The First Battle

Their third night since the summonings began much the same as the last two. Harry got ready for bed while Diarmuid curiously flipped through channels on the small television on the desk. They had yet another frustrating day of searching the city for any sign of Masters or Servants and coming up empty. Diarmuid guessed that it was likely everyone else was busy building defenses and getting to know each other.

Somehow, despite Harry's choice to not actually take part in the War, he had ended up with a huge advantage by being ready before anyone else.

"You know, I was thinking," Harry said as he came out of the bathroom with a yawn. "Maybe we're not supposed to fight in the city at all."

Diarmuid turned the telly off with a click and turned to face him, head tilted in question.

"I mean, the three summonings we felt were all on the other side of the river." Harry walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "It is the residential side of the city, but technically this side is the more densely populated. We're supposed to avoid involving civilians in this War, right?"

"That is true," Diarmuid nodded with a frown. "And according to the map you bought, that side of the river has more access to the forest surrounding the city. There is even a road that leads directly into the mountains."

"Exactly, if the War is supposed to stay secret, then keeping all the battles far away from people is a smart way to do it."

"That could well be why we have yet to find anyone to challenge," Diarmuid agreed and then sighed. "Which means we may well have wasted the last five days learning the wrong terrain for the battles."

Harry grinned wryly. "Probably, yeah. But at least it was fun."

Diarmuid laughed lightly. "If my Lord was entertained, then it was no waste at all."

Harry was going to reply with a joke, but before he got the chance Diarmuid's head snapped around toward the window. There was a flash of something in the air, not light or sound, but something Magic a ways off- something powerful. Harry followed the spirit when he moved to the window and opened it.

"What is that?" Harry asked softly. The strange thing was fading, and once it was gone he could hardly remember what it had been. A brief flash of power and then gone. What kind of magic was that?

"A Noble Phantasm." Diarmuid's voice had a sharp edge to it, and his eyes had gone hard and serious. "The War has started, and it is indeed across the river."

"Oh." Harry blinked and looked out. So this was the magic of a Heroic Spirit's weapon. "Did you want to go look for them now?"

"It would do us well to learn more of a Servant powerful enough to overwhelm the whole city simply by bringing out their weapon," Diarmuid mused as he stared out at the dark city. "But it would also be dangerous to search for them without knowing their precise location, or how their weapon operates."

"Then we stay put?" Harry asked, leaning against the wall by the window.

Diarmuid was silent as he thought hard, then, barely a moment later, jerked to life and turned abashedly toward Harry.

"Of course, I would not presume to tell my Lord what to do in this case," he said hurriedly as he stepped back and knelt. "I am certain that whatever course of action you choose would be most acceptable."

"This again?" Harry groaned. Diarmuid flinched and went still. Harry winced and slid down the wall to sit next to the frustrating spirit. "Look, I thought we agreed that since you know how best to fight, then you get to determine our strategy for meeting other spirits for duels?"

"I…" Diarmuid glanced at him hesitantly, but Harry just huffed at him.

"Something I don't think you really understand yet is just how straightforward of a person I am," Harry said seriously. "It's not just that I don't really know how to act in this war, it's that I also just want you to have some fun!"

Diarmuid's mouth opened as if he needed to say something but instead hung open as if he'd forgotten what it was.

"I mean…" Harry ran a hand through his hair and just looked at the spirit seriously. "Your only goal in this is to- what? Serve me somehow? Except I don't need anyone to serve me. No matter how much you call me one, I'm not really a lord."

Harry couldn't decide whether Diarmuid's face had frozen in actual pain, or if he had somehow stopped breathing and the lack of air was starting to catch up with him.

"But you still got summoned and got stuck with me," Harry continued tiredly, "and I can't help but feel a little at fault for that. Especially since I think I might have stolen you from Archibald- he probably would have been a much better lord for you than I am. He certainly acts like a lord to everybody he meets."

"Do not say such!" Diarmuid finally cracked and leaned forward in protest. But before Harry could even cheer the move in his head, the spirit had jerked himself back and bowed lower in apology. "I could never ask for a better lord than you."

"Sure you could," Harry said glibly. He had a feeling he knew how to get at least a little emotion out of the knight now, and he really should have thought of this sooner. "I'm no one special, and there's definitely got to be better lords for you to follow than some idiot who just wandered into this War by accident and can't do more than cheat at gambling for travel funds-"

"Please!" Diarmuid actually shouted to stop Harry from speaking. "Please," he repeated desperately, "do not disparage yourself further. I could ask for no better lord."

