Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Blazblue. That honor goes to Type-Moon and Arc-Systems respectively.
KingofBeasts Productions Presents:
Fate/Continuum Shift: A Fate/Stay NightxBlazblue Crossover
Chapter 1: At Camlann's End
Here lay Arturia Pendragon, King of Knights and Lord of Camelot.
There was nary a sound within the forest clearing. Neither the chirping of birds nor the running of water persisted to disturb the king's final slumber. The noon sun shone brightly upon her form as it lay there, earning the rest she had deserved after the hell that was the Battle of Camlann.
And peaceful it was; the warrior maiden slumbered contently as the sun's rays reflected on her untied hair, making it glimmer like liquid gold. Her fair features remained untarnished by the ravages of war. However, the thing that would strike an onlooker the most with how peaceful she looked; she slept as if death was no burden to her.
This peace, of course, can be owed to the end of the 5th Grail War, as well as the love she found in one Shirou Emiya.
Bedivere had long left the body, truly believing that the king had passed on. As such, the king would sleep undisturbed, the meadow an immaculate shrine where she can dream of the boy she fell in love with for all time.
At least, until one curious vampire appeared out of thin air.
"So this is the fabled King Arthur? To be honest, I still find the truth of her gender a shocking revelation." The vampire, a female, spoke in the tone of voice that belonged to a high-born noble. She was clad in a black dress that many would describe as gothic lolita. Her long blonde hair was tied into twintails by two black ribbons. Her eyes, as red as the richest rubies, gazed at the sleeping girl as if studying her. She was holding an umbrella in her right hand, no doubt to shield herself from the irritating sunlight.
"Wait, King Arthur's a girl?!" perched on her shoulder was a most curious little red imp with pointy ears and stubby little wings "I always thought she was a guy!"
"Hush, Gii!" The 'umbrella' spoke in a condescending, effeminate voice "'Tis no time for such minor details! Though, I will admit, she would look simply ravishing as man..."
"Hush, both of you!" the irritated vampire flicked each of them on the heads, causing them to yelp in pain "Now is not the time to be worked up over such trivial details!"
"Sorry, Madam Rachel..."
"Good, now be quiet." Rachel sighed as she moved closer to the body, her steps as light as the air itself. Once she was within the Arturia's personal space, she knelt on one knee, placed a hand on her chest, and closed her eyes. At first, she felt the cold steel of her breastplate press against her warm hand. Then, she felt it; the faint pulsing of her heartbeat, faint but steady. She also felt a dull, warm glow from within her. She knew then that it was there.
Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia. The sheath that was thought to be long lost.
"So she still lives. It appears my theory was correct." The vampire thought with a faint smirk on her lips "It seemed that when she faded in the 5th War, it was on her person, hence the reason why it went with her."
"Lady Rachel."
She slowly got to her feet after hearing the elderly, wizened voice addressing her, then turned to see her noble butler, Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, walking towards her with an item wrapped in swaddling cloth. Judging from the length and width, it was probably a weapon of some kind. The butler's olive-green suit was noticeably damp, as his mistress observed.
"Something smells like wet dog."
The butler paid no heed to Gii's thoughtless comment. He didn't need to anyway, as the vampire quickly flicked him on the head once more.
"Valkenhayn." Rachel nodded in greeting once that was taken care of "I take it that acquiring the sword was no problem?"
"Far from it, milady." The old wolf chuckled as he patted the package, which was still d\amp from being recovered from the bottom of a body of water "Lady Vivian was quite supportive of our plan and handed it to me without question. It was as if she was anticipating your coming."
"I see, then." Rachel nodded sagely "It is good that the Lady of the Lake supports our little gambit. Now, hand me the sword. I shall hold it while you tend to our sleeping King."
"But of course, milady." Valkenhayn nodded as he handed Rachel the wrapped sword while he gently scooped up Arturia in a bridal carry "Shall we be on our way then, milady?"
"Yes, I believe we should." Rachel nodded. With one gesture of her hand, she opened black portal, a gateway that would allow them to travel back to their time.
"Um...can someone remind me why we need Queen Arthur again?" Gii squeaked as he fluttered around his master, flinching as if expecting another violent punishment.
