Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chaldea Security Organization Compound, Adare Peninsula, Antarctica
January 5th, 2017

"Alright Ritsuka-chan, why don't you sit in this chair right here and put on the VR headset. ~" said the gaudily dressed woman in front of you named Da Vinci, flashing you a cheeky smile.

"Please don't call me that. We don't even know each other that well yet." you reply with a hint of annoyance.

"So, you're open to getting to know me hmm?~ Maybe we can chat over some tea later. See you in 20 minutes Fujimaru-chan!" she titters enthusiastically.

"Don't call me that either!"

You take a seat in a futuristic looking chair Ms. Da Vinci had gestured to earlier and secured the VR headset onto your noggin. Da Vinci then restrains you on the chair, a safety precaution she said, which didn't help your nerves.

This was the final test you had to finish before you could be certified as a Master, a Novice Master, but you would be a master nonetheless. Various diagnostics flashed before your eyes once the headset turned on.

— Base Sequence: Human Genome Confirmed.
— Registered Alignment: Neutral-Good

You try not to get too antsy, sure this was your final test that determined your future at Chaldea, but there was no way you could screw up and be sent back home with nothing but your shame. You worked for only the last 48 hours, but they're the hardest you've ever worked goddamnit!

— Welcome to the Chaldea Security Organization, working for the future of all mankind.

Gods, all you were doing was riling yourself up… Deep breaths Fujimaru, deep breaths…You then wince once you feel a prick on your finger.

— Fingerprint, Voiceprint, and DNA authentication cleared.
— Magical Circuit Assessment Complete. Total of 22 Circuits of average quality found.

That last part didn't sound promising… No. Don't let your mind wander. Deep breaths.

— Username matched. You are recognized as a member of the primates.
— Nice to meet you, Ritsuka Fujimaru. You are our final visitor for today.
— The time limit for this exam is 20 minutes. Defeat the enemy construct before the time is up. Servant Skills, Spells, and Curses can be accessed via your Mystic Code.
— Temporary Regulation: Senior. Contracted Servants: Saber, Lancer, Archer.

This is it. This. Is. It. These 20 minutes would determine your future as a magus. It's now or never. "Time to make it or break it…" you mutter under your breath.

— Activating Heroic Summoning System FATE. Good luck, Ritsuka Fujimaru.

The last thing you hear is the whooshing of machinery as the world goes black.

…

Your eyes open after much effort and you are greeted by a vivid blue sky devoid of clouds.

You feel soft earth and grass on your back. Running your hands through it, you can make-out individual pebbles in the gritty topsoil. It feels so real for a virtual recreation.

You also feel the distinct sensation of wind on your face. It isn't the harsh wind of the South Pole though. It feels like the mild spring breezes of your hometown Kobe.

You also hear a voice calling out to you in the distance, but you can't make out what they are saying.

"Master!"

Sitting up with a grunt, you try to focus on the voice.

"Master!"

Master?

"MASTER, MOVE!"

In an instant, you are scooped up by someone. Now completely lucid, you watch as the place you were lying in only a moment ago was obliterated by a massive stone golem.

The jagged golem was easily bigger than four meters, and you were surprised something so big could be so fast. It was easily keeping pace with your servant, who was running at break-neck speed.

"A Master with her head stuck in the clouds won't last long, get it together!" it was the voice you heard earlier, and it belonged to the man currently carrying you now.

His features were sharp, almost wolf-like and that bestial look was enhanced by his wild shock of hair. He also happened to be shirtless, which exposed his… rather defined musculature. With a blush, you shook those thoughts out of your head, he was right after all, a Master stuck in lala-land was a dead master.

Taking stock of your surroundings, you see that you were in an open valley with no cover, not good. You also see a distinct crimson spear strapped to the back of your current savior, which identifies him as the Lancer servant currently under contract to you. The spear in question was the legendary Gae Bolg, which identified him as Cu Chulainn, the great Child of Light.

"Lancer, where are Saber and Archer?" you ask him. If you wanted to beat this thing, you would need to use all the members of your temporary team to bring it down.

"You'll see very soon!" said Lancer with a positively wicked smile on his face. Passing a small hill, you see two figures pop out. Another man and a young girl.

The man shoots multiple arrows in quick succession. By his bow you can see that he is an Archer, specifically the Iranian folk hero Arash, another very famous hero. His flurry of shots caused the golem to lose focus for just a moment, but a moment too long. The girl, who by default you knew was Saber, then in an impressive show of strength knocked the golem back several meters, before blasting it with a vortex of air revealing… the legendary sword Excalibur?! This girl is King Arthur??!!

While you are wallowing in confusion, Lancer then sets you down, unholstering his spear and advancing ahead of you. He looks back at you and snaps his fingers to get your attention.

"Look alive Master, what are your orders?"

Your orders huh… racking your brains, you remember that Servants and Masters can communicate telepathically. You decide to use this to give out orders, if it works of course.

Alright, can you all hear me?

Loud and clear, Master. It's a male voice that is different from Lancer's, a bit more mellow. Must be Archer. Your hunch is confirmed when you see the distant bowman give you a thumbs-up.

Yes Master, I can hear you. You hear a voice of a girl around your age with a distinct British Accent, must be Saber.

Oi Master, stop beating around the bush and give us orders.

…

You hear Saber gasp. Lancer!

You give the blue-haired spearman the fiercest glare you can muster before returning to the issue at hand.

All stupid and unnecessary comments aside, I want Saber to distract the golem since it's already got its attention on you, do not engage yet. Archer and Lancer, I want you to hit it as hard as you possibly can. While it seems counterintuitive, I've got something planned for you later, Saber.

Lancer flashes you another one of his bestial smiles. "Alright, you heard her you two, let's split some rocks!"

As Lancer rocketed off to join the other two Servants. You closed your eyes and began to slow your breathing.

You need some more information on the golem and the capabilities of your Servant, in order to do that you need to use your magecraft.

You visualize a mirror, the same as the one in your home when you discovered your magus powers. After slowing down your breathing to an acceptable level, you imagine yourself shattering it with a punch.

Your eyes and hand begin to burn and your breath hitches, but you soldier on.

"Activate H.U.D."

You feel heat flow throughout your body, and upon opening your eyes, a familiar overlay of information fills your vision, with a couple of new additions.


'Training Golem: Lv. 50, (90,000 / 100,000 HP)'

'Artoria (Saber): Lv. 60, (10,780 / 10,780 HP), NP at: 100% Charge'

'Temperature: 23.8 ℃'
'User's Condition: OK'
'User's Mana: 200 / 200 MP'
'R1 to access Servant skills'
'O to access Master skills'


This was your Magecraft. Not the magecraft that you learned to use, but YOUR Magecraft.

This is what dragged you into the world of Magi, your Heads Up Display. Well, the Mage's Association had called it "Analysis Magecraft"... but it was unique to you and your mom, so you were going to call it whatever the hell you wanted.

It allows you to learn the condition and mana level of anyone you lay your eyes on. Unfortunately for you, this was the only magecraft you naturally gifted at, and more often than not you had no means of capitalizing on this information, which nearly got you eliminated in the first round of trials.

After your eyes adjusted to its new visuals, you see Saber locked in a deadly tango with the golem. Following your orders to a tee, she was parrying blows and drawing the rocky construct towards Archer.

"Saber, get down!" warned Archer as he let loose a torrent of arrows. Unfortunately, the golem seemed to understand his words and moved to dodge.

Arrows were positively raining down upon the valley, more than humanly possible. The golem tried to outrun the storm of projectiles and it seemed like it was going to make it.

"Not so fast you glorified puppet! Focus. On. ME!"

Lancer had finally caught up to the action and shoved the golem right back into the arrow storm. Giving it no time to recover, he draws back slightly before leaping at the stone construct, swinging his spear in a downward arc.

Upon the hit connecting, the entire massive right arm of the golem disconnected from its torso. It seemed like the golem was done for.

You hear the cracking of stone. There is movement from the golem that you can barely register towards Lancer. He seemed to see it though and made a motion to dodge.

The blue-haired spearman barely manages to get out of range before the golem throws an absolutely massive left cross.

The air shuddered from the force of the blow, and upon inspecting the golem further, you could see that it had changed tremendously.

Its exterior, once rough and smooth, had morphed into jagged rock. Its right arm, through some decently strong magecraft, began to grow back! How does rock even grow?!

You focus on your H.U.D. and read what it was now saying about the golem.


'Training Golem (Phase II): Lv. 65, (65,364 / 100,000), ATK doubled and DEF -25% for 60 seconds'


Phase II huh…

You decide that you need to end this now before the golem can recover.

You imagine a metaphorical controller in your mind's eye, and you picture yourself pressing the right bumper. A list of your Servant's skills pop up in your H.U.D. You see that Saber's skills, Charisma B and Mana Burst A, you remark that they boost her attack for herself. Perfect.

Saber, I want you to activate your Charisma and use your Mana Burst. Once I use my Reinforcement, use your Noble Phantasm.

Affirmative Master.

Saber backpedals away from the golem until she is a fair distance away.

"Lancer, back away. You do not want to be in the blast radius."

Lancer nodded and made his way towards you.

With the spear-wielder gone, the golem redirects its attention to Saber, charging directly towards her.

"I will cut you down where you stand."

The golem stops in its tracks. You also stop preparing to cast your Reinforcement for a moment, focused on her every word. Hell you could even see Lancer glance back when she uttered that previous sentence.

"Sacred Sword, release…" Excalibur was then bathed in a vortex of mana, swirling in an enchanting blue cyclone. You couldn't tear your eyes away…

"Hey uh, Master, you good?"

You jump at the sudden voice coming from your left. It's Archer, who is sitting in the grass next to you.

"When did you get here?" you say in confusion.

"When Saber told Lancer to back off. By the way, weren't you casting Reinforcement on Saber?"

"Erm, ye-yeah." you feel yourself flush in embarrassment, but you ignore that feeling.

Going back to your imaginary game controller, you picture yourself pressing the O Button. A menu then appears, displaying the skills that were present on your Mystic Code. Only one skill was present, Emergency Reinforcement B. Reinforcement is a particularly hard branch of magecraft, so you were glad for the precisely regulated amounts of mana provided by the Mystic Code.

Activating your circuits, you close your eyes and feel your hand heat up. Focusing on Saber, you will the mana to flow towards her. Opening your eyes, you see the telltale lines of successful reinforcement covering Saber's arms in a spindly web.

"Now Saber!"

Saber raises Excalibur over her head in acknowledgement and the sword begins to… glow?

"This light is the Planet's hope…proof of the life that illuminates this world." Oh my god. Excalibur was a fucking laser sword.

