Hopebringer

Plenty of people get dragged into situations they really don't want to be in by ROBs, but very few get chosen by ROB's for more than basic amusement. I was unlucky enough to be one of them. Now I'm in Worm with a mission to save the world. Unfortunately, raw power isn't what works around here.

...seriously? I outright stated in the AN that there was a REASON that Lisa's power was able to pick up on a Heroic Spirits attributes that wasn't me overestermating her power. I refuse to explain it because I have to keep some twists to myself and I still have people jumping down my throat? Urg, when I get to the really interesting stuff its going to be...interesting...anyway, enough rambling, ONWARDS!

Chapter 7

I saw a streak of gold crossing a clear, night sky, leaving behind a shimmering tear that fell to earth.

I saw the earth's surface ablaze with fire, covering the entire planet with flickering crimson.

I saw civilizations never even dreamed of by Man crumbling to dust.

I saw beasts mutating into horrific monsters that rampaged through what was left of Humanity before turning to dust.

I saw prophets protesting that the end was to soon, rulers calling on people to fight and scholars saying that it was far to late. Few cling to hope. Fewer endure.

I see...something, much too vast to be a living being, much too powerful to be a God, much too alien for my mind to even comprehend.

I saw three tears spinning through space, shining like stars as they shed sparkling motes of light.

I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath as the dream faded. It was a recurring dream I'd been having since I arrived on Bet, between the Dream Cycle of my Servants and mostly hidden behind the fog of sleep. Even now, I barely remembered any of it, just flashes of colour, a few impressions and a feeling of horrified realization. I swallowed as I felt bile rise in my throat.

"Praetor?"

A cool hand on my shoulder made me jump slightly and I turned to see a worried looking Nero sitting beside me, apparently having snuck into my bed at some point. On the up side, she wasn't naked, on the down side, she was wearing a crimson neglige that was somehow more arousing than if she had been in the buff. You know, if I wasn't still suffering from the backlash from...whatevver that was.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Just...just a bad dream."

Nero's face darkened slightly.

"A Dream Cycle?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"No, I don't think so," I said, "It felt...similar, but different. Whatever it was, I know it wasn't from any of you."

Nero hummed as she gently rubbed my back, helping my heart rate settle more than a little and likely keeping me from tossing my cookies.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"I...I don't know," I said, "I don't remember much of it, I just know it was...bad. The only thing I remember is a massive...something."

I scowled.

"The only thing I know for sure is that it was destruction given form."

Nero frowned.

"A warning do you think?" she asked, "Some kind of prophetic dream?"

I hummed thoughtfully.

"Maybe, but I don't think so," I said, "It felt...it felt more like something from the ancient past."

There was a moments silence, before Nero yawned widely and stretched.

"Don't worry Praetor, I'm sure it was nothing," she said, "And it it was...well, there is little we can do talking about it now. Let us return to sleep."

I sighed.

"Thats a good idea," I said, "Thank you Saber."

Saber smiled.

"Think nothing of it Praetor," she said, "Now, would you care to return to your pillow?"

I blinked in confusion, before I realized what she meant and sighed.

"I probably should have more of a protest to that, but I'm to tired," I said as I lay down on the indicated pillow.

Which happened to be Sabers lap. Saber smiled as she started running her fingers through my hair. It wasn't long before the warmth and soft motions lulled me back to sleep.

This time, I slept soundly until morning

Monday morning dawned bright, early and painful with a training session with Chiron that made me very glad for my regeneration or school would be hellish. On the other hand, the only reason he was insisting on pushing me as hard as he was was due to said regeneration, so maybe it wasn't that good.

"Urg, why did I agree to train this morning?" I grumbled as I put my PE kit in my locker.

"Because you didn't fancy getting your ass kicked again?"

I sighed as I shut the door, revealing Rin leaning against the metal door of the locker beside mine. The Undersider was smirking slightly, apparently fully aware that I knew who she was and so on.

"And here I thought that the Unwritten Rules were followed pretty religiously by your lot," I said.

"Eh, they only work so long as everyone wants them to," said Rin with a shrug, "I figured out who you were the moment I saw you and I bet you did the same. So, I see no real reason why we should pussyfoot around the issue."

"Well, I can't really argue with that," I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder, "Anyway, I should get going."

Rin nodded and pushed off the wall.

"Sure, see you later."

We went our separate ways.

Later, I was on my way down the back stairwell on my way to lunch when a familiar voice made me pause.

"Are you crazy Sophia?!"

