Small note from this lazy author:
'Sup people, here's a chapter for a story I had been thinking about recently for a few days. It was too fun to pass up as just thoughts, so I decided to write it down. This one is one of those lazy self-inserts, without the usual trope of Zeltrech being a dick about everything. Right now a lot of questions are unanswered, especially as to why the OC is caught in the scenario. I don't know how original the concept is, but he, like myself, has played through NA FGO. So if I know stuff without looking it up, he will as well. There will be some significant changes down the line for the story, as some things get foiled by the main character, and other problems arise because of that. I haven't planned out anything yet outside of a few guideline rules I use to make this story easier for me, and everyone else.
So here are some funny 'patch notes' if you will.
Give the man a break: There will be an unfixed amount of time between each singularity. Since Chaldea is working with few members, I assume preparations for a rayshift take time.
Unlimited Servant Works: Each servant that is in the game can be summoned and there can be more than one form of servant around. This will be limited by the protagonists luck (my simulated rolls).
Wait... Is that me?!: If a servant appears in a major singularity and play a main role in it, they are highly unlikely to be summoned before then.
You don't count: Some servants play absolute minor roles in singularities and can be summoned regardless.
Fan's Favorite: There will be times when I ask the readers to comment with whom they want to be summoned. Those characters can be some who only appear later down the line.
Been there, done that: Servants remember the events from singularities. I feel like this was a cop-out by the writers to make things easier on the devs/budget.
Silent Bystanders: It makes sense for a mobile game with a cast of infinite potential outcomes, but servants in the party will interact with the stories of the singularities instead of only 'standing by for action'.
Legend Lore (F-Rank): Prepare to get your jimmies rustled, because I will likely end up writing something that doesn't make much sense in the universe of Fate at some point.
Gacha is Life: Summoning will work as it does in the game, but only for craft essences and servants. No embers or Fous to use here.
Artistic License Magic: Craft Essences will appear as fragments of lore that can be fused (equipped) to a servant to bolster their strength.
Powered by Friendship: Friend Points summon are real. Though instead of calling them friend points, this is normal magic power that is slowly being accumulated by the system as singularities unravel. Blame the amazing genius of Da Vinci, if you will.
Some days are worse than others. Mondays in particular are the worst. That is, if you have to get up and work after a relaxing weekend of doing nothing with your free time. For me it's different, you see. I finally got two weeks of from my boss over at the supermarket to enjoy the beginning of summer. So as any rational human would I started my first day of not working by staying in bed way beyond reasonable. My plan for this particular Monday was especially indolent. Sleep until noon, get up, don't shower, grab something to bite and spend the rest of the day browsing the internet or watch television.
A plan fit for a sloth like me, but rarely does the plan survive contact or something along those lines.
I rolled over to my side and reached with my arm to something on my nightstand. The dim light in the room let me fumble around without any success, leaving my wondering if my mobile phone had fallen off the table in the night or if I had gone senile in my twenties. I just wanted to play some Fate/Grand Order before leaving the comfort of my bed. My daily login streak won't keep itself going if I don't put in the effort. A man and his saint quartz may not be separated for more than a day or else he will go insane.
With annoyance I sat up and squinted my eyes towards the furniture, attempting to get a glimpse at my outdated phone. The bloody thing was nowhere to be seen! I turned around and examined the sheets of my mattress. It seems in my sleep deprived state I had decided my phone would work as a relaxing surface to nap on, as the blank screen of the gadget contrasted well with the white of the sheet. I grabbed the phone and fell back on my pillow, only to get up again and fix that part of my sleeping utensils, as it had deformed badly throughout the night.
"Time for a little bit of a grind." I thought to myself as I began swiping across the screen to find the game. To my surprise, the shortcut was missing from it's usual place. I didn't remember moving it, and I surely didn't possess the mechanical awareness in my sleep to do anything close to do something like that. Upon the absence of the icon I began going through the various screens of my phone, hoping to spot it out of place among the rest of apps I had installed, though the endeavor proved itself futile.
"I didn't delete it in my sleep, did I?"
With mild concern I began to open the shop on my phone and entered the name of the game in the search bar. Perhaps if I reinstalled it my progress would still be safe? It would be a harsh blow to lose my Enkidu, Gramps and my newly summoned Mordred to a mistake made from sweet dreams, but in the worst case I still had my secondary account with Musashi to fall back on.
To my utter surprise the search hadn't yielded any results in the appstore, leaving me dumbfounded. Had the game been removed from the store? I mean, some characters had gotten really kinky, and I wouldn't put it beyond Google to remove the game for featuring some questioning art like Chloe's final ascension...
Well, whatever. No crying over spilt milk. With a frown I decided that I might as well begin the day by actually keeping to my schedule. The phone was quickly connected to the recharger and disposed back on the table and with a groan I stood up from my bed. For clothes I just grabbed the ones I had haphazardly discarded on the floor the day before. Wide and worn, gray track pants, perfect for lazing about, a blue shirt and some fresh socks from my nightstand. Once I dressed myself I began marching towards the bathroom.
Upon my throne made from porcelain I began truly waking up and pondered the disappearance of Fate from my phone. It seems like my day would begin with some research into what exactly happened to the app while I slept. If I can't play that would mean I couldn't grind the current event to get my free four star berserker and the fool's chains required to ascend my Gramps to level 80. And grinding an event for more than just one material seemed way more interesting than constantly going back to Camelot to grind the same three fights over and over again.
With a sigh I finished my time in the bathroom and went back to my living room/bedroom. It's a small apartment, sue me. On the way to my computer I made a stop at the fridge and grabbed some milk and a few slices of bread. Sustenance goes a long way when starting the day annoyed.
