Angra Maiyu was pissed as hell. It wanted to yell and screw the shit out of Saber for what had happened during the Third Grail War. But then again, there is only so much it could do due to it not having any mouth or hands whatsoever. The mighty Persian God of Darkness, Avenger class of the third Holy Grail war, was now nothing more than a living consciousness for the corrupted Grail, a ghost of the past if one may call. For sixty years end on end, it had its ass seated on the throne of heroes and you can be damned sure it was aching. The Grail was truly a horrible place to kill time, especially since one could only wait in boredom for the next Grail war, not like there was PlayStation or Nintendo that could magically materialize with an unlimited supply of games.
To add on to its dismay were the next lineup of servants. Seriously, with a servant as broken as Archer, the war would be over as soon as fuck. The Caster class dude also had a few screws loose as well as a freaking obsession with kids and a certain virgin. Berserker could not stand breathing the same air as Saber for five seconds before going all rape mode on her. The rest of the other classes all had heroes that were too commonplace and freaking predictable. In other words, the upcoming war could be easily summarized into one word: BORING. Angra Maiyu could only mentally face-palm itself. It was sure as hell not going to spend another sixty years rotting in the Grail. At the very least, the war should be more spiced up for his liking. Yes, as the source of all evil in the world, it would remake the war in its image. After all, the throne is not lacking in any heroes or for the matter of fact, villains.
However, it decided to keep the Saber class the same. It had a bone to pick with it from the last war and vengeance would be served, mark its words. What more benefitting to crown the King of Knights and knock her pretty ass of her throne with some off the most dangerous heroes ever lived throughout the Lore. With a sick mental smile, the Fourth Holy Grail War began to spin into motion.
Fuyuki Church Basement
Kotomine Kirei had always been a cautious man. When he had first realized that he was to be a master of the fourth Holy Grail war, he had discussed the perfect strategy with his master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, making sure that nothing would go wrong. He had chosen the perfect catalyst for the war, a fragmented white skull mask that would summon forth the servant that he desired. After all, he was indebted to Tokiomi for making him his apprentice and he would carry out any means necessary to help him achieve the Grail. In the basement, he had painfully taken an hour to carve out the summoning circle to ensure that it was perfect, all the while muttering the ritual chant under his breath. As soon as it was complete, he placed the catalyst in the centre of the circle, cleared his throat and began the ritual.
"Silver and Iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in four directions close, coming from the crown, the three forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates.
Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill).
Repeat every five times
Simply shatter once filled.
- I announce
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide this feeling, this reason, answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance-!"
As soon as Kirei finished the chant, a semi-explosion happened from the middle of the circle. Black smoke began to pour out of the circle simultaneously. Kirei kept his hand to his face, desperately trying to see through the thick cloud of smoke. Somewhere inside, he knew that the ritual had gone terribly wrong.
As soon as the smoke cleared, Kirei's eyes widened in shock. Not because of amazement and Hassan I Sabbah was standing there, not because of shock due to him summoning the wrong servant but that of anger as there was no servant at all!
"What the hell!" Kirei thought to himself. Just what exactly had gone wrong! The circle and chant were perfect and he even used a catalyst on top of that. He should have gotten the Old Man of the Mountain logically but instead he ended up servantless. Was he such a failure at being a Magus that he could not even summon forth a servant?
"Impossible," Kirei muttered weakly as he took a step closer to the circle. He had failed miserably.
Or maybe not as a squeaking voice called out "What's impossible?"
Kirei scanned the room frantically, searching for the owner of the voice but saw no one. "I must be imagining things." Till he heard the clearing of a throat and the tugging of his pants.
Instinctively, Kirei looked down. Right smack in the middle of the circle was an infant. The infant was clad in a black robe that was tattered on the ends as well as a tall black hat. His entire body was swathed in bandages such that his arms and legs were obscured from view. His eyes glowed red below the mountain of bandages as he gazed upon Kirei. What was most notable about the servant was the clear pacifier that hung from his neck, a clear indication that his servant was a baby.
"I am servant Assassin. Are you must Master?" Assassin spoke.
"Yes I am." Kirei replied as calmly as he could. Deep inside however, he was suffering a panic attack. Of all the heroes he could have summoned, he brought forth an infant. His Master would have his head for this. The war was already lost before it ever began.
"I see. With this, the contract is complete. "Assassin replied before vanishing and reappearing instantly on Kirei's shoulder. " I barely saw him move!" Kirei thought to himself. As a martial arts expert, he could track the movements of anything easily, and yet Assassin just seemed to teleport to his shoulder right before his eyes.
This brought a small smile to his face. Assassin, like him was more to it than meets the eye.
