With my first breath, I disclaim!
The Nasuverse is property of Type-Moon
All other copyright is owned by their respective companies
(I am not detailing them for spoiler reasons)
I am back! With inspiration for days! This is probably one of my most ambitious stories yet! Luckily, I have spent weeks planning this story out. Hopefully I get somewhere with it.
Now, my inspiration! I got this idea from chapter 28 of the Fate/Stay Night story, "Fateless," and on top of that am using the premise of the Fate-Anime x-over story, "Fate: Zero Sanity" (not to be mistaken for The Infamous Man's "Fate Zero Sense").
It should be noted however, that the plot, background and replaced characters will be different ("Fate Recast" is also an inspiration, but a tertiary one). Two things should be noted though. 1: There will be no Avenger Class Servant (Yet [Maybe]). 2: The Caster will be an OC Servant and a primary protagonist (sorry for any OC haters) however, his origins are based around a popular franchise.
Now, personal challenge; Berserker, Lancer, and Assassin are currently unknown (to you), your goal is to guess who they are. Anyone who does gets recognition in that Servant's debut chapter and a free cake (not really, the cake is a lie).
Hint: Lancer will debut first and is a product of a popular legacy series.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and I hope you enjoy the story, because that is why I write these things.
Chapter 1: The Dragon's Arrival
"My King, I beg you, you must reconsider."
"I agree! My King, this is not the wisest choice."
In a breathtaking field, two knights are currently pleading with an equally breathtaking woman who currently wore an elegant and beautiful dress, with a sword sheathed at her side.
The first knight was wearing full armor, covering him from head to toe. The notable features are dragon heads adorned on his pauldrons, and the two large great swords that rested on his back (imagine Dragon Slayer from Berserk, except wider, has guards, and has cracks all over the blades).
The second knight, like his counterpart, was completely covered in armor too. However, he also had a small blue cape on his back that reached the small of his back. Also, his pauldrons were lion heads rather than dragons, and had two katanas sheathed at his waist.
"I understand your worry my knights, however, my decision is final!" The woman spoke in a gentle yet firm tone that left no room for argument. And just as the knights were about to cave, a new voice called out.
"Even after all this time you two still seem to lack a backbone, Lance, Beds." Everyone turned to the source, the two knights in surprise, and the woman in disdain.
The origin of the voice was a man. However, unlike the knights, he wore no armor. Instead, he wore a pair of combat boots with matching black pants that went into said boots. His torso was bare, except for a cloak on his shoulders that reached his knees. On his back was a wooden staff that curled inwards at the top. His head was covered by the hood of his cloak, hiding the upper half of his face, but did little to hide his lazy grin and the scar that crossed the edge of his lip. His body was tanned and toned with well-earned muscle, and covered in equally earned scars and burns. His presence screamed confidence and his posture was casual, with a hand on his hip.
"Hunter." The woman greeted disdainfully.
"Artoria." "Hunter" greeted in turn, completely unfazed by the woman's obvious hostility.
Artoria, formerly known as King Arthur of Great Britain, stared at Hunter as if his very existence offended her.
"What are you doing here?" Artoria questioned.
"Me? I'm here to do what your Yes knights can't." Hunter explained, gesturing towards aforementioned knights with his head. "I'm here to not only explain how idiotic and reckless your plan is, but also not buckle under your stubbornness."
"You would stand against me, even after the Counter Force you so despise, stripped me of the happiness I so deserve?!" Hunter twitched at the mention of Alaya, but held firm.
"Fuck yes!" He responded without hesitation. The man was no longer smiling. "I'm not about to let you go on a rampage just because your sugar daddy didn't pay you a visit."
"That incursive ball killed and drafted Shirou into the Counter Force! And you would not have me seek retribution for this injustice?!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face. The sudden burst of anger made the knights take a step back in surprise and fear, but Artoria could care less.
"Yes, because causing a Charlie Foxtrot isn't going to solve anything. You leave now, and things will only be worse when you return." Hunter, though, was hardly affected by the King's outburst.
"So, you choose to stand against me." Artoria threatened, as she carefully grabbed the hilt of her sword. If one could see the knights' faces, they would be sweating buckets, but Hunter was calm and composed.
