Fate: Humanity's Blade Works
Shiro/Arturia
Ritsuka/
II
Laplace's shifting protection has been established. Singularity additional factor slots secured, starting final judgements. The robotic voice blared across Chaldea; amidst the explosions and flames caused by the bombs.
Shirou checked the Director, broken ribs and minor concussion from when he blindsided her to save her life. He looked around, the rayshifting room was totally demolished. He carried the Director near to where Kyrielight Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka were located; the pink-haired girl lay crushed underneath some rubble.
No longer able to verify humanities existence in the next century. Rayshift requirements insufficient! Resorting to secondary programming…failure! Activation of the Third Contingencies, scanning for qualified Masters…found. Master Candidates 1,47 and 48: Animusphere Marie Olga, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Emiya Shiro
Arturia headed towards the sealed doors "Mana Burst!" As sturdy as the doors were, for any servant aside from Assassin, the door might have been a problem. Artoria's fist effortlessly punched through the reinforced steel. Behind her Doctor Romani looked after, paused momentarily, before rushing after her. "It'll do Chaldeas no good if you, Saber, die as well." Roman thought.
Arturia rushed down to the bulkhead door of the observation room. With another 'Mana Burst' she managed to enter the room to see Shirou, The Director and a Dark Haired Boy and Kyrielight Mash gathered together.
Unsummoning programme, start. Commencing Spiriton Conversion procedure, starting Rayshifting in 3...2...1.
"SHIROU!" Arturia screamed.
Shirou turned, the Director was unconscious; Ritsuka was holding Mash's body; which now held a shield. "Trace On. Judging the concept of creation, a shield. Hypothesizing basic structure. Standard castle forged steel, powered by belief. Duplicating the composition material done. Imitating the skills of making done and improved. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth done. Reproducing the accumulated years done. Excelling every manufacturing process done. Noble Phantasm recorded, name True name: Lord Camelot, alias Lord Chaldeas, wielder Shield Hero: Galahad and Demi-Servant Kyrielight Mash."
Shirou turned to see Arturia rushing towards him; hand outstretched. Unfortunately, in a process of events that seemed to always part them, Shirou vanished in blue light, leaving Arturia standing in the burning room.
(Fuyuki, 5th Holy Grail War, 2004)
Shirou woke to the smell of smoke, the dirty acrid smoke of flesh burning, the gaunt, twisted and melted remains of the once proud skyscrapers; consumed by the hungry hellfire flames that lapped at the foundations.
Shirou paled, buried memories sprung forth, sending him to his knees in horror. "This cannot be happening." He thought to himself as he sat up, he was in the park; he was pulled from his musings as the unmistakable and familiar sound of skeletons rushing towards him.
He saw familiar Gandr curses fly overhead, demolishing three skeletons "Emiya! Get up!" It was the Director, fighting back the urge to break down in nerves.
Shirou, swept his leg to the left spinning himself upright and he activated his magic circuits; it was as Sweeney Todd said 'At last, my arm is complete again!' as the white blade of Kanshou appeared; it effortlessly cleaved through one skeleton, Bakuya materialises shortly afterwards.
Olga watched in amazement as Master Forty-Eight, Emiya Shirou, blocked, dodged and retaliated with speed and grace with those swords that belied his years. "MASH! Help him out!" Came a voice from behind her, it was Master Forty-Seven, one of the civilians, Fujimaru Ritsuka...the one she had removed from the briefing for sleeping.
Olga watched in amazement as Mash launched herself at Shirou, only to realise that Mash landed exactly as Shirou's back turned. Her interception led her into barreling into a skeleton warrior; destroying it effortlessly. The warriors that had been eyeing her subordinates back now had their own problem; Chaldeas sole surviving Demi-Servant from a discarded infusion experiment. Mash defeated the last skeleton warrior by using it as a crash-mat for her shield. Shirou dismissed his swords.
"Director, are you injured?" Mash asked dutifully, reminding Shirou of a servant.
"What is the meaning of this?" Olga demanded, ignoring the question.
"Singularity F."/ "A Fuyuki Holy Grail War." Mash and Shirou chimed in together. "2004." Mash finished, causing Shirou to pale.
"My…Holy Grail War, Fifth Fuyuki Grail War; which...in itself was a singularity." Shirou reported slowly, as he began running through the Servants they were going to encounter.
