Welcome to World's End, the reboot of Fate is in the cards. Changing the setting like this gives me far greater scope to work with and hopefully, I can implement the usage of riders more creatively than I was doing in Fate is in the cards. I feel kind of guilty doing this; Fate is in the Cards was written for one of the first people I talked to on this site, so changing it without asking him seems a little underhanded, yet I feel like this is for the better. Hopefully, you won't be too mad with me. Anyway, let's go!
Gudako: Harry, cook up a storm! I feel like if you do, you'll have quite a few hungry visitors!
Harry: Focus on saving the world first! Fuyuki in flames, what a horrific sight...
Gudako: Ah, saving the world on an empty stomach is the worst!
Harry: Wel if you succeed, I'll make you something special! How about that?
G + H: A wildcard awakens! With a magic touch!
The feeling of something licking her cheek caused Gudako to gently stir, barely able to muster the strength to knock the offender away. Her memory was fuzzy as she tried to open her eyes; what had he been doing? Howe did she end up in such a helpless situation?
All that the orange haired girl could remember was… very little. Cold, intense cold, followed by a warm face and then – then an angry face. A cheerful conversation, followed by flames, flames, intense pain, bleeding. The sounds of screams, of shattering surroundings ending the lives of the less fortunate.
A grimace came to her lips as she focused on the gentle words that were being spoken in her direction, finally mustering the power to open her eyes and see…
More flames. Everywhere she looked, fire and destruction plagued the city they were in. not a single soul could be found, at least, not a single soul that remained alive. Amidst shattered roads and half melted street posts, all that could be found was herself and the lilac haired girl she had first met… at Chaldea. Yes, Chaldea Security Organisation, dedicated to the survival of mankind, and if Gudako's memory served her right… then sabotage had meant the destiny of humanity had been thrown into chaos.
"Thank goodness you're awake Senpai!" the lilac haired girl spoke, lavender eyes looking over Gudako's body with joyful relief. Mashu, that was how she had introduced herself – Mashu Kyrielight. No longer was she wearing the outfit she first had; the rectangular frame glasses, a grey hoodie over a black shirt over a white collar shirt, a red tie, a black skirt and tights and brown shoes. Instead, she had opted for a more… interesting choice of attire, a tight black dress-like bodysuit clinging to Mashu's curves along with gloves and boots of a similar colour, a hole exposing her stomach to the elements.
Under normal circumstances, that would already be considered strange enough, especially considering that Gudako was still clad in the black and white attire of Chaldea, but the giant gleaming shield Mashu held in her offhand was simply icing on the cake. The thing had to be at least double their size, yet from the lack of strain upon her face, Mashu held no issue in wielding it. "Thank goodness you're safe, I was worried when you didn't wake up. My apologies; I had thought to say 'wake up or you'll be killed', but it accidentally came out as 'wake up or I'll kill you.' Everything's happened so quickly that it's left me confused slightly."
"Don't worry, all's good! Hopefully. Owchie…" Gudako muttered as she rose to her feet, dusting off her clothes. Her steps were sluggish as she tried to regain her bearings, gazing at the utterly obliterated scenery that surrounded them. If it were not so marred with fire and explosions, then it was probably a pretty nice city to live in; as it were, only demons could ever hope to thrive in the place. "Where even are we? Last thing I remember, we were right in the middle of Chaldea."
"I'm uncertain, but we don't have time to gather our thoughts; please look over here Senpai!" Mashu warned, brandishing her shield. If that wasn't enough warning, a shiver ran down Gudako's spine as she heard the inhumane screech behind her, the orange haired girl spinning around to see what could only be described as a monster.
Its eyes glowed in the dark with a mysterious navy colour, its face shrouded in shadow thanks to the tattered fabric that wrapped around its upper body. From what little was revealed of the monster's arm however, Gudako was pretty sure that only the most vile of magecraft allowed for such a horrific existance. "Linguistic communication impossible – identifying entity as hostile. Master, give me your orders!"