To his surprise, it never came. Instead, she turned to the imp with her usual stoic expression "Tell me, Gii; how do you defeat an opponent who has seen a myriad of possibilities?"
Without even pausing to acknowledge the stammering imp, she turned to her butler who happened to be giving the matter some thought.
"How then, milady?"
"Quite simple." Rachel gave him and her two familiars a small smirk as they all entered the portal before it quickly closed behind them, leaving no trace of their presence at all.
"Create a new one."
"Shirou! RUN!"
Arturia, known in the Grail Wars as the Servant Saber, awoke with a start, beads of sweat rolling down her brow, her lush green orbs widened.
"It...it was a dream..." the girl sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest as if to calm herself. She then proceeded to take stock of her surroundings; she found herself lying in a comfortable king-sized bed situated in what could be described as a room found in a western-style mansion; the windows were draped with pearl white curtains while the floors were covered in a carpet as red as a berry. The walls were wooden brown while a small lamp hung from the ceiling to illuminate the room. To the far side of the room was a tall wardrobe made of oak. All in all, the place had an old-fashion ambiance to it.
She also noticed her current attire, which were simple, yet elegant yellow pajamas that she found quite comfortable.
"Where is this?" Saber asked aloud, pretty sure that this wasn't Heaven nor Hell. Somewhere in between, perhaps?
Her line of thought was instantly broken when she heard the sound of the door slowly opening. Out of it stepped an elderly butler clad in a dark green suit adorned with gold trimming and his silver mane is tied in a pony tail that is bound by a single pink ribbon.
"So you have awoken." The man let out a light chuckled as he nodded his greeting "It is good to see that you are alive and well, Lady Pendragon."
"I...I'm alive?" Saber blinked in surprise as the hand on her chest felt for a heartbeat. Soon enough, she felt that tell-tale sign that she was in the land of the living.
"But how? And how does he know who I am?"
Sensing the many questions within their time displaced guest, Valkenhayn smiled warmly as he made another light bow "Why, where are my manners? I have yet to acquaint myself. My name is Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, humble servant to Lady Rachel Alucard. In case you are wondering where this is, we are in my lady's castle."
Despite her strange circumstances, Saber could not help but smile at the old man's cordiality. "Well met, Sir Hellsing." She nodded as she managed to sit upright with her legs touching the floor "My name is Arturia Pendragon. King of Britain."
"'Tis an honor to meet the legendary hero in the flesh, Lady Pendragon." the old man chuckled as he stood upright once more "But we will have more time to speak later. For now, my lady bids you to join her in the gardens for tea and crepes. She wishes to discuss your current...circumstances."
"Circumstances?"
"I assure you, all will be made clear in the end." Valkenhayn nodded, noting the girl's adorable confusion as he indicated to the wardrobe "Your dress is currently in the wash, I am afraid. I hope the clothes within will fit one of your noble stature."
Saber got up and made her way to the wardrobe in a slow pace, her legs a little wobbly due to being inactive for a while. Valkenhayn was about to move to assist her, but was stopped when she held a hand up to indicate that she was fine.\
"You have my thanks, but I assure you, I'm all right." Saber nodded as she stopped in front of the wardrobe and swung it's doors open. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw what was within; a white dress shirt with long sleeves and a blue ribbon around the neckline, a blue skirt that reached to the knees, black stockings and brown heeled shoes.
To Saber, it definitely felt nostalgic. She continued to stare, the small smile on her face expressing much more than words ever could.
"I take it that this is to your liking, my lady?" Valkenhayn asked, smiling as well when he noticed the fond look she had. It was the look not of a king, but of a girl in love.
"Yes it is, Sir Valkenhayn."
It took some time due to the massive size of the castle, but Saber was able to find her way to the Rose Garden. Valkenhayn had guided her for most of the way, departing from her on the account that his mistress had errands for him to run.
"I will not be long." The wolf promised as he went the other way, causing the blonde King of Knights to shrug as she opened the door at the end of a winding corridor that led to where his mistress was.
The moment she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the sheer amount of roses littering the garden. The lush shade of red each flower bore made it as if she was surrounded by a sea of blood, something she later noted was 'befitting her host's mystique'. The fact that the sky seemed to blanketed by night certainly helped
Speaking of the host, she sat in the midst of the field in a small table for two drinking t\ea. As the blonde knight made her approach, she noted that the other blonde carried herself with an extreme measure of grace as she daintily sipped her teacup.
