Prologue part two
I entered into what appeared to be an endless path in the abyss, the only source of light being the ground I stood upon. There appeared to be no walls on this path but... I slashed at my side with Kanshou causing it to clash with a sheen of white light, just like the preliminaries it was there just hidden.
"..." My eyes darted from left to right as I slowly moved forward, it may appear to be an innocuous path with one way but an enemy could always be lying in wait to ambush me.
For a couple of minutes nothing happened, despite the previous message there was no enemies lying in wait it just a simple path to another area.
"Hah." Taking a deep breath I prepared myself before slowly continuing onward with the effigy right behind me. If there would be an enemy waiting to ambush me then the moment I entered would be the prime opportunity to strike.
"...Nothing." Clenching the married blades I positioned them in a defensive manner but it was all for nothing as I was greeted with an empty room with a passageway leading to another room.
Taking a quick scan of the surroundings, I noticed that I was in some sort of under the sea themed area that appeared to be like a game dungeon, filled with the skeletal remains of massive beasts, and swords stuck within the sand that appeared as graves. The area was sealed tight by see through walls and floors allowing none of the water to seep through, if it actually did exist in the first place.
"..." Extending my reinforced senses outwards I picked up signs of hostile programs waiting in the middle of their respective passageway. The first one appearing to be some kind of glowing blue orb that resembled my effigy's head only bigger.
"Welcome, potential Master." It appeared that the test was about to begin as the same voice from before started to speak.
"If you are looking for answers, you must reach the goal. Now, please step forward."
Obeying the instructions given to me I walked forwards slowly to the next room. In front of me was another room but with a illuminated cube in the centre.
"The illuminated cube in front of you is called an item folder."
"Inside of it is a farewell present of sorts for those about to face the coming trial. To obtain it simply go ahead and touch it.
I walked up to the cube and accessed it's program, causing it to open up and giving me an item/program called ether shard. It appeared to be some sort of shard of a crystal but what was it for? Taking a closer look at the item a screen appeared in front of me. A mysterious crystalline substance that restores a small amount of a Servant's damage.
"I see." So it was a healing type program designed to specifically repair a servant's damages in combat, but I wonder could it be used for something else? I took a quick look at the effigy wondering if it would repair the arm but ultimately decided against it. I only had one chance after all.
Pocketing the ether shard, I continued on the footpath until the voice blared out once more.
"Along the way you would meet many trials and tribulations but the main one is what is known as 'enemy programs'. These programs are specifically designed to attack on sight in order to test and train the master."
"Strange..." The voice stopped for a brief moment in the middle of its speech. It appeared that that something was amiss with the Moon cell NPC but that itself was cause for concern.
"Normally the masters are not required to fight as they are too fragile, the effigy given to them will fight in their stead and later on the servant will fulfil that role." The voice changed from its monotone lifeless voice to one that was eerily familiar as if I heard it before.
"But like all living beings there will always be an anomaly, an exception if you will." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "I have had this duty for a long time, but this is the first time I've seen a master like you, a master whose position is reversed with his servant."
Again the way the voice talked and the manner of speaking... It felt oddly familiar. Then it hit me an image of a priest dressed half haphazardly in his work clothing and a cooking apron appeared in my mind.
"Kotomine Kirei that's who you are isn't it? I don't have the time nor patience to play games with you so I have only one question. Do you know where Miyu is?"
"... I am but a mere part of the system, a guide tasked with giving a standard message and given the personality of a prior participant. I am no more than words, no more than a record of the past but if you seek answers then you must reach the goal. I would be watching you and your progress." The voice slowly faded away until it was silent.
So that was how it was going to be, If I wanted information on Miyu I needed to win another holy grail war only this time I was prepared.
Walking up to the glowing blue orb with my effigy right behind me the old monotone lifeless voice played out.
"The enemy before you should be quite easy to defeat as it is designed to familiarise masters with battle situations. It is only programmed to perform a certain attack pattern that focus completely on power as long as you." I dashed forward mid speech. Lifting up the married blades I cleaved through the bluish orb in a single pass turning it into cosmic dust. I didn't have time to waste on a mere program designed to train masters I had a war to win.
"..." Sprinting to the next area I encountered another glowing orb only this time it was green. Not waiting for the moon cells 'help' I quickly made short work of the orb and moved onto the next room.
In an instant upon seeing another of the same training program, I threw Kanshou at the glowing orange orb while continuing to move to the next room. By the time I entered the next room the white blade has already made its return to my free hand.
"All of the enemies programs you've faced so far only used one move, which won't happen in a real fight. Like you, your enemies will choose their actions based on the situation and general observation." The voice started to play its message once more but the fight was already over, I was just preparing myself for the final room and test set by the moon cell.
"Trace on." Activating my magical circuits I dismissed the married blades in favour for another that was more suitable to my abilities. Forming an image of a long thin sword shaped like a spiral, I pumped the majority of my prana into it's creation. Normally I wouldn't be able to project this without paying some kind of price but I had all the time I needed, there was no need to rush if it failed I could always create a new image.