Master… the term was still unfamiliar to Gudako. When she had awoken in Chaldea, she had to be reminded of the reason why she was there; in order to preserve the safety of humanity's future, she would have to take on the role of Master to what were called 'heroic spirits' or 'Servants', the souls of legendary beings who remained famous throughout the history of the world. There had only been few occasions where Gudako had ever been called Master and the fact that it was Mashu who was calling her that, a girl who, last time that Gudako checked, was not actually a heroic spirit made the whole scenario even weirder. Still, there was no time to be thinking about such things; there were hostiles approaching and the only one who had any form of armament was Mashu – that made her the closest thing to a Servant that they could hope for.
"Right! Master Mode, on!" Gudako declared, scanning the battlefield. Even without the experience on the field or in magecraft that the others elected as Master candidates had, there was one thing that the girl prided herself on – the ability to comprehend and adapt. It had gotten her through several tough situations and this would just be one more story to tell. "There are several of them from all directions, the ones to the east to north east will most likely attack first from their positioning. Get ready to defend and counter."
"Understood!" and just as declared, two of the creatures leapt forward with crooked blades, their hoods falling back to reveal a completely bare skeleton. Despite the lack of muscles, Gudako didn't need to feel the strike to understand just how heavily they hit, yet Mashu didn't hesitate for a moment. While the main round body was perfect for deflecting their attacks, the giant cross that appeared upon it also extended out far lower, meaning it was almost like a blade as Mashu spun the shield, leaving only shattered bones.
"Behind, single!" the way Mashu moved should not have been as elegant as she immediately manoeuvred the sword behind her, blocking the steel before another spin had the head completely removed. A pair more attempted to attack her from both sides, yet a heeled boot prevented the one on her left from striking before a tackle completely obliterated its partner, a firm stab shattering its chest. Thank goodness they were skeletal, for Gudako would've hated to see what such a devastating attack could've done to flesh. "Three more approaching, no, five – they're numbers are growing way too fast!"
Gudako felt despair grip her heart; for every one they managed to cut down, it looked as if several more monsters were ready to take their place and even with the surprising skill that Mashu demonstrated, it was clear that the lilac haired girl was tiring. Still, Mashu didn't let that stop her as she viciously struck a pair, their skeletal bodies remaining upon the shield as a rugby tackle knocked down several of their companions. As it was however, there were far too many for a single person to care for alone, sweat dripping down Gudako's brow.
A Master would normally be able to assist their Servant with a manner of different spells, an almost endless variety of skills that would change the tides of battle if their Servant proved to be insufficient. However, Gudako lacked the training and expertise of her fellow Masters; unlike they who researched and trained so hard to develop their magecraft, she had nothing of the sort to speak of and the mystic codes woven into the very uniform she wore remained a mystery to Gudako. As she was now, all she could do was watch in fear as the skeletons suddenly started to gain the advantage, not even Mashu's sizable shield able to block every single attack and try to cull their numbers.
"Think, Gudako, think! There has to be something around here to help...!" there had to be something that could constitute a weapon, right? Even if it were something as mundane as a broken piece of metal, it would still be able to form a distraction that would allow Mashu to regain her advantage. With a small prayer of thanks for how the monsters had yet to take notice of her, the orange haired girl began sneaking around the area, desperately clawing at whatever she could find. Useless pieces of wood were chucked away without hesitation, a grunt escaped Gudako as she realised the broken street pole would be too cumbersome for a reasonable weapon; it seemed as if there was nothing that would save them.
At least until she came across a gruesome sight.
The mangled corpse that might've once looked like a Japanese man almost made Gudako want to vomit, but that wasn't what she was focused on at the moment. No, while it was incredibly rude to mess with the deceased and take their property, she would just have to momentarily buck her morality and take the weapon sitting next to him, probably the last defence the man had before he ended up a victim to whatever chaotic force ended his life.
It didn't seem like a conventional pistol, what with its light blue, black and yellow colouration with silver forming a strange symbol on the side and a seemingly needless sliding handle that extended out the barrel, but one pull of the trigger was all that Gudako needed to show that it was certainly effective.
A blast of cyan energy disintegrated a nearby skeleton's skull, its allies slowly turning their heads to see the orange haired girl widen her stance. Gun training had not been supplied – not when those who practiced magecraft looked down so much on the modern technologies, but Gudako knew enough from the odd movie that she watched to understand some of the basics. A few more pulls of the trigger had the skeletons steadily falling, their dying companions quickly realising how much of a threat she posed as they all suddenly began clamouring to reach the Master.
