Chapter 143 : The wolf and the demon (part 3)

Friedrich summoned a wolf that shone with a yellow light:
« Wolf der Heilung. »
Friedrich took off his jacket and sweatshirt and showed the wound, the animal licked it so it healed then the wolf disappeared. The boy dressed and looked for Rybakov, who wasn't showing up. Friedrich decided to hide in one of the hangars where they kept the planes, next to a huge plane that had no engines attached, he saw Sergei Rybakov together with four black mastiffs.
The mastiffs attacked Friedrich but suddenly many wolves made of ice appeared and killed the sand animals making them disappear, Rybakov didn't seem to be surprised by the skills of his opponent.
He had a satisfied look, it was clear that he loved to fight against Friedrich and when he noticed that the opponent was no longer injured he complimented him:

« It was a long time since I waited to face another magus specialized in summoning, your skills are commendable. However, I can't let you win. »

Friedrich snorted and ordered his ice wolves to attack Rybakov, but the Russian magus had foreseen that move; the black sand, which were the remains of his mastiffs, rose and formed an even larger dog that annihilated the wolves.

« Wolff ... » Rybakov reflected.

« What's the matter, Rybakov? »

« The Holy Grail War is a death sentence but I accepted the executioner's ax, I was guided by my nightmares ... I met a man with your surname ... Wolff ... I'm sure ... I don't know how it is possible but I've the impression of having already seen a person like you ... a man who had lost everything and who had been devoured by his own despair . »
Friedrich immediately sensed that Sergei probably had fought in another world against his older brother Clovis.
« In this world he has come to the same end ... I don't blame him, the pain of losing his daughter at that young age must have been ... » Friedrich said.
« Who are you? »
« A lone wolf, without a pack and guided only by the desire to survive and to know the world. »
« Yet you are here, together with the rabbit who's too naive for this world and who's always caged by someone else, otherwise he risks being devoured. »
« Irony of fate. »
« Maybe, but answer a question: why do I have these nightmares? »
« Because all of this has already happened in another world ... in another life, I don't know the details though.»

« And you? Do you have nightmares? »
« No. I'm nothing. I didn't exist before in my brother's life ... and I probably won't exist later. I'm here, just in this moment and maybe never again. Isn't it absurd? I'm just a moment. A randomness. »
« It's not absurd, no, it's precious. Your life is a breath and it must be preserved, even if it may seem insignificant to you, it must be preserved because perhaps you can put an end to my nightmares. »

« What? »

Friedrich had the impression of seeing Sigwald Stein in tears, he had already heard those words spoken by his teacher.
« No ... » He was trembling. « No, you can't ... not like this ... no ... » His eyes were burning, he was about to collapse in tears, he couldn't even stand up anymore. « No, please ... stop ... why did you say those things too? I don't want to end your nightmares ... I didn't do anything. Let me alone. »

« I can't take it anymore, these nightmares ... are killing me. »
« That's enough! Be quiet! Be quiet! BE QUIET! » Friedrich shouted in anger.
At that moment he saw a glow in the sky, it was a flame that had assumed the shape of a cross. Sergei said:
« My Servant's Noble Phantasm, apparently you've lost. »
« No, I'm sorry, but this time I won't let things go their course. Nightmares? Paranoia? Fears? Fuck you! Fuck this Holy Grail War! A War of the Desperate! I'm not going to indulge your anguish! »
Friedrich used the Command Seal and ordered:
« Specter, you must win this battle at any cost! We won't lose ... I won't lose. »

Specter felt the order of her Master, reopened her eyes and found the strength to get up, the stone was breaking, the girl went to her knees and gradually managed to free herself from the arms of blood. Shocked, Assassin took the rifle and pointed it at the opponent's head and fired a shot but Specter managed to deflect it with the blade of her arm.

Specter managed to free herself from Assassin's dangerous Noble Phantasm and jumped at him, started hitting him with several sharp attacks; Assassin, in panic, asked for the help of his Master who strengthened him using a Command Seal. Assassin threw several daggers but Specter managed to dodge them, then he decided to use another Noble Phantasm to be able to eliminate the opponent:
« Krasnyy Pepel! (The Suicidal Monk) »
Assassin fired a crimson-colored bullet from the rifle that would certainly have killed Specter but the latter also used her Noble Phantasm:
« Caacrinolaas! (The Dog with Griffin Wings) »
With golden wings Specter rose into the air but the fireball followed and eventually hit her, the impact caused a gigantic explosion that would surely have destroyed the entire airport. Assassin thought for a moment that he had triumphed but then saw that Specter had used those same wings to protect herself from the attack, the wings disappeared and Specter fell towards him with unsheathed blades.
Assassin dropped his rifle to the ground and closed his eye.

