Mackenzie Residence.
Waver was at a loss of what to do.
In all practicality, fraternizing with an enemy Master at one's secret base of operations, one that was supposed to be hidden no less, was tantamount to painting a target on one's back. If they knew where he was hiding, he was as good as dead. Or so the thought went.
How was he to expect Lelouch Lamperouge of all people to arrive at his faux grandparents' doorstep, introduce himself as an acquaintance, and be invited like it was no biggie? All the while, the young prince of a boy kept the air of a calm and nonchalant visitor.
What was even more astounding, despite King Arthur's heir already not keeping up with Waver's image of a stereotypical prince, was the fact that he didn't even carry himself as a magus in any way.
"I see. So the plot of the game is the conquest and establishment of a new homeland for themselves?" Lelouch busied himself by questioning Rider as the giant of a man continued to play his game like it wasn't an enemy Master standing not two feet away from him. "How profound for the developers to apply such motivations for what's essentially a wartime strategy game."
"It is, isn't it?!" As if taking pride in the ingenuity of someone else's work, Iskandar's voice boomed with excitement. "The green-skins have been denied their birthplace. This gives them more than enough of a valid reason for their drive for war. And with most of the world's lands already owned by others, it drives the conflict over territory to a whole new level! I'm especially fond of this Krom Hellscreech fellow. He may come off as a bloodthirsty brute, but his heart's in the right place for his people and clan."
Iskandar droned on as if he was the one to create the game. Like a child showcasing a new toy, he'd turned from a slobby shut-in to an amicable showcase host. The doof was also paying more attention to their visitor than he had Waver earlier today. Granted, the young magus wasn't at all interested, hence the cold shoulder, but he could at least pretend to listen.
"Would you want to try a hand at an alliance, young prince?! I need a keen-eyed tactician to take over the Thrall Camp while I assault the enemy head-on."
"If you would allow me the honour, Lord Iskandar."
"AHEM!" But, of course, Waver Velvet had to draw the line at actually playing games with their apparent foes. With a commanding, yet very squeaky tone, he tried to impress it upon his Servant. "Do I have to remind you that we are enemies in this war? What in the hell do you think you're doing, Rider?!"
"Why, recruiting the aid of a sharp mind in my conquest, my boy!" the King of Conquerors stated it like it should've been obvious. Which was incredulous but the norm for his Master right about now. "One cannot simply win by crushing each and every foe they come across. Sometimes, it is better to form truces or alliances instead of outright destruction."
"Lord Iskandar, we can capture this enemy camp to secure a forward base as well as hire local mercenaries to field in battle." Having seated himself beside the big guy like it was natural, the teenage royal kindly pointed out not one minute into joining the game. "I suggest hiring giants and trolls to bolster your flanks. The enemy troops will be upon you within five minutes."
"Mm! Good man!" The boy's back endured a slap of acknowledgement while the Servant spared his Master a cheeky grin. "See? He's already got a good grasp on it. I daresay, he's more attentive than you at times!"
"Your praise honours me, milord." Lelouch didn't respond with arrogance. It was as if this was all in a day's work for him. "Griffons to your right. The human faction has made their move."
"An ambush is it?! No matter! The troll warlord we hired will manage!"
"Actually, no, your highness. They are moving to our aid and handling the elven faery riders."
"Hoho! We'll use that to our advantage then! How're my siege units?"
"I've already built seven sent to rally on your position with four more queued up to go. With the skies clear, they could arrive safely within a minute."
"Good!" Boomed the giant with the taste of victory seething in his throat. "With this, the battle is—!"
The screen immediately blacked out and the only thing the pair of players saw was their own reflection with Waver standing in the back. In his hand was the monitor and console's power plugs pulled straight out of the outlet.
"O-Oy! What was that for, boy?!"
"Would you take your job as a Servant seriously?!"
"That doesn't mean you have to turn it all off, lad!" The big man looked just about to cry. "And I'd been struggling so hard on that chapter for hours!"
"Not to worry, Milord," chimed his co-op player. "I made a save file for you before the griffon ambush. Now you know what to expect within five minutes of continuing from that point on."
"Good man!"
"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU BIG IDIOT?!" Waver had had enough. There was crazy, then there was retarded crazy. This whole interaction that had been going on for more than ten minutes had pushed beyond that already. "He is the Master of Avenger! The Servant you managed to piss off in more ways than one! She's one of the two that managed to kill Archer! They are our E-N-E-M-I-E-S!"
That he needed to spell it out like he was talking to a child may have made him seem more immature than he actually was. But may whatever god out there forgive him for losing it with his Servant barely acknowledging his concerns. Waver was only human after all. He didn't want to die, and he certainly didn't want to lose.
"Haaah… So?" started Iskandar with a deadpan expression and crossed arms. "What would you have me do?"
"Eh?"
"What is it that my Master would have me do to the 'enemy Master' here and now? Strike him down? Capture him and demand he concedes his rights to the Grail? Or torture and mangle him into being unable to utilize any of his Command Seals so we can neutralize his little lady before she can act? What will it be?"
"W-well… uhm…" the boy was slammed. He didn't know what to do, even more so now when Rider was listing out all the options with nary a care for the subject of their next move overhearing it all with a smile on his face. Why was he being so polite when Iskandar casually suggested capture or murder?