Before they could however, they found Mashu's shield slicing through their spines, the assault on two fronts steadily dwindling their numbers until nought but one remained. With a shared glance, Mashu raised her shield as Gudako aimed her gun, the two strikes hitting in perfect sync so that not even dust remained.
"Combat complete. It appears we're safe for the moment." Mashu stated before her form gradually slouched over, the shield making for the perfect support as the lilac haired girl panted. For good reason to. After such a chaotic event, being greeted by such a sizable army of skeletons was not the way to carry on. The least that Gudako could do was rummage through her uniform, pulling out the sweets with a thankful grin and pouring a few into the girl's hands. It was a spare stash for emergencies, but never had Gudako expected that they would be used in this kind of scenario. "Thank you Senpai. Are you hurt in any way? Does your stomach feel heavy, or any headache?"
"Nope, everything's good." Gudako eventually responded, patting herself down. Nope, didn't seem like there was anything missing and nothing felt wrong until she gave a gasp, Mashu's eye widening. "Ah! Kidneys, I've got new kidneys!"
"What!?"
"Hehe, just kidding!" it was a weak attempt in the completely wrong situation, but the small smile that appeared on her junior's face after her surprise when she did so was enough to prove to Gudako that it was worth it. "Everything's fine, but…I had to take this gun from a guy who didn't make it. I mean, if it weren't for it, then we would've been toast, but still…"
"You made the right choice Senpai." Came the reassurance, Mashu gently resting her hand upon Gudako's shoulder. "Your assistance was vital, we might not have survived without it. Holding on to that weapon is our best choice; we should return to where you found it and see if there is any additional ammunition for safety.
"Finally, broke through! To whoever is in a position to respond, this is the Chaldea command room! Does anyone read!?" a fevered voice called out from seemingly nowhere. It was one they immediately recognised – Dr Romani Archaman, the head of the medical ward of Chaldea. He had been the friendly slacker that Gudako had coincidentally ran into after he tried to have a snack in what would become Gudako's room; the fact that he was the one who was operating the communications didn't bode well for the situation back at home, Gudako wincing slightly at the man's tone. Fortunately, she had Mashu to do all of the formal stuff.
"Mashu Kyrielight of A-Team reading. Rayshift to singularity F successful; my sole companion is Gudako Fujimaru, with mind and body intact." Mashu listed off. "Both rayshift compatibility and Master compatibility is at satisfactory levels; please register Gudako as an official researcher Dr Roman."
"So Gudako managed to get herself sucked into the rayshift? It's fortunate that you didn't lose your existence you know." Dr Roman sighed, no doubt slumping in his chair. "Also, Mashu. I'm glad that you've come out of this safe too, but… what on earth are you wearing!? It's practically scandalous, I never raised you to wear such a revealing outfit!?"
"T-the standard Chaldea uniform would've have been efficient for protecting Senpai. It was required for me to transform into this state." Mashu stuttered, a light blush decorating her face as she spoke. Oh, so long as she did understand just how odd it was, that was fine then. Mashu's expression suddenly turned stern as she continued, a firm frown appearing upon her lips. "Please, check my condition details. That will explain the situation at hand."
"Your status details? But why…? Whoa. Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Gudako didn't like the sound of that one bit, even the sound of fingers going mad on a keyboard audible through whatever it was that allowed the Doctor to communicate with them. "Everything's gone crazy – magical circuits, physical strength, even general health, they've all improved massively! That shouldn't be possible for a human to achieve, these are the kinds of levels you'd expect to see in-!"
"Indeed, I've managed to become a Servant." As soon as those words escaped Mashu, Gudako's eyes immediately fell down to the back of her hand and at the symbols that had been etched onto the skin. Indeed, they were aglow with pure power, pulsing even brighter when they came close to Mashu; well that certainly explained why she was able to summon such a strange outfit and fight with all the skill that she did. That was something that was only ever meant to occur in close proximity to the one bound by a contract to Gudako, but that couldn't be possible, not when there had been no time to form such a connection.
"I could not explain how I managed to do such a thing, but it appears that I've managed to fuse with a heroic spirit in order to survive. From my knowledge, the Servant summoned in order to assist investigations into Singularity F, who would be doomed to disappear after losing their Master, allowed me to form a contract with them in return for finding and eliminating the cause of this singularity."
