"Kyu…kyu. Fou..fou fou."
Something licked Alpha's cheek. It felt cold and wet compared to the warm, uncomfortable ground underneath him. Huh, whatever was licking his face actually didn't feel so bad. Maybe he could just lie here a bit longer until his mind fully awakened to comprehend the situation. After the incident before he blacked out, Alpha was pretty sure he was dead. And if that was the case, he had all the time in the world to stay on the ground.
"Kyu...kyu kyu!"
The mewling grew louder and it started to annoy him. "That sound…"
"Alpha...Alpha, please wake up."
Alpha made a muffled groaning noise. Whatever had been licking him resorted to headbutting him on the side, a fluffy missile constantly hitting him. And now a girl's voice was asking him to wake up, but he really didn't feel like responding just yet.
"...He won't wake up. This is the third try."
Another voice joined in. "Solo un momento per favore. I've got just the idea." That was Naughty.
Then there was a whispered conversation going on, with some audible outbursts. "Wait, but, don't you think that's coming a little too forward?"
A pause. "You can never be forward enough." There was a sigh, and the muted rumble of footsteps approaching.
Alpha faked being asleep, as if begging for five more minutes to lie in bed. Whatever those two were planning, he didn't want any part in it. Can't they just let the dead sleep in peace?
"Master. Wake up right now. Please. If you don't wake up, I will kill you."
So they weren't dead after all! Alpha's eyes shot open and he scrambled to his feet in record time. His head was swimming from the sudden shift in balance, but holy crap, was that a death threat being whispered directly to his ear?
Naughty was having a laughing fit, and the pink-haired girl named Mash was blushing slightly. "Hahaha, she really got you there! You shot up like she shoved a chili pepper up your cul-"
Suddenly a frowning Chiaki was at his side, as if she had teleported. She covered Naughty's mouth with an outstretched hand, effectively silencing him. "That's enough, Naughty. No need to kick him when he's down."
Naughty shoved her hand off, frowning. "You didn't even let me finish. It's not like you knew what I was going to say."
Chiaki huffed. "My intuition told me enough. Besides, this isn't the place for that."
The italian snorted. "This isn't the place? Take a good look around you." He gestured to the surrounding landscape. "This is the perfect place, so much that I'm surprised we haven't run into a demon yet."
In the distance, fires seemed to perpetually burn out of collapsed urban buildings, the smoke making the sky an infernal sea of dark, warm colors. Some skyscrapers kept their structure but were also burning. The ground was chaotically broken, blood red and barren. The heat was so strong it felt like a stench, forcing its way up the nose. There was silence all around the area, save for the crackle of the flames, the whimpers of some kind of animal and the sound of a few people bickering in the distance.
Alpha looked at the sky and wondered which circle of hell did everyone just drop into.
"Umm…" He turned around, only to find Mash sympathetically smiling at him.
"Sorry about startling you earlier, it came out wrong. What I meant to say was that if you didn't wake up, you were going to be killed."
Alpha shrugged. "That's life." Mash looked at him with mild concern.
"No, I really meant it. Look" She pointed to the ground. Bones were littered everywhere, along with a few skulls, chipped swords, and ragged pieces of cloth.
"We were attacked while I was knocked out?"
Mash nodded. "You were the last one to wake up. Ryuuto was first so he went to scout the area, but he hasn't come back yet. Chiaki and Naughty woke up soon after, and just in time too. You were on the ground asleep, and a horde of these skeletons were heading your way."
Alpha stared at the skeletal remains again, eyebrows raised. He really slept through a battle! But wait, who was dealing with these things? He wasn't exactly the best judge of character, but he was pretty sure that no one in their group was that strong. Unless...
He looked at Mash again. She was no longer injured or bloody, and had some sort of black and purple armor on. An enormous cross shield was at her side (seriously, how did he miss that?) and her stomach was suspiciously missing a great deal of protection.
"Like what you see? That armor really suits her. I like her style." Naughty was suddenly at his side, arm at his shoulder, also checking out Mash's new look.
"Uhhh…" Alpha was at a loss for words. "It doesn't really look defensive…"
"Why do you think she has such a big shield, fool? Besides, now I know Mash has got a great personality, if you know what I mean."
Chiaki headed over to Mash, ignoring the two weirdos. "Don't mind them. They must be perverts. Anyway, I think you're pretty strong to be able to fend off those skeleton monsters! Did you train in combat or something?"
Mash was still blushing from the previous conversation. "I did, but not on that kind of level. I always had to stay after class. I wasn't even capable of doing a pull-up." Chiaki nodded with empathy, silently relating to that last statement.
Mash continued. "But the reason I was able to fight like that earlier was because I-"
Suddenly a blue hologram sprouted from seemingly nowhere. A face materialized, and everyone recognized it as-
"Dr. Roman?"
"This is the Chaldea Command Room! Do you read me?"