Specter vs Assassin by Bikowolf

Chapter 142 : The wolf and the demon (part 2)

Friedrich ran away keeping one hand on the wound on his shoulder but Sergei had no intention of letting him escape; took a little bottle and poured black sand onto the ground then said:
« Жить! (zhit) »
The black sand rose and generated a black mastiff that chased Friedrich, the latter summoned a fire wolf:
« Feuerwolf! »
The two animals collided with each other, making Friedrich make up for time.
Meanwhile Specter and Assassin were fighting each other. Specter attempted to hit Assassin with a series of slashes but then remembered that her opponent's ability made him intangible only if it was one object at a time to cross his body and so she changed the attack strategy to put Assassin in difficulty, but he still managed to avoid several blows.
Specter was getting bored of loyally fighting her opponent and so she immediately used the Noble Phantasm:
« Caacrinolaas! (The Dog with Griffin Wings) »
The girl rose into the air thanks to two immense wings that sprouted from her back, she threw hundreds of thousands of blades from her wings. The impact of the Noble Phantasm generated an immense curtain of smoke, Assassin reappeared and he hadn't received any damage, Specter became nervous and exclaimed:
«You're good at surviving, I grant you, Assassin. I don't know how you managed to survive but know that now I will kill you ... »
Then Specter realized that what she was seeing was just a mannequin made of black smoke, in fact it dissolved shortly thereafter, the real Assassin appeared behind her and stabbed her in the side.
« Aaargh! Son of a bitch! » Specter screamed in agony.
Assassin managed to throw three daggers that injured the opponent's legs and then moved away to reach a safe point.

« You're a demon, Glasya-Labolas, and I must defeat you. This is my job. »

« Funny ... but hurting me with those daggers will serve you little. »

« I know. »

Assassin lowered his hood and showed a face full of cuts and reddish burns that had created like veins on the face, his left eye was closed with seams and had little hair while the ears seemed to have been eaten by mice; his nose was practically nonexistent and his teeth were rotten. Even Specter was disgusted to see the man's monstrous face. He opened his right eye which was as blue as the sea, a beautiful eye, and looked intently at his rival; a pile of ash rose and an old musket appeared, with bandages wrapped around the barrel and a rosary with a cross hanging from it.
« I humbly ask God's forgiveness. » Assassin muttered.
« You're not a simple monk, are you? Who are you? »
Assassin ignored Specter's question. He knelt in front of the rifle and began to pray:
« Ойча наш, каторы ёсць у небе, свяціся iмя Тваё, прыйдзi валадарства Тваё, будзь воля Твая як у небе, так на зямлi. Хлеба нашага штодзённага дай нам сёння, і адпусцi нам правіны нашы, як мы адпускаем вiнаватым нашым, і не ўводзь нас у спакусу, але збаў нас ад злога. Амэн.  »
Assassin stood up and answered Specter's question:
« Do you want to know who I am? Let my Noble Phantasm speak for me: Ya Ne Tsar'! (The Faithless Monk). »
Assassin fired a shot from the rifle into the sky, the night sky was illuminated by a fire that formed an immense flaming cross that frightened everyone who could see it, even Alessandro saw that cross in the sky and turned pale. The flames took on a crimson color similar to blood and fell from the sky in the form of a rain concentrated on Specter who felt crushed, she could no longer stand up, fell with her knees on a pool of blood from which came out arms that immobilized her. Specter was unable to free herself, the arms of blood were turning to stone and Specter was also petrifying gradually.

« Let yourself be consumed by your sin, demon! Let the end hang over you! »
Specter couldn't even use a Noble Phantasm, she felt weak and unable to fight.
« Specter ... is over for you, nothing can save you anymore. »
Specter lost consciousness, was no longer able to fight, the stone was about to swallow her totally.

