...
Aaron lowered the gun to his waist. His arm felt like rubber from holding the heavy rifle in such a way. He wouldn't put it down, not yet, but it seemed that the situation had deescalated enough for the moment.
He had worried when this girl, Heping she had called herself, had offered to go with him. Of course Rider had been by him the whole time if things had gotten hairy, but he still expected some sort of trickery. She must have had some kind of plan, some source of confidence, and there was no reason to think that he was another Master, unless she was the Master of Caster. That's what he had thought, but the Servant next to her was certainly not Caster; Lancer apparently.
'Lancer is one of the knight classes, but can you really call that thing a knight?'
Rider spoke telepathically, 'T'would be'est unwise to judge it by appearances.'
What was so special about it?
Examining Lancer more closely, there was one thing he noticed: it was as if he could see wind blowing around the creature; six distinct streams. Rider had told him that Masters could see the parameters of other Servants, and that he'd know what he meant when they encountered another Servant properly. Sure enough, Aaron could now tell exactly what Rider meant. These winds were Lancer's parameters, and he could tell the strength of each by the wind's speed and ferocity. Of the six, three were physical parameters, Strength, Agility, and Endurance, and the other three were magical, Magical Power, Luck, and Noble Phantasm. Of these, the winds representing Noble Phantasm were much, much more ferocious than the rest...
Aaron would have to ask later. For now, he was still negotiating with the mystery girl.
"And what would that be?"
Her accent was thick, how long had she even been in Athens? No, that was the wrong question: how long had she even been outside of her home country?
"Where were you around two weeks ago?"
Her stance, which had relaxed somewhat, began to tense again as her eyes closed in on him, "I do not think you need that information."
"Well I think I do."
She watched him closely, "I was at home."
Whatever tension had dissipated returned in full force- things were going downhill fast.
'Master, if thee truly desire them as our allies, may I suggest we move passed this particular inquiry?'
It hurt his pride, but this wasn't going anywhere, "Fine, whatever." He rubbed his temple with his unarmed hand, "Look, do you know about the Temple of Zeus?"
She seemed slightly confused, "The meteor?"
'Is this chick even a mage?'
"So that's a 'no' then?"
"I suppose so."
He was back in control of the situation, "We," He nodded his head to Rider, "had a little encounter with Berserker over there."
"You destroyed the ruins?"
"No, Berserker did."
Her brow fell into a scowl, but she said nothing.
'Is she really going to get so pissed over those ruins?'
Rider piped up once more, 'Stay calm, mine master. This is in our favor.'
'And how's that, exactly?'
'Allow me.'
Rider moved forward slightly. Heping shifted back, and Lancer, the pig-thing, followed her lead, trembling slightly. Rider raised his hand to stop them. His charisma was undeniable. His cues were somehow perfectly clear and yet impossible to read.
"Pardon, young lass, I mean thee no harm, and neither doth mine Master."
She relaxed again, though not nearly as much as before, and now was entirely focused on the inhuman Rider.
"Young lady, mine Master and myself doth not wish to see the destruction of this wond'rous city any more than thyself. Berserker and his Master do not share those beliefs. If allowed to rampage as they did that horrid night, no part of this city will be safe, neither ruin nor citizen. We approached this fine morn to ask for thine hand in dispatching the foul beast and his miscreant of a Master." He bowed slightly. "I understand the nature of this war makes alliances difficult, but regardless, we ask for thine aid."
Aaron wasn't sure whether he was amazed or disappointed. Why would Rider bow? He still couldn't shake the feeling that they were better off without her; her Servant was so obviously weak, and she was obviously naïve. What was there to gain?
"Okay." She seemed as surprised as Aaron was. "I will agree..."
Was it that easy?
She pointed at Aaron, "-But he has to put down the gun."
All eyes were back on him. He was flustered, what was he supposed to do? And who was she to make demands? And after a Servant as powerful as Rider just bowed to her?
"Look, chick," He flicked his rifle a little, "You don't trust me, and I don't trust you neither, so how about we just-"
She switched to- a combat stance? Was she some kind of ninja!? He raised the gun-
She moved like the wind, slamming her wrist into his. He could make out the charged circuits under her skin, alight with blue mana. It felt like a brick getting jammed straight into his joint. He let out a wail of anger and pain as his own circuits began to charge.
-But she was faster.
Her open palm, charged with mana, went straight for his gut as lightning crackled between his own fingers- and cold steel ripped his hand away. Lightning shot into the open sky, singing the leaves of nearby olive trees. As he fell back, his eyes went back to the girl as she too flew back, pulled by a bronze chain.
He fell hard onto the stone bench behind him, the force sending he and the bench both tumbling down.
Aaron fell onto the hard dirt, his injured wrist taking the brunt of the force and sending a flaring pain up his arm. "Shit!"
He scrambled to get up from his position, having to flip back to get his legs beneath him again and propping himself on the overturned bench, his wrist aching all the while. By the time he got onto his knees, the girl had just made landfall, landing on all fours. The bronze chain was unfurling itself quickly, and it became apparent what it was. The head of the pig's rake had detached, connected to the shaft with the chain, and seemed to move as if it was alive, like a long snake- if snakes could move like lightning. The head of the rake clacked back into the shaft as Lancer moved to guard his master, rake bared towards Rider, who was standing between Lancer and himself. Lancer was clearly trembling, but stood his ground nonetheless.
"L-listen yo-you b-b-bastard! -oink-! Dontch-you try anything funny, got that!? I-I'll take both'a you on! -oink-!"