The internet didn't take long to produce the results I had searched for, for there were none. The subreddit for the game, I visited sometimes to get news and read discussions had completely vanished, and Uncle Google didn't yield any results for my query either.
In total disbelief I went to Discord to contact my friend who was the only other one in my circle who played the game. Luckily, he was online. He would be leaving for work shortly, surely. But the short frame of time I had would be enough to question the whereabouts of the game.
"Hey, has FGO been deleted or something?" I typed, hoping for a quick response. If he had experienced the same issue then this would resolve some questions, but would lead to a more in-depth research on the topic of the game.
"FGO?" was all he had typed. I audibly groaned upon reading that. The dude was always big on annoying people and usually I wouldn't fall for it, but I wasn't up for games at this moment.
I was swift in my response, typing out the full name of the game and asking if it was also missing from his phone, and deleted from the playstore. Additionally, I let him know that I wasn't interested in being trolled this early in the morning.
"I have no clue what you are talking about." That did it. I only responded with an annoyed "k then" and went back to the search engine. If he decided to not be of any help, then questioning him further won't solve this mystery.
"Since when do you play games on your phone?" popped up in the corner of my screen and I clicked on the annotation to get back to the chat, as dread filled me. This wasn't some kind of long time groundhog day scenario from before I played this game, was it? But that wouldn't make sense either.
"What do you mean? I have played FGO for almost a year now. I even have you on my friendlist. So stop being a troll for a minute and let me know what you know."
"Dude, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't even play any games on my phone, so why would we play together?" Obviously the answer wasn't as eloquent as I had hoped, but it felt sincere and not like the usual attempt at misleading someone this person was known for in my group of friends.
While we had the short conversation on the one hand, the results for anything related to fate on the internet drew blanks, and it left me visibly confused. Nothing I entered into the bar brought up anything regarding the whole franchise. All I got were some astrology websites and other unrelated news to the topic. Heck, even searching for the author of the series, the studio or anything that is tied to Fate didn't do the trick. It appeared that over night everything to do with Fate had ceased to exist.
I spent the next hour scouring the web for anything that could give me a lead. Something strange was going on, and if I didn't find the answer I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Currently I was taking a break from my research and stood in front of my mirror. My short brown hair was unruly from the amount of times I dragged my fingers through it in search of answers. My dark brown eyes appeared closed halfway as if to recover from the strain of concentration. I brought my hands down upon my slightly rounded cheeks with a resounding slap. It stung, but it reminded me that this was reality.
"Come on Daniel. It couldn't have been a dream. You spent too many a day on the grind for it not to be real." Dreams could never be that vivid, especially spanning such a long frame of time. I clearly remember everything, and something this big could never realistically cease to exist in the span of a night.
I was brought out of my reality check by the sound of the doorbell ringing. It spooked me wide awake, as I rarely had visitors, and I wasn't expecting any post. I glanced back at the mirror once before I went to the intercom and made myself known.
"Yes, this is Daniel Müller?"
I waited for a moment for the other person to respond, but whoever had ringed my doorbell had the gall not to answer. Once more I introduced myself, hoping for an answer. When there was none, I put the speaker back on the intercom. It's way too early to go for pranks. Damn man-children going around ringing on bells and running on a Monday. As I turned around the doorbell rang again. With an annoyed sigh I picked up the speaker again.
"Daniel Müller, who is there?" My question was met with silence and in my frustration at the start of the day I let it be known. "Stop ringing my bell, will you?"
It would surely fuel the mean streak of whoever was pranking me, but next time I would be sneaky about it. Just as I placed the speaker back on the intercom the bell rang again. This time I would go and confront the dickhead directly. I put on my slippers and went for the front door. This apartment complex wasn't like some others. This whole complex was a bunch of buildings connected by a portico that spanned over three levels. And this time I would peek over the railing outside my front door to see who was being an asshole this early in the day, but I was stopped in my tracks when I opened the front door.
Because right in front of me stood a woman in a black suit. We are talking professional appearance here and it made me gulp. "Hello Mr. Müller, my name is Evie Gilroy." I wasn't prepared for that, as I stammered around in German before righting myself. I must have looked like a slob, with my unkempt appearance. This woman was clearly foreign as she had spoken English. This is Germany, dang it!
Straightening myself I coughed into my hand in order to assume a formal posture before replying in English as well. "Greetings, Ms. Gilroy, excuse me, but may I ask what you are here for?"
On the outside calm and composed, but internally I was sweating and I had all reason to be cautious. I have never once in my life had to answer the door to an English person in a suit of all things. Even worse, they somehow got access to the portico, meaning they weren't trespassing. I was an upstanding citizen and didn't have a hand in any sort of criminal activity, so this was way beyond suspicious.
"Would you mind if we talk about my presence in your home?" she flashed me a smile as she asked. "Well I didn't clean up yet, so if we could n-" I was interrupted mid-sentence as she raised a hand. "I won't mind Mr. Müller." Well, there goes my only excuse to keep the strange lady of my back. With a strained smile I stepped back and opened the front door further, signaling this woman that intruding was okay.
She graciously made her way into my small apartment and I closed the door behind her. If this was a trashy horror movie this would be the point where I die. But that was highly unlikely as this was not in private at all. I assume someone had seen her. And the janitor surely opened the door for her in the first place. So if I was to be killed, then at least the police will have some leads, but enough fantasizing.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I am afraid I don't have a table or chairs for guests, as I am living here by myself." The woman only smiled at my pathetic excuse of living in a one-man cave. "That will be fine, Mr. Müller, this won't take long anyways."
