Peter had known Yuri for a long time. When he first started out as Spider-Man, she was the one police officer who thought he could be a useful ally to the NYPD. Whether it was Vulture, Rhino, Scorpion, Doc Ock or even higher level threats that endangered the world like Loki or Ultron, Yuri had always had his back. He'd go so far as to call them friends, even if it was just a professional friendship it was a friendship nonetheless.
And then Yuri watched Hammerhead killed all of her squad in front of her. And seeing something like that could break someone as strong as Yuri. She became a vigilante named Wraith. Her methods were too extreme and she had to be stopped multiple times. Still despite everything, Peter knew his friend was still in there.
And now she's dead. Sure Spider-Man lost an enemy. But he also lost a friend. It didn't feel possible. And yet here he was holding her body.
"Master?" Saber of Black said. Peter put his mask back on.
"Was there anyone else here?" he asked Saber.
"If there was, then I didn't see them." she said "I was to busy fighting Archer."
"Still. Yuri's a trained fighter. Someone else might've also been here to help Archer." Peter examined the wounds on Yuri's body. There were some stab wounds on the shoulder and right side of her chest. But there was also burn marks. One along her leg and back. They weren't fatal. That would be the sword mark through her chest.
"There was another person here. You probably didn't notice because you were fighting Archer of Red." Peter pulled out Spider-Bot.
"What is that?" Saber asked.
"A Spider's best friend." Peter placed down Spider-Bot and it crawled around, scanning the area until it finally came back and reattached to Peter's wrist. A hologram appeared from his wrist and recreated the event that he could see through his mask.
He watched a digital Saber fight a hologram of Archer. Yuri was supporting Saber, though her attacks weren't doing much to affect Archer of Red, Saber was still able to get in some hits.
And then a single blast of lightning hit Yuri right in the back. It looked like her suit took most of the damage and just as she turned around there was another lighting strike.
"Archer's Master" Peter said to himself.
Yuri turned and attacked the mysterious Master and even got a couple attacks in but eventually Archer of Red stabbed her with a sword from one of his portals. She collapsed to her knees and fell to the ground. Peter noticed Saber was looking at the holographic body of Yuri.
Peter looked at the area where Archer's Master attacked Yuri. He had Spider-Bot scan the area the Master was in.
"Looks like there's some residue of magic here." Spider-Man said "same as the magic on...Yuri's body. We're dealing with a sorcerer."
"I'm sorry, Master." Saber said "I should've been more aware."
"You don't have to apologize, Saber." Peter said. He was angry and hurt by Yuri's death. But getting angry wasn't going to do him any good. And it's not like Saber did anything wrong. She was trying her best.
"Still, I should've protected her. She was my Master. It was my job."
"If there's something I've learned as a hero, it's that beating yourself up over these things will get you nowhere."
"Scanning complete." Spider Bot said. Saber jumped when it spoke.
"Whoa what was that?" Saber said. Peter would've laughed if it wasn't for the situation they were in.
"Show us the scan." Peter said. Spider-Bot materialized an image of a metal man in a cloak. Upon closer look, Peter recognized the person.
"Are these scans accurate?" Peter said. Spider-Bot confirmed it. There was almost no doubt who it is
"Do you know Archer of Red's Master?" Saber asked. Peter nodded.
"I think so." he said "the man whose Archer's Master is one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Victor von Doom."
Doctor Doom was one of the most comically evil villains on Earth. But he had the power and intelligence to be a very legitimate threat to the world. There have been plenty of times where Doom had almost taken Earth over. If someone like him got his hands on the Holy Grail, his goal of word domination would come to fruition.
"First Gwen now this." Peter muttered "why can't I have anything nice for a change?"
"Wait." Saber raised her hand "we're not alone." Peter's Spider Senses confirmed what Saber said. They're being watched. He got his web shooters ready and Saber created her invisible sword.