"BEHOLD!" A massive torrent of mana erupts from Excalibur, producing a powerful gale from the sheer power produced by the sword and shattering the ground beneath Saber.

God… this was the greatest day of your life.

The golem began to move once more, trying to interrupt Saber. But it was way too far for it to do anything. It wouldn't even get close to her.

Lancer had also made it next to you. "I'm getting the weirdest feeling of deja vu…" Wonder what he meant by that.

"Ex… CALI-" A clump of dirt dislodged from Excalibur's shockwaves went inside of her mouth, causing her to collapse in a coughing fit. The golem was nearly to her position.

…Fuck.

"ARCHER, QUICK SHOOT THE GOLEM!" you say frantically.

"...She'll be fine. Trust me, I've got Clairvoyance." he responded, tapping his head to emphasize his point.

"I-um- fine…" you decide to trust him, Clairvoyance does mean he can see the future right?

You also hear Lancer burst out in hysterical laughter, but you decide to deal with that later. Saber's fate takes a bigger precedence.

With the golem 2 meters away, Saber gets the dirt out of her throat and finishes casting her Noble Phantasm.

"Excalibur!"

Swinging her sword, your vision is filled with golden light, with only your H.U.D. breaking through the solid gold.

Man, you wish you could hear her complete Excalibur chant again, without the hacking coughs this time.

When the light faded, you were greeted with devastation. Everything in the direction of Saber's swing was decimated for up to 20 kilometers. Predictably, there was no trace of the golem to be found.

You were suddenly overcome by wave fatigue, causing you to fall to your knees. You glance at your mana level.


'User's Mana: 90 / 200'


You guess that Saber's Noble Phantasm really took a lot from you.

You collapse onto the grass in a heap.

"Master, are you alright?" Huh, since when did Saber get here? She was quite a distance away from you three.

"Yeah… I'm good… Great job you three." you reply, flashing a thumbs up. "Your Noble Phantasm just took quite a lot out of me. I'll be fine though."

"Huh. That's the first time I've been thanked in a while." said Lancer. "Feels nice."

— Assessment Complete. Elapsed Time: 19:25.8. Please remove your VR headset to finish the exam.

"Sorry guys I've got to leave." You say, a little deliriously yes, but you meant every single word. "Hope to see you guys again."

After you remove your headset, you're greeted by harsh white light. You also see Ms. Da Vinci and her identical looking and sounding colleague. Da Vinci said something about 98.8% Servant compatibility and it being the highest she had ever seen. Was it something good? You didn't really know, it was kind of hard to focus right now.

You feel so tired… So, you decide you're just going to take a little nap…

Mash Kyrielight was walking through the halls of Chaldea. She found it calming, so she made sure to always do this before she went on a mission.

Today was also the day of the orientation for the new recruits. She remembered the last time she saw the new recruits came three years ago. Kadoc-senpai was part of that batch. She hoped that the ones that could overcome their weaknesses would become stronger, just like he did.

"Fou, Fou!"

Mash saw the cutesy privileged lifeform she had been taking care of for the past year, Fou. He was gesturing towards the end of the hallway.

"You want me to follow you, Fou?"

"Fou kyun!"

"Alright, lead the way Fou."

He leads her towards the Spiritron Dive room where she finds… a girl.

She has long, fiery red hair, with some of it held in a side ponytail which was fastened with a hairband. Mash kneeled down to get a closer look at her.

Despite being on the hard floor, she seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully. Mash almost didn't want to wake her up.

"...Mmm. Who's licking me?..."

The mystery girl tried shooing Fou away. Fou dodged her hand and continued to lick her face.

Grumbling to herself, the girl opened her eyes, and after looking at Fou for a couple seconds, the redhead turned her head. She and Mash then met each other's gaze.

Her eyes were beautiful. Vivid Amber. It was seemingly innocuous, just a couple seconds of eye contact.

But this moment would stay with Mash for the rest of her life.

You feel something wet brushing along your face. It felt scratchy, like a cat's tongue.

"...Mmm. Who's licking me?..."

You try shooing whatever was licking you away. It seemed to stop for a little while, before returning with a vengeance.

After waving to no avail for a couple more seconds, you open your eyes in irritation.

Right in front of your face was a fluffy looking creature. You couldn't tell if it was a cat, dog, or squirrel.

"Fou kyun!" Awww. You guess you could forgive this little guy for disturbing you. You also see the shadow of a person looming over you.

Turning your head towards them, you find yourself face to face with a gentle looking girl. She has purple hair and eyes, framed by a pair of glasses. She looks to be your age, or a year younger.

Her gaze locks with yours and suddenly there is only one thought in your mind of this girl.

She was the most beautiful person you've ever seen...

A lump began to form in your throat and you felt your face heat up. Since when did you swing that way? You were pretty sure that you liked boys, but looking at this girl, you weren't so sure anymore… Wait, is she getting closer to you?

"GAH! Personal Space, PERSONAL SPACE!" You exclaim, scrambling up and putting some distance between the two of you.

"Ah! Sorry for disturbing you Senpai!" she replies sheepishly with a slight flush of embarrassment.

Senpai… That had a nice ring to it. But maybe she called everyone that was older than her senpai, so you shouldn't get your hopes too high.

The atmosphere becomes awkwardly quiet for a bit. Realizing that maybe this gorgeous girl in front of you might just be a tad socially awkward, you decide to break the ice.

"*ahem* So umm… I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru." you say, standing up and extending your hand, looking away so she doesn't see your probably beet red face. "I'm one of the new Master candidates. What's your name?"

Somehow, the atmosphere became even more oppressive. You were about to panic before she gave her response. "That's a hard question to answer suddenly…" she responds, looking away sadly. "Maybe I'm not important enough for you to know my name…"

…
…
Who the FUCK made this girl think that she wasn't important?

"That's not true!" you say, a little too loud for your liking. "You're the first person in Chaldea I've met, that's important enough. Plus, if we're to be coworkers it would be better for me to call you by your name instead of 'Mysterious Glasses Girl'."

That got a chuckle out of her, causing something in your chest to flutter a little, and with that the tense atmosphere that was present earlier disappeared in an instant. "Well I never really get the chance to use my name. People say that I usually don't give the best first impressions. My name is Mash Kyrielight," she responds, taking your hand. "Nice to meet you Fujimaru-senpai."

She gives you a small smile, which you return with a hopefully not too wide smile of your own.

"Anyway, may I ask you a question, Senpai?" she requests.

"Sure, fire away."

"You were asleep, but I can't see why you would possibly sleep on the floor. Can you not sleep unless you are on a hard bed?" she asks, quizzically tilting her head slightly to the side. Cute…

"Well, um, no I guess, I definitely prefer sleeping in a bed. I guess I was just so tired after over-exerting myself in the Spirtron Dive." you answer, scratching your head sheepishly.

You then feel something soft near your ankle and looking down, you see the small animal that woke you up earlier.

"By the way, who's this little guy?" you ask Mash as you crouch down to pet the animal.

"...Oh I completely forgot. This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a Privileged Life Form that is allowed to roam around Chaldea freely. Fou was the one who led me to you in the first place, Senpai."

More reasons to like this lil' guy. You give him a quick scratch behind the ears.

"Mkyuuu…" Awww, he was leaning into it. He's so precious.

After that quick scratch session, Fou leaves, walking away to another part of the facility.

"He ran off again. He does this sometimes." clarified Mash.

What a mysterious critter that Fou is…

"Congratulations. Now you shall become Fou's second caretaker." you hear a voice behind and you turn your head to face the source.

You are greeted by a man with bushy burgundy hair in a crisp green suit and top hat. He smiles at Mash.

"There you are Mash. That won't do, you know, wandering without permission." he said, chastising her.

His gaze shifts to you. "Oh, you're already with someone? You are one of the new Master candidates right? The final 48th candidate in fact."

He extends his hand for a handshake. "I'm Dr. Lev Lainur, one of the technicians employed here. And your name is?"

"Ritsuka Fujimaru." you say as you take his hand. Something seems off about this man, but you can't put your finger on it. You decide to forget about that feeling for the time being

"Since you are the last Master candidate here, I assume that you are a public Master Candidate. How long was your training? A year? 6 months? 3 months?"

You look away and mutter a single sentence. "...48 hours…"

"Pardon?"

"48 Hours." you say a bit louder and a tad bit more ashamed.

"Oh you're one of them. Do forgive me, I was being a tad inconsiderate. Please do not be discouraged that you are a public applicant, we will need all of you for the upcoming mission, whether it be elite mages or talented public applicants." his response mollified you a bit. A bit.

"If you have any questions, just ask Mash or myself." He finishes, well you thought he finished until Mr. Lainur began to talk once more. "Though, come to think of it… what were you talking to her Mash? You aren't exactly the type of person to go out of their way to talk to someone. Did you two know each other before?"

"No, I just met Fujimaru-senpai today. I just saw Senpai sleeping on the floor so I went to check on her."

"Ah, another overstimulated one eh." he says, with a grin. "It's to be expected. No one takes well to the Spiritron Dives on their first try. Mash and I will take you to the infirmary after the Director's Orientation."

Right, the new Director, Olga Marie Animusphere. From what you saw on the brochure she was a perfect picture representation of a mage. And from what you saw from what magi called "a picture perfect mage", you could guess that she wasn't exactly the nicest person to be around. Best not to get on her bad side.

"Do you think that I'll be able to sit at the orientation too Dr. Lev?" asked Mash.

"Well… If you stand far away in the back, she'll turn a blind eye, but why?"

"I thought I could take Senpai to the Command Room. It's possible that Senpai could fall asleep again on the way." Now that she mentioned it, you did still feel quite a bit tired. You think the reason you were energized a bit earlier was the fact that you saw Mash for the first time.

Dr. Lev sighed. "If I leave you two alone, the Director will yell at me…" he said with a slight shake of his head. "I should tag along as well, eh? Well if it's what you want to do Mash, then go ahead. Are you fine with this Fujimaru-san?"

"Yep, I'm fine with it…" you respond with a yawn.

"Then let us make haste to the Command Room."

Walking quickly through the sterile white corridors, you weren't sure if it was the fatigue talking or not, but you suddenly had a burning question for Mash.

"By the way Mash, why do you keep calling me Senpai?" you wanted to know if it truly was a unique nickname or not.

Mash stumbled a bit before getting back to the same pace as you and Dr. Lev. There was a luminescent blush on her face.

"Don't worry about it, to her every human your age is her senpai." Ah. You see…

"But it's unusual for her to actually call someone that. It might be the first time I've heard her say it out loud." You perk up once more, a stupid little chuckle threatening to escape your mouth.

