Chapter I

Howdy all! Yes, I have returned yet again with another in my stream of rebooted stories. This time I am restarting Chromatic Devil! Hopefully everyone enjoys this new version better than the original which was, to put it mildly, a mess. This one is a bit more streamlined though. Like before, however, it is a crossover of High School DxD, Tales of Xillia, the Fate series, though not Fate/Stay Night, and Testament of Sister New Devil. Most of the rest of the series that got involved are gone. The main character is still Ludger and it is still a harem, as if there was any other outcome. A lot of the set up is the same but the execution will be different. Well, enough babbling, on with the show!

In a large, brown-grey room made of old metal, several people lied on the ground around a large, glowing portal, two people hung on the wall to complex, magic circles, a man in a red suit stood above the portal with a sadistic smirk.

In the portal, a woman hung desperately on the edge of the portal. "You have to let me go!" the woman shouted desperately.

The man holding onto her gripped her hand tightly and rebutted, "I can't! Elle needs you!"

However, the air current from the portal strengthened, and Ludger felt his grip loosen until the woman slipped from his grip.

"No!" he shouted as she fell into the darkness.

A young man with short, messy, grey-white hair, his bangs dyed black, wearing a blue shirt with black trousers, groaned as he woke up and looked around in his new surroundings, a vast, endless, black expanse. "Urgh… where… am I…?" Suddenly the memories filled his head and he stood immediately. "Milla! Milla! Milla!"

Nearby, a woman with long, wild blonde hair, wearing a form-fitting cream-colored dress with red accents, stumbled to her feet. "Ugh… stop shouting…" As she came to, she too gasped and looked at the man. "Wait…? Ludger!?"

Ludger immediately rushed to hug her, wrapping his arms around her. "Milla! Milla! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Um… thank you?" a voice very similar to Milla's but slightly different, answered. "But… have we met?"

"Of course we –!" Ludger began before pulling away and seeing the woman he was hugging whilst almost identical to Milla, had a long Ahoge with a green tip and significantly different clothing. Looking up, he saw Milla nearby. "Uuuhhh…"

Milla growled at him, causing him to stand immediately, quivering.

"I – I didn't mean to! I – I mean… why there are two of you here…"

Milla sighed heavily. "That's obviously your dimension's Milla, you dumbass."

"… Ah hell…"

Milla sighed again before tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Ludger stiffened. "M – Milla…?"

"You idiot! Why'd you come…? Now Elle won't have either of us…"

Ludger flinched back in response. "I … I couldn't let you die… I couldn't stand to see her sad because you died, so I did everything I could… But, we're both alive, but we can both return to her."

The other Milla then interrupted. "I'm sorry to ruin your moment, but who are you two?"

Ludger nodded and turned to the woman. "… I'm Ludger Kresnik. This is my…"

"Girlfriend," Milla added.

"Right, my – what!?"

"What?"

"… N – Nothing…"

The other Milla nodded in understanding. "I am Milla Maxwell."

Ludger twitched an eyebrow in frustration. "That's going to get confusing."

With a shake of her head, the blonde added, "No, you can simply call me Maxwell if you're accustomed to calling your lover Milla."

Ludger nodded with a smile before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and almost immediately had a set of breasts in his face, causing him to shout as he stumbled back. Looking again, he saw a young woman with long, lustrous black hair, grey eyes with an almost empty look to them, and a voluptuous body clad in black and violet Lolita clothing, her torso almost completely bare, save for small strips of black tape covering her peaks.

Ludger gulped slightly as he looked at the girl, uncertain where to focus. "Uuuhhh… hi…"

Maxwell widened her eyes slightly. "Ophis? How'd you come with us?"

The girl, Ophis, pointed to Milla. "She landed on me."

"You know her?" Milla asked, annoyed at the girl.

Maxwell nodded in affirmation. "Yes. During my time in the Dimension Gap, we became acquainted."

"Ah…"

The group was distracted from their conversation as huge lights overhead flicked on, nearly blinding them.

"Alright, enough chatter you four," a commanding female voice ordered as a figure entered what Ludger realized was a massive metal room.

"What the hell…?" Ludger mumbled in confusion.

"Good, now you're all awake," noted a stern-looking young woman with long silver hair tied back on one side, wearing a formal coat with black and yellow accents over a white dress, along with thigh-high dark orange stockings.

Ludger looked over the woman in thought. "Who are you…?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, annoyed. "I'll be asking the questions. I am Olga Marie Animusphere, the head of the Chaldea Security Organization."

"The who in the what now?" Ludger, Milla, and Maxwell all murmured in bewilderment.

Olga frowned deeply before sighing. "Ugh… this is why I hate commoners. Just call me Olga. I am the head of Chaldea. It's our duty to monitor the state of our universe, and if anything goes awry, we set out to fix it and make sure it keeps existing."

Ludger flinched in concern. "… Please tell me you're not a Kresnik."

Olga raised an eyebrow. "Kresnik? No, I'm not a vampire hunter."

"… The hell's a vampire?"

"… Right, I'll just assume they don't exist in your dimension. Hey! I'm supposed to be asking the questions!" she sputtered, her irritation growing.

"Ah, right. Sorry beautiful. Why are we here?"

Olga's eyebrow began twitching.

"Oh, sorry. I'll stop talking now."

"Well at the very least that answers my first question."

"Which is?"

Olga finally snapped. "Stop asking questions!"

Ludger flinched and then laughed weakly. "Sorry… you're just kinda cute when you're mad."

The woman's face instantly turned red. "H – Huh!?"

A man with long orange hair tied in a ponytail wearing a lab coat put a hand over his mouth to try and stifle his laughter.

Olga immediately snapped at him. "Romani! Quit your laughing."

"S – Sorry…" Romani sputtered, a girl with chin-length violet hair, matching lavender eyes, and an ample bust slightly hidden by her baggy sweater, simply tilting her head in confusion. The man tapped her on the shoulder. "That's what's called a Tsundere, Mash."