Thus began Mash's report on the current situation. "This is Mash Kyrielight, a member of the A-Team. Currently I have shifted to Singularity F, with 4 candidates as sole survivors, with minds and bodies intact. Their Rayshifting and Master capability is satisfactory."
From the hologram screen, the doctor looked at the group. "Uhuh, I see. But I'm only seeing three. Where is the fourth?"
Chiaki spoke up. "He went ahead to scout the area."
Dr. Roman looked shocked. "Do you know how dangerous this location is? You can't let anyone out of your sight in a place like this!"
Mash opened her mouth to respond, but before she could utter a word there was a piercing scream coming from up ahead.
Chiaki gasped. "Oh no, he's probably in danger!" Everyone ran forward to investigate, the doctor's projection barely keeping its stability as it became mobile. "Wait, don't ignore me! You guys are heading straight into-" Unfortunately the signal couldn't withstand the jostling and winked out.
"Was that him? Didn't know Ryuuto screamed like a girl."
"Maybe he found a survivor, Naughty."
"He seems like the type to me!"
"Never mind that! There he is! But we've got company!" The motley crew and their Shielder slowed down, only to find a huge horde of skeleton warriors in the distance heading for what appeared to be Ryuuto and some woman. No wait, that wasn't just any woman- it was the Director herself!
She was also firing off spells from her hands, like a functional finger gun. All the while, she was complaining nonsense to herself. Ryuuto was perched atop some rocky wreckage above. He turned around and noticed the incoming group. "Hey guys! I found someone important! But uh, we could use some help getting rid of these skellies!"
Mash readied her shield, positioning herself between everyone and the incoming skeleton army. She looked determined, though her legs were visibly shaking. "P-preparing for combat. Mash Kyrielight, engaging the enemy!"
"Whoa...you're really going to take them on again?" Ryuuto looked at the skeletons. They hadn't shifted their attention from the Director at all, and she was clearly getting tired from nonstop rapid fire spells. Ranged attacks were only going to get more useless if they just hit a single enemy.
However, all of the skeleton warriors seemed to be clumped into one big unit, like a rapidly advancing wall of bowling pin doom.
Wait, bowling pins...that's right!
"Mash! I want you to take your shield and charge at them from above from here!" Ryuuto jumped off the platform to make space.
"They're getting closer! Hurry!" Chiaki was starting to panic, jumping up and down due to stress? Excitement? Nervous energy and adrenaline? It was a combination of everything.
Alpha just stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding in front of him. "This is it, huh? A skeleton army stampede. It's like those jokes about the skeleton war. But this is real."
"Roger!" Mash backed up and sprinted for the perch Ryuuto stood on. She effortlessly leaped for the rocky outpost with her shield, her heels making shallow dents on the narrow platform.
It would have to be somewhat precise. If Mash fell too late, she would end up behind the enemy and leave everyone else defenseless. Landing early would be a better mistake.
"Now, Mash!"
As Mash Kyrielight took a deep breath and dived towards the skeleton army shield-first, time seemed to slow down. Ryuuto, Chiaki, Alpha, and the Director all stared, stupefied at the sight of the petite shield bearer honing in on the skeletons that moved forward without a care. Against the backdrop of the smoky sky, her exposed pale skin stood out a lot.
Which was why Naughty was clearly enjoying his view of Mash from below.
Mash Kyrielight landed a perfect aerial strike. But by perfect, it was a perfectly destructive collision. In fact, she slammed into the enemy so hard a crater was formed! Bones and dust exploded everywhere, which would have made any mage collecting materials feel like heaven. Bony shrapnel and fragments flew everywhere, but it was deflected by a magic shield the Director created.
When the smoke cleared, a bunch of scattered skeleton warriors still remained, so Mash got into a fighting stance and prepared to shield bash the bony enemies to oblivion. She skillfully beat them until there was nothing left. With a final leap, she slammed into the last skeleton standing, the undead warrior dissolving into dust upon impact with her shield. With no more danger in sight, the shield girl made her way back to the group.
The Director had a scowl on her face as she paced around. "Will anyone explain to me what exactly is going on here?! If Lev was here, none of this would be an issue. Where is Lev? Leeeev!"
Alpha muttered something under his breath. "For a leader, she seems kind of needy. Is Lev her dad or something?"
"I heard that!"
Alpha got flustered, but it could have been the infernal temperature as well. Mash stepped forward, catching the Director's attention. "This is Singularity F, Fuyuki 2004." She paused to look at herself. "It might be hard to believe, but I-"
"You've become a demi-Servant, right? I could tell by simply looking at you. Hmph. I wonder why it worked now, of all places..."
"Excuse me, but what's a Servant?" Chiaki asked innocently. Unfortunately, this caused the Director to glare at her with a gaze fiercer than the burning fires of Fuyuki.
"You applied for this job, went through a simulation, attended the Orientation lecture, and you STILL don't know basic terminology?!"
