Chapter 99 : Saber vs Specter (part 2)

Saber had managed to survive Specter's Noble Phantasm, her wounds healed thanks to Alessandro's magical energy and she began to fight against the opponent. Specter was surprised to see Saber still alive:
« What kind of trick did you use, Saber? »
« I'm very lucky. »
Saber tried to hit Specter but the latter lowered and, with a blade sticking out of the foot, jumped, rotating backwards, in an attempt to cut the rival's throat. Saber the blow with the sword and then resumed attacking. She struck five slits, two high and three at the height of her belly, but Specter was able to block them all using the blades of her arms.
Saber was looking for a weak spot to hit and eventually tried a different tactic: she got defensive. Specter took the opportunity to start attacking, after about three back shots, Saber noticed that the opponent had a tendency to aim at the throat and then in the fourth hit she bent down and then launched a blow that hit Specter in the middle.
« I got you. »
Specter fell to the ground, hurt, tried to get back on her feet but the wound was too deep. Saber prepared to give her a coup de grace but then noticed that Specter was pulling blades out of her body to protect the wound and other exposed parts as well.
« Caassimolar! (The Smiling Dog of Hell) » Specter shouted.
All the blades that were covering her body were thrown in every direction, she was like a porcupine. Saber was hit in the thigh and arm by two blades and as soon as she looked up she saw the face of a smiling dog, frightened she jumped back, but didn't know she had Specter behind her who was ready to stab her. Specter aimed at Saber's throat, with a blade prepared to decapitate her. Saber knew that the smiling face couldn't be real, everything else was as if it had disappeared, surely it was the fault of the blades but before taking them off she put her hand on the ground.
« Fortification. »
Suddenly a perfect square structure appeared, in wood, with two other squares defined by wooden stilts of at least three meters inside, there were ditches and there were also caltrops on the ground. Specter was separated from Saber. Disoriented and nervous, Specter immediately sought out her opponent. Saber, meanwhile, managed to remove the blades, the smiling face disappeared. When she realized that she had managed to separate Specter from her, she prepared to use her Noble Phantasm.
« A Saber that can create territories. A really unusual thing, don't you think? »
« Silly! This isn't a trivial "creation of territories". This skill of mine is Military Engineering! It allows me to create fortifications and siege weapons. At this moment you are in my fort, in my world, and here I am in charge. »
« A Saber making fortifications, huh? » Specter thought aloud.
Specter saw the caltrops on the ground and realized that as she proceeded she would meet Saber, but she didn't know what was going to happen. With the blades in the soles of her feet, Specter began to get rid of the different traps and then, when she reached Saber, she found herself in front of a bad surprise.
Saber's sword was raised high, the blade was lighting up, the light that emanated resembled that of a sun and Saber screamed:
« Crocea Mors! (The Sword of Certain Victory) »
A powerful blow, made of light, similar to a direct beam, struck Specter in full. Saber's fortress disappeared.

The powerful Noble Phantasm was also perceived by the two Masters who were fighting. Alessandro noticed Friedrich's worried gaze and asked him:
« Why are you fighting the Holy Grail War? »
« Why do you ask me that? »
« You don't look like a bad person to me, someone who only follows his craving. »
« I fight because I need answers. There is a doubt that plagues me and I need to meet a person. »
« It seems rather stupid to me to fight a war for such a foolish thing. »
« It's a complicated thing, I don't think you can understand it. »
« Give it a go. »
« Why do you want to know? You don't get anything. » Friedrich asked, perplexed.
« Have you heard the blow before? I'm sure it was my Servant. Probably yours is dead or probably not, in this moment of uncertainty is it really too much to ask you to clarify what is your goal? I want to know who I'm fighting against. »
« Ah, ah! You're probably fighting against nothing. »

Saber using Crocea Mors by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 98 : Saber vs Specter (part 1)