"I'll stop," Harry said slowly, "if you promise to do the same."

Diarmuid stiffened and looked up in confusion.

Harry hummed and tapped his leg. "You're constantly apologizing as if just by existing you've done something wrong, and I'm left trying to guess what wrong you could possibly have done- which is usually nothing."

The spirit sucked in a breath and looked so lost that Harry almost felt like he needed to apologize.

"I swear to you," Harry said firmly, "if you ever do anything that upsets me, I will tell you."

Diarmuid's face twisted like something in him was breaking, but Harry couldn't stop now.

"So you don't ever have to apologize for anything until then, okay?" Harry waited for his words to sink in, and he could tell that as painful as it seemed, Diarmuid was finally hearing him now.

"I…," the spirit paused to swallow and collect himself. "I could never ask for a better lord than you."

Diarmuid straightened and stared at Harry, suddenly looking every bit the knight he claimed to be.

"I cannot say how fortunate I am to have you for my Master, competing in the War or not, and I am honored by your faith in me. I swear, my devotion to you will never be in question, so please," he hesitated, then seemed to gather some scrap of will, "do not question your worth and say you are somehow lacking- particularly in comparison to men like Archibald."

Harry snorted. "Deal," he said and held out his hand. "Partners?" he offered.

For a moment, he thought that perhaps he'd pushed Diarmuid too far out of his comfort zone, then the spirit smiled brightly and gripped his hand up in a clasped fist, the way actors in historical dramas sometimes did.

"Friends."

Harry stared at the spirit in shock, then grinned. "Friends," he agreed as he squeezed his own hand into a fist around Diarmuid's.

"Now," Harry stood and pulled the Heroic Spirit up with him, "let's rest up, and tomorrow we'll hunt down a friendly duel for you. We can go out for dinner and drinking after you win!"

"I should like nothing better, my Lord Harry," Diarmuid flashed a grin like a shark, but Harry could feel a slight tremble in his hand, so didn't comment on the 'lord' title.

For the first time since meeting, Harry felt like they finally understood each other. He could put up with being called a lord if Diarmuid also called him a friend.

"So that's where the Servant is?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"It is," Diarmuid replied, still out of view in his spirit form after he'd carefully circled the area while Harry waited.

They regarded the warehouse, oozing dark magic and surrounded by layers of barriers and a maze of shipping containers. Their vantage from a huge crane meant to move the containers from ships to trucks and back was the only place still outside the reach of that magical territory.

It had been three days since the night of summonings, and two days since the War began with the release of a Noble Phantasm somewhere in the city. So far, nothing much had happened and despite hunting all over the city for a confrontation, the other Heroic Spirits had stayed out of sight.

Harry was fine with that, but Diarmuid was going stir crazy- no matter how much he pretended otherwise.

"I'm not really sure whoever has set up in there is going to be interested in a friendly duel."

Diarmuid was silent a moment, then gave an inaudible sigh.

"I find I must agree," he said. "This is surely Assassin or Caster. No other Servant would choose a location such as this for a battle."

Harry gave his own sigh of relief. He was all for Diarmuid having his duels, but he could tell just from looking at the warehouse that it was one big trap. He would much rather not be the one to spring it.

"Well, that's fine then," Harry gave the air a consolingly pat. "Neither of those are the sort who'd want a knight's duel anyway, right?"

"Very true, my Lord," Diarmuid solidified in a burst of green-blue sparkles and sighed.

"Even so, I had hoped we might at least run into one of the other knight classes- they would surely have enjoyed a friendly bout before focusing on more serious battles."

Harry didn't agree, but he knew better than to say anything.

"How about we try the other side of town…," he started to suggest before trailing off.

Down below, two women, one in soft white and another in shining silver and blue, were walking headfirst into the open warehouse doors.

"No way," Harry said faintly.

"Haha!" Diarmuid leapt to his feet next to Harry on the metal girder. "Surely any Servant so brave as to walk right into the wolf's den is of the knight class!"

He turned to Harry and bowed.

"If my Lord wills it, I would go down to join this brave Servant," he said eagerly. "Perhaps if I offer to assist her and her Master through this gauntlet, they will be more amenable to an honorable duel."

"Perhaps they would," Harry said with a snort and stood up as well. "But no way am I letting you go into that thing alone."

"I do not think it would be safe for you to accompany me-"

"It's not really safe to let you go alone either, so we'll just have to deal."

