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Author's Note:
One-Shot Series: The Kaleidoscope holds infinite possibilities within its grasp, some closer some further than our own. Within it our tales of Holy Grail Wars with entirely different servants than the norm. Let us gaze through the Kaleidoscope and see what wonders we might find.
Inspired by Across the Throne of Heroes by Corvus no Genmu and Infinite Paths by Lord Mist. It's an incredible read, check it out.
Also in regard to my other stories I, the hard drive that carried them as well as the background information I had gathered for the stories was lost. I'm trying to get them together again but my next update won't be for at least two weeks. Exams. Yay.
Servants of the Kaleidoscope
By The Inner Hollow
The Holy Grail War. A conflict between man and Servants taken from the Throne of Heroes, where the figures of Legend reside. Seven different Heroes, divided between Seven different classes. Saber. Archer. Caster. Rider. Lancer. Assassin. Berserker. Those summoned under these classes are legends in their own right, men and women high above the common man. All Fighting in pursuit of the Holy Grail so that their wish may be granted.
The Hero of this Tale was not always a Hero. No, once he was but a normal man living his life until the hand of Fate grasped him. And someone that found a great foe within his own distorted reflection. Fitting then that he was summoned by Shirou Emiya…
Tale 1: The Conduit
I want to live! screamed Shirou Emiya in his mind, even as the blue-clad figure drew steadily closer to him. It grinned predatorily, and shifted the haft of its spear so the tip pointed straight at Shirou's heart, and spoke. "Sorry kid, but my Master wants you dead."
And then the Grail stepped in, a long-forgotten magic circle flaring to life, and Lancer, sensing the build-up of energy, thrust his spear at the boy, hoping to end his life before anything happened –
Clang. ZAP.
Shirou opened his eyes. Before him stood a Caucasian man, with a shaved head. He wore modern clothes, a t-shirt that was white and light grey, and track pants over a pair of well-worn sport shoes. Over the shirt was a sling bag with some metal contraption strapped on. The Lancer from before had been knocked back slightly his blue hair standing up on end, as if he were a cartoon character that had been struck by lightning.
Before Shirou passed out he saw the man extend out his hand, and a blast of electricity rocketed out knocking the lancer out of the shed.
"…id? Hold still."
'Wha?' Shirou's mind thought trying to dispel the fog obscuring his thoughts.
"Clear." ZAP.
Shirou yelled out lancing upright, feeling energy roar through him as the bald man from earlier bit back a laugh as he withdrew his hand still sparking with electricity. "I take it your awake now?" The man asked with a gravelly voice, humour shining in his eyes.
Shirou tried to stop hyperventilating and realised his wounds were healed before turning to the waiting man. "Who…" Shirou began, "are you, exactly?"
The man smiled before lifting two fingers near his brow and giving a half-hearted salute, eyes crackling lightly like lightning. "Servant Saber at your service, Kid. But just call me…"
Archer stared down this new Servant, 'Who most certainly isn't Arturia.' Archer thought and dodged out of the way of yet another blast of electricity. 'Seriously who is this guy, Zeus?'
The new servant was certainly adept at the art of combat. His moves were quick and well-practiced, as well as seeming to be utterly random. The 'blade' as it were was more of a baton, than a sword, but was still a nuisance in its own way due to the electricity that was constantly flowing through it. So Archer couldn't block or deflect his opponent's blows due to the fact that the shock that they carried would likely kill a full grown elephant.
Matters were made worse when he finally did land a blow with a thrown Kanshou, that the man simply placed his palm on a nearby car and drained the electricity from it, causing his wounds to regenerate, as well as the Servant's reserves. 'I mean come on, regeneration? That's just not fair.'
But now Archer had him, the two pairs of Kanshou and Byakuya pinning his movements as Archer approached to land the final strike of his Crane Wing Three Realm. He stepped forward arms raised to deliver the blow…and felt his heart fall from his chest as he saw a smirk appear on Saber's face. Saber exhaled a cold breath of air more suited to the middle of a blizzard then Fuyuki City before rocketing upwards, a platform of ice launching him skyward rendering Archer's strike meaningless.
At that final evade Archer felt his calm snap and give way to frustration. If this servant wanted to abuse the power of his Noble Phantasm, fine. Two can play that game. Trace On! Archer grasped Saber's noble Phantasm within his mind, forged it within his Hands, drew it back to strike and then froze.
When this weapon was held within Saber's hand it was a conduit of crackling electricity, pain guaranteed. However when it was held within Archer's hand there was the same oddly shaped baton but with the electricity that made it such a deadly weapon conspicuously absent. 'The Weapon doesn't give him his powers!?' His mind screamed, searching for Saber frantically, only to look up to see a descending Saber wreathed in electricity, baton lancing out to strike him.