"Whoa whoa whoa there's no need to be so aggressive." a high pitched voice said. They were looking at a girl in black and white with a short white cape. She had short pink hair with a single streak of white.
"Who are you?" Saber demanded "speak or else I'll end your life now." The girl waved her hands in front of her chaotically.
"AH! Please don't kill me!" she squealed. Saber glared at her then lowered her weapon.
"She's a Servant." Saber told Peter "but she should be friendly to us."
"Who are you?" Peter asked the girl in front of them.
"Okay look, my name is Rider. Rider of Black." She explained "my True Name is Astolfo." Peter blinked.
"Astolfo? Like one of Charlemagne's paladins?" Peter said. Rider tilted her head.
"Yup. Thats me! Why, what's wrong?"
"I mean...it's just...I didn't know you were a woman." Peter said
"Oh no I'm a guy!" he said cheerfully. Peter and Saber looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing.
"Well if you're Rider of Black. Then that means we're on the same team. Which means we have
have ourselves another Servant and Master." Peter said. He then looked around.
"Speaking of, where exactly is your Master?"
"That would be me, Spider-Man." A woman with long grey hair and greenish eyes walked out of the shadows. She had a slim body but an intimidating presence.
"Normally I prefer to stay in a safer place" she said "however, when dealing with other Masters of Black, it's for the best we meet face to face."
"So you're Astolfo's Master?" Peter asked.
"WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!" Rider of Black yelled "don't go around using my True Name like that! Just call me Rider or Rider of Black, sound good?"
"Errr sure Rider. Still that doesn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"Who are you, Master of Saber?" Rider's Master responded.
"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." he told her. The woman rolled her eyes.
"Oh please, I don't need your superhero name." she told him "I'd prefer your real name."
"Yeah no I'm not saying my real name."
Peter replied "It's called a secret identity for a reason. Besides, how do I know you're even a Master of Black and not a Master of Red?"
"Because I already would have killed you, Spider-Man." Rider's Master said with a devious smirk.
Jesus, she might be planning to kill him now, even if we are on the same side. Peter thought to himself.
"I can tell she's a Master of Black." Saber said "I can differentiate Servants of Red and Servants of Black. And Rider is one of us."
"This of Red, that of Black, Servants and Masters, good god this one of the most confusing things I've ever been apart of." Peter admitted "wait didn't you say you couldn't identify between Servants of Red and Black?"
"I've never had this before." Saber said "being in a Grail War designed like this. I'm just as blind as you are."
"Think of it this way, Spider-Man. Fighting seven Servants alone we'll be tougher than if we fight together." Peter weighed his options. She had a point. Saber and Rider together would most likely have a better chance at defeating Servants. And after the Ultimate's encounter with Archer of Red, they'll need as much help as they can get.
"I'm not going to tell you my name, so just refer to me as Spider-Man." Peter said. He raised out his hand.
Rider's Master grasped his hand. It was a lot stronger than he expected it to be. Almost inhuman.
"It's a fair compromise. And as for you, Rider." she said with a hint of malice "We'll be taking about you revealing your True Name later."
"We should get out of here." Peter said "in fact, I just so happen to know a good place where we could go."
Peter pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hey Jerry, it's me. Can I get the usual? Oh and make it for four."
***
Jerry's Pizza was an easily one of the best pizza shops in New York. Whatever the chefs did in the back made it ten times better than anything a five star restaurant could pull off. And the best part was the pizzas were free just for Spider-Man after saving the entire staff and keeping most of the building from falling down.
"Thanks again, Jerry." Peter said before swinging up to the top of the building where Saber, Rider and Rider's Master were waiting. Peter raised out the box.
"Pizza time." Peter said.
While Rider and Saber seemed to be enjoying their food, Rider's Master didn't seem interested and didn't touch a slice.
"Come on, I bought you a pizza." Peter said Rider's Master glared at him. He shrugged.
"Fine, have it your way. Hey Saber, Rider. Either of you guys want to split this one?"