"Ah…" Mash answered.

"Stop filling her head with nonsense you fool!" Olga snapped again.

Ludger frowned in thought as he scratched his head.

"Something wrong, Ludger?" Milla asked.

"Not exactly. This just seems familiar."

"It's a lot like how Leia and Alvin interact."

"Ah. Maybe."

Olga turned her attention back to the group, her frown returning as she looked at Ludger. "Good grief… look, you teleported in out of nowhere so we put you in this containment room. We need to know where you're from and if you're a threat to our dimension."

"I see…"

"Why would we be?" Maxwell questioned.

"You can never be too careful," Olga urged sternly.

"Right. What would you do if we were?" Ludger challenged.

"I'd kill you," Olga answered coldly.

"Ah." 'She must never know…'

"So, what's your goal then?"

"To get back to our home dimension. Because there's something important we need to do there."

Olga narrowed her eyes with a deeper frown. "I see. Well unfortunately activating the teleportation gate takes a lot of power and we need the exact dimension you're from to make it work. So, you'll be stuck here for a while."

"Right…"

Maxwell rubbed her chin in consideration. "That will indeed be hard, considering we fell though the Dimension Gap."

Olga's face went white. "… You what?"

"We crashed here through the Dimension Gap," Ludger answered plainly.

"… That's highly improbable."

Maxwell shrugged with a huff. "It doesn't matter, that's what happened. Right Ophis?"

Ophis nodded silently, causing Olga to go pale.

Noticing this, Ludger asked, "What's wrong?"

Olga gulped slightly. "… That girl… is Ophis…?"

Again, Ophis nodded silently.

"Is that bad…?" Ludger asked. "I mean, she looks harmless?"

"She is anything but! She's the Infinite Dragon God!" Olga shouted.

"The what now?" all three asked.

Olga growled in frustration. "I do NOT have the time to explain such obvious concepts to you! Why is that thing here!?"

Ophis pointed to Milla. "Big Butt Milla landed on me."

Milla's face turned red with embarrassed indignation. "Hey! It's not that big!"

"Why are you mad?" Ludger asked in confusion, causing Milla to hitch.

Olga groaned heavily. "Roman… you deal with the rest of this."

Roman tried to hold his laughter, very poorly at that. "But you're doing so well, Director…"

Olga immediately shot him a cold scowl.

Roman stiffened as a chill went down his spine. "Y – Yes, Director…"

Later, the four stood in the facility's infirmary with Mash and Roman.

"Geez…" Ludger groaned.

Roman laughed weakly in apology. "Sorry about the Director. She's always rather… tense."

"I can see that," Milla huffed.

"She certainly wasn't happy with us," Ludger remarked.

Roman nodded in understanding. "Well you see, she comes from the well-off and well-connected Animusphere family, so she's not really accustomed to people who don't know much about the stranger side of the world."

"What do you mean by 'stranger'?"

Roman put a hand on his chin on momentary consideration. "Well first, let me ask you this. Are you aware of the existence of magic and inhuman beings with superhuman powers?"

Ludger and Milla both pointed to Maxwell.

"Her name is Milla Maxwell and she's a Great Spirit."

Roman nodded in response. "I'm not entirely certain what a Great Spirit is, but given her human form and the fact you said Spirit, I have a rough idea. So, now, when I say the stranger side, I mean the side of the world that's beyond that. Interdimensional beings, dragons, devils, angels, the feuds of factions of beings beyond the comprehension of normal humans. The Animusphere family is one of many that function as a barrier between normal humans and this bizarre side of reality so that their lives can remain peaceful. So, as you can imagine, constantly having to deal with the machinations of demons, gods, and immortal creatures of other types is rather stressful."

Ludger's expression fell with a haunted look. "… You have no idea…"

"… I see you're of the same type. Though you seem to be handling it better than the Director. In her case it's probably because her father was the one tasked with handling the problems threatening our universe and now it's her duty to prove she can do the job lest the Mage's Association take command of Chaldea from her."

"I see… we don't really have this 'Mage's Association' where I'm from."

"Oh, then I'll explain. The Mage's Association is a group of the most powerful, wealthy, and influential families of magic users on the planet. They decide how mages should use their magic, put restrictions on the use of magic to better protect the normal humans, and handle situations or threats the world's governments aren't equipped to deal with. They also manage all of the contracts between mages and devils."

"I see… well that explains why we don't have one."

"Pardon?"

"Magic is known to exist to all people in our world, it's just rare for someone to be able to use it. Well, on my side of it. The Reize Maxia side is full of magic users."

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about but it sounds heavenly to not have to keep magic a secret."

Ludger scratched his cheek as he considered the man's statement. "I guess. Never really thought about it. Although, those from my side of things created items that utilize ambient mana from the world called Spyrixes."

"Interesting."

"Anyway, so basically, if the Director can't prove she can handle the job of protecting this dimension that association kick her out of command?"

"Yes."

Milla noticed the expression on Ludger's face and frowned. "… Ludger…"

Ludger stiffened, not looking at her. "… Yes, Milla?"

"I know what you're planning."

"Well I can't just do nothing," he argued, finally turning to her.

"Yes! You can!"

"How?"

"Just focus on surviving here, and then when they get that machine running, we leave."

"But…"

"Um… excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Roman questioned.

Ludger answered succinctly, "I might be able to help Olga keep her position by offering our help."

Roman's eyes widened slightly. "Really? Why? What do you have to gain?"

Ludger shook his head in response. "That isn't the point, the point is that I have the ability to help."

Maxwell immediately looked at Milla. "Seems you've found your Jude."

Milla twitched an eyebrow in reply. "What's that supposed to mean."

Mash then added, "Dr. Roman, why don't we let them help?"

Roman put a hand on his chin in consideration. "I don't see why not. We would have to see if any of them are capable of being Masters first though."

"Masters?" Ludger asked.

"People who have the capacity to link with Heroic Spirits and form contracts."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow curiously. "Heroic Spirits?"

