Chapter 3: Setting the Pieces

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the characters depicted here. The former belongs to Gen Urobuchi, Type Moon, and Ufotable. The latter belongs to all of their respective creators and companies.

[Fuyuki Police Station, Fuyuki City]

The outside of Fuyuki's police station was oddly quiet as Caster gently landed on the ground, holding the boy close to her as she did so. She then gently set the boy on the ground; her hands placed on his shoulders in a reassuring manner. The Servant of Magic gave him another warm smile.

"I'm afraid that this where we part ways. But don't worry, the nice men inside can help you. I'm sorry that your family had to end up in this mess."

"Onee-chan, I want to stay with you," the boy said as he hugged the servant. She simply patted him on the head as she explained things to him.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that. I'm involved in a very dangerous war, and you could get hurt or killed. But chin up, you'll be fine. The police will help you find your relatives. Just take care and leave a good life."

With that, Caster took off, leaving just as the officers manning the station came out to meet the boy. She jumped a great height, landing on the ground and running a bit a o before jumping up again. She soon found herself away from the police station, and on top of the roof of a business building. She rested her back against an air conditioning unit as she gathered her thoughts.

Honestly, she was glad that she was summoned into the Caster class. While she did qualify for the three Knight classes, the Caster class was the that would her use her Shardbinding abilities to their full power and extent. The class gave her a large mana pool, and skills that would allow her to set up a workshop to craft various, just like the one that Johannes provided her with. She had supportive Noble Phantasm, Gebel's Glasses, which would allow her to recharge her mana levels when they would get low. Still, she should seek out a master to form a contract with. Better to be safe than sorry after all.

Caster was broken out of her musings as she noticed what look like a pink pixie approaching her from the air. It was roughly a foot tall, with light pink skin and dark pink hair, complete with insect wings that looked like the ones of a dragonfly. It was a Carabosse, a fairy-like creatures that served as one of Caster's familiars.

"Ah, Tatl. Glad to see you again," Caster greeted as the familiar landed in front of her. After she had left the apartment, Caster had briefly stopped to bring out Tatl and have her do reconnaissance on the other masters and servants. She was currently in the dark and needed to know as much as possible if she wanted a chance at winning the war.

"Great news, Miriam! Assassin just bit the dust," Tatl reported cheerfully in a slightly squeaky voice. The Servant of Magic was taken aback by what she just heard.

"Come again?"

"You heard me right! Assassin tried to take out the Tohsaka master, but his servant Archer killed him before he could even lay a hand on him."

"Something doesn't seem right," Caster thought to herself as she put her hand to her chin in thought. She should be relieved that a servant had died, but something just seemed off about it. For one thing, it was far too early in the war to have a servant killed. She was just summoned a few hours ago, and now a servant a died. It was almost like Assassin was fooling everyone into thinking he was dead so everyone would let their guard down. It would be easier for him to pick off masters if everyone else thought he was dead. It all just seemed too suspicious for her to fully believe it.

"Is something wrong," Tatl asked as Miriam broke out of her musings. She simply gave the carabosse a small smile.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking to myself. Now, go and scout out the other masters. By tomorrow, I shall have found us a new master."

"Got it," Tatl said as it took off once again into the night sky. Caster, meanwhile, looked towards an empty section of the room. She pointed her hand and wordless casted a spell. A comfortable chair suddenly materialized within a brief flash of light. The Servant of Magic sat down in it, made herself comfortable, and began to plan her next move.

[Mackenzie Residence, Fuyuki City]

Meanwhile…

"Yes," Wave cheered as he pumped his fist into the air. Not even a day into the war, and a servant had already died. A mouse familiar he had sent to the Tohsaka manor had showed him that his servant (who he assumed was Archer) had killed off Assassin. He turned towards his servant, who was still watching television (as there was nothing currently better to do at the moment).

"Hey Rider, I have great news!"

"What is it, boy," the Servant of the Mount asked in a disinterested voice, as she was more focused on an anime she was watching called "Bubblegum Crisis".

"Assassin's dead! He's the first servant to die!"

"…Very well," Rider simply replied as she turned back towards the television. Her nonchalant reaction confused and befuddled Waver.

