselves into Shakespeare's clothes (with the playwright letting out a shriek of terror) and pinned him against the wall spread-eagle, One Black Key was dangerously close to a certain place where the sun didn't shine.
Karna blinked. "Your accuracy has improved."
"I advise you to get your Master out of here, Lancer," Atalanta said. "She might fire another round and I doubt Rider will help."
Achilles was too busy laughing.
"Very well. I will see you later then."
"Have you finally calmed down, Master?" Karna asked.
An hour had passed and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were set to fly in a few minutes. Achilles had popped by occasionally where Karna had stayed with Haru to calm her down, engaging in short conversation to get to know her better. He trusted her pretty easily, giving out his True Name and that of Atalanta's (Haru had to pretend to be surprised since she already knew), much to the archer's annoyance. Atalanta didn't seem to mind too much, though, and was civil to the female Master.
"I'm fine," Haru said. "I wouldn't mind tossing another round at him, though."
"No," came Karna's immediate answer.
"Aww. Let's go outside. I want to see us setting off."
Haru walked out to the balcony, where Achilles and Atalanta were. The two of them waved at Haru. "Calmed down yet?" Achilles called with a grin. "I wouldn't mind helping you toss another round at the annoying playwright."
"Rider, do not give her any more ideas," Atalanta said, irritated.
"Oh? Are you all gathered here? We set off now," Semiramis said as she materialized. With a snap of her fingers, the ground underneath them rumbled and the large structure shuddered, shooting up into the air.
Haru squeaked and held on to Karna for dear life while Achilles and Atalanta stared at the view around them. When the fortress stabilized and began flying in one direction, Haru let go of the golden Lancer and breathed out in relief. "That was scary."
"Scared of heights?" Shirou asked as he walked up next to his Servant.
"No, just the whole shaking part. Do you guys have a strategy by any chance when clashing with the Black Faction?"
"You're the one with the most information; I was wondering if you wanted to give some advice."
"Oh yeah, I didn't tell Achilles or Atalanta what I knew." Haru turned to face the Rider and Archer. "Saber of Black is Siegfried and Karna's probably going to take him on, you can take on Archer of Black since he is your old mentor Chiron, Lancer of Black is obviously Vlad, Caster of Black is Avicebron, Rider of Black is Astolfo and I'll bet he's going to try and take down the fortress, Berserker of Black is Frankenstein, and please leave Assassin of Black alone; I've recruited her to my side. She's Jack the Ripper by the way. There's probably also going to be armies of homunculi and golems."
"So I'll get to fight Teacher, huh?" Achilles grinned.
"I'll take down the armies then. Wait, how do you know this much?" Atalanta asked.
"Would you believe me if I told you I was from the future and know what's going to happen?" Haru asked seriously.
Taken slightly aback at the serious look on Haru's face, Achilles glanced at Karna for confirmation.
"She is not lying," Karna affirmed. "I may as well add that she summoned me in her time and then we were both sent here. I have previous knowledge of this very Grail War but my master has already altered the timeline beyond repair. Her objective for travelling to the past remains unclear even to me."
"What happened in the end?" Achilles asked curiously. "This sounds very far-fetched but at the same time it would make sense."
"You all die," Haru said with a shrug. "I'm trying to keep this one as bloodless as possible. Of course we probably will end up with a couple Servant deaths but if I can avoid how you guys died the first time then I'll be fine with that. Anyways, questions later. We're almost at Yggdmillenia Castle. And before you guys go, I have some gifts for you." She took out her phone and pulled out a few cards, tossing them to Achilles and Atalanta.
"What are these?" Atalanta asked, looking at the image of a determined-looking purple-haired girl. Achilles had the same one.
"Boost your overall performance in battle and probably increase the output of your Noble Phantasms. You can choose not to use them but if you do, just send a bit of prana through them. Pretty clever, right? Karna, you're keeping Volumen Hydragyrum and I'll back you up."
"Understood."
"We're here," Semiramis announced. "I suggest you set off now."
Achilles summoned his chariot with a flash of light. "I'll take first blood!"
Atalanta sighed but readied her bow.
"Karna, be careful," Haru instructed. "I can't Gandr anyone from where I am but I can boost you."
"I will, Master." Karna dematerialized into spirit form, jumping down from the fortress as he did so.
"Nothing for me or Assassin?" Shirou asked curiously.
"Servants only," Haru replied, glancing towards Atalanta, who was still within earshot. "As for Queen Semiramis… Battle Olympia, I guess? This might boost your spells if you want to take it."
"I shall decline," Semiramis said. "I will be fine handling my own Noble Phantasm."
"As you wish," Haru said with a shrug. "Are we going to watch the battles?"
"Yes. Let's go to the throne room; I'll make sure Caster isn't there." Shirou went on ahead.
"Can I use him for target practice?" Haru asked the Assassin.
"As amusing as that would be, he is useful to our cause. Do not harm him."
"Aw."
Haru watched as Atalanta fired her Noble Phantasm and jumped to the battlefield, and then opened the telepathic link with Arthur. Arthur, how's it going? The Red Faction just set off for battle.
Infiltration of Yggdmillenia Castle is going smoothly. Mordred and her Master are nearly at the battlefield.
Sounds good. Make sure Sieg doesn't get into any trouble and you are permitted to use Excalibur if you absolutely have to.
Understood.
Haru cut off the link with the King of Knights and a wide grin stretched across her face. "The 500 quartz is mine ."