After the objectively successful summons, the next thirty minutes were spent on introductions, planning, murdering people with a heated glare, coy smiles, as if you didn't pull the Fate equivalent of a rickroll on your Master, and skipping around, humming and barking.
Honestly, if it wouldn't reflect back on me as the Master, potentially impact my health and the fact that it was Gilgamesh – even in his childish form – I would have punted the little shit with all my might. At first I was happy at summoning the blonde kid to my side, as he was my most used archer when this whole mess was still a game. But seeing his annoyingly innocent smile as Tamamo Cat did what she did best, being utterly insane by normal standards, made me somewhat regret my joy at summoning him.
I had recalled Emiya from his scouting mission a few minutes ago, hoping he would have mapped out a safe route for us to follow. I don't remember where the game started you in Fuyuki, but we had traveled a long distance in order to find the Director. Usually the story would make you head over the bridge and meet Medusa and Cu along the way, but I wasn't even sure if crossing the bridge was something that we had to think about. Since I knew about the cause of this singularity – Artoria Alter who was hidden in that one cave in the mountain – I could hope to end it quickly instead of running around.
On the other hand, there was the possibility of potentially messing with the order of things. While a lot of the singularity is spent taking in sights and teaching new players basic stuff, the local caster would help Mash with her Noble Phantasm. That in itself was another point to mull about for me. Do I tell Mash the name of the heroic spirit she fused with, or should I wait until she had at least managed to call upon her weaker version 'Lord Chaldeas'?
My thoughts were interrupted by Emiya appearing close to our group. Of course I had filled in everyone, including the absent Servant on my knowledge regarding the cause behind the singularity. The fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki didn't end in this timeline. The Masters had long since died, as did the humans who once lived here, leaving only a select few servants to duke out the fight as the dark form of Artoria kept guarding the prize.
"Master, it seems like your assessment of this singularity is true. The whole town has been the site of an unending battle between Servants. Most of it is either destroyed or up in flames. We are currently located to the west of the river near the residential district."
"Good job, Emiya."
Remembering correctly, this meant that we were actually pretty close to our final destination. Crossing the bridge would be a massive detour from where we would have to go. I snuck a glance at the Demi-Servant in the group. How much would change if we didn't head for Cu and instead went directly to the cave? The shadow-clad version of Emiya should still be alive, as well as Medusa. With Gil, Emiya and Tamamo Cat we should have enough firepower on our side to take down the two to the west without any problem. If, and only if, we should need even more manpower, I still had twelve Saint Quartz remaining, meaning another possible four Servants.
On the other hand the caster version of Cu Chulainn would be fun to have around as well as him bolstering our power without expending more of the valuable gems for now. Not to mention I would see Olga become a target for a bunch of skeletons. Am I vindictive? Yes, of course. My alignment based on the announcer from Chaldea had been chaotic neutral, not lawful good. If Dungeons and Dragons ever taught me something, it would have to be that my alignment meant I did stuff however I damn well pleased.
"Alright, here's the plan, folks." I got everyone huddled around the heat resistant blankets. "We will be taking a small detour to the bridge. There we will find the caster of this Holy Grail War, Cu Chulainn. He's too much of an asset to ignore, as he will be helping us out in our time here. Additionally, we will run into the lancer of this war. She's basically deranged at this point, so attack first, ask questions later. Emiya, you take the lead. You know where to go. Tamamo, you follow after him and try not to get distracted, please. The rest of us will bundle up. Mash, you move in front of me and the Director. If we manage to die, then humanity is fucked, so your priority is to keep us alive with your shield. Gil, you can roam around behind us, but make sure that we don't get flanked by the living dead."
Everyone outside of Tamamo Cat nodded at my commands. Olga looked like she wanted to take the lead, but remained silent. Maybe she realized that I was in control of the Servants, thus gave them their commands? Tamamo Cat just stared blankly for a moment, before closing the distance between us.
"Master! Shouldn't this cat be closer to you and take care of anyone coming too close, woof?"
Time to bribe this strange dog to get her to perform her task, I guess.
