Saber got dressed for work through automatic motions.

She returned home after taking a shower at the mansion where she had spent the night. Veronica had to coax her into doing anything, because Saber lacked the willpower to do anything at all.

She was in an state of mind alienated from reality. Her brain had suddenly lost all frames of references and her own identity was almost completely undone, leaving her with a single unacceptable truth that she couldn't deny.

'All women are sluts.'

This was simply a convenient coping mechanism that she developed so that she didn't have to admit she was at fault. Of course, even with that excuse it didn't mean that suddenly everything was right and well either.

All that she believed about the world and herself until the previous night had been proven false. It had started to crumble for a while already, but the recent events truly brought a sledgehammer down to it.

Saber didn't really know what to do with herself anymore. She had to reconsider everything she ever did and everything she would do from here onward in light of this new revelation.

It wasn't something that could be dealt with in the span of a few hours, so Saber simply went through the motions and prepared herself for her duty.

Devotion to her duty never betrayed her, at least. Though what her duty really consisted of was another thing that needed consideration. Veronica certainly had a different idea of duty than Saber's, and one that the latter strongly disagreed to from a moral standpoint.

However, her morals took a hit from which they couldn't recover and in absence of any other form of support, she started to give more thought to what Veronica had said.

'All women are sluts.'

She considered calling in sick, but that would have only served to give her more time to berate herself. It was better to make something productive with her time.

The lack of rest wasn't an issue either. She had received plentiful of Mana during the night, so she didn't really need to worry about tiring herself.

'Another advantage of a promiscuity,' she considered clinically. Until the previous day, she wouldn't have truly believed that, but in that moment she was grasping for any form of validation. Anything that would tip the scales in her favor.

'A slut doesn't run out of Mana.'

At work she focused entirely of her tasks, leaving no room for extraneous thoughts. Saber had always been a harsh taskmistress but today she reached new heights. Everyone wondered what was caused her to be so high strung that day, but only Veronica and Clara knew.

They spoke to no one about it. Both of them were familiar with that state of mind, having gone through it themselves at one point, and they knew perfectly well how difficult it was to have their eyes forcibly opened.

Little did it matter that they both came to accept and even enjoy the truth. They did their best to help Saber through the day, which she couldn't help but notice even though she didn't want to think about it.

She felt grateful towards them both, but Veronica in particular. All this time the buxom maid had been trying to help her, but Saber had rebuffed her rudely time and time again.

'Another mistake I made.'

Eventually during the course of the day, she managed to regain her bearing and calm down a little. Enough that she didn't freak out when Veronica approached during her own break.

"Miss... Saber. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I... I am not sure," Saber admitted. "I don't know what's what anymore."

"I know what you mean. I've been through the same thing in my time. It's perfectly normal to be confused."

"Is it, really?" she asked rhetorically. "I thought I knew who I was. I thought..."

Veronica reached out and pulled her into a light hug. Saber was surprised, but she didn't have into herself to push Veronica away. In fact, she found no small amount of comfort in the physical contact.

"Listen... you don't have to figure it all in one day. Just... go through the day and do what feels right. If you are confused about something, I'll be here to answer any question."

"I... thank you Veronica. You have been a good friend to me."

"Don't worry about it," the maid replied.

"About... about last night. Please don't tell..."

"Of course. I know the importance of keeping it a secret myself, remember? No one will ever hear it from me."

"Thank you," Saber nodded. "I... we should go back to work now."

"Ever the workaholic," Veronica smiled lightly. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Of course. Until then."

Both returned to work, and Saber felt a little better and a little less lonely than she previously did. It wasn't a huge improvement, but it was better than nothing. It was enough to help her through the rest of the day.

Only when her shift was over, did she recall that she would have to attend Howard right after.

The thought filled with both want and dread. Want, because she was a slut like every other woman. Dread, because regardless of everything she was afraid of reverting to the mindless beast of the previous night.

Whatever could be said about her, that was not something she could condone. Slut or not, she was still the King of Knights. She had a dignity to uphold, if not for herself then for all the people that acknowledged her as such throughout the centuries.

She would not allow herself to repeat that disgusting display, however she wasn't confident she would be able to.

Furthermore, she was expecting a call from Gerard and there was a possibility that would have to move out to rescue Rin.

All things aside she could not and would not fail Rin more than she already had.