I looked down with a raised eyebrow. From the sound of things, the Trio were having a little meeting in the small area below the stairs. It wasn't a bad place really since few people used the back stairs for...reasons and they were echoey enough that any normal person would be heard the moment they opened the door. It was only thanks to my supernatural stealth that I hadn't made a racket on my way down.

For obvious reasons, the Trio had been rather quiet lately, but from the sound of things they were making plans. Plans that at least one of them didn't like. I took a few steps to the side and lent against the wall with my eyes closed, focusing on my hearing.

"Something wrong with the plan Madison?" asked Sophia with a note of irritation in her tone.

"Something wro...locking someone in a locker full of biowaste isn't a prank, its attempted murder!" shouted the pigtailed girl, "I still have no idea what you have over Blackwell to keep the teachers of us, but I guarantee that something like THAT will be more than enough to bring the cops down on our heads. And thats if we're lucky!"

Sophia scoffed.

"Please, no one heres got the guts to spill," she sneered.

There was the sound of a deep intake of breath.

"Sophia, if we do that, there is a strong chance that Taylor will DIE," she said slowly, "And even if she doesn't, she could be infected by any number of nasty diseases. Not only that, we run the risk of exposing everyone in the school to those same diseases. People wouldn't have to talk, it would come out on its own as soon as an outbreak of disease starts out in the school. I'm all for a few pranks, but attempted murder is way to far."

The sound of footsteps and a slamming door floated up the stairs.

"Tch, I knew she didn't have the guts," said Sophia.

"No Sophia, shes right," said Emma making me blink in surprise.

"Wha...but Emma…"

"I want to help Taylor, not kill her," said the red-head, "Besides, Madisons completely right about the risks. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not die a horrible death or end up in prison because of a prank. We can still lock Taylor in her locker for a bit, but not with that...stuff."

There was a moments silence, followed by the sound of a deep intake of breath.

"Alright, I guess you have a point," grumbled Sophia, "I don't know why your still so interested in helping that weakling though. Its been two years and…"

She was cut off as the door shut, leaving me alone in the stairwell. I sank down on the step, thinking hard. Apparently things had changed, although whether that was because of one of the butterflies I'd set flying or something native to the world I don't know. Whatever the case, it sounded like the Locker was off the schedule, which was nice and one less thing I had to worry about.

It also shone an interesting light on Emma. Apparently, she wasn't a complete bitch, but genuinely believed that she was trying to help Taylor...somehow. Not that that really changed anything and I still fully intended to do something a little more permanent to deal with them in the not-to-distant future, but it did mean I'd be a little less viscous. Madison had also proved that she wasn't truly malevolent, outside of being a thoughtless teen. The fact she was bullying Taylor had probably never even crossed her mind and she considered her actions to be harmless pranks.

Sophia on the other hand...yeah, I'd be dealing with her soon enough. Just as soon as I figured out how without bringing the PRT down on my head.

My stomach growled, reminding me of my previous destination. I stood and continued down the steps with a slight skip in my step. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but the fact that the Locker was now unlikely to happen was a weight of my mind.

Victoria Dallon lay back on her bed staring at the rather crumpled note in her hand. Getting notes wasn't unusual for her of course, being beautiful, famous and with an Aura that was geared towards attracting people, getting fan mail was so common she literally needed a dedicated shredder and waste paper basket just for the more...creepy ones.

However, this was different. For starters, she found it in her pocket after getting home from the mall with Amy the day her sister collapsed, despite having never seen it before and definitely not having been handed it, and second because it was from another Cape.

Alucard was something of an anomaly for Brockton Bay's Cape scene. While he had been around for over a month at this point, he hadn't really been involved in that many Cape fights, other than a couple of tussles with some minor thieves like the Undersiders and a rather memorable fight with Circus that ended in a stalemate and a truck full of cottage cheese being blown up. In fact, he seemed to actively avoid meeting other Capes, to the point where he'd vanish into thin air if simply approached. The only exceptions seemed to be Saber and Ruler, the other two new Capes, which led some to believe that the three of them might be connected.

Of course, it also meant that some of the more paranoid folks on PHO and other places were rather suspicious of his motives, not helped by the fact that he tended to stick too the Docks area and deal with ABB and Merchant crimes leading some to believe that he might have Empire connections. Vicky didn't think that was likely and thought it was more likely that he either lived in the area and wanted to make it safer or thought that the rest of the city had plenty of Capes to protect it and decided to focus on where he could do the most good.

Considering that habit, leaving her a note stating that they needed to talk and to call him was more than a little odd.