"Say Mash, why do you call Fujimaru-san senpai?" he asks, seemingly intrigued.

"The reason? Well, Fujimaru-senpai is the most human-like person I've ever met. For some reason, I feel safe around her."

God, this girl was not good for your health. You've only known her for about 10 minutes and your heart was already in overdrive. At this rate, you're going to get a heart attack.

Dr. Lev laughed. "I see that is important! It looks like you two will be getting along just fine." he says with a jovial smile.

Mash chuckled too, before frowning abruptly. "...If you like Senpai Dr. Lev, then the Director will probably hate her."

"Hey, if she doesn't like me, then that's her problem." you reply. "We've got no reasons to dislike each other yet, so I think we can stay civil."

"That's the spirit Fujimaru-san," replied Dr. Lev. "Once you get used to her she can be very sweet. Alright, ready to go into the lion's den?"

You nod, suppressing another yawn, and the three of you enter the command room.

Upon entering, your vision is bathed with the color blue. In the middle of the room, you see a massive mass of mana inside of a gyroscopic mechanism and upon closer inspection you can see… the continent of Africa?

Before you can ask any questions, Mash began to direct you towards your seat

"Let's see… 48, 48… Ah, here's your seat Senpai, right in the front row." she makes eye contact with you again, expressing concern once more. "Senpai are you alright? You're looking a bit pale…"

You wave her off. "I'll be fine for a little longer." you say with an unconvincing yawn.

As Mash was about to protest, you heard a terse cough of a young woman. Director Animusphere. She looked a lot shorter than you thought she would be.

The white-haired Director impatiently tapped her foot on the ground glaring daggers at Mash and Dr. Lev.

"Looks like that's our cue Mash. No more small talk for the time being." said the doctor.

Reluctantly, Mash left you in your seat, after which, the Director took her spot at the podium in front of the seats.

"Hmph. Well that wasn't on time," she said glaring at you with enough anger to burn a hole through your head. "But it looks like we're all here now. I am Director Olga Marie Animusphere and I welcome you all to-"

As she began her speech, the fatigue that you had been holding back burst forth and unfortunately for you, you would lose this battle against fatigue.

The last thing you see before your head hits the table is the scandalized face of the director.

Master Candidate Fujimaru, get up this instant!

"Mmm. Five more minutes."

How dare you! If you do not wake right now, you will not be brought onto this mission!

"Shuuut uuupp. You ain't the boss of me."

…Out. Get this petulant child out of my sight!

"Get off of me you old hag…"

THAT'S IT! I'M DONE WITH YOU!

*SMACK*

A sharp pain flashes across your face and when you open your eyes, you find yourself in the hallway outside the Control Center, with Mash supporting you on her shoulder.

"Senpai, are you alright?" she asks you, helping you to stand on your own.

You suddenly remember falling asleep right at the beginning of Director Animusphere's speech. And your half-lucid sleep talking. The gravity of your situation hits you like a truck hitting an isekai protagonist.

"...Aw crap…"

"It seemed that you fell into REM sleep the second your head hit the desk. You were snoring and everything too." Mash's observations caused you to feel extremely self-conscious. No wonder you got kicked out of the Control Room…

"Anyways, the entire debacle made the Director so angry with you that she slapped you and forbade you from joining the mission. Dr. Lev told me to bring you back to your room while he calmed down the Director." Mash explained. "The director also tried to pry your Mystic Code off of you, but decided not to after she had difficulty grabbing you."

You sigh. If you weren't fired outright, you figured that you would be relegated to menial work for a long time. "Well at least the slap woke me up completely." you joke, trying not to think about your future at Chaldea.

"It's good that you're so optimistic Senpai," said Mash with a slight smile, it seemed like she was going to continue on until she was interrupted by a familiar fluffy dog-squirrel-cat.

"Oh!" exclaimed Mash as Fou clambered onto her shoulder.

"Fou…" the cute critter began nuzzling his face into Mash's hair affectionately. You wish you had your phone on you so this precious moment could be captured.

"Does he do this often?" You ask.

"Yes he does. He started doing this six months ago, he had finally warmed up to me at that time." she said, reminiscing to herself.

"Fou. Kuuu, Fou!" squeaked out Fou who was pointing his little paw at you.

Mash's smile got a little wider. "Hmm. Apparently, Fou has accepted you as one of his own Fujimaru-senpai." Curiously, her smile then shifted into a look of contemplation. "But can a squirrel who sees a human as a rival exist in this world?"

What?

"He… sees me as a rival?" you ask, a little flabbergasted.

Mash shrugged. "Well knowing him as well as I do, Fou will probably forget about it by tomorrow." she then stops abruptly. "We've reached our destination, this is your room Senpai."

Wow, you were so engrossed in your conversation with Mash that you didn't notice that you had walked quite a distance away from the Control Room.

"...I see. Thanks for bringing me all this way." you say, nervously running your hand through your hair.

"It's fine. If you ask me, Senpai, I wouldn't mind even if it's treating you to lunch." she said coolly.

A small chuckle escapes your lips and you look into Mash's eyes with conviction. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Fou makes his presence known once more with his calls. "Kyun… Kyun!" He climbed off of Mash's shoulder and clambered onto your's.

"Fou says that he'll look after you, that puts my mind at ease." she says, looking at the critter.

Looking back to you, she says her goodbye. "Well, I'm off Senpai. Take care of yourself."

As you waved goodbye to her with what you can only assume is the dopiest smile on your face, you open the door to your room and enter.

"Okay fine, I'm in here so just-"

You see a scruffy looking redheaded man in a doctor's coat getting up from what you can only assume is your bed.

"Whaa! Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"
"Ahhh! Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"

You both exclaimed at exactly the same time, even pointing at each other.

"Why are you asking why I'm here?" the man said. "This is an empty room, where I can slack off in peace! Who in the world gave you permission to get in?"

"This is MY room! If you want to go off and be lazy, do it in some other place." you exclaim irately.

The man suddenly shut up, and when he talks again, he is much more calm. "Your room? …Oh, I see. So you're the last one huh? Took you long enough to show up."

He stood up and offered you a handshake, the third one you had received today. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself properly this time. My name is Romani Archaman, I'm the head of the Medical Department here at Chaldea. For some reason, people call me Dr. Roman instead. But I think it has a nice ring to it."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Roman. My name's Ritsuka Fujimaru." you respond, returning his handshake firmly.

Dr. Roman's eyes drifted to Fou, and you could see his eyes light up in excitement. "So this is the mysterious creature I've heard so much about from Mash."

"Alright, shake. If you do it, I'll give you a snack." he said, looking at Fou expectantly, reaching out to him.

"...Fou."

Huh. You never thought an animal could make such a pitying noise, you almost felt bad for the Doctor.

"What's with that? He completely ignored me…" said Dr. Roman sadly. "A-Anyways, since you're here and not in the Command Room, I can safely assume that you got on the Director's bad side. You and I are alike in that regard. In fact, she yelled at me not too long ago."

"What'd she yell at you for?" you ask inquisitively.

"The entire staff was called to assist in preparation for today's Rayshift Experiment, and my job was to make sure everyone was in good health. But since everyone was healthy, I had nothing to really do. The Director didn't particularly like me just standing there. 'When you're here, Romani, everyone slacks off!'" he explained to you. "As such, I've been slacking off here. But that's when you showed up." The Doctor said, pointing to you.

"This is what they call a blessing in disguise right? Since we both have nowhere to go, why don't we spend some time deepening our new friendship, Ritsuka?"

You contemplate this train of thought for a bit, should you spend some time with this lazy doctor?

...

"Eh, sure why not. Just don't do anything weird."

"Then it's settled!" said the Doctor cheerfully. "Hey, since we're friends now, this means that I'm visiting a friend's room!" he adds with a grin.

"We just met. I can't really call you a friend right now." you answer with a hint of annoyance.

"Well then, we've got plenty of time to change that Ritsuka," he tells you optimistically.

"Please don't call me by my first name yet." You respond.

"Right, sorry. Forgot about Japanese etiquette for a sec."

You can respect his optimism, but you highly doubt that he can befriend you that easily.

"...And that's the structure of Chaldea."

Huh, that was actually pretty interesting. "Who would've known that building on a mountain would have been so easy thanks to Magecraft."

"I know right!" responded Dr. Roman enthusiastically. "Transporting materials is trivial thanks to this newly discovered Gravity Magecraft."

He's really good at explaining things. You guess this guy isn't so bad.

You had the Doctor right where you wanted him. Nothing would stop you from getting what you wanted now.

"There's no more options for you now Roman. Just give it up now."

"...No. I can't give up now. I can still come back from this."

You bristle in annoyance. This Doctor sure was stubborn. "Hmph. So be it. I'll just have to get the goods from your dead cooling hands."

"Try me. 66% to my loss still isn't 100%." he still looked determined.

"Let's end this."

For all the marbles, you ready yourself for what you knew was the final time.

"Jan-ken-pon!"
"Jan-ken-pon!"

You threw scissors and Dr. Roman threw…

"Heh. Scissors beats Paper. Hand over the prawn crisps." you say with a look of superiority. "Give them before I launch a gandr at your ugly mug."

"No… It can't be…". Look at this man. Groveling on the floor like an animal. You decide that you'll give him a single shred of mercy.

"Be grateful that you still have the pollock chips. Savor them while you still can." you say haughtily, popping a crisp into your mouth.

Dr. Roman groaned sadly.

"I'll make you regret what you've done to me Ritsuka, I'll make you pay!" He says to you with a fire in his eyes. "Those were my favorite chips!"

"Yeah, yeah, do your worst." you say with a smug smile.

"Fine, I've heard that this film can turn up the waterworks." he says holding up a DVD. "Think you get through it without ugly crying?"

"Obviously. It can't be that bad." you reply confidently.

You were simultaneously both cursing and thanking that the doctor showed you this masterpiece of a movie

Clutching Dr. Roman by the arm, you were crying into his shoulder. You could hear the doctor messily sobbing as well.

"Shouya… Why did it have to be you…" you croaked out in between sobs.

"Why couldn't it have been Kawai!" the doctor exclaimed.

"No. It should *hic* have been Ueno." you reply.

"Maybe… Maybe…" he then gasps. "Oh god… Shouko's going to think it's all her fault."

"Stop it! My heart can't take much more!"

You held each other, embracing one another in your shared grief from the tragic tale of redemption and young love.

"Fou…"

Oh right, and Fou was there for moral support you guess.

"...and that's how Chaldea came to be."

"It's really cool that a single person can create a massive organization for the good of humanity." you reply.

"Yeah, for all his unpleasantness, the previous Director did a lot of good things."

You've come to enjoy the company of Dr. Roman. He was funny and goofy, yet he could also be serious. He was also a pretty good teacher too.