"I don't...I'm sorry!" Chiaki slowly backed away, intimidated by the outburst. Ooooh crap. Now she had done it, this was going to earn her a spot on the Director's radar for sure! Everyone else in the group looked at her with a look of pity, but said nothing to help.
The Director sighed. "Now I remember. You lot are the commoners who applied. Just wonderful. I guess an explanation is in order, but first we need to set up a base camp. Find the place where the most magical energy gathers- a leyline- so that we can communicate with Chaldea more efficiently. We should start looking-"
"Um, it's here. The leyline is at your feet, Director." Mash said.
"R-right! I knew that! Now, lend me your shield. I'm going to set up a summoning circle using your Noble Phantasm as a catalyst."
As the Director set up the summoning circle, Mash explained about Servants, Masters, and the Holy Grail War to the group. It was kind of pleasant actually, since she was patient and answered questions with expert detail, but not enough to put anyone to sleep.
But now something bothered Ryuuto. "So if Servants have Masters...who is commanding you, Mash?"
"That's a good question. All of you have a high affinity for being a Master, but I don't think it's possible for multiple people to share one Servant."
A lightbulb went off in Chiaki's head, and so she put her newfound knowledge to use. "So then, it's whoever has Command Seals, right? You just have to check yourself for weird red markings!"
"Right…ok. Let's figure out who's got them." Alpha mumbled as if on autopilot.
Everyone checked their hands, wrists, arms, even their ankles. "Well?" Chiaki asked. "Anyone find strange tattoos? Because I don't have anything on me."
Alpha shook his head. "Nope. But that's ok with me."
Ryuuto looked slightly upset. "I don't have them."
Naughty chuckled, and showed off the back of his right hand. There was a crimson brand that resembled a shield somewhat.
"It's me. I'm the Maestro."
Ryuuto made a disgusted face. "You are like the last person I would want hanging around her." Alpha and Chiaki nodded in agreement.
"Now, now, guys. You may think of me as a pervert but I assure you, I'm more competent than you think." Naughy smirked. Nobody really believed that.
"You know, this doesn't mean much. It just means Naughty is the one supplying me with energy and commanding me in battle…" Mash said, a sweat drop forming on her forehead.
Ryuuto huffed. "Well I think I did a better job with commands. Remember who got us out of that bind with the skeletons?"
Naughty's smirk grew impossibly wider. "I think someone here is jealous!"
"I'm not jealous! I just think it's weird that you of all people get to be her Master!"
Chiaki rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys, after all. Alpha, on the other hand, was brooding in silence, as those in contemplation usually do.
"...seriously, THIS is what you commoners are arguing about? You two squabble as if competing for a toy!" The Director had finished setting up the circle and re-establishing communications with Chaldea, and had returned only to find this mess. It appeared that she had overheard everything.
Ryuuto got flustered. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that! Sorry…" Even Naughty looked briefly taken aback, then resumed his nonchalant demeanor.
"Servants are not mere familiars you get to boss around willy-nilly." The Director gave the two fighters an accusing glare. "They are dangerous, powerful spirits. If you do not establish a good relationship, expect betrayal and death."
"That said...I am ordering you all to investigate the Singularity with me. This city is dangerous and is full of dangerous creatures. You will need protection-" The director huffed. "And so you are lucky Chaldea has the resources for an emergency summon right now."
She turned to Ryuuto. "Because you have shown decent skill with strategy, I will let you have the opportunity to use the summoning system."
"As for the rest of you, watch closely."
And so everyone made their way to the summoning circle, where Mash's shield was glowing a faint blue. Lines of mana surrounded the area, giving off a mysterious glow.
Upon approaching the circle, the Director gave instructions to Ryuuto. "Just stand in front of it and focus your mana into the circle. Think about an ally that can be strong and offer protection, or what have you."
The young man stood in front of the circle and almost immediately, tiny orbs of light materialized above the shield and began to spin. There was a flash of light, causing everyone to avert their gaze in fear of going blind.
When the brightness subsided, Ryuuto squinted at what he had brought forth in this world. He was hoping for someone powerful, strong, like a knight. Hopefully not a demon or a monster.
A small figure in gray armor had manifested on top of the circle, holding a silver shield and an enormous lance. Both items looked a little big for the armored figure, but they were held with ease.
"I'm Gareth, seventh seat of the Round Table, a knight who served King Arthur!"
"That knight is a girl?" Chiaki asked, dumbfounded.
"Seems it." Alpha mumbled, staring at the petite knight.
"From what it looks like, Gareth must be a Lancer." said Mash, informatively.
Ryuuto gingerly looked at his new Servant. This was not what he had in mind, but he can't just say that in front of everyone.
"Nice to meet you, Gareth." He held his hand out, but everyone could tell his enthusiasm was not there anymore.
However, the Lancer didn't seem to notice. She walked out of the circle and shook his hand.
"I hope we can get along, Master!"