A demi-Servant, a combination of human and heroic spirit that should not have ever come about through normal means. It left both Dr Roman and Gudako searching for words, a moment of silence within the burning world.
"If I recall correctly, then the fusion between human and heroic spirit, the formation of a demi-Servant… that was Chaldea's sixth experiment. I never would've thought it possible to succeed." Dr Roman commented. Concern tinged his voice, the Dr most likely trying to take down as many notes as possible; this could be considered a once in a lifetime event after all, that was how highly improbable such an experiment succeeding was. "Tell me, does this Servant still hold their consciousness?"
"No. I hold only their combat capabilities and noble phantasm. I don't even know the true name of the heroic spirit nor their noble phantasm before they disappeared." Mashu answered with a grimace. That would be an issue. A noble phantasm was the peak of a Servant's power an ability or weapon that represented all that they were as a famous character that could only invoke its full power when its name was invoked. Without the ability to invoke that name, then the power that Mashu would be able to call upon significantly decreased.
"Well don't worry about that for now. After all, not every heroic spirit is co-operative. With you acting as a Servant, then we have nothing to worry about." Dr Roman quickly suggested with a small chuckle before a strange scanning noise filled the air. "…It's just as I thought. Gudako, looks like you're the only one who managed to make it into the singularity safely. In the name of Chaldea, I apologise; without any explanation, you've been thrown into this mess."
"It's not that bad. After all, thanks to this thing, I was able to help Mashu!" Gudako said, holding up her strange looking gun. It was as she did so that she took notice of the strange inscription in silver upon the body of the weapon, the orange haired girl drawing it in close to her face with her tongue sticking out. "Diend… Without this, the Mashu would've been overwhelmed. So long as I can keep being helpful like this, then I won't feel too bad about it. It is weird though, it doesn't seem to have any way to reload and no matter how much I fire it, there doesn't seem to be a limit on how many bullets I can fire. All the body had on him was a whole bunch of these cards."
She accentuated it with several shots in the air, far more than any contemporary pistol should've been able to produce without a visible magazine. The fact that they were formed of energy might've made a difference, but that still meant the distinct lack of energy source was concerning. The cards themselves didn't appear to be much at all, pink little slips with a wide variety of faces on their fronts and symbols on the back. The only thing that connected them was that they all appeared to be suits of armour, though what purpose they held seemed like a mystery until she slipped one into the side slot of the weapon and pulled the handle forward.
KAMEN RIDE!
"Oh, so that's what the slidey thing is for." Gudako remarked as Mashu suddenly held up her shield, the announcement out of nowhere causing the demi-Servant to leap into a defensive stance. As the rhythmic beeping continued however, her form slacked slightly, though Mashu's eyes still continued to move back and forth warily – there was no telling just who would be attracted to the loud noises. "So… What am I meant to do now? Pull the trigger again?"
DIEND!
Three silhouettes of red, blue and green started to fly to and fro, Gudako letting out a small yelp as she tried to avoid the flashing colours. No matter how much Mashu tried to stop them however, they simply phased through her shield, combining upon the orange haired girl's form to change into a cyan and black suit of armour with a barcode for a visor and chest plate. Gudako couldn't find any words for a moment as she gave a sound of confusion, running her hands along the silver belt and the newly armoured gloves that covered her hands before succinctly summing up her emotions in a single utterance.
"EHHH!?"
"Punching power: six tonnes. Kicking power: eight tonnes. Maximum jump height: 30 metres. Maximum running speed: 100 metres in five seconds… This isn't just a suit of armour, but something akin to an entirely new mystic code!" Dr Roman remarked after a moment's scanning, just as shocked as Gudako was at her instantaneous transformation. There were no mirrors to be had in all of the wreckage that made up Singularity F, but the reflections in Mashu's shield were more than enough to show Gudako's armoured form to herself and the Master wasn't sure how to react one bit. "And that weapon! It's internal structure utilises a Klein's bottle structure in order to generate near unlimited amounts of kinetic energy for use as projectiles, it's something that should've only been possible using magecraft! This will be a major assistance seeing as Master are typically the ones targeted when in fights, you'll be able to properly defend yourself independently from Mashu! Such an incredible weapon combined with humanity's strongest defender, you'll get that singularity sorted in no time."