Tohsaka manor
Tokiomi Tohsaka was not very happy at this point in time. When Kirei had contacted him a week ago and announced that he had summoned forth a different servant, he should have known that something was amiss. Instead he simply dismissed it as Kirei's fault for being a weak Magnus. Despite this setback, Kirei had assured Tokiomi that the Assassin he had summoned still had the abilities to carry out their original plan, allowing the said man to heave a sigh of relief and proceed with his own summoning. Little did he expect that he would suffer the same fate as Kirei.
Tokiomi had decided to use the molt of an ancient serpent as a catalyst in an attempt to summon the greatest servant he could think of, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh. With a servant like that, there would be no one to stand in his way of attaining the Holy Grail. Like Kirei, he took double care in drawing out the summoning circle and mentally recited the ritual chant as well. It would'nt hurt to make double precautions. But that was all in vain in the end.
As soon as the Servant appeared, Tokiomi lost his composure and let his jaw dropped. The servant before him was definitely not the King of Heroes. For starters, the servant he had summoned was a girl.
The girl looked like she was no more than sixteen years of age. She wore a regular middle schooler's uniform with a yellow culotte and had brown knee high tights. In addition, her shoes were that of an ancient cowboy's boots. She had curly golden locks as well as green floral hairpin clipped to it. By her side was white percussion musket that was almost as tall as her. What most noticeable was her breasts which seemed very irregularly large for someone of her age.
"I ask of you, are you my Master?" Her voice sounded very mature and her eyes shone with confidence and experience that far surpassed her age.
"Y-Yes," Stammered Tokiomi as he held up his command seals to her. "My name is Tohsaka Tokiomi and I will be your Master for this coming War."
"Very well. I am Servant Archer," she replied before breaking into a smile. "Say Master, do you have any English Tea around? Cause I am very thirsty…"
"The Kitchen is to the right." Directed Tokiomi as he pointed in the said direction. "Thanks a lot!" Archer chirped as she skipped her way down the halls, her calm demeanor and composure all gone.
This has got to be a nightmare, Tokiomi muttered. Perhaps a good night sleep would clear this up. With that Tokiomi headed for his bedroom, refusing to face reality that he had just committed the biggest blunder ever in his life.
That being said, almost all the other Masters shared his sentiments.
Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel
Kayneth's anger was like Tokiomi's just that he was a burning oil tanker whereas Tokiomi was a glowing match and he was not afraid to show it. First, his catalyst to summon Alexander the Great had been stolen which caused him much grief and frustration. Secondly, after spending a lot of money albeit grudgingly, he was able to obtain a second catalyst for Diarmuid of the Love Spot. However, the servant he had summoned was definitely not Diarmuid.
The servant he had summoned was slender, yet fairly muscular and had an average height. He had fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils, similar to a cat's. Part of his bangs fell between his eyes, and he had distinctively thick eyebrows. He also had teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes. He was wearing a white hakama with a black sash and a white jacket with a high collar. He had a hole through his sternum as well as a rapier sheathed between the sash. In addition, he had a horn like mask attached to the left side of his head, resembling a broken helmet.
"He's beautiful," Sola-Ui muttered as she felt a small blush creep onto her cheeks. However, despite the melancholic look that the servant was wearing, she swore she could see the sadness in his eyes. "Wonder what's bothering him." Unfortunately she was snapped out of her musings by the enraged voice of Kayneth.
"You, what have you done with Diarmuid!' roared Kayneth as he pointed towards the said servant. Instead of replying him, the servant began to study his surroundings. "Interesting, this architecture suggests that I have returned to the world of the living once more."
"Damn you, I asked you a question! Where the hell is Diarmuid?" Kayneth's patience snapped that instant and he brought out his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydragyrum, and ordered, "SCALP!" The mercury blob then shot towards the servant, fully intent on skewering him.
The servant only narrowed his eyes and with a burst of sound, disappeared from view.
"Where did…" Kayneth was cut off as he felt a blade pressed against his neck. "Try another trick on me again and I will show no mercy," said the servant emotionlessly as he sheathed his rapier, causing Kayneth to crumble to the floor and grasping his neck frantically. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"
Sola-Ui instantly scrambled to Kayneth's side and stood protectively in front of him. "Please forgive him. His name is Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and he is indeed your Master. My name is Sola-Ui and I will be providing you with extra prana during the war." She desperately explained to the servant.
"Very Well, I accept you to be my Master. I am Servant Lancer and I will win the war for you." Lancer replied in a monotonous tone before turning towards the main hall.
"I shall keep watch for the night. Please get some rest my Master."