"No." Hunter said without missing a beat. "I'm going to help you."
The King faltered at his words; surprise was clear to see on her face. "Wha-what?" Was all she could muster.
"I'm going to help you." He repeated casually.
"B-but you said-" Artoria tried to say, but couldn't find the words.
"I said I wouldn't let you go on your reckless rampage, not that I wouldn't help you." Hunter said matter of fact.
"Then why did you fight me if you were planning to help in the first place?" Artoria asked, not with suspicion, but genuine curiosity.
"Artoria, when you inducted me into the Dogs of Avalon and made me the leader all those centuries ago, I swore absolute loyalty to you and your cause." Hunter explained. "Now, for you knights, that might mean following your leaders without question, but for me, that means making sure the choices you make are not only the best ones you won't regret after everything is said and done, remember?"
"Yes, I remember." The King of Knights responded with a tone that sounded like they had this conversation before.
"Good." Hunter said, his smile returning.
Artoria sighed, "So, what's the plan?"
"Welllll," Hunter started, looking at his wrist, as if reading a nonexistent watch. "Due to our earlier pillow talk, we got less than ten before our window of opportunity closes, so why don't you get changed into these, and meet me back here before then, and we can begin fixing your fairy tale, Juliet." The scarred man explained tossing some clothes to Artoria from… somewhere.
Artoria, completely unperturbed by the man's actions or words, caught the clothes, and proceeded sprinted to a nearby forest. Privacy in Avalon was pretty much non-existent with Merlin on the prowl, but the former king at least wanted the illusion of privacy, and not to embarrass her knights or herself.
With their king gone at the moment, the dragon knight spoke up. "And what will we be doing, Sir Hunter?"
You could practically feel Hunter rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Now they get their balls back." He thought.
Sighing, the man replied, "Well, Lance, while I help our Pride Male in fucking Alaya in the ass with her Futa dick, I need you and Beds on standby."
Before either knight could argue Hunter continued. "The problem is my plan is going to involve bending a lot of rules, and if you two join in," Hunter pointed his finger at the both of them for emphasis, "Those bent rules will turn into broken ones, and then we have to deal with Alaya calling the cops, or worse, the National Guard to come deal with us."
"So, I need you two," Hunter, once again pointing at them for emphasis, "on standby, so if Will of Humanity blows the rape whistle, we have reinforcements to help handle the cops, or help in evac."
"Of course, Sir Hunter." The lion knight responds. "Me and Sir Lancelot will be ready when you need us."
"You're a good man, Beds, thanks." Hunter complimented, his smile turning a little more genuine. He then suddenly clapped "Oh, before I leave, there's something you two should know."
"Beds," The aforementioned knight straightened. "You've made a lot of progress in your sword fighting, especially since you had to essentially relearn how to, but you need to work on your stance a little. Your posture is practically inviting men to take your ass, so be careful."
"I will, Sir." Beds responded calmly.
Hunter had the nerve to pout at the lack of reaction. They were getting too used to his innuendos.
"Lance, this is doubly important for you, stay away from any Fae. I don't want you to even look in their direction while I'm gone. We don't need any mini-Lances running around with wings and magic because you couldn't keep your sword in its sheath." Hunter explained without a hint of humor.
"How dare you!" Lancelot exclaimed. "I would never do something so shameless, who do you take me for, Merlin?" The deadpan expressions he was getting from Hunter and Beds did little to hide their doubt.
Luckily for Knight of the Lake, the salvation of his honor arrived in the form of his king. Artoria changed out of her old dress, and now, she was wearing a pair of sneakers with jeans, and a t-shirt with a picture of a plush lion in the middle. Her golden hair, which she usually left flowing in Avalon's gentle breezes, was tied into a high ponytail. Her sword remained, sheathed at her waist.
"Now, where do we begin?" Artoria ordered.
Hunter simply replied, "Fuyuki City, 1994."
"Fill, fill, fill 'er up, fill… Repeat four times." A voice said.
"Wait, was it five times?" He corrected.