"Humanity's strongest defender? I don't feel so sure whenever I deserve that." Mashu uttered with a blush, hiding behind the sturdy steel of her shield. "I always had to stay behind when it came to combat classes. I fear I'll have to rely on Senpai a little more than a Servant should have to."
"Regardless, you two have the means in which to solve this singularity, that much can't be denied. I'm still halfway through data analysis, but there's an official link between Master and Servant." Gudako perked up in alarm when she heard the static intermittent between Dr Roman's words, a sigh escaping the Doctor as the sound of an abused keyboard became even louder. Sorry you two, I'd like to explain more, but it appears as if Shiva's becoming unstable due to the move to a back up generator. The briefing will have to wait until later – I'm detecting strong signals indicating a ley line two kilometres from your current position. Move towards that position if possible and I should theoretically be able to stabilise the connection. I'll bring the connection back as well as I can, but don't do anything reckle-"
"…Oh, he got cut off." Gudako lamented, turning to her partner as she pulled back the handle of the gun. Slipping the card out of the slot caused the transformation to fade away back into the original silhouettes, Gudako patting herself down before letting out a cheer of relief. "I'm back to normal! Okay, so we've just got to find a ley line, right? …So what's a ley line again?"
"A ley line is a location where a high concentration of magical energy can be found; if there is one nearby, then we'll be able to fortify ourselves and establish appropriate connections." Mashu dutifully replied before she frowned, looking around the city with a sense of uncertainty. "However, the Doctor never told us where the ley line was… how typical of Dr Romani, he always proves himself to be unreliable when things become crucial.
"Fou, fou!" came the barked agreement, a white creature leaping onto Mashu's head and standing proud. The four legged cross between a squirrel and a puppy was unlike any pet that Gudako had ever born witness to before, but its ridiculously fluffy appearance meant that as soon as she first came across Fou, he was nearly hugged to death by the orange haired girl. "Fou… Fou!"
"Ah, Fou, you also made it here with us." Mashu commented, a bright smile appearing upon her face. Even in the worst of times, where hope seemed lost and humanity's future became clear, the sight of the cute cuddly Fou would always be able to bring a smile with his cute appearance and friendly demeanour. "Thank you for cheering us up. He must've rayshifted with you Senpai."
Fou gave another bark of agreement before hopping off the lilac hair, sniffing the air momentarily before noisily running off down a destroyed road, Gudako calling out to the white haired creature. There was just no stopping him however, Gudako turning back to Mashu.
"We've got to follow him Mashu! Operation 'don't let Fou get hurt' has commenced! CHARGE!"
"U-understood! Moving out!"
The Fuyuki that history recorded was an unremarkable city by itself. Under normal circumstances, there should've been no way for the city to have ever reached such a horrific state in the year two thousand and four, even having been the location for a Holy Grail war. The air felt unnatural, apparently as a result of the increased magical energy density, a level unseen since ancient years where man still stood alongside gods.
"Wow Mashu, how can you even tell that? Is there some sort of sensor in you or something?" Gudako questioned, prodding her junior in the chest with a small grin. It brought an uncertain stutter to Mashu's lips, the demi-Servant almost stumbling over the shattered road as she floundered for an answer. "I never really was good with history… or geography… or a quite a few subjects actually."
"I've been in Chaldea for a large majority of my life. In order to be useful, I learnt as much as possible, seeing as I'm not - or wasn't - suited for direct combat." Mashu explained, hoping to cheer up Gudako whose head hung slightly lower at the thought of her education. "My newfound abilities as a Servant also makes me more sensitive to the spiritual changes that normal humans wouldn't be able to tell."
The little lesson was interrupted by an incredibly feminine cry for help in the distance, the two barely even needing to look at one another before they were dashing as fast as possible towards the origin. The doctor may have claimed that there was no one else who had managed to survive the rayshift into the singularity, but his faulty equipment meant there was just as much of a likelihood that someone else had managed to survive.