Great god, if someone says that with a pleasant smile it can only go wrong for the recipient. Perhaps I had a mountain of debt I didn't know about and they were sent to collect it? Whatever it could be, it left me fearing for the worst.
"You see, Mr. Müller. I am working for the United Nations Organization. You have participated in a test and your results are beyond excellent for what we are searching for. The reason why I had been sent here was to let you know that you have been chosen to participate in the project for the foreseeable future."
I was stunned and I made it known by gaping at the woman. "Yo, hold on a second there. I am pretty sure I didn't participate in any test of any kind. And I can't just leave because I work at the supermarket here."
Ms. Gilroy moved her hand to the breast pocket on the inside of her suit and pulled out a small piece of paper before handing it to me. With haste I opened the folded paper to read it's contents. It was all some business and science gibberish that I couldn't make sense of in my current state of mind, but somewhere along the lines was my signature consenting to partaking in a test to check for suitability by means of blood.
"You have been selected to become part of the UN-sanctioned program of Finis Chaldea, you won't be able to decline, as preparations have already made for your arrival. Your current job has been terminated by the upper departments. For your safety I will now cast a spell on you. Don't worry, your family and friends have been told that you will be going overseas for a few months on an extended holiday."
I looked up and wanted to protest, but my body stopped responding to my commands. And before I knew it, I had grown sleepy. I hit the ground as my eyes closed and I embraced the feeling of being asleep.
When I came back to my senses I was surrounded by a vast space of black color. There wasn't anything to be seen anywhere. Turning around myself didn't change anything. Heck, I couldn't even see my own hands.
"Yo, am I blind? What did you do to me?!" I shouted through the darkness.
Slowly my mind began to recollect itself and I began remembering what led me to this strange situation. I can remember falling asleep but for some reason I was standing and wide awake now. This didn't make any sense, but there was more pressing matters, but as I was about to shout again a voice resonated in my head with an unacceptable volume, leaving me cringing.
"Base sequence confirmed to be human genome. Spiritual Vessel's attribute confirmed to be Chaotic Neutral"
At least they got my Dungeons and Dragons alignment right.
"Welcome to the data center for the future of humankind. This is the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity, Chaldea."
Fuck, hell. No. This wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't let that happen. I knew these words and what they spelled for my sorry hide. I was about to become the 48th master of Chaldea, and from my experience with the game, this would mean I would get into all manner of fucked up scenarios. Facing Beast II in a video game? Hell yeah, easy going. Potentially facing her in the flesh? Nope, nope, nope. Get me off of this wild ride, because I am not ready to die!
"Fingerprint, voiceprint, and DNA authentication cleared. Magical Circuit assessment complete."
Wait, I had magical circuits? I could cast magic? Never mind, sign me up. Let me try to 'trace on' some Gae Bolgs!
"Username matched. You are recognized as a member of the primates."
Well, no shit there Sherlock. Wait... if this is Chaldea and I become a master... could that mean I could potentially wait for Sherlock and then drop this magnificent line? Sign me up harder!
"Nice to meet you. You're our final visitor today. We hope you enjoy your time here."
With that the voice stopped ringing in my head and left me muttering "At least turn on the lights." It's rude to wish for someone to have a great time and leave them standing in the dark. Is that how you greet newcomers?
"We are very sorry." Finally you admit to goofing? "Another 180 seconds is needed to complete the admission process." Scratch that. Automatic voice can't feel sorry for me. "Enjoy a simulated battle while you wait." I was about to voice my concerns when the voice cut into my sentence once more. "Regulation: Senior. Contract Servants: Saber, Lancer, Archer. There will be no record of your score. Please feel free to enjoy." Like hell I will! Who simulates battles for fun anyways!
But the darkness before my eyes flashed white, as I soon found myself standing in a vast open, grassy area with hills all around me. Some lone trees grew on some of the higher areas and a few rocks littered the landscape. Before me stood three individuals I knew well. Perhaps too well.
Because in front of me stood Artoria Pendragon – Fate's depiction of King Arthur of Britain, Cu Chulainn – Hound of Ulster and one of my favorite heroes from the franchise and poor ol' Arash, totally out of place compared to the other two heroic spirits. I audibly gasped at seeing those three in person and I my mind went blank at the prospect of this being reality.
Like some I enjoy reading fanfiction. I like reading in general, but sometimes you want to read about some familiar stuff, but before we go off on a tangent... you see in almost all works depicting these heroes people write as if the mere presence of someone with the charisma of Artoria will make you want to follow them. As a pragmatic person with a good amount of sarcasm I dismissed that as fanservice, and surprisingly, I am somewhat correct. Though the way the king held herself was remarkable and royal as can be, there was something missing that made my subconscious chuckle in vain pleasure. You see, in anime and the game, most characters height is equalized or they are likely surrounded by other characters that are as tall as they are in their depictions. Something along the lines of small people of Japan, but seeing that I towered over Artoria by more than a good foot shattered the initial concepts of 'if she wanted to, she could kick your butt'.
Cu Chulainn and Arash on the other hand seemed to be as tall as I am, maybe off by one or two inches, but they at least weren't the size of a young teenager where I am from. Also anime and games can't compare to reality. Seeing isn't feeling, but for some reason I could feel the power of those three as they merely stood there, probably waiting for my instructions.
I was interrupted from my observations by a low rumbling sound further ahead, as a stone golem climbed out of the earth. Unlike me or my servants, the humanoid amalgamate of rubble stood tall at around 3 meters (10 feet), towering over all of us puny humans. And as we spotted it, it spotted us and began to slowly approach us. This was probably the signal for me to give some commands.