She decided to ask Veronica if she could cover for her. Now that the cat was out of the bag there was no point in not relying on her colleagues for this task as well.

Besides, she knew that Veronica would want nothing more than to take care of that particular duty. Another proof that they were so very much alike.

With that out of the way, all that was left was for Gerard to call. Saber couldn't wait to rescue Rin and put at least that matter out of her mind.

[br]

Gerard drove his sports car back to Lord Crawford's mansion, parking it right in front of its doors.

He got out and leaned against his, lighting up a cigarette while he waited for his business associate to show himself.

Gerard didn't have to wait long. The great double doors opened and out came Lord Crawford with Rin in tow.

Rin who was collared, firmly gagged and had her wrist bound to her ankles by a chain just long enough for her not to stumble. Her awkward walk was caused by the impossibly high heels she had been made to wear, which kept her feet on her toes all the time.

She wore nothing on her body beside those items, not even the cloack in which she had arrived.

"Lord Crawford... I trust that my merchandise has performed to your satisfaction," he said without acknowledging Rin in the least.

"It required a little of breaking in, I'm afraid," Lord Crawford complained.

"So I take it was exactly to you preference," he replied with a smirk.

"Absolutely," Lord Crawford laughed. "When do you reckon I could borrow it again?"

"There's a few projects I need it for, which I'm not sure how long it'll take to complete. A few weeks, at least."

"I see, I see. No matter, please make sure to reserve it for me as soon as possible. I intend to share it with some important guests now that's it's properly broken in."

"Of course. I might add a few modification while I'm at it. Why, if everything works out fine I might have an additional piece of merchandise to loan."

"Be that as it may, I don't think quantity would make up for quality," Lord Crawford observed.

"I'm offended. Since when have my goods been of anything less than the highest quality?"

"Well... I can give you that much, at least," Lord Crawford agreed, before turning to Rin. "Go back to your master now. Don't dawdle."

"Hmm." Rin agreed, stepping towards the car. She was about to climb inside when Gerard stopped her.

"Rin... the seats are for people. Things go in the trunk," he said as he unlocked the it for her. The sudden tremor in her body and the gushing of liquid between her legs told him exactly what she thought of that treatment.

She obediently crawled into the trunk, curling inside the tiny space that could barely accommodate her. Gerard did not hesitate to shut it right behind her.

"Well, then. I trust you'll remember our agreement, Lord Crawford," he said as he made to seat behind the wheel again.

"But of course. I am a man of my word, though I'm not sure you'll be able to convince the others just as easily."

"You needn't worry about that. Everything and everyone has a price and I'm rather good at figuring out those."

Lord Crawford nodded in acquiescence. Gerard's trade was desire itself. As long as people wished for something, he could get to them. It was only a matter of cost/benefit ratio.

Lord Crawford retreated into his mansion and Gerard sped away with his precious merchandise in the back of his car. He drove into the countryside for several minutes until he was far away from Lord Crawford's propriety.

Then he pulled the car into a gravel road between the trees that led precisely nowhere and stopped the car, turning off the engine.

He stepped out, stretched his limbs and took a good whiff of the clean air. London wasn't particularly polluted but it was still a metropolis. The air wasn't exactly crispy.

The he walked towards the back of his car and opened the trunk. Just a little, so that he could reach inside with one arm. He took ahold of one of Rin's ankles and pulled her until he got a firm hold of her butt, then he lowered the trunk lid so that only Rin's lower half was visible.

He then unbuckled and dropped his pants, revealing his erect cock which he didn't hesitate to shove, almost casually, inside of Rin's drenched cunt.

"Hmmm," Rin moaned appreciatively from inside the car.

Considering how she had developed, and the way her pussy clenched around his dick, this was right up her alley.

Sadly, he didn't have much time to fool around but there wouldn't be another occasion to fuck her in such a setting for a long time, so he seized the chance.

He could have gone on for a long time, but honestly he just wanted to let off some steam, so he just pumped away into Rin until he reached his own climax, pumping semen into Rin's womb and then pulling out of her uncaring of her needs.

He just shoved her back into the car and locked the trunk once more. Then he returned to the wheel and resumed his trip back to London.

Rin would probably be frustrated to no ends of having been left out to dry like that, but she had her fingers and knowing her like he did, she would probably enjoy that abuse as well.

Besides, he had other things to worry about, namely how to handle Saber.