"Tamamo, if you follow this man right here, I'll make sure to get you a carrot once we make it out of here and are back at Chaldea, alright?"
The berserker had a glint in her eyes and began to drool at the prospect. Clearly, Chaldea should make efforts to acquire untold amounts of carrots for this person, lest we run into trouble.
"A man after my own heart, Master! You drive a hard bargain, but Cat will do as told!"
The girl, clad in the red outfit began dancing all over the place with a dreamy look on her face, as everyone else looked on with various emotions on their faces. Emiya looked focused, likely preparing mentally for his task. Gil still smiled, not the slightest bothered by the strange sight. Mash's face had contorted to form a mix between disbelief and nervousness at the upcoming travel, and poor Olga's face was one of terror and disgust.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I deadpanned at seeing the director lose her composure over one of the more... strange Servants. "At least it isn't Spartacus."
God bless that hulking gray berserker, and may he never respond to my summons.
"With that out of the way, let's-a-go, people! This singularity ain't gonna resolve itself."
Our ragtag group of individuals were slow to progress through the demolished streets of Fuyuki. Myself and Olga were no doubt the cause for our sluggish pace. Neither of us had the abilities of the Servants to just run, dash and jump past obstacles. More often than not, Mash had to help us by carrying us over blockades and piles of rubble that would have slowed us down otherwise.
Thankfully Emiya and Gil took care of any enemies that might have blocked our path or snuck up on us with great efficiency. Having two archers is the best. The range and spread of their attacks allowed them to dispatch multiple hindrances from afar, leaving Mash and Tamamo Cat free to conserve their energy.
After a while of travel we finally managed to reach what I believe to be Medusa's territory. Slowly but surely statues of humans began popping up in our view, condensing as we got closer and closer to the bridge. Coincidentally, this also opened up the path, as signs of collateral damage, thus obstacles, lessened. But the closer we drew to the bridge, the more I felt at unease. With a silent signal I recalled the servants at the front. The Director shot me an inquiring gaze.
"Sorry, I really need to do my business for a moment." I sheepishly admitted. Ever since I had arrived in Chaldea I hadn't been to the toilet once. Neither the game, nor any fanfiction I had read delved into those aspects of humankind, but this was real and such were my needs.
The male Servants merely nodded at my admission, but I could feel the glare of the white-haired director digging into my back. Thankfully she didn't give our position away by another one of her tantrums. Telling the group to hold on for a minute I began my trek down a slope of grass that incredibly managed to survive the Holy Grail War, in a search for a good spot to relieve myself.
Turning around after my walk along the shore of the river, I scanned the area to look for foes and friends, who might disturb this daily human ritual. Seeing none, I began facing the river, aiming to do the deed. A marvelous experience, if I am allowed to say that.
The few seconds of respite I was allowed to have were cut short as I struggled to button up my pants. An object whizzed between my legs with such a high speed that I had to turn around to identify it.
It was an arrow.
Following the initial trajectory back to the other side of the river, I saw a skeleton standing there, bow in hand and it's jaw moving as if to mimic mocking laughter. Realization dawned on me. If this madlad had aimed a few inches higher my manhood would have been gone! Honestly. Fuck this skeleton in particular. Who aims for the junk of other people?!
Gil does, apparently, because his golden chains shot past me, crossing the river in an instant to pierce the bones of my attacker in all the right places.
"Are you okay, Master?" I heard the child asking from behind me.
"Yo, did you just get here, or did you watch me, in which case I'll let you know that I have a right to privacy."
The blonde child gave me a smirk and shrugged his shoulders. It seems like he followed me while astralized. To be honest, I couldn't blame him. If I were to die, humanity would be dead. In more than one universe. But why did he feel like he could sass me all the time? Kogil should be a meek, nice boy!
"It's a shame that Enkidu isn't here. His presence detection would have been useful." Wait a moment.
"Did you just say Enkidu?"
Gil never talked about Enkidu as far as my knowledge went. Even if you had both of them summoned to Chaldea. So why did he-
"You take Enkidu with you normally, don't you master? You invested a lot of time and resources into making him stronger."