Vicky sighed deeply as she rolled over and reached for her phone. Despite whatever reservations she might have, she was way to curious not to at least try to talk to the enigmatic Cape. She quickly dialed the number on the note and waited. Less than five seconds later, the other end picked up.

"Good evening Miss Dallon," said a smooth, slightly accented voice, "I wasn't expecting you to call this soon."

Vicky blinked in surprise. Did he have some kind of Thinker power on top of the rest of them?

"How did you…"

"Very few people have this number and I know all of them," said Alucard, "It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"Fair enough," said Vicky, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Thats...a little awkward," said the other Cape, "I have an...acquaintance with a power similar to Panacea, although he can analyze people from a distance. He told me that your sister is exhibiting signs of chemical addiction to a mind altering substance similar to heroin."

Vicky's stomach dropped through her feet. She knew her sister smoked, but the idea of her taking anything harder was…

"However, she also isn't exhibiting any signs other than altered brain chemistry," continued Alucard, cutting of her thoughts.

"Wait, what?" asked the Alexandria Package, "How is that possible?"

"I have no idea and neither does he," said Alucard, sounding slightly annoyed, "He does however have a couple of theories. If possible, he would like to take a closer look at Panacea and possibly remove the issue."

"I...I'll need to talk to her," she said, still more than a little worried.

Drugs or not, someone random having fucked up brain chemistry was never a good sign, especially not in a world with things like the Simurgh and Heartbreaker running around.

"Thats fine, it can wait," said Alucard, "While worrying, its a long term issue and I doubt a bit longer will hurt. Once you're done, come to the address I'll text you and we'll sort it out. Theres usually someone there at all times."

"Alright," said Vicky, "Um, thanks for letting me know. This is...worrying."

"Not a problem," said Alucard, "We are all Heroes after all. Goodbye."

"Bye."

The call cut off and her phone buzzed a moment later with a text from the number with an address on she recognized as being in the Docks area. She ignored it for now though as she flopped back down on her bed and wondered how in the hell she was going to talk her sister into coming with her.

I put my phone down on the table in front of me, thinking hard. I might regret the fib about someone else being our Healer, but I doubted that Glory Girl would believe that I was a powerful Healer, on top of the rest of my powers, so it was a necessary half truth. Honestly, I was hoping that they came sooner rather than later considering the fallout that would come from the reveal. I just hoped that it wouldn't damage the sisters relationship to badly.

I sighed and glanced at the wooden cup that was sitting innocently on the table and glowing slightly. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I'd been feeling...odd lately. It was a feeling of weight settling on my chest, a vague sense of impending doom that seemed to be pushing me to perform another Summoning, despite the fact it had barely been a week since I summoned Archer. Quite what it was I don't know, but I had a nasty feeling that if I didn't have all my Servants summoned by the end of January, I'd seriously regret it. Very briefly.

I shuddered as the vague sense of dread washed over me again and got to my feet. Short time or not, I wasn't willing to see what that dread indicated any time soon and that meant I'd summon away.

I quickly entered my Workshop and moved over to where I'd carved a summoning circle into the floor to help speed up the process. Within moments, the circle was glowing and I was half way through the chant, ignoring a slightly surprised looking Ruler who poked her head through the door. SHe didn't say anything though, instead entering and leaning against the wall to watch. I finished the chant and felt the familiar feeling of another Servant latching onto my Sacred Gear, accompanied by a flash of blue robes and a blazing sun. I blinked as the dust cloud cleared, revealing a fluffy tail and a pair of twitching ears.

"Servant Caster has arrived," she said, "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

"Well thats more formal than I was expecting," I said, "But yes Tamamo-no-Mae, I am your Master."

The fox spirit looked up and seemed to give me a quick glance over, before expression turned to one of eager interest.

"Hmm, principled and handsome," she muttered, "Yes, you'll do just fine."

I blinked.

"I beg your pardon?"

Caster grinned and the next thing I knew I had a fox girl wrapped around me and rubbing her cheek against mine.

"I look forwards to serving you, dear Husband," she said.

I groaned and rubbed my face with the hand that wasn't trapped by Tamamo's hug.

"Great, I see no way this will end well," I grumbled.

As if to prove my point, the door opened and in marched Saber.

"Praetor, I felt another Summon…" she trailed off as she spotted Caster still hanging of me.

She scowled and crossed her arms.

"And who are you?" she asked, "You seem...familiar."

"Indeed, I must say the same," said Caster, "For some reason, I feel like we've met before, in another life."

I blinked.

"Wait, what?" I said, "But...I thought that Servants didn't hold any memories of past summons."

"We don't," said Ruler, "However, we are not typical Servants, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were some anomalies."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense," I said.

