Chapter 131 : Frienship

February 2, 2021 - Day 7

Alessandro had just returned to his apartment that morning. There was only Saber in casual clothes who was reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, Friedrich and Specter had gone out to meet Dorian Benard, and so Alessandro was alone with his Servant.
« How's it going, Saber? »
« I finished the book on Napoleon and now I'm reading this. I know that some passed it on orally, in Syria and Egypt, I didn't know that there was a written version of this poem. »
« I've something for you, consider it a gift of reconciliation. »
« What's that? » Saber asked curiously.
« Your imprint. This text is recognized worldwide and is loved by practically everyone. »
Alessandro took a book out of a plastic bag, showed it to Saber and said:
« The Commentarii de bello Gallico. »
« Where did you find it? » She asked enthusiastically.
« They sell it in bookstores, as I already told you it's a very famous book ... »
« "Gallia est omnis divided in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur.". Isn't it beautiful as an incipit? One of a kind. Wait. What's this stuff written nearby? »
« The translation for those who don't know Latin. »
Saber glanced shockedly at Alessandro and exclaimed:
« You don't speak latin ?! »
« No, but you're not either ... »
« Since when?! »
« For some time, but Saber ... you're not talking it either ... »
« And in Rome? What language do you speak? »

« Italian. »

« What the hell is "italian"? Where did latin go? Where did the mother tongue of Rome go? »
« A moment! You're asking too many questions, Saber! It's not easy to keep up ... »
« That's why you told me that this city is not Londinium but London! Barbarians! You barbarized the beautiful language of Rome! The world is over! » She exclaimed theatrically.

« Isn't this reaction a little exaggerated? No? »

« I wrote grammar books ... and for what? My precious De Analogia ... is now useless. Cicero was right, my works have been thwarted by history. This is a nightmare! I can't believe I will have to give it to Cicero! »

« Sa-Saber ... uhm ... you know ... »

« But do you know what it means for me to agree with Cicero? It means questioning my dignitas! Dignitas! Do you know what it means? Stultus! Obviously you don't know! Nobody will ever know because nobody has ever had to endure Cicero's long and endless speeches! »

« Saber, you're exaggerating a bit, don't you think? And then you don't speak latin either, haven't you noticed? »

« Huh? » Saber stopped and looked at Alessandro with two incredulous eyes.

« You're not speaking latin. »

« No ... »

« Yes. »

« No. »

« Look, if no one speaks latin and if you are the only one who speaks it then why does everyone understand you? Maybe ... MAYBE you don't speak latin. »

« Oh ... » Saber realized that Alessandro was indeed right.

« See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. »

« Oh dear me ... »

« Saber? »

« Oh, Venus, what happened to my fluid latin? What have you done? »
« Er ... I don't know. I don't know how these things work, but you aren't speaking

latin. »
« I need something nice. » She leafed through the book hastily: « "Caesar exposito exercitu et loco castris idoneo capto, ubi ex captivis cognovit quo in loco hostium copiae consedissent, cohortibus decem ad mare relictis et equitibus trecentis, qui praesidio navibus essent, de tertia vigilia ad hostes contendit ..." »
« Okay, I understand! Sorry if I don't speak latin. »
« No, don't worry, I forgive you. I've seen worse in my life. » She said closing the book.
« What have you seen worse? »
« The face of Ariovistus. »
Alessandro then approached Saber and with a more serious expression asked her:
« Tell me one thing: what do you think of Specter? I saw that you made friends. »
« Why do you ask? » She asked, perplexed.
« I want to be sure that you care about this alliance as much as I do. I don't want to fight Friedrich, that's all. »
The boy walked away leaving Saber with that unsatisfactory explanation. She took him by the wrist, Alessandro turned around.
« Did I say something wrong? »
« What do you find in Friedrich so important? Why do you care to be his friend? »
« I already told you: I know he understands me. I feel it. There's nothing more. »

« This gift ...» Saber showed the book and then threw it on the floor: « It doesn't matter if you keep treating me like a stranger. I tell you all about me but you don't tell me anything about yourself. You don't make me share in your emotions. »
« Do you want some latin? » He asked, annoyed: « Here's your latin: firmissima est inter pares amicitia. Give it a reason. The friendship between two similar people is the strongest and easiest. You are a Servant, you're here today, but when the war ends ... you will no longer be with me. Tying myself to you could cause me unnecessary pain, and I don't want to suffer. I want to be happy. So leave me alone. »

« So what does the book mean? »

« I just want there to be no hatred between us. It's not asking too much, right? »

« What about friendship? »

« I'm sorry Saber. But you can't ask me to suffer again. I'm tired. »

Alessandro was about to leave.