Time stopped, as did my heart. In the game I spent more than enough time to max out my Enkidu. He was the first SSR Servant I had summoned and leveled to 90, making him a staple of my party. Could this mean?
"It seems you have realized what is going on, Master." Gil nodded sagely.
It seems like I managed to summon my own Kid Gil from the game? Wait. Could this mean I would also be able to summon Gramps? Having the king of the Hassans at my beck and call would be ten-outta-ten reassuring.
"Before you start rambling, Master, I don't think you will be able to summon the rest. When I felt you summoning a Servant, I made sure to answer to your call immediately. To be honest, like you, I know what's going on."
"I guess it has something to do with that 'Sha Na-Grub' or whatever it is called from your profile? So that means you will be the only one to know the truth. I won't ask for details, but does that actually mean you remember stuff from the game?"
This small conversation had just turned from a heart-stopper to a massive headache. Multi-verse and timeline theories weren't among my strengths, but apparently, going by his nod, Gil's.
"Yes. Though I can't say I miss farming the GUDA GUDA event."
"So, wait... does that mean that what I perceived as a game was actually real? Like some other universe or dimension type of thing? Also, everyone else did most of the work when it came to farming."
"Something along those lines. But I think we should head back now, Master. I can hear the others fighting, you know?"
Since he mentioned it, I could actually hear the distinct sounds of battle. The clangs of weapons clashing against each other could be heard faintly throughout the area. Gil didn't seem to be in a hurry, opting to leisurely stroll back to the road with his hands in his pockets. You could actually hear Olga-Marie cry something foul in the distance. Something about unreliable masters and not listening to superiors. Well, it's time to get this show on the road. But first.
"Since you are my Gil... why don't you just, you know, go ham on this singularity? I invested a lot of resources to get you to level 70. Fuyuki should be a breeze for you."
The blonde stopped in his tracks, turning his head over his shoulder to face me, a cocky grin adorning his face. Now that I noticed, he didn't wear his jacket. You know, the one he gains as you ascend him-
"Oh, Master, you summoned me anew, so I am not as strong as I should be. And I still remember you mumbling something about leveling Nobunaga so she can replace me. I think I'll have you work for it."
I raised my hand, index finger pointing upwards as if to argue and opened my mouth.
"Also, this isn't the game, so don't embarrass yourself by saying quick, buster and arts, Master."
The battle between my Servants and the attackers had ground to a halt when we stepped unto the battlefield. Most of the group turned their heads to look at me and Gil, as we casually strolled in. Mash was currently in a deadlock with a pale, purple haired woman clothed in a familiar, albeit skimpy dress. Despite cloaking her head in a cowl I knew her name. Emiya had his bow projected, and an arrow drawn to let loose at the tall woman. Tamamo, for all her loss of insanity, stood ready for battle, but was one of the few who glanced at me. The Director, god bless her, was sitting on her rear further away from the others, shaking like a leaf.
"Yo." I deadpanned, seeing the state of affairs. "I got lost on the road of life. But it seems you are doing well on your own."
Mash didn't seem to appreciate my imitation of Kakashi Hatake, as she struggled to keep the opposing lancer away. She growled and with a small boost of power pushed the woman away from herself. The lancer, not one to stumble quickly backflipped onto a nearby lamppost and began surveying the new arrivals.
"Senpai, this isn't the time for jokes. Orders, please."
"Well, Medusa over there's a lancer. Considering her speed, our best shot would be Mash and Tamamo. Emiya, you and Gil lay down supportive fire. Mash, make sure to focus on blocking her scythe. That's Harpe. If she lands a hit, you won't be able to heal the wound. So make sure to use that shield of yours."
Everyone nodded at my instructions. Since this was no time for games I had put on my serious-business-face. It would be our first real fight against another Servant and I would not let anyone get harmed due to my incompetence.
"You! How do you know my name?" The Gorgon sister shouted from atop her resting spot, clearly infuriated that she got exposed by some normie master.