Specter stood in front of Friedrich Wolff and seeing Saber licked her own lips.
« You really are a beautiful woman. You have beautiful shapes. If you weren't my enemy you would be my personal prostitute. »
« Disgusting but interesting. As far as I know, the Specter class welcomes demons. So I guess you're a demon. »
« My class speaks for me, Saber. So are you ready to duel, baby? »
Saber drew her sword and hit Specter but the latter parried the blow with a blade that popped out of her arm, two other blades popped out of her feet and she launched a series of kicks that Saber parried trying to find an opening but Specter was able to avoid being hit, started jumping and spinning hitting Saber with blades that came out of her legs and arms.
Saber backed away and Alessandro, worried about her, asked her:
« Are you OK? »
« Don't worry, Master, I can kill this bitch. »
While Saber returned to face Specter, Alessandro took care of Friedrich. He snapped his fingers and said:
« Dis. »
Friedrich was catapulted into another room, got up immediately and immediately understood the type of attack so he moved away from Alessandro and summoned a fire wolf:
« Feuerwolf! »
This magical animal spat a fireball against Alessandro who had to snap his fingers and said:
« Defendere! »
Friedrich ordered his animal to attack Alessandro frontally, the wolf attacked the barrier and then exploded destroying the magic shields that Alessandro had evoked around him. Friedrich summoned an ice wolf:
« Eiswolf! »
This glacial wolf spat a jet that created an ice wall giving Friedrich the opportunity to study a strategy to face Alessandro.

In the meantime Saber and Specter were continuing their duel, neither of them had gained a real advantage over the other. Specter decided to attack the opponent with a direct blow to the throat but the latter stopped the attack just in time, Saber seeing that Specter had lowered her guard wounded her in the side and then tried to kill her. Specter, however, was smarter than Saber and managed to get blades from the shoulders that blocked the attack. Saber distanced himself:
« You really have an annoying power, Specter. »
« Facing a demon isn't like facing a human, Saber. I'm stronger than you. »
« I guess you're right. »
« All Servants are nothing but pets and technically I'm too, but I'm still much stronger than a normal human being and ... you know ... I just want to end this boring battle. So, this is goodbye, baby. »
Specter activated her Noble Phantasm:
« Caacrinolaas! (The Dog with Griffin Wings) »
Two immense wings similar to those of an eagle sprouted from Specter's back, the wings turned golden and the girl rose into the air, breaking the walls of the building and leaving it. Saber followed her rival and saw that the pointed feathers of the wings began to come off, so Specter threw hundreds of thousands of blades, which had come off the wings, against Saber.

Specter activating her Noble Phantasm by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 97 : Calm before the storm