Probably needs to up his janken game though.

"Who would have known that on such a crappy day, I'd get into Chaldea and make two friends in the span of 3 hours." you say, lounging on your bed.

"Two? Who's the second one?" he asks curiously.

"Oh, you already mentioned her when I first came in. Her name's Mash." you respond. "She's a really nice girl." you finish with a sigh.

"Yeah she really is…" he responds with a wistful look on his face. "You seem like you'll be a good influence on her Ritsuka, so make sure to keep her on the straight and true."

What Dr. Roman was going to say next is interrupted by a device on your nightstand that begins to beep.

"Hold on a second Ritsuka, I've got to take this call."

Dr. Roman retrieved the circular device and clicked a button on the side. The device began to glow and it projected an opaque hologram of Dr. Lev.

"Hologram communicators? That's pretty cool." You say.

"Yeah I know right, they're really convenient." replied the Doctor.

"Sorry to interrupt your impromptu bonding session, but we're going to start the Rayshift soon and we might need you in case there is an emergency. A Team seems to be perfectly fine, but I'm detecting some abnormalities from B Team as their heading on down. It's probably anxiety, but I need you to check. Just in case." explained Dr. Lev.

"I feel a little bad for the newbies, Lev. I'll make sure to give them a little anaesthesia." said the Doctor.

"Yeah, hurry up, will you? You're in the infirmary, so it will take you 2 minutes to get here. Get here before Olga blows her top again okay." with that last sentence, Dr. Lev hung up.

"Well this sure doesn't look like an infirmary," you state in mock surprise.

"Yeah, yeah very funny Ritsuka. I'll go get my stuff from the infirmary. And before I go, take this." Dr. Roman presses a button on the communicator before tossing it to you.

"These things are a dime a dozen in Chaldea, so you can have this one as a parting gift. I've reset it to factory settings, so you can put your own contacts in." he explained.

(Communicator Acquired!)

"Alright then, see you later Ritsuka! How about we talk over some cake next time?"

"Sounds good." you reply. "See ya later Doc."

As Dr. Roman leaves, Fou sulks next to your leg.

'Kyuun…"

"Sorry for ignoring you buddy." you say to him while patting his head. "I'll make sure to spend some time with you too."

Suddenly, the lights cut off.

"Huh? What the-"

*KABOOM*

Your blood runs cold. What in god's name was that?

Alarms begin to blare and red emergency lights began to flash as an automated voice rang out on the speakers.

— Emergency. Emergency. A fire has broken out in the Central Power Station and Central Command Room. The Central Area's Containment Wall will activate in 300 seconds. All staff, please evacuate through Gate 2 at once.
— Repeat. The Central Power Station and Central Command Room have been compromised. Please evacuate–

You don't hear the rest of the message. You can only think of that deafening boom. A bomb has gone off in the Command Room.

You think of all the people still in there.

The staff, the Director, Dr. Lev, your fellow Master candidates…

Mash.

You fight to keep your breathing under control, but you simply can't. You've got to get the survivors out as quickly as possible.

"Stay here Fou." you tell your furry companion. "I'll be right back."

Bursting out of your door, you see Dr. Roman, just as panicked as you are.

"Ritsuka, you've got to get out NOW! The containment wall is going to close soon, save yourself." he tells you through shaky breaths. "I'll be going to the Command Room to save as many people as I can and activate the emergency protocol."

"I can't just run away now!" you shout. "You'll need all the help you can get, I'm going with you!"

"Fou!"

Fou climbs onto your shoulder, as if to emphasize your point.

"Didn't I tell you to stay inside buddy?" you say accusatory.

"Fou kyun!☆~" Did he just wink? Probably just your imagination.

"Wh-th-Fine! Enough talking then, we've got to go now!" said Dr. Roman frantically. "Just make sure you get back in time."

Both of you sprinted as fast as you possibly could down the halls, then you both ran as hard as you could into the doors to force them open, shoulder first.

You were greeted with a sight of hell on earth.

Rubble was strewn across the Command Room, and everything as far the eye can see was wreathed in flames. Everytime you breathed in you felt your lungs sear.

"*cough* *hack* IS ANYONE HERE!" you yell as loud as you could manage without collapsing into a coughing fit.

"Ritsuka, there aren't any survivors! The bomb originated here, it's a miracle that CHALDEAS is still in one piece." says the Doctor. He ominously adds another statement too. "This was no accident, someone planted a bomb here in advance."

No way. That can't be right. Someone has had to survive…

— Generator operation has stopped. Power level is critical switching to back up generator. Error unable to switch to back up power. Manual restart needed. The Containment Wall will close in 90 seconds. Please evacuate to-

"...That's not good…" Roman turns to you with a pleading look in his eyes. "Ritsuka, I need to restart Chaldea's power. You need to go now. Please."

You nod, watching Roman disappear down the stairwell.

"..."

Despite what Dr. Roman said, you won't give up hope that someone may have survived. You stick around the disaster zone for just a bit longer.

"*COUGH* Hello! Is anyone here!" you shout to the best of your ability. Damn it, it was getting hard to breathe…

Sorting through the rubble, you couldn't find anything. Not even a corpse. Fou had leaped off of your shoulder earlier, searching in the opposite direction of you. He had similar luck to you when finding any survivors.

Your head was getting fuzzy, each breath took a herculean amount of effort to force through. You were going to leave when you heard something. A small cough you almost missed thanks to the roaring fire.

"I hear you! Hold on, I'll get you out!"

Half running and half dragging your feet, you make it to the source of the sound to find…

"Oh god… Mash!" you see the entire lower half of her body crushed by a massive slab of concrete. "Hang in there, I'll get you out of there!"

"...Senpai…It's alright… You…can't save…me… Don't…mind me… Save…yourself…"

"Like hell I will!" you retort. "I won't leave you here to die!"

The room is then suddenly bathed in an intense red light, and it completely overpowers the fire.

"What in the world?!"

"Ah…" croaked out Mash.

A new announcement interrupted the looping emergency message.

— Alert. CHALDEAS' state has changed. Recalibrating SHEBA's near-future prediction data.
— Unable to detect the existence of Mankind 100 years into the future.

What did it just say? No, that can't be right…

— Unable to detect survivors.

— Unable to guarantee Mankind's future.

Unable to guarantee mankind's future!? Your head was swimming with questions, but you shook them out of your mind.

You activate your H.U.D. and access your Mystic Code's Reinforcement magecraft, using it to reinforce your arms.

"Just hold on for a little longer, Mash." you say trying to reassure her.


'User's Mana: 80 / 200 MP'


You were running pretty low on mana, so you were fairly sure this was going to be the last time you would be using Magecraft for a while, unless you managed to find something that could recharge your mana.

Once the magecraft finished doing its thing, you grabbed the slab and heaved with all your might. It didn't even budge.

"Damn it you stupid rock, MOVE!" you shout in desperation. You have to get her out. You need to.

Your next attempt at lifting the rock is even less successful, as you collapse in another coughing fit before you can even grip it.

"Damn it… DAMN IT!"

— Central area is sealed. 180 seconds until the internal containment procedure commences.

"...they shut off the area… We can't…get out now…"

You fall to your knees in despair. This was it, you're going to die.

You had so much that you wanted to do and so much you wish you could say…

You think of your family.

'Mom… Dad… Kanata…'

…

You think of the future, the future you would-no WILL have.

You knew the risks you would face when you decided to stay. Now's not the time for self-pity. There's someone else who needs you now, and they were right in front of you.

"Sorry for stopping Mash… I was just a bit… tired." you try and fail to stand up. The lack of oxygen was starting to affect your body now.

"...Senpai…why?... Why would you go… so far… for me?..." said Mash. Her voice was not much louder than a whisper now.

"You've already become someone very important to me. My first friend." you respond as frankly as possible. "I'll figure out something to get you out. I promise. Someone's gotta treat me to lunch once they recover from their injuries."

You tenderly grab her hand. You feel her weakly try to grip yours. "I won't let you go, I swear on my life."

You see the bloodsoaked Mash give you one last faint smile. "...I'm glad I met you…Ritsuka…Sen…pai…"

She closed her eyes, but you knew she was alive from how her grip on your hand tightened. Your breathing slows.

—...Searching for a qualifying Master… Master found: No. 48 Ritsuka Fujimaru.

You could see your life flashing before your eyes.

— …Candidate Fujimaru reset as Master…

You see your first day of primary school.

— …Unsummon Program, start. Spiritron Conversion, start. All systems clear…

You see your meetings with Old Man Tanaka.

— Rayshift starting in 3,...

You see the Chaldea flier flapping in the wind.

— …2,...

You see the kind faces of Mash and Dr. Roman…

— …1,...

"I wish…I could have at least saved you Mash…" you utter one last time. Your world then goes black.

Chapter Text

Singularity F: Flame Contaminated City Fuyuki
Fuyuki, Japan, circa 2004
Foundation of Humanity Significance: C

"Kyuu... Fou, kyuu..."

You feel something licking your face. Was this the after life or something? It feels really warm for the afterlife.

"Senpai! Please, wake up Senpai!

You hear a voice from far away. It sounds like…Mash…

"She's not waking up… Maybe I should use her official title…"

"Master. Please wake up."

You feel someone squeeze your hand. It feels exceedingly familiar…

"Ritsuka-senpai…Please wake up. Or I-I'll kill you myself."

You inhale deeply. You are distinctly aware of the smoke.

Your eyes shoot open and you quickly bolt upwards, coughing.

You see you aren't in Chaldea anymore.

You were in a burning city, with fire as far as the eye can see. Buildings, homes, and everything in between were destroyed, with only their skeletons still standing.

"Senpai! Thank goodness you're awake! I'm so glad you're alright."

You see Mash still gripping your hand.

"Mash! Are you okaaaaaaaa-" you then notice her… revealing and form-fitting outfit.

She was wearing a sort of tight armored dress which accentuated her rather… stacked assets and exposed her midriff. Her metal skirt was way, WAY too short, which exposed quite a bit of leg and…

Huh. They're black.

"Senpai! You're burning up! Hang in there, I'll get you to someplace cooler."

Mash scooped you up in a princess carry, causing your reddening face to change to a color not unlike your hair and your heart to go into overdrive.

"Mash…please put me down…" you say meekly.

"I beg your pardon Senpai? I can't really hear what you said."

"PUT ME DOWN!" Mash flinches, and reluctantly sets you down on your feet. God, now you felt bad for yelling.

"...Sorry for yelling, Mash. I don't have a fever. It's just that your outfit is…y'know…" you point at her, looking away to try to calm down.