"So you've come." She spoke in a voice that would remind Saber of the nobles that graced Camelot's court "I am Rachel Alucard, head of the House of Alucard. I must say, it is quite an honor to meet you, Arturia Pendragon. Or, should I say, King Arthur?"
"The pleasure is mine, Lady Alucard. Though please, call me Saber." Saber responded in kind, keeping her cool as she took her seat "Though I must ask, how did you surmise my identity? The secret of my gender has been a closely guarded one."
"We will get to that in a while." Rachel smiled as she took another sip "For now, perhaps you would like some tea, Saber?"
"I would, thank you."
As if summoned by Saber's words, Valkenhayn came in with a fresh pot of tea in hand. Without needing any prompting, he poured a cup for Saber and refilled Rachel's as well.
"You have our thanks, Valkenhayn."
"'Tis always a pleasure, milady." he chuckled before standing to the side and leaving the two to discuss matters.
"I'm sure you have many more questions in mind, Saber." Rachel said as she took a sip of tea, savoring the smooth taste "Now would be the proper time to ask them, and I assure you, I will answer them to the best of my ability."
"Very well..." Saber took a deep breath to collect her thoughts, then fired away "First, I would wish to know how I survived in the first place. I was, for all intents and purposes, dead."
"A good question, and the answer..." Rachel trailed off as she pointed at the other girl's chest for emphasis "Lies within."
"Lies within? What do you-?" Saber cut herself off, the realization dawning upon her. She closed her eyes briefly and, sure enough, she felt that familiar warm glow within her, immediately drawing the correct conclusion.
"Avalon."
"Indeed. How astute of you, Saber." The vampire nodded with a smile "It seems that the long lost sheathe was brought back when you faded away at the 5th War's end."
"It would seem I owe you my life then, Shirou." The knight smiled as she brushed a small tear away from her eye with a dainty finger before making her second query. "I also would like to know how I got here in the first place."
"Fair enough." Rachel nodded "First off, I am what one could call an Observer."
"An Observer?"
"An overseer, if you wish to be technical." The vampiress began her lengthy explanation "One who can perceive multiple possibilities that can occur in this world but cannot intervene directly, much like watching a play. Whilst this bears similarities to what magi two centuries back would call 'The Second Magic', it is quite different."
"Two centuries ago?"
"Yes. The year is 2200, two hundred years since the 5th Grail War."
Rachel then noticed the look of utter shock Saber had on her face. She understood why, though; the fact that everyone she had ever loved from that time, those in the Grail War she called 'comrade' were gone.
"Everyone..." Saber mumbled as she put her head on her hands in despair "I..."
"Everything is meant to come to an end, Saber." Rachel chided her sternly, but not unkindly "You of all people should know that, King of Britain. Did the boy called Emiya not teach you to move forward with no regrets?"
How could she forget? If the 5th War had taught her anything, it was to never regret the path she had chosen. To do so would be to spit on the memory of everyone she had ever care for, especially Shirou Emiya.
"Of...Of course." The blonde knight took a deep breath, then exhaled as if to expel any seconds thoughts out of her body. "You have my thanks, Lady Alucard, for reminding me of such an important lesson."
As she said that last part, her lips curled into that small, sincere smile that charmed Shirou.
"Your decorum is quite a refreshing sight, Saber." Rachel nodded as she returned the smile with her own "I only wish your soon to be comrades-in-arms have the same amount of class as you do."
The vampire sighed as she put the emptied cup down on the table, ready to delve deeper into serious matters. "You wish to know of the world you have been thrust into, correct?"
The nod Saber gave was all the indication she needed to continue onward.
"Very well, you shall hear the whole tale." Rachel lifted her cup, a gesture Valkenhayn took as a signal to quickly fill her cup "In these matters, I find that it is easiest to start from the beginning."
A few hours later...
"If I may summarize what you have told me, a great evil known as the Black Beast emerged a hundred years ago, causing wanton destruction and shrouding the world in a substance known as 'seithr', correct?"