« You're wrong. » Saber said.

« What? »

« You're wrong. You're just wrong! Bonding with someone means being ready to suffer. Suffering is part of the passion of life, one cannot live without suffering, without suffering pain, otherwise one cannot grow. Any friendship involves pain, but there is also beauty because there are unforgettable moments full of happiness. You're a boy who has certainly suffered ... I don't know ... but you cannot force yourself to stop suffering otherwise you will never grow up. » Saber exclaimed.

« You're right ... you don't know therefore you don't have the right to give your opinion on my life choices. »

Alessandro left the room. Saber knew she was right and even though Alessandro was stubborn she set herself a goal: to change Alessandro's heart.

Saber and her book by Bikowolf

Chapter 130 : Whispers in the dark

Archer was sifting London completely alone. It was a cold night that starry night, and the Servant wanted to better understand the territory in which he was fighting. Being in England, his native land, he was ahead of the other Servants but he had never seen such a huge city, in his day it was much smaller. He had to orient himself, he had to understand the territory, he knew that the only way to have an assured victory was to know every detail of the city.

Suddenly he was intercepted by knives made of black smoke that scratched his armor. Archer landed on a roof and saw Assassin in another building a little farther on.
« What are you doing here, Archer? Your Master should've put you on a leash, knight. »
« If she had, I would've missed your sermon, monk. »
« I see you like to joke. »
Assassin disappeared and reappeared behind Archer, tried to stab him in the back; Archer avoided the blow, summoned his bow and fired several arrows which however failed to hurt his enemy. Assassin threw a series of knives, Archer used the bow to deflect the blows, got on his knees and fired another arrow aimed at the opponent's head ... nothing. Assassin hadn't been damaged.
« Son of a dog. » Archer said: « You're really interesting, Assassin, but I will not be defeated by you. »
« Don't bet with the Devil. »
Assassin threw more knives, Archer dodged them and then walked away.
« Running away from me won't make you win, Archer. »
« It could be a start! »
« You're wrong, knight. »
Archer landed on the streets, dodged a car by a hair and suddenly found himself with Assassin behind him:
« You can't escape me, Archer. You can't escape from a ghost. »

« So you're a ghost? Cool. »

Archer turned and hit Assassin with a punch in the face. Assassin fell to the ground but got up immediately while Archer was slightly surprised:
« I wanted to trip you, my leg went through you ... but my fist ... » Then Archer understood Assassin's ability: « Son of a dog, you're a really clever scoundrel, but now I know your trick, bastard. »
« It's nothing. You just got lucky. »
Archer immediately tried to hit Assassin but the latter escaped over a wall. Archer began the chase but was stopped by a female voice that seemed familiar to him.
« ARCHER! ARCHER, HELP ME! »
It looked like a ghostly echo. It wasn't the voice of his Master, it was from another person. The screams seemed to come from the dark of an alley.
« Archer ... it hurts ... please help me! »
« Who are you? »
Archer, agitated, made his way into the darkness and eventually found himself in front of that transparent, blue skeleton, wrapped in a curtain of white smoke. The skeleton was sitting with its arms around its knees and its head lowered.
« What's this? Who are you? What's happening? » Archer was terrified, he was paralyzed in front of that skeleton that slowly raised its skull.
« Help me ... Archer ... it hurts ... » The ghostly voice came from there, but the skeleton didn't move its jaw when it spoke.
« Who are you? Is it an illusion of Assassin? »
« I'm your princess, remember? Do you remember me, Archer? »
« My princess? »
« Have you forgotten me, Archer? Did you forget me too? » Tears were pouring out of her empty sockets and turned to dust as soon as they hit the ground.