Saber and Alessandro were walking together on the streets of London. The girl wore ordinary clothes thankfully but Alessandro was still afraid of being attacked by a Servant among the people, he certainly didn't want to end up in the newspapers and so he decided to take Saber to a pub so as not to be seen too much around.
« Londinium will certainly offer delicacies! » Saber exclaimed, exploring the menu with her eyes.
« You certainly won't find Roman food. »
« De gustibus non disputandum est! You can't argue about personal tastes! If in Londinium they love non-Roman food then we will eat non-Roman food and satiate our stomachs! »
« Okay, calm down, everyone is watching us. » Alessandro said, embarrassed.
« What's the problem? I like to be looked at. I was born to be the center of attention. »
« Saber ... »
« Ah! And then I must tell you that the time I ate with Valerio Leone, I satisfied my appetite with truly unique dishes! Have you ever heard of butter asparagus? They are very good! You should try them! »
Saber was enthusiastic but Alessandro was unable to follow her:
« Sorry, who's Valerio Leone, again? »
« A rich man from Mediolanum if I remember correctly. He had a really fantastic domus and even though my soldiers hated his food I eventually convinced them to eat and they liked it in the end, you know, sometimes the legionnaires tend to be grumpy but then in the end it's enough to talk to them and everything is resolved . »
The enthusiasm that Saber put into her words was contagious, it was impossible not to listen to her, but Alessandro was not surprised at this, after all he found himself in front of Caesar: a person without comparison in history that had completely transformed Rome.
He was served and the girl didn't hold back and began to devour whole courses in a short time, she was like a hungry beast, which was rather strange, in fact it didn't seem to Alessandro that the Servants needed to eat, she probably did it simply because accustomed to Roman culture.
« Saber, do you think we will win this war? »
« I can't lose, Master, so we'll win. » She replied, smiling.
« I'm serious. I don't want to speak with "Caesar the swagger" I want to speak with "Caesar the military strategist". Do you think we can win? »
Saber read the concern in Alessandro's gaze and then decided to reply in a mature way:
« Master, do you know what a war is? »
« A battle. »
« No. The battle is a part of the war but every war is divided into three parts: the cause, the battle and the effect. If you want to win a war you must be able to answer all three fundamental questions: why fight? How to fight? What to do after the fight? Set a goal and follow it until the end. »
« I want to be honest with you ... I was forced to take part in this war. I have no desire. »
« However, you are here. You may cancel the contract but you have not done so. »
« The Coven would kill me. »
« Then why do you want to win the war? »
« Because I want to live. »
« And why do you want to live? »
« Because I want a happy life, without problems and without anxiety ... »
Then Alessandro realized that he had answered one of the three questions that Saber had asked, the girl gave a knowing smile and then she said:
« Now you know why you're fighting this war, now it's about knowing how to win it, that's the most complicated part but that's why I'm here. »
« Thanks, Saber. »
« Don't thank me, enjoy the meal, come on. »
After eating, the two of them left the pub and returned to the hotel room. Alessandro was exhausted, he threw himself on the bed and there Saber lay next to him who asked him:
« Did you eat well, Master? »
« Yup. »
Alessandro was already reflecting on how to win the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil and then Saber, noticing his puzzled gaze, asked:
« What are you thinking about, Master? »
« We're going to war tonight, Saber. We have to win, this is the only way to end this war. We must win at any cost. »
« I like this spirit! That's how you do it, Master! » She exulted.
« With you by my side I am sure I will win. »
That night Alessandro and Saber headed into an abandoned building waiting for a challenger and it was then that they saw Friedrich Wolff arrive together with Specter. As soon as Alessandro saw his rival's Servant he immediately recognized the demon and worried, the demons were very dangerous creatures and shouldn't be underestimated.
Friedrich saw Saber and then shifted his attention to Alessandro Serpi and said to him:
« Hallo. You must be my opponent. I'm Friedrich. Friedrich Wolff. »
« Alessandro Serpi. Do you belong to the Rote Mäntel? »
« No, but you belong to the Coven. I recognized you right away. »
« I hope you are ready to fight, Friedrich. Because I will win this war. »
« We'll see that, priest. »

Specter, Saber, Alessandro and Friedrich by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 96 : Enemies in the dark

Friedrich Wolff was sleeping blissfully in his bed in the hotel room, he had no idea that there had been a battle between two Servants in Regent's Park. He felt a cold breeze on his neck, covered himself with the blanket but was now disturbed and could no longer fall asleep, turned on the light and went to the window to check that there were no drafts. It was perfectly closed and passing his hand over the edge he didn't even feel a breath of air, so what had caused that strange breeze?
Friedrich made his way to the living room but at that moment he realized that for some strange reason a picture on the wall was slightly tilted to the right. He put it straight and at that moment he saw a hand sticking out of the wall, this grabbed his head and slammed it against the glass of the picture. Friedrich fell to the ground and saw this hooded man who looked like a Jesuit monk come out of the wall.
« I guess that you are a Servant! »
« Perceptive. »
Friedrich immediately got up from the ground and ran into the living room, chased by Assassin who threw several daggers, always missing the target slightly. Specter appeared before Friedrich:
« Specter, we have a problem! »
« Move, now I'll take care of him. »
A blade came out of Specter's hand but it passed through Assassin, the girl was surprised but then another blade came out of a finger of the same hand and this time Assassin ran away to avoid being hit.
Specter, smiling, said:
« I understand. »
Specter attempted to attack Assassin but he escaped by leaving the apartment. Specter thought of chasing him but Friedrich stopped her:
« It doesn't matter, let's avoid fighting in this place. I don't want any civilian 
casualties. »
« As you wish, Master. »