"W-who are these guys anyway? Why do these things keep happening to me?" What they were met with was Fou standing before a white haired woman dressed in a pale dress beneath a black and orange jacket, said woman nervously wracking her hands around the red cravat she wore as more skeletons steadily advanced upon her position. They weren't fools; there was no way that Fou alone would ever be able to intimidate a child, let alone undead creatures who only thought of inflicting pain, Gudako aiming her gun towards the closest skeleton. "I can't take this anymore! Lev, come save me!"
"Director Marie! Mashu, I'll take the skeletons on the left, you take the right!" Gudako yelled out, already firing into the crowd as the Director let out a squeal of fear. With a nod of acknowledgement, the demi-Servant leapt forward with a battle cry, far longer than should've been possible so she could crush several of the creatures beneath the weight of her shield.
While she may not have had the manoeuvrability that her Servant commanded, Gudako was no slouch either, shooting down anything that came close until the Director's shocked cry caused the orange haired girl to kick her foot back. it was a little awkward when the kick did quite literally nothing save for allowing the skeleton to grab hold and tilt Gudako off balance, but when her shocked reflexes meant that a blast incinerated its head, Gudako gave a small sigh. "I'm okay!"
"Y-you two! What's even going on here!?" the Director called out, clinging onto Fou for dear life. From the pitiful whine that escaped the animal's throat, it wasn't exactly something that he was enjoying. "Mashu has never demonstrated this much compatibility for combat! The only way for her to so quickly become skilled is impossible! And why are you referring to me as just Marie? Even in this situation, it's Olga Marie! No, Director Animusphere!"
"Don't ask questions and you won't receive weird answers!" Came back the response yelled by Gudako, the girl grappling with one of the skeletons before a solid shot blew off its legs. Without the necessary support, the crumbled to the ground, the orange haired girl free to bombard it with bullets. As a grin appeared on her face, the Master reached into the small holder that had been found on the mangled man's body opening it up to draw out a card once more, unaware that it was not the same as the one she had before. "Just sit back Director and let me show you something really amazing! A super armoured transformation!"
KAMEN RIDE: WOZ!
"Rejoice! The reader of the past and future, the prophet who will scribe the true timeline." The three silhouettes shot out of the gun as they had done so before, a firm smirk making its way onto Gudako's mouth as she prepared for the transformation. The voice suddenly calling out along with how the silhouettes rarely seemed to touch her however caused the orange haired girl to pause, looking to a second spot atop a ruined building where the silhouettes were crossing more frequently.
In a flash of light, they formed an armoured warrior of silver, black and green. Upon his helmet, two clock hands formed antenna upon a smart watch for a face, the bands trailing don his body until they reached a green belt holding a black machine securely in place.
A visor that read 'rider' in blue turned towards them, amusement clear within the man's voice as he threw his arm out wide, revealing the green holders that held strange watch like items.
"...And his name is Kamen rider Woz. Let this be the first page of a new history!"
ZIKAN DESPEAR!
YARI-SUGI!
"W-Woz? Who's Woz?" Gudako questioned as the armoured man leapt off his platform, a spear appearing in his hands that easily pierced through a pair of skeletons. Not even a hot knife through butter – it was like lava through butter, the ease in which the man who called himself a Kamen rider cut through his opponents at speeds even faster than Mashu was capable of.
Marie's eyes widened beyond comprehension as she saw the lance effortlessly slide through spines and chop bones into pieces, only a single skeleton left after such a deadly dance. None of the girls could tear their eyes away; not with the sheer skill that had just been demonstrated before them.
"…So Woz is a super good fighter. Nice to know. New question: How did he come out of a gun!?" was the next thing Gudako said.
BEYOND THE TIME!
"Now, for the sake of these dear ladies, why don't we end this?" Kamen rider Woz declared, pulling back the handle of his belt to reveal a reversed face before firmly pushing it back into place. As the centre image of the man's helmet began to flash, several holograms shot out at incredible speed, each one slamming into the final skeleton as they barrelled past to form a spinning cube.
The skeleton, without a functional brain, was not intelligent enough to realise what was about to come next; with a firm leap, Kamen rider Woz stuck his leg out, Gudako and Mashu forming a protective shield before Olga against the tornado whipped up by spinning symbols. Those symbols were what provided the explosion as soon as the Kamen rider's boot met bone, the skeleton flying back already falling to pieces. The moment it entered the rotating cube however, green electricity began to run rampage through its body, miniature explosions gathering into a dramatic finale that Mashu had to use her shield to defend against.