"Emiya, what do you know?" Snarled Olga.
Shirou let out a breath "I...have...a very good idea on the Servants we're going to encounter...or should encounter."
"That's really cool, that's like having a cheat code, getting through this singularity with you, Emiya-senpai is going to be a cinch." Ritsuka exclaimed joyfully.
"Fujimaru, a Holy Grail War, regardless of any information I can give you, is 'never a cinch'; it is quite frankly one of the most terrifying set of events you can ever experience." Shirou retorted.
"You participated in a Grail War!" Exclaimed Olga before turning to Mash "And you're a Demi-Servant, right? I could tell just by looking at you. What I'm interested in is why didn't it succeed until now! And why you're participation in a Grail War was never brought to my attention."
Shirou's eyes narrowed, Archer was near, that was why his urge to murder this woman for what she'd done…,knowingly or unknowingly, to Mash. Making a Demi-Servant! It sounded barbaric "I'm sure you knew that Chaldea had a prepared Servant beforehand; this was specifically done to resolve Singularity F."
Flashback
Mash lay, legs crushed and bleeding out. As she felt her life leaving her, she noticed a silver-armoured entity reaching out his hand. It had knelt down; Mash could see its sword but not his face. "In exchange for your life and knowledge of my abilities, I want you to eliminate the cause of, what is known as, Singularity F. Do you accept?"
Mash reached out her arm and the figure took it.
End Flashback
"It was then, when I merged with the Servant to become a Demi-Servant."
"And now this second rate-mage is your Master?" Olga demanded pointing at Fujimaru; then she saw the marks on Shirou's hand "Or is it him?"
Fujimaru's eyes widened and Shirou snorted "Not me. I'm bound to another; plus I'm not a Second-Rate; I'm a 3rd-Rate at best. I'm an Incarnation."
"Her Master? What do you mean! Senpai, what does she mean?" Squealed Fujimaru.
"In a Grail War; Mages such as yourself, summon Servants...people from Myth, Legend and History and battle for the Ultimate Wish Giving Device- The Holy Grail. You summon them from catalysts, those red marks are command seals; you only ever get three so use wisely and carefully." Shirou stated. The more he stared at the Demi-Servant, the more he began to realise who she'd bound with; he'd help her become a brilliant servant, once she learnt who she was. This wasn't him being a dick, this was him being respectful to his Summons subordinate.
It was then Shirou's wrist communicator, along with Fujimaru's communicator began to bleep. Olga didn't have one; as she was supposed to be directing the missions from Chaldea; "Hello! Hello! Are you reading me? No, Saber...I don't have a clue if this is working…" Just then Romani appeared.
"Ah, Shirou, Ritsuka, Mash…Director! I'm glad all of you are alive considering none of you were in your coffins when the rayshift occurred." The distinctively flustered looking Romani Archaman stated, looking slightly healthier from grey to a shade of white.
"Where is Lev? Why are you in the Director's Chair?" Snapped Olga Animusphere.
Her questions were temporarily unanswerable as the four survivors watched as the pink-haired Doctor was all but pulled out of the chair. "Director, where is Emiya Shirou. You can call me Saber, yes I'm a servant." Arturia stated as she came onto the screen.
Olga turned "Emiya, calm your servant. What sort of Magus are you if you can't control your servant?"
"I never said I was a Magus; if anything I'm a Spellcaster. I told you I'm a Third Rate Magus, I just have an affinity for certain types of Servants. By my Command Seal, Saber, The Sword to the Garden that preserved my life; to me!"
Arturia looked at her hand, it was glowing "I, Saber, answer the call; the Sword to the Sheath that saved your life." Olga watched as the woman dissolved into spiritrons.
"What happened at Chaldea? Where's Lev?"
Romani gulped "The only reason I'm in your chair is because I'm the only ranking Officer, as Chief of the Medical Staff; Chaldea was crippled by the explosions there are twenty members of staff keeping the place running. Chaldea has lost 80% of its manpower and all communications to the UN and the Clocktower is unoperational."
"What of the Masters?"
"In critical condition, in their coffins. The explosions disconnected them from shifting."
"Put them cryostasis, to hell with the laws, I have forty-seven lives at stake. Everything can be reasoned with once the Singularity is complete."
Romani nodded "Putting them in cryostasis."