The face of Assassin by Bikowolf

Chapter 141: The wolf and the demon (part 1)

That night the flight of the Rote Mäntel arrived at the airport, a private jet in which they had loaded the Cradle of Rosenkreutz enclosed in a wooden case with magical symbols on it that served to increase its resistance. A van was brought to load the relic, ten men had the task of protecting it and Herbert Schmidt was in charge of the entire operation, he was in the back checking the case. He ordered the driver to leave but as soon as he started the vehicle, Specter appeared, in front of the lights, she, with a sadistic smile, invited the driver to try to run her over, he was terrified, he understood he was in front to a Servant and he screamed:
« Wolff is here! »
A blade emerged from Specter's hand, which pierced the driver's skull; the magus who was on the side seat got out of the van immediately but was beheaded on the spot. Herbert ordered the seven men who were with him to come down and take care of Friedrich.
Specter managed to easily kill the various magi of the German organization, beheaded four with the blades of her arms, stabbed two in the heart and at the end cut the torso of the last one in half; Herbert was traumatized by the immense strength of the girl but he couldn't afford to leave the relic in her hands so he opened the box and before Specter could enter the van he shouted:
« Stop there, hure, otherwise I'll open the Cradle of Rosenkreutz and it will not end well for you. »
Friedrich Wolff arrived, with his hands in his pockets and commented with a disgusted look:
« Would you really go that far? You know perfectly well that you too will die, Herbert. Get away from the relic and surrender. »
« And what would you like to do with the relic, Friedrich? »
« I'll find a way to destroy it or seal it forever. Personally, I prefer the first one, so get away, I won't let you bring that thing to the Mage's Association, it will only bring destruction and nothing else. »
« You're just like Sigwald. » Herbert asserted, sighing.

Friedrich didn't like hearing his master's name in his rival's mouth.
« He, like you, wanted to destroy our relic just because he feared its power. Look how he ended. He was destroyed by his own weakness. A pathetic end for a pathetic man. »
« Be careful how you speak, blode ziege, you risk hurting yourself very much. I just want the relic but don't think that I'll have mercy on you if you hinder me. »
« And here we are, then, at the moment of truth. You're a human waste, Friedrich Wolff. You've abandoned the Rote Mäntel, you've abandoned your home and you've abandoned your brother, you're not worthy to call yourself  "human", you're the one who killed Sigwald Stein, you've always been the cause of his nightmares and his paranoia, the blame is yours if he committed suicide! »
« Be quiet! I don't want to listen to you! » Friedrich yelled.
« You'll listen to me, du hurensohn! Because you know what that man had to suffer to teach you Magecraft and despite this, despite his sufferings, you thwarted everything and abandoned the Rote Mäntel! Why? Because you're an egoist, an irresponsible, a human refusal and a shabby traitor who should be forgotten, scheißdreck! »
Friedrich screamed in anger and approached the van with the clear intention of hurting Herbert but he had his hand a few centimeters from the Cradle of Rosenkreutz, a move would've been enough to open it and make a genocide, but Friedrich didn't seem to care : he was blinded by anger. Specter, who at the beginning was quite entertained by the discussion between the two, was now worried about the relic and feared that her Master had completely lost his mind and so she grabbed his hand and said:
« Master, don't be silly. »
« I know what I'm doing! »
At that moment a knife made of black smoke pierced Friedrich's shoulder. The boy fell into Specter's arms, she saw Assassin appear a few yards away.
« I think we've a score to settle, Specter. » Assassin said.

Sergei Rybakov also appeared:
« I'm sorry, Master of Specter, but your ride ends here. »
Herbert Schmidt closed the van doors, got behind the wheel and started the vehicle leaving the battlefield. Friedrich was injured and vulnerable but had no intention of giving up. He wanted to stop Herbert at any cost.

« So you wanna fight? » Friedrich asked.

« Nothing personal. »

Assassin threw two daggers, Specter stood in front of Friedrich and deflected them with her blade.

« Specter ... »

« Master? »

« Kill him. »

Specter, with a demonic smile replied:

« With great pleasure. »

Friedrich Wolff, Specter and Herbert by Bikowolf

Chapter 140 : Don't abandon me

Alessandro woke up in the bedroom, it was afternoon, the room was a bright orange color and the boy got up to put the curtains in place, turned and saw Saber enter with a tray on which there were rusks and also a fruit juice, when she realized that Alessandro was well, put down the tray, went to him and hugged him tightly. He stroked his head and continued to hold him in his arms.
«You made me worry, Master. »
" I know I'm sorry. It's just that … "

Then he realized that he had been thrown out of the Coven. Should he have rejoiced? He understood that there was nothing exciting in that new and terrifying situation he was in. He hated being in the Coven, yes, but it was the only thing he had in the world, he had nothing else, without the Coven he would've been a beggar, a homeless, unemployed vagabond, destined to live on the streets.
The mere thought of living such a life made his arms and legs tremble and made him sweat, his body couldn't even stand upright, he had to lean against furniture and the wall to be able to remain standing. His eyes were burning, he rubbed them, tried to stop the tears, tried to behave like a man and to quell emotions ... but the tears managed to break the banks and Alessandro collapsed, cried like a child, leaned his head against the wall, shook it several times wondering what would become of his life that was now practically over.

