Chapter eighteen- Conflict

Judar reached a hand into his pocket, not removing his eyes from the being hiding in the trees. Pulling out two more gems he called, "Who are you? Come out!"

Berserker looked up to the trees, narrowing his eyes as they landed on the other servant, "It's Assassin."

"Assassin?" Judar looked back at Berserker, remembering their encounter with the red headed servant at Kouen's party.

Assassin sighed and dropped down from the trees, landing gracefully on the dirt floor. She huffed, "You're better than I thought, kid. I've never had my cover blown so easy."

"Well your hair does stick out like a sore thumb," Judar shrugged.

"What do you want, Assassin?" Berserker asked, his tone cold.

Assassin ignored Judar's remark and smiled coyly at Berserker, "Awe, still upset with me are you, Berserker?" She pouted, "I thought we were having fun together with Rider!"

"Nothing about that night was fun," Berserker growled, his hands balling into fists.

"Getting angry, are you?" Assassin smirked.

"Why are you here, Assassin?" Judar demanded, dragging the cocky servant's attention from Berserker. "Looking for a fight?"

"Originally, no," Assassin answered, crossing her arms and looked Judar over with narrowed red eyes. "I'm looking for information on Al-Thamen. Got any?"

Judar narrowed his eyes, "Why? I thought nobody knew about them."

"Word gets around fast, kid. So, what do you know about Al-Thamen's leader?"

"Why the hell would I tell you anything?"

Assassin hummed, thinking over her answer, "Well, if you don't want to talk I can just slaughter you right now. If that's what you'd prefer."

"You will not touch him," Berserker stepped forward, still boiling with anger.

Assassin smiled, "Go ahead, Hulk out, Berserker. I'd love to see it again."

"Hey, you're talking to me, not him," Judar reminded. "If you want information, go get it yourself. The main entrance is just a few yards behind us."

"Like hell I'm going back into that death trap," Assassin huffed, then smirked again, "I'll get the information off you, even if I have to get my hands a little dirty in the process."

"Back off if you value your life, Assassin," Berserker warned again.

"Wait, Berserker, are you actually going to...? On your own...?" Judar asked, eyes widening in surprise.

"It seems I have no other option," Berserker answered, glaring unwaveringly at Assassin. He closed his eyes, his shoulders relaxing. Seconds later, his brow furrowed in pain, and his body contorted, suit seams tearing as his body grew.

As Hyde took over, Jekyll's brown hair and eyes turned black and red respectively. "How nice of you to let me out to play, Doctor..." Hyde spoke, rolling his shoulders and flexing his hands, getting used to his form again.

Doctor? Assassin frowned, pulling out her daggers.

Hyde smiled at her, "Back for some more, are you, my lady? Couldn't get enough of me, hmm?"

Assassin scoffed, "Yeah, right. Let's just get this over with." She could tell something was going on at the church. She had helped reinforce the magic barriers, and she could tell something had happened to them. She wasn't in too much of a rush, though; she knew Sinbad and her master could handle themselves.

~

Alibaba ran through the church hallways, frantically searching for the Overseer's office, or anything else useful. So far, he'd found nothing. Now standing in the middle of two long rows of pews he leaned over to rest his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Where the hell is his office?!" Alibaba straightened and looked around the room once more. At the back of the church a bare altar stood, and just behind it a dark wooden door. That must be it! Alibaba took a deep breath and ran over. Jiggling the handle, he sighed as he realized it was locked. Fortunately, Cassim had lent him a lockpicking kit. Not like the blond had any idea how to use it.

After struggling with the lock for some time, he heard a slight click, and the door swung open. Inside was dark, the walls decorated with stocked bookshelves and a few chairs, a large wooden desk placed near the back of the room. Alibaba walked over to it, opening every drawer, only to find them all empty.

He tried the last drawer, surprised to find it locked. Curious, Alibaba lit a flame with one hand for light, and fiddled with the lock using his free hand. It was even harder with one hand, but he managed to unlock the top drawer after a few panicked minutes of struggling. This time, the drawer wasn't empty, but filled to the brim with paperwork.

Alibaba smiled triumphantly and whispered, "Yes! This is it!" He used one hand to flip through the files, easily recognizing the names of the other masters he knew. The teen frowned as he came across a folder that was stapled to Judar and Berserker's file. "Al-Thamen? Who are they?" Reading further, his frown deepened:

"Al-Thamen, a secret organization separate from the Mage's Association and the Holy Church, which has been hidden from us for years. Their leader's name and whereabouts are unknown, yet they seem to be linked to Berserker's master, and possibly Lancer's. Upon entering their secret hideout -which is hidden in the forest behind Fuyuki Gakuen- Assassin was nearly eliminated. It is not recommended to enter the hideout without taking extreme caution."

Alibaba turned the page, the next file on Kouen and Caster. It talked about Caster mostly, a strange story the teen didn't really understand. There was very little information on Kouen, besides a note talking about his sister, which surprised Alibaba:

"The spell on Kougyoku worked. I can now listen in on her any time I want. So far, no useful information has come through. Caster is already suspicious."

"What did they do to Kougyoku?" Alibaba asked himself worriedly. He'd only spoken to the teen once, but she was his friend. Moving on, he came across another file: Archer.

"The Archer class servant is rather interesting. He's an arrogant king who refuses to listen to Sinbad most of the time, but he should still prove useful. I've been keeping a close eye on him; Gilgamesh is willing to do anything for entertainment. It wouldn't be surprising if he betrayed us. He also has a connection to Caster, which is even more troubling. I-"

"Ah, there you are."

Alibaba gasped, the files flying everywhere as he quickly stood. The fire in his hand disappeared, and he backed up several steps, "Who are you?!"

"I'm Sinbad, Archer's master," A purple haired man smiled, entering the room fully and closed the door behind him, locking it shut. "You're Alibaba, right? Saber's master?"

~