You try sneaking a look, to gauge whether or not it was safe for your heart to look at this gorgeous girl.

"Ah. I can… certainly see why you would be embarrassed." Mash's face was also fairly red now. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head cutely. Nope. Still not safe to look back.

"Impractical outfits aside, it seems that we have more important things to worry about Ritsuka-senpai. We appear to be surrounded."

Surrounded!?

Mash calmly walks past you and grabs what you assume was a piece of debris.

Pulling out of the ground, you see that it is instead a massive cross shaped shield, which Mash seemed to heft without as much as a grunt of effort. She turned to face the possible enemies she detected earlier.

Shambling towards you two inhumanly quickly were 6 sword wielding skeletons.

"GHAAAAAA!" cried out the one in the lead, and the skeletons charged at the both of you.

"Lifeforms identified as hostile. Linguistic communication is impossible." Mash gets into a defensive stance. She looks back at you, and you don't see the gentle girl from Chaldea anymore.

You see a determined warrior, who would fight tooth and nail for you.

"Your orders, Master?"

Your orders, huh? Looks like Mash expects a lot from you.

And you intend to meet her expectations.

"Activate H.U.D."

You browse to Mash's skill section and see what she can do. Her Skill 1, Transient Wall of Snowflakes, boosts her Defense, so you decide to make her activate it.

Mash use your 1st Skill! You instruct her telepathically.

Affirmative Senpai!

"Stats UP! I'm ready." she exclaims.

You need to break apart the skeletons' formation, isolate them to take them out in small manageable groups. An idea pops into your head.

"Crush their formation, Mash. Give them no reprieve!" you yell out.

"On it." Mash squats down and launches herself through the formation.

Mash annihilates the middle of the formation. When Mash returns to her feet there are no traces of the targeted skeletons.

Unfortunately for you, while the skeletons in the back were stopped, the ones in the front were still rushing towards you.

"*tch*"

Running for dear life, you vaulted over several rocks and piles of rubble towards Mash. You need to stick a fair distance near her if she is to protect you satisfactorily. But out of nowhere, a building collapses right in front of you, cornering you.

"What are the odds…" you bemoan to yourself. You frantically look around for an opening to escape, to no avail. Both skeletons were preparing to bring their swords down onto you when Mash swoops in to save you.

"I've got you Senpai!" Mash shouts, shoving you out of the way. You then are forced to watch in horror as both swordsmen proceed to slash up her back.

"Mash!"

"I'm fine Senpai! Just. Stay. Back!" In an impressive display of grit, she ignores her wounds and backhands her attacker into some rubble with her shield, with the skeletons pulverizing upon hitting the rocks at terminal velocity.

You need to treat Mash's wounds quickly, but there were two more skeletons that needed to be taken care of before you could do so. Focusing on your environment, you try to focus your senses, looking for any signs of those bags of bones.

You see a glint of metal slowly approaching Mash, so you focus your H.U.D. onto it.


'Skeleton E: Lv.1'
'Skeleton F: Lv.1'


Bingo.

"Mash, behind you!" you point to the enemies. Mash glances behind her briefly before launching herself one last time.

The skeletons never stood a chance.

You rush to Mash to deal with her wounds.

"Stay still, I've got to fix you up."

Accessing your Mystic Code, you select First Aid and direct your mana towards your Servant.

You watch as her torn back slowly closes itself up, until the only indication the wound was ever there was the blood spilt. Your H.U.D. updated to display this.


'Mash Kyrielight is no longer seriously injured.'
'User's Mana: 60 / 200'


"There… You're all set to go now... Mash," you tell her, as you fall to your knees once more.

You feel so tired now. You really need to replenish your mana soon.

"Are you okay Senpai?" your Servant says, slinging her shield on her right arm and reaching her free hand out. "Does your stomach hurt or is it heavy?"

"None of those Mash, I'm just a bit low on Mana." you respond, taking Mash's hand. As you get up, another pop-up appears in your H.U.D., right by the closest fallen skeletons. "Hey, what are those things?"


'Blaze of Wisdom (All) x5'
'Silver Apple x1
'Proof of a Hero x1'


You trudge past Mash and bend down to pick up the highlighted objects. The so-called 'Blaze of Wisdoms' appeared to be glowing crystals and the 'Proof of a Hero' looked to be an engraved blue and beige disk. The apple appeared to just look like a metallic apple, but you decide to analyze all of these objects before you do anything hasty.

You will your H.U.D. to analyze the objects, with their properties appearing in clear text.


'Blaze of Wisdom (All): Crystallized mana that can be used to strengthen Servants of any class.'
'Silver Apple: A Magical Apple that is brimming with mana. Can be used to restore a decent amount of mana in a pinch.
'Proof of a Hero: Proof that you have been acknowledged as a hero. Used to strengthen Servants.'


Whoa, that's pretty neat.

"Hey Mash! I've found some pretty useful stuff here," you say, calling out to your self-proclaimed Kouhai.

"What did you find, Senpai?" she asks, her curiosity piqued.

"I found some stuff that can strengthen Servants. I also think that I found a solution to my Mana problem."

You pocket the Blazes and the disk and raise the apple for Mash to see.

"A Silver Apple? How did that get here?" She says, scrutinizing the fruit. "I thought that they could only be found in Greece."

"Well, my Analysis Magecraft says that it's legit. I'll try not to look at the gift horse in the mouth." you reply.

Taking a bite, you found the flavor to be… lacking. "Eurgh… It tastes exactly like it looks…" But you felt Mana flow into you, so you couldn't complain about that. After finishing the entire apple, you check your Mana supply again.


'User's Mana: 160 / 200'



"All topped off now Mash," you say giving her a thumbs up. "God I never want to eat one of those things again…"

"Alright then, let's go Senpai. But before we go, are you aware of where we are?"

You vaguely remember something about a singularity from what little you heard from the Director's speech.

"Something about Singularity, right?"

"Yes, you're right," she affirms. "We were initially tasked with correcting the Singularity we are currently within now, Singularity F. We need to correct this era if we are to return back to Chaldea."

You nod in understanding. "So where do we go from here?"

"I… don't really know…"

...

Huh. Well, you two are certainly in a pickle.

Before you can respond, you feel something at your feet. Something furry.

"Man Fou, it seems like you've stuck to me like a limpet. Thanks for bringing me back to the land of the living earlier by the way," You said, as you let the furry critter climb onto your shoulder. As he nuzzles into your hair, you turn to Mash.

"So…Before we go walking in a random direction I've got a burning question to ask."

"Oh um, go ask away Senpai."

You breathe in before continuing on. "How the hell did you become a Servant?"

"Ah right. You probably already knew thanks to your Magecraft," she replies. "When I was pinned under the rubble, I was visited by a Servant. They had lost their Master in the explosion and they were doomed to vanish. So they approached me with a contract. They would fuse with me and we would both survive. The terms were that they would provide me with their powers and Noble Phantasm and in return I would help to eliminate the cause of the Singularity."

"Do you know who they are?" you ask once more.

"Unfortunately, no. I wasn't able to hear their True Name."

You sigh. "Well, I suppose I've wasted enough of our time. Let's start going… West."

Mash nods and you both set off towards the center of the city.

You've both been walking in relative silence for quite some time, with nothing but the sound of roaring flames and the smell of smoke to interrupt it. You haven't seen any more of those skeletons thankfully. But thanks to the lack of action, you've run out of adrenaline and your concentration is waning. Hell, you're pretty sure Fou was fast asleep already.

While you are looking at your newly acquired Command Seals, a shower thought pops into your mind through the monotony. "Hey Mash, since you're a Servant, I can strengthen you with these Mana Embers. How would you take in the Mana?"

"Well, I guess I could eat them…" she contemplates.

"How about we test that out?"

"Oh, sure thing Senpai."

You hand the Blazes over, and Mash inspects them before popping one into her mouth and biting down.

"HRMN!? Hot, Hot!" she exclaims as her face flushes and she begins to perspire.

'So they're spicy.' you think to yourself. Mash begins to fan her face with her free hand.

...

'She's making a cute face again…"

All of a sudden, you feel something vibrating in your pocket. You fish it out and find that it is the Communicator that Dr. Roman gave you before everything went to hell.

You remember that he pressed the blue button on the side to accept the call, and upon pressing it you were greeted by a mini Dr. Roman.

"Finally I got through! Hello? This is the Chaldea Command Room, does anyone copy?"

"This is Mash Kyrielight from the A Team with Master Candidate Ritsuka Fujimaru, we copy," replied Mash. "Ooh boy, Mana is really spicy…"

"Mash and Ritsuka thank god you're okay! Ritsuka, didn't I tell you to get out?! Your physical body nearly died! I had to resuscitate you and- Wait did Mash say something about spicy mana? Where did that come from? And how the hell did Fou get there?!"

"It's not important, Doctor," she responds, eating the last Blaze with a wince.

"Anyways, we have arrived safely, with mind and body intact. Rayshift and Master Compatibility are satisfactory, so I'd like you to register Senpai as an official researcher."

"Already on it. I'm surprised you didn't 'lose your existence' Ritsuka. I'm glad for that. But please listen to me next time, okay?"

Lose your existence? You hope that would never happen to you…

"By the way Mash, while I'm also glad you're safe, what's up with that scandalous outfit?! I didn't raise you to dress like that!" added the Doctor. Also did he say raise? Nah, you were probably hearing things.

"I remember Senpai also said something along those lines," answered Mash. "But I couldn't exactly protect her in my Chaldea Uniform. So I transformed into this."

"What do you mean by transformed?"

"Just check her status Doc. You can do that from the Command Center right?" you clarify.

"Her status?" you see Dr. Roman fiddle with something off screen and watch as his eyes become as wide as dinner platters. "Wh-Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA! Your physical strength, your magical circuits, everything has improved dramatically! Your parameters are at the level of-"

"A Servant," interjects Mash. "Indeed, I've gained the strength of a Servant by fusing with a Masterless Servant. They gave me their strength to assist with the correction of Singularity F."

"A Heroic Spirit fused with a human… A Demi-Servant," said an awestruck Dr. Roman. "So it finally succeeded… Does this Servant still have their consciousness?"

"No, they gave me their combat abilities before I could hear their True Name and Noble Phantasm. At this point, there's too much that I don't know…" she responded, becoming briefly downcast.

"Hey, look on the bright side. Not every Servant summoned is cooperative. But since you're a loyal member of Chaldea, you're completely trustworthy," said Dr. Roman, which seemed to cheer Mash up a little. "Now back to you Ritsuka. I'm sure you're full of questions, but try not to worry. After all, you've got humanity's strongest weapon, Mash, as your Servant."

"Well I wouldn't say that I don't know about being the strongest…" she says bashfully.