Diarmuid almost snapped to attention with how quickly he realised he had nearly gone against his precious Lord. Harry slumped and turned to look down at the warehouse.

"It's fine," he tried to reassure the knight, "I know you're just worried, but I get to be worried too and since you refuse to actually argue with me, that means I get to be selfish."

Diarmuid shook his head hesitantly. "It is not selfish for my Lord to choose to join me on the battlefield. I was only-"

"You don't know what exactly is in that place, and you're not totally sure you can beat it, make friends with that Servant who just went in, and protect me all at the same time- especially if the Servant isn't the honorable sort and she and her Master decide to just kill two birds with one stone and take me out along with whoever made this place."

Harry turned back to regard Diarmuid seriously.

"That's why you really wanted me to stay back when you fight and not meet Masters, right?" he asked softly. "Not because they might think I'm lying about not wanting the Grail, but because you think I'll be killed for being too peaceful."

The knight bowed his head as if ashamed and kneeled.

"I would die before allowing any harm to come to you," he said desperately.

"I know," Harry said before Diarmuid could go any further. "But I don't want you to. Neither of us is going to die tonight, alright?"

Harry turned away to face the ominous warehouse once more, and so missed Diarmuid's surprised glance up at him.

"The main issue is being recognized as one of the Masters in this War, right?" he said thoughtfully. "If the other knightly Servant and her Master don't agree to your request for a duel without a death, then they might attack me directly."

That wasn't even including whichever Servant and Master pair had made this dangerous trap before them- they would probably try to kill Harry and Diarmuid without even listening to any offers for a duel.

"So…" Harry continued with a sly grin. "We just need to make sure they don't know who I am. That way, they won't try as hard to go after me, even if they do want to seriously fight you."

"A disguise?" Diarmuid sounded uncertain. "I do not know if it is possible to hide the Mark of a Master."

Harry looked over his shoulder at the knight and grinned wider. "Sure it is- If I don't have a hand to bear it."

Diarmuid's eyes widened with worry, but before he could remark that cutting off a hand might be too extreme for a mere disguise, Harry stepped off the girder and let himself fall. He laughed when the poor flustered knight yelled and quickly leapt after him, intent on catching his Master before Harry met the ground.

However, Diarmuid's concern was quite unnecessary in this case, as halfway into the fall Harry shifted into his animagus form. The Heroic Spirit had scarcely reached him before there was no longer a man to catch. Instead he stared incredulously as a ghostly pale barn owl stretched its wings out and soared in a quick circle around him.

Reacting quickly, Diarmuid landed in a graceful crouch on the concrete then stood slowly and raised his arm. The owl fluttered down to land on his shoulder, whistling and chirping happily.

"I see," the knight gazed at him wonderingly, and brought a hesitant hand up to stroke his head gently. Harry nipped carefully at his fingers and cooed. Diarmuid smiled brighter than Harry could ever remember him doing so. "How clever!" he declared. "Surely none will ever see through this disguise, for no hand bears the Mark at all!"

"Well, to be fair, I think the mark is still on the skin of my wing," Harry admitted through their link. "But it's impossible to see under all the feathers."

Diarmuid laughed and conjured a red spear to twirl around in his right hand. Harry shifted up to perch more securely on top of the spirit's spaulder. As soon as he was safely out of the way, Diarmuid summoned a yellow spear in his left hand and began striding for the warehouse doors.

"Stay close to me, my Lord. I swear to guard you carefully, and give you a most impressive show of skill!"

"I'm sure you will."

Then there was little chance for talking, as the moment Diarmuid stepped past the doorway, horrible slimy tentacles shot out to grab him. Harry had to grip the spaulder hard when the knight leapt up and out of range so fast the world turned into a blur of shadows.

They were moving so quickly, Diarmuid let the yellow spear disappear in a shower of glittering blue light so he could reach up and curl an arm around Harry, tucking the owl against his chest as he ran and dodged. Occasionally the strange tentacled creatures were too numerous and Diarmuid had to swing his red spear to clear a path.

The further they went, the more slaughtered tentacle monsters they found, leaving an easy trail to follow until the knightly Servant and her Master were finally in view.

The Master stood back in relative safety while her Servant danced through a writhing mass of tentacles, slashing the monsters into pieces and leaving arches of glistening blood in the air behind her. It was an impressive display of deadly skill, and Harry could almost feel Diarmuid's eagerness to test himself against her.