"Um, destroy each when filled… or something?" He said, looking at a book for reference.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu, an orange haired serial killer who was currently trying to summon a demon, or so he believes.
"Hm, fill, fill, fill, fill, fill." He said, counting with his fingers. "All right, that makes five times! Okay." He then paused to look at the television playing in the background, which was currently going over the news of his recent kills.
"Maybe I went a little too far." Ryuunosuke said with a carefree tone, as he leaned on the couch, knocking over the corpse of one of his latest victim, before he got back up and turned off the TV.
He then turned to a kid he had tied up. "Do you think demons exist kiddo?"
"All the papers and magazines call me a demon. But wouldn't that be kinda rude if demons really did exist?" He said as he walked over to the kid.
"You've gotta be clear about these things." He then startled the kid by abruptly crouching over him, saluting. "Sup! I'm Ryuunosuke Uryuu, and I'm a demon! I dunno if that's how I should be introducing myself."
Ryuunosuke then got up and continued speaking. "So like, I found this. It's some old book I found in the storehouse. It looks like my ancestors were researching how to summon demons."
"So like, I've gotta find out if demons really do exist!" He said as he flipped through the pages.
He then got up and walked to a nearby chair. "But y'know… If a demon really did come out, it'd be pretty dumb to just chat with it and have nothing to offer him."
Sitting in the chair, he continued. "So, kiddo… If a demon really does show up… Mind if we let it kill you?"
That made the kid start panicking, and trying to scream for help. In response, Ryuunosuke just laughed. "I wonder what it's like, being killed by a demon! Not many people get to experience that!" Just as he finished saying that a light shined up from behind him.
Turning to the source, Ryuunosuke saw the pentagram he made was lighting up with electricity. Then as the wind picked up from inside the house, a pillar of light shined, and dust kicked up by the summoning.
However, before the pillar dissipated, an arrow of light shot out and flew past Ryuunosuke. When the serial killer turned, he saw the child he was planning to sacrifice to the demon was dead, a clean hole in the center of his forehead. That was all he had time to process before he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Looking down he saw the tip of a blade poking through his heart. As his mind finally registered what was happening, Ryuunosuke's head was not filled with either despair or denial. Nor was it filled with a stubborn will to live or an acceptance of his demise. No, it was filled with euphoria he has not felt before. A joy that made him realize all he wanted in life, was to know how death felt.
"So… cool." These were the final words of Ryuunosuke Uryuu, as he dies with a smile on his face, finally understanding what his greatest wish was.
"Murderous scumbag. Should've gone for the head." Mumbled Uryuu's killer, Hunter, as he stood over the serial killer's cooling carcass.
Hunter no longer had his wooden staff, instead he had a saber in his left hand. However, this one had no guard, and the blade seemed to extend around the hilt of the sword, replacing the usual finger loop, as well as curve to form a second blade, smaller than a knife, poking out the other end in place of the pommel.
Hunter then proceeded to check his surroundings for a second, disgust clear on his face when staring at Ryuunosuke's other victims, before he called out to the pillar of light that has yet to die down. "Okay, Master, the coast is clear!"
Right after he said that his Master, Artoria Pendragon appeared from the pillar, command seals adorned on her right hand in the shape of an English sword, just as the pillar of light had died down. Looking around the house, her serene face soured as her eyes laid on the murdered family, before stopping at the corpses of Ryuunosuke and the child.
"Was it necessary, Caster?" She asked, her voice hollow.
Caster had the decency to look ashamed. "Maybe not," He admitted, looking at the child. "But the kid's seen too much, and I'm not talking about Magecraft. I don't know what this scumbag," Hunter kicked Ryuunosuke's corpse. "did, but he probably forced the kid to watch his parents' murder, maybe worse, and… and we can't waste time taking care of a child in the middle of a war, no matter how much we want to." Hunter's voice was filled with regret and remorse at that last bit.
"Will you be okay, Caster?" Artoria asked in concern, placing a hand on his shoulder, though it was a little awkward considering Artoria is above barely five feet tall, while Caster was around six.
"I'll be fine, I'm used to sights like this." He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than his Master.
"Let's call the police and leave, we have many trials ahead of us." Artoria ordered, as she turned to leave.