The Servant was just about cooked the way Gerard liked her. The King of Knights was now firmly of the descending part of the journey Gerard had envisioned for her but that didn't mean he could be lax around her.

One misstep and he would have one angry Servant mostly immune to Magecraft after him. He already had one close encounter with her like that and he wasn't keen on repeating it anytime soon.

He had to set up the appropriate scenario to push her even further down the path of corruption, using the right mixture of incentives. Rin would undoubtedly play her part.

After all, she wanted Saber broken just as much as Gerard did, if not more.

He already had all the cards in his hands. All that he needed now was to make things happen.

[br]

Saber was just about done with her shift when her phone rang. She picked up immediately.

"Saber, it's me."

'Who else would it be?' Saber didn't say, choosing a more diplomatic approach. "What have you found?"

"About the owner of the warehouse? Not a thing, except that it's owned by a company that's owned by a bigger company, which in turn is owned by an even bigger company and so on and so forth. However the fact that there's a Boundary Field around the place is a dead giveaway that we are dealing with Magi."

"So, there is a chance that Rin might be there?" Saber asked hopefully.

"There is a strong possibility that such is the case, but the only way to find out for certain is to go and see it. We move at midnight."

"We?" Saber asked, arching an eyebrow even though he could not see it.

"I'm coming along, of course."

"Why would you expose yourself in such manner? Whomsoever is the perpetrator, there is no need for you to incur in their wrath."

"I cannot very well leave everything to you now, can I?

"I am perfectly capable of seeing through this on my own," Saber replied, sounding slightly offended. She came to reevaluate a lot of things in the past day, but her skills were not among them.

"I don't doubt your ability to fend off any opponent you might find, but if a Magus got Rin prisoner they must have set up contingencies to prevent her escape. Are you confident that you can extricate Rin from those without harming her?"

"... I can see your point. Forgive me, I was being hasty."

"That's fine. I know how you feel."

"Do you?" she asked, somewhat challenging. The subject of her own feelings was a sore one, currently, and being unable to make sense of them herself she was quite touchy about it.

"Rin is someone important to me as well. I thought I made it rather clear."

Saber felt a stab of guilt in her chest. She always found Gerard a detestable fellow because of his behavior, but he has been nothing but helpful and forthcoming with her.

Additionally, she was in no position to judge anyone's morals.

More importantly, she was starting to feel that she wasn not alone as she felt these past few days. Gerard had always been supportive, and the rift between them was caused exclusively by her prejudice.

She had really done him a great disservice, that much was clear. However, reparations would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

"Indeed, you have made it quite clear. Very well. Where shall we meet?"

"I know where you and Rin live, so it's best if we meet there. By the time we reach our destination there shouldn't be any bystander around to get caught in the cross-fire.

"Or to see things they shouldn't," Saber added.

"Is there a difference?" he asked rhetorically.

"I suppose there isn't," Saber conceded. "I'll see you at midnight, then. Do not be late."

"Saber... A wizard is never late. Or early for that matter. He arrives precisely when he intends to."

Saber snorted at the joke. "You know, I am not that out of touch with contemporary literature and I can confidently say that you are no Gandalf. Be there Magus, or I'll go without you."

"I'll be there. And don't worry. We'll get Rin back safe and sound," he promised, and Saber was surprised how much relief she felt at hearing him say that.

"I know. Now I have to prepare myself and so should you. Until then... Gerard."

She disconnected the call and left Howard's mansion. Finally, they would be drawing the curtain on this debacle.

Finally, they would bring Rin home, and although that alone wouldn't solve all the problem that had arisen in her absence, it would provide the peace of mind required to figure things out for good.

[br]

The rest of the evening went by surprisingly quickly. Saber took her time to center herself in preparation of the raid to come, but it wasn't an easy task.

Her mind was in turmoil. Flashes of memories from the previous night came forth unbidden and only with several hours of meditation she managed to push them in the back of her mind.

She was fit for battle, ready to take on anyone and anything short of another Servant. A possibility so remote that it didn't bear consideration.

When the clock struck midnight, Gerard's car pulled over to the curb in front of Saber's apartment and she stepped out from the building's lobby and into the vehicle.

"Gerard," she greeted.

"Saber," he greeted back, as he sped away through the mostly empty streets of London. "Are you prepared?"

"I'm always prepared," she replied. "Is there anything else you think I should know before going in?"

"No," he replied. "Any further probing on my part would have alerted the owner of the Boundary Field. There's no way of knowing what's waiting for us in there short of getting inside."

