Fate/False Order

Parking her Yamaha motorcycle, Artoria threw her leg over the bike and disembarked the vehicle with practiced ease.

Taking off her biker's helmet, she placed it on the motorcycle, before moving towards Rosalind's house.

She had had a long night, Kiritsugu didn't take Irisviel's kidnapping well, be it due to her being his wife or the Grail, Artoria didn't know, but he had ordered her to patrol the city through the night.

Unfortunately, she had not found even a lock of silver hair, or any trace of Caster.

Walking up to the door, Artoria rang the doorbell.

It only took a few moments before the door was flung open, revealing Rosalind wearing an apron while cradling the six-year-old Sakura in an arm, who looked at Artoria with her almost glazed violet eyes.

"Artoria?" Rosalind questioned, while looking her ancestor up and down. "Here to steal Alistair's portion of pancakes once more?" She teased with a slight wiggle of her brows.

Saber's stoic face slightly twitched upwards into something resembling a smile, before she shook her head, returning her expression into a perfectly blank one.

"As much as I'd like to partake in your cooking, Rosalind, I was hoping to learn if your or Alistair's investigations have borne fruit," she explained calmly, and the smile on Rosalind's face dimmed.

"I am sorry, but I don't have any feasible ways to search for Irisviel, or none that are better than Alistair's methods," she explained softly, before gesturing towards the neighboring house with her free arm. "You'll have to ask Alistair, or maybe Vivian if there is any news."

Saber nodded, and flashed a bitter smile. "That's fine, thank you for the information, and I am sorry, but I currently do not have the time to share a meal with you," she explained with a hint of bitterness.

Rosalind waved it off, and flashed an understanding smile. "Don't worry, while it is unfortunate, I do not mind," she said calmly, before giving her a shooing motion. "I need to get back to flipping, you go wake Alistair up, God knows he's gotten too lax now that he isn't home," Rosalind grumbled the last part of the sentence, before slowly closing the door.

Saber only gave a soft smile, and nodded towards Rosalind just before the door closed.

As the door closed shut, Artoria turned on the spot and moved towards the only other house that hung the flag of the British Isles on their flagpole.

It certainly wasn't discreet, but Saber could appreciate the gesture, as she found it rather amusing, and it was nice to see her homeland's new banner.

Stepping up to the door, Artoria rang the doorbell, and waited for someone, probably Vivian if Rosalind's words were anything to go by, to open the door.

And only a few seconds later was Rosalind proven right as a stone-faced Vivian opened the door.

"Inside," Vivian said coolly, causing Saber to frown at the sudden hostility and the thinly veiled command.

Vivian didn't wait for an answer, and simply walked inside, clearly expecting Artoria to follow her instructions.

Feeling somewhat miffed, Artoria stepped into the house, took off her shoes, and followed the echoes of Vivian's footsteps.

Soon, she found herself entering the living room, which she felt was covered by a Bounded Field of some type, but clearly not hostile, as then it would have shattered upon her crossing its boundaries.

The living room was somewhat messy. Vivian sat at the end of the dinner table, which was covered by documents and loose papers.

Vivian gestured for Artoria to take a seat, while fixing her with a frigid look.

Saber only fixed Vivian with a look, not sitting down, choosing to remain standing. "May I know why you seem hostile towards me?" Artoria questioned neutrally, causing Vivian to snort.

"Please, if I didn't care so much for Al and his mother's feelings, I would have told them of what I knew, and then they'd treat you as icily as I do," she huffed, causing the frown on Artoria's face to deepen.

"What do you mean?" She questioned harshly.

Vivian fiddled with a few of the loose papers on the table, and started shuffling them. "I did some digging after Rosalind mentioned her deceased husband," Vivian said neutrally, and Artoria almost instantly stiffened, causing the look Vivian fixed her with to sharpen.

"Kiritsugu Emiya," she said offhandedly, while pulling out a slip of paper, and sliding it over the table towards Saber. "Freelance magus, specializing in eliminating rogue magi, Dead Apostles, and other threats," she listed off calmly, not needing to look at the document.

