A/N:
Hello there again. If you have made it this far then it means you've read the first chapter of my story. Yay! Thank you very much. You just don't know how much it makes me happy. I hope it wasn't too boring for you and that you enjoyed reading it. I also fervently wish that I didn't make Gilgamesh too OOC. I usually write my Character x OC fanfics by putting myself in the shoes of my OC. And as much as I love to intricately describe fight scenes, I must confess that I'm quite struggling in that department so I really can't promise anything but I'll try my best! ~
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FATE/ENUMA ELISH
FATE 2: the PACT
Flabbergasted, Eli could only open her jaw in awe and astonishment at the splendor of the golden-clad warrior standing in front of her. He seemed to be scrutinizing her conspicuously with no apparent concern for the master-servant duo standing a few inches near them. Eli, on the other hand, felt her inherent ability of speech leave her as she was still in a provisional state of paralyzing skepticism.
She was never a fan of the Holy Grail War. Even if her father and a handful of his colleagues would speak about it as if it was the greatest thing to ever befall mankind, Eli never believed a word they said For her, they were just merely exaggerating and sugarcoating a trivial and meaningless war for the sake of their own self-gratification. She knew that only mages of renowned repute and power could join as the most powerful masters and that only Heroic Spirits from the greatest legends are called forth as servants but she never knew that it could be this dazzling.
Looking at the man in front of her which proclaimed himself as the King of Heroes Gilgamesh, she felt a somewhat bizarre and surreal sensation consume her which seemed to pour out like a stream from her inmost core. She was in the presence of someone she recognized as an entity that is not of this world and it did a great job of sweeping her off her feet. Being born to a prominent family with standards that are way off the charts of simple layman, a mere gesture of admiration from her already meant a lot. However, she wasn't so sure if that speck of admiration was brought about by the fact that the man in front of her was overflowing with such emanating majesty that is out of her league or if maybe it was simply because he was so damn hot and good-looking. Either way, it was enough to make a mage of her caliber shudder in complete veneration.
But before Eli's brain could think up of countless more adjectives to actually try to describe the indescribable being, the King of Heroes once again spoke in a deafening voice.
"Cat got your tongue brat? To think that I was actually summoned by such a lousy master. This is totally a major pain in the ass."
He looked keenly at a somewhat dazed Eli once again and after quite some time, drew the conclusion that she was not in the perfect state to actually see the progressing confrontation through to the end. With a seemingly vexed motion, he pinched the bridge of his nose and lightly swayed his head.
Turning towards the direction of Carlisle and Lancer, Gilgamesh exhaled heavily, gesticulating that he was nowhere near amused of the current face-off.
"It seems like you have some business with my supposed-to-be master but I don't think she's in the perfect condition to continue this squabble any longer. I know I'm making such a fool of myself by saying this but would you mind considering this a draw and coming back another time?" He placed his right hand on his waist and held the other open in front of him as if asking for a handshake. "Well..." He paused to let out a light giggle. "It's not like I am unable to eliminate you in one blow but I guess I have to be a bit considerate just this one time to my puny master." Gilgamesh took a few steps forward. "So, how about it?"
Carlisle fixated his gaze on the newly-summoned servant with a stern expression on his face which seemed to suggest that he was deep in thought. Lancer, on the contrary, held his spear much tighter than before and glared fiercely at Gilgamesh to indicate his unwillingness to assent with the other servant's proposal.
Gilgamesh exhaled yet again and gave an almost predatory gaze to both of his opponents. "I am being overly generous here so I figured you would be wise enough to accede with my proposal but it seem like I have no other choice but to burn you both to smithereens."
As if on cue, Lancer instantaneously took three steps backward, removing Gilgamesh's grip on his weapon and settled in a defensive stance.
"You arrogant cretin!" He shouted at Gilgamesh as he lit his weapon anew with a blazing aura of red.
"Shut your damn mouth, mongrel. To think that you would actually dream of clashing against the King of Heroes who claims ownership of every single thing in this world including the weapon you dare point against me and your very life itself." The King of Heroes retorted back, evidently not pleased.