"Of course, go do your stupid job and protect me." Growled Kayneth, having regained his composure as he turned for the bedrooms.
Sola-Ui stayed behind for a bit longer as she stared at the back of Lancer.
"What had happened to him for him to be this cold?" she thought to herself before turning to follow Kayneth.
Unknown to either party, Lancer let out a small sigh as soon as they were out of sight.
"Seems like I will lose my pride as a hollow once more."
Matou Household
Kariya coughed up blood as he studied the two presents his father had just handed to him. Not that they were repulsive but rather it was his body that was currently in the process of dying. The damned worms that were acting as his magical circuits were devouring him bit by bit, leaving him with not more than a month to live.
"I have no time to waste. I will win this war for Sakura's sake."
"Well, are you done studying them you failure of a magus?" boomed a dark voice.
Kariya snarled as he turned to face his father, the head of the Matou house, Zouken Matou.
"What you are holding is a piece of an armor belonging to one of the Knights of the Round Table and the other an enhancement to your servant. With a pathetic being like you as its master, I would not be surprised if it had substandard powers. So those extra lines in the chant will imbue your servant with the Mad Enhancement, making it a Berserker."
Kariya was silent at this point. Of all the servants, Berserker was the most difficult to maintain due to the ridiculous mana required for its abilities. That damn worm, he planned to get rid of him as well as obtain the Grail at the same time. If it weren't for Sakura, he wouldn't even be here. But for her sake he would win the war for him.
"I'll do it" Zouken smiled at his response. God knows just how much he wanted to smite the worm there and then.
Kariya outstretched his hand, ignoring the pulsating pain in his body and the blood erupting from his veins, and began to chant.
"Silver and Iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in four directions close, coming from the crown, the three forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates.
Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill).
Repeat every five times
Simply shatter once filled.
- I announce
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide this feeling, this reason, answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance-!
Yet thou serve with thine eyes clad with madness.
Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who commands those chains!
White light erupted from the circle, scorching the walls of the basement. Kariya and Zouken both had to duck to avoid being incinerated as well.
In a flash, the light died down to reveal another servant.
"Without a doubt, you are a failure Kariya. You could not even summon the right servant." gloated the vampiric worm from the top of the steps.
Kariya threw him a glare that would have killed him instantly before he turned back to face his servant.
The servant had a lean, muscular physique and medium-length gray hair as well as having a slightly pale skin tone. He had an unusual scar on the left side of his face that starts as a pentagram on his forehead, trails down in a line that severs his eyebrow and mars his eyelid, and hooks slightly at his cheekbone and follows his cheek down close to his chin. He wore a white and black cloak that resembled the garb of a priest and had a silver cross insignia of the left side. Besides that, he also had a golden earring on his left ear. Kariya noted that the servant's left arm was red and vein-like but at the back of his palm, there was a green –like cross that glowed in the darkness.
"Hi there, I am the servant Berserker. Are you my master?" Berserker asked in a kind and cheerful tone which caught Kariya by surprise.
"Yes, I am." Replied Kariya before he underwent another coughing spasm. In an instant, Berserker was by his side, gently helping Kariya to his feet and patting his back as he did so.
"Thank you, Berserker." Berserker just smiled warmly as a reply.
"Hmph, a Berserker class without being under the influence of madness? Perhaps I have placed too much hope in a trash like you." Zouken scowled.
As the words left his mouth, Zouken saw a white flash in front of him. Instinctively, he leapt back but not before feeling a sharp pain in his right arm.
"What the hell!" Zouken's right arm now lay on the floor, disintegrating into tiny pieces. The remainder of his arm had a white cross imprinted onto it, killing off all the worms that tried to regenerate. "The worms, they are not regenerating." Zouken panicked, feeling fear for the first time in a few centuries.
As Zouken turned back to face Kariya, his eyes widened in shock. The platform which he had been standing on had been impaled by a metallic looking silver claw that extended from Berserker.
"Insult my Master one more time, I dare you." Berserker warned as his voice lowered.
"Enough Berserker, let's go." Kariya commanded and with that, Berserker escorted Kariya out of the Matou mansion, all the while staring at Zouken.
Berserker had sent Kariya's hopes soaring. Now, he had a higher chance of winning the war.
"Just wait for me Sakura, I will definitely save you from this hell hole!"
Hiya Guys. This is my first time writing a Fate fic so lots of reviews are appreciated. As for Rider and Caster, they will be summoned in the upcoming chapter. Warning though, updates will be sporadic due to the hustle and bustle of college life. Studies First :) Anyways, have fun guessing the identity of the new servants. The prize would be an imaginary cookie from me. Till then, Ciao!