(A/N) To those who don't usually read authors' notes, this one is important. Please read. It pertains to all readers directly.
I'll be doing something with this story that I don't think many FGO authors have done before (with good reason). On my profile, you'll find a poll titled "GACHA!". It is, in fact, a Gacha for this story.
The gacha is one of the key and integral elements of FGO that doesn't really translate well outside of its medium (that medium being mobile games). What I hope to do is allow the readers (you guys) to contribute to a system that will bring servants into this story at random via Chaldea's FATE summoning system. The summoned servant will not be written off. They will be properly written into the story and will contribute to the story as much as they should (narratively). This is my (perhaps ambitious) attempt to simulate how the fgo gacha (a game mechanic) would translate to story format.
So as not to bloat this chapter, more details can be found in my bio.
I will close the first gacha poll after the completion of Singularity F
The first randomly summoned servant will be introduced sometime during the Orleans singularity.
(Edit) I'm dumb and forgot to make the poll visible on my profile, so the poll is working as of November 6th
On that note, let's talk about how servants actually work in singularities for a sec. To my understanding, how it's supposed to work is that they're basically pokemon with the exception of Mash (they're summoned for fights and return to Chaldea afterward). How it's gonna work in this story is that they'll serve the classic master-servant dynamic, and will contribute to the actual development of the story in each singularity (which means that some singularities are going to end up changing a lot).
I should mention that the first half of Singularity F is the closest that any singularity will resemble its canon counterpart. Expect divergences due to both servants and Shirou's presence.
Now onto other matters, notably current (and future) plotholes starting with the extinction of humanity.
I've gotten a bunch of reviews mentioning that the "extinction of man-kind in 100 years" isn't a thing until the command room goes boom, but that's where things are a little confusing.
Olga Marie straight up says in a Fuyuki flashback that some six months before the start of the story, CHALDEAS could no longer detect the future existence of humanity (hence the First Order). However, pretty much the same this is said once the command room goes boom. If anyone is willing to clear things up for me it would be much obliged because the brain-hurt that I get from trying to understand Singularity F is only second to when I tried to understand Last Encore without context.
To reiterate from the last chapter, plotholes are gonna happen. FGO and FSN aren't on the same timeline, so some things will either have to be forgiven or bullshitten.
Thank you for listening to my epic of an author's note. Please enjoy the chapter.
X
Everything was red.
My eyes were most likely damaged, admittedly, but I had a funny feeling that my burning surroundings had a lot to do with it too.
"…switching to the final phase of…
My ears were ringing. I couldn't make out much, but there was a series of announcements being transmitted inside the room. It was probably something like an automated warning triggered by all these damages.
"LAPLACE's shifting protection…"
I lifted myself off of the body laying under me. Animusphere definitely wasn't conscious –the blast impact must have knocked her out– but she seemed to be breathing just fine.
I, on the other hand…
"… start final…"
I winced, forcing myself to stand. Something in my lower back was definitely broken, and my left fibula was poking out from the side of my calf; I wouldn't be putting any pressure on that leg any time soon.
Honestly, I shouldn't be walking. Anyone else in my position would be paralyzed for life, and I was aggravating the injuries already as it were. I didn't have a choice, however. I couldn't stop until I either rescued all survivors or confirmed that there weren't any.
Making sure that the head of Chaldea was well and truly still among the living one last time, I pulled away and promised myself that I would come back for her before the environment did too much damage.
I dragged myself forward, noting with terribly misplaced amusement that my current situation drew many parallels to that fire, now close to twenty years ago. For that reason alone, I knew that I needed to push myself to save anyone that I could.
"…Oh…"
I could barely hear the utterance– current state in mind, it was a miracle that I had.
Crushed under the remains of the crumbled ceiling was the girl I had remembered seeing earlier. Her lower half must have been paste under all that weight; she wouldn't be alive for too much longer, no matter what I did.
She was saying something, but anything that I could've made out was muffled by the ringing in my head. When I reinforced my broken body and tried to move her deadly paperweight, her words became louder and more frantic.
"Don't mind… run."