"The resurrected souls of ancient heroes of mythology, put into false bodies to act as Familiars for mages with the right capability."

Ludger frowned in confusion.

"Weaker than when alive," Ophis added.

Roman nodded in reply. "Ah, yes, I should also add that they appear with roughly ten percent of the power they had in life."

"I see…" Ludger mumbled.

"How strange," Maxwell commented.

Roman laughed weakly in response. "I'm supposing there isn't anything like that in your world."

Ludger shook his head. "No. They don't even sound like what we call Spirits."

"Well Spirits is a general term here. It refers not only to beings made of pure mana but also a mother term for souls."

"So how do you test it?"

"Right this way," Roman replied before opening the door, a small, furry, white, cat-like animal running in before stopping and looking at Ludger.

"Fou?" the animal hummed.

"Eh?" Ludger muttered.

"Fou, fou!" it chirped before leaping, latching onto his leg, and climbing up to his shoulders.

"H – Hey!"

Mash laughed lightly. "It looks like Fou likes you."

"That's good… I guess…" Ludger muttered, the creature sitting on his shoulder as Mash scratched its nose.

Roman blinked in mild surprise. "Normally he only likes Mash."

"Ah. I see," he noted before scratching behind Fou's ears, the critter purring as he did, causing him to chuckle. "Purrs just like my cat."

Roman nodded before pulling a large, clear, light blue crystal out of a drawer. "Here."

Ludger looked at it curiously. "So, we just hold this crystal?"

"Yes. Depending on what color it glows we'll have our answer."

"Right…" he remarked as he held it, a soft green light pulsing inside of it. Ludger frowned, not knowing what it meant.

"That means you're a fairly good candidate for Master, though it's not guaranteed."

"I see. Here you go Milla."

As soon as Milla held it, the crystal glowed a bright, vibrant blue.

Roman's eyes went wide in shock. "W – Wow… you're an almost perfect candidate to be a Master."

"Eh?" Milla muttered, the crystal still glowing.

"Basically, your ability to summon a Servant is based on how your mana flows. And Ludger's flows in a way that's fairly compatible with a Servant, but he might have trouble with the strongest ones. But you can easily summon and command even the most powerful of Servants."

Ludger put a hand on his chin. "Huh. Guess it's because she's a native of Rieze Maxia."

Roman frowned slightly in confusion. "I… see. Moving on, you two would certainly make great candidates. The Director would have to approve of you using the Summoning System, but that aside I think there are some things you can do to help."

"Like what?"

"Mainly information gathering. We're understaffed as it is, so we don't really have the spare manpower to see how the world's going. So, we'd like you all to take up residence in Fuyuki."

"Fuyuki?"

"The previous Holy Grail War took place there, but after its sordid conclusion the Grail disappeared. The Mage's Association refuses to investigate for some reason and we don't have enough manpower."

Maxwell frowned in bewilderment. "Grail War? Why do humans fight over a cup?"

"Oh, right. They're not fighting over a regular cup. In our world, there's a legend known as the Holy Grail. Simplified, there's a mythical figure in one of Earth's religions who supposedly drank from the cup before his death, and due to that it is imbued with the power to grant one wish to those worthy enough to find it."

"I see."

"The Holy Grail War acts as a means to create a copy of the Grail to achieve the same effects, since the real one might not even exist. But when the Grail was set to materialize in the previous War it vanished, and its last known whereabouts were Fuyuki."

Ludger nodded in comprehension. "And you want us to look for it. If it still exists that is."

"Or maybe find out what happened to it," Roman answered in agreement.

"Right. I'll need any info you have on it. Even info you got from Fractured Dimensions."

Roman raised an eyebrow in thought. "Fracture Dimensions? I'm supposing that's your term for the other worlds?"

"Probably."

"Right. I'll share what I can with you, but understand a lot of that information is classified."

"I understand. Just give us what you can and we'll take it from there. After all, it'd make our investigation much easier."

As Ludger and the others made their way down a hallway, Milla snapped at Ludger. "I can't believe you!"

Ludger shrunk away from her in worry and surprise. "Wh – What'd I do?"

"We've only just arrived here, we don't even know these people, and you're HELPING them?!"

"Well, they are the only people we know in this world, are part of an organization that can help us, and we have nothing but our inventory, Gald, weapons and clothes."

"Which is why we should focus on getting back as soon as possible," she argued sternly.

"And how will we do that? We came here falling through the Dimension Gap. We didn't come here through my Chromatus."

"That's what we should focus on looking for, not helping these strangers!" Milla shouted, her frustration and anxiety reaching a fever pitch.

"Milla, cal –"

Milla finally cracked and began shouting frantically, her worry showing through her anger. "NO! I can't calm down! Not while knowing Elle's stuck there alone with that freak!"

Ludger, however, kept even. "Do you think Muzet and the others would leave her alone with him?"

"But… but I…!"

Ludger smiled softly before wrapping his arms around her. "Milla, don't worry. We will see her again. She's our daughter in all but blood after all."

Milla tightened her fists before she slackened gently. "… Idiot… how can you be so calm…?"

"Because I have to be. Otherwise…"

The two remained silent for several moments before Ophis spoke, breaking the tension. "Hungry…"

Ludger looked up from his embrace with Milla and laughed lightly. "Let's get something to eat then. They should have a cafeteria here."

After some searching the four found their way to a large room filled with long tables, and saw a kitchen at the opposite end.

However, as they approached they realized someone was already inside.

As Ludger walked in, he realized it was a young beauty with elbow-length, wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, clad in an elaborate uniform of red, blue, and gold, though her left arm had a large, black and gold, armored gauntlet, seemingly prosthetic, her impressive bust swaying with each movement as she stirred and chopped ingredients with an oblivious hum.

After a moment, the woman noticed the group and smiled brightly to them. "Welcome!" she chirped.

"H – Hey there," Ludger answered uncomfortably, Milla puffing her cheeks at the woman.

"I'm Leona da Vinci, but you can just call me da Vinci-Chan," she greeted, bowing to them.