"Regardless of the reason, I demand that you release my Praetor at once!" snapped Saber, pointing a finger at Caster.

"And why would I want to do that?" asked Caster, "Its only natural for a wife to hold her Husband close."

Saber twitches violently.

"Husband?!" she spluttered, "Not a chance foxy, hes mine!"

Caster let out a mocking laugh.

"Yours? Please, what would an uncultured fool like you know about being a good wife?" sneered Caster.

"Uncultured?! I am an Emperor of Rome, the center of Culture in the west!"

"Alright you two, thats enough!" I shouted before Caster could return fire, "You two are my Servants and that means you are on the same side!"

The two bickering Servants looked at me, then at each other, before turning away with a huff.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm about to lose," said Saber.

"I could say the same," said Caster.

I groaned and ran a hand over my face.

"This...will not end well," I grumbled, "Alright, if you two really want to fight it out, do so, but in that case you are forbidden from using Noble Phantasms or going for the kill."

"I...do not believe that that will be necessary Praetor," said Saber.

"Indeed, a battle of strength would prove little in this matter," said Caster.

"Whatever, but if you do decide to fight, please get someone to mediate," I said, "I'd rather avoid having the city get blown up in a Servant duel."

The two Servants agreed and left, Saber to do...whatever she did and Caster to familerize herself with the base, leaving me to drop into the chair in one corner of the room.

"Well, they seem to be getting along," said Ruler.

"I just hope they don't start a 'waifu war'," I muttered.

Ruler snorted.

"Oh, don't act like you don't like the idea," she said, "Your a red blooded teenager after all, having two hot women trying to get into your pants is like a dream come true."

"Not when both of those women could easily destroy the base and a good chunk of the city," I said.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll manage," said Ruler.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, before glancing at my first Servant.

"Did you need something?" I asked.

"Actually, I do have something to ask you," she said, "Dragon and the others will be arriving in about an hour and I was hoping to ask you for some help with our work."

"How can I help?" I asked, "I mean, I'm not exactly a Tinker."

"No, but there is something you can do," said Ruler, eyeing the back of my hand.

I frowned as I listened to my request, before my jaw dropped.

"Wait, what?!" I spluttered, "Are you sure?"

Ruler nodded.

"I see," I muttered, "Yes, it would work, but…"

"I cannot force you, but using it would definitely allow me to complete my work," said Ruler, "I never could complete it in life and even with the help of other powerful Tinkers I don't think I can finish it."

She looked down at her hands.

"Other than Manton, that is my greatest regret."

I eyed my first Servant for a moment, before I let out a sigh.

"I see, so thats it," I muttered, "Your wish is to complete it, to finish the final part of your legend. Its no ordinary weapon your creating, is it?"

Ruler shook her head.

"No, its my final Noble Phantasm," she said, "That is why I am uncertain if I can complete it with only Tinkers. They will be able to help, especially with my Workshop increasing their power, but I want the extra boost. I have waited far too long to fail now."

I nodded and got to my feet.

"Alright, I'd prefer to not have to use them unless absolutely necessary, but if thats what you want, I will do it."

Ruler smiled.

"Thank you Master," she said.

Kid Win took a deep breath and did his best to calm his nerves without much luck. Even now, in the back of a PRT van on the way to meet with Ruler, he still couldn't believe that he'd been asked for by name to take part in the creation of an anti-Endbringer weapon. He didn't even know what his specialty was and yet his name had been requested alongside Armsmaster and Dragon. It was rather thrilling and intimidating at the same time.

"Hey, calm down Chris, you'll be fine," said Vista who was sat next to him.

Chris smiled shakely at his teammate and took another breath. In addition to him and Armsmaster, Piggot had also decided to send Miss Militia, Vista and Gallant along to act as backup and possibly soft sell the idea of joining the Protectorate to Ruler and Alucard, who had been confirmed to be working with the Tinker and likely related to her in some way. Chris didn't think it was likely to work, but if it meant he got to see a Tinker like Ruler in person, it was more than worth it.

The young Tinker was abruptly pulled from his thoughts again as the van turned a corner and stopped. He took yet another breath to try and steady his nerves, before following his fellow Wards out of the van. The street they'd stopped on looked just like any other in the area, lined with abandoned warehouses in various states of disrepair, with the main exception being that this one also played host to a perfectly normal looking panel van with two men in street clothes and balaclavas leaning against who had to be Uber and Leet and another man Chris didn't recognize with long hair clad in Greek style armour with a domino mask over his eyes stood beside the door to one of the warehouses that had lights on inside.