"Can you take down the Boundary Field?"

"I could, but I would advise against it. I think that you going in hard and fast would be more appropriate, while I restrain any additional fail-safe they might have set up?"

"Fail-safes such as?"

He shrugged. "It could be anything, but if Rin is there and they would rather kill her than let her go free, they would probably have put up something for that purpose."

"How confident are you that you can stop something like that?"

"Fifty percent sure," he told her.

"That is not a reassuring estimate," Saber complained.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but then again so would anyone that could get the drop on a Magus of Rin's caliber."

Saber accepted his explanation begrudgingly. Rin was clever. Exceedingly so. Therefore they would have to operate with the assumption that their kidnapper were just as good, if not better.

"Fortunately, we have you on our side," he told her. "Any initial response would be aimed to subdue an intruder. Scorched-earth tactics are a final measure only. If bring the might of the wards on you, that will give me an insight on how they work, and how to stop them."

Saber nodded. It was a good plan as any with the intel they had available. There comes a point in any venture when one can only stake everything and hope for the best, and this was it for them.

It took a solid hour to get in the general area of the harbor. They parked the car where it wouldn't be noticed, distant enough from the warehouse but close enough that they could get to it in case a fast getaway revealed itself to be necessary.

They approached on foot, mindful of their surroundings and Saber donned her armor as soon as they came in sight of the building.

"Any suggestion how we should go about it?" she asked as she readied herself.

"Normally I would suggest going through the back door," Gerard explained, "but since our presence will be revealed the moment we step inside, I'd say fuck subtlety and let's just wreck a hole into a wall."

Saber's mouth twisted into a smile that revealed a hint of teeth.

"I must confess... I like the way you think," she told him, hand tightening around the hilt of her invisible sword.

"Then have at it, Saber."

The ground under her feet cracked as Saber short forward in a burst of Mana that almost sent Gerard flying.

The wall of the warehouse slowed down Saber's charge as much as a sheet of paper would have. Bricks and mortar exploded inwardly, but the moment they did so they were vaporized by the Boundary Field unleashing its power at Saber.

All that energy was nullified the moment it reached her without so much as frazzling her hair. If all the power of the Witch of Betrayal couldn't scratch her, the mysteries of modern Magi certainly wouldn't fare any better.

Still, it was an impressive amount of energy and while it did could not stop her, the light it generated was enough to blind her.

It dimmed a moment later and he knew that Gerard was already doing his part.

As soon as the light cleared and her eyes regained their sight, Saber gaze immediately landed on a figure laying naked and bound upon a stone altar in the middle of the otherwise empty warehouse.

"RIN!" she shouted as she took a step forward.

"Saber! Don't!" Gerard warned, but it was too late. Energy crackled into lightning and it struck the altar.

"AAAAAAH!" Rin screamed.

Saber did the only thing she could and threw herself upon her, shielding her Master with her own body. There was a limit to what her small frame could cover while lightning struck from all directions at the same time.

Rin's body spasmed under the onslaught and Saber knew it was only a matter of time before it became too much for the young Magus to bear.

Then, for single moment, everything stopped.

"Get her out of there NOW!" Gerard called.

Saber did not hesitate. Excalibur severed all the bindings on Rin's body with the precision of a surgeon's knife, and Saber grabbed Rin's body before leaping away and outside of the warehouse from the same opening in the wall she had made coming in.

They had just vacated the perimeter that all the energy that Gerard had managed to hold back was released at the same time.

With superhuman reflexed Saber grabbed Gerard and threw him to the ground, covering both him and Rin with her body.

The warehouse evaporated in a pillar of light that shot through the night for a short, blinding moment, filling the air with a roar of thunder.

Then, as fast as it started it stopped, leaving only a rumbling echo in its wake. The warehouse was literally gone. The building might as well never been there in the first place because not a spec of it was left.

"Are you both alright? Rin! Gerard!"

"Saber, I can see your lips moving but I can't hear a damn thing," Gerard told her "Rin's unconscious but she seems to be breathing fine. We need to get out of here."

Saber nodded in agreement. She helped Gerard up and then took Rin in her arms, bridal style, and made their way back to his car.

Gerard needed to support himself against Saber several times on the way there. His balance was temporarily compromised and he was in no condition to drive.