Lancer's eyes then glowed with primitive rage but just as he was about to activate the maximum strength of his Noble Phantasm, he felt a short tap on his shoulder.
"That's enough Lancer. We're retreating for now. This irks me to no end but we failed to add the possibility of Eli actually summoning a servant in the equation." Carlisle softly but firmly told his servant with downcast eyes.
"Tsk." Lancer vexingly clicked his tongue as he withdrew his weapon.
"Be glad that your master is actually the type to use his brains and not just charge head on blindly like a stupid warrior fueled by a senseless nous of illogical bravery." Gilgamesh teasingly said as his expression seemed to relax.
With a wave of his hand, a funnel of wind surrounded Carlisle and his servant as they gradually disappeared from the room.
"Now then…" The King of Heroes sighed heavily as he took a few steps towards a pinned-down perplexed female mage in front of him.
"Just my luck to be actually paired up with such a lame master. Totally sucks to be me. I wonder if the other six are having the same problems."
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Eli found herself standing in fields of green and blue in a somewhat dream-like state. After giving it some thought she finally convinced herself that it was all nothing but a dream or rather a small fragment from someone's memories. To her left she saw a vast empire that stretched out to cover the fullness of the Fertile Crescent. It was an empire so majestic that she couldn't even help herself from wondering how out of place she looked with the usual clothes she ordinarily used when she was at home. Taking a few steps forward, the view in front of her spontaneously changed as though she was being transported in a time machine. After quite some time, her surroundings finally settled and stabilized, and when she looked up, she saw a towering fortress so prodigious that it would put even the tallest buildings she had seen in shame. Somewhat perceptive of her environment, she proceeded to climb up a long flight of stairs to the very zenith until she finally reached a room shining brilliantly as it was filled with pillars of gold and other luxurious gems and minerals. Exploring the bravura room further, her eyes happened to fall on an intricately sculptured throne facing an extensive window that reveals the sublimely setting sun. Quietly scurrying to get a glimpse of the person sitting on the throne, she saw a tail-like piece swaying excitedly from side to side. When she traced the extent of that tail-like piece, a bolt of lightning somehow struck the length of her spine as she realized that it was actually the tail of a very majestic looking lion. The beast was obediently lying its head on the lap of the person she assumed was the ruler of the vast empire she saw. He was sitting profoundly on his throne with an air of divinity and nobility about him. He was Gilgamesh, the great half-god, half-human king born from the union between the King of Uruk, Lugalbanda, and goddess Rimat-Ninsun. Ruler of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, the capital city of ancient Mesopotamia in the B.C. era. The ultimate, transcendent being so divine as to be two thirds god and one third human, that no others in the world could match him.
"Just how long are you planning to stay asleep my dearest master? Just how long are you planning to make me wait?"
Hearing an all-too familiar voice within a striking distance from her, the almost-awake Eli wiped the tears which formed at the corner of her eyes and softly gave out a yawn. Blinking a couple of times to accustom her vision to the unfamiliar blinding light which seemed to flow throughout the usually pitch-dark room, she was about to stretch her arms to its maximum reach, as if waking up from a good night's sleep, when suddenly she found herself face to face with a certain golden-haired guy who evidently didn't mind that their faces were just a breath apart.
"GYAAAA!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and pushed Gilgamesh away from her so hard that it made the King of Heroes fall down on the hard surface of the floor with a very loud thump.
Trying to process the whole situation in her mind, it appears that Gilgamesh was sitting in a chair beside her bed as if watching her protectively as she slept.
"Im so-"
"Geez, I spent the whole night watching over you while you sleep and this is how you greet me first thing in the morning. You really are a hopeless piece of work, you know that?" Gilgamesh said as he got back on his feet with minimal effort.
"Oh my gosh." Eli made a failed attempt of hiding her ostensible surprise and naivety by covering her mouth with both of her hands. "I am so sorry. It's just that, you startled me. I didn't expect to wake up with your face hovering above mine."