And let me tell you, I would surely give some commands, but I couldn't find the interface anywhere! Where's my command cards, Delight Works? How am I supposed to fight without being able to choose my attacks? Well at least this also meant that the golem wouldn't atta-
I suddenly found myself in the air as Arash had grabbed me by the waist. The stone golem had closed the distance between us with blinding speed and brought it's fist down where I had stood a moment ago. On a positive side of things, I could see myself again!
Arash gently placed me back on the ground before facing the golem again. Reality is a harsh mistress. This wasn't turn-based combat. And my currently dodging servants seemed to wait for something. I blinked.
Wait, they don't expect me to just micromanage whatever the servants have to do, are they?
"Guys, attack!" I shouted from behind Arash, hoping to have the servants quickly dispatch the stone golem. But to my surprise they didn't actually move. Artoria and Cu were dancing around the golem, evading attacks, but didn't counterattack. Even Arash still hadn't drawn an arrow to fire.
How the heck was I supposed to command them then?
If a shout of 'guys, attack!' doesn't do the trick, then what does? It took a few more seconds before I came up with a new strategy. I looked at Arash and pondered something.
"Hey, Arash. Can you hear me?" my question fell on deaf ears as Arash continued to stare at the golem, as if he hadn't heard me. Oh right. I wasn't supposed to know their names, was I? The announcer had clearly called them by their classes. Saber, Lancer and Archer. So perhaps I was meant to address them in the same manner? Well, there goes my "Cu! Get 'em with yer Gay Bulge!" in a mocking Irish accent. But beggars can't be choosers.
"Archer, can you hear me?" I asked again, this time putting emphasis on the name of his class. To my mild surprise the brown haired man nodded without turning around even slightly. "Okay, archer can you talk?" contrary to my expectations the archer didn't seem to react once more. I sighed. Simulations suck. But I digress, time to get this show on the road.
"Archer quick attack, Lancer use your Protection from Arrows and Saber, strike with a buster attack once you see an opening!"
In an instant Arash had fired two arrows at the golem that pierced the soundbarrier, hitting the golem as Cu was dancing around it with the help of his spear. Seeing that the construct was getting frustrated with the blue lancer Artoria took the chance to jump at it from above the lancer, driving her glowing Excalibur home in the shoulder of the golem before gripping it tightly and jumping away. Upon landing the king found herself caught in a barrage of fisticuffs from our opponent and I saw the opportunity for Cu to strike it's exposed back. Quickly I shouted my commands.
"Cu hit him- I mean, Lancer! Go for a buster attack followed by a quick attack and another buster attack!" the Irishman reacted to my commands instantly, ramming his polearm into the ground to vault over it and slam the blade of the weapon in the foe. He then quickly yanked it out of the stone to quickly strike twice before attempting a giant cleave. The golem who had trouble hitting Artoria turned around to strike at his new attacker and interrupted the lancer who was mid-swing with a brutal strike to his spandex-covered chest, sending him flying.
"Shit, Archer, get me over to Lancer." Arash didn't wait for me to finish my command before I found myself whisked away at impossible speeds. When I felt solid ground beneath my feet I we had already moved around the golem, around 50 meters (160 feet) to the left of it. To my dismay, the golem was still focused on the downed Cu, and I couldn't see Artoria, but I assumed she was blocked from my vision by the hulking silhouette of the giant construct. "Saber, keep him busy!" this clearly wasn't a concise command, but it seemed to work, as the golem faltered for a moment before turning away from us. "Archer, go help Saber." with a nod Arash began running back to his original position, firing arrows as he went.
I turned my eyes towards Cu Chulainn who kneeled next to me, bruised by the powerful punch the golem delivered. Either skills don't work like I think they do, or Cu didn't use it. I couldn't be sure, and in the current situation I would need something else entirely.
"I cast emergency aid on Cu Chulainn!" I loudly declared as I pointed my hand towards the lancer. To my disappointment nothing happened. Couldn't this be any easier? Where's my ability to use my mystic code? I was wearing it wasn't I? Looking down I was greeted by the white outfit of Chaldea. Hadn't even noticed I was wearing the latest fashion in this place until now. Well, I want my money back, because the thing doesn't even work. If whittling down the enemy wasn't an option this time, it left me with one option only.
"Saber, unleash your Excalibur!" I shouted to the heavens, fully expecting Artoria to fire the golden sword beam to end this quickly, before realizing that I probably shouldn't be calling it Excalibur yet. Oops, my bad. Let me try again.
"Saber, use your Noble Phantasm!" A brief pain surged through my right hand as the woman began holding up her sword, golden motes of light swirling around it. I looked down to see one of my command seals vanishing from the back of my hand. Okay, I was the 48th master. Shit hit the fan. I recovered from my stupor when a giant flash of light streaked by me, merely missing me by a few inches before culminating in a spectacular explosion of golden energy way behind me.
I blinked. Arash blinked. He seemed as flabbergasted as I was. I looked towards Cu... wait, where was Cu?!
The swordbeam of Excalibur had vaporized everything in it's path, including the blue lancer. I only looked in horror as I realized, Cu Chulainn had died. And everything faded to black once more.
Sometime after losing consciousness I felt my cheek being licked by something, accompanied with the most adorable sounds of "Fou, Fou!"
I opened my eyes to see a silver-pink haired person standing in front of me, looking down in concern. Beneath my head was a strange being, of course I knew what it was, but I would be lying if I said I didn't expect it to be this fluffy. I groaned before lifting myself from the cold metal floor. What a place to fall asleep.
"Umm. Since it's neither morning nor night, please wake up, Senpai." the girl in front of me said in a meek voice. I shakily stood on my feet, clutching my face. Was this hallway spinning, or is it just me?