January 28, 2021 - Day 2

The next morning Friedrich was already at work to try to find out what Assassin's identity was, Specter appeared behind him while he was sitting on the sofa reading history books.
« Discovered something, Master? »
« No, still nothing. So far, that Assassin remains simply Casper's "ugly brother." »
« Casper? »
« Forget it, it was just a joke. I have no idea who he is. »
« I bet you will find out sooner or later, Master. »
« Specter, I have a question. »
« Really? »
Specter jumped on the sofa and lay down resting her head on Friedrich's legs, he asked her:
« Can Nidhoggr really be the Ouroboros? »
« They have similarities but I can't tell you if they are the same thing. In the world that transcends yours, matter is like water, everything mixes and nothing is defined. There are many worlds, many universes where possible combinations of matter are implemented in different ways and in varied times. You know the Root? »
« Yes. It's what every magus would like to see. The source of true magical power. »
« That's only a milligram of the possibilities of Being. The Root is something unique and unrepeatable for humans but for me and a divinity the Root is only a fragment of a set of probabilities that repeat themselves indefinitely. »
« Forgive me, I can't follow you, these are complicated things. » Friedrich said, stunned.
« Being is the basis of everything. But what is "everything"? "Everything" is that which is divided into defined and indefinite. Matter and not matter. You are definite matter, and the Root is devoid of matter. But it's a fragment of the immaterial world. »
« How vast is this immaterial world? »
« The only way you have to measure it it's in probability. Imagine having a hand capable of rolling a thousand six-sided dice at a time, the number of possible combinations equals one millionth of the total size of the immaterial world. But the combinations increase with the increase of the dice and these increase because the Being is always in motion and always produces something new. »
« So, going back to the previous question ... »
« You can only speculate about the connection between Nidhoggr and Ouroboros. » 

Friedrich Wolff and Specter by Bikowolf

 

Favorite historical characters who might one day become Servant - 6

Commodus

Lucius Aurelius Commodus. Like Caligula and Nero, he's described by historians as extravagant, cruel and depraved.
During the twelve years of principality, despite the reputation of despot, Commodus is recognized of merits: for example he exercised a wide religious tolerance, ending the persecutions against Christians after a few years from the ascent to the throne, which began again after the his death. He himself practiced Eastern and foreign cults.
The first difference between him and Nero is the love of the army. He was loved by the people and supported by the army, to which he had given substantial sums of money.
Commodus had a passion for gladiator fights and those against beasts, to the point of descending himself into the arena dressed as a gladiator, like the Roman Hercules wearing a lion skin.
Commodus' instability was not limited to this "hobby". A part of the city of Rome was destroyed by a fire, and Commodus took the opportunity to "re-found" it, calling it the Commodian Colony in his honor. The calendar months were also renamed in his honor, and even the Senate changed its name to the Senate of Fortune Commodian, while the army became Commodian Army and so did the Classis Commodian fleet. These monarch attitudes were considered seriously offensive by the senate.
He also had a propensity for what we now call sexual perversions; he abused all the sisters, he forced his concubines to put his mother's name during the intercourse, he had set up a sort of harem made up of 300 girls and 300 boys.
So what classes for him?
(a note the stars indicate what for me would be the most suitable class for the character. Five stars is the maximum, no star is the minimum.)
. Rider (-)
. Caster (-)
. Saber (⭐)
. Assassin (-)
. Lancer (⭐)
. Berserker (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
. Archer (-)
. Specter (-)
. Devourer (-)
. Ruler (-)
. Avenger (⭐⭐)