"Yes, and it had taken the efforts of six brave heroes to vanquish the Beast after a year of inactivity with."
"And that in the wake of this, an organization known as the Novus Orbis Librarium has taken the reigns. It is, on paper, lead by the Imperator, but is in truth controlled from the shadows by two men, one of which is traitor to those Six Heroes?"
"Correct on both counts."
"And you wish to seek my aid on this war you wage, now that the endless time-loop has been undone?"
At that, Rachel's lips curled into a rather knowing smirk "It does look that way, does it?"
"It does." Saber stated flatly "And if I must ask: Why me of all people? Surely there are other Heroic Spirits you can choose from."
"Because, my dear Saber, you are the only one who no currently no longer has ties to the Throne." Rachel began to explain once more "If I were to try acquire the services of, say, Cu Chulainn or even or your dear friend Lancelot," If the youthful vampire noticed Saber's discomfort at the mention of her greatest knight, she did not show it "That would mean that I would have to traverse into the Root itself, a journey I cannot risk due to what it implies. More importantly, the opponent we face called Yuuki Terumi has foreseen all the possible timelines and has a countermeasure for each one."
"And my presence creates a possibility even he did not account for?"
"Correct."
Saber nodded at this, as did Valkenhayn, but chose to let Rachel continue to speak.
"I do gaze into the past beyond my period from time to time, and found that your Grail Wars a most interesting diversion. Also, it would seem that fate deemed that your role does not end with the 5th Grail War." Rachel let her lips curl into a small, knowing smile.
"What do you mean by that, Lady Alucard?"
"That," the twin-tailed vampire stated "Is a tale for another day. All I can say for now is that you will enjoy what it entails."
"...Very well then." Saber spoke after a period of silence, her stoic expression stating that she decided to let the matter rest.
"At any rate, I ask this of you once again," Rachel finally put down her cup, the gleam in her blood-red orbs more apparent as she stood up and walked towards Saber, stopping when she was next to the slightly taller girl "Will you fight for our cause? If you will not, then I will understand and return you to the past, back to your friends and that boy you care for so much."
"Y-You will?"
"That much, I promise you, King of Knights."
Saber remained silent for a few seconds at first and closed her eyes, weighing her options before making her decision. On one hand, she wanted to go back. She wanted to be with Shirou again, to be held in his arms the way he had that night. But...
If she turned her back on people in need now, how will she face him? She knew that if he were in the same position now, he would give up his own happiness if he can help someone. That's just how he is. A trait that, among with many others, caused her to fall for him in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Shirou. Just wait for me a little longer."
"I have made a decision." Saber opened her eyes once more, those green orbs brimming with the steely determination that had made her such a fierce force during the Holy Grail Wars.
"Oh?" Rachel once had a knowing smirk on her face "And what might that be, Arturia Pendragon?"
"I shall fight for your cause." Saber nodded grimly "I cannot stand and let such an injustice come to pass, not while I can do something about it."
"Very well,then." Rachel answered with an affirming nod, informing her that she made the right choice "Valkenhayn."
"Yes, milady."
"See to it that our newest ally is properly armed."
Sure enough, the three found themselves in the Alucard's personal treasury, where Rachel's father Clavis kept many interesting artifacts he had collected over the years. Rachel herself made some contributions to the said vault as well.
"Valkenhayn has had your war time vestments pressed and polished." Rachel explained as she led them through the sea of trinkets "As for your weapon..."
"Seeing as Excalibur is with the Lady Vivian, I suppose one of those weapons you call an Ars Armagus will do." Saber nodded, feeling a little sad that she lost her personal weapon, the symbol of her legacy "Preferably in the shape of a sword."
"Oh, is that what you think?"
Soon enough, they stopped in the center of the room, the object they sought on a pedestal before them. To say that Saber stood there gawking would not have defined it properly; her eyes became wide, her mouth agape as she witnessed the Sword of Promised Victory, in all it's radiant glory, practically greeting her and beckoning her to wield it once more.
"Excalibur..." She slowly walked toward the sword in a daze. She picked it up, examined it's every detail while carefully caressing the flat of the blade. A few practice swings later, she still felt that it still felt as true as ever. She turned to Rachel with a dumbfounded, yet grateful expression to see that she was smirking "But how?"