Again, most of what she was trying to convey was lost as the announcement system started up with something again.
"… all observation…. Chaldea's state has…"
My arms burned. Reinforced or not, I didn't have the leverage to budge the mass with my leg and back in the state that they were in.
"Unable to…"
"…sealed… internal containment…"
The girl stopped talking, and I felt the air shift around me. Feebly, my neck turned to see the surrounding exits fully barricaded by giant steel walls.
The girl smiled sadly. Was this what she was trying to warn me about?
Sigh. We were all stuck here now. She was going to die, probably. So was Animusphere, now that I thought about it.
Heck, I wasn't looking too good myself. Would I be able to hold out? Did they cut the ventilation to the room? Would the flames steal what little oxygen that remained?
Ah… Rin wouldn't be too impressed if I let myself die halfway across the world on a business trip that she didn't approve of. I didn't know how, but I would somehow need to–
"First Order, commencing operation."
X
"Senpai."
Hm. When did I close my eyes? What was I doing again?
"Senpai, please wake up."
Ah, sorry, Sakura. I must have fallen asleep again. I'll clean up the shed, so you go on ahead.
…
I came to my senses.
That's right. There was a bomb.
My eyes shot open and I propped myself upward before I could think properly. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all.
Gingerly, I tried to stand. Noticing quickly that all my injuries seemed to have disappeared, I planted both feet under me easily.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had made a miraculous recovery.
Getting a better look at her, there was something… off about the way she looked. My memory could be failing me, but I could have sworn she was wearing a lab coat earlier.
"I'm glad you're alright," were the first words that had left my mouth. "Do you know where we are?"
In any other circumstance, I would have tried for introductions, but it wasn't hard to notice that our environment –while still a burning one– was far from the remains of the room we were in before. If anything, it looked kind of familiar.
In the distance, I saw a bridge. That bridge.
My stomach dropped. Something was wrong. There was something that I was missing. There had to be.
"I'm fine, but please be cautious, Senpai. We can talk later, but for now, stand behind me."
Somehow, I had only then noticed that we were surrounded by skeletons.
Animated skeletons with weapons.
My circuits hummed, ready to be used, but the girl next to me acted first. The sheer amount of magical energy that she exuded as she placed herself firmly between myself and the enemy was enough of a surprise to distract me from the fact that I should be the one protecting her.
She glanced over her shoulder to look at me with clear anxiety in her eyes. "Your orders, Master!"
For a moment, I was at a loss. My treacherous eyes –it only for a moment– saw a certain blonde knight instead of the scared little girl trying to shield me from danger.
Was that it? Was she a servant this whole time? Whose, then? She called me Master, but–
Somehow, I had only then noticed the giant shield held in her hand.
As its replica made a place for itself within my Unlimited Blade Works, many things became clear to me through its history while other things made me more confused than I already was.
That Noble Phantasm wasn't hers. Not really, at least.
A demi servant.
Despite her frail appearance, the girl shouldn't have any problems handling such feeble opponents in close quarters. Her competences would surely mimic those of the servant she had bonded with.
Still, it was painfully obvious that she wasn't used to combat. Her now-superhuman nature was a boon, but he wouldn't allow her to fight on her own.
"Go on the offensive," I told her confidently. "There's a bunch of them, so I'll help thin them out."
Her shield at the ready, she chastised me over her shoulder as any decent servant would, "Do not put yourself in danger, Master. I'll–"
Too late. I projected a certain black bow along with three mundane swords, each one altered to adopt the aerodynamics of an arrow. All three were notched and released in under a second. As a result, three of the skeletons exploded via one-kilogram projectiles to the face.
The demi-servant looked as though she had questions as well as some choice words for my self-imposed participation, but she let it go for now.
Their numbers weren't overwhelming, but we were still only two people. The girl was capable enough to take the skeletons' attacks with her shield, but the openings for her to counterattack were few and far in between.
Still, I had little doubt that she would emerge victorious eventually. The only issue was that I wasn't sure if we could afford to drag things out any longer. Placed in such a strange situation, our actions were aimless. We had to finish here quickly so that we could come up with some sort of plan.