"Aren't… aren't you happy about this? A servant kicked the bucket not even a day into the war!"

"The Assassin class is one for cravens who prefer to hide in the shadows. There is no way that he could harm me, so I am not concerned."

Waver blinked at his servant's comment. While she did come off as arrogant, he did she a taste of what she could do back in the forest. So, her confidence was still well founded.

"Tell me boy, how did Assassin die?"

"Oh, uh, Tohsaka's servant killed him. He used a bow, so I'm guessing he was an Archer class servant."

"Did you see Assassin's body disappear?"

"You heard me right. Upon death, a servant's body will dissipate. Tell me, did you see that happen to Assassin when Archer killed him?"

"Uh, no, I didn't. In fact, there was nothing left when Archer was finished with him."

"Then Assassin is still alive," Rider stated as she turned back to the television. Waver sputtered at her declaration.

"H-how can you be so sure about that? You didn't see Assassin die!"

"Think about it, boy," Rider said as she turned towards her master to explain things. "It is too early in the war for a servant to have died. Nobody would be foolish enough to immediately attack an enemy master. Assassin's master must have had his servant fake his own death. He's playing us all for fools by expecting us to buy Assassin's death. It just makes it easier for him to go about his business where everyone think he is dead."

"She does bring up some good points," Waver thought to himself, Rider's arguments coming off as sound and logical.

"Alright, maybe Assassin is still alive like you said. But we still have five other servants out there, including the three Knight classes, and I still don't know what you're capable of besides your whip and your horse!"

Rider simply smirked as she heard her master's complaints.

"Have faith, boy. We will meet the servants on the battlefield and test our blades against them. And I have not revealed my full abilities yet. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve."

With that, Rider turned back to her program as Waver simply sighed to herself. This was going to be a long war.

[Fuyuki Church, Fuyuki City]

"I have lost my servant. I have forfeited my rights as a master and cannot continue as a master in the Holy Grail War. In accordance to the treaty, I, Kirei Kotomine, ask the Church to shelter and protect me."

"Your request is accepted. In my role as judge and mediator, I, Risei Kotomine, shall grant you sanctuary."

Both Kirei and his father recited their lines as latter stood outside the church. It was a rather simple and plain looking church that didn't look out of the ordinary. Not a soul would ever respect that this church would be used to preside over a war between magi.

Kirei stepped inside of the church, looking around as he did. He then addressed his father.

"Is there anyone watching the church, father?"

"Of course not, my son. This church is a neutral sanctuary. The Church will censure any master that tries to defy this decree."

Kirei nodded in response before continuing.

"Has Assassin arrived yet?"

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear," a voice said from across the room. Kirei and Risei looked towards the source to find Assassin leaning against a wall. Next to him on the ground was a six pack of beer. They were in white and gold colored cans that had the words "Kirin Beer" labeled on them. Assassin cracked open one of the cans and took a brief swig of it before letting out a satisfied breath.

"Your servant arrived here roughly a half hour ago," Risei said as the Servant of Murder took another sip of his drink.

"I hope you gents don't me bringin' a little drink in with me? I know you boyos have wine in stock, bein' Catholic 'n all, but I didn't wanna impose myself. Besides, I could never stand that fruity shite."

"Were there any masters watching the manor, Assassin," Kirei asked his servant, ignoring his talk about his preference in alcohol.

Assassin grimaced as he recalled before coming up with an answer.

"Aye, I did. There were about three familiars, a pink pixie lookin' thing, and a video camera overlookin' the place. Either someone ain't too fond of magic, or they're lookin' the livestream my lil' show."

Kirei narrowed his eyes at the mention of the camera. It was obvious that it was being used by the infamous Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya. He looked at Assassin, who had finished his beer and was starting on another one.

"Assassin, your relaxation time is over. You shall shadow and spy on the other participating masters and servants in this war. Gather as much information as possible on them."

"Smart thinkin' there, priest," Assassin said as he quickly chugged down his second beer, crushing the can once it was empty. "It's always best to scope out a target before takin' 'em out."

"And with that, the Fourth Holy Grail War has begun," Risei declared as Assassin materialized a sniper rifle into his hands. He pulled back the action and chambered a fresh round into it, giving off a fierce, excited grin.

