Entry 1: Are you my Master?
Louise looked calm, yet that was only a cover for the chaos going on inside her mind.
Tomorrow was the Springtime Familiar Summoning ritual, the event that all students at the Tristain Magic Academy have to partake in when they advance to their second year. To any other student, the only worry was what sort of creature would be summoned.
For Louise, it was if one would come at all.
Thus, she was in the library, in the middle of the night before the ritual, hoping to the Founder that she might find something, anything, that could help her through tomorrow.
After hours of looking by candle light, she found something, a tome labelled 'Servant Summoning' in the section of the library that was off limits, the material collected there was considered to be heretical to the teaching of Founder Brimir.
"I fear what will come of using this, but I have no choice." the pink haired girl muttered to herself, looking through the pages of the tome. Many of the words in it were hard to read, some were in a language that she hardly understood, but by the end of it, she knew what had to be done.
At the base of a tree, the Once and Future King laid. Beneath the tree, she dreamt of times that had not yet come to pass, and a love oh so true and pure.
She had many regrets, as do most kings, yet thanks to that one man, that third-rate hack of a Magus she had called her Master, she no longer regretted her choices. She was the king of her people, and she was proud.
Morning came for the Magic Academy, and soon after, so did the time for the long awaited ritual. Each student that partook in it before Louise managed to pass, and her nerves continued to get the best of her.
Slowly, she stepped up to the magic circle, and took several deep breathes, shutting out the taunts and jeers of the other students.
The busty brown skinned girl, Kirche Augusta Frederica Von Anhalt Zerbst, turned to the blue haired girl by her side. "What sort of incantation do you think Vallière will use?" she asked, not getting a vocal response from the other girl. "I'm betting on something egotistical."
"Very well, miss Vallière, you may begin." the balding teacher in blue, Jean Colbert, told her, and the crowd fell quiet, just waiting for something to go wrong.
Concentrating her mind, Louise flashed back to what the book said, mentioning things about 'Heroic Spirits', 'Mana Circuits', and 'Origins' among other things. Whilst she held her wand in her left hand, something in the back of her mind made her hold out her right, and she began chanting.
"Steel and Gold are the Origins. The King and the Lord of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Brimir.
The alighted kingdom becomes thy home, the gates in all directions close to those that bring thy people harm..." she spoke in rhythm, not missing a single beat.
Kirche seemed awed by this change to her expectations, yet couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Five times does it repeat." Louise continued, the glyph glowing a bright red, unlike the previous summons. "Your sword is now mine to wield, and your sword is now my destiny. In accordance with the approaching future, I besiege unto you, should you abide by this wish, this feeling, then answer...
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good in this world of cold hatred and spite. And by my hands shall I lay out the sins for reaping..."
The glowing became intense, and many students had to look away. Only a few, consisting of Kirche, Colbert, the blue haired girl, a blonde male and blonde female, were willing to brave the light.
The King felt something, a feeling ever so familiar to her. The feeling that she was being called, that she was once again needed by someone. A green light began to engulf her, and despite herself, she was compelled to go.
"Honestly..." she spoke, looking at the clear sky of the Everlasting Utopia. "Can't a person get a few moments rest?" she smiled as the light disappeared along with her.
"You, whom was born from sin in the name of Kingship by the four words of grace and power. Arrive from the ring of valiance, O keeper of balance!" her incantation finished, and the energy dispersed in the form of blinding wind and light. Louise noticed red runes etching themselves onto the back of her own hand, but she read that was meant to happen, so paid it little mind.
The raw energy was intense, so much so that everyone save for Louise and Colbert were blown off their feet.
The sound of a sword planting into the ground was heard, and everything stopped.
The dust settled, and in the centre of the circle, stood a person.
She had an slim face adorned with emerald green eyes and finely textured hair that seemed to sparkle of gold dust in the sun. The dress she wore was finely made, coloured blue, and was fitted with several pieces of armour. In her hands rested a sheathe of coiling wind, seeming to cloak a sword of some sorts.
Every student was speechless, and Louise fell to the ground in exhaustion.
Taking the 'sword' from where it was, the woman walked up to Louise, and despite his best attempts, Colbert could bring himself to move, or so much as tear his eyes from the woman.