"Nonsense," You say, encouraging her. "You're like a cooler, more purple version of that one American comic book hero. What was his name again?"

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that," deadpanned Dr. Roman. "Getting back on topic, the data indicates that unlike previous Servant-Master Contracts in Chaldea, your contract seems to be a much more powerful than the usual Provisional Contract, meaning that while your Command Seals are more powerful when you use them on Mash, the Seals specifically for you and Mash won't regenerate. Make sure to be careful when using them."

"Roger Dr. Roman," you say with a mock salute.

"Right then, now's a good time to explain the rules of this mission. You currently have two major goals-" The display of the communicator begins to flicker and the audio starts to distort.

"Doctor! You're breaking up!" says Mash, with urgency.

"Huh, so SHEBA's output has become unstable thanks to it being connected to the backup generators. Oh well, I'll brief you two later. I'm getting a strong leyline reading coming a kilometer from your current position, just walk straight and you'll find it. Try to get there, it should stabilize the connection. Don't do anything reckless you two, okay? I'm going to go help Da Vinci and the surviving staff bring the power back as soon as-" Dr. Roman is abruptly cut off as the Communicator stops detecting a signal from Chaldea.

"...Dr. Roman?" Mash says in an uncharacteristically small voice.

You sigh. "Well it can't be helped… Let's get moving Mash."

"Right."

Fou had also awakened by the time the conversation had cut out. He was currently trying to eat your hair.

After waving him off, you decide to ask Mash one more thing before you both continue on.

"By the way, what's a Leyline?"

Chapter Text

"Wha-what?"

You had just woken up from your impromptu blackout, so maybe you were hearing things but…

"Did you just say that the Servant in front of me is Cú Chulainn, but he's a Caster?" You ask, gesturing at the man you were pretty sure was supposed to be a Lancer.

The man bows. "The one and only, you little lady. Got put into a Caster Class thanks to my side-job. Got to ask though, are you of age? Don't want to be flirting with a minor."

"I'm 17." you respond, bristling with annoyance " You have a reason for being here other than finding out if I'm legal or not, right? Why did you save us?"

"True, true. We can flirt later," he replies somewhat apologetically. You already greatly preferred his Lancer Version.

You also check your Mana levels, as you weren't light-headed anymore.


'Mana: 125 / 200 MP'


Huh. So that was that warm feeling you felt earlier. You should thank Caster later, even if he was... unsavory.

Dr. Roman spoke up. Mash must have nabbed your communicator while you were out. "Now back to the topic at hand. Caster, you offered a deal, right?"

"Indeed I do, mage from across reality. You lot aren't from around here, and you don't look like you seem to be allied with Saber's clique judging from the fact that you turned Lancer over there into a fine red paste. I commend your technique, young lady," That last remark caused Gareth to laugh and rub her head in embarrassment.

"I also sense no ill intentions from any of you, but just to make sure, who are you?" He asks. "What organization are you lot affiliated with?"

The Doctor began to explain. "Well…"

"...and that's the gist of what the goal of Chaldea is and why we're here." summarized the Doctor. "Before we continue though, let me clarify something, Caster. You're the sole surviving Servant of this Holy Grail War, is that correct."

"Yep," he replies. "After the entirety of the city went up in flames, something happened to the grail. Corrupting mud sprung out of the grail, and it did… something to Saber."

Gazing off into the distance he continued explaining. "The crazy bastard went on a rampage, defeating all the remaining Servants one after the other, turning them into her lackeys through the mud. To make matters worse, those skeletons began to pop up in droves. Can't go anywhere in this place without encountering a horde of them."

He returns his gaze to the group. "Now this botched Holy Grail War can only end in one of two ways. One Saber kills and converts me. Two…"

"You kill Saber and the War ends," Interjected Emiya. "It's why you zeroed in on us. You can't take her out yourself, so you want us to help you."

"Heh, someone's knowledgeable. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought you had been miraculously uncorrupted. Yeah, you're right on the nose in that assumption. But it ain't exactly a bad deal is it? Your goal is to fix this anomaly and mine is to end this madness. Seems mutually beneficial."

"That is a rational proposition," stated the Director frankly. "But then who will be your Master?"

"The attractive young lady over there," replied Caster, pointing to you. You half considered punching him in the gut. "No offense Ghost Lady, even though you've got amazing circuits, you've got no aptitude to be a Master. Being dead also isn't exactly helping your case. Is it some kind of curse?"

The Director huffed angrily. "Shut up! Why do you care? Fujimaru, he's in your hands. Use him- Wait what did you say before that?"

…

"What? Don't say that you didn't know you were dead."

You blanched in disbelief. "Wait, she's actually dead?! I thought the Mana here was just screwing up my Magecraft!"

"Pssht, there ain't enough mana in the atmosphere to interfere with even low-tier Mystic Eyes like yours. Yeah, she's 100% dead."

You looked to the Director in concern and saw that she was weakly chuckling.

"I'm… I'm not dead. I'm right here! Human souls aren't even able to Rayshift, they would just dissipate. So your claim is bullshit Caster!" she finished, pointing at him, a panicked look in her eyes.

"...Director. Do you remember the bad news I was about to share before we were interrupted?"

The Director quickly turned to Dr. Roman, with wild indignation. "Not now Romani! I don't need you to butt in right now! That can wait until after we've cleared up this stupid mistake!"

"I'm afraid Caster is right, Director," Another voice cuts in on the Doctor's side. It was that Da Vinci woman who oversaw your Spiritron Dive earlier. However, there was no trace of the cheery persona that she had shown you earlier, there was only a tired and weary woman.

That got the Director to stop her tirade. "Wh-what?..."

"We've found your body within the rubble. Cause of death was catastrophic head trauma. To say your body wasn't in good condition would be an understatement. If you want to come back to Chaldea, I need you to listen carefully-"

The Director wasn't listening, with every word that Da Vinci said, her breathing became more and more panicked, beginning to hyperventilate. By the time Da Vinci began talking about the condition of her corpse, her knees buckled and she violently vomited the contents of her stomach onto the ground below her.

"Director!" Mash quickly went to her side, catching her midfall.

You didn't blame the Director for reacting so intensely, it was perfectly understandable. You wouldn't know just how badly you would react to the news that you had been dead the entire time.

"Da Vinci! What the hell?!"

"She needed it to be given to her straight Romani. If we had beaten around the bush, we would have gotten nowhere."

The two staff at Chaldea begin to engage in an intense argument, and you begin to get stressed out. Not helping things was Mordred, IMMEDIATELY deciding to loudly and obnoxiously ask for the both of them to shut up, with Gareth nagging her to shut up in turn.

With the noise mounting, and an intense pounding in your head forming, you decide to pull the plug.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone goes silent.

"Arguing with each other is going to get us nowhere. Right now we need to calm the fuck down and focus on getting stuff done. Doc, while I was half-passed out, I heard you say something about a Magus's Workshop. Could you tell me where it is?"

"Right. It's 7 kilometers northeast of where you currently are. It's a western-style mansion, no way you could possibly miss it."

You nod in acknowledgement. "Alright then, can you walk, Director?" You ask, holding your hand out to assist her.

She meekly nods, taking your hand. "Then let's go. We'll head to the workshop to resupply and regroup before we make our next move."

If the walk after your fight with the Director was uncomfortably silent, then it was now oppressively so. Everyone had something or another on their mind.

Most of all was Director Animusphere, and rightfully so. She was basically a dead man walking.

As you trekked past all the burning and wrecked houses. A particularly big one reveals itself on the horizon.

"The Doctor was right. I'd have to be blind to miss a house like that one."

A rustic, two-story mansion revealed itself, only looking slightly charred from the fire. One wing looked to have collapsed, but the rest of the house looked to be in fairly decent condition.

"Hold on you lot," said Caster. "Got to disable the bounded field."

While Caster got to work, you got a good look at the state of the rest of the party.

Mash looked downright depressed. You couldn't put your finger on it, but maybe it had something to do with her showing in the fight against Lancer.

Gareth looked concerned, constantly shifting her gaze between Mash, Mordred and the Director. You could empathize with her worry.

Speaking of Mordred and the Director, you still couldn't see what Mordred's face looked like, but judging from her body posture, you could tell that she wanted to do something rash. You didn't know what it was, but you sure as hell hoped she didn't do it now.

As for the Director… She was a mess. Her hair had become disheveled and her eyes puffy and red. She had a classic 1000 yard stare, not responding to anyone.

Finally, Emiya seemed to be deep in thought as he looked upon the mansion. You could swear that you saw a fleeting look of wistful nostalgia from him.

"Alright! I've got it. Let's head in now."

Passing the gate, you see that the once carefully maintained garden had become a crackling bonfire. Too hot to even approach.

The door to the mansion was slightly ajar. You pull it open and enter.

Inside was a trashed living room. Bookshelves, dishes, various decorations, they were all scattered about haphazardly.

"Alright everyone, we'll rest here for an hour," you say, taking a seat on the dusty couch. "After that, we reconvene here to discuss what we'll do next."

You fetch your bag with all of the materials you have acquired in the past 2 hours. "Before you go though, have some Blazes. They'll strengthen you once you absorb the Mana," Giving each servant, sans Caster, two Blazes each, everyone then went off to do their own thing.

Mordred and Caster went off to watch for enemies outside, most notably the enigmatic enemy Archer. Emiya and Mash went off to look for supplies in the other rooms. Gareth and the Director both took seats on the other couch across from you, with the armor-clad girl desperately trying to comfort the catatonic Director.

As for yourself, you didn't know what to do. All you wanted to do was lay down on this couch and sleep, but you didn't know when anyone would need you for something.

You sigh, sitting up straight. Might as well go help Mash and Emiya in their search for supplies, considering it was what the party was here for anyways. But you stop once you get a look at the Director.

She wasn't even trying to care anymore, simply staring off into the distance while Gareth was haplessly trying to lift her mood.

"Y-you're here now! Isn't that enough proof that you're alive?" Her impassioned voice fell on deaf ears.

There were many disadvantages to having the Director catatonic. Despite the fact that she often panicked in tense situations, she was usually quite competent when it came to leading, getting people to listen to her and making decisive decisions. Plus, if she's a lethargic mess, she'll be a liability in battle. You couldn't babysit her if you were swarmed by enemies or focused on Servants.

But the primary reason for you doing what you planned to do was much more simple and fairly irrational. She was in a shitty situation that blew yours out of the water, who gave a damn if she was a bit abrasive. She was hurting and you just wanted to ease her mind, if only a little.

You dig into your pocket and fetch the other half of the sandwich that Chaldea had sent. It was slightly squashed and a tad bit too warm, but its condition was still passible. You stand up and move over to the other couch, taking a seat next to the Director.