"Let's hopin' the competition doesn't disappoint."

[Penthouse Suite, Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel, Fuyuki City]

The next morning…

Sola-Ui stepped out of the suite's bathroom, having just bathed and freshen up for the day. Kayneth was busy checking up on the familiars they he had sent out into Fuyuki to spy on the other masters. Honestly, she did not have much planned for the day. Perhaps catch up on some reading, or maybe even go do some shopping in downtown Fuyuki. Maybe Lancer would join her. She was well aware of the fact that servants were simply a glorified familiar. However, they were still once great heroes of renowned legend and fame. It'd be best to treat them as if they were people. At the very least, they deserved that level of basic respect.

Suddenly, the familiar smells of various breakfast foods, ranging from bacon, sausage, and eggs, hit Sola-Ui's nose. She looked over towards the dining area to find Lancer sitting at a table laden with various breakfast foods. It includes bacon, sausage, eggs both fried and scrambled, toast, a pot of coffee, and a pitcher of orange juice. The Servant of the Spear was currently tearing into a plate of bacon and eggs with gusto as she turned to notice Sola-Ui.

"Oh hey, you're up," Lancer greeted as she waved at her, pausing to take a drink from her glass of orange juice. "I ordered up some breakfast. You can have some if you want."

"Oh, well, thank you, Lancer," Sola-Ui said as she took a seat to the right of the servant. She was honestly surprised by the voracious appetite that the servant possessed. Last night, she had ordered a gourmet bacon cheeseburger on a pretzel bun, beer battered French fries, and a tall vanilla milkshake. And even after all that, she still had room for dessert. She was well aware that servants didn't need to eat food, as all of their energy came from a master's mana. However, they still got enjoyment out of it, and Lancer apparently loved to eat more than anything.

Sola-Ui decided to help herself to some eggs and toast, with a sausage link or two, as Lancer went in for seconds.

"So, do we have anything on the other servants so far," Lancer asked as she placed a fried egg and some bacon strips between two pieces of toast, making a makeshift sandwich. Sola-ui, meanwhile, poured herself a cup of coffee as she answered Lancer's question.

"Nothing yet. We do know that the Tohsaka and Matou families are participating in the war, while the Einzberns hired out someone as their representative. They're the founders of the war, so it makes sense that they participate in it. As for everyone else, it's anyone's guess."

"Alright," Lancer said as wolfed down her breakfast sandwich before looking at Sola-Ui.

"The Grail informed who this 'Diarmuid' guy you tried to summon is. Sounds too much of a goodie-two shoes for my taste."

Sola-Ui thought back to why Kayneth chose Diarmuid's sword fragments for his back up catalyst. He had read up on his legend and knew that the Knight of Fianna would be undyingly loyal to him. While that was smart thinking, Sola-Ui knew that Kayneth wanted to get away with treating his servant like the familiar he saw them as. Lancer continued taking as soon as she finished another helping of bacon and eggs.

"Look, I may be nothing like this Diarmuid guy, but don't count me out yet. I have a few Noble Phantasms that'll give me an edge, and I know my way around a fight. Fighting witches has taught my that much at least."

"Witches," Sola-Ui thought to herself as she pondered what Lancer meant by that. It didn't give her much context to Lancer's identity, but at the very least, it was something to work with.

Sola-Ui's musing were cut short as Kayneth entered the room, looking quite pleased with himself. He then sneered at when he saw all the food that Lancer had ordered from room service.

"Do you plan to waste my funds on fulfilling your baser instincts, Lancer," Kayneth replied snidely as Lancer looked on at him impassively, not reacting to his insult.

"I ordered enough for everyone here, so I wasn't just thinking of myself. I like to share my food, y'know."

"Lancer has a point, Kayneth. Come and join us," Sola-Ui said trying to make her fiancé see reason.

"Very well, I suppose," Kayneth said as he sat across from his fiancé, helping himself to some toast and coffee. After a minute or so of eating in silence, Kayneth made his announcement.

"I have some most splendid news. My familiar has reported that the first of the servants has perished."

"Really? Which one," Lancer asked as helped herself to some more food. She was honestly surprised that a servant would bite it this early.