« I'm sorry ... I don't know who you are ... I'm sorry. »
« Then you'll die, so you'll remember me, Archer. Eram quod es, eris quod sum. »
The skeleton disappeared. Leaving Archer speechless. It was the first time he had felt like an abandoned sheep, he had never had that feeling of fear and confusion. What he had seen had no precedent. When he returned from his Master he didn't report what he had seen in that alley.

Archer and the skeleton by Bikowolf

Chapter 129 : Yukiko's wickedness

Magi of the Rote Mäntel were fighting against Yukiko inside a completely abandoned building. They had waited for the right moment to kill her, Berserker wasn't with her and surely thirty well-trained magi would have had no problem against such a young magus.
Yukiko, however, didn't even injure herself, she remained in the outbreak of the battle for a good half hour but nobody was able to touch her and in the meantime she had killed more than half of the men. Magic bullets flew left and right, a man in his forties tried to prevent Yukiko's advance but was beheaded with a kick, his head was then used to hit another magus which, as soon as he found that head in his hands, he had a panic attack and ran away, Yukiko tripped him and then broke his chest trampling his ribs. A man, nearby, heard the sound of broken bones and looked for the nearest escape route.
The girl saw a magus try to open a door, she went to him and attacked with the bare hand on the chin and split his neck then kicked him and broke the door with his body.
The magi of the German organization were decimated, only one remained who hid inside a closet but Yukiko still managed to find him, broke the door and pulled out the man in tears who pleaded:
« Have mercy! Have mercy! All I ask is mercy! »
« Give me a reason. I killed your friends, why would I spare the last of thirty filthy worms without dignity? »
« I can help you! I can spy on your behalf, I swear! I will serve you faithfully! »
« Really? »
« Ye-yes! I swear! I will serve you faithfully like a dog! »
« What do you think, Berserker? »
Yukiko's Servant appeared behind her.

« Why are you asking for my opinion, Master? »
« This being belongs to the same race as the people you swore to protect. They're humans. Humans are all the same, they always seem worthy of protection but they hide snake venom in their hearts. Everyone remembers the fine achievements of humanity but nobody ever says that every monument is covered in blood, history is made up of injustices but we like to remember only what pleases us, what makes us less ashamed. This is hypocrisy. »
« I'm not following you. »
« It's easier for a human being to lecture you about a "villain" who killed millions than to remember that millions died before and even after in the name of empires, sovereigns, religions, knowledge and in the name of justice. Millions die and die, humanity's shame is hidden under the carpet, it prefers to ignore that accepting the undeniable truth that the human being, on balance, is a mistake that Nature has made. They're abortions. They were not to be born, they were not to exist. Was it a sad case or ... »
Yukiko took the man by the throat and lifted him from the ground, this poor man could not breathe, only strangled verses that seemed to beg were coming out of his mouth. Yukiko didn't give him a quick death, she seemed to experience a sadistic pleasure in seeing that man die slowly: his face was losing color, his eyes were losing lucidity and his hands were shaking trembling.
« Or are they bodies of flesh born only to destroy the world? They're diseases created by Nature to be able to end the Earth. A bit like viruses. Which of the two? Sad case or virus? »
« Just kill him, Master. »
« No. I don't want to miss this poetic moment. Life that leaves a body. The upper hand of death, the arrival of emptiness. Observe his eyes as they fall into the abyss, watch him lose his strength, the heat cools down, he will soon be no different from a doll. Tell me, Berserker, is it for these people you decided, in your legend, to wield the Holy Sword? You decided to protect a virus, didn't you, King of the Knights? »

« My legend ...? » Berserker asked, confused.
« Forgive me, sometimes I forget that as Servant is difficult for you to understand the different paradoxes of this world. How can a legend be history? How can history be a legend? In the same way a human being can be innocent: ignoring his true face. »
Yukiko dropped the dead body.
« It's not enough, Berserker. We need the Holy Grail of Yggdrasil and the only one who can now give it to me is Alessandro Serpi. »
«How are you going to catch him? »
« I see that the Pain of Exile has not yet activated, well ... then I'll explain it in three words : by burning London. »