"Renowned for his unorthodox methods, which often involve modern weaponry, explosives, and tactics that magi consider... unsavory. Earning him the nickname, The Magus Killer, for his high success rate and equally high mortality rates of his magi victims," she explained coolly.

Her tone was steady as she continued. "By conservative estimates, he's directly responsible for over two hundred deaths. His missions, numbering over fifty, have been carried out with a near-perfect success rate. Though officially a freelancer, nine years ago, he was contracted by the Einzberns for what is assumed to be a long-term engagement," she said pointedly while looking at Artoria.

There was a beat of silence, before Vivian continued. "Now tell me, isn't it convenient that Irisviel got married nine years ago, along with the fact that she had pointedly not mentioned her husband's name when Rosalind prodded her."

Artoria didn't move, nor give any reaction to the news, having put on the mask she used to wear when dealing with troublesome noblemen back during her time as king. "Where are you going with this?" She questioned calmly.

Artoria knew that she wouldn't be able to fool Vivian, and she was now on edge, given that the knowledge Vivian had would paint her and Irisviel in a bad light.

"The fact that Irisviel obviously isn't your master forces me to guess on who could possibly be your true master, and gathering all the information from the documents in front of you, paired with someone blowing up a building, in a very Magus Killer-esque move, forces me to conclude that your Master is one Kiritsugu Emiya," she said harshly, before giving her an evaluating look.

"So tell me," she said while leaning forward, and glaring at Artoria. "Why should I not rat you and your Master out to Al and his mother?" 

Artoria felt her throat go dry. This was not the conversation she thought she'd be having after a night's worth of hunting for Caster.

Wetting her lips, Artoria spoke up. "I have no qualms with you telling them," she said quietly, before sighing. "Though I'd appreciate it if you did not inform them before Irisviel is found, as I am in desperate need of their help, along with the fact that we need to be united against Caster, if we wish to emerge victorious," she pleaded, while entering a slight bow.

Saber didn't move from her bowing position, waiting for Vivian's verdict, while Vivian herself thrummed the table while studying Artoria.

"What will you do to make up for it?" Vivian asked in a neutral tone, causing Artoria to straighten up, and look at her.

"I beg your pardon?"

Sighing, Vivian brought a hand to massage her left temple on her face. "Al came here to watch the war, and hopefully learn a thing or two," she explained tiredly, before looking pointedly at Artoria. "That all changed when you entered the fray," she huffed, before looking aside.

"He's throwing himself into danger left, right and center thanks to you, fighting Lancer and spending all of last night running around Fuyuki to set up the tracking barrier to find Caster for you… he went to bed an hour ago," she said with reproach.

"He's been doing a lot for you, only for you to work for the man who killed his father, and yet you don't have the spine to tell that to his face," she spat, before fixing her with a hard look. "So what are you going to do to make up for it?"

Saber stood still for a while, before releasing a deep sigh. "I do not know," she said with a frown. "I'd happily train him harder, or do other things, but right now, I simply do not have the time."

Vivian's face kept its hard look, as she gazed at Artoria. "You risk his life, keep vital information away from him, yet you can't spend time on ensuring he'll survive…" Vivian said in a tone that only grew more and more shrill as she continued.

Planting a hand on the table, she pushed herself up. "Leave," she said icily. "I won't have you endanger him while keeping him in the dark!" she spat, before hurriedly moving towards the door.

"Let's see what he and Rosalind think of this cooperation once they learn of what you have been hiding behind your back," she muttered as she reached for the door.

Before she could reach the door, Saber's hand intercepted Vivian's arm, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Saber fixed her with a serious look. "Please…" she begged softly. "I– I don't wish to fail Irisviel, I have failed far too many people already," she said while slightly tightening her grip, while bowing her head.

"I know that I have done wrong by both Rosalind and Alistair, and I am still willing to repent and face the music, but right now I need them, as without them I may not be able to save my friend," she explained softly.

Vivian stared at her for a whole minute, staying quiet throughout it, before slowly lowering her hand from the doorknob. "Five hours," she said slowly, causing Artoria to look up at her.

"You have five hours to talk to your Master, convince him that you training Alistair is a better use of your time than searching, and I'll ensure that we'll have a location on Caster's whereabouts within 24 hours," she explained, causing Artoria to look at her seriously.