"True Name Discernment EX+" I shot back. Couldn't let her know that I watched the movie. Apparently, some things weren't truly like the game. Usually you would face shadow versions of her, Benkei and Cursed-Arm Hassan. Or something along those lines. I can't quite remember.
The cloaked lady hissed in fury at my quip, gripping her scythe with more strength before vanishing in a burst of speed. The dangerous weapon would have sliced me clean in half if it wasn't for Mash jumping between us. Taunt successful!
"Tamamo, go for it!" I shouted from behind the shield. The berserker acted instantly, rushing at the lancer with ungodly speed, attempting to slash her in the side with her claws. To her dismay, the rogue Servant freed herself from Mash's shield and jumped away from Tamamo Cat. Emiya, ever the diligent archer followed up by firing his arrow at the airborne Medusa. With a flick of her lance, the woman knocked the projectile out of the air and landed with a skid.
The lancer quickly recovered and vanished from my view once more. My eyes couldn't track her movement at the pace she was setting. I could only hope my Servants could keep up. Medusa was always ridiculous when it came to speed, but this was outrageous.
Another attack against me was blocked by Mash with a resounding clang. Emiya reacted faster than our berserker and took a shot at the enemy who nimbly dodged the attack by propelling herself off of the shield. But before Medusa was able to regain her footing Tamamo slammed into her side with a war-cry, digging her ferocious claws into her torso, ripping parts of her already revealing clothing for even more fanservice. This was apparently a solid hit, because the lancer shrieked at the damage inflicted on her.
Sadly, this wasn't enough, because Tamamo found herself knocked back by the blunt edge of Harpe, flinging her a good few meters away in a daze.
"Why you little..." I heard the pained gasps of Medusa. "Dogs should be kept on a line."
Not sooner had she spoken those last words, snakes sprung up around us, separating our small group into individual pairs. Emiya and Tamamo were boxed in together by a dense array of chains, leaving them unable to act, as more chains formed around me and Mash. Only the sassy blonde kid that is Gil and Olga-Marie were not caught in any form of restraints.
"This isn't good." I mumbled, looking for a way to break out of this bounded field. Without Emiya or Tamamo able to interfere Mash would be unable to weather the coming storm of attacks, especially in the confined space we found ourselves in.
"Now, human, face your death." Medusa cackled from somewhere behind the chains, possibly readying a decisive strike against me. My taunt should have worn off by now! Go focus Tamamo Cat, or even the Director!
Heck, where's Cu when you need him? I'd expect him to congratulate Mash on a job well done and burn Medusa to cinders with a bunch of runes by now, but the caster didn't feel like gracing us with his presence.
"It's time to teach you some manners."
Gil had seen enough, I suppose. Behind us I could hear the famous sound of a number of portals phasing into existence. Disregarding my opponent I spun around to catch a glimpse of the child.
He had lazily raised an arm as countless weapons slowly pushed out from the treasury of the king.
"It's messy, but this is also a kind of strategy. Treasure is something that you use like this."
With a lazy wave the weapons began flying at the unseen Medusa from above the battlefield. A hail of golden light encompassed the surroundings, as the sounds of weapons impacting could be heard all around us.
"Gate of Babylon!"
Through the storm of weaponry I could make out the screams of Medusa as she was skewered by hundreds of noble phantasms of varying shapes. Surprisingly, the liberal use of his special attack didn't drain any of my prana. Now that I think about it. None of my servants seemed to use up any of my prana. Seems like Chaldea takes care of that, indeed.
Soon after the death throes of Medusa stopped, her bounded fields disappeared in motes of light, leaving us exhausted, but the winner of this encounter. The whole street was riddled with holes where Gil's treasures had landed, leaving me wondering about the actual strength of the servant.
If this was a freshly summoned Kid Gil without any boosts, then how strong would he be later down the line? Regardless, I let the blonde child know that I was pleased with his actions.
"Great job, Gil. Guess I can count on you after all. But man, that was your Noble Phantasm in it's weakest state? Can't wait to carpet bomb entire battlefields when I ascend you."
