Arsveil's old (really old) man sure had given me the right catalyst. Or at least it looked like he did. The servant I had summoned towered over me at about 6 feet and two inches - I was barely 5'7. His body was sheathed in lustrous silver plate armor that matched his flowing hair, but his chest was strangely exposed revealing the glowing blue marks that decorated his muscled torso. A single greatsword was strapped to his back, whose hilt shone in the moonlight coming in from the window.

"Greetings, Servant. I assume you are from the hero Sigurd?' I asked him, looking at him intently. Masters had the ability to read the statistics of thier Servants, and from what I saw his were decent. Great, actually. Except his luck - that was trash. The catalyst I had used was a bloodstained linden leaf, restored and preserved through magic my father had designed - sometimes that bastard was useful.

"You are partially correct, Master. Although Sigurd and I share the same origins, we are different individuals. I am Siegfried, slayer of Fafnir. May I ask your name, Master?" He replied, returing my gaze. I was a little dissapointed at his identity, as Sigurd was rumored to posess ruinic magic, while Siegfried never used it in his various exploits. However, that didn't matter too much - his stats were high enough to negate this disadvantage.

"I am Kiritsuchi Emiya. You may refer to me as 'Kiritsuchi' in private, but I would prefer if you called me 'Master' on the battlefield."

"Of course, Master." He paused. "Master Kiritsuchi. Sumanai." I almost smiled at his blunder, but suppressed my mild mirth. There was work to be done.

"I am confident that you are a Saber, but what is your Servant classification?" He nodded. "Good. One more question before we move on - why is your torso not covered? I understand that you have bathed in Fafnir's blood, but your weakness is on your back, is it not?"

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"I have been cursed, if you will. This form bears a conceptual enchantment that negates any protection oncering my weakness - Servants who have similar traits probably bear this hindering factor as well. It may be the Grail's way of balancing out the competion." 

"Tch. I suppose we'll have to guard your identity well. Can you cover it with mundane clothes? This will make it harder to see." He nodded again, but not after hesitating for a moment. It seems he wasn't completely familliar with his abilities and restrictions.

"Now, there is something I would like to inform you about - your role in this war. Have you participated in any Grail Wars before?" This time Siegfried shook his head, but stopped himself.

"What year is it, Ma- Kiritsuchi?" He asked, suddenly curious. I told him, then he resumed. "As you may know, I am not really Siegfried, but merely a shade descended from the Throne of Heroes. This 'fragment' of Siegfried, me, has participated in a Grail War, but a little before today - perhaps this is a seperate branch of time? Regrettably, I am not well versed in the intricacies of entropy."

"Very well." I muttred. Since he had been summoned in an alternate time, he would likely posess no knowledge pertinent to this timeline. "Before the war, I would like to warn you about how we shall fight. Firstly, your acting Master will be my husband, Arsveil von Einzbern." Siegfried seemed surprised for a moment, but regained his composture. "I will participate as well, of course - but not as a traditional Master, or even magus. I shall play the role of an Assassin class servant, and the Master of the true Assassin will be my first target due the... nature of your weakness. Do you have any objections?"

"None, Kiritsuchi." 

"Good. Saber, wait here. I will return shortly. Fell free to sit down." I said before leaving the room. I allowed myself to smile - Arsviel and I were originaly planning to summon King Arthur, but decided on Sigurd after realizing he probably posessed a more utilitarian moral code than Arthur, whose ethics may have posed a problem. After a short walk in the Einzbern Castle's halls, I reached Arsveil's door - then knocked.

"Come on in!" He said from inside.