Rider turned to face them completely, leaving Aaron staring at his back. The wind seemed to come to a halt in the small garden, olive leaves falling on the cobblestone path. The air seemed to swirl and surge around Rider, his presence seeming to encompass the space even as he stood completely still. He approached slowly. Lancer readied himself, shaking all the while, even as it became clear the movements weren't hostile. Rider lowered himself to the ground, sitting in a cross-legged position.
"I repeat. We mean thee no harm. I doth hope thee should forgive us, for we have yet to encounter any other Master in this war, and we have done a poor job of making our case." He put his hand to his chest and bowed his head. "I apologize wholeheartedly for our lack of tact. Thee may leave if thy should wish, but our offer stands nonetheless. If thee should decide to ally yourselves with us against the monstrous Berserker, return here at midnight. If thee doth not return, we shall assume our offer has been refused, and thy wilst be assumed to be an enemy henceforth, unless thee should prove otherwise. Are these terms acceptable, Miss Heping, Young Master of Lancer?"
She clearly didn't know what to make of the kneeling Servant. Aaron could practically see the mental gymnastics as her eyes flitted about, calculating all the options available to her. He half-expected her to attack, or take out some family art she'd kept hidden in her back pocket. Her eyes landed on him.
"-tsk-" He looked away from her and into the bushes. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her tap the top of the creature's head gently. "We accept. Thank you."
Rider nodded and Heping disappeared back into the forest, Lancer disappearing into gold particles as he entered his spirit form.
...
They sat like that for a while in silence, Master and Servant. After a minute or two, Rider stood up. He stared out for a while before returning his gaze to his Master who sat with his back to the overturned bench away from his Servant, not that Rider's piercing gaze couldn't be felt.
Aaron rubbed his wrist, "I screwed it up."
"We shall see."
"Do ya think they'll come back?"
"Tis no way to know for certain, 'cept to wait."
"Damn her! We shoulda just kicked her ass and made her work for us! Or else just go ahead and take both of 'em out! We're gonna have to kill 'em anyway, right?"
"I doth hope that's merely the broken radius speaking."
Aaron massaged his face, "Look, Rider. I saw the pipsqueak's stats, right, just like you said. I'm tellin' you: there's no way in Hell he's gonna be any help against Berserker. We're wasting our time."
Aaron took out a cigarette and lit it. It was difficult when only one hand could be used painlessly, but manageable. As he did, Rider moved around the overturned bench, and sat opposite Aaron. "Aye, so thy didst observe Lancer's parameters? How aboutst comparing his to mine?"
"Huh?"
"Thee did indeed see gaze upon his parameters, aye? Simply focus on myself, and the rest shall come."
Aaron looked closely at the ethereal Rider, focusing as best he could. Having been so accustomed to seeing Rider, it took some effort, but sure enough the winds did become visible.
-It was a turbulent storm. Rider's inexplicable presence suddenly came into light as his nearly immeasurable strength presented itself clearly before him. Even after spending so much time with Rider, and seeing him in action, to see his strength quantified... It was difficult to maintain composure. He could tell that there wasn't a single stream weaker than Lancer's except...
"His Noble Phantasm... has a higher rank I think. Not by much, but still. I mean, you absolutely school him in every other category, so I don't think it makes much of a difference..."
"It makes all the difference, mine master."
Aaron raised his eyebrow skeptically, "Does it?"
"Aye, it does. A Noble Phantasm is the embodiment of a Servant's impact on human history. Tis the essence of a Servant, a Heroic Spirit, and the mark of his ability to influence his surroundings. Even a lowly Noble Phantasm can alter the course of a war should it be applied correctly."
"Huh. I guess that means we gotta watch out for that rake."
"Indeed, that rake was why I cautioned thee to begin with."
"It was?"
"Aye. I have gazed upon many divine relics in my time, but that weapon stands among the highest."
"Jeez. Well, at least it won't be hard to figure out his true name. A pig-man with a magic rake? Heh- he didn't do a great job of concealing his True Name, now did he?"
A smirk now sat on Aaron's face as he thought about the pitiful little creature.
"Hopefully not, though he was at least intelligent enough not to allow himself to be injured so easily."
Rider reached out towards Aaron's broken, right wrist.
Aaron slapped his hand away with the same broken hand, wincing from the pain of slapping away the metal gauntlet. "No- sorry. I'll take care of this myself."
"Thou art certain? Tis a simple matter-"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I got this 'cause I acted like an idiot. You've done enough already."
"I suppose so. Very well. Tis a fool's errand to argue with a man's pride, but I can trust thee shall indeed treat it, yes?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not so much of a dumbass to walk around with a jacked wrist in the middle of a war. I'll take care of it."
Aaron stood carefully, bracing himself on the overturned bench as he tried to right himself without using his right hand. He could feel Rider's desire to help, but no help came. He understood Aaron's desire to take care of it himself, even as his wrist was swelling; red and purple.
"No man is made without missteps. Thee shall find thine element with time."
"-And what makes you so sure?"
"I am not. I am merely sure that thee shall perish otherwise."
"Is that encouragement?"
"Tis a thin line between motivation and warning."
"I guess so. Are the girl and the pig gone?"
"Aye. My connection to the leylines is functioning as intended. They just left the premises, and I doubt they shall be inclined to return anytime soon."
Aaron nodded silently, and began to slouch towards the Acropolis. The various guard stations had first aid kits, but to treat this properly, he'd have to go to the nurse's office at the Acropolis's peak. It was a long and pained climb, but one spent without interruption.
....