Ten more swords of identical make were traced at my side, then twenty. I began to launch the weapons into the crowd of skeletons five at a time.
Shortly, the demi-servant girl found herself in a position where she could fight back comfortably. A powerful swing of her shield bested the final creature.
She took a moment to catch her breath.
"Senpai, it's unwise to–"
"Hello? Am I getting through to anyone here? This is the Chaldea Command Room! Hello!"
I blinked owlishly. Was I going crazy, or was I hearing some sort of disembodied voice?"
"Here! Look over here– no, no! Over– there we go."
My search came to an end once I found myself face to face with a hologram straight out of a science fiction movie. Was this some sort of magic?
"Doctor Roman!" shouted Mash in surprise. She ran up behind me to get a better view of the visual projection.
It was a man in a lab coat, similar again to the recruiters that brought me to Chaldea. I thought for a moment that he could be a high-ranking member of the organization, but I dismissed the thought immediately. He looked a little too… amoebalike? Flaky? Something like that.
"Ah! Mash. I'm glad that you made it out alright, somehow. Hold on… what's with that outfit, I taught– no, never mind that for now. You. Master Candidate. What's your name?"
He must have been referring to me.
"Shirou Emiya."
"Shirou Emiya… did we have someone like that on the B Team, maybe? No… darn it, a civilian then."
Before I could interject, he continued, "Oh well, it's not like there's anything that we can do about it now. I'm surprised that anyone at all had made it through, to begin with, so I shouldn't complain. You have Mash with you after all."
I had many questions, but I started with the most obvious one.
"What's going on?"
"You've Rayshifted successfully. Both you and Mash have reached the singularity in one piece… somehow."
My eyes found the burning structure in the distance once more.
That really was Fuyuki bridge, then. For my hometown to be in such a hellish state, just like back then…
I addressed the demi-servant, "Mash is your name, right?" She nodded, so I continued, "You've called me Master, but we haven't formed a contract."
"Oh!" was her soft exclamation. "That's right, professor. I have engaged in a contract with this man, so please document his status as an official researcher."
But I had just said that…
I caught a glimpse of the back of my hand and nearly did a double-take.
Command Seals?
No…
…
Those were definitely Command Seals. How did I not notice them until now?
The man in the hologram reacted similarly, though obviously for a different reason. "Eh. Eh? What do you mean, 'contract'? Is that why you're…" he paused. "Gah! Your circuits, strength… it's all…"
Did he not know that she was a demi-servant? Probably not, now that I thought about it. Despite the legend behind that shield in her hand, this version of it in particular was very "new" in a sense. Under its current owner, it didn't yet bear its True Name.
I would have loved to hear the story behind that, however…
"We can talk about this later, but our current situation is critical. Can we get back? Should we move forward? We need to establish our next objective."
Both the man in the hologram and the demi-servant looked at me strangely.
"Ahem… Er… you're right, I suppose. You're not in an ideal place right now, but the mission needs to continue. You must do everything possible to find what's at the origin of this singularity."
Just Mash and myself… this would be difficult, wouldn't it?
"Doctor, your connection is going to drop soon," the girl told the hologram worriedly.
That wasn't a good sign. As a contracted worker with job-related work experience, I knew that having some direction here would be preferable.
"What? Could it be because we're running on the backup generator?" he mumbled. "It's not an issue, I don't think. We can re-establish contact if you find an energy-rich location to which we can anchor our system. Something like–"
"A ley line?" I suggested.
"…Eh? Could it be that you're actually a magus, Emiya-kun?"
"Not exactly, but I did do work for the Clock Tower," I admitted, and he sighed.
"I almost got my hopes up," he whined. "…No, it's definitely better than nothing. There will be less to explain this way. You're right, though. A ley line would be best. There should be one two or so kilometers out from your current location."
Two kilometers…?
I didn't need long to figure out what he was talking about. A certain manor was, in fact, built overtop a ley line. It was the house belonging to the city's Second Owner.
That brought an even worse thought to mind. Despite knowing that none of this was reality –not my reality, at least– I couldn't discard my newly found worry and grief.