"Not yet." Caster croaked out, making his Master pause. She then silently turned to her Servant who looked like it took everything he had just to say that.
Normally, Artoria would've argued with Caster about staying in such a place, but the fact that he clearly didn't want to be here anymore than she did, made her hold her tongue.
"We need to establish some rules when it comes to our actions in the Fourth Holy Grail War. I know we can do this later, but the longer we hold this off, the more likely we are to be overheard, or something happens that can jeopardize our mission." Explained the Servant, his previous confidence returning.
"Why not-" Artoria started to ask before Caster pointed towards his hood. Right. His cloak was more than just an accessory, it was a powerful defensive Mystic Code that he spent decades perfecting back in Avalon. The hood alone could protect him from all sorts of mental attacks and shielded his face from all but the strongest users of Clairvoyance. As a Servant that means Hunter's Parameters were hidden from even his Master's eyes. However, it also prevented the two from communicating telepathically, and the only way to solve the problem would be for him to take off his hood.
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, Caster would simply need to change into his spiritual form and problem solved. Sadly, like his Master before him, Caster was not a true Heroic Spirit, as a result, not only did he lack a connection to the Throne of Heroes, he also was unable to assume aforementioned spiritual form, and considering who they were up against, only a great fool would risk losing such an advantage because of comfort.
Neither Caster nor Artoria were fools.
"There are three rules we have to follow during this Grail War otherwise we risk things go FUBAR. First," Hunter started, holding up his index finger for emphasis. "Kiritsugu and Saber must be the last pair standing- don't give me that look Master." The look Caster was talking about was how Artoria looked like Morgan had force fed her Gawain's cooking after being promised a home cooked meal made by Shirou.
Even after fifteen hundred years in Avalon, Artoria never forgot, nor forgave Kiritsugu during her version of the Fourth Holy Grail War. While she understood her former Master's reasons to destroy the Grail at the end of the war, that did not pardon him of his dishonorable acts throughout the war in her mind. In fact, the only reason she never had Lancelot or Bedivere tamper with Kiritsugu's birth, was because in most timelines, she is told he is the one who usually adopts and raises Shirou, and the only others who could at the time were Kotomine and Gilgamesh. So, for the sake of her scabbard she went with the lesser of three evils.
"Anyways, the next rule is more for your sake than anything else." He explained with a sigh as he held up his middle finger with his index. "Rule number two, you are not allowed to make contact with Shirou at any point under any circumstances."
"Explain." His Master ordered, and judging from the ominous glows coming from her command seals, she was prepared to use one if he didn't comply.
"Okay, okay, put down the gun. I understand that you want to go all cougar and get a taste of his prepubescent body-" Hunter paused for a moment to put up his hands in surrender, as Artoria swiftly drew her sword, currently covered in Invisible Air, and leveled it at his throat. And, judging from her eyes flashing yellow for a second and the lack of red on her face, she was less angry and more fed up with his jokes.
"Anyway…" Hunter had to tread carefully right now. He was willing to poke into a sleeping lion's den, but a sleeping Dragon's den… not so much. "The reason I want you to avoid contact is because of the Prophecy of Avalon Merlin told you about. Now, I'm not the most skilled Magus around, but even a third rate like myself can tell the prophecy is going to have an existential crisis, and there is a very real risk of you voiding the prophecy if you try to see him or he sees you."
Hunter waited a few seconds before Artoria lowered her invisible sword and he moved to rub his throat. "Thanks, and don't sheathe your sword yet, you'll just draw it again when you hear the last rule."
"Continue." Was all she said, as she held her sword by her side.
"Well, the final rule is probably the most important one, and the one you will like the least-"
"Stop stalling." Artoria commanded.
Caster sighed. Holding up a third finger, he said, "Rule three, the Great Fire of Fuyuki must occur."
Hunter waited a moment for Artoria to mortally wound him or at least threaten him with such. But after a moment, he noticed that his Master was currently bleeding from her non-sword hand and her lower lip, probably keeping Avalon from healing herself to help with her self-control. Seeing it as an opportunity to explain, the Servant of Spells proceeded to do so.