And at that the Heroic Spirit EMIYA, swore loudly before being hit with enough electricity to drop a herd of elephants.
"Clear." ZAP.
"Rargh!" Shirou called out lancing up again as Saber stood over him within his Father's dojo. Saber must have awoken Shirou after being knocked out by Saber…again.
"Much better than last time, kid," Saber said, a small grin present on his face, "but still, when fighting an opponent the important thing is not to get hit in the process, especially if they are much stronger than you. It doesn't matter if you hit your opponent, if your opponent gets up and you don't." He bought a hand down and messed up Shirou's hair "A dead hero can't save anyone, you know."
Shirou grumbled before nodding his assent.
Saber's smile became larger. "Excellent!" he said before once again unhooking his weapon from his back, a current of electricity running through it. "Okay kid, break times over, next rounds starting."
At that Shirou groaned loudly before picking up his aching form and leveling his kendo blade at Saber.
Saber walked besides Shirou after the final fight between Shirou and Archer as Shirou tried to deal with the aftermath of the fact that in the future he had not only become a hero, but later regretted the decision with such intensity that he and come back in time, with the intent of killing himself and thus preventing him from ever becoming a hero.
Saber punched him light heartedly in the shoulder, drawing him out of his inner dialogue. "Hey Kid stop moping already, time for you and me to be big goddamn heroes and go save the girl, remember?"
Shirou sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. "I know, it's just…", at this Shirou clenched his fists. "I mean Archer was me from the future. Does that mean that one day I'm going to end up like that?"
At that Saber laughed, messing up Shirou's hair again with one hand before turning serious. "Kid, trust me on this. As someone who's had a version of me come back in time to change my fate let me tell you. I grew up to be nothing like him. For one I actually defeated the Beast. And besides it could have been worse."
Shirou gaped at Saber, "I just had a version of myself come back through time and try to kill me. How could it be worse?"
At that Saber's eyes hardened. "Did he kill your girlfriend?" He asked his naturally gravelly voice suddenly turning much harsher.
Shirou's eyes widened at that. "N-No" he said shocked at this turn in his servant.
"There you go." Saber grunted before striding forward, his eyes sparking angrily.
Gilgamesh's crimson eyes narrowed in unending fury as he gazed upon the Saber of Fifth Holy Grail War. The mongrel who had taken the place of his King of Knights. He had earned the ire of the King of Kings. And for that this mongrel would die. Behind Gilgamesh was Illyasviel von Einzbern, suspended in mid-air, the foul excess of the corrupted grail spilling to the floor.
Gilgamesh had been very cautious in choosing this final battle ground against Saber, this motivated mostly due to the fact he had seen Saber conjure a tornado of crackling lightning and throw it at Caster, ripping her from the air, as well as Saber's ability to regenerate through the absorption of electricity. So this battleground was one that Gilgamesh deeply enjoyed, next to the Ryuudou temple as there was no electricity atop the mountain.
During this battle Saber had moved more swiftly, swung more strongly and been overall better than he had been in any of his previous engagements of the war. But it was still not enough. And now Saber, wounds littering his form, held back the force of Gilgamesh's onslaught of weapons launched from his Gate of Babylon with a shield of crackling electricity, one that was slowly fading with every impact.
"What say you now, mongrel?" Gilgamesh roared as he launched weapon after weapon from his Gate, incensed at the indignity of this Servant that refused to die before his rage without limits. "No final laughs? No last words of defiance before you fall before me?"
Saber stared back at Gilgamesh defiantly before turning his head to the sky and devilish grin appearing on his face. A crack of thunder echoed across the sky as the heavens poured down, the angry black clouds that had crept over the sky during the fight blocking out the moon and the stars.
Saber turned to Gilgamesh and bought out one hand making a very particular universal sign. "You lose, Goldie." Saber mocked his outstretched hand giving the King of Heroes the sign known throughout the world as 'The Finger'.
But before Gilgamesh could respond to this latest insult, a streak of lightning crashed down into Saber, in a blinding flash of light. When the light cleared Saber stood completely healed, not a single wound on him and encased in the largest aura of electricity so far. As Gilgamesh gaped at this latest development Saber's eyes flashed open revealing two voids of crackling lightning, raised his hands to the skies and smirked at Gilgamesh.
"Your turn."
And with that Saber called down the Ionic Storm to consume the Archer of the Fourth Holy Grail War, eradicating the King of Heroes into nothing but atoms as the concentrated blast of electricity blasted him from existence.