That was not a problem, however. Saber's Riding skill made her proficient with all modern vehicles, so she gently laid Rin down in the back seat before helping Gerard on the passenger seat. Then she dismissed her armor and sat behind the wheel.

By the time they had left the harbor she could already hear the sirens of the incoming law enforcement. They wouldn't have been able to hold them in any case, but Rin was in no condition to wait.

"Head over to my mansion. I need to check up on Rin. I still can't hear you, by the way, so just use signs."

Saber nodded again and pointed the car toward the same mansion where they became ally in their quest for Rin's rescue.

Saber didn't need to do any check up to know that Rin wasn't fine.

The already feeble supply of Mana she had been receiving from her Master was quickly dwindling even further, as sign that Rin's energies were being employed in keeping her alive.

Gerard's sport car traversed the distance between the harbor and his mansion in half the time it would have been possible according to the vehicle peak specs.

With the laws of physics being raped in such, there is no need to mention what happened to the much less important laws of traffic.

Gerard's car would require a change of wheels before it could be used again, but it had been a small price to pay for Rin's safety.

[br]

About two hours later, Rin was resting in one of Gerard's many beds in a pajama that the male Magus had produced from somewhere.

"So... how is she?" Saber asked.

"Physically she's fine but, her Circuits have been strained greatly. She'll recover, but it will take a some time. Weeks. Months maybe."

"But she will be fine," Saber stated uncompromisingly yet desperately.

"Yes... yes she should make a full recovery," Gerard confirmed "I cannot speak for her mental condition, though. Right now I've put her into a forced sleep, otherwise she would be in a world of pain."

"I understand. Thank you, Gerard. For everything."

"You don't need to thank me, Saber. Everything worked for my own benefit, in the end."

Saber shook her head. A Magus doesn't expose himself in first person easily, but Gerard hadn't hesitated to be on the front line and without him Saber wouldn't have been able to find or rescue Rin.

Certainly he had stakes in Rin's wellbeing, but none so high that he would risk himself the way he did. Still, if he wanted to put it that way to preserve his pride as a Magus, Saber would not push the matter.

"Nonetheless, I am in your debt. If there is ever a time in which you need my help, do not hesitate to ask."

"Who am I to refuse the favor of a Heroic Spirit?" Gerard shrugged. "I'll keep that in mind, Saber but going back to Rin's situation, I think it would be wise if she were to remain here for the time being so that I can monitor her conditions at all times."

Saber nodded. "Yes, I agree that would be for the best. You have proven yourself to be trustworthy and I couldn't provide treatment for Rin on my own anyway. Furthermore, there is no place where I could safely keep her until she recovers fully."

"I'm glad you see it that way. Speaking of which... Rin is currently consuming most of her Mana into recovering. Are you...?"

"I am fine," Saber replied. She really wasn't. Her energy levels were dropping steadily and if it wasn't for all the Mana she had accumulated the previous night she would probably be about to disappear. The night's actions didn't help in that regard either.

However, Saber wasn't worried. She knew how to get all the Mana she could possibly require, as much as she didn't want to think about it.

"If you are sure. My offer for a temporary contract is still valid."

Saber hesitated. Making a contract with a trustworthy Magus would simplify things, and Saber now saw Gerard as someone worthy of her respect. However, in a strange turn of events, that was exactly what prevented her to take him up on his offer.

'What if I can't control myself, like yesterday? What would he think of me then?'

Saber newfound awareness of her nature scared her. Ironically enough, right now she would be more at ease having sex with a complete stranger than someone she was close with.

'Just like a true slut.'

"I thank you for your offer, but that's not necessary. I have things well in hand."

A bold faced lie, yet not completely untrue.

"Very well. You managed to keep yourself in combat shape until now, so I trust that you have your own methods."

Saber was glad that Gerard didn't inquire or insinuate anything. She'd rather not lose her standing in his opinion. God knew she had already lost it enough in her own.

"Well, that's enough work for me today. I'm going to get some sleep. I assume you are going to stay next to Rin for the rest of the night?"

"Yes. Thank you for your hospitality. I will repay you of your kindness one day."

"Yeah, don't sweat it. I'll see you in the morning, Saber."

And with those words he left Saber alone with Rin. The Servant turned to her Master's sleeping form and stroked her pale cheek with the back of her fingers.

She would not leave Rin's bedside until sunrise, but she only had her tormented thoughts to keep her company, and a lot of decisions to make for the future.

[XXX]