"I have come upon the request of your summon. My blade is now your fate, and my fate is now your will." she held out her right hand, offering to help Louise up. "I am Servant Saber. I ask of you: Are you my Master?"
Louise took the hand, but still couldn't quite comprehend it all.
She had done it, she summoned a Familiar...
'No, not a Familiar...' her thoughts cut herself off. 'I've summoned a hero!' she tried to rebalance herself, but her willpower was completely drained, and fell into Saber's chest.
"Are you alright, Master?" Saber asked in worry, supporting the smaller girl.
"Too... tired. Need... rest." she spoke softly, too drained to be coherent.
"I see. You, good sir in blue!" Saber proclaimed, looking towards Colbert. "Were is the residence of my Master?"
Colbert snapped out of his trance. "Um, that would be the third level of the that tower over there." he pointed towards the tower in question. When he turned back to ask the woman some questions she had already disappeared. Another look at the tower told him that she was running at high speed with Louise in a bridal carry. Colbert was once again left surprised.
Hours passed quickly, and by the time Louise managed to wake up, night had already fallen. Slowly, the noble rose from the bed she had been set into, wondering how she had gotten there.
"I see you're awake now, Master." a voice drew her from her thoughts and to the window. There, bathed in the light of the two moons, was the beautiful figure of her Saber the armour no longer adorning her dress. "Are you feeling better?"
"Y.. Yeah, just tired." she responded. "I... did summon you, right?"
"Still trying to comprehend it all? I can't really blame you." Saber answered. "Rest assured, you did successfully summon a Servant, and that Servant is me. Though I fear I have a few questions I must ask you."
Louise couldn't speak, so she nodded. "Very well, first: do you know what the 'Holy Grail' is?" a shake of the head told her no. "Then what about 'Heaven's Feel'?" another shake. "I see, then why summon me? Even with the high concentration of Mana in the air, to perform the 'Summon Servant' ritual requires a lot of energy, not to mention those other children seem surprised to see a Servant."
"Well... that's because I did things differently." Louise started, finally recovering from her shock. "I used the 'Summon Servant' spell as opposed to the others, whom used a 'Summon Familiar' spell. I did it because..." she seemed to hesitate, which Saber took note of. "If I did it their way, I would have failed." Louise finished solemnly.
"Failed? How do you mean?"
Louise took a deep breathe, being on the verge of tears. "I may be a Mage, a noble, but I'm a failure of one. I've never been able to use spells the same way every one else could." the tear began to roll. "So, when the time for the Springtime Familiar Summoning came, I went looking for an alternative, and I found 'Summon Servant' in the blocked off area of the school library."
"So, in fear of being ridiculed, you confronted the fear of breaking rules, is that it?" Louise nodded in response. "It seems my Master is wise for her years." a look of confusion went Saber's way. "One whom has no fear in their own actions, cannot be wise. If you truly feel this way, then it seems I have been given a good Master." Saber seemed as if she was reminiscing as she spoke. "Just know you're not the first Master I've had that would be called a 'failure', the last one to call himself my Master was a third-rate hack of a Magus, yet from what he knew, he was able to create his own branch of Magecraft." despite not knowing who she was talking about, a blurry image of this man appeared in Louise's mind, dressed in unusual clothes with hair a fiery red. "Tell me, what have you learned about Servants and Heroic Spirits?"
Louise recomposed herself before answering. "I wasn't able to learn everything in the tome I found, just that I would be summoning a powerful person from this 'Throne of Heroes'."
"I see, so you only knew so much of what you were doing." Saber reflected. "Well, let's worry about the details tomorrow, it has been a long day for you, and your Prana reserves are probably quite low."
Agreeing with the Servant, Louise pulled the covers back over herself, and fell straight to sleep.
In the night, Louise dreamt of wars.
Before her stood a man in blue with a blood red spear, whom was dashing towards her at breakneck speed.
Yet somehow, she was able to match it.
Gripping the invisible sword on instinct, she took a step left to dodge the spear, and swung up to meet it. The spear went high, and the man in blue twirled back, and 'Louise' went on the offensive.