Class: Saber
Identity: Cole MacGrath
Titles: The Prime Conduit, The Electric Man, The Demon of Empire City, The Patron Saint of New Marais
Basic Stats:
Sex: Male
Height/ Weight:180cm/80kg
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: C-B+**
Mana: EX*
Endurance: B-EX*
Agility: B-A+*
Luck: B+-A+**
Noble Phantasms: B+-EX
*See Prime Conduit: An Electric God Born From Sacrifice
**See Mindset of a Hero: The Patron Saint of New Marais.
Class Skills:
Independent Action: A+
The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master.
Cole is perfectly capable of surviving within the world for long periods even without prana from his master due to his ability to absorb electricity and turn it into prana.
Riding: E
The skill to ride animals and vehicles
Cole has no aptitude for this skill be it with modern day steeds or ancient ones, as his electric nature can kill a horse passively while also igniting engines in modern-day vehicles. Although it must be said that Cole was an adept user of a bike before he gained his abilities.
Magic Resistance: E
Grants protection against magical effects.
Cole came from a time where there was no magic at all, rather being a realm of technology. However due to his nature as a conduit even though he holds no resistance to magic, his form is much stronger than that of the baseline human.
Personal Skills:
Battle Continuation: B
The Ability to take near Fatal wounds while still continuing to battle. Also the ability to reach allied territory alive even after being defeated.
Cole is more than capable of taking near fatal blows and recovering soon after provided there is a source of electricity nearby.
Mindset of a Hero: The Patron Saint of New Marais: B+
A reflection of Cole's nature as a chivalrous hero. If Cole is performing an action that would protect or save another all his base stats increase by one rank.
Enhanced Body: B
The possession of a body enhanced beyond normal parameters by some means.
Cole is a conduit, which makes him much stronger and sturdier than that of the ordinary man. Provided he is sufficiently fuelled with electricity his strength, agility and reflexes are many times that of the normal man.
Parkour: A
The Ability to move swiftly and around obstacles in an urban environment.
Cole was a prolific user of parkour even before his time as a conduit. With the addition of his conduit powers however, when it comes to traversing the urban sprawl of the city he is without equal.
Noble Phantasms:
The Amp: A Tool Forged By My Brother: B+
Prime Conduit: An Electric God Born From Sacrifice: A++-EX
Cryokinesis: A Comrade's Gift: B++
Exposition:
The Amp: A Tool Forged By My Brother: B+
An Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm, The Amp: A Tool Forged By My Brother is a metal, dual-pronged baton that bears great resemblance to a cattle prod. During Cole's Life this weapon was built by Zeke Dunbar, a person that Cole regarded as a brother in all but blood. This weapon was built with the express purpose of enhancing Cole's melee abilities by working in unison with his nature as a conduit. When held within Cole's hands, it becomes wreathed in electricity taken from Cole's own reserves and is what allowed Cole to function as a Saber Class. Cole defeated a great many enemies with this weapon both man and otherwise, including his final foe, the Beast, a Conduit with immense power that sought to wipe out humanity. Cole's Amp was all that remained of him after the battle, and is currently embedded within a stone slab that would later become a site of Memorial for the Patron Saint of New Marais. Through the Amp, Cole's Strength rises to B+ and can be used to deliver gargantuan amounts of electricity. It should be noted that in the hands of anyone other than Cole this weapon is next to useless and is regarded as an E-rank Noble Phantasm.
Prime Conduit: An Electric God Born from Sacrifice: A++-EX
A Constantly Active Noble Phantasm, Prime Conduit: An Electric God Born from Sacrifice defines the Power the Cole was gifted with that led to him becoming a Hero. Cole's nature as a conduit granted him absolute mastery over electricity in life. Cole is capable of using this electricity to reinforce his body, increase his movement speed, agility and strength dramatically, and even regenerate from injury provided there is a source of electricity nearby, but the most important use granted is his ability to project electricity. At Cole's strongest he was capable of calling down lightning from the skies, and forming tornadoes at will. When Cole is within a thunderstorm this Noble Phantasm becomes EX-ranked due to the fact that Cole is capable of drawing electricity from the storm itself.
Cryokinesis: A Comrade's Gift: B++
Another Inherent Noble Phantasm, Cyrokinesis: A Comrade's Gift, refers to Cole's ability to manipulate Ice. In Cole's Legend through the gift of another Conduit, Cole also became capable of harnessing the power of Ice, although to a lesser level than that of his own powers. While not a power to be ignored Cole is incapable of using this power as frequently as his due to the fact that this power is not naturally his own.
AN: Okay, there's the first one. Sorry for such a long time in posting…well anything really. A combination of University, working at the hospital and my family combusting every month or so seems to have taken all my free time. But still writing has and always will be my passion, and among other things is incredibly cathartic to do.
So Reviews as always are welcome and you can put forward suggestions for Servants although fair warning if I don't know them it is going to be incredibly unlikely for me to write them as a servant.
Cheers!