"I don't like this Romani, but until I get back, you're in charge."
Romani nodded "I can't believe the fusion happened when it did, Mash, we're going to need to talk further when you get back."
"Mash Kyrielight, Fujimaru Ritsuka will investigate Singularity F. Emiya Shirou and his Servant will back me up here."
Shirou paled slightly "I…disagree Director, I grew up here. I've lived here, born here, died here, reborn here and I participated in the Fifth War here. I can tell you comfortably the servants you're going up against and a Rookie Second-Class Ignorant Mage with a Fledgling Demi-Servant is not a good idea. I mean no disrespect but this is something you're not going to be prepared for."
Olga turned red, she shrieked as orbs of blue, black and yellow coalesced and standing next to Shirou, in a blue, knee-length skirt, white shirt with a blue string tie, tights and brown boots was the Servant who had arrived in Shirou just before this turn of events. Olga watched as the newly arrived Saber switched to a battle-dress.
"Shirou, you are, by the far, the most reckless master I've ever served. Servant Saber, reporting." Arturia stated formally.
"How do you have command seals?" Demanded Olga.
"Shirou and I are uniquely connected...Director, get down!" Arturia called before, throwing the other Master and Servant to the floor as Shirou, pulled out a polearm and deflected the surprise attack. "It's a Servant!" Romani called through the wrist communicator.
"We know. We've got two, Saber and Mash." Olga retorted almost hysterically as a beautiful woman with long purple hair, wearing next to nothing wielding a scythe.
"It appears my new prey have…" Began the Servant, her eyes widened and her sentence stopped as she saw Shirou.
"You! You're supposed to be dead! She was the one to kill you! I promised Sakura that I'd save you, but I failed...I mean as powerful as I am; I failed to even touch…" The Servant babbled.
"Rider, I forgive you, I'm the one who should apologise; what happened here? What happened to you?"
"Ah, you must be a Shirou from a different time; I am Lancer, at least this version of me."
"Senpai, just who is this Lancer-who-you-thought-was-Rider? What do you mean by...I'm completely…"
"Out of your depth, but you've done well...very well indeed." Another voice called, this one with a very thick Irish brogue. Shirou spun, circuits activating, as the blue-clad Caster astralised into view. The newly arrived Caster looked at the Group of Masters "Well, well, well, if this isn't an interesting turn of events. Emiya Shirou, Master of Saber, looking surprisingly well for a dead man."
"You'd know that all too well Lancer...or rather...your Lancer-self would know."
Caster chuckled "As you can see, the Holy Grail War has deviated; my job is to see that this War is resolved. You're here to protect humanity or rather save humanity. I'll make a contract with one of you."
As Caster-Cu spoke, Arturia turned to Shirou "I'll make the contract...Could you…"
Shirou smirked "Just one question, Cu...Is the Archer, silver haired and orange skinned?"
"He is...why?" The latter part was asked by everyone, even Lancer. She'd paused in a moment out of shock and surprise; but then the conversations began and the surprises were being revealed.
Shirou smiled "Director, I told you I know this war. Rider was Medusa, Lancer was Cu Chulainn, Saber is well Saber, Caster was Medea, Berserker was Hercules, Assassin was either Hassan-i-Sabbah the Cursed Arm or Kojirou Sasaki and Archer was Heroic Spirit Emiya."
Cu Chulainn clapped his hands "Lancer is Medusa, I'm the Caster, Archer is the same, Assassin was Cursed Arm; deceased, Berserker is Hercules; unwilling to fight, Rider was Darius III; recently deceased. Lancer, Archer, Saber are all blackened and they're the ones to be defeated."
Medusa snarled "Not before I kill you first!"
Cu's face took on a savage grin as he twirled his staff. Shirou smirked "Trace...On!" Then he concentrated and he remembered the words falling from his mouth, everyone watched as he called the steps but it appeared he was adding small phrases, phrases of meaning. There was a flash of light, then around Shirou's heart a ruby-red glow appeared.
Ritsuka and Mash wanted to ask what was going on; but the question was answered as the red glow began to lengthen, bursting from the Red-heads chest was a spear "Gae Bolg! A near-perfect one and a...sentimental one." With that he casually handed it to the Caster.
Medusa's eyes widened "He's a Caster!"
"I'm also a Lancer, lass. Now let's see who's better."