"Ugh... where am I?" was all I could muster in this situation. I knew who this girl before me was. Mash Kyrielight, the always reliable Kouhai to any master who played the game.
"Ah, that's a simple question. Thank goodness. This is the corridor leading from the front gate to the central control room. In sketchy terms, this is Chaldea's front gate." Mash answered in a bored manner-of-fact voice. I glanced around. The white walls, white floors and white ceiling made this look like somewhere from Kamino in Star Wars. Hello there, General Kenobi.
"Ahem, Either way, can I ask you a question Senpai?" with a fake cough Mash critically eyed me.
"You were asleep, but I don't see why you'd sleep in the hall." I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Did the poor girl really think I slept on any metal floor. I have standards! Cold tiles will do when drinking, but now that I think about it... did I drink any alcohol without knowing? My throat is parched and I feel like I have the worst hangover minus the headache.
"Can you not sleep unless you're on a hard bed?" if it wasn't Mash and I didn't know her better I would berate her for asking stupid questions, but as it was, I was more preoccupied with why the hell I had been lying on the floor in an apparently important hallway.
"I actually have no clue why I was lying here, to be honest." I answered sheepishly. What a way to make a first impression.
"Yes, you slept like a log. It was such a deep sleep, it was almost textbook." I tried to grin at that, but my attempt at humor failed when another wave of nausea set in and I almost lost my footing. Mash stared curiously at me as I righted myself once more. Fou in the meantime had climbed up the girl to sit on her shoulder, looking at me in a mischievous manner. The little critter made it's sound and Mash turned to look at it.
"I completely forgot. I still haven't introduced you yet, have I, Fou?" Despite already knowing who and what exactly Fou is, I decided to keep silent. Call it a spur of moment, or rather keeping down the bile that threatened to spill out if I keep talking. I never was any good with nausea.
"This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a privileged life-form allowed to freely walk around Chaldea."
"And smuggle himself on all the rayshifts." was my addendum to Mash's introduction of the critter. But I didn't say that out loud.
Not interrupted by my snarky thoughts Mash continued with her introduction of Fou.
"Fou led me here, and that's how I ran into you, Senpai." Fou barked affirmatively from Mash' shoulder. How had no one figured out that Fou is something much more than just a 'squirrel'? I mean he appeared more intelligent than some people I know, though that might not say much. Mages in this universe, I swear...
"He ran off somewhere again. He does that sometimes, just walks around." I nodded, as I thought of a good answer, as Mash stared intently at me. Can't have this be a one-sided conversation.
"Does anyone know what kind of creature Fou is? I mean, I have seen a lot of different animals, but never something quite like this ball of fluff." I inquired, although secretly I knew the answer. But right now I couldn't make any comment indicating that I knew more than I let on. For all I know the leprechaun called Lev Lainur could be right around the corner listening in. As far as I remember he interrupted this conversation. I'd love to continue this track of thought, but Mash keeps on talking and I don't want to leave a bad impression on her.
"Nobody knows what exactly Fou is, maybe you could ask some of the more experienced staff members. Normally Fou doesn't go near anyone aside from me, but he seems to like you, Senpai."
I shrugged at that comment. Unless Fou decided to bite or kick me, I'd have no problem with him. "Congratulations. Now you shall be the second caretaker of Fou in Chaldea."
I gave a low chuckle and turned to Fou. "I hope you don't mind, Fou." He barked before a new voice interrupted, just like I predicted.
Around the corner stepped Lev Lainur. The tall, lanky man clearly didn't fit in with the rest of the facility, dressed in an olive green overcoat with fur trimmings under which he wore a rather normal black suit and tie. Seeing him up close in person made me wonder how no one suspected this guy. I mean, look at him. He wears a tie that has spikes on it! If a purple tie with spikes doesn't scream evil villain, then what does? Never mind that utterly ridiculous hat he is wearing. Even I can see that he's clearly faking his smile. Once again, I blame the single-minded mages of this world.
Once he got closer I realized that the man was even taller than me by a few inches. He didn't seem to register me as he moved in to scold Mash.
"Ah, there you are, Mash. That won't do, you know, wandering about without permission." he then turned to me. "Oh, someone's already with you? You're..." he stopped for a moment before taking in my appearance. "Actually, I don't know who you are."
"My name is Daniel Müller. I am new here." I hesitantly spoke, careful not to sound nervous in any shape or form. This man was a demon pillar. Can't have him be suspicious of me yet. Usually he would know of the protagonist's arrival, but something was afoot. He then gave me a gentle smile before introducing himself as Lev Lainur, merely a technician that was employed here in Chaldea.
"I assume you are one of the 49 candidates. Welcome to Chaldea. I'm glad you're here." Oh, I hope you are, you god damned leprechaun.
"I heard you were an outlier in the many public applicants. Normally we would only have 48 candidates, but there were quite a few talented people in the applications, so one more was chosen to join."
The world stopped for a moment. My heart raced at those words. 49 Candidates?! I thought I was number 48? This completely caught me off-guard. In the game there are only 48 candidates with you, the protagonist, being the last to arrive. This could either mean the protagonist, Ritsuka Fujimaru, was already in Chaldea, or would still be the last to arrive. This could completely throw the story off the rails! I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Lainur calling my name repeatedly.
"Mr. Müller are you there? You seem a bit out of it at the moment." I shook my head and focused back on the man in front of me. "Sorry, I just spaced out a bit. You know... big honor. And all that. Can't believe I made it here. Must be my lucky day, hahaha~" I chuckled nervously. "Anyway, sorry, what did you ask?"