The boy just shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the damage he inflicted upon Fuyuki, not phased the slightest by my praise. After surveying the destruction he looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes.
"By the way, Master. I lied. I am at full power."
The next few minutes were spent with catching our breaths, calming down from the encounter and me chewing out Gil for his antics. While I wasn't too keen on him basically lying to me, I would have loved to know about his strength before we encountered the enemy servant. The little rascal just took my rant without any retaliation, probably dismissing me entirely. The others didn't mind my tantrum, probably because they didn't know the exact details behind it, just something along the lines of me berating a servant for being lax with his powers.
When I finally let Gil get some words in, he had waved his hand in a dismissing manner and told me that rather than going full power on the singularity, we should give the other servants a chance to prove themselves to me. His somehow raised a valid point with that. I had no clue how to enhance my servants this time around. Normally the player would just drown his servants in embers until they could get some fancy materials assimilated into them to raise levels.
Was it more akin to Pokemon this time around? Fighting and besting opponents yielding experience which your servants automatically gain in order to raise their powers? Who knows. Whatever the case, I saw Gil's point in not solely relying on him. While he could easily overpower everything the singularity had by himself, this would probably leave the other servants feel inadequate, or deny them the satisfaction of actually performing their duties. If I was summoned by a stranger to fight for something like the survival of humanity, I surely wouldn't want a brat show up all over the place.
On the other hand having the fully powered Gil would ensure our survival. It would only take him a few good hits before even Artoria Alter bites the dust. Perhaps he could even solo Lainur later down the line, but I would not risk it. Demon God Pillars are heckin' strong, and beating up shitty Lev would give us away as more of a potential threat. Well, at least I could rely on Gil if shit hit the fan.
Our small break near the bridge was interrupted by slow clapping coming from down the road. There, in between two demolished cars materialized a man in robes. His blue hair styled into a long ponytail was bringing out his red eyes and silver earrings. The accompanying staff was tugged into the crease of his elbow, to not fall over as he congratulated us in a sarcastic manner.
In an instant, everyone but me and a certain troll were on guard. The unknown server had managed to sneak up on our group undetected. Well, unless you count me and Gil knowing that he will arrive ahead of time. Seeing that my servants were ready for another round of combat, the caster stopped clapping to wave his hands in a placating manner.
"Woah, hold on there for a second. I was just congratulating you on your victory, I didn't come here for a fight. Well it wasn't bad for an inexperienced master, but you have to praise Missy there for protecting you, ya know?"
He was right. And I turned to Mash, while pulling Gil close and patting his head. It was a bold move on my side to pat the king's head, but modern problems require modern solutions.
"He's right. Good job everyone, especially you two."
If he was annoyed by the gesture, the blonde child didn't show it, but Mash beamed at my praise. I guess small praise comes a long way for her.
Hold on a second there. I wanted to turn back to Cu to begin the conversation and to make him join the team, but unfortunately something caught my eyes amidst the dust of Gate of Babylon. It couldn't be!
A big, fat grin appeared on my face as I began jogging towards the battlefield we just left. Behind me, I could hear Cu make a noise that was a mix between a sigh and a gasp. Who just jogs away from a stranger, exposing their back? I do, suck it. For there – amidst the ashes and rubble, craters and rocks I could see them – Saint Quartz. The silver-white crystals sparkling with the colors of the rainbow were half buried among the remains.
Stumbling across the destroyed street as a mediocre human was to be expected. But there would never come a time when I dismissed my currency for rolling the Gacha. I dropped myself into the ashes where I had seen the gem and began digging with my bare hands. This would leave me looking like someone who just exited a mine, but who cares. This world wouldn't allow me to waste my hard earned cash on virtual stuff. And survival was a top priority. More Saint Quartz means more rolls. More rolls equal more servants. More servants equal more ass-kicking. You get the drift.
The Director could be heard screaming from the rest of the group, demanding to know what the hell I was doing in the dirt when another servant could just attack us. She got her answer when I pulled the spiky ball of mineral out of the ground and held it aloft for everyone to see.