"R – Right… I'll remember that."

"So, what do you need?" Leona asked, her right hand still working with ingredients as she spoke.

"We were just looking to make some food."

Leona again smiled brightly. "Oh I can do that!"

"No, that's o –"

"I. Can. Do. That," she urged bluntly as she got uncomfortably close to Ludger with a worrying smile.

"… R – Right…"

Milla twitched an eyebrow as the woman stood so close to Ludger, Maxwell just tilting her head in confusion.

Ludger sighed heavily as he and the others sat at one of the long tables before Leona walked over carrying a large pot of food with her left arm. "Ta-da!"

"Ooohhh!" Maxwell howled in excitement at the stew in the pot.

Ludger blinked in surprise as Leona served bowls of it to each of them. "It looks pretty good."

Leona instantly turned to him with that same worrying smile. "Oh? Why so surprised?"

Ludger flinched as a cold chill went up his back. "Y – Your prosthetic arm looks like it'd get in the way of cooking."

"Nope!" she chirped, moving the hand and fingers on her left with deft ease.

"I see. Guess you got a lot of practice with it then."

Leona shot him a sly smirk as she leaned forward. "Wanna get a demonstration?"

Ludger gulped deeply as he wasn't certain where to look, Milla's jealous glare not helping. "… No."

Leona stood up straight, still sporting the same smile. "Aw, maybe next time."

Milla continued glaring at Leona as Ophis and Maxwell excitedly gobbled up their food.

Ludger sighed and patted her shoulder. "… Milla, just get to eating and ignore the sadist."

After finishing their meal, Ophis leaned sleepily against Ludger, causing the man to tap her shoulder gently. "Um… wh - why are you on me…?"

"Comfy…" she answered slowly.

"A – Ah…" he answered in slight concern before going stiff as Milla continued glaring.

Maxwell frowned curiously. "Why are you glaring?"

"Shut it," she bit.

Ludger frowned with disapproval. "Hey, come on, she's just asking a question."

Milla scowled at him and then sighed in defeat.

"So you're heading to Fuyuki?" Leona asked with interest.

Ludger nodded in return. "Yes, we are. Looking into that Holy Grail specifically."

Leona sighed longingly. "Aahhhh… I've always wanted to tour Japan, I wish I could come with you instead of being stuck here."

"Why?" Ludger asked in concern.

"Because I'm a Heroic Spirit and I'm not Contracted with anyone. If I leave the premises I'll lose all my mana and vanish."

"… Ah… That's… sad. And lonely."

Leona merely shrugged with the same smile. "I'm accustomed to it. Though I would like to venture out." She then moaned with yearning. "Oohh what I wouldn't give for my dear Karnal to be here!"

Ludger blinked in confusion. "Who's Karnal?"

"Oh, right. My dear husband. He made most of my time spent painting and designing possible."

"You make things? Like what?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You don't know?"

"Not from here," Ophis interjected, still half-asleep on Ludger's side.

"Ah. Yes, I do. I've designed numerous machines, many of which the most brilliant minds of today are still trying to replicate. I've made many paintings, sculptures, architectural feats, I also dabbled in mathematics, various worlds of science, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, botany, history, and cartography to name a few."

"Interesting? You know about Augs?"

"Augs?" the beauty asked with curiosity.

Pointing to her left arm, he added, "Like your prosthetic arm."

"Oh! Yes, I'm very skilled with them. The one's I'm accustomed to are made of steel and magic, but I've studied up on the more modern kind of today. Why? Interested in getting some?"

"No. Interested in finding someone to keep mine working."

"Oh? You have some already? I can take a look if you'd like. They may not be a kind I've seen before but I can get a grasp quickly. I became a master of nuclear thermodynamics overnight."

"Nuclear?"

Leona waved a hand dismissively. "I'll explain it later. So, do you need anything right now?"

"Not really. Though a checkup might be good just to ensure everything's working properly."

"Right!"

"Okay, just take your shirt off," Leona stated as the two stood in a small room.

"H – Huh?" Ludger sputtered.

"To perform a diagnostic I need to clearly examine them."

"Ah…" he noted before he began undressing fully.

Leona tilted her head slightly. "Huh?"

"All four of my limbs, my lungs, and several other parts of my body had to be replaced or enhanced."

"Why?"

"I was in a train crash and almost died. Ended up being saved, but I was also put twenty million in debt."

"Oh my… that's deep."

"Tell me about it…"

Leona put a hand on her chin in thought. "Hm… wish I could help."

Ludger shrugged in response. "If you can just keep my Augs functioning that'll be enough."

"Right! So let's get you checked up!"

Some time passed, and eventually Leona finished, Ludger putting his shirt on afterwards.

Leona looked over a tablet filled with information as he did. "Well, everything seems to be functioning normally, though the new language makes things a little complicated."

"Sorry about that, I guess."

"No, no, it's fine," Leona retorted with a smile as Ludger opened the door to leave, causing Milla, Ophis, and Maxwell to stumble into the room.

Ludger's eyebrow twitched at the girls. "… What are you three doing?"

"… Nothing?" Milla replied unconvincingly.

"Right…"

"Peeping," Ophis answered plainly.

"Ophis!" the blonde growled.

Ophis looked at her in confusion. "He asked."

Ludger just sighed.

Roman looked over an inventory of items as Ludger and the others stood in front of him. "Okay, these should be everything you need for a month or two in Japan. Hopefully you're quick learners."

Ludger nodded in response. "Right. Thanks for this, Romani."

Roman nodded with a smile before he remembered a detail. "Certainly. Oh, one more thing. Do you have a cellphone?"

"Cellphone?"

"This," he replied before pulling a small tablet out of his pocket.

Ludger nodded before pulling out a similar device that folded in half, the upper portion able to fold to the side. "Oh. We have something like that. It's called a GHS. Never really bothered finding out what it stands for."

"Ah. Let me see it for a moment."

"Sure," Ludger answered, handing the device to Roman.