"My familiar reports that it was Assassin. The fool thought that he could sneak into the the Tohsaka Manor and kill Tokiomi Tohsaka. However, his servant Archer quickly killed him like the dog he is."

"Hm, that doesn't feel right," Lancer said, feeling that it was rather convenient that a servant would get killed off this early. Sola-Ui nodded in agreement as she spread some strawberry jam on a piece of toast.

"It matters not what you think, Lancer. The important thing is that Assassin is dead, and we have one less servant to worry about. We can now focus on the real threats of the war. And I have a plan to all draw them out."

Lancer finished drinking her glass of orange juice and gave her master a toothy smirk.

"I'm listening."

[City Street, Fuyuki City]

Maiya Hisau, the assistant and lover of Kiritsugu Emiya, walked down the streets of Fuyuki. She was lugging two big suitcases behind her. They contained various guns and weapons that Kiritsugu requested, be it a Calico submachine gun, a Walther WA2000 sniper rifle, or, the piece de resistance of their arsenal, a Thompson Contender pistol. Irisviel von Einzbern, and Kiritsugu's servant, Saber, had arrived earlier this morning. The plan was to have Irisviel pose as Saber's master while she and Kiritsugu would take out the masters from behind the scenes. It was a simple and efficient plan.

As Maiya waited at a crosswalk, she stood next to a rather interesting looking woman. She had pale looking skin, wore a pair of sunglasses, and was currently nursing a cup of coffee in her hands. It almost looked like the woman was trying her best to remain inconspicuous. If she were to try any harder, she would be wearing a trench coat and fedora.

"Lovely day, isn't it," the woman said, speaking in an English accent.

"It is," Maiya replied simply, decided to answer the woman for the sake of politeness. The English woman looked at her with a slight bit of concern.

"I'm sorry, but you appear to be lost. Where are you going?"

"To my hotel," Maiya replied as the woman took another sip of her coffee.

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean to pry," the woman said as crosswalk's signal suddenly changed. Maiya looked towards the woman.

"It was nice talking to you, Miss?"

"Miriam. Miriam Baldwin. I'm a tourist from England on holiday. Have a nice day."

With that, the woman walked off. Maiya, on the other hand, focused on getting to her hotel, noting to look into this "Miriam Baldwin" later.

Meanwhile…

Caster sighed to herself as she took another sip of her coffee. She had managed to pawn some old coins and rings on she kept for a bit of spending money. She could have easily crafted what she wanted once she had set up a workshop, but she needed the materials first. But to that end, she needed to find herself a master.

She had used the money she had gained to buy a cup of coffee and a pastry. She knew that she didn't have eat, but a voice in the back of her head (which sounded suspiciously like Johannes) told her that she needed to keep her strength up.

The Servant of Magic's musings were cut short when she suddenly bumped into someone. Her cup dropped to the ground and spilled its contents everywhere.

"Oh, geez, I'm sorry," a teenage voice said as Caster looked at who she bumped into. It was a teenager girl that looked around 14 or 15 years old. She had light brown hair tied up into a simple pony tail, with matching brown eyes. She wore a schoolgirl uniform, consisting of a white shirt, beige vest with a red bow, a matching skirt, and a pair of black shoes with white stockings. She carried a backpack, and a unique looking shinai. It had a tiger stripe pattern on it, as well as a little tiger charm on the handle.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I should have been watching where I was going," Caster replied friendly. She wasn't bothered by the loss of her drink. After all, there was no use crying over spilled coffee. The young girl cocked her head as she looked at Caster.

"I'm guessing you're not from around here. That's a nice cosplay that you have there. Is there a convention going on in town?"

Caster wasn't surprise that she had seen through her flimsy disguise. After all, she wore the sunglasses as a precaution, futile as it may be. However, she was surprised that she didn't guess that she was a servant. The girl then raises her hand at the servant.

"I'm Taiga Fujimura by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Miriam," Caster said as she shook her hand. She honestly did come across as very friendly and welcoming. Perhaps she could work as a master. Looking around her, Caster leaned in close and whispered.

"Do you know of a place where we can sit and talk privately?"

Taiga beamed at this and grabbed her by the hand.