Favorite historical characters who might one day become Servant - 5

Horatio Nelson

A national hero of the British Empire, a man who won numerous battles and who soon became known to be the nemesis of Napoleon Bonaparte. Horatio Nelson entered the navy at the age of ten thanks to his uncle. He was forty years old when he managed to block Napoleon in Egypt thanks to his fearsome fleet. He was subsequently sent to Naples with a joint British-Portuguese fleet to target the Jacobin insurgents and save the Bourbon court.
Nelson was in charge of defeating the fleets of Denmark and Sweden; in fact both countries economically supported Napoleonic France and for this reason they had to be quickly stopped.
Nelson reported a brilliant victory with the Battle of Copenhagen which definitively canceled the Scandinavian naval threat.
He became famous for fighting the battle of Trafalgar. Nelson inflicted a decisive defeat on the French fleet. This war event allowed England to strengthen its naval supremacy over the French one which from that moment had no more weight on the naval operational chessboard.
On the day of the naval battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson raised the signal of incitement addressed to his entire fleet on the main mast of his flagship, the Victory: 

"England expects that every man will do his duty."

 
However Nelson was unable to enjoy the laurels of victory as he was shot dead by a French shooter.
(a note the stars indicate what for me would be the most suitable class for the character. Five stars is the maximum, no star is the minimum.)
. Rider (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
. Caster (-)
. Saber (-)
. Assassin (-)
. Lancer (-)
. Berserker (-)
. Archer (-)
. Specter (-)
. Devourer (-)
. Ruler (-)
. Avenger (⭐)

Chapter 95 : Lancer vs Rider

Lancer attempted to pierce Rider in the chest but the latter parried the blow and counterattacked with a blow to the enemy's throat. Lancer dodged the blow and counterattacked in turn, Rider avoided the attack but was wounded in the cheek and distanced herself to avoid being hit. Spear and katana discounted at least twenty times in a quick duel full of dodges, attacks and counterattacks. None of the two Servants wanted to surrender.
Rider thought of injuring the opponent's legs in such a way as to prevent her from moving quickly but Lancer was smart and understood Rider's tactic, which suddenly attacked with low slits.
« You're very good, Rider, I grant you, but you will never be at my level. »
« I've used my Noble Phantasm before, you should know my identity, Lancer. »
« Obviously: you are Ieyasu Tokugawa, the General with Three Faces. »
« I don't like that name. I am Tokugawa Ieyasu, I am the one who founded the Tokugawa shogunate and who brought order to Japan when it fell into chaos! I am the order! »
« You will soon be dead. »
Lancer attempted to hit Rider but the latter parried the attack and with a quick move she injured the opponent's arm. Lancer jumped back.
« I finally managed to hurt you, Lancer. »
« You were lucky, Rider. »
Then Lancer noticed that there was something strange in Rider, something was missing:
« Where's your steed, Rider? »
« My steed is not an animal, Lancer, but you will only find out if you can show me that you can actually fight. Which reminds me: you didn't tell me your name. »
« Why should I tell you? »
« It's a matter of honor, Lancer. This duel could be your last one, would you rather die without being remembered by anyone? »
« Do you want my name? »
Lancer's spear started to shine, the warrior ran towards Rider and then jumped and used her Noble Phantasm, five astral spears appeared around Rider and at that moment Lancer screamed:
« Katadíki Tou Krótona! (My Condemnation of Crotone) »
Lancer threw her spear at Rider and generated a gigantic shining explosion. 
Shortly thereafter, dust rose and the body of an unknown person emerged from the cloud of smoke, he was not Rider, on the contrary, he seemed a very ordinary London citizen. Lancer was confused, had no idea who that person was, yet she was sure she had hit Rider.
« I'm good at lying, but doing politics means knowing how to adapt. »
Rider was close to his Master, a little further on. Angry Lancer exclaimed:
« Who's that person?! »
« Nobody. A member of the people who was influenced by my Noble Phantasm. He sacrificed himself to save my life. You just killed a civilian, you're a criminal, Cleta. That's your name, isn't it? You are the Nurse of Penthesilea, you are an Amazon. »
« Exactly. For one who speaks of honor, you are quite dishonest, Tokugawa. »
« You call it" dishonesty "but that's my honor. The people who I influence with my Noble Phantasm are happy to fight for me and at my side, the people are my steed, they lead me to success and through them I always win. But it's too late, this battle has already bored me, next time, Lancer you will die. »
Rider took her Master in her arms and walked away leaving Lancer and Tetsuya in the park.

Lancer by Bikowolf