After a few moments of looking between the two devices and tapping on them he handed it back to Ludger. "Hm… yeah, it seems fairly similar to our smartphones. So, it should be fine."

"That's good."

"Though, what does it run on?"

"Lightning mana."

"S – Seriously!?" Roman gasped.

"Um… yeah, why?" Ludger muttered, confused and somewhat worried.

"I – Is it really possible to use mana like that!?"

"All Spyrix tech runs on mana. Most of it lightning based."

"That's… incredible."

Maxwell folded her arms in response. "Your world must be truly primitive if it hasn't even discovered how to use mana that way."

Roman shook his head in response. "No, it's more like our world has developed to operate without the use of magic. At all."

Maxwell, Ludger, and Milla all gaped at him. "… Eh?"

Roman chuckled lightly before nodding. "Yes. Our world is based on the manipulation of the world through science. Rather than using magic to make the world work, we study how the world works and then use that knowledge to alter it to our purposes."

"I see… so no airships then."

"No, we have those. They're called airplanes."

"Aeroplanes?"

"Uh… something like that. It's complicated but they fly without the use of any magic."

"I see. I would like to see that."

"You will. It's how you'll be getting to Japan."

"… What… is that…?" Ludger questioned in disbelief as he and the others stood in front of a medium sized airplane.

"It looks like a slug with wings," Milla grumbled.

"Yeah. Nothing at all like an airship. How does it get off the ground?"

Mash then approached him and handed him a large textbook. "Here, this should explain everything."

Ludger's expression went flat. "… Is it really that complicated?"

Mash shook her head. "No, there are just a lot of concepts that have nothing to do with magic you need to understand first."

"… Well I guess it gives me something to do…"

Ludger groaned heavily as he read the thick book during the flight.

"Do you actually understand any of the junk in that book?" Milla muttered, peering over the page.

"Yeah, bits and pieces. Seems that Elympios and Earth are culturally similar at least. Yeah. They also have a lot of the same technology we do, but it works differently to ours. None of their science even acknowledges the existence of Spirits. And all of their weapons are slug-based."

Milla blinked in confusion. "Slug?" She looked up in thought as she imagined a slime-coated slug leaping out of the end of a gun.

Ludger, as if knowing what she was imagining, noted flatly, "Not that kind. It's slang for a bullet."

"Oh…"

The two's attention was then diverted when they noticed Maxwell slumped over, breathing heavily.

Ludger frowned slightly in concern. "Maxwell? Are you okay?"

Maxwell, through strained breaths, answered, "It seems that… outside the confines of that facility… the mana concentration is much lower…"

Remembering Leona's words, Ludger's face went white. "No…"

Before he could think another thing, Ophis grabbed him by the hand, pulled him out of his seat, and put his hand on Maxwell's.

"H – Huh?"

"Tether," Ophis urged plainly.

"H – Huh?!" the blonde gasped.

Ophis frowned and urged once more, "Tether. Now. Or Big Boob Milla dies."

Ludger remained silent for a moment before turning to her. "… Maxwell?"

Maxwell curled her hand with frustration. "… I should… only with Jude…"

Ophis argued, "If you don't, you'll die."

"… Okay. I – I'll do it…"

Ophis nodded firmly to Ludger, he wrapped his hand around Maxwell's, and for a moment felt his strength sap slightly, and then noticed Maxwell stiffen before sighing with a light tint to her face. "Um… are you okay?"

Maxwell shivered and then lowered her face, her bangs hiding her eyes, and nodded.

"What's wrong?" Ludger pushed, concerned for her.

"N – Nothing!" she sputtered.

"Okay…?" Ludger was about to ask again before the plane suddenly rocked hard. "What the hell!?"

Milla stood and grabbed her sword. "Are we under attack!?"

The stewardess nearby laughed weakly in fear. "U – Um, no… it's just turbulence…"

Ludger frowned before sitting down. '… I'm not liking airplanes at all…'

Eventually, the plane landed in a small airport within Japan, Ludger and the others walking down a set of small stairs to exit.

Ludger himself sighed heavily as they got off. "Finally… land…"

"I feel sick…" Milla grumbled, walking unsteadily.

"Why?" Maxwell asked obliviously.

Ophis, however, shivered subtly, holding on tightly to Ludger's arm.

He smiled warmly and patted her head gently. "It's okay now, Ophis."

She looked up at him unconvinced. "Not flying anymore?"

"No. If we're doing anymore traveling it'll be by train."

Ophis took a gulp and stepped away from him, flaring her arms out slightly as she stood before sighing in relief.

Maxwell looked at Ludger strangely as he smiled to Ophis before turning red.

"Maxwell? You okay?" Ludger asked.

"I – I'm fine!" she suddenly shouted.

"Right… So, is this also a Chaldea facility?"

Suddenly, a new voice answered, "Yes, it is."

Ludger immediately turned and saw a beautiful woman with long, dark blonde hair tied in a braided ponytail, bright red eyes, wearing a red and black military uniform, the coat forming tightly around her significant bust, a large pistol at her waist. "Beautiful…"

The woman looked at him in mild confusion before Milla pinched his arm sharply.

"O – Ow…"

She shrugged before continuing. "I am Nightingale, I handle most of the medical situations at this particular facility."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Nightingale."

Nodding, she redirected, "Am I to assume you're the freelancers da Vinci told me about?"

Ludger nodded in affirmation. "Yes. We are."

"Good. Then we can simply get to the issue at hand."

He stiffened in surprise. "W – We don't even get a day to rest…?"

"We just got done with that flying metal deathtrap…" Milla grumbled heavily, her shoulders slumped.

Nightingale argued flatly, "I am afraid such time is not at dispense. The longer you wait the worse the situation can get."

"What are you talking about?" Ludger questioned.

The woman's delicate features curled with a light frown. "Were you not informed of the situation?"

"What situation?"

She was about to respond when a new, irritable, voice chimed in. "Berserker, you can't just go around blabbing like that."