"Master, the Great Fire of Fuyuki is a pivotal moment of history. Not just for Japan or Fuyuki, but Shirou too. If the fire never happened, Kiritsugu would've never adopted him, Shirou would've never learned Magecraft, and he would never have met you. And that's not even including how Alaya would react to this major change in Magus history considering the events are a Quantum Time-Lock, even if it's only a minor one. At best, Alaya calls in its boys in blue to try to stop us or recreate the fire, maybe prune this branch if we're lucky. At worst, the Will of Humanity decides to call the National Guard of Chaldea, and then not only will our plans inevitably fail, even if we manage to escape before they catch us, they'll be on high alert for our return, and make any future ops. we plan that much more difficult." When Caster finished his explanation, he took a step back and let his Master process everything going through her mind.
The Great Fire of Fuyuki was a tragedy, hundreds died, many families and homes were left broken and lost. Artoria had been to Fuyuki Central Park and its memorial with Shirou once before, and the place had so much sorrow and regret in the air, that the former Servant could practically taste it. Now, as a Master with the power to stop it, her Servant was telling her that by doing so, not only would she risk the death of thousands more, she would be unable to fulfill the reason she was here in the first place, to reunite with her scabbard.
"You know, it's not too late." Caster spoke up slowly. "The War has only just begun, we can bow out here, and go to a different timeline where we're not so restricted. You can stop the fire and be with Shirou at the same time if you want."
"But would it be my Shirou?" Artoria asked softly after a few moments of silence. Caster flinched at her question.
"I can feel it, you know. The connection. To this world's Artoria, and to this world's Avalon. We may not see eye to eye, but I know you just as you know me. You didn't pick this world, this timeline, at random. You picked this one because when this Artoria chooses to go to Avalon, when she rescinds her connection to the Throne, and begins to wait for his arrival, she will become me, and I will become her. Then, when Shirou arrives, he will be my Shirou, and not someone else's. Did I get that right Hunter, or is there something I missed?" The Servant's silence was all the confirmation she needed to hear.
"So, what's your choice Master?" Hunter said after a few seconds of silence. After a few more, his Master spoke.
"Alaya stole something precious from me, I intend to steal it back." She said, as her eyes flashed yellow for a brief moment. King Arthur would never willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives for a single life, the perfect king would not allow it. But Artoria Pendragon is no longer that perfect, especially if that one life is the reason, she can return to being the girl the left behind when she drew Caliburn that day.
Hunter nodded in acknowledgement, looking in her eyes as the fires of resolve burned brightly. The path to hell has been paved, now they simply needed to walk through it.
The Servant turned to stare at the Magic Circle that summoned the two. Fitting, the circle was made with blood, now they were about to walk the path filled with it. All he could say was this nostalgic phrase.
"Feet first into hell."
Chapter End
Here it is, the first Chapter of A Dragon's Treasure. Now, this chapter was made to establish several things. Caster, his personality, his relationships, and the plot of the story, and I think I did pretty well.
Now I know this could theoretically be divided into two chapters, one for the intro and one for the summoning, if I spread this out a bit, but I think this is better. I believe this helps establish my OC in the way most people should try to go for.
Personally, I think the major problem with a lot of OCs is that they lack time to develop. Most stories don't give much pause that can give their OCs moments to show who they are as a character. The most I see people go for is a simple character, and stick with it, not giving enough time to show that there is more to a character than what they tell.
Maybe I'm wrong, if I am, tell me why in the comments, and what you believe makes OCs so bad.
Now, before I go, I'm going to show you Caster's Parameters and Class Skills (Personal Skills and Noble Phantasm will be revealed later)
Class: Caster
Master: Artoria Pendragon
True Name: Hunter [REDACTED]
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 183 cm 89 Kg
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Parameters:
Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: C
MP: D
NP: A+
Luck: B
Class Skills:
Territory Creation: D+
Item Creation: E
Yeahhhhh, pretty decent for a Servant, bad for a Caster. Honestly, it's mostly because Artoria is his Master that his parameters are this good, they would be much lower with an average Master.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if there is something I can improve on, tell me in the comment section.