"The Lady of the Lake was more than willing to bequeath it to us." Valkenhayn took this time to explain, as he was the one who secured the blade "She seemed quite happy with our proposed plan, to say the least."
"You have my thanks then, Sir Valkenhayn." Saber nodded as she planted Excalibur's tip into the ground gently "I would rather have no other blade in my hand, except perhaps for Caliburn."
"'Tis an honor, Lady Pendragon."
"Indeed, it is a boon to have Excalibur at our side once more." Rachel replied sagely, placing a hand on her delicate chin "I do believe, however, that you must show me your prowess in battle. If you are to fight by my side as a Knight of House Alucard, then I must see with my own eyes the strength of the King of Knights."
"But of course." Saber replied with confident grin.
"And fortunately for all of us," Rachel once again had one of her smirks on her face "I have just the opponent in mind..."
Meanwhile, Kagutsuchi...
"Damn kids."
Ragna the Bloodedge was not having a good couple of days. First, he came into the NOL branch in this city to blow up it's Cauldron, but instead got involved with a ton of bull that was traced back to Terumi, among that said ton would be nearly getting killed by his psycho brother and facing down two monsters in the form of Hakumen and Nu. After that, he got into a fight with an NOL officer (who admittedly came to his aid) and got jumped by some kid with a Nox Nyctores. Now, he had to pay for the meal of two runts who ran off on him, leaving him to take care of the check.
"Ugh..." He grunted as he exited the restaurant in Orient Town "Can things get shittier than they already are?"
"I'd be careful with what you wish for if I were you, Ragna. Trouble seems to gravitate towards you in the worst possible way."
Ragna groaned as he turned to see Rachel Alucard stepping out of a portal, looking as smug as ever "I see that your horrible language has yet to be curbed, the way you utter obscenities left and right."
"Bite me, bunny leech!" Ragna growled as he crossed his arms while glaring at Rachel.
"Believe me, nothing about you is at all worth biting." Rachel rolled her eyes while continuing her verbal offensive "Even if I were to die of blood loss, none of my kin would have the drain in fear of our intelligence being reduced to your neanderthal-like level."
"Goddamnit, you're making a new record here, Rabbit." Ragna seethed under his breath "Any reason why you're bothering me today? Going to hit me with more riddles?"
"Straight to the point, as always." Rachel giggled, feeling satisfied with her victory "I assure you, nothing of the sort. Today, I'd like you to spar with a new ally of ours."
"New ally, huh?" Ragna raised a brow, his apprehension all but gone "Is this another one of your tests, Rabbit?"
"More or less, for you as well as her." The twin-tailed rabbit nodded with a smile as she opened another portal. Out of it stepped a blonde, ponytailed girl clad in a blue battle dress in which armor covered her chest, hands and feet. Her eyes, which were as green as emeralds, gazed at him firmly. In her hands was what seemed to be an invisible weapon. Ragna could easily tell, however, that it was condensed air covering what seemed to be a sword. The red clad SS Clas Criminal could feel that despite the girl's short stature, was not one to be underestimated.
If anything, she reminded him of Jin for some reason.
"Very well, I'll bite, Rabbit." He sighed as he drew Blood Scythe, twirling his massive slab of a sword before letting it rest in a reverse grip. With a grin, he addressed Saber "So, you have a name?"
"You can call me 'Saber', if you wish." the blonde knight returned the grin with one of her own "And soon enough, you will learn why."
End Chapter 1
A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is King of Beasts and I bid you welcome! What you see here is a fic with this premise: What if Rachel brought Fate-Route Saber into the world of Blazblue just as the Continuum Shift starts! What will this new possibility bring? Will Saber make an impact in Rachel's attempt to undermine Terumi in this new timeline? We shall soon see!
Saber: And this would be the fourth fic in which I am featured in.
Can we help it? In the words of Akiha Tohno (Carnival Phantasm), you're Type Moon's resident cash cow.
Saber: That is true, I suppose.
Well, with that out of the way, Did you like this chapter? Did you not? Either way, leave a review! It's the writer's fuel to keep him busy! With that, I shall give Saber the floor to end the chapter!
Saber: Very well. Next time on Fate/Continuum Shift: Of Light and Dark!