"How can you guarantee such a thing?" Saber questioned in a serious tone, causing Vivian to scoff. "I am a member of the Animusphere family, scrying and divination is in our blood, and we've been doing so for over two thousand years," she said seriously.

"I am not well suited to the craft, but as tonight is a full moon, so I'll be able to scry the location of Caster's base with ease, as she has to be within the city. Though as I am unsuitable to the craft, it will take until early hours of the morning for me to get the pinpoint accurate location of her whereabouts," she explained, before giving Artoria an appraising look.

"Of course, I'll only do so if within the next six hours, I am given a geass from your Master, where he'll ensure that you'll train Alistair to the best of your abilities for the rest of the war. And without it, I'll take it as you disagree with my proposition, then I'll spill the beans, and not help you in your search," she bargained smoothly.

"But know this," her eyes suddenly sharpened. "Your number one priority is to keep Alistair safe when he is with you, and if harm ever befalls him when he's with you, I shall never forgive you and ensure that your family will have nothing to do with you from then on," she demanded harshly.

Artoria met her eyes, and slowly released her from her ironclad grip while nodding her own head. "I shall inform Kiritsugu of your proposition," she said calmly, causing Vivian to nod. "Good, now leave," she said pointedly, causing Artoria to sigh.

Nodding, she opened the door, and headed for the exit, slipping on her shoes when she entered the hallway.

Leaving the house, she walked up to her bike, and slid on her helmet.

Vivian being so hostile was… understandable, unfortunate, but understandable nonetheless.

Mounting her bike, she put the keys in the ignition and kicked up the stand.

As she accelerated and left the vicinity, she couldn't help but feel bitter.

Vivian had been right, or at least it felt so. She had been placing her family in danger, and was content with keeping them in the dark, and lying by omission regarding who her Master was. The thought was a bitter pill to swallow, but Vivian had forced her to do so.

Artoria herself knew that she should have confronted Kiritsugu about the fact that she had killed Rosalind's husband, but the thought had escaped her thanks to Rider's and Caster's comments, causing her to postpone it until now.

Accelerating her speed, Artoria moved towards Kiritsugu's new base of operations.

~~Fate/False Order~~

Glancing at the workshop's door, I watched as Vivian collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, only to fall into her own shadow.

Slowly, Morgan emerged from the same shadow, and turned to look at me. "So… what did you do?" I probed, causing Morgan to shrug. "Emotionally blackmailed my sister, set a few things into motion, and hopefully gotten you remedial lessons with her," she said smugly, causing me to sigh.

"Of course you did something like that," I said dryly, while moving a hand to rub at my temples.

The sound of high heels clacking echoed as Morgan approached me. "Come now, I did nothing too terrible, one could even say that I alleviated some of her worries, as I guaranteed that I'd be able to locate Irisviel," she chimed in with equal smugness.

Morgan effortlessly made herself at home by siding into the sofa seat next to me, and sprawling herself over the couch, laying her legs over my lap, and leaning her head on the armrest.

Pulling my hand away from my face, I glanced at Morgan with an amused look. "How kind of you, and here I'd thought you'd rob her blind while giving her less," I said with a hint of humor, earning a contemplative hum from Morgan.

"It was a thought, trust me. As I'm rather sure that I'd have been able to get more out of her, like maybe some samples of bone marrow or something similar, but I thought it prudent not to burn bridges too early," she explained happily.

Lovely.

Turning to look away from Morgan, I focused on the shiny set of armor she had made for me, which was adorning a homunculus copy of myself standing in the corner.

"What's up with the dollar store me?" I probed, causing Morgan to give a slight huff.

"I thought it prudent for you to be seen doing something last night, so I modeled one of the backup homunculi after you, and sent it to run around to look busy," she explained with a shrug. "Once he was done, I thought he'd make for a good armor stand."

"A very handsome armor stand," I corrected, earning a slight chuckle of amusement from Morgan. "Yes, a very handsome armor stand," she amended quickly.

Smiling to myself, I adjusted one of Morgan's legs to make myself more comfortable. "Anything else on the agenda? Or something I should know?"