"This, Director. There be Quartz here, and I ain't doing shit until I got 'em all! You guys can talk for all I care. Especially you. Just an hour ago you told us to follow your commands, as the director and all that. So you'll take care of business while I do the dirty work, alright?"
Tamamo giggled at my enthusiasm for quartz and joined me in the craters, pointing out Quartz I had missed. Olga would surely be gaping at my bold declaration, or fuming, because there wasn't an instantaneous reply. Instead I could hear Emiya mumble something about getting stuck with strange masters.
"Daniel Müller, once we are back in Chaldea, consider yourself fired!" Ouch. Did I just get fired from my job by a girl my junior? Well who cares. Me and Tamamo already found five Quartz. Who would have guessed that enemy servants drop loads of the good stuff?
After finding a surprising amount of seven gems, and ruining the remnants of the area in the search, Tamamo and I returned to the rest of the group who had seemingly finished their conversation. If the close proximity of Cu was anything to go by, the talk had been a success and we would now have another servant to bolster our admittedly, small, ranks.
I climbed out of the holes looking like I hadn't seen a shower in weeks, but my shit-eating grin and the Quartz clutched in my arms made my loss of hygiene a small price to pay in comparison. Emiya was somewhere further away, scouting the area for intruders, while Mash and Olga held a conversation with the caster servant. Gil was moderately close to me and Cat, looking at my dirty form with a furrowed brow, obviously not pleased at me covering myself in soot.
"Look at this. Seven Quartz. That's two summons. I'm back at twenty-two of these suckers, and ready to summon some more!"
"At least your master's enthusiastic about his gems, girl." Cu chuckled at my outburst.
Olga deigned it appropriate to shoot me a deadly glare, probably wishing for Lev to come to her rescue. I couldn't blame her, to be fair. From what she had seen, I was just an eccentric German commoner who got roped into a situation he only knew how to manage because of dreams. Hopefully the soon to be revealed secrets of the Leprechaun won't break her feeble mind. I already knew what was coming. Altered Emiya as a Shadow Servant. Artoria Alter who is going to be Excaliblocked by Mash, and if needed, absolutely destroyed by Gil. And Lev himself who will try to toss the Director in the core of Chaldea after bending space-time. To be honest, I wasn't sure how to stop the last one from happening. Perhaps I could order any of my servants to hold the delusional girl back, or at least have Gil pull her back with his chains?
Those sort of things I could think about later, because right now I would make a provisional contract with Caster Cu.
"So, what did you guys talk about?" I asked them, hoping to receive a summarized report without any surprises.
Spoiler alert, there were no surprises. Cu asked me to enter a contract, because Olga was not able to become a master. Additionally, he would try to help Mash unleash her Noble Phantasm and join us in our quest to win this Holy Grail War and fix the singularity. I agreed to the pact without a single hint of hesitation. This seemingly surprised the blue-haired man. He probably didn't expect me to trust him so easily, especially after digging through the dirt.
Anyway. We formed our contract and he formally introduced himself as Cu Chulainn, the Child of Light. In my mind I was becoming a fanboy, but on the outside I posed calm and collected, despite my muddied appearance and earlier outbursts of excitement.
"Hey, Emiya? Can you come over here for a minute?" I called through my mental link to the archer. Said man instantly appeared close to me in his typical stance with his crossed arms. If we didn't share the exact same height it would probably be an imposing sight, but considering he would become the most protective of servants outside of a... few... peculiar ones, I couldn't help but scoff internally.
"You called?" he asked, and I mentioned towards the newest addition to our group, to whom he glanced before turning his attention back towards me with a small, almost unseeable scowl. Here goes my hope that he won't recognize or remember Cu from the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Time to clench my butthole, because the request I was about to make would probably grind the collective gears of Unlimited Blade Works.
"Err, I know you can project weapons... Noble Phantasms among other things... would you mind tracing a copy of Gae Bolg?" God have mercy on me.