"Would I?!?!?" Rider yelled. He grabbed the box and snatched another slice.
"I too, would like to have some." Saber said. Rider offered her some of the food.
"We're not here to socialize, Spider-Man."
Rider's Masker said "This isn't some gathering."
"Fair enough. So what do you know?" Peter raised the bottom half of his mask to start eating. "you start first and then I'll tell you everything I know."
"I faced off against Caster of Red. Vile creature he was. Though I don't think he's a particularly powerful Servant."
"He had an army though!" Rider chimed in "there were a bunch of homunculi and golem."
"Do you know anything about his Master?" Peter asked. But Rider's Master shook her head.
"It was only Caster." Rider's Master said "which is to be expected. Staying away would be their best chance of survival."
Survival. Peter almost forgot what Saber told him. This was a battle to the death. And Peter certainly didn't feel right about that.
"Look, you know I have a rule." Peter said "I don't kill."
"No killing in a battle royal?" Rider's Master laughed "please, you can't be high and mighty with this ''No killing rule' during a battle to the death."
"She's right, Master." Saber said "the Holy Grail War won't end until it's filled with the power of seven Servants."
"We still don't have the right to kill anyone." Peter said "there's got to be another way to retrieve the Holy Grail."
"Servants aren't living, breathing creatures, Spider-Man." Rider's Master explained "they're weapons, nothing more, nothing less."
"If it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's a duck." Peter said "they're living creatures."
"Spider-Man, please. You can't be serious." she stood up "come along Rider. We have other things to do."
"Hey where are you going?" Peter asked but all she did was hand Peter a note with a number on it.
"This is how you'll contact me, Spider-Man." she said in a cold, lecturing toneWhen you want to grow up and actually fight in this Holy Grail War" Rider's Master walked past him and Saber like she was superior in every way.
"Well guess that's my time to leave!" Rider said as he jumped up and followed his Master. Peter watched as she created a portal not to different from the one's Doctor Strange and the sorcerers create.
"You're a sorcerer?" Peter said, jumping up. Rider's Master looked behind him and smiled.
"Tell Doctor Strange that Celenike Icecolle is displeased with his duties as the Sorcerer Supreme." she replied without looking back and walked into the portal.
"Bye! It's nice to meet you!" Rider said, cheerfully waving before following his Master's tracks and the portal vanished into thin air, leaving Peter and Saber alone on the rooftop.
"She's not wrong." Saber said "Servants are summoned only to fight and kill for their Master."
"You had lives. You were people."
"Yes, but we aren't those people anymore, Peter." Saber said "just spirits summoned to obey, protect and serve our Masters however we can."
Peter looked at Saber. She truly believed that. How could she believe that? She's not some maid warrior. She's a person! All of them were.
"By the way." Peter said, moving on from the topic "Saber, I don't have to call me Master anymore."
"As you wish. What should I call you then?" Saber responded.
"Just Spider-Man. When the mask's off though, call me Peter. Peter Parker."
"Very well. Then I should tell you my True Name."
"Didn't you already tell me that?" Peter asked "it's uhhh...ummmm...errr."
"You forgot it, didn't you?" Saber said. There was a hint of judgement in her voice. But Peter sighed and admitted to it.
"My name is Artoria Pendragon."
Peter's jaw dropped to the floor.
"Pendragon? Like Arthur Pendragon? Are you saying you're King Arthur!?!?" Peter was in awe. He didn't expect King Arthur to be a 16 year old girl in what could be best described a blue maid armor. Although stranger things have happened.
"But what do you need the Holy Grail for? You're King Arthur! You're Britain's greatest King!"
"I wish to..." Saber hesitated "it's nothing you should worry about." Peter wanted to ask why but decided against it. He shouldn't push her for an answer. If she feels comfortable telling him, she will.
"We should get going." Peter said as he finished his pizza and pulled down the rest of his mask.