Morgan hummed. "From what I know, Tokiomi has probably been killed, as Kariya recently got a missive for a meeting between himself and Tokiomi in the church, and the activities around his house have been abnormal."

Turning to look at the relaxed Morgan, I fixed her with a frown. "I thought we both agreed on not scrying or observing anywhere where Gilgamesh might be, so as to not get caught by him… what changed?" I asked seriously, as the two of us knew how bullshit his eyes were, and coming from me, that should say something.

She waved dismissively with her arm. "I found a decent way around it, I had a familiar controlled by a hypnotized human, that was hypnotized by a homunculus, and was observed by another familiar connected to 'Caster' to observe him," she said with pride.

"Through all of that, it should be murky enough to where the eyes will at most tell him that Gilles de Rais was scrying his information and not me, as me scrying on Gilles would not be seen as important information as Gilgamesh was not the target," she explained happily.

Ok… that might have been a decent workaround…

"And you are sure that Gilgamesh didn't find out that it was you?" I asked for thoroughness sake.

Morgan leaned her head up to look at me. "Fairly sure, as he kept on grouching about a mere puppet daring to act as a playwright," she said with amusement.

That sounded good enough to me.

Morgan's head didn't move as she stared at me.

The silence lasted for a bit, before I clocked what she was looking for. Flashing her a thumbs up, I gave a smile to go with it. "Good job."

Morgan's stare didn't end, before she gave a sudden sigh, and leaned her head back again, not bothering to even comment on my complement.

I probably fucked up somewhere, but if Morgan wouldn't communicate where I went wrong, then I'll just pretend that I didn't probably fuck up.

"Oh, one more thing you should know," Morgan commented offhandedly, causing me to raise a brow.

"Since I blackmailed Artoria, you'll probably be in for one hell of a training session with her, so I'd mentally prepare for it, as she was not known for her pleasant training regimes," she explained amusedly, before moving her legs off my lap and standing up.

Shooting her an unimpressed look, I gave a sigh. "Oh well, it's for my own good," I grumbled, causing Morgan to give an appreciative hum, as she gave an exaggerated stretch.

"Good that you're seeing it in a positive light," she said aloud, before slightly turning to look at me. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you work up a sweat," she said mischievously, before dropping into her own shadow.

… She was being rather blatant, wasn't she? With how she was acting, and with how upfront she had been recently, it made me think that I'd have to deal with this sooner rather than later…

Well fuck, I guess there could be worse things to deal with rather than this.

Glancing over to the 'armor stand' in the corner, I pushed myself off the sofa.

Time to strip my identical twin, and get a feel for the armor before I get thrashed by Artoria.

~~Fate/False Order~~

Arriving at the Emiya estate, Saber stopped her bike, and kicked down the bike stand, allowing her to park it.

Disembarking her bike, she walked over to the door, and opened it without knocking.

The smell of smoke hit her as she entered the home, causing her to slightly grimace, as she took off her shoes.

As she moved towards Kiritsugu's office, Artoria gave the door a resounding knock, before opening it up.

The second she fully opened the door, she was met with the end of a gun barrel, which was held by a woman with black hair.

The woman slowly lowered the gun upon recognising Artoria, and gave her a curt nod.

Saber ignored the woman, instead fixing her gaze on a haggard looking Kiritsugu. He had seen his wife being kidnapped from his vantage point, after failing to land a crippling shot on Caster during Saber's assault.

He had been working through the night to find any traces of her, which he had clearly been unsuccessful at.

"Saber," he greeted absently, as his gaze had not moved up from a large map filled with scribbles and circles outlining probable locations for Caster's new hideout.

"Kiritsugu, we need to talk," Saber said calmly, causing Kiritsugu to frown and look up from his map.

"We do not have time to waste Saber, Irisviel is in need of help," he said harshly, before turning to look at the map. "Go to the other side of the city, there is a large mansion close to the church which the Edefelt's used during the Third War," he explained while pointing at a spot on the map.

"It's well positioned for an overview for most of the city, and allows for a—" "Alistair's lover can locate Irisviel," Saber cut him off briskly, causing his neck to snap up to look at her.

"But I am unwilling to divulge that information without us having a short heart to heart regarding the assassination of Rosalind's husband, as I deserve to know why," she said harshly.