Nightingale turned as a young woman with a slender figure, long black hair tied in twintails, and clad in plain red and black clothing, approached. "My apologies, Rin."

Ludger frowned in confusion. "Berserker?"

The girl, Rin, nodded. "Yes. That is her Class."

Nightingale interjected, "I don't think they know what you mean."

Ludger nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You sound like a gamer or something when you talk about 'Class'."

Rin groaned heavily. "Great… they sent a bunch of idiots."

Milla growled at the girl, Ludger retorting, "Well excuse me, Miss."

"I wouldn't call ignorance their fault," Nightingale rebutted.

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Rin argued.

"Great… the second person we meet is a bitch," Ludger grumbled.

Rin instantly gained an annoyed tic mark at the man. "I am Rin Tohsaka, you should watch your tongue!"

"Never heard the name, so I won't."

"Tch, so you're uncultured too."

"No, I'm just not from your dimension."

"… Oh."

Milla snickered at the girl's sudden embarrassment.

Rin cleared her throat and then reformed her composure as if the previous moments had not just happened. "S – So you don't have any idea what's going on? Allow me to explain!"

"Well she's a unique one…" Maxwell noted.

"You have no idea!" a small, floating stick shouted as it fluttered around Rin.

Milla blanked in shock. "… Is that wand flying… and talking…?"

The wand seemed to smile as floated around Rin. "That I am! I am the amazing Kaleidostick Ruby!"

Ludger's jaw fell. "… This world keeps getting weirder and weirder… Now it has sentient talking sticks… I think I'd rather go back to fighting wyverns…"

"We have those too," Ruby cheerfully answered.

"… Yay…"

Rin soon led the group to a large door at the end of a long hallway, announcing as she knocked, "Milady, the Freelancers have arrived."

"Send them in then, Rin," a female voice from inside ordered, mildly annoyed.

"Y – Yes, Milady," Rin winced slightly at the woman's tone as she opened the door.

They all walked in and Ludger was instantly struck by the appearance of the woman, long, slender legs, ankle-length, pale green hair tied tightly into a braid, vibrant copper eyes, and a form-fitting, slim, white dress that exquisitely showed off her expansive bust. 'Wh – Whoa…'

The woman looked over the group curiously before a small smirk formed on her lips. 'Well, this is good to see.'

Ophis waved casually to the woman. "Hi, Mermer."

The well-endowed woman nodded in return. "Ophi. It's been a while. And surprising to see you here too."

Ophis lazily pointed to Milla. "Big Butt Milla fell on me."

"It's not that big!" Milla protested with embarrassment.

Maxwell frowned slightly. "She calls me Big Boob Milla, I don't believe they are that cumbersome."

The green-haired woman managed to barely stifle her amusement. "I see. It certainly helps identify you two."

Milla pouted as the woman continued.

"Moving on to more formal matters, I am Merlin, founder of the Mage's Association and current head of its Japanese branch. The school girl that I hope properly introduced herself without fouling it up too badly is Rin Tohsaka. Head of the Tohsaka Family from the sheer virtue of being the only one left."

Ludger chuckled lightly in amusement. "No, she didn't leave too bad an impression."

Ruby floated up from behind the girl and added, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure a dried squid could have done worse!"

"Why you…!" Rin growled, pulling and tugging on the wand's top, stretching it cartoonishly.

Merlin put a hand over her face in exasperation. "Lovely… well try not to let her acerbic disposition color your opinion of the Association."

Ludger waved a hand dismissively with a smile. "It's okay, every group has its sour apples."

"Wait 'til you meet the melons," Ruby added, still being pulled and stretched by an angry Rin.

"Come again?" Ludger wondered.

Merlin sighed and redirected the shattering conversation. "Right, right. So, I'm to believe you're from a different universe?"

Ludger nodded in affirmation. "Yes, we are."

"I wonder which one, then," she touted, noting Ludger's reaction.

"Uh… wh – who knows…?"

She smirked knowingly at his response. "If you think it's the so-called 'Prime' Dimension, don't be so full of yourself."

Ludger stiffened sharply.

"Is something wrong?"

"N – No…"

Her lips curled up further in amusement before she decided to redirect the situation. "Right. Now then, on to business. I'm going to assume that in usual fashion Roman told you nothing of what's going on here?"

"Only about a missing cup," Maxwell answered, causing Merlin to groan heavily.

"Of course… well better inform you then on what's happening. Did he at least inform you of the Class Cards?"

"Nuh-uh," Ludger mumbled.

"That man's useless as always…"

"He does this often I take it?"

"As often as Rin enjoys the taste of her own foot!" Ruby chimed in before being abused by Rin yet again.

Merlin rubbed her temples in exasperation. "Well I see I've got a lot to explain to you, so try and keep up."

"Right."

"First, do you know what Heroic Spirits are?"

"Roman said they're the revived souls of dead heroes, but aren't as powerful as when they were alive."

"Hm… close enough. There's a little more to it than that but that'll do. There are two ways of summoning Heroic Spirits. Summoning them as Servants via an artificial Holy Grail or using a summoning ritual to bring them in as Class Cards."

"Right…"

"You don't need to understand everything, you just need to grasp the basics. Now, as for the situation here in Fuyuki, it's the latter. Someone summoned seven Servants as Class Cards and they somehow wound up scattered across the city. Rin here is one of two people sent by the Association to gather them."

"Is the other one anything like Rin?"

"Nope!" Ruby chirped.

"Oh thank Origin…"

"She's bigger!"

Ludger slapped a hand on his face in disbelief.

Merlin sighed in annoyance. "Moving on, before I explain that further, I'll explain how all this Servant business works."

"That'd be good," Milla rebutted, causing Merlin to twitch an eyebrow slightly.

"The Servants are divided into seven primary Classes, with a few Subclasses as well. The primary Classes are Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin. Some of the Subclasses are Ruler, Avenger, and Alter-Ego. Each Class has its own unique strengths and weaknesses."