TIME EXPLOSION!
"You summoned a Servant, without any of the necessary set up or ritual components…" Olga Marie refused to believe it true. It was impossible; the miracle that allowed a magus to summon a Servant from the Throne of Heroes was one that could only be achieved under incredibly specific circumstances. The requirements to do so were so meticulous that even the slightest deviation from the required set up would result in absolute failure. To just so casually call upon a heroic spirit was near blasphemy, and when the one to do it was a mere civilian who barely knew a single spell…! "What did you summon then, a Lancer? No, he called himself a Rider before, but I've never heard of a Rider Servant who would be able to do such a weird attack. This shouldn't be possible, just like how Mashu successfully managing to fuse with a Servant after so many failures should be!"
"Breathe Director, breathe." Gudako said gently, what was meant to be a reassuring hand upon her shoulder. It was quickly thrown off, the white haired woman preparing herself for another tirade before a small cough drew their attention towards the Kamen Rider, Woz holding up a gear covered book as he flicked through the pages.
"There is only one man I truly serve and you are not him, though I suppose assisting in this one fight isn't too much of a bother." Woz remarked, letting out a small sound of approval as he found whatever page he desired. "As it is written in this book, average citizen Gudako Fujimaru has embarked on a path which leads her to become the greatest Master of all time, Kamen rider Diend. After having been forcible rayshifted due to a sabotage at Chaldea, she finds that her new acquaintance Mashu Kyrielight has taken on the form of Servant Shielder, discovering her new powers and meeting the Director Olga Marie Asmleit Animusphere along the way. Then, they would come to find the ley line and call upon the assistance of… Ah, I suppose it would be unwise to read so far into the future."
"The future? You claim you can actually see into the future?" Mashu spoke up in amazement, Kamen rider Woz giving a small nod before he pulled the lever of his belt back, withdrawing the strange watch that sat upon it as a flash of green energy removed the armour from existence. Beneath the futuristic looking protection sat a set of clothes that looked more suited for the apocalypse, a swamp green long coat with a skirt like flare and a grey hooded scarf. "I suppose that would be your noble phantasm then."
"While I may call myself a Rider, I'm not the same as the Servants you understand; it would be wise to keep that in mind." The black haired man stated, leaning back against the scorch grass on the incline as he read his book, looking like he was lounging at the beach despite the ruin that surrounded them on all sides. "However, I suppose it would not be unreasonable to consider the Oma Advent Calendar as such a thing with the power that it holds. Considering it chronicles the history of the one I have pledged my allegiance to, your calling to me must've altered it to read your own history, or to this form of you, your future. This advent Calendar has been written in the year two thousand and sixty eight; all of your work towards the preservation of humanity and beyond is detailed within this book."
"Ooh, let me read it then!" Gudako cried, leaping for the book only to fall flat upon her face when Woz moved his hand slightly back, the orange haired girl spitting out the burnt grass that was stuck between her teeth with a grimace. "Hey, no fair! I want to know what happens, the way you said that made it sound like something really big's gonna happen to me!"
"Indeed, which is precisely why I cannot allow you to glimpse these pages." The prophet explained, looking to his hand as tinges of green, red and blue appeared upon his hand, slowly spreading along the rest of his body. "Besides, it appears my time here is coming to an end and your Director appears to want a discussion with you. I shall leave you with this declaration. Rejoice! The one to inherit all Servant powers, the lone surviving Master who will rule over the past and the future! Her name is Kamen Rider Diend!"
Gudako didn't know how to react when her summon disappeared into the silhouettes he came from, turning around to see the intense anger displayed on Olga Marie's face. A sigh escaped the Master.
This was going to be fun.
Strike one: I just casually horrifically murdered Daiki off screen. Welcome to Fuyuki folks, where some crazy stuff is going to go down! Like I've said, his will feature a much heavier focus on the riders Gudako can summon, but that doesn't mean the servants are going to be forgotten. It's not going to be a harem this time either, I've learnt I'm not really good at writing that well. Please, tell me what you think!
Super hero time! See you next time!