As the Protectorate affiliated Heroes disembarked from their vehicles and Dragon landed lightly beside Armsmaster, having been following the convoy from the sky, the unknown man stepped forwards.

"Good, everyone's here," he said, "Before we go any further, I wish to remind you that you are all here under the Endbringer Truce, regardless of whether you are here to assist the Tinkers or not."

"Yes, we all know this," said Armsmaster with an impatient hand wave, "Lets get started."

The man nodded and opened the door.

"In that case, please follow me."

He led the way into the building. As they entered, Chris looked around, noting that it was actually fairly comfortable, despite the rundown appearance of the outside. The entryway quickly opened up into a fairly large room with a number of doors leading off it with various signs on them and a few with lights above them. One of the doors was ajar and the sound of someone humming could be heard from within, along with the smell of something rather delicious. The room itself was dominated by a table with a number of chairs around it, clearly intended for meetings. Two of the chairs were occupied, one by Alucard at the head of the table and the one beside him by Ruler.

"Thank you Archer," said Aluard, "Please, sit."

He indicated to the chairs, two of which Uber and Leet immediately claimed. Chris was about to join them, but Armsmaster cut him off.

"I'd prefer to get started as soon as possible," he said.

"Armsmaster…" started Miss Militia, her tone a little warning.

"No, its fine," said Ruler, getting to her own feet, "I happen to agree, the sooner we start, the sooner we can finish. Leet, Armsmaster, Dragon, Kid Win, this way."

"I'm coming as well," said Uber, getting to his feet alongside his partner.

Ruler nodded.

"Thats fine," she said, "Follow me."

She led the way out of the room and into a room that was set up as a workshop. Chris frowned as he looked around. It was...rather underwhelming all things considered. It didn't look much like a Tinkers workshop and more like a normal workroom.

"This is it?" asked Leet, looking around in surprise, "My lab would have been a better choice."

"I have to agree," said Dragon, "I was under the impression that you had a set up that would be necessary for the work, but I could have provided this easily."

Ruler turned back to face them, a smirk clear in her stance.

"Oh, this isn't the workshop we'll be using," she said, "I simply didn't want to draw anyone else into it."

Armsmaster frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Ruler tilted her head.

"You guys should consider yourselves lucky," she said, "Even Alucard hasn't seen this yet. You will be the first people to witness the Noble Phantasm of the Servant Ruler!"

Armsmaster frowned, but before he could say anything, Ruler did...something that kicked up a massive wind that seemed to originate from her body. Before anyone could react, the wind erupted, forcing Chris to cover his eyes, despite his visor. After a few seconds, the wind faded and he looked up...only to find that the slightly dingy room had vanished to be replaced by a truly vast plain of red dust, occupied by piles of parts, raw resources and finished bits of tech that had been discarded like trash. The gathered Tinkers, plus Uber, were stood on an area that was paved in white tiles that stood out starkly against the dead land and surrounded by just about every type of tool and production machine Chris had ever heard of, in addition to even more he didn't recognize. The sky was black and studied with stars, but all of that paled in comparison to the vast orb of crystal that glowed with silver light and seemed to be pulsating like a living thing.

"Welcome," said Ruler, drawing attention back to her, "To the Workshop of Tinkers, the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit once known as Hero, the King of Tinkers!"

Welp, this is finally done. You have no idea how many times I ended up changing this ending. First I somehow ended up with Berserker forcing a Summoning, followed by Ruler calling Alucard Master and getting him to use a Command Spell in front of the Protectorate and...urg, whatever, trust me, this is the best result.

So, anyone willing to take a shot in the dark as to what I have planned for the future yet? Theres a fairly massive clue as to why Lisa can perceive Servant parameters in there too.

Yeahhh, even without the addition of her being a Magus, Rin is way to smart not to figure out that Alucard is her sorta-friend at school and that he knows who she is and so on. As such, neither of them see much point in hiding the fact.

Let me be perfectly clear (although I'll still get some people whining because they don't read the AN), I have plans for Emma that don't involve locking her in the nuthouse or making her a true villain. That does NOT mean however that she will be joining Team Grail or becoming friends with Taylor again. Shes well and truly burnt that bridge, regardless of her reasons. Thats all I'll say for now because I want to explore that in story.

That said, Sophia will get hers and lots of it.

I do apologize for the cliffhanger, but I've been watching Fate/Apocrypha again and I think it affected me after all the cliffies in that. I think thats also why a few of the characters have randomly become much more formal.

Anyway, this is now done, so I'm going to sign out before I fall asleep at my desk. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!