Yukiko Kumahira by Bikowolf

Chapter 128 : Believe in dreams

Night had just fallen. Specter was in the living room on the sofa in Alessandro's apartment. Saber came and sat down next to her.
« How's your Master? »
« He has recovered but needs to sleep. I put him to bed. You've been kind to offer us this refuge, I'm afraid that Assassin knows where we live. »
« Don't worry besides my Master won't mind sleeping on the sofa. »
« Where is he? »
« He's washing himself. » She pointed to the bathroom door with her thumb.
« You know ... after everything you've told me today, I feel compelled to reveal my secret to you. »
« What is it? » Saber asked, intrigued.
« I'm a dog. Nothing more. So I was trained in my world. I'm a dog, the mount of Nebiros, the one who forges hatred among humans. Dogs don't talk, dogs don't think, dogs don't rebel. The dogs are silent. »
« Why are you telling me this? »
« Because I never expected to feel affection for a human being to such an extent that I was angry when he was injured. My Master probably doesn't even see me as his true ally, yet here I am, I worry about him. I'm a bad dog. »
« Can I ask you a question? What's your desire? »
« I want to become a king. If I could make this wish come true I would no longer be Nebiros' dog, I could finally be free. »
« It seems a good wish to me. Maybe you deserve to make it happen. »
« Ah, ah! Good joke! » Specter exclaimed, getting up from the sofa: « A demon deserves nothing, especially if it's like me, a dog that licks the ass of a more powerful demon. »
« You're not a dog. » Saber said.
« What are you talking about? »
« You're not a dog. You've shown that you have a great interest in your Master and for me, you've shown that you're intelligent, full of love and that you can think for yourself. You decided it was right to save your Master, nobody imposed it on you. You're not a dog. »
Specter was about to be persuaded by Saber's words but then, she countered:
« I'm the slave of Nebiros, don't you understand? I've no hope! I'll only be this forever! »
« You are wrong ... »

«Stop being a prig with me, I know what I'm talking about. With what right do you dare tell me otherwise? What makes you believe I'm destined for something else? »
« I'm Roman! » Saber exclaimed: «  Rome is the heart of the world, Roma caput mundi. Rome is the capital of the world. We Romans have taught that anyone can be Roman, anyone can aspire to our greatness and anyone can be happy like us! Even a slave can free himself and one day have his own family, perhaps even a wealthy one! And what tells you that it's impossible? Is it your instinct? Forget it! Listen to me! Listen to Caesar's voice! I first had to sweat to be able to match and overcome Alexander the Great. I equaled and surpassed him, Napoleon equaled and surpassed me and perhaps someone will equal and surpass him. Nobody is born to stay behind. We can all grow up, this is what Rome teaches! »
« You're wrong, Caesar! You're wrong about everything! »
« If Rome falls, the world falls. Do you know why this is so? Do you know how the Eternal City was born? Do you know how Rome was born? Do you know how it became one of the strongest empires in the world? Romulus and Remus were raised by a prostitute, the prostitute is the mother of Rome because no inhabitant of Rome is a favorite son or a chosen one. All the inhabitants of Rome were criminals, fugitives, slaves, exiles, poor, sick and these were brought together by Romulus to found a city that would welcome them all. Rome has become great because it believed in itself and in its greatness. »
« What if it's all in vain? »
« Rome was not built in a day, you have to work hard to get what you want. Sometimes you will reap what you have sown, sometimes you will not, but the important thing is to sow, not to reap. Make your wish come true and then you will be free. »
Specter fell into tears and Saber embraced her, stroked her head and consoled her.
Alessandro watched the scene, well hidden, and smiled to see that Saber had managed to make friends with Specter.

Saber and Specter by Bikowolf

Chapter 127 : Assassin vs Saber

Saber hit the first blow, Assassin didn't even need to block it, the blow did nothing to him. He counterattacked by throwing six knives, one after the other, Saber parried them quickly, tried to get closer to her rival but he ran away like a hare and continued to go beyond the walls.
Assassin managed to injure his opponent's leg and after putting her on her knees he hit Saber with a kick that made her end up on the tracks that were moving. The sound of a train was coming.
Assassin, armed with knives, began to throw them one after the other to force Saber to remain still, meanwhile the girl had sensed that her opponent created weapons using some kind of black smoke.
The train arrived. Saber moved just in time, with her sword firmly in her hands, prepared to hit Assassin, he didn't move.
« Forget it, you bastard, I will not be fooled by your tricks! »
Saber didn't hit him but this choice was fatal because Assassin pushed her against the train that was still passing, the girl was dragged a few meters a little further and it was pure luck if she wasn't run over. Assassin, with his daggers, threw himself against Saber, then the girl noticed something strange: between her and him there was a column, he chose not to go through it but to go the long way.
« What are you hiding from me? »
Saber took two stones in her hand and threw them both towards Assassin and he dodged them, she tried to kill him but the sword crossed him anyway, then she understood the weak point of the enemy. She made the same move as before but this time she also hit with the head and she stunned Assassin.
« I knew it! I knew it! You wanted to screw me but you got screwed! Only one object at a time can pass through you, now I know how to defeat you, son of a bitch! »
« This makes no difference, I can still defeat you. »

