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[h1][i][color=#8AB8E6]Mira Grace[/color][/i][/h1]
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ [color=#8AB8E6]#8AB8E6[/color] [color=#ebb40e]||[/color] Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ [color=#EBB40E]#EBB40E[/color]
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True to her word, Saber followed through on her end of the bargain, challenging Rider directly. A battle without the involvement of Masters... That meant she wouldn't have to worry about any more surprise attacks, provided that Rider wasn't simply bluffing. But if there was one lesson that her mother had hammered into her head, it was that people from outside couldn't be trusted. What if Rider lied, and was just waiting for the chance to kill her when her guard was down? Or, come to think of it, their deal hadn't included any provisions against the Masters targeting each other... Then, that meant that this girl whose bloodthirst was practically palpable might try to attack her, right? No matter. She was a Witch, an inheritor on an ancient mystery, of curses beyond the reckoning of the modern era. There was no way a modern Magus could overpower her, was there? She tried to psyche herself up, to tell herself that there was nothing to fear, but at the same time, she had no idea of what modern magi were capable of. What if this girl had some kind of trick up her sleeve? The arrival of another Magus only further increased her apprehension, especially considering that this other woman didn't seem to have a Servant with her. That narrowed the possibilities down distinctly. Archer, Assassin, and Caster would all be loathe to show themselves directly, and of course, all of them would doubtless pose the most direct threats to her own person.

She decided that no precaution should be spared, and began recalling her flocks of familiars, crows circling far overhead in preparation for the battle to come. It was odd, though... As her flock descended, she couldn't help but notice that there was another bird of some sort in the air here, despite the howling winds and the growing feeling of danger from the two Spirits clashing below. It wasn't one of her familiars, and it didn't look like anything she'd seen around her manor, either... One of her crows glimpsed something golden trailing from its neck, confirming her suspicions.

[i][color=#8AB8E6]There's a Familiar watching us.[/color][/i]

No matter. Saber already had her orders not to go too far. This didn't change anything. As for herself, all she could do was prepare as best she could and hope she could handle whatever surprise attacks might be directed at herself. With her flock observing the battlefield from above on all sides, it was unlikely that she could be approached by an enemy Magus without forewarning, but Servants had ways to circumvent such measures. It was hasty, but her best means of defense would be...

Unseen by the others, her Prana surged through her primed crest, spreading outward from her body in the form of almost imperceptibly tiny threads, stretching themselves across the air all around her person. If any would dare attack her, they'd best have been prepared to endure the curses that befit a Witch such as herself.

...At that moment, everything began to shake. Once more, Mira struggled to follow the battle that was unfolding in front of her. Her own Servant, Saber, was naught but a glimmering blur, dancing between descending blows such that her very form seemed to bend and twist beyond Mira's ability to distinguish. But Rider... Rider's motions no longer so much as resembled the act of "moving." Rather, it was as if his destination and his location were always one and the same, and by the time her brain could so much as realize the fact that he had "moved," the "motion" had already been completed.

Two seconds had passed, but the conclusion was already immediately obvious. Saber wasn't just on the defensive... she was on the back foot. This battle was one that was ill-suited to her in the first place, as, out in the wide open of the crater, there was no high ground to take up to deter an enemy advance, nor was there any cover to place between herself and her enemy to obstruct Rider's movements. The mounted servant, on the other hand, had every advantage, as he was capable of striking at her from any direction he wanted without so much as slowing down, then darting out of reach the moment she tried to counter. His reach, positioning, and speed all exceeded hers, while Saber couldn't bring her own innate power to bear. But, now that they'd already been confronted, there was no way to reposition themselves either - not without presenting Rider with the perfect opportunity to strike. Then... what could be done? Was their only option to hope that Saber could outlast her enemy? Or would they have to resort to using Saber's Noble Phantasms? But not even Mira knew what her Servant was capable of... What if she didn't have anything that could work against this enemy? And, in the first place, the Rider class excelled when it came to Noble Phantasms! If she resorted to such a technique, then the only way to ensure victory would be if it killed Rider instantly, because if he got the chance to retaliate, then...!

No choice. She'd already committed to the defense, which meant that she only had one option. She had to trust Saber, trust in the strongest Servant that she had given her all to summon! An image flashed before her mind, the eye of a black cat opening wide and glowing amidst the darkness, reflecting the light of the crescent moon. With this trigger, a creeping numbness began to spread through her extremities, carrying with it a feeling of warmth and an electric crackle as her old and powerful circuits simmered to life, bursting with energy that she funneled into her link with Saber as fast as she could. Even if they had no other advantage, at the very least, her Servant's stamina wouldn't be outdone!

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