Saber, seeing that tragic sight didn't know what to do, she was only a Servant, she didn't belong to his world, she couldn't help him in any way and this choked her heart, which suffocated in a grip of pain.

Alessandro, realizing that Saber was looking at him, was embarrassed, wiped his tears and said in a sobbing voice:

« I'm p-pathetic ... right? I'm weak ... »

« Me too. »

« I have to stop crying ... I'm a man, I'm twenty ... I can't collapse for so little ... »

« There's nothing "so little" and you know it perfectly. Don't choke your emotions, let yourself go ... Alessandro, there's nothing embarrassing about it. I'll be with you.  »

Alessandro cried and Saber made him sit on the bed and then made him rest his head on her legs, the boy, lying down, continued to cry in silence and she continued to cuddle him like a mother with a son.
« Master ... Alessandro, do you want to talk? »
« My life is over ... again. There's nothing else to add ... »
« Again? »
« The Coven has excommunicated me and this means that I no longer have a place to go. I didn't want things to go this way ... I ... I just wanted to have a friend and now I've nothing ... why does everyone abandon me? Am I destined to be alone forever? That's my fate? »
« No ... it was ... » Saber didn't know what to say, she understood that her Master was desperate but she didn't know how to help him: « I'm sorry you feel so bad. I wish I could do something to help you but I don't know what to do. »
« Don't abandon me ... please don't abandon me. I cannot do this alone ... I'm

scared ... »
« I won't, I promise you. »

Meanwhile, Specter and Friedrich were in the living room, sitting on the sofa waiting for news from Alessandro. Friedrich was worried about his friend and was aware that their alliance had been the fuse that had sparked all this. Specter decided to tease her Master a little and licked his cheek, he jumped and then exclaimed:
« Nymphomaniac, do you think you should do certain things everytime? »

« I like you, Master. Now I've to save you every time. Why don't you start worshiping me like I'm your personal goddess? »
« No, I'm not a Satanist, sorry. »

Specter laughed but noticed that Friedrich was not laughing at all, he had a gray look, he was immersed in his thoughts. She didn't know what had happened to Alessandro, didn't know the Coven and the way it worked and didn't care at all, but knew that Friedrich was in pain for the Master of Saber and understood that there was a strong friendship between the two.
« Are you okay, Master? You seem thoughtful. »

Friedrich looked at Specter, the boy's eyes were lit by a combative flame, she immediately understood the intentions of her Master and said:

« You're going to do something big, aren't you? »

He smiled and answered:
« The Cradle of Rosenkreutz Cradle will be brought to London, I've to intercept the load. I have to stop those fools. Can you help me out, Specter? »
« Anything you want, Master. Do you want me to notify your little friend? »
« No. Because of me he has become an enemy of the Coven, now they will hunt him down and I cannot put him in danger. It's just you and me, Specter. Alright? »
« No problem for me. I'll do whatever you want, because I'm Servant ... your demon. »

Saber and Alessandro Serpi by Bikowolf

Chapter 139 : Heretics hunter

Alessandro and Friedrich left the Clock Tower after learning about the Mage's Association's insane plan to use a powerful uncontrollable relic to kill Sheol, Friedrich had a plan to prevent the death of thousands upon thousands of people and brought Alessandro Serpi at St Margaret's Church which lined the Abingdon road. Near the white church there was a garden and from this Alessandro saw the nuns come out who, when they noticed his band around the neck, were slightly confused, Friedrich said to his friend:
« The customs of the Coven are not known. »
« No. They give these bands to the archbishops but in the Coven it's an honor that identifies those talented wise men who, however, are not Elders. »
The two entered the church and then Alessandro asked, curious:
« Why we are here? »
« When I first came to London I had the pleasure of visiting this place, I did it just to do, I didn't have a destination, but I saw something really interesting. »
In the church there were two rows of tall white colonnades joined by arches that supported the windows that illuminated the place together with large golden chandeliers, the two boys stopped in the center of the main nave then Friedrich pointed to one of the columns and murmured, so as not to disturb the faithfuls:
« Here. »
Alessandro went to the column and saw that there was a small incision on it, it was not very visible but resembled the shape of a rose. Alessandro therefore asked:
« What does it mean? »
« The Confraternity of the Rose Cross was German but in the sixteenth and seventeenth there were many who claimed to have come into contact with or to represent the confraternity, among them there was a certain Robert Fludd who lived here in about 1606. He had a meeting with a German named Michael Maier, a scholar who wanted to know the secrets of the confraternity. I don't know the details of the meeting but my teacher picked up Maier's correspondence, or at least part of it, and learned of an important thing. »