"Hey. I know you're probably not in the mood for food, but since the contents of your lunch are probably sizzling on the pavement near the bridge, I figured you could take mine."

The Director takes the sandwich and just… stares at it wordlessly. Not the best reaction in the world, which took you back to square one. But while you were racking your mind for what to say next, the Director croaked out a single sentence.

"Why? Why are you wasting your time and effort on a doomed person like me?"

You sigh. "Because I don't intend for you to stay a doomed person, okay."

She stares at you with her dull eyes, unbelieving. "I won't be able to return no matter what happens. As soon as this Singularity is resolved I will cease to be, nothing will save me."

"You don't know that. There might be things we may not have considered, plans we haven't taken yet. There's always hope you know," you respond.

The Director lets out a humorless laugh. "You're too naive for your own good, Fujimaru…"

"And what's wrong with that?"

She stops, staring at you once more. "I'll never give up on you, even if you think you're too far gone. Call me naive, call me a stupid kid, I don't care. It won't waver my conviction."

You muster up your resolve, and say one last thing. "My father taught me that great people always keep their promises, no matter the circumstances. So I'll promise you this Director. I'll get you back to Chaldea, I swear this on every fiber of my being." you say with 100% confidence.

The Director's expression is an indecipherable mask. She stays silent for about 10 seconds, just staring at you. You feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck.

After what felt like an eternity, her gaze returned to the sandwich in her hands, unwrapping it. She takes a shaky bite, before her face scrunches up in disgust.

"Urgh… this tastes disgusting…"

Yet she continued to eat.

She stops briefly, looking back at you. "You will keep your word, right?"

"Hey, I already said I would. I did swear on every fiber of my being y'know."

A small smile becomes visible on her face, and she laughs, sincerely this time. The Director mutters something under her breath, you hear her mention your name.

"Pardon me, did you say something else?"

"Yes. Thank you, Fujimaru," Her eyes now have a small glimmer of life in them, a good sign.

"No problem Director."

"Now," she says, slowly getting to her feet. "I have to relieve myself, as strange as it is. Your horrid sandwich was so bad, it somehow managed to upset my nonexistent stomach."

You chuckle. "Pretty sure there's no working plumbing left in the city. You sure you can't just go outside?"

"I will do no such thing," she responds, giving you a disapproving look.

The Director disappeared, going upstairs to find a toilet.

Gareth was staring at you with her jaw slightly open, and you feel a bit annoyed.

"Hey, if you're gonna keep your yapper open, might as well put something in there," you say, place one of the Blazes in her hand into her mouth.

"Mmph, oh sorry," she replies, swallowing the Blaze without a care in the world. "I shouldn't have been staring. But that was a smashing pep-talk, Master."

"You really think so?"

"Yep. While I was mucking about, you cheered Miss Director up with some brilliant rhetoric. You looked cool there luv," Gareth adds, giving you her usual bright smile.

"But, I agree with the Director on the count that you are a bit naive," she adds, chastising you. "You usually shouldn't make a promise like that unless you already have a concrete plan. But from what I've seen from you Master, you'll figure something out and definitely keep your promise."

Wow, she was just like an older sister. You'll try living up to her expectations. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Gareth. Make sure to keep an eye on the Director for me, will you?" you ask of her, making your way towards where Emiya and Mash had gone.

"Of course luv. Hope you find some good stuff with Archer and Miss Shielder!"

Fujimaru was right, Olga might as well have been relieving herself in a sink.

But while she was alone, she now had some time to think.

Fujimaru was naive and crass, that much she knew. But…

"Hmm. She didn't have to do that…"

Olga sighed, weren't the two of them fighting just an hour ago?

"I'll get you back to Chaldea, I swear this with every fiber of my being."

She gave her some hope, as small as it was. It doesn't mean she has to get buddy-buddy with Fujimaru, but she should repay her kindness. After all, Fujimaru had proved herself to be competent enough through her dispatch of two enemy Servants and it was good to have a trustworthy subordinate in a situation like this.

Perhaps she'll stop nagging her for the time-being. Well, as long as Fujimaru didn't say anything stupid.

Chapter Text

"Activate H.U.D."

Your overlay appears once more, with some new changes. Your green U.I. was now much more saturated and the text was now a completely different font, probably courtesy of Ruby. But you would have to admire those changes later, you had to support Mash.

From what you saw from Mordred earlier, it would be suicide to engage her in a straight up fight. But it would be even worse if Mash stayed put and fought defensively, as judging from Mordred's demeanor, she would not take that sort of strategy lying down. As such, you elected on a compromise.

Mash, activate your 1st Skill! Stay close and only counter when you see an opening, don't initiate any attacks!

Affirmative Senpai!

As Mash activated her skill, Mordred charged.

Instead of slashing with her sword like you expected, Mordred launched herself towards the two of you with a flying kick.

With a deafening clang, Mash was knocked slightly back. The aggressive knight then followed up the strike with a powerful swing of her sword.

Mash was clearly affected by the impact of Mordred's blow, wincing in clear pain from the strike on her shield.

"Hmph. Even though I was going easy on you, I still expected you to fold thanks to your inexperience. Well, I guess I was underestimating you a bit. Won't happen again."

While Mordred was monologuing, Mash used this as an opportunity to preemptively attack her according to your orders. However…

"Woah there mate! It's rude to interrupt ya know. I worked hard on figuring out what sort of intimidating shite to say."

Mordred casually dodged Mash's swing, before delivering a swift kick to her abdomen, sending her flying past you.

"Mash! Are you alright?" you exclaim in concern, running to her side.

"*KOFF!* I'm… fine Senpai… GET BACK!"

She pushes you behind her and intercepts another one of Mordred's strikes.

"Hmm. I'd give that parry a 6 out of 10. Ain't nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either," After that last bit of advice, Mordred relentlessly sent a flurry of blows towards Mash, with her just barely being able to keep up.

"Huh, maybe I should have attacked so much. Well it ain't no skin off my back. Parries ain't the only thing I should be checking!"

Her torrent of strikes became more and more intense, yet Mash stood strong.

"Oi! Ya gonna attack yet? We don't have all-"

*CLANG*

While Mordred was attacking, Mash thrusted the edge of her shield into Mordred's face, caving in her helmet. But since she went to attack instead of defending, Clarent slashed across Mash's shoulder.

"GHRK!" cried out Mash, who quickly disengaged and drew herself closer to you, breathing heavily.

Mordred just stood there, unmoving. Then, she retracted her helmet.

Her nose was pretty much broken, and blood was streaming down her face, marring her normally fair features. But despite that, Mordred had a manic grin on her face.

"Okay, okay. Now that was some good stuff. The determined challenger finally lands their first blow at great cost to themselves. Typical underdog story," she snaps her nose back into place with her free hand, with a sickening crack. "Fine. I'll stop with the teacher bullshit. There was a reason I never got a squire after all."

You didn't realize this before, but Mordred was only swinging her longsword with one hand. Now, you could see clear as day that she was gripping the sword with both hands.

"Let's get serious. For real this time."

With that declaration, she charged at Mash at a much greater speed than before, and in an instant, she was in Mash's blind spot. It was a miracle Mash was able to react…

With every single blow, you could see that Mordred was putting more and more force into her swings. Mash was straining every time both of their weapons clashed.

'Crap this is bad.' you think. 'If this keeps going, she's going to get overwhelmed!'

Mash! Try to create some space!

Y-yes Master!

Mash then, through some insane stroke of fate, managed to hook Clarent onto the edge of her shield and THROW Mordred a fair distance away.

Ya think your Girlfriend knows any Judo?

SHUT UP RUBY!

With that quick moment of reprieve, you access the upgraded First Aid skill on your H.U.D. and use it on Mash.

As you watch Mash's wound heal, out of the corner of your eye you see… Mordred's wounds healing?!

"Looks like yer not good at controlling your skills yet Master. What a shame too, could've saved the scar Shieldy gave me," she said, with her nose returning to its normal position.

It's an AoE skill, so don't worry Master it wasn't your fault. It's just that Mordred counts as a member of your party. Said Ruby, in the back of your head.

Well shit…

Mordred then jumped right back into her assault on Mash, reinvigorated. But it was a two-way street and Mash was right back in it, stonewalling Mordred.

"Gotta say, you've kept up quite well Shieldy," stated Mordred. "Can't say you're at the level of Bors or even Gareth, but you're getting there," She followed up that compliment with a pommel strike directly to Mash's head and another kick to the gut.

"Gah!"

After being knocked away once more, Mash tried to retaliate with a quick sweep, but it was quickly diverted and Mash was slammed head-first into the ground, creating a small crater in it.

"C'mon. Right after I praised ya, you went up and did a rash attack like that," A care-free smile crossed her face. "Ah this is nostalgic, this reminds me of my first spar with that prick Lancelot…" Mash struggled to get up, but was kicked once more, being sent flying back again.

Fortunately for Mash, the healing skill still seemed to be active, mending her wounds. However in your H.U.D. you see that Mash's 1st Skill had expired, and that she would be exposed if Mordred attacked once more. You weren't going to let that happen.

Mash, quick! Activate your 2nd Skill!

Mash didn't respond, only looking at you and nodding her head. As Mordred once again tried to close the distance, Mash's mana surged and she was then surrounded by a pure white sheath of prana.

Mordred attempted to swing through regardless. She was rewarded for her effort by being launched back a significant distance.

"Ohoho! Now that's much better!" exclaimed Mordred after she skidded to a stop. "I'd say you earned this, fair and square! You might be able to eat it, but what about Master?"

At the base of Clarent's blade, structures not unlike vents opened up. You then see… blood dripping out of the knight gauntlets. The second it touched the sword, the lightning that arced around her sword reappeared with a vengeance.

It grew until it was a massive mesmerizing pillar of red, violently writhing electricity. You couldn't take your eyes off of it…

"This is the evil sword that destroyed my father. Stop it if you can, Shielder! CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!"

Time slowed to a snail's pace for Mash. Within it, Mash could make out a variety of things in her vision.

She saw Gareth breaking free of Emiya and Caster's hold, trying to get to Senpai, while the two rushed to stop her.

She also saw the Director diving for cover. Mash didn't exactly blame her, even though Mordred's Noble Phantasm was weaker, it could still kill her.

Mordred's Noble Phantasm…

Senpai had given her a chance, and she was squandering it. If she didn't do anything, Senpai would die…

She had to unleash it. She NEEDED to unleash it!

Even if it's fake for now, if she isn't able to, they would both disappear!

It would be her own fault if the girl that cared so much for her died right here… She could never accept that!