What followed could only be described as a ballet of blades, the red spear kept the invisible sword at a distance of two metres, yet it couldn't get through the barrier that the sword had set up.
The two broke away from each other, and the man in blue seemed quiet joyful.
"Ya know, you're trying real hard to keep that sword of yours hidden." he spoke arrogantly. "I'm guessing that's your Noble Phantasm?"
Louise didn't know what he meant, but something made her speak anyway. "Maybe, or maybe not. It could be an axe. Or not. Maybe I have something completely different, like a bow." she spoke in a different voice, once that was braver than she would be in this situation.
"Get real, Saber!" he shouted as the red spear burst with energy.
Louise awoke with a start, covered in sweat. Wiping her brow, she thought back to that dream. 'That man, he called me Saber... was that...'
"Are you alright, Master?" Saber's voice took her from her thoughts. Louise turned to face her Servant, seeing the worried expression she wore.
"It's fine Saber, just an odd dream." the pink haired noble tried to shrug off, though Saber had her hunch about that half-truth.
"Well, no matter, if you wish to speak of it, you may do it when you wish." she told her Master. "Though there are some things I feel I must address."
Louise became nervous, but took a deep breathe and motioned for Saber to continue. "Very well, the first matter:" she pointed to an assortment of items she had taken out of Louise's desk. "Why do you keep a horse crop, dog collar, length of chain and a lock in your desk?" Louise looked away in a mix of embarrassment and shame. "Into that sort of thing?"
Embarrassment took over, and Louise shot back. "No! It's just..." she paused slightly. "If I didn't figure out how to summon a Servant, and managed to summon a more traditional Familiar..."
Saber smiled. "Say no more, I apologise for suggesting what I did. Though I get the feeling that you trying too hard to be polite."
"I... I'm sure you're just imagining it." Louise lied, which was not lost on the Servant. 'If it was anyone else, I may have gone about lording myself over them, but she... something about her just screams power.'
On Saber's end, she knew the answer to the unasked question. 'It's going to be that B ranked Charisma skill again.' she thought.
The silence was cut like a sword through flesh by the sound of rumbling stomachs, making Louise embarrassed, but not phasing Saber in any way. "We'd best get some breakfast, hunger is the enemy, after all." the Servant said, to which Louise nodded shyly. "Do not worry, I shall explain more about what I know of our situation on the way."
While Saber explained to Louise what she could about Servants, the Holy Grail War, and other titbits of info, ever since her arrival in this world she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, very wrong.
It wasn't just the people, whom seemed both bewildered by her appearance and generally arrogant, or the twin moons at night, but the very air she breathed seemed to charge her with plenty of Prana. Not only that, but ever since last night, Saber had this feeling, she couldn't properly explain it, but something was off. Very off.
The moment they exited the dorm building, it hit her like a Berserker made of steel. This feeling, like they were being watched, she was all to familiar with it.
A Bounded Field.
Saber could never forget that feeling of being watched when you're alone or with someone you trust. And whilst it wasn't as strong as a Caster Servant, it was still a strong one, comparable to the 'Territory Creation' skill.
But the biggest thing of concern to Saber, was the concentrated leak of Prana that made it clear that another Master was nearby.
All that was cut off but an unusual amount of commotion straight ahead of them. With silent nods to each other, Master and Servant went to investigate.
The duo of pink and blue made their way through the crowd with surprising levels of nimbleness, and once they reached the centre, they knew instantly what was going on.
On one end, there was a blonde haired noble (if the cloak is anything to go by), whose hair was also stained slightly red, Louise presumed the empty wine bottle on the floor had something to do with that. And on the other was a black haired maid, whom was backing up from the blonde, and looking very frightened. The maid was constantly spewing apologies to the noble boy, yet he didn't seem to want them, talking about how the maid 'destroyed the honour of two noble women'.
"As I would expect from him." Louise muttered, getting a questioning look from Saber. "That boy, Guiche de Gramont, is this academy's biggest philanderer, no doubt that maid got him caught cheating."
"And he's pinning the blame on her?" Saber clenched her fist on reflex, such an act was an insult to the noble title. "How can he call himself of noble birth with an attitude like that?"