"I asked how long your training was. A year? 6 months? 3 months?" I carefully chose my next words. Considering my reply he might perceive me as a threat, though I somehow doubt he will, given Solomon, or should I call him Goetia, just fucks off for seven whole singularities, only checking in at the halfway point to give a speech about all the effort you put in being in vain. I gave a lazy smirk to mask my insecurity and told Lainur that I had some experience, but he would have to see for himself.
"I see that you already know how competitive it is in here. You're going to hide your info from your rivals?"
The corners of my mouth drooped at his words. Some people thought of making sure humanity survives was a competition? "Well, I'm not here for the competition, I just want to give it my all." I almost spouted something about saving mankind, but caught myself before I did so. Mash chimed in at this stage.
"Dr. Lev, Müller's training was less than a few hours. I think it's from embarassment." Mash, if you weren't my always dependable Kouhai, I would gladly call you out for being a snitch! "Oh? Well, now... I see. We had an emergency opening for applicants to fill out numbers. So you're one of them? Do forgive me, I was inconsiderate."
I glanced back at Lev Lainur as he apologized halfheartedly. Don't take me serious... yet. You'll regret it sooner or later. "But please, don't be angry because you're a public applicant. We need all of you for this mission." Shit. I was glaring at him. Calm down, Daniel.
"38 elite mages, plus eleven talented public applicants... Somehow, we were able to gather all possible candidates." The elated tone in Lainur's voice sent a shiver down my spine. I had never up to this point realized how meticulously this whole incineration of mankind had been planned. But hearing that they had rounded up all possible candidates was a terrifying prospect.
"That's something to rejoice over. This year, 2017, all possible candidates capable of Spiritron Dives were brought to Chaldea."
Wait, when I woke up this morning it was sometime in June 2019? I must have looked visibly confused, as Lainur told me to ask him or Mash if there was anything I don't understand. I glanced at Mash, hoping the man would stop talking to me with that facade of friendliness. He followed my eyes and turned to Mash. "Come to think of it, what were you talking about with him, Mash? That's not like you. Did you know each other before?"
"No, I'd never met Senpai before. I saw him sleeping here, so I just..." Lev interrupted Mash elegantly "Sleeping? Mr. Müller was asleep, here?" He chuckled as he realized what had happened. "Ahh, you went through the simulation when you entered, right? Spiritron Dives can get to you if you're not used to them." Well, considering I can't even remember collapsing on the floor here, that simulation must have taxed me pretty damn well. Good thing the wave of nausea I had felt earlier had since made room for veiled fear in face of Lev Lainur.
"After the simulation, the gate must've opened and you walked over here before you returned to consciousness. It's a type of sleep-walking. When you fell, Mr. Müller, that was when Mash spoke to you." I scoffed internally at his words. Mash said I was fast asleep. And I sure as hell didn't make my way through a gate while sleep-walking. I never did that. The way the man in green spoke so casually about it made me doubt his truthfulness on the matter, not that I believed a word he spoke.
"You seem to be fine, but I'd like to take you to the infirmary just in case..." I widened my eyes before composing myself. Wait, Dr. Roman, who I had yet to meet was supposed to also die in the explosion right. That means the infirmary was probably rigged as well! Fuck you, Lev. I'll just head to my room and not die, thank you.
"Sorry, hang in there a little longer. The Director's orientation is about to start. You should hurry over." I tilted my head to the side. "Wait, I thought- never mind that, actually. So... orientation?" Seems like I wouldn't be going to the infirmary after all.
Mash smiled at me. "Yes, to greet the Master candidates assigned here today like you." Lainur took over for Mash at that point. "In other words, it's for the big boss to welcome the careless newbies." I nodded at their words. "Since the Director is not the type to forgive and forget, if you show up late, you'll be on her radar for the entire year." Oh, yeah! Olga Marie. I had almost forgotten about her. Damn. "The orientation begins in five minutes in the Central Command Room. Go straight down this hall. Hurry." Lainur tried to urge me to head to the orientation, eh? If it was in the Command Room, that also meant it was the place where the bombs were placed.
Mash turned to the over-sized leprechaun. "Dr. Lev, do you think I'll be allowed to sit in on the orientation, too?" I drowned out the conversation between the two at this point. I had my first quests, so to speak. If I was to be the one to save the world, I'd at least try to save as many people as possible. But I also didn't want to die either. This left me with quite the conundrum. I had to leave the orientation and head somewhere safe. Like my room, but I also wanted to save the Director, as the poor girl never deserved what happened to her in the first place. Seriously, she might have been a dick in the first singularity, but after reading up on her later down the line I had recognized that she was merely overwhelmed by all the responsibilities. But how could I possibly safe her?
My musings were interrupted by Lev, when he called out to me.
"Yes, yes..." I mumbled. "I asked if there's anything else you want to know. What do you want to know then?"
"I have no questions actually. I think I might be under the effects of the simulation..."
If Lev Lainur didn't buy that excuse, he didn't show it in the slightest. Instead he nodded. "All right, let's get going. Stand up straight, but remember to relax, okay?" With those words spoken, I followed after the two, still deep in thought.
Getting kicked out of the Control Room shouldn't be too difficult. In the game you got the boot for merely drifting into a slumber. I could easily fake me being asleep, but that still didn't solve my question on how to safe Olga Marie from her unfortunate death.
As we continued down the hallway I pondered scenarios that I could pull off that might help other people survive. But to my dismay, those scenarios where few, and some of them are far from credible for me to pull off. It would take some kind of magic for them to work. A proverbial lightbulb turned on in my head. Magic. That's the key! The announcer from the simulation told me I had magic circuits! I still had no clue on how to actually use them, even more, I didn't know how to cast a single spell. The only spell I knew, well the chant at least, was to summon a heroic spirit! And if the third-rate mage Shirou can pull it off when getting punted by Cu Chulainn, then I should be able to do so as well!