When Waver faltered under Rider's gaze, the man added with a relieving chuckle. "Come now, boy. Do you think he came here unprepared for any retaliation? While we all know he isn't like your folk of magi, always conniving in the shadows, he still isn't a normal boy after having survived this long, you know?"
Of that, Waver was certain. Especially when it was his Servant himself who warned him of the danger the boy possessed. If enemy Servants were the giant blades you wouldn't want them to directed at you, Lelouch Lamperouge was of a different kind of threat. Iskandar himself likened the boy to a snake hiding in the sand. One you would be surprised to find in your bed, but also a creature capable of ambushing you in the sand.
Waver had never been on a desert marching campaign, but if Alexander the Great was going so far to depict an image of one boy, it would do him well to be a wee bit cautious.
Yet that was why he was having this shouting match with the idiot who seemed more relaxed about the snake's presence than anything in the first place.
"For the time being, why not relax a bit, boy? Let's not soil this place with blood. Apart from being hard to get out of the walls, you wouldn't want it to be the gramps' and granny's, wouldn't you?" The warning was clear. And while he was in agreement to not involve the Mackenzies, he was still too wary of the young man who continued to smile politely as he saw in a seiza on the floor. His wariness stayed even when Iskandar slapped him on the back so hard he almost fell forward. "Come now! He obviously didn't come here to fight. Or he wouldn't have bothered greeting the old folks on the way in. Nor would he have come without Avenger, yes?" Turning to the boy, the Servant asked. "Where is the missy, by the way?"
A thumb was lazily thrown over his shoulder to the window. With a quick glance, both Rider and Waver quickly found the Servant in question. Standing just on the opposite side of the road across from the house, the redheaded woman glared daggers at them both with the calm of the sea just before a storm.
She was clearly unhappy but seemed to restrain herself for the moment. The instant she noticed their gaze, however, her eyes briefly sparked with hellfire. Not metaphorically either. She then raised her index and middle fingers to said eyes before pointing at them.
'Touch him, and the entire home goes up in flames.'
The message was clear, the threat very much on display just for them. Even when his own Servant was there to hum in amusement, Waver couldn't help gulping nervously.
Her master on the other hand merely chuckled where he sat. "As Your Highness has said, I did not come here with the intent to pick a fight. Well, not at the moment at least."
"Th-then…" Waver tried to recompose himself as the boy had remained so. "W-why did you come?"
"I stand before you as a messenger and negotiator."
"Hoho?" Rider sounded intrigued. "And what, pray do tell, would you wish to negotiate about? It wouldn't be yours and Avenger's unconditional surrender, perhaps?"
"Ahahah… I'm afraid not, King Iskandar. I'm actually here to provide information and offer a deal."
"Then let's not waste time on the pleasantries." Dropping down to sit with a thud, Iskandar stared the boy down like a king looking upon an envoy. Said envoy neither flinched nor wavered. Merely kept the polite smile on. "Speak, young prince. What would be so important that you would voluntarily approach us at this time of day?"
Lelouch bowed slightly. "I will start with the information. As you know, one of the enemies we all face in this war is an infamous assassin nicknamed the Magus Killer."
"Emiya… Kiritsugu…" Waver muttered to himself. A bead of sweat-drenched his brow to his cheek.
Even an inexperienced one such as he knew about him. He, alongside many others, had heard rumours and stories about the mysterious boogeyman of the moonlit world. A Spellcaster who was inferior to many of the apprentices of the Mage's Association in terms of magecraft but still had a reputation that was far bloodier than many of the Lords themselves. Some would say he struck fear in even the mighty because he wasn't one to shy away from blowing up a plane to take a target down… But that was all rumours, no?
It's not like he actually blew up bombs in public spaces, catching a runaway magus unawares. It's not like he used a terror threat to smoke out a magi cult's workshop. That bit of blowing up a plane, that was definitely just made up… right?
But Waver doubted they were false reports. The validity of hearsay and speculations aside, there was a reason those stories held ground even to this day. Word has it that if the Association wanted someone gone for good, they called the Magus Killer. Of course, they'd never admit to using him as his methods were heretical and an antithesis of the way of the magi, but he was an effective hunting dog. Merciless, efficient, deadly.
If there was anyone that could make the most confident of mages feel a slight chill down their spine, it'd be the assassin who had no qualms with the method he used to slay a target, even if it caught others in the crossfire. A killer of killers. A truly born murderer.
"An assassin who survived longer than the actual Assassin, eh?" Rider sensed his Master's anxiety and chose inquiry over letting Waver lose face. "If I remember right, he serves the Master of Saber, yes? The silver-haired homunculus woman from the castle."
"Correct, Your Highness."
"And? What about him?"
"Concerning himself as well as Saber and her Master's whereabouts, I believe I have new information as to where they relocated after abandoning their castle."
"So they did retreat from that ruined fort." Rider's expectations seemed to have been met. "Considering we've all at least been there once, I can't fault them for leaving behind a perfectly defensible fortress, ransacked as it may have been. So, you would divulge to us this information in order to sic us at their heels?"