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Do you really think I'd be insensitive enough of not taking care of you? Don't get any ideas now. Since you are my master and I am bounded to you by our pact, I will certainly vanish from this world without a trace if something bad happens to you. That's why I need you to stay alive, you got that?" Gilgamesh said as he scratched the back of his head irritably.
"Right. Sorry. By the way, my name is Alexandra Elizabeth Bellefontaine Caelum. You can call me Eli." Eli stretched out her hand forward for a handshake but the King of Heroes deliberately ignored it as if he hadn't seen it.
"Yeah, I know. For someone with such a grand reputation, you're pretty much dense and how should I say this… lacking." Gilgamesh pointed out a matter-of-factly.
"Hey, that's pretty rude of you! Dense? Lacking? What the hell do you mean by that?" Eli shot a fierce glare at her servant with her tone a little higher than usual.
"I mean it literally princess. And if you haven't noticed, your imperfect summoning has caused some minor problems on my part." Gilgamesh made a deliberate act of tapping the side of his head.
"Well then, my apologies oh King. It's just that I happened to summon you in the worst possible time and condition so instead of attacking me with a barrage of senseless complaints and whatnot, I'd appreciate it more if you could make me a nice hot cup of Darjeeling tea." Eli exclaimed in the tone of a clearly dignified sovereign issuing orders to her subjects.
"HUH?! Excuse me? Make you a cup of what?" The King of Heroes waved his hands around in irritation as he delivered his rebuttal. "What the hell Eli? Just what on earth do you think of me?"
"My servant of course. MY servant. No more. No less." Eli replied with a distinct emphasis on the word "my". She looked at the fuming warrior with one of her brows raised and held her head high like a real princess.
"BULLSHIT!" Gilgamesh brought his hand hard down on the side table nestled at the right side of Eli's bed. "So, that's how you define the term SERVANT? Someone who would make you nice hot cup of tea every morning?" He bent down a little closer and looked straight at his master's eyes.
"In my own words, I would very well define the term SERVANT as someone who would make his master's life easier and more comfortable." Without any hint of fear or reluctance, Eli directed her gaze straight at golden orbs of the King of Heroes, determined in winning the staring battle that had ensued between the two of them.
"I am your servant in the War, not your servant in this house! I fight and protect you for the sole purpose of winning the Holy Grail. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is my one and only obligation to you, understand?"
"Tsk." The female mage looked away with resentment written all over her face. "In other words, aside from being handy in battle you're ultimately useless. A freeloader in short. That makes you more of an asset than a liability then."
"Oh? Now look who's talking. Would you mind reminding me again why you summon me into this war in the first place? Isn't it because you were in need of someone to protect you from that annoying blue spearman? And now you're calling me useless?"
"Oh, please. I can manage to defeat Lancer just fine if I wasn't in such a disadvantage like how I was earlier. I don't need anyone, much less an arrogant prick like you, to protect me. I just did it in the spur of the moment. That's all. If I could just easily dispose of you right now, then that would make my life a hundred times better."
In one swift motion, Gilgamesh grabbed Eli's chin and gripped it tightly in some sort of a threat. "Well then, should I remind you once again that if it wasn't for me, you would have been unable to see the sun so high up in the blue sky today? You owe your life to me. So instead of me serving you, why don't you serve me instead in compensation for everything that I have done? Isn't that the most rational thing to do princess? Or are you just impervious enough to not pay your debts?"
"Me serving you? Who do you think I am?" Eli forcibly shove Gilgamesh's hands, freeing her chin from the warrior's hold and scowled.
"Just some lucky girl who happened to summoned me? To be honest, being bounded in a pact with you is the worst fate that has ever befallen me. I, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, submitting to a weak human like you? This isn't even funny anymore. Everything that you see in this world is mine. Heck, I even own you!"