Friedrich pointed to the rose on the column and explained:
« Fludd told Maier that he was working on a way to destroy the Cradle of Rosenkreutz without unleashing its terrible power. Here, in this place, Fludd and Maier met to talk about the relic and here there's a symbol of a rose ... I wonder what's in this church. »
« Maybe a magic weapon? »
« Maybe not. The members of the Confraternity of the Rose Cross didn't make weapons, generally they were alchemists, doctors and spellcasters. Nothing more. They never built weapons, perhaps the Cradle of Rosenkreutz was the first and last case. Their magic is based on the use of special ingredients to create magical circles, but it would have been stupid ... » Friedrich stopped talking and turned to a dressed girl who was dressed like a nun but without a headdress and with her skirt open on the right to show the leg.
Alessandro recognized the long red hair tied in a ponytail that descended in front of her right shoulder, the water-green eyes of the girl lingered, saddened, on him.
« This is truly a pity. » She murmured.
« Who's that girl? Do you know her? » Friedrich asked to Alessandro.

« I ... don't. »

« You don't? » She asked annoyed. « I tried to love you but you simply rejected my feelings and now you've also forgotten my name. »

Alessandro was visibly confused, he didn't know that girl and yet she spoke of him as if they had been friends and it was worrying him.

« My name is Elisa. Elisa Mancini. I'm a heretic hunter and I'm here by the will of the Grand Master Giovanni Monteverdi X. »
Alessandro was frightened, turned to Friedrich and exclaimed:
« Run! »
Elisa snapped her fingers and said:
« Aeterna Ferri Robora. » She conjured up a sword whose blade had three points arranged in the shape of a cross.
« Gladio! » Alessandro said snapping his fingers, a sword appeared.
The blades collided, the girl wasn't happy to fight it was clear from her expression but she had no intention of taking steps back. Elisa decided to attack Alessandro several times, but he wasn't an expert sword fighter and in a short time he was knocked down.

A wolf with an electric mantle was on the point of injuring Elisa but she moved away from the animal and then, snapping her fingers, she said:
« Dis. »
The electric beast was thrown against the wall and died. Friedrich helped Alessandro to get up and took him out of the church as quickly as possible. Elisa was ready to attack again but Alessandro snapped his fingers and said:
« Lapis! »
A stone hand came out of the floor which hit the girl and then immobilized her giving the two boys time to leave the church. Once outside, they noticed that there were too many civilians and in addition it was broad daylight, they had to avoid fighting at any cost otherwise they would have had many problems.
Alessandro then noticed that the nuns he had seen leaving the garden were motionless and there were priests with them, then he saw Elisa Mancini arrive and none of them was frightened.
« Shit ... we're surrounded. It was a trap. » Alessandro said, realizing the danger.
« But how did they know we were going to get here? » Friedrich asked, perplexed.
« We were following you. » Elisa replied. « The Grand Master Giovanni Monteverdi X has officially excommunicated you, Alessandro, you're no longer a member of the Coven and consequently you must return Saber, she's not yours ... she belongs to the Coven. »
« No … »

« Out of respect for the formality, I officially declare the Interdictio aquae et ignis for you. You will never be able to return to the Coven, you will not be able to ask forgiveness for your sins and you will no longer be able to rely on our resources. The symbols you wear are empty. You are an enemy of the Coven. »

Alessandro was shocked, struggled to keep himself upright, never expected an excommunication. Now the Coven considered him an enemy and wanted his head.

« Now, Saber ... » Elisa said.

« I can't ... I can't give you Saber. I cannot! »
Without wishing it, Alessandro used a Command Seal and called Saber, the moment the girl took out the sword the members of the Coven left and Elisa ordered Alessandro to return the Servant:

« Give me the Servant, Alessandro! She's not yours, she belongs to the Coven.

« I belong only to my Master. » Saber said. « I'm his Servant, not yours. If you have any problems, face me. »

At that moment Specter also came.

« Well, well, well ... I see that Christians have shown up, I can finally bring some interesting soul to hell. How you guys doing? Me? I'm fine. I'm gonna eat hypocrisy for lunch. »

« Glasya-Labolas ... » Elisa said, worried.

To fight at that moment would've been foolish, everyone present was aware of it. There was a moment of tension in the air but then the members of the Coven decided to withdraw, including Elisa Mancini.

Saber sheathed the weapon, turned to Alessandro and then the boy suddenly passed out falling into her arms. Frightened, she picked up her Master and carried him away.

Elisa Mancini by Bikowolf