Assassin summoned daggers and targeted Friedrich, at that moment five blades pierced him from behind. It was Specter who had turned her fingers into extendable blades. The girl, with a sadistic smile, exclaimed:
« I knew you were going to hurt my Master. »

« Specter and Saber ... together ... ah! Let's not fool ourselves! This battle is already over! »
« Exactly! »
Assassin freed himself from the blades, dodged Saber's attack and disappeared into a black smoke curtain. Specter immediately rescued Friedrich and brought him home while Alessandro, alone with Saber, thanked her:
« Without you we would've died. Thanks, Saber. »
« This is a team, we have to make it work, Master, right? »
Alessandro hugged Saber, she was amazed at that demonstration of affection but didn't refuse it.
« I'm sorry, Saber. »
« It's all right, Master. I forgive your every wrong, our friendship is very important to me. »
« Thanks, Saber. »

Saber vs Assassin by Bikowolf

Chapter 126 : Hunted like foxes

Alessandro and Friedrich left the Clock Tower after being sent away by the magi of the Mage's Association, apparently Dorian Benard wasn't in there which greatly suspected Friedrich, he was worried that his friend had been hurt or that he was dead. The two decided to go home but on the way back Friedrich noticed that someone was following them, they seemed normal men like everyone else: dressed in a casual way and with a calm attitude. Yet Friedrich had the feeling of being stalked, every time he turned he saw them behind him.

Alessandro, however, noticed the presence of two suspicious, very young nuns who were following them across the street, then one of the two gave him a cold look and Alessandro was afraid of having been found by the Coven.
« Merda. » He muttered in a low voice: « The Coven knows that we are collaborating. »
« There are three men who work for the Rote Mäntel who are stalking us. »
« What do we do then? »
« Let's go to the station, there's a way to get away but it could be slightly dangerous and illegal. »
« Better than dead. How long does it take to the station? »
« We're almost there ... follow me. »
Alessandro and Friedrich reached a crowded subway station, entered the ocean of people being careful not to move too fast, they didn't want to alarm their pursuers and risk a clash in a place full of civilians.
« Here. »
Friedrich took Alessandro away from the people to a door whose access was allowed only to local workers.
« Can you break it down? »
Alessandro came up, snapped his fingers and said:

« Dis. »

The door was knocked down but people fidgeted and the pursuers quickened their pace. Friedrich entered immediately exclaiming:

« Next time make less noise! »
« It's not my fault! Where exactly are we going? »
« In a place I know, trust me. »
Friedrich opened another door, went down a small concrete flight of stairs, turned left and reached the tracks, Alessandro hesitated to go on the tracks:
« What are you doing? Why did you stop? »
« I don't think it's a good idea. What happens if a train passes? »
« There's no train now. Come with me or they'll kill you! »
Alessandro followed Friedrich on the tracks, they reached another door that served in case of emergency. It was stuck. Alessandro was ready to use his Magecraft again but at that moment a magic bullet passed near him, slightly missing his head.
The agents of the Rote Mäntel had arrived. Friedrich then said:
« Choose: either we fight or we run away. We don'tt have much time. »
« The Coven mustn't know, otherwise I'm dead. »
« Okay, I understand. The nuns are already joining us. » Friedrich said, pointing to the women running on the tracks.
« They aren't nuns ... they're Heretic Slayers. They're sent by the Coven to spy and eliminate heretics. »
« So maybe the Coven already knows about you. Otherwise they wouldn't have sent them. »
« Maybe you're right. Then let's run away. » Said Alessandro.
« Perfect, follow me! »
Friedrich started running with Alessandro behind him.