"Me? Weak?" In a somewhat sluggish fashion, Eli slightly bowed her head and gawked at the back of her right hand where her Command Spells were inscribed. And without even the tiniest warning, she shot up and planted herself firmly on top of her bed which did a good job of startling Gilgamesh.
She looked down on the King of Heroes with eyes slowly tearing up and spoke in a trembling voice.
"And who are you to call me weak you arrogant narcissistic bastard?" Eli tried to keep her voice from breaking as she spoke between suppressed sobs. "You don't know shit about me so don't talk as if you know everything in the world. You don't own me. I don't belong to anybody! I don't care who you are and how powerful you are. I only know one thing…" With that, Eli's blue orbs turned fiery red, a sure sign that she was about to do something staid. "I am you master. And you are my servant. As long as this Command Spell is inscribed at the back of my hand…" Eli raised his hand in an effort to show her servant the glowing Command Spell. "…you shall follow my every order and obey me without reserve!" The look on her eyes carried an air of supremacy and authority that demanded complete and absolute obedience.
As all of this while taking place, Gilgamesh was also in the verge of detonating. Never in his life did he ever met a person, much less a woman, like Eli who dare raised her voice against him and address him in such a boorish manner. For all he knew, he was a King, and not just any other King. His ancestry dates back to the primal deities of what could probably be called as the oldest civilization in the world. He was a demigod, a powerful being who is way beyond the reach of any human. He was head and shoulders above even the greatest heroes of the greatest legends in the world. Even the famed and esteemed Cú Chulainn was definitely no match for him. He can burn any creature to smithereens with just a flick of his finger and can move even the tallest of mountains in the world. He was definitely a being that should be treated with utmost respect and worshiped with reverence befitting his origin and eminence.
But right now, at this time and age, at the current Holy Grail War, he was mercilessly looked down by a mere woman who was only happened to be born in a distinguished family of mages and who only happened to summon him by a mere stroke of luck.
Bearing the pride and honor that went with his name and reputation, Gilgamesh would certainly not allow something as shameful like this to come to pass. His insides were fuming with such rage and anger that he could care less whether he killed the female mage in front of him now or if he would vanish straightaway while doing so. All he wanted to do was to teach her a lesson and show her who he really was. He wasn't generous enough to let someone who has caused him great shame to live.
Exhaling heavily as if meditating, he focused his attention to the stream of power surging violently within him. He was about to summon the power which contains all of his treasured and most powerful possessions, the Gate of Babylon, and bring an end to the life of the wretched mage, who happened to be his master for the current war, with a torrential deluge of the deadliest and lethal arms found in his convoluted weaponry.
However, before the King of Heroes was able to activate his noble phantasm, he found himself distressingly pinned down hard on the floor with such a suffocating and thick magical pressure that threatened to crush his existence that very moment.
Feeling devastated and somehow confused at the unexpected turn of events, Gilgamesh looked up and saw a different kind of Eli staring down at him, eyes glowing like orbs of blood red crystals, like a ferocious predator in the act of devouring his prey. This Eli was totally different from the oblivious girl he met not too long ago.
"I told you, didn't I? I am your master." She announced in a booming voice that made the hairs on Gilgamesh's body stand on ends.
Struggling to regain his footing and defend himself from the magical pressure that was making the King of Heroes look like a pitiful captive, Gilgamesh attempted to draw a magical circle on the floor when he suddenly noticed an abrupt change in Eli's expression.
From bearing the face of a cold-blooded beast who won't think twice about ripping a still-beating heart out of a body, it metamorphosed into that of a girl who appeared as if he was asking a friend for forgiveness.
"That's why, please bear with me okay? I am so sorry that you get to be summoned by someone like me who is completely uninterested in the War much less with obtaining the Holy Grail. I know you answered to my call, fully prepared to fight and win… which was supposed to be your primary purpose for being called back in the world in this era. I was so blasé of your real intentions and I impulsively summoned you just so I wouldn't get myself killed by Lancer and now that everything has finally died down, here I am thinking of throwing you after making use of you. I'm really sorry. I promise I'll think of something to make things between us work out and I'm prepared to do anything to compensate for you protecting me so please… Just bear with me a little longer, alright?"