Once we stepped through the gate into the command room I had formulated a plan to rescue some people. It was pretty simple. Act like I fell asleep in the orientation, get kicked out. Enter an empty room. Attempt to summon a heroic spirit and then tell them to rescue at least the director from the bomb beneath the command room. Of course there were some flaws in the plan. Namely summoning a heroic spirit. I couldn't bank on the chance of actually summoning anyone, especially without any catalyst. If I summoned someone like caster Gilles I'd be utterly fucked instead. Or Spartacus... well, I could manipulate Spartacus into believing oppressors had planted a bomb to kill the oppressed, but he would probably blow up the entire command room on his own. I would be alive by the end of it. That's what mattered the most. Because if I died, then no one would be able to stop Goetia. Can't have that happen.
"This is the Central Command Room. Your number, Senpai... Single digit, you're in the front row. Take an empty seat in the front row." I nodded towards Mash, but soon felt the intense gaze of the white-haired director on me. Lev stepped closer to us. "No more small talk. See, the orientation's already begun." I turned to the director, nodded towards Lev and Mash and went to sit in my seat.
"Well, that wasn't on time, but looks like we're all here now." Olga's voice reverbated in the room, amplified by some speakers that were hidden from my view. She truly sounded like those ladies from the animes. The archetypical rich girl in highschool trope. If her angry gaze didn't linger on me, I'd probably say she's cute. But in front of all these people I didn't want to voice my thoughts.
I moved towards an empty seat near the middle hallway of the room and sat down in it as the director began holding a speech. Somewhere after her first few sentences I began enacting my plan. I slowly closed my eyes, bobbed my head back and then towards the side, faking a deep slumber. After a few seconds I heard mumbling as the director stopped in her speech. Murmurs echoes around me, but where quickly silenced by the sound of someone moving in on me.
With a resounding slap that actually stung like hell, I acted as if I was slowly waking up. Olga Marie was standing furiously in front of me. Fists on her hips, daring me to defy her. For emphasis I decided to yawn loudly, angering the poor girl further. I looked at her and casually greeted her with a "Sup?"
After being kicked out by a yelling director, who told me I wouldn't be part of the first mission I realized that perhaps I might have overdone it a little, but who cares. Mash accompanied me out of the control room and asked me if I was alright.
I winked at her. "Looks like I fell asleep. Well, can't change being kicked out, now, can I?"
"It seemed like you were in REM sleep, but the Director's slap seemed to wake you up completely. Thank goodness. Let me take back to your room, "
In that moment a white blur moved in on us, and Fou catapulted himself on Mash's head. I had raised my arms to deflect the furry projectile in case it came for me, but thankfully it didn't, but I couldn't hold back a snicker as Fou had miscalculated his trajectory and slamed into Mash's face. "Mash, uhh, you have something on your face. Are you okay?"
Muffled sounds came from beneath Fou's fur as Mash attempted to reply. Slowly the critter made his way on top of her head before dropping onto her shoulder. "No, I'm fine. That's normal. Fou likes to attack my face, slide around and settle on my shoulder." I had to surpress a laugh at that. Leave it to Fou to attack whoever it may be straight on. Can't wait for Babylonia... well, actually, I could.
While we walked along the hallway of Chaldea Mash and I talked a bit about Fou himself. Apparently Mash understands Fou far more than I do, as she claimed he had embraced me as one of his own. Then I somehow turned into his rival. Man, Fou is weird.
Soon we reached a door that read #48 and Mash stopped. "We've reached our destination. This is your room, Senpai." I gratefully nodded to Mash before she turned around. "I assume you have to get back to the control room?" Once more the soon-to-be Pseudo-Servant swerved around to meet my gaze. "First Mission, A Team. I need to head back now. But Fou says he'll look after you, Senpai. That sets my mind at ease." I looked to Fou and extended an arm on which he jumped before settling himself on my shoulder. He was surprisingly lightweight, despite all his fur. "Now, then, I'm off. If we're lucky, I think we'll meet again." With those words Mash ran off to the command room, leaving me alone in front of door #48.
Time to enact the second phase of my plan. I cautiously glanced around to check if anyone else was moving through the hallway. Upon making sure I was by myself, as best as I could be, I headed past the room until I reached room #50. There were 49 Masters. I was number 48. If 49 was in his room, then I'd rather not stumble in there. And according to my knowledge, Dr. Roman would be in my room, leaving me with number 50 as a safe place to try and summon a heroic spirit. Fou tilted his head as I opened the door to the empty room. Stepping inside, I swiftly closed the door behind me. These automatic sliding doors are awesome, but right now I can't marvel at the futuristic technology of Chaldea. I had lives to safe!
I grasped Fou of my shoulder to which he protested, before setting him down on the lone bed in the room. "Fou, everyone's in danger and I need to make sure some of them make it out alive." It pained me to condemn Mash to what equals her death. Up until she left me at the room I didn't pay her safety any mind, so used to her in the game I was. But she would turn out allright after everything while others simply perished. That was something I couldn't stomach, so I held out my palm. I didn't have a summoning circle, so this chant was all I had. To spice it up, and since a lot of magic was German from what I have seen, I decided to also recite in it German.
Silber und Eisen als Herkunft. Edelstein und Großherzog des Vertrages als Eckstein.
Mein Vorfahre, mein großer Meister, ist Schweinorg.