Maiya looked uncomfortable at Saber's demand, to the point where she fiddled with her AUG rifle.

Kiritsugu's eyes subtly darted at his own Command Seals, before clenching his fists, and releasing a deep sigh. "I don't remember much, as it took place almost two decades ago, when I was relatively new to the scene," he explained, before grunting lightly.

"From what I can recall, a hit was put on him, due to suspected Apostle research, and I happened to have been handed the contract, so I fulfilled it," he explained concisely, causing Artoria to frown.

"Rosalind would never marry anyone who researched Apostles, from my impression of her, she'd rather kill her husband herself if he was caught doing such a thing," Artoria defended her descendant with fervor, causing Kiritsugu to take a drag from his cigarette, releasing a large puff of smoke.

"My sources confirmed the information for me," he explained, before taking another puff. "Though, I suppose if your opinion of her is anything to go by, she might have been the one to order the hit, as it led to few knowing about his crimes, other than his sudden death," he explained.

Artoria stiffened at Kiritsugu's sudden theory, before a feeling of unbridled anger bubbled up from within her. Stepping forward, she gripped the edge of the table, which instantly splintered under her grip.

"Kiritsugu…" Saber gritted out, causing the recipient of her ire to stiffen.

"Rosalind is a friend to your wife, a friend to myself as well, and someone who has put herself and her son's life on the line to unknowingly help the murderer of her husband," she intoned slowly but clearly, though her tone held clear scorn.

"I will not have you besmirch her character with your baseless theories to make yourself feel better," she bit out, and Kiritsugu could only slowly nod.

"We will be having words about this later, and once Irisviel is saved, the three of us will come clean to them, as they deserve that and more for the support they have given us," she demanded, but this time Kiritsugu did not nod.

Saber placed her other hand on the edge of the table, causing it to crack. "Do I make myself clear, Emiya?" She asked harshly.

The Magus Killer glanced once more at his Command Seals, before looking at Maiya, who stood behind Saber. She gave a slight shake of her head, causing Kiritsugu to give a sigh, while lowering his head.

"Fine…" he said with a tone of defeat.

Saber gave a curt nod, before continuing. "We shall have words later, but for now, we need to ensure Irisviel will be found," Saber said, causing Kiritsugu to look up at her.

"Vivian, Alistair's lover, is a member of the Animusphere family, which is apparently older than my own, and they are incredibly skilled in the fields of scrying and divination," she explained, causing Kiritsugu to take in a deep breath.

"She has great confidence in finding Irisviel within the next 24 hours, but she is currently unwilling to help us for free, as she concluded that you were my Master."

The news made Kiritsugu frown, and subtly glance at Maiya. "I assume that she's willing to help for a price," he said calmly. "What is it?"

Saber frowned at the subtle communication between the two, before answering her Master's question. "She wishes for me to convince you to have me use my time to train Alistair properly, as he'll need all the training he can get, to ensure that he'll survive the war."

Kiritsugu gave Saber a look, before slowly nodding. "Done," he said confidently.

Saber shook her head at his words. "She wishes for self geass on your end, as she does not trust the words alone of The Magus Killer. And I, for one, agree with her," she said harshly, causing Kiritsugu to frown.

Walking to the shelf, he pulled out a thick piece of parchment, and laid it on the table.

"If she fails to locate Irisviel, we will break contact with them," he demanded while scribbling on the document. Artoria could only sigh, but she decided not to give a sign of affirmation.

She knew deep down that she would resist such an order, even if he used a Command Seal to stop her.

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45 Hours, 53 Minutes And 32 Seconds Until Zero 

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A/N

Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.

Ass-kissing done, now I can move on to more important stuff.

Some drama-lama stuff for this chapter, before Kariya enters the church and stuff. As the climax of the story is drawing near.

Now, anything you wish to see soon, as we probably only ten ish chapters left of this volume, so now is the time to voice your thoughts for what to see soon!

Of course, if you have some opinions on this chapter, then I'm happy to hear them!

Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me!

https://discord.gg/xrHvkpjG

Now I'm tired as it is 2:30 in the morning! So have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, as I need motivation, since I am losing too much sleep!