"Rin…"
"What was that, Senpai?"
I shook my head. "Never mind that. It's nothing."
"Okay! Good luck, you two. I'll try to reach out to you the moment–"
The hologram disappeared.
"Let's hurry," I told the girl.
She hummed. "Right."
I heard a whistle.
No, that's not what that was at all.
"Move!" I shouted.
Mash didn't seem to know what I was worried about for a moment, but she quickly caught on once she saw the angry-red projectile torpedoing down on us.
She made full use of her newly-acquired servant-level ability and put her shield between us and the attack before it made contact.
BOOM
Her knees didn't quite buckle, but her entire body strained to keep her quasi-Noble Phantasm steady. That would have definitely been a killing blow if it had landed.
Not that I would've let it.
"Are you all right, Mash?"
"Yes, Senpai."
Her confirmation was all that I needed. Enhancing my vision with the assistance of magecraft, I traced the trajectory of the attack back to its source.
The silhouette of a man I had no desire to ever meet again stared back for a moment before it disappeared.
I gulped.
Mash placed a hand on my shoulder. She was worried. "?"
"…Servant."
"Hm?"
"There are other servants here in Fuyuki. That was definitely a servant."
Her mouth bobbed for a moment before she could gather her words. "Are you familiar with servants, Senpai? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," I assured her gravely.
This changed everything.
With the current state of the city in mind, I had assumed that the Heaven's Feel ritual was a non-factor. After all, if there were no people –not even magi– then naturally there wouldn't be any servants here either. Without a master, Heroic Spirits could not anchor themselves to the physical world for long.
Somehow, they were here anyway.
A thought had then come to me.
If that man was still here as a servant, then…
"Let's hurry to the ley line!"
Maybe… Just Maybe…
X
Once we arrived at our destination, every muscle in my face immediately clamped up.
This wasn't a house anymore. It was hardly better than a pile of rubble.
Obviously, no-one was here.
"How do I sound out there?"
The hologram appeared again, along with the staff member that was talking to us earlier. I could feel the relief rolling off of Mash in swathes.
"Doctor. I'm glad that you've managed to reach us again," she told him.
"Hahaha… me too."
My eyebrow twitched. That didn't sound all that reassuring.
"Since our connection is a little more stable now, we'll hopefully be able to offer some support–"
"Lev! Help me!"
The shout came from a block or so away. Was I hearing things, or was there really another person here with us?
"Director?" Mash wondered aloud.
Animusphere? It wasn't impossible, I supposed. She was in that burning room along with the two of us.
"The director, you say? Is she there with you!?"
Mash and I ignored the man and followed the still-shouting voice. If we were lucky, then it wouldn't just be a servant playing tricks on us.
We found another group of skeletons moving in on a target that I couldn't quite see from this angle. Whoever it was, they were doing their best to keep their distance with some sort of thaumaturgy.
"Master, your orders."
Again, the girl switched her way of address once combat became imminent. If it helped her get her mind straight and prepared for a violent engagement, then all the power to her.
Still, even for a servant, she was awfully reliant on her master for instructions.
"…"
My words abandoned me once our eyes met. Once more, I got a good look at her.
...I'm an idiot. She wasn't a true servant. This was a regular teenage girl, Chaldean she may be.
"Draw the enemies' attention. I'll get the director."
I'd cross my fingers and hoped that it really would be Animusphere that I found."
Mash moved quickly, batting the skeletons aside one at a time. Her movements already seemed more fluid to me. Not necessarily due to a change in skill, but she was definitely more confident.
Taking advantage of the provided opening, I swept in and threw a panicking woman over my shoulder.
"Eep!"
As I ran away, I cranked my neck just to make sure that it was who I thought it would be. I smiled.
"How are you feeling, Director Animusphere?"
"Y-y…." she started to mumble.
"Hm?"
"You monkey! Who do you think you are, carrying your direct superior like that!? Put me down this instant!"
I winced. If you're so close to my ear when you yell loudly like that…
Once we were at a respectable distance from any sort of danger, I slowed to a stop and gently lowered the head of Chaldea back onto her feet. The moment she felt solid ground beneath her, she spun around and glared at me with enough fire to set the command room ablaze all over again.