So soll der Wind eine Wand werden. Die Tore in die vier Richtungen schließen, komm von der Krone, die Gabelung die zum Königreich führt zirkuliert.
Füll, Füll, Füll, Füll, Füll
Es wird fünfmal wiederholt.
Zerbreche, sobald gefüllt.
Ich verkünde.
Below my outstretched palm the ground began to shine in a radiant light. My body felt as though it was lit on fire, as a magic circle etched itself in the ground. If it was from sheer determination or something else, I didn't know. It worked though, and I continued on with my chant.
Du bist unter mir. Mein Schicksal ist an dein Schwert gebunden.
In Akkord mit dem heiligen Gral, falls du diesem Willen, diesem Grund, zustimmst, dann antworte.
Hier ist mein Eid. Ich bin die Güte der gesamten Welt. Ich bin das Böse der gesamten Welt.
Du bist der Himmel mit drei Wortseelen. Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdrückung, O Schützer der Balance.
The glow of the finished magic circle intensified, as winds billowed throughout the room. I could hear Fou whimpering behind me. I shut my eyes as I continuously felt the summoning drain my energy. I guess this is what it feels like to use magic. It's hot. I'm probably sweaty as hell, but I can't waver in my concentration. Soon the winds stopped, as magic mist subsided. I lowered my hand as I felt the drain of my magic stop, and opened my eyes. They still needed to adjust from the brightness that had engulfed the room prior. There among the mist I could make out a silhouette though. The person was tall, it seemed like we were exactly the same height.
As the wind had died down and the mist receeded I could make out the one I summoned. A red overcoat, white hair. Slightly tanned skin. Black clothes. My eyes threatened to pop out of my head. The man turned to me with a neutral expression. "Archer-class Servant. I have been summoned and come at your request." I lost it.
"Fuck, yeah!" I shouted, pumping my first in victory, as I celebrated my summoning. Heroic Spirit Emiya had responded to my summon. I blame it on the fact that I am trying to save people. He chuckled dryly. "My, my. That certainly is one of the best reactions I had to being summoned."
Realizing that I was making a fool out of myself I stopped and rubbed the back of my head as a sheepish gesture. "Well, are you my master?" I nodded. "Yes, and I already need you to do something." Emiya sighed in an exasperated manner. "Well, let's hear it then..."
"Alright, Emiya. Listen up-" I was interrupted as Kanshou and Bakuya materialized in his hands and he glared at me. "How do you know my name?" he asked in a dangerous tone. Ah, shit. Should have seen this one coming. Sweat ran down my brow as I stared at the man who could easily kill me before I even knew what had happened. "Hold on a minute, please! Let me explain. I'll give you the short version now, with the full details after the request, alright?"
I just had to call him by his name, didn't I? Way to go Daniel. Time to plead with the grumpy archer.
He nodded silently at me and I took that as a signal to get started. "Alright. This might sound crazy, but I kind of know what's going to happen in the future. Right now there's a group of people in this very building on top of a bomb planted by one of the demon gods from Solomon. Once they enter these coffins to head out and fix singularities, broken timelines or something like that to stop Solomon from incinerating all of humanity the bomb is going to go off. The other masters in the coffins will be critically injured, but frozen in cryonic sleep. This is not the case for the other people in the adjacent control center. They will all die in the explosion. Since I knew this was going to happen, I dodged the bullet and came here to summon a heroic spirit to help me save those people. Especially the director, who otherwise is going to be erased from existance in an absolutely cruel manner. Does that explain it for now at least? Time is running out."
Emiya looker like he was thinking about it before scoffing. "And how do you suppose I can rescue any person from a bomb?" I gulped. I knew of a way he could potentially safe them, but I wasn't sure how he would react to the scenario I was about to suggest. I swallowed the lump in my throat and resigned myself to my fate. "Maybeyoucouldsummonunlimitedbladeworksandgetallthepeopleinthere?" The red-clad archer clearly didn't understand me, as I doubletimed the sentence under my breath, hoping not to die on the spot. He sighed and dismissed the two swords in his hands. "I didn't understand a word of what you just said, but it doesn't seem like you are lying."
"Unlimited Blade Works."
His glare harshened. "How do you know?"
"Summon Unlimited Blade Works and gather all the people in there as the bomb explodes. And I just know, alright. I told you I will tell you everything afterwards, but I need you to trust me and get going, or else it will be too late."
"Very well, I will hold you to it, Master." The last word was spoken with disdain, as the archer dematerialized from the bottom upwards. As he finally disappeared I left out a sigh of relief and slumped to my knees. This encounter made it sufficiently clear that I need to carefully choose my words, or else I'll end up murdered. If it was anyone but Emiya, the old softie, they might have killed me where I stood without a second glance, but the grumpy archer, despite all his claims would still save people if he could.
Fou came out from under the bed and angrily barked at me, voicing his displeasure with the summoning. "Yeah, Fou. I'm sorry, I should have warned you. Come on, we have to meet someone." With those words the furry squirrel climbed back on my shoulder and I stood up from the ground, heading towards the door. As I closed it behind me, I spared one last glance towards the insides, noting that the summoning had completely tossed everything around in the room that wasn't bolted to the floor. And with a sigh I made my way towards room #48. After all, I had a doctor to meet.
That's all for this chapter. In the next chapter, we will see if Emiya, good old Garcher can safe some unknowns from their untimely demise by a scheming leprechaun. If you have an feedback, go ahead. If you have any ideas, let me know. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM. I can't guarantee an answer, but I will do my best. Also, I don't know when the next chapter will be. Sometimes it takes a few days. Sometimes months for ideas to come along. Bear with it, I'm basically Andersen minus all the actually writing the whole time.