The two boys ran to the tracks chased by the three agents of the Rote Mäntel and the two Heretic Slayers. Magic bullets flew but the two were able to dodge them, then the shrill metallic noise of the train wheels passing on the tracks, the wagons that separated the pursuers from the pursued passed, the two used that opportunity to get as far away as possible.

Friedrich first reached a flight of concrete stairs that led up to a steel door, Alessandro broke it with magic and the two continued to run until they left the station. They were ready to leave but at that moment a black beast, like a dog made of sand, came from nowhere and attacked Alessandro making him fall backwards.
« Alessandro! »
Friedrich went down the stairs to reach his friend and then he saw the bodies of the five pursuers, dead, quartered like pigs, above those corpses was Assassin.
« I can finally kill the two Masters of Specter and Saber. It will be easy. »
« Fick dich! »
Friedrich was about to use the Command Seal but the black sand dog jumped on him suddenly and Friedrich fell backwards banging his head against the wall. He lost consciousness and Assassin took the opportunity to deliver the coup de grace but Alessandro used his Command Seal:
« Saber, come here, now! »
Saber arrived just in time, breaking through the wall, with her drawn sword she killed the dog and then tried to hit Assassin but crossed him like a cloud of gas. Assassin threw two knives and the girl stopped them both with incredible skill.
« Ne pulsato portam alterius, nisi velis pulsetur et tua. Come on Assassin let's fight! »

Assassin, Friedrich and Alessandro by Bikowolf

Chapter 125 : For the good of the family

Hisae Sunahara didn't care about Yukiko Kumahira's words, for her they were only nonsense that came from the mouth of a madwoman, but despite this she was worried about the progress of the war. Hisae wasn't stupid, she knew she was dealing with very powerful Masters and Servants and therefore she knew that winning would be very difficult.

« My life sucks. » She murmured, looking in the mirror.
She was in the bedroom and was fixing her hair and couldn't resist making that comment about herself. When she saw that girl she saw only one older sister who was unable to protect her little brother and to oppose a power-obsessed despotic father; she saw a girl who had done her utmost to save her brother from her father's harassment and who, despite her best efforts, was failing miserably; she saw a defeated girl, sad and pathetic.
« All of this is unfair, Archer. »
The Servant appeared behind her, he asked:
« Are you referring to the war? »
« Yes ... but not only. I'm also referring to my life, I'm disappointed as an older sister. »
« Why do you say this? You're fighting this war for him, aren't you? »
« Every time I've done something for Hiro I've failed. It seems to be my destiny ... and his. And when I heard that little girl ... talk about Hiro ... when I heard her say those things ... I couldn't hold back the anger. »

« I noticed it. »

« Yes, you noticed a weak girl who tried desperately to defend the honor of her younger brother. »
« No, I've seen a brave girl fight for the person she loves. There's nothing wrong with that. »

« If you are a broken shield, you are of no use. »

« Why do you say this? »

Hisae got up and, turning to Archer, showed him a scar on the belly, near the navel, and said to him:

« I did this when I tried to defend my brother from bullies. One of them had scissors, in those days I was still not good at using Magecraft and so I had to rely on martial arts, but it didn't work anyway, as you can see ... »

« I'm sorry ... » Archer commented, lowering his head.
« They took me to the emergency room and those assholes were reported but at that moment I understood one important thing: I'm not good at defending people because every time I do it I hurt myself. And that's why I know this war won't be easy for me. »
Hisae hid the scar and left the room without adding anything else. Archer didn't know how to console his Master but he understood her feelings and wanted to help her win the war; he was determined to fight with body and soul for Hisae, for Archer it was a matter of cavalry.
Archer was on the verge of concealing his physical form when, without warning, he heard a female voice mention her name.
« Master did you call me? »
Hisae didn't reply. Archer heard that voice again in his head, it was like an echo but he didn't know how to explain it.
« Who's there? »
Everything was silent. The voice had ceased to name him. Hisae returned to her room and asked Archer:
« Is everything alright? »
« Ah! Yes, yes! Everything is fine! Don't worry, Master ... I'm fine ... really ... »

Hisae Sunahara by Bikowolf