As she said this, Eli flashed a sincere and heartfelt smile at Gilgamesh which made the warrior think of the green meadows of his former home gently grazed by the warm summer breeze.
"And one thing more…" She looked at Gil with the face of an athlete on the verge of winning a world championship title. Her eyes which were formerly clouded by dead rage now beamed with childhood liveliness. "Don't call me weak or useless or lame or anything synonymous with those words again, you hear me? Because if you do, it's like you're also looking down on yourself. If the master is weak, then it also follows that the servant she summons is also weak, right? You said that you are one of the most powerful heroes in the world and undoubtedly one of the most powerful servants to be ever summoned in the Holy Grail War. If that is the case, then it also follows that you can only be summoned by the strongest master right?" Eli's voice became a little bit lively and she gave her servant a wink as she released the magical pressure which was pinning him down moments ago.
Quite surprised at the turn of events, Gilgamesh made what can be called a somewhat idiotic face for about 2.09876 seconds before he snorted non-stop with laughter.
Eli went down from her bed and walked towards the King of Heroes who was in very euphoric laughing fit.
"Hey, what the hell are you laughing about?" She asked him with a pout.
"Nothing. It's just that…" Gilgamesh paused and snorted with laughter yet again. Eli then made a fist and stared fiercely at her servant. "…it's the first time I've met someone like you. It's the first time a mere human was able to, more or less, tame me. It's the first time someone actually stood up against me and proudly said those words. It's the first time I've met someone as interesting as you." He stood and wiped the tears off his eyes from too much laughter.
"Oh really?" Eli crossed her arms and gave him a questioning look.
"Having someone like you around who could actually tie a leash around my neck doesn't strike me as funny but I guess… I guess it would be fun to stick with you for a while."
"I'm looking forward to working with you then Gil." Eli smiled and once again attempted a handshake.
"Gil? What the hell is that?"
"Gil. That's what I'm calling you from now on. You call me Eli, I'll call you Gil. Got a problem?"
But instead of receiving the handshake his master was offering him, Gilgamesh, THE Gilgamesh, for the first time in his life actually went down on his knees and bowed deeply.
"As you wish, my master."
This time, it was Eli's turn to laugh.
"It doesn't hella suit you Gil."
"Hey, for once I'm trying to be serious here and you laugh at me"
"I know. I know. I ain't making fun of you. It's just that, it doesn't suit you. I'm fine with the way things are between us right now so I don't think we need some of those master-servant bullshits. We're better off with having something like a friendly cooperative relationship with both sides benefiting from the other. However, I am still your master and you are my servant. But we don't need to really act that way, you got that? It makes things exaggeratedly awkward."
"I see that we're on the same page already."
"Yeah, yeah. It's better this way.
With that, Eli turned and took short steps towards the door.
"And where are you going now?" Gilgamesh stood up, dusted himself and sat on Eli's bed.
"I'm going to take a shower, you want to come?"
"Now don't joke around like that. I'm never the kind of guy who says no especially if it's the girl who's inviting me." The King of Heroes teased.
"Whatever. Now do a good job of being on guard while I'm in the shower like a good servant ought to be."
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As Eli let the cold water from the shower faucet rain down on her like drops of ice, she contemplated how a lot of things have happened in such a short amount of time. It wasn't like she was very much pleased with the fact that she had really done it and actually summoned a servant and become a participant in the Holy Grail War, but it wasn't as bad as she originally thought it was. Maybe this is was actually fate. Maybe this was her destiny. Maybe this was made to happen so that she can pave a way for her future. Now that she has a powerful servant beside her, maybe she should try being actually serious for once and try to win the Holy Grail. Maybe with the Grail, she can rewrite her fate and turn back time. Maybe she can revive her parents and return to the time back when they were still happy together, and she would prevent her father from doing something so reckless which can lead to his untimely death. Maybe she can find true contentment and meaning in life if she gets her hands on the Grail. Maybe…
An uncountable course of possibilities and maybes flowed incessantly into her thoughts as she felt her body go cold from the shower. She shook her head to push those thoughts away. No, she wasn't going to count her chicks before they were even hatched. She should avoid herself from expecting too much, lest she drown herself in painful disappointments later on if none of her plans come to fruition.