"Ah, Saber then," Diarmuid murmured appreciatively through their link. "That is lucky, perhaps her magic resistance ability will be high enough…."

Harry wanted to ask what he meant but, as if sensing their presence, the Servant turned to face them just as she cut through three final monsters. Her weapon raised toward them threateningly, and Harry noticed suddenly that it was invisible. He had thought she wielded a sword because of the trail of blood left in its wake, but there was only hazy air swirling around her hands.

"Saber!" The Master in white spun to face them as well, and stepped closer to her Servant.

"Well fought, Saber," Diarmuid greeted them with a smile. He held Harry cradled close to his chest. "When I saw you bravely stride into this trap, I had thought to join you and offer what aid I could. But I see now you need no such assistance."

"Your gallantry is appreciated," Saber said after a moment, "but as you've said- it is not required." She studied him for a moment, then declared, "Lancer."

"That is indeed the Class I was summoned under," Diarmuid twirled his red spear, startling the white Master, but through their link he posed a question even as he trailed off aloud. "As for my purpose here…."

"May I be certain, my Lord. We have no need for this Grail or to keep an advantage over the others at any cost?"

Harry hooted and flapped until the knight allowed him back atop the spaulder on his shoulder.

"We don't, and if we're disadvantaged I don't see why we can't simply leave." Harry cocked his head and trilled curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Saber and her Master were eyeing them suspiciously, and it was lucky no more of those tentacled monsters had shown up yet, but they should probably finish quickly.

"I should like to give my name to one who fights so well," Diarmuid admitted hesitantly. "I understand that a Servant's identity is meant to be kept secret as knowing it can reveal weaknesses to be abused, but-"

"You can," Harry nipped the knight's ear with his beak, gently but clearly unexpected as it made Diarmuid jerk. "You don't have to ask for my permission either. It's your name, so you can tell whoever you wish."

Diarmuid didn't reply, but he brought his hand up to stroke the owl's head. It was both an unspoken thanks, as well as a protective gesture, because the white Master was studying Harry very closely. She must have figured out that Diarmuid was communicating with the creature- though whether she knew it was Harry or thought it just a familiar he didn't know.

"Well then, Saber," Diarmuid called out with a charming grin. "I won't insult your honor by insisting you accept my aid, but I would have you be the winner in this battle. I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Knights of Fianna, wish to challenge you to a duel after."

Saber looked vaguely shocked for a moment, then bared her teeth in a thin smile. "So you would have a fight when I am weakened?"

"On the contrary, I would not be adverse to postponing it," Diarmuid's hand rested more firmly on Harry's back. "The duel I seek with you is only to first blood. My Master has no wish for the Grail, but is willing to indulge my desire for honorable duels in his name."

"Oh?" Saber raised an eyebrow wryly. "Then where is this Master of your's, who has no wish for the Holy Grail?"

Rather than answering, Diarmuid spun his spear, impaling one of the monsters that had crept up on them, while Saber slashed out at another. Together they made short work of the sudden wave of tentacled horrors that rushed them from the shadows.

"I think this might not be the best time for words," Diarmuid flicked blood off the edge of his spear and moved until his back was to Saber.

She looked surprised by the move, but turned pleased and set her back to him as well.

"Agreed," she said, an edge of menace to her voice as she again concentrated on the slimy creatures now surrounding them. "Stay between us Irisviel," she ordered. "We'll be done with this place soon."

As soon as the white Master was deemed safe by Saber, she launched forward and began hacking and slashing in the same frightful dance Diarmuid and Harry had found her in before. Only this time, Diarmuid was part of it, adding his own graceful blows with the long red lance until the ground around them both was a lake of blood and horror.

"Should I go stay with that Irisviel woman?"

Diarmuid paused as he re-adjusted his grip on his spear. Harry was quite certain he was not performing at his best right now. He kept one hand on the owl on his shoulder, and having to constantly shift to block anything that came toward that owl had to curb quite a lot of the knight's ability.

"I am not certain if that would be truly safe. We have not yet received a sign from Saber or her Master that they are amenable to a duel without a death."

"Do you think they would agree to it though?"

"...Perhaps Saber would. She seems the noble sort, I can sense a strong purity and dedication to honor within her. But we yet know nothing of her Master, and it would be within her rights to reject a battle that does not bring her closer to the Grail."

Diarmuid leapt out of the way of an attack from three horrible tentacled monsters and landed by Saber's side to impale a creature that had almost reached Irisviel. Saber nodded at him in thanks then slashed more of the creatures that thought a moment of inattention meant she'd left an opening.