Ludger nodded in understanding before blinking in thought. "Ah. Wait, so does that mean Nightingale is a Servant? Rin called her Berserker."

Merlin instantly gained a strong frown at the now petrified Rin. "Rin…"

Rin winced away in fear. "Y – Yes…?"

"We've been over this. It's very rude to call a Heroic Spirit by their Class rather than their name. It whittles them down to a tool rather than a person. How would you feel if I start calling you 'Magical Girl' instead of by your name?"

Rin winced further, Ludger frowning in concern. "Um… did I screw something up?"

Merlin shook her head in response. "No. You see, before now, Mages have waged small-scale wars where they summon one Servant each from each of the primary Classes. The goal was to whittle down the competition until it was one Servant and one Master left. Due to these Heroic Spirits being based on famous heroes of myth, it was common to refer to them by their Class name instead of their True Name, as doing so would tip your enemies on what their abilities, and more importantly, their weaknesses are. However, since it's been over ten years since the last Grail War, and the very mechanisms for summoning the Grail have gone missing, that dehumanizing practice is no longer necessary. Though, as you can see, old habits die hard."

"Right…"

"Now, the reason Sol – Roman sent you here I'm sure is to track clues and try to find the current whereabouts of the Grail's summoning system. I suggest you give that up. I've been studying the situation since its disappearance and have yet to find it."

"I see…" Ludger answered with disappointment.

"However… I've been having to divide my time doing that old fool's scavenger hunt, so if you can be a dear and help the two brats search for the cards, I can devote all of my time to hunting for the Grail."

Ruby immediately popped in. "Ooh! Maybe he can help Rin with that stick up her –" it stated before Rin immediately threw the wand on the floor and began furiously stomping on it.

"Shutupshutupshutup!"

"They seem like good friends," Maxwell remarked, causing Milla to back away from her in concern.

"The hell would bad friends look like to you?" the other blonde commented.

Merlin added, "So, you help Luvia and Rin gather the Class Cards and I can focus on that little fool's project."

Ludger nodded in reply. "Sure, we will."

Merlin nodded happily before blinking in thought and partially opening her top.

Ludger flinched back. "Wh – What the…?!"

"Good. Here, something that will make your mission easier," she explained before pulling a large card from her cleavage with the image of a white-haired man on it.

Ludger looked at the card curiously. "What's this…?"

"One of my personal Class Cards, Lancer. If you utilize the Include spell you can temporarily take on attributes of the Heroic Spirit contained within. Making you stronger and better able to fight on even terms with a Heroic Spirit."

Ophis just stared at Merlin, the woman ignoring her.

"Right…" he muttered before putting the card in his pocket. "Thanks then, Merlin."

"Certainly. Though, you might be cursing me after a few hours with those two."

That caused the young man to frown in deep worry.

"Geez…" Ludger groaned as he stood in front of a new person, a woman with long, curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a very full bust wearing a formal blue dress.

"This is unacceptable!" the blonde wailed.

Another floating wand, this one blue, calmly urged, "Please calm down Luvia."

Luvia growled angrily. "No! If it's not me who collects the Class Cards, then Master won't teach me!"

Rin stepped forward, insulted. "You!? It's supposed to be us you big-titted cow!"

Ludger frowned in mild confusion. "Her breasts look normal to me."

Ruby sighed in despair. "Now you've done it."

"Those milk bags are NOT normal! They're inhuman!" Rin shrieked.

Luvia returned her insults. "Humph! You're just jealous that you're flatter than a washboard!"

Ludger groaned heavily before reaching his breaking point. "Oh my god will you both stop arguing!? You both look good in your own way!"

The duo instantly froze, looking at Ludger before their faces turned red.

Ruby clapped her little wings together. "Look at that, Sapphire!" Ruby exclaimed, the blue wand sighing heavily.

"Oh my…"

Rin and Luvia merely sputtered quietly.

Ruby tilted to the side in confusion. "Oohh… I think he broke them… That's so cool…"

"L – Let's just go…" Rin stuttered.

"A – Agreed…" Luvia added.

The group then took a train from the base to a station atop a hill overlooking a small town, without any large buildings or extravagant machinery in sight.

Milla looked over the area in thought. "Such a weird town…"

Ludger nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Looks low tech."

"Most rural cities are," Rin explained, walking next to him, before sputtering slightly.

"I see."

Luvia then smirked deviously. "Rin was actually born in this backwater place."

Ludger raised an eyebrow curiously before looking at Rin. "So she's a cute country girl then?"

Luvia's jaw dropped in defeat as Rin flailed in surprise before looking away from him. "… I – I don't know about country girl… b – but I'll let it slide this time…"

Ruby giggled in amusement. "Aaww, Rin is such a Tsun!"

Rin instantly gained a tic mark as she began flailing at Ruby, trying to catch the wand. "Shut it, you stupid paperweight!"

Sapphire sighed in exasperation. "Please stop antagonizing your wielder Ruby."

"What ever do you mean?" Ruby asked calmly as Ruby viciously stretched and pulled the stick's head like a rubber toy.

Sapphire merely sighed, Ludger chuckling before turning to Luvia in thought. "So, where are you from Luvia?"

"H – Huh?" she stuttered, not expecting the question.

"Where are you from?"

"O – Oh. I'm from England."

"Ah. So a beautiful foreigner."

Luvia stiffened and turned away from him swiftly.

"What's wrong?"

"N – Nothing! L – Let's find a place to set as our base."

"Okay?"

As the group walked towards the city, Ludger frowned as Ruby sat on his shoulder. "Um… what are you doing?"

Ruby glanced back at Rin and then to Ludger. "She won't get close to you, so if I'm here she'll stop hitting me."

"She'd stop if you stopped teasing her harshly," he deadpanned.

"Aw… but she's so cute when she's Tsunning."

"Be that as it may, you can't provoke someone and then complain when they react. So stop or accept the punishment."

"Hmph…"

Ludger glanced back at the two girls curiously. "So, have you two found any of those Cards yet?"

