[h1]Rider[/h1]


“Common robbery? No, no, of course not! We were just in the neighborhood… though if something of value is within the wreckage, it’d be a shame to leave it exposed to the elements!”

Sophie nodded, listening attentively to the guard’s story. It seemed to be as she had surmised. One of the other teams had evidently decided to attack the most public member of the Grail War. The woman the guard described was almost certainly a Servant… but how curious that she had let him live.

“This one-eyed woman, did she happen to say anything else? Anything that might have suggested which direction she was going?”

Perhaps this new Servant would prove interesting. Their sparing of the guard suggested that they probably weren’t a mad warrior, but the rest was still a mystery. Whoever she was, though, she hadn’t been the only Servant present. Habsburg’s Servant had clearly been around to defend him, and if the Master had escaped, it seemed likely his Servant had as well.

“Was there anyone else with Habsburg, perhaps? Other than you and your compatriots, of course. Speaking of which, if Naoko and I come across any others in the wreckage we will do our best to help!”

Rider smiled a warm, reassuring smile, nodding toward Naoko just as she pulled out her phone. Her eyes grew wide for a moment, and then a grin crept across her face.

“I believe we should listen to our friend here, at least for the moment. We can always alert the proper authorities after we’ve made our exit. In the meantime, friend, if you cannot go to a hospital, then we can at least help you to escape this wreck. I can carry you to our truck!”

Sophie knelt down, but paused for a moment to glance toward Naoko.

“I don’t suppose that will be a problem, will it, Naoko? I will see to it that he doesn’t touch any of the equipment. I’d hate for us to get a health code violation.”

Rider took a deep breath, and with great care lifted the wounded guard from the ground. She began walking toward the Winter Palace immediately, talking to soothe the man’s nerves.

“Actually, if you have any talent in food service, you might be able to help us out…”

As she rattled on about the intricacies of running the most admirable food truck in the greater Boston area, she subconsciously communicated with her Master.

[i]“If you’d like, you can begin searching through the wreckage. I’ll join you momentarily. If you come across anything questionable, wait for me.”[/i]

Catherine gently placed the man in the back of the Winter Palace.

“... it really is a wondrous time though! And the food is quite delicious, perhaps we can let you sample it after we leave here! But wait here for just a moment if you don’t mind. My partner and I will be back shortly!”

Rider closed the door and immediately dashed toward the estate, vanishing into glittering dust as she did. A few seconds later, she appeared beside Naoko.

“Who ever that Servant was, they certainly did a number on this place. I strongly doubt Habsburg had time to grab all of his things. Perhaps we will find something useful!”

Rider joined her Master in rummaging through the ruin of an estate. At first, it was difficult to find anything of value amongst the wreckage. One of the guard’s compatriots, Catherine discovered, had not been as lucky as their wounded friend. Rider frowned at this discovery, but continued looking about, her eyes slowly scanning for anything of value amongst the rubble.

Finally, her eyes fell upon the corner of a box protruding from beneath a great chunk of stone. With some difficulty, she pushed the rubble aside, revealing a rosewood box, about five feet in length. It was dusty, but still quite intact. Sophie knelt down, realizing the box was locked, she produced an overly-ornate dagger, quickly dealing with the problem. As the box creaked open, Rider’s eyes grew wide.

“Surely you didn’t, Habsburg. These can’t be…”

Rider’s eyes flashed, changing from glittering silver to a warm gold. A commanding aura seemed to emanate from the Servant as Autocrat’s Privilege took effect. More specifically, she sought to appraise the authenticity of the items that lay before her. Eye For Art told her what she had already suspected.

“Master! I’ve found something grand!”

Rider closed the box, dashing over to Naoko. 

“It seems our friend Habsburg was kind enough to leave behind an, ahem, valuable family heirloom.”

She opened the box, revealing a number of fine, glittering artifacts. Rider’s fingers traced along the orb and scepter before coming to rest on a gleaming crown.

“These, Master, are the Crown Jewels of Austria. This regalia was once worn by the Holy Roman Emperor. They’re incredibly valuable, but more than that they are a very useful tool for a Magus. They are… an amplifier, of sorts. They will likely be sorely missed… speaking of which, Master, I believe we should be leaving soon. If these were left behind, I have no doubt someone will be sent to retrieve them posthaste. Did you find anything out of the ordinary?”

Rider spoke with her Master as they returned to the Winter Palace, carefully placing the box containing the jewels next to the guard.

“Oh, wait here Naoko, there’s one last thing I’d like to do.”

Sophie crossed the grounds quickly, heading toward the guard shack. As she entered the building, she brought her hand to her chin, thinking for a moment.

[i]"I think we should leave behind a message for Habsburg, perhaps we could convince him to meet with us. But the question is what to sa-”[/i]

The pressure was choking, suffocating. There could be no mistaking it. Rider took a deep breath.

[i]“Master, there is another Servant here. I am going to speak to them. When I come out of this shack, I need you to drive away as quickly as possible. I will follow shortly, but I don’t intend to put you or the Winter Palace in danger.”[/i]

A regal voice called out from the direction of the estate. Rider bit her lip. What sort of man would this Servant be? Some warrior? A king perhaps? The Empress clenched her fists in anticipation. The outfit she had been wearing was replaced in a shower of multicolored sparks, being replaced by a dress of deep blue. It’s design had clearly drawn heavily from that of a military frock. Brilliant gold embroidery accented the piece, and a gold-hilted cavalry sabre manifested at the left hip to complete the look.

One last breath. Rider stepped out of the shack, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. She held her head high, and the afternoon light shone brilliantly on her chestnut hair. The cool silver of her gaze met with the azure pools that peered at her from across the way. The man before her cut an imposing figure, to be certain.

“Servant:Rider!”

Catherine strode toward the strange Servant, taking slow, careful steps. Her voice was calm, and a polite smile hid her excitement.

“By your mention of absence, I suppose you are the Servant who was guarding this place? I had come with hopes of meeting your Master, but I see someone else arrived first… and it seems they were quite rude for a guest.”

Rider’s silver eyes shone like snow in the sunlight.

“The Habsburg Master escaped unharmed, I should hope? Oh, ahem, do excuse me sir.”

Catherine stopped about fifty yards from the Habsburg Servant, curtseying with a soft smile.

“I’m afraid I’ve been quite rude. I have introduced myself, but I have neglected your own title! What class of Servant might you be, so that we might talk more plainly?”

Sophie didn’t spare a glance toward the food truck, maintaining eye contact with the Servant.

[i]“Please be careful, Naoko."[/i]