Caladbolg II: The Fake Spiral Sword, a modified version of Caladbolg using reinforcement and alteration to improve its function as an arrow. An A ranked broken phantasm with the power to penetrate any target by creating a twisting distortion in space when fired. If Kanshou and Bakuya was his favoured blades for melee fighting then this along with Hrunting defines him as an archer.
Lifting the thin long spiral blade within my right hand, I reexamined the effigy that stood right behind me this entire time as a silent observer. Taking a brief moment to scan through the information it appeared that all of its functions seems to be in working order, while it couldn't fight due to the damage I've inflicted it could still defend itself just fine.
"Effigy your orders remain the same, to stay behind and focus on defence." I repeated the same order for good measure before entering into the final room with my effigy.
I stepped into the final room slowly with my effigy trailing behind me at the same pace. My eyes darted across the surroundings searching for the final test set by the moon cell.
"Not again..." Was this going to be a repeat of what happened earlier, or was it some cunning plan to make me let my guard down?
Taking another look around the area I examined my surroundings more carefully. I was in a wide circular room at least 20 to 30 metres long in diameter, the room itself was bare and the only thing worth of note was three large arched shaped doors with a weird mosaic etched upon it in front of me. Turning upon my attention onto the floor it too had the weird mosaic along with a dead corpse sprawled out on the floor alongside his effigy.
"..." Seeing the fallen corpse relieved my doubts, he must have failed the final test set by the moon cell and was eliminated from the moon holy grail war.
Without warning the fallen effigy lying next to the corpse stood up onto it's feet with a clatter. Twisting it's body it attempted to launch an attack on me but I had already pierced its core with Caladbolg II the moment It moved, causing it to collapse onto the floor and stop moving.
"... That was the final test?" I muttered in disbelief at the situation. Out of all the potential opponents an effigy was the final enemy? I could defeat that thing with my bare hands let along using Caladbolg II or any other noble phantasms.
"No it can't be that easy." This was a holy grail war, I shouldn't underestimate the danger that those words signified especially considering I've experienced one first hand. After all a holy grail war was a fight for survival where you have to use everything at your disposal to barely eke out a victory.
Then it dawned upon me, this was only the preliminaries the moon holy grail war has yet to start.
"I see that's why he called me an anomaly." Following the train of thought, I realised the tests that I've done so far was to weed out potential masters by judging one's abilities as a master. The effigy behind me was probably meant to defeat the opposing effigy through my command and skill with Spiritron hacking hence testing my capabilities as a master.
However unlike the others, I was a master who could fight with his servant on the front lines, as well as having the abilities to defeat one on my own. This avatar might be weaker than my real body in terms of physical ability, as my soul wasn't on the same level as a heroic spirit but it has my magecraft and reality marble.
"...!" I kicked backwards knocking into my effigy as I heard the sound of breaking glass. Two of the large arched shaped doors in front of me disintegrated into nothingness. While the remaining middle door started to glow brightly as it bathed in an ethereal golden light that shone above it.
"Trace on." I could sense a being of great power slowly rising from the floor in the middle of the room. I have felt this kind of power before, it was similar to the stench that the cards gave off, it was the power of a servant being summoned. But was it my servant?
"Visualise it." I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I went through the stages of Kyudo. Taking Caladbolg II I nocked it onto the bow string of EMIYA's bow and slowly draw it back, aiming for the glass door.
With a gust of wind, a proud figure appeared before the door, the back of their body materialising out of thin air. The figure turned around to face me before slowly walking up towards me not caring about the fact that I had an arrow pointed at her.
The figure turned out to be a young beautiful woman garbed in a japanese kimono, with loose arm sleeves draping over most of her arms leaving her shoulder's bare. She wore black geta styled shoes and her legs was covered by indigo stockings. She had yellow eyes and long pink hair tied up in a ribbon. Yet the most striking aspect of the lady would be the orange fox ears and tail that jutted out of her ribbon and clothing.
"Are you my." Those ears and tails reminded me of the animals clothes I bought for Miyu, so soft and cuddly but there was a time and place and clearly it wasn't now. I was about to ask if she was my servant but was interrupted.
"Even if you weren't exactly clear why you need one, I've brought you a vulpine wife from the imperial tomb!" The woman took a combat pose as she proclaimed this fact.
"... what?" My voice came out as lifeless as one could be in response to her proclamation.
An awkward silence occurred between me and the servant as we struggled to process what just happened.
"Ah, you seem a little ... apprehensive. Um ... you are my master ... right?" She said nervously as she clearly expected something different in response.
"... Yes." I dematerialised the mystic code along with the bow but I kept the sword just in case. If we were to be master and servant it would be crucial that we work together and the first step is to show trust.
"Yay! Contract established! I look forward to fighting by your side, my dear master!" She started to jump out of happiness before doing a twirl on the spot.