Luvia shook her head in denial. "Not us personally, but the Association sent some Enforcers who gathered two of them, Lancer and Archer."

"I see. How do you use them?"

"You have to use the Include spell. For Rin and me, Sapphire and Ruby make doing so easy."

"I see. So they're a shortcut."

Ruby nodded with a snicker. "Yep! They use us as crutches."

Rin twitched an eyebrow angrily. "Why you…!"

Ludger simply sighed.

"Hey! Wait up!" a voice nearby shouted, another retorting, "I thought you said you were fast!"

"Huh?" Ludger hummed as he rounded the corner and saw a girl with short orange hair tied to the side wearing a white uniform with a dark red skirt riding on a bike in front of a young girl with snow-white hair, dark red eyes, and wearing a brown and maroon uniform.

The girl on the bike was looking back at the younger girl, not paying attention to what was in front of her.

Ludger's expression went deadpan. "Ah, sh –" he began before the girl ran straight into him.

Hearing the loud crash, Milla and the others rushed ahead and saw the girl lying on top of Ludger.

"Sis!" the younger girl shouted in worry as she ran over.

As the orange-haired girl opened her eyes, she saw Ludger underneath her.

"You alright?" he asked calmly.

Her face soon turned the same shade as her face before she instantly backed away from Ludger. "Y – Yeah, I'm fine!"

The younger girl stumbled forward exhausted before flopping onto the pavement. "I'm… so… tired…"

Ludger frowned slightly as he sat up. "… Need help?"

The girl looked at him in surprise before looking around at his party. "H – Huh?"

"Who're they?" Milla questioned as she approached.

Ludger pointed to the duo and answered plainly, "The girl who ran into me and her sister, I assume."

The young girl nodded lamely in bewilderment.

Suddenly the orange-haired girl tensed before bowing formally. "O – Oh! I'm Shiro Emiya, and this is my little sister, Illyasviel, though we just call her Illya." Shiro huffed towards the little girl, who also bowed to Ludger, albeit with mild confusion.

Ludger merely smiled at the two. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Ludger Kresnik."

Shiro smiled in relief before remembering she had just slammed into the man before her and turned red with embarrassment before bowing repeatedly. "I – I'm so sorry!"

Ludger shook his head in denial. "It's okay. Though your bike doesn't look it…"

"Huh?" Shiro turned pale as she looked at her bicycle and realized it was completely crumpled. "Oh no! Sella's gonna kill me!"

Ludger frowned in confusion. "Who?"

"Sella, our maid!" Shiro shouted, frantic over the encroaching disaster.

"I see…" After a moment of consideration, Ludger suggested, "Why don't I go with you and explain things?"

"H – Huh?" Shiro looked at him in surprise before sighing in defeat and shaking her head. "There's no need for that, Kresnik. It's still my fault for not looking."

Ludger waved a hand in mitigation. "It's okay. I insist. Besides, you'll need help lugging this wreck back home," he urged, hoisting the crumbled mass of metal with one arm.

Shiro frowned guiltily before nodding. "… O – Okay…"

"We'll look for somewhere to stay while you do that," Maxwell remarked, holding Milla back from bursting with anger.

As Ludger followed the two in an uncomfortable silence, he decided he would be the one to break it. "So, have you lived here long?"

Shiro nodded stiffly. "Yes, I have. According to my mother, I've lived here my whole life."

Ludger raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "That's an odd choice of words."

"It's not if you can't remember."

"Oh…"

"She's not actually my mother, she and my father adopted me ten years ago after an accident, and I don't remember anything before that."

"I see… I guess we have something in common then."

"Huh?"

"I don't remember a whole lot of my own past either."

Illya then chimed in with a bright smile, "So you're like destined partners!"

Shiro's face turned deep red. "I – Illya! Watch what you're saying!"

"Y – Yeah!" Ludger added, his face also red.

Illya tilted her head innocently in confusion. "Huh? What'd I do?"

Ludger frowned before sighing. "… Nevermind…"

Shiro swiftly sputtered before pointing to a modest house nearby behind a fence. "Th – Th – This is our home!"

Ludger blinked and looked at the home in thought. "Huh… nice place. Real nice."

"My, my!" a new voice exclaimed, Ludger looking as a young woman wearing plain clothing with her hair, the same vibrant white as Illya's with the same red eyes, approached the two. "Did you actually bring a boy home, Shiro?!" she asked with lewd intrigue.

Shiro's face turned even redder. "I – I did not, Sella!"

Sella snickered before pointing to Ludger. "Then why is one with you?"

Shiro turned pale as she remembered the crumpled bike Ludger was carrying and pointed to it, causing Sella's amused expression to instantly turn violent.

"She's pissed," Ludger deadpanned.

Illya looked at him curiously. "How can you tell?"

"I know women."

"Oh. Should we run?"

"We'd only die tired."

Illya sighed in defeat. "… But I'm already tired…"

Sella looked at Shiro with indignation. "Shi – ro… how did you break your bike?"

Shiro gulped in fear before Ludger stepped in front of her with a disarming smile. "Allow me to explain."

"O – Oh?" she sputtered slightly, surprised at his interjection.

"I wasn't watching where I was going and got in Shiro's way. She didn't have enough time to stop so I decided it was better I get a little banged up her bike damaged than her get hurt," Ludger explained, keeping his same smile.

Sella remained silent for a moment before nodding. "O – Oh…"

Shiro gaped slightly in disbelief.

Sella gulped after a pause. "Wh – Why don't we go inside?"

"Right," Ludger answered with a simple nod.

And scene! Or... maybe cut? Whatever, chapter is over! That concludes the first chapter, so be sure to let me know what you guys thought of it, if you liked it, or if you were confused, unsure, or had any questions about anything, as I will do my best to address your queries in a review response. If you did not like it, while I do appreciate you saying what you did not like, what you think would work better would help everyone involved more, though your best course of action would be to save my time and yours, and go and do something else you actually do enjoy. But, with that said, until next time, bye-bye!