"Well, this mess is taking too long," Harry wriggled and squirmed out from under the knight's hand and ruffled his feathers. "I think you'd be able to end this fight a lot faster if I wasn't in your way."

Diarmuid looked ready to argue but kept his peace, so Harry spread his wings and shoved off the knight's arm to flutter over onto the woman Irisviel's shoulder.

"Ah!" she cried out and went still. Saber cut through one last monster and turned toward her Master in concern.

Harry was very careful with his talons and thanked everything that the woman was wearing such a thick white coat. She still regarded him suspiciously, and he could feel some small trace of magic pooling in her hands, so he tried his best to move slowly.

He raised his wings carefully, letting them spread out in a fan beside Irisviel's head.

"Protego horribilis!"

Harry focused all the magic he could into the image in his head. Casting spells while in animagus form was difficult but not impossible so long as his concentration didn't waver. He only hoped Irisviel and Saber didn't assume he was doing anything harmful.

But as it turned out Irisviel was a far better Mage than he gave her credit for. At the first sense of growing light in his wings, she let out a gasp and released the magic she'd been holding onto in her palms. When Saber made a move towards them, she waved her Servant down and shook her head with a smile.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Saber, continue the battle against Caster's summons, with Lancer's aid. I'll await you here."

"Irisviel…" Saber hesitated, still not certain if her Master would be safe with another Master's creature.

Then the ground shook, and a terrible groaning sound grew into an overwhelming cacophony around them. Tentacles far larger than those of the creatures they'd been fighting broke out of the concrete around them, and twisted into a putrid cage over their heads.

Maniacal laughter rang out and Saber and Diarmuid leapt defensively on either side of Irisviel.

"My Maiden!" The voice called out. "My Holy Maiden! What a blessing from the Grail, to bestow my wish upon me before the War has even been won!"

More tentacles rose out of the ground and unwrapped to reveal a strange, tall man with wide, staring eyes and a riotous grin.

"But it has already been won!" he cried and waved his arms out at Saber. "And the Grail has declared me the winner- for here you are! My Holy Maiden!"

Saber and Irisviel remained silent, though they exchanged a confused glance. Diarmuid also looked between them and the stranger- Caster, the creator of this house of horrors no doubt- and tapped the blunt end of his spear on the ground.

"A friend of yours?" he asked skeptically.

"I've never met him," Saber assured him. Irisviel nodded in agreement, immediately believing that her Servant could not possibly know this odd man.

"Ahhh!" Caster screamed and raked his hands into his hair like claws. "You have lost your memory? How cruel!"

"I have not lost anything," Saber insisted. "I do not know you Caster. You have mistaken me for someone else."

"Lies, lies, lies!" Caster bent over and shook his head wildly, hands tearing at his hair and face. "My Holy Maiden has surely been driven mad by her cruel torture! Such a terrible fate to befall a noble maiden such as you- the pain of it must have twisted your mind!"

Irisviel flinched back when Caster snapped up to pin Saber under his wide eyed stare, and Harry had to flap quickly to keep from falling off her shoulder.

"But never fear my precious Jeanne," Caster said with a disturbingly gentle smile. "I shall make your memories of me, your most loyal knight, Gilles de Rais, return."

"This sounds really creepy." Harry shuddered at the feeling that was rising in the air around them. "Hey, Diarmuid, I think he's calling more of those things-"

Darkness began encroaching all around them, swallowing Caster and the tentacles until nothing could be seen. Saber and Diarmuid moved closer to Irisviel, weapons pointed out and ready for anything.

Just when the silence began to feel suffocating, Caster appeared again, further away and muttering an unfamiliar incantation with a heavy tome open in his hand.

A writhing wave of tentacled horror rose up behind Caster and grew out of the darkness to surround them. Saber and Diarmuid raised their weapons defensively, but didn't get the chance to use them.

As the creatures fell down to consume the Servants and Irisviel, they hit the shield Harry had raised to protect himself and the white Master, and which Saber and Diarmuid had unknowingly entered.

Piercing shrieks rang out as the tentacled things were thrown back in a blaze of golden light.

Everyone froze in shock, though Diarmuid recovered first with a half self-deprecating, half satisfied smirk, as if he should have known what would happen all along.

"Oh my. I knew a bounded field had been erected, but I didn't realize it was this strong," Irisviel muttered under her breath. She gave the owl sitting innocently on her shoulder a worried look. "And to have made it through the connection with his familiar and inside of Servant Caster's own bounded field, your Master must be quite powerful, Lancer."