Turning the shower off, she faced towards the direction of the shower door when suddenly, it flung wide open with a forceful blow. And from it, emerged Gilgamesh, lazily picking his ears with a seemingly bored expression written all over his face.
"GYAAAAAH!" Eli screamed yet again as she tried to cover her private parts with her hands but to no avail.
"Hey, aren't you done yet? Honestly, this is what I really hate about girls. Just how long are you planning to stay there? We haven't got all day you know." Gilgamesh said with a straight face, completely unaware that Eli was about to die from a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT?!" She yelled, her face turning bright red.
"Huh? What the hell am I doing? Well, there was a suspicious man knocking vigorously on the front door. He was there for about ten minutes now, you know. I got tired with his knocking so I came to tell you but it seems like you have no plans of going out of the shower yet.
"Oh really? Well, damn you bastard! Don't you know how to knock?"
"Huh? I knocked like three times before forcing my way in here you know."
"Well, then why didn't you make it five? Seriously, so much for being a King. You're just a vile vermin with no sense of delicacy. Screw you!" Summoning all of her strength, Eli threw the soap rack at Gilgamesh which the haughty servant dodged expertly. Her embarrassment nearly reaching its peak.
"Delicacy? What are you talking about? And why is your face all red? You alright?" He replied, still looking straight at Eli up front.
"YOU'RE ASKING ME IF I'M ALL RIGHT? WELL, CURSE YOU, HOW THE HELL DO YOU EVEN MANAGE TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE WHILE STARING AT A BUT-NAKED LADY LIKE THIS? YOU SERIOUSLY ARE A LOATHSOME WORM OF FETID SOILS!" She screamed loudly, on the verge of tears.
"So that's what you're so concerned about? Honestly, what the hell is wrong with me seeing you naked? I'm your servant. You're my master. Isn't something like this… normal?" Gilgamesh replied, appearing to be quite dissatisfied with his master's reasoning.
"Normal, my ass! GET THE HELL OUT!"
"Calm the hell down, will you? Stop being so overly self-conscious."
"GET OUT!"
"Just to be clear, I'm not the least bit interested with you."
"GET OUT!"
"Truth be told, during my lifetime, I have slept with a lot of women who are a hundred times better than you, so seeing you naked doesn't really have much of an effect on me. I have seen much greater things than what you could offer."
"GET OUT!"
"Stop being such a mongrel. You're my master. It doesn't suit you."
"GET OUT!"
"Why are so fretful with me seeing you naked? It's not like I'm going to rape you or anything!"
"GET OUT!"
"No! In the first place, I own everything in this world including you. So seeing you naked is totally nothing out of the ordinary, you got that? Why are girls such complex creatures?"
"GET. THE. HELL. OUT."
Before Gilgamesh could even utter a single word, he felt his body thrown out of the window with such force that was ten times stronger than Eli's magical pressure which was pinning him down earlier. It happened to quickly and without any warning that the King of Heroes didn't even have the time to devise a way to escape the menacing peril that was making its way towards him.
Very much surprised of what just happened, Eli immediately wrapped a towel around her body and made a dash to where Gilgamesh's body had fallen.
"Shit. Why the hell did the Command Spell react to what I said? Is it because I was seething with so much anger? Shit. Shit. Shit."
However, before Eli could go out of the shower room, a tall figure clad in a black robe blocked her exit.
"It's been a while Lady Caelum. I've got a very important job for you. Apparently, a client appeared with the request that you assassinate the Big Boss of the Dubh Society. Quite a difficult request, don't you agree? But if it's you, I guess it would be nothing more than a piece of cake."