Her glare waned once she saw exactly who it was that had rescued her.
"It's… you? The lazy, no-good miscreant who not only couldn't even be bothered to show up on time but also tackled me right before the Rayshift? Of all people, why you!?"
I had a feeling that I didn't make the best first impression with her.
Ignoring her renewed protests, I grabbed her by the wrist and started to jog back to what little remained of the Tohsaka estate. Trying to appease her, I asked, "Please be reasonable. Mash is holding back the enemy until I can get you to safety."
Proving that she heard me in an incredibly selective fashion, she shouted, "Mash? Mash Kyrielight, the A-Team member?"
Instead of answering, I pointed my thumb to the super-powered girl currently throwing around her enemies with a shield that was larger than she was.
"A demi-servant?" she remarked. "But… how? We could never get it to work before so…"
While I admired her ability to put two-and-two together so quickly, "Later! Run now!"
Pretending that I didn't hear her indignant squawk, I picked her up once more. She didn't seem to enjoy being lugged around like a sack of potatoes too much, so instead, I tried a bridal carry.
Her face was beet-red. "You–ah!"
Her curse was interrupted by an involuntary exclamation of surprise. I had reinforced my legs and nearly doubled my speed.
"Mash! We're in the clear!" I screamed loudly to my back in the hopes that I could be heard clearly. The girl batted away a few more skeletons and followed behind us not long after.
X
Once all three of us made it back to the ley line, Animusphere planted herself in front of me with a murderous scowl and heavy breaths. I couldn't tell whether she was out of breath or furious.
"You… you…. Hah… inconsiderate…"
I smiled sheepishly. Maybe a little bit of both?
"Sorry, Director," I apologized as honestly as I could. "I just wanted to make sure that we could all make it back safely."
I knew her type intimately. It was better to apologize than to start an argument for the sake of indignation.
"Hnnnn!"
I had to stop myself from laughing when her cheeks reddened from her noticeable effort to calm herself down.
She took a deep breath. Calmly, she remarked, "You used a reinforcement spell on your own body. Something like that is both dangerous and unbelievably uncommon. Why wasn't I informed that a combat specialist had joined my Chaldea?"
An astute observation, and a fair deduction. It would seem that there was more to the director than a hot-headed young woman.
"Ah," exclaimed Mash timidly. Clearly, she was reluctant to draw the director's attention while she was angry. "Senpai said that he wasn't a magus."
"I'm not," I agreed. "I'm a spellcaster."
The white-haired woman grabbed me by the collar of my uniform almost immediately. With a snarl, she all but screamed into my face, "What kind of distinction is that to be making now of all times you… you ignoramus!"
The hologram appeared once more.
"Director, you're–"
"Shut up, Romani."
"Yes ma'am."
I sweatdropped. The poor man didn't even get a greeting from the woman.
She glared at me one last time before finally addressing the staff member properly.
"What's the situation, Romani? Where's Lev?"
"…"
He was visibly biting his lip, as if unwilling to share something.
Animusphere wasn't having it. "Speak, Romani."
"It's bad. All deployable units are in critical condition."
Her eyes widened. "What? I don't remember–"
"The bomb was placed directly under your feet. If I'm being honest… I thought the fact that we couldn't find you meant that there wasn't anything left of your body."
"Don't worry," I assured her. "I took the brunt of it, I think. You seemed to be unconscious, but you were definitely alive."
"…"
She was starting to put the pieces together, by the looks of it.
"You... saved...Why– No… how? How are you even alive right now?"
"Ah… well… haha…" I scratched the back of my head while trying to avoid eye contact with any of the three faces looking at me for answers. "I'm sturdy."
"…"
"…"
"…"
I don't think any of them bought that. Either way, there were more important things to worry about now.
"Doctor Roman," I got the holographic man's attention, hoping that I got his name right. "There are still servants in this city. Mash and I encountered Archer on the way here."
"… In that case, what I'm about to say will be all that more important. Mash, we'll need to use your shield as a catalyst."