"I know the perfect place! It's a great little place that's out of the way! I'll even by you another cup of coffee."

With that, the Servant of Magic found herself by dragged along by the arm by this youthful and energetic teenage girl.

[Ahnenerbe, Fuyuki City]

"And that's my situation," Caster said as she sat across from Taiga. The young girl had taken her a café called Ahnenerbe, which really didn't stand out when compared to other coffee shops and restaurants found in Fuyuki. The inside was mostly brown, with brown wooden floors, brown tables and chairs, and brown walls. Caster and Taiga were seated at a table near a window. The Servant of Magic had ordered a latte and a few strawberry turnovers. Taiga, on the other hand, was scarfing down a fruit parfait.

"I assume you find this all farfetched, Taiga?"

Taiga stopped eating and put her spoon to her mouth in thought before answering.

"Actually, it all sounds interesting. Kinda sounds like something from an anime. So what happened to your first master?"

Miriam's gained a disgusted look on her face as she recalled Ryuunosuke.

"The man who first summoned me was a killer. He murdered a family and used their blood to summon me. I probably had no idea that the War was going on. He just wanted to see a demon."

"He's probably that guy the news has been talking about. He's had my grandpa worried. What did you do to him?"

"Knocked him uncious and took the hand containing the Command Seals," Caster said as Taiga grimaced at the mention of limb severing. "Anyway, I'm not too concerned about my mana levels. The Caster class gives me large mana reserves, and a Noble Phantsm I possess will refill my stores if they get low. However, I still wanted to find a master, and I luckily ran into you."

"So why you wanna chose me," Taiga asked as she scooped a strawberry out of parfait and popped it into her mouth. Miriam gave her a smile as she answered her.

"Well, for one thing, I like you. I believe that compatibility is important in a master-servant relationship. I probably wouldn't get along with a mage if I formed a contact with them. Besides, you probably have a wish or two you want to be granted, do you not?"

Taiga finished off the rest of her parfait, and let out a small, satisfied belch before addressing the Servant of Magic.

"Tell ya what: I'll agree to become your master, but you have to buy me a couple more parfaits first."

"…why so many?"

"I'm a growing girl that needs to eat."

"Hm, I guess that sounds reasonable enough," Caster said as she finished off one of her turnovers. Taiga grinned at her in excitement.

"This is gonna be fun! My grandpa does a lot of business overseas, so he can provide us with a base to use and materials you need! Leave it to me! We're gonna win this war!"

"I like her already," Caster thought to herself as she took a sip of her latte.

[Docks, Fuyuki City]

Later that night…

Saber walked down the path, Irisviel besides her, both of them surrounding by the towering stacks of shipping crates. Lampposts dimly lit the area providing some sort of illumination. They had felt the presence of an enemy servant in the area, who was advertising its presence. To be fair, this was a good battle ground for the Holy Grail War. It was secluded and away from the public and prying eyes. Nobody would have suspected it.

Saber suddenly stopped in her tracks, motioning for Irisviel to do the same, as she called out.

"Enough games! I have answered your call, servant. Now come out and show yourself. Or do you prefer to hide in the shadows like a coward?"

"Hm… about time somebody showed up," a voice said, echoing through the night air. With that, the servant walked out from behind a crate. To Saber's surprise, it was a teenage girl with red hair, dressed in a red dress. In her right hand, resting on her shoulder was a spear with a large, triangular point. In her left hand was a half-eaten taiyaki. Lancer placed her treat in mouth, slowly eating it down.

"My master has been making me wait here for most of the night. I thought nobody was going to show up."

Lancer then gripped her spear, twirled it above her like a a baton, and then pointed it at Saber, holding it with a two-handed grip.

"Now, let's see what you're made of, Saber."

"Well met, servant Lancer," Saber said as the black suit she had been wearing was replaced with her blue dress and silver armor. She gripped her blade, Excalibur, in a two-handed grip. The holy sword was wrapped in its sheath of Invisible Air, making it unseen to the naked eye.

"But you should be warned, I am one to be trifled with!"

Lancer simply responded with a confidant grin as both servants lunged forward, their weapons at the ready.