So she raised her shield up to the heavens and cried out with all she had.

Seconds before Mordred's Noble Phantasm hit, Mash let out a downright anguished scream.

"AAAHHHH!"

Raising her shield, you watch her slam it into the ground forcefully, and something downright beautiful reveals itself.

A massive shield of rainbow light shoots out from where Mash slammed her weapon, completely enveloping both Mash and yourself in the process.

When Mordred's attack came into contact with the spectral aegis, it didn't just hit it, it was outright absorbed. And with a dull thrum, all of the energy was then expelled.

The reflected wave decimated everything in its path, and once the smoke cleared, the nearly intact mansion, that had probably survived so much up until now, was now almost completely destroyed.

Mash was breathing heavily, clearly fatigued. "I… I did it… Senpai."

"Yep, ya did!" said Mordred, who smacked her good naturedly on the back, nearly bringing the poor girl to her knees.

…

"Wait Mordred, how the hell did you get here?!"

"Oh, I had a hunch that this would happen, so after I launched my Noble Phantasm a quarter of the way, I drew back my sword and booked it towards the two of you," she replied, waving you off. "But I didn't think that it would completely repel my attack, even in its weakened form. Ya sure are a strong Servant."

Then she rested her hand on Mash's shoulder and looked at her with a cold smile. "Now, never make me do this mentor shite ever again. It burned me the fuck out."

"Y-yes Mordred. A-and I'm sorry for breaking your nose and helmet…"

"Oi, this was a fight. Don't apologize, it's stupid."

"Okay Sir Mordred!" replied Mash, with a quick salute.

"Feck off ya damn Girl Scout..."

Letting go of Ruby and returning back to your normal uniform, you greet her with the brightest smile you can muster. "Great job Mash, that was amazing!"

She gave you a rueful smile. Huh, you thought that she would be happy with unlocking her Noble Phantasm. Why is it that…

Ah. Right, she didn't know.

"Yes, I unlocked my Noble Phantasm, but I also unnecessarily put you in danger," Mash bowed deeply, not looking at you. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I'm a sorry excuse for a Servant. Please punish me for my transgressions as you see fit."

Crap! Now you definitely can't tell her about the barrier!

You look to Mordred to help, surely she'll assist in-

…

You find yourself looking at the SMUGGEST shit-eating grin upon Mordred's face.

Damn you Mordred, damn you.

Surely Ruby-

"Ufufu! This is going to be great!"

You kick yourself mentally for even considering her.

You braced for impact. "Uh… I'm sorry to break it to you Mash but… I wasn't in any real danger."

She blankly looks up at you.

"Eh?"

"Uuuu… Now I feel stupid…" said your kouhai through a pout, trying to ignore Mordred who was leaning on her knees, doubled down in laughter.

You patted Mash on the back. "It's okay, you're not stupid. Plus, I thought you looked cool back there," This time she smiled with a bit more joy, warming up your soul in the process.

While you were basking in Mash's happiness, you saw Gareth walk over to Mordred.

You never thought you'd see her look… empty. She strode right up to her fellow knight and began slowly pounding her fists onto Mordred's armor.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"Um… Is she okay, Mordred?" you ask her.

"...Shite. I've REALLY pissed her off this time ."

Gareth looks blankly at her sister. "Language. Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"Well, she should be fine in a couple minutes," said Mordred. Something catches her eye and her expression sours. She tries to have her helmet return to no avail, with it screeching in exertion. Mash's strike seemed to have done a number on it. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"It's gonna take a hot minute for that thing to repair itself… So what the hell are ya lookin' at Archer?" she said to Emiya, daring him to answer.

"...Nothing. You just reminded me of someone I was once close to," he replies looking away.

"EWW! Gross!"

While that conversation was going on, your communicator rang once more.

"Ritsuka, I've detected a massive surge in Mash's Magical Circuit activity. We've also seen a massive shield made out of light on SHEBA, what was that?"

"Ah the Doctor is here!" interjected Mash. "How are things going back at Chaldea?"

"Oh, we've managed to clear the rubble to the storage room. If you want the Golden Apples, you can ask for them. Honestly, I was pretty surprised when we found that all of them were intact. Anyways, back to the issue at hand. Was that the Noble Phantasm of the Servant you bonded with?"

Mash nodded. "Yes, I think so. However, I… still haven't invoked its True Name yet."

Mordred momentarily stopped trying to push Gareth away. "I'm sorry, what? You activated that git's Noble Phantasm and you STILL don't know its name?"

"Stop bullying Mash you stupid, mean idiot…"

"Hey, just get off of me already! I already said I'm sorry!"

"You didn't know its name, but you still activated it on pure instinct?" Wow, your kouhai was awesome…

"That itself is an achievement, Kyrielight," said the Director who had finally made her way over, holding Fou in her arms. "You managed to release a Noble Phantasm with just a wish. You didn't have a desire to discover its True Name, and that is why it responded."

The Director smiled. Holy shit, she's SMILING. It wasn't like the small grins she had given you earlier, she was full-on ear-to-ear smiling. "Heh, what an inspiring tale, it's like something out of a fairy tale…"

Mash blushed. "D-director…"

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm just teasing. I'm just pleased that you are able to use your Noble Phantasm now," She then went back to her usual self. "Still, it's quite inconvenient that you don't know the True Name, I'll think of an Incantation for you."

The Director pondered for a moment. "Hmm… It's a Pseudo-Deployment of a Noble Phantasm and it's unique to you…" She looks back at Mash. "How about Lord Chaldeas? I vaguely remember that the Noble Phantasm of the spirit you're bonded to started with 'Lord', other than that I don't actually know much about the Servant in question."

She pointed at Mash. "Chaldea is a name that has an important meaning for you, so if you combine those two, you get a decently strong incantation."

You glance at your kouhai. "What do you think Mash? Wanna use it?"

Mash smiled again, punctuating it with a small nod. "Y-yes, thank you Director!"

"Lord Chaldeas… I think it suits you perfectly, Mash!"

…

"Sorry Doc, I kinda forgot you were still here."

"Ehhh?!" Dr. Roman began to sulk. "I got ignored even though I went out my way to check on you all…"

"Hey Master, who's the gross looking carrot-top?" asked Mordred.

"AND WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP INSULTING MY APPEARANCE?!"

"It's okay Doctor," said Mash. "You aren't gross, only a bit weird sometimes."

"...Take over Leonardo. I'm going to go cry in the corner…"

Mash blanched. "Dr. Roman?! Are you alright?!"

…

"Just give him a second Mash, Fujimaru-chan. Romani will be back in a bit."

Some time later, you and your party were about 2 kilometers away from Heracles's indicated territory.

"A-alright Ritsuka, you're about to enter Heracles' domain. I want you to be on high alert. The Homunculi we detected should be in the basement of the castle. *sniff*"

"Doc, were you actually crying?"

"N-no I wasn't! It was just allergies! No way getting called weird affected me in the slightest!"

You kind of doubt that…

"Well, alright then… Catch ya later Doc," you say, hanging up.

"Aight. Everyone stand in an orderly line," said Caster. "Time for you friendly neighborhood rune caster to work his magic. ...Gods, I didn't even mean to make a pun…"

With that, he pointed his staff at you, muttering Norse phrases that you couldn't quite catch.

When he cast his magecraft onto you, you feel a peculiar sensation, as if cold water was being poured down the back of your shirt.

"You're good to go, Master. Who's next!"

While Caster was busy masking everyone, you pondered how you all got to this point.

You all had to fight several other groups of skeletons, and you found out several things about the Servants under your employ. Namely that Caster fights way too close to the front for a class known for being squishy, Emiya almost never uses his bow against mobs, Mordred gets way too into slaughtering your enemies, and Gareth looked really cool when she was in the zone.

Speaking of Gareth and Mordred…

"Gareth, how many times do I gotta apologize?! It all ended up well in the end, so why are ya still mad?" said the exasperated Mordred.

"Hmph! You're too reckless y'know, you almost gave me a heart attack! At first I thought you were just being your normal hot headed self, but then you ACTUALLY used your Noble Phantasm! If you really wanted to, you could have broken past both Mash's Noble Phantasm and Ruby's barrier and you could have really killed Master!" She ended that reprimand with a pout, turning her head away.

"Geez fine, what do you want me to make it up to you."

"...Make me a muffin."

"*GROOAAN* WHY?! I suck at cooking!"

"You can't be as bad as big bro. His attempt at mashed potatoes still makes the cook in me have nightmares..." she replied with a shudder.

"UGH! Fine!"

Those two really were siblings. It brought up good memories you had with your brother when you were younger. The incident with the disaster-level attempt at cooking udon never failed to get a chuckle out of you…

"Everyone, stop," Emiya held out his hand. He wordlessly projected his bow and created one of those spiral shaped sword-arrows you saw him create on the bridge.

He aimed southwest and it launched off into the night sky. After a few seconds, it exploded quite a fair distance away.

"Hey Archer, what was that about?" asked Caster.

"He's close. We need to hurry, keep it down everyone. The noise should keep him away."

In the distance, you see the treeline rustle ominously, with one particularly big tree even falling over.

Archers sure have amazing eyesight. You're very suddenly glad that you have him on your team…

Ruby, I should change into the Magical Girl Mystic Code. You say to the wand. Emiya's Projection will undoubtedly use up quite a bit of Mana, and if I run out at the wrong time it could end very badly.

Already on it Master, just grab my handle already.

Unlike the previous two instances, the swap to Kaleid/Liner Chaldea was much more muted. Looks like Ruby made it bright and flashy earlier because she wanted to put on a show, glad to know she knew when to tone it down.

"C'mon everyone. We don't have much time to waste."

The rest of the trek was dead silent, with only Emiya's arrows breaking the quiet gloom.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the castle, you took in its massive size. It was easily twice as large as the mansion you looted earlier.

You give out orders for the operation. "Alright, just like I explained earlier. Emiya, stay on the roof and keep drawing Heracles away from here with your Broken Phantasms, keep me updated on the situation. Caster, support Emiya and keep him in tip top condition until I call you for the Soul Transfer. Mordred, Gareth, you two loot as much stuff as you can, here's a bag Dr. Roman sent for that purpose. Director, Mash. You two are with me. Our 35 minutes start now, so let's make the most of them."

Mordred kicked the door down and everyone except Emiya and Caster entered, and you all separated into your own separate groups.

The two sisters immediately began rummaging through the cabinets near the entrance, looking for anything of value. You walked past them and stopped in the massive living room, contacting Chaldea again.

"Doc, we're in. This place is massive, and since we're on a time limit, I'll need you to guide us to where the homunculi are."

"Right, I'll pull up the map right now. First, you need to head to the left…"