Louise gave the blonde Servant a look, before speaking. "I know what you're wanting to do." she said. "The only thing I have to say to that is: don't kill him."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Saber walked briskly towards Guiche, despite all the stares from other nobles, and caught the boys hand as it flew towards the maid.
Gasps spread through the crowd like wild fire, and Guiche glared intensely at Saber. "And just what is the meaning of this interruption, woman?" the boy spoke, venom not so subtly lacing his voice.
"Back in my time, it was considered improper to assault those beneath oneself because of their own mistakes." Saber responded, putting to use her 'Charisma' skill. To all the onlookers, it was a scene comparable to a lion staring down its cub.
"Mistakes?" the noble repeated, before recognising the woman before her. "Ah, you're that 'Familiar' that Louise the Zero summoned, aren't you? I suppose I can ignore ignorance from one such as yourself on this occasion."
The air instantly grew several degrees colder, everybody who was not directly involved with the incident (Louise and the maid) made half a metre of extra distance as Saber tightened her grip with a smile that could kill.
"So, not only do you insult the contract between me and my Master, but you have the audacity to mock me directly?" with a twist, Saber swung Guiche like a sword and flung him out of the crowd. "If you think you are so above me, then prove it, knave!" a circle of light appeared underneath Saber, and as it rose, familiar armour materialised on her, and the sword wrapped in winds was once again in her hand.
Guiche slowly rose, wiping dirt from his face. "You insolent..." taking his rose-wand in hand, Guiche flung a petal out, and when it landed, a bronze golem stood tall. "I am Guiche de Gramont, son of General de Gramont, and otherwise known as 'Guiche the Bronze'. My Valkyrie shall spell your end!" with a wave of his hand, the Valkyrie charged, its lance drawn back to strike.
Within the confides of the headmaster's office, Jean Colbert and Osmond discussed what had transpired yesterday in relation to Louise and the mysterious woman.
"While I was checking the forbidden section of the library," Colbert was saying. "I found that one of the books was missing from the shelf."
"Might it have been misplaced?" the aged headmaster asked.
"I don't think so, I remember the alarm we set on that section going off, though admittedly, I was tired at the time and dismissed it."
Osmond mused the info. "Do you know what exactly went missing?"
Colbert placed a drawn copy of the missing books cover on the desk. "It was a tome relating to summoning magic, specifically about beings called 'Heroic Spirits', but that's all I know for sure about it."
Osmond made an attempt to respond, but the sound of shattering metal turned their attention outside.
For all the onlookers, it happened in a fraction of a second. For Saber, it was like waiting for an old dog to come. The Valkyrie made to thrust its lance into Saber's face, and in a move familiar to Louise, the Servant moved her left foot forward, shifted her weight so the lance passed her, and brought her sword up, cleaving straight through the bronze weapon. Keeping in motion, Saber brought the blade down on the Valkyrie, making it into two halfs of its former self.
Irritated and surprised, Guiche flung a total of seven petals out, each materialising into a Valkyrie with a different weapon. Saber looked at this, and managed a small smile as each one charged her.
Over on the side, Louise had made her way to the maids side. "Hey, you doing ok?" the pink noble asked, offering her right hand for support.
The maid, Siesta, was taken back by this kindness, and took Louise's hand. At this moment, Louise noticed something rather unusual on the maid.
A red mark on the back of her hand, much like her own. "Maid, where did you get this brand?" she asked in her bewilderment.
Looking the the mark, Siesta sighed. "I don't know, my lady. I woke up this morning and it was there."
Louise thought for a second, before an idea popped into her head. "Tell me, maid, do you have any wishes?"
"Wishes? I don't..." a glare from Louise cut her complain short. "Well, there are some things I'd wish for, but above all else..." she looked at Saber fighting the horde of Valkyries, making relative ease of them. "I just..." tears seemed to well up behind her eyes.
"I just wish I could stand on my own two feet in this world!" she finished with a shout, making the mark on her hand shine bright red, and a glyph to form below her.
Louise's hunch had been right, based on what she had read and what Saber told her. This maid, Siesta, was a Master, And now her Servant was being called to action.
As the dust settled, and the light dimmed, the new Servant could be seen.