Diarmuid laughed and looked at Harry proudly.

"Indeed he is. So you have no need to fear for your Master's safety Saber. We can go forward with nothing held back!"

"Gosh, I would blush if I could." Harry ruffled his feathers and nonchalantly lifted a wing to tuck his head under to fuss at. "I'm not sure I could even do what she thinks I have done- that sounds much more difficult than this."

"I think, my Lord, that she would be just as astounded by your ability to cast magic while your form is changed," Diarmuid offered wryly as he and Saber stepped past the edge of Harry's barrier to kill those monsters that had recovered.

"Maybe, but I still think what she thinks I did is much more impressive."

Diarmuid laughed quietly, earning a confused look from Saber, but neither of them slowed in their attack toward Caster. For his part, Caster grew more furiously crazed the closer they got, and when it looked like they would finally reach him, he raised the book he held high above his head and summoned yet more.

"This will be endless if we cannot stop him from summoning these creatures," Saber growled as she and Diarmuid were pushed back.

She turned to check on Irisviel while they caught their breath. So far none of the tentacled things had managed to break through Harry's spell. The golden light of it flared up each time it was hit, and the monsters were flung back and crushed. But a web of cracks grew larger across the shield with each hit, and Harry didn't need to explain what that meant to Diarmuid, or anyone else.

"Saber!" Irisviel called out. "Caster's book should be the source of all these summons!"

"Agreed," Diarmuid nodded and aimed his spear towards Caster. "If we could but knock it from him, this battle would be ended."

Saber glance between him and her Master, then faced Caster with her shoulders squared.

"Can I trust you to guard Irisviel, Lancer?"

Diarmuid looked at her from the corner of his eye while slicing through a monster to leave the immediate area clear. He took a moment to check on Harry- still fake cleaning his feathers- and eventually nodded and jumped back to stand before Irisviel protectively.

Saber gave him a grateful nod, then turned to Caster and raised her invisible weapon behind her, as if ready to swing it around in a great arc.

Caster grinned at her. "Ah! Such righteous anger! The fury of the just!" He waved an arm out to gesture more tentacled creatures forward, until all the darkness between Caster and Saber was filled with squirming horrors. "How like you Jeanne!"

Saber only glared and suddenly her invisible weapon surged with burning light. The blast from it sent dust and shrapnel flying back toward Diarmuid and Irisviel, and sent Saber herself rocketing forward in a blaze of gold.

Harry lifted his head from his wing, but was far too late to see the actual blow struck. All he could see was a path of burning monsters that led straight to Caster, who was standing in shock with his book clutched before him and sliced nearly in half. Saber stood just beyond, tall and with a heated glare for Caster as she turned to face him. What tentacled monsters were left exploded into pools of blood as the light from Saber's weapon faded and left them all in darkness again.

But with the monsters gone, this was no longer the all encompassing darkness that had hidden danger only a scant meter away. Now it was the simple darkness of a dimly lit warehouse, grey shades giving shape now to the steel beams holding up the roof.

Caster shrieked with rage and began stomping his feet like a child. "Oh Jeanne! Do you still believe in God's righteousness? In His love?" He pointed at Saber with a snarl. "After casting you down and letting your cruel fate destroy you and your kingdom, do you still believe He cares?"

"I do not know of what you speak," Saber said coldly. "But I can say that your madness will end here in this War."

Caster ground his teeth and hissed, but when Saber rushed him with a swing of her weapon, he too exploded in a pool of blood. The electric lights of the warehouse flickered on, and the oppressive residue of evil that Harry hadn't noticed under the dark magic of Caster's wards vanished.

"Well," Harry fluffed his feathers up and dropped off Irisviel's shoulder to flap back up to Diarmuid's. "That was interesting."

"Not the best display I could have given you," Diarmuid sent back with a disappointed sigh. "But I find myself quite eager to test my own abilities against Saber's."

"Yeah, that last strike of hers was pretty impressive," Harry agreed. "Here's hoping she'll be okay with a duel!"

AN: Here's another chapter I meant to post a while ago! Oops... But- It's finally here! The Grail War has officially started~ Place your bets now! ^_^ Hope this beginning was exciting, because it's going to be a wait for the rest. Unfortunately I've got a lot of other fandoms pulling my attention away from the Fate series, so the next chapter is very slow going. Wish me luck and let me know what you think!