[Alley near the docks, Fuyuki City]

"Hm, looks like the war is getting started," Berserker commented as he felt the presence of two servants nearby. He turned towards Kariya, who was leaning over a trash can and breathing haggardly, having just had enough one of his coughing fits.

"Should I go and attack them, Kariya?"

"Not yet," the Matou master said as he finally caught his breath. "We wait to see if Archer shows up. If he does, attack him and try to take him out. If he doesn't, then you can take out the servants that are at the pier."

Berserker replied with a nod as his preemptively grasped his sword's hilt.

[Fuyuki City Streets]

"Rider! Slow down," Waver whined as he grasped onto his servant as tight as he could. He was on the back of Rampage, holding onto his servant's midsection as hard as he could. The Servant of the Mount was racing through the streets, heading to where she said she found the presence of a servant. Rider simply looked down at her master.

"Stay calm, boy. We cannot miss out on the first true battle of the war. Can you feel it? The smell of battle is in the air tonight. I shall demolish those who stand in my way!"

Waver was uncomfortable with his servant's bloodlust and hunger for battle. However, these thoughts were pushed aside as he felt his stomach in knots. He had never rode a horse before, but riding one this big was just plain uncomfortable.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

[Rooftops of Fuyuki]

Caster ran across the rooftops, a blue aura surrounding and encasing her. Taiga was riding on her back, arms across Miriam's shoulders and legs wrapped around her waist. On her right hand were Caster's command seals, marking her as a master of the Holy Grail War.

"So you said you sensed two servants nearby," Taiga asked, having to shout over the roaring wind.

"Indeed. One of them is deliberately letting their presence known. Possibly to draw servants like a moth to a flame."

Taiga simply grinned at Caster's words.

"Awesome! Let's find them and kick their ass!"

[Atop the Dock Crane]

Assassin stood atop of a crane dock, getting a good overview of the surrounding area. He loaded up a fresh magazine into his sniper rifle. It was the Null Pointer, a Hyperion manufactured sniper rifle he had obtained from fellow assassin and Vault Hunter Zer0. He peered down his rifle's scope, looking at the two servants that had gathered at the pier.

"Hm, looks like two of our servants are a couple o' lil' lassies," he commented to himself. He wasn't going to write them off simply because they were women. Over his career as an assassin, gun-for-hire, and Vault Hunter, he had worked with several women like Amara, Moze, and Lilith. They could all hold their own in a battle, and could certainly kick his old ass.

Assassin moved his sight over to an albino woman, who he assumed was Saber's master. It was very tempting to take her out now. But no, he was there to observe and report. Not that he mind, because he got a front-row seat to the first major fight of the Holy Grail War. Whoever complained about how spying was boring didn't know what they were talking about.

The Servant of the Shadows focused his sights back to Saber and Lancer as the two rushed towards each other. He let out a small chuckle.

"Looks like the games are about to begin."

A/N: Hot off the presses is a brand new chapter of Fate/Redemption!

First off, the guesses for the other servants in the last chapter. To the various reviews who gussed Archer and Lancer's identities, you're right! They are the Fate/Prototype version of Gilgamesh and Kyoko Sakura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica (who's my favorite character from the show). And Rocker1600 had to go and spoil the identies of Caster and Avenger: they're Miriam from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Talion from Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War. Since the identities of the servants have all been revealed the guessing games have now ended.

And Caster has found herself a master in one Taiga Fujimura, the Tiger of Fuyuki. Honestly, the idea from this came from Fate/Zero Sense. More specifically, it comes from the "Uber Good End" omake from the very end of the fic, where Taiga had a brief cameo as Sasuke/Caster's new master. This idea amused me greatly, so I decided to use it for real in my fic. Taiga doesn't make a lot of appearances in Fourth War fics (barring stuff like Just an Unorthodox Thief), so I'm going to have a lot of fun using her and writing her interactions with Caster.

This chapter was pretty fun to write, mainly becasue of the different character interactions, as well as my descriptions and mentions of various foods. However, the next chapter won't come as soon, mainly becasue I want to work on the dock battle for a bit to make sure that I do everyone involved justice (especially Saber).

Anyway, please favorite, follow, and leave a review giving your thoughts on the chapter. I'll see you all in the next chapter.

Until then, take care!