One could not tell if it was male or female, due to the full body armour, which was a pitch black colour, with a rustic helmet that had a thin slit for the eyes, letting off an ominous red glow. A black aura surrounded the individual, making the highlights on the armour hard to identify.
In both surprise and panic, Guiche sent three of the remaining five Valkyries to attack the new-comer. It was only at the moment the armoured person caught the bronze sword in his hand that Guiche realised how screwed he was.
With a tug, the sword was torn from the Valkyrie, and red lines crawled their way along the blade. With a swing, each Valkyrie was dispatched with ease, and the knight made itself a new target. It gaze set on Guiche, it charged, only to be intercepted by Saber, whom had a strange look on her face.
A mixture of surprise and distress.
"Stand down, Servant Berserker." she told the large knight. "There is no need to kill him."
Berserker looked at her through the red slit in the helmet, and on recognition, pulled the bronze sword from the invisible one and, with a surprising amount of cognitive thought for one of the Berserker class, made a gesture in towards its left, before leaping off in said direction.
Silence fell over the battlefield, if it could be called that to begin with. Louise and Siesta slowly made their way to Saber, whom had an air of melancholy about her. "Saber, are you..?"
"Sorry, Master. I've... got to take care of this myself." Saber cut her Master off, walking a few steps in the direction Berserker left.
"You know that knight, don't you?" Louise asked the Servant of the sword, who paused upon hearing the question.
Saber looked back at her with a solemn look. "It was... something from a long time ago. One of the biggest regrets in my life." eyes filled with sorrow fell on her Masters. "I'll leave the maid in your care, Master. Tell her what you know about our situation." with a leap, Saber began the chase for Servant Berserker.
A/N:
Scene shows what looks to be a traditional dojo.
Author: Welcome, one and all to the A/N that is a poor knock off of the 'Tiger Dojo'! I am Host #1, the Author FlameOf. And joining me for this series is Host #2...
?: I am Kotomine Kirei, a pleasure to meet you.
Author: Right, so the first thing to address here will be certain aspects of 'characterisation'.
In regards to Louise, there will not be much focus on her Tsundere archetype, primarily because of the presence of Saber.
Kirei: For one such as her to fully enact the Tsundere, she must truly believe that she is superior to the other, and the child of the Vallière line summoned Saber knowing full well about her position as a Heroic Spirit.
Though I must confess, seeing that disturbed look on Saber was quite enjoyable.
Author: ...Only you, Kirei.
Now, the next topic will be that there will be many Servants, not just the usual seven. On top of that, this section is also going to be used for Servant Statistics as they appear. Once the story has brought a Servant in, their class and some aspects of them will be made clear, and after their identity has been revealed, the rest will fall into place. All skills that are unchanged from Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero, Fate/Apocrypha, and any other aspect of the Fate-verse, will not be given as much detail as the things that will change. And any new skills that I add will be left blank until they're brought to light in the story.
So without further ado, here are the current stats:
Saber:
Identity: Artoria Pendragon
Master: Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière
Alignment: Lawful Good
Strength: B
Endurance: A
Agility: A
Mana: A+
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: A++
Skills: Magic Resistance A, Riding B, Charisma B, Instinct A, Mana Burst A.
Noble Phantasms: Avalon EX, Exalibur A++, Invisible Air C, ?.
Berserker:
Identity: ?
Master: Siesta
Alignment: Lawful Mad
Strength: A
Endurance: A
Agility: A+
Mana: D
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: A
Skills: Madness Enhancement C-, ?, Magic Resistance E, ?
Noble Phantasms: ?, ?, ?.
Kirei: I'm sure that, based on how the chapter went, and these stats, people already know whom Berserker is.
Author: Probably, but gotta keep it suspenseful for those that haven't quite figured it out.
Well, we'll leave it here for the time, tune in for next chapter, and be wary of Bad Ending!
Preview:
Invisible steel clashed against enhanced bronze, old comrades toyed by fate faced one another again on the field of battle.
..
"You do realise just how serious your actions are, don't you, Louise?" Osmond prompted as Louise steeled her mind, body and soul to respond.
..
"It's been a while, King Arthur." a man in red and black spoke from the windowsill of Louise's room, surprising the occupants.