"To be honest, I, the mighty Ta- I mean, I hoped that I could be a servant to someone like you!"
"... Oh, my abilities might be a tad limited so you might not be happy with me, Master, but... I'll try my best!"
She walked up right to my face before vigorously shaking my hand up and down.
I felt a sharp pain run through my right hand as if I was cut by a sharp knife. On the back of my hand was a strange symbol that slowly started to form into some sort of magical crest. The symbol was shaped in the form of a sword with a star shaped guard.
"..." I felt another wave of pain when the strange symbol integrated itself with my magical circuits, and started to heat up giving me the sensation of being burnt alive.
"The mark imprinted on your hand is your command seal. It is proof that you hold dominion over a servant. You can use it to give three orders that must be obeyed. Think of them as disposable strengthening spells. It is also your proof of your participation in the holy grail war. If you lose it for some reason, you will die."
"Congratulations. You have endured much to make it here. Now rest for a while; you've achieved your first goal."
"Now, let us commence your baptism. You have proven yourself worthy of the honor. For most, the monotony of everyday life continues on without end. Your decision to look beyond the accepted and progress means you have earned the right to exist. However, you have but taken the first step. Be jubilant, young knight, for the holy grail war begins now!"
"In war, a weapon is needed. That is your servant. They're the spear that pierces, the shield that protects. A heroic spirit whose sole purpose is to clear your way to the grail. That is the one who stands beside you."
"It seems you have decided, and with that decision as payment, I now open the gates to the holy grail war.
"Now let the holy grail war begin. No matter the era, deciding who is worthy through battle is the divine providence of man. Magi who have been invited here by the moon; show me your true strength-
"Kotomine Kirei..." If that fake of a priest wanted to see my true strength, then I shall show him the might of a winner of the Ainsworth holy grail war by winning this one.
"Servant lets go." Turning towards my servant I gestured towards the door, there were many questions to be had but for now it was more important to complete the last step of entering the moon holy grail war.
"Mouu I have a name you know its Ta, I mean call me caster master." She replied cheerfully as she latched onto my arm with a small pout on her face.
"... Very well Caster let us enter this moon holy grail war as partners." Giving her a soft smile I dismissed caladbolg II and rematerialised the armour, causing her to sulk even further as instead of flesh and blood she was hugging cold steel.
"YES Master." Together arm in arm we walked through the portal and so begins my first step on the journey to find my missing star.
Author notes
Lazy author that only writes first drafts. I tend to write my stories when I'm sleepy.
If you read my other stories you most likely know my policy and if you dont here is the short version. I upload teasers alot, mostly unfinished chapters to keep my motivation up as I keep moving from story to story. If there is a teaser there is a high chance I would go back to said story unless its another miracle for some reason can't seem to write that despite being my first story.
Also to stop the tide of entitled reviews keep in mind that this is a free service with no tangible benefits to the author. Meaning my story my rules, but this shouldn't discourage you from reviewing in general. For example if I got a fact wrong then feel free to correct me as long as you could provide evidence otherwise I can't take you seriously as I do cross reference somewhat.
I have not played fate grand order, I have watched fate apocrypha and read parts of the novel. I have finished the visual novel of fate stay night, fate hollow, the game of fate extra( nero route.) Watched clips of fate zero but knows it main story line, finished the manga for illya prisma mostly for miyuverse shirou as this shirou is based off on him with my own touches.
I have finished the tsukihime games including tsukihime plus, kagetsu tohya and played melty blood etc. Although this most likely wouldn't matter.
Anyway onto the story.
To the guest reviews... are you seriously asking me if this is going to be nero? bro the image is a picture of tamamo with her name in the characters list, also this was released a while back ago with the prologue already been done. Like I said earlier its getting a modification/rewrite due to the fact that I don't want to give Shirou Erebus without him going through a journey.
I am still in the middle of ironing out the game mechanics but so far this is what I've got.
PPT- The monetary system of the moon holy grail war. Gained by defeating hostile programs, selling items and programs, trading, NPC quests, and etc. Primary use is to purchase specific services and goods from the commissary. Could also be used to buy special information or programs from specific/hidden npcs when conditions are met.
Alteration of the soul- A system granted to help participants with their servants. For some reasons sometimes the link between a master and servant could be closed or weak therefore the servant is not at its full potential. However through the use of this system it allows one to strengthen or open certain links returning the servant to its full potential.
This is done at the chapel and through the sisters Aoko and Touko. There are many ways to access this service but the main one is through the data collected from hostile programs and the bond between Master and Servant.
Depending on the subject additional fees may be required.
There would be no endless pockets like in the game, doesn't seem realistic to me even if it's virtual as it is still a simulated reality or reality. Probably will change it so you need to buy a specific program for that from the commissary or you could create your own if your good enough.
If you have any suggestions for opposing servants feel free to hit me up. Ultimately it is a suggestion and it is up to me if I want to use it or not.