Lancer Cu is superior to the Wikkaman, fight me. But I had read my share of fanfiction where a certain hero of justice had traced the famous spear for the caster. If he had access to runes and his spear, then he could kick some serious butt. Imagine a combination of Wicker Man and Gae Bolg. How would that even look? Cage them in an over-sized Voodoo Doll and then skewer them with the undodgeable-though-writers-make-it-dodgeable-for-plot-reasons-spear? And then explode in a glorious explosion with a smaller explosion because Emiya and broken phantasms and stuff. Jesus, Mr. Torgue would be proud.
"I am not too keen on the idea to give a stranger a weapon, I will do as you say, Master."
"Hey, I don't know how exactly you want to summon my spear, but I would be thankful if you did. Your master's got the right idea. I prefer a spear." the Irishmen argued, as the Japanese servant closed his eyes to think. Poor Emiya, being stuck with versions of Cu Chulainn and Gilgamesh this early in our adventure. And then being ordered to become a 3D-printer for one of them? Couldn't blame his hesitation and lack of enthusiasm.
"Don't worry, if he tries to hurt master I will rip him apart, woof!" Tamamo Cat barked from beside me and Cu Chulainn turned around with a comical expression of rage.
"Don't mock me and call me a dog, will you!" he shouted at the female Servant, pointing a finger at her. I held out my arm in front of my... chaotic-stupid servant in a protecting fashion. Can't have the team fall apart before the singularity does.
"I'm sorry for my servants remark, Cu, but she says woof as her catchphrase or something. Don't mind her, please. She's a berserker."
"I am the Wild Fox! Tamamo Cat!"
Fuck, why did it have to be Old McDonald's farm cramped into a single body and slapped with a madness enhancement? This is why masters can't have nice things. And whoever decided that 'Berserker' is a valid class for a servant should be gunned down. Yes, they are strong, but if Cat was any indication, annoying as hell and frustrating to deal with. I hope my E-rank luck wouldn't make me summon anyone with an EX-rank madness enhancement. Otherwise all would be lost.
The tension between the servants was diffused when Emiya relented and projected Gae Bolg for the caster, after which he promptly vanished in motes of blue to resume his scouting duties. To further help with the situation I told Tamamo to spearhead the group back towards our initial camp. It was time to summon some more.
We arrived at our destination later than anticipated as some skeletons had managed to round up and form new groups of enemies for us to shatter in the wind. They weren't any danger to any of us, but they impeded our advance back to our camp by a few minutes.
Once we arrived, most of us began relaxing on our blankets once more. The fights and walking had taken their tolls on me and Olga especially. Unlike the rest we weren't servants with unlimited stamina. I had the experience of working in a shop, leaving me adapted to standing and walking around for large amounts of time, but the Director was clearly not used to trekking large distances and whined about the circumstances in her usual fashion – blame everyone else.
Thankfully Dr. Romani told us to take a break to rest and recover, as well as take a meal. He rayshifted some more provisions to our location, which appeared on top of Mash's shield, and the three of us began our picnic among the ruins of Fuyuki.
The servants either hovered around us, sometimes looking for a conversation or went out to check up on our surroundings. Cu spent his time getting comfortable with his spear, going through forms in the small clearing, proving to be as proficient with the lance as his counterpart, despite the lack of access to the weapon. Obviously the robes would hinder his movement a bit, but considering that we had a group of five servants he wouldn't exactly need to be at full strength.
I on the other hand was nibbling on my provisions with my mind drifting. Should I summon another servant? In the game you could have six with you at any moment. Emiya, Mash, Gil, Tamamo and Cu were merely five total, so another one would not break any rules of the game, if they were to be accounted for in this... reality.
With a shrug, and a shriek of disbelief from Olga, I placed a trio of the gems on the shield in front of me.
Read this, please.
There is some changes to the rules I laid out in chapter one of this story. First and foremost, some servants who appear later in singularities can be summoned before they appear in the original story. Like Tamamo Cat. That's an accident because I totally forgot about her existence in one of the earlier arcs. Additionally, you can vote for a servant you want to be summoned. I'll check how many are calling for a certain servant and review whether it makes sense to include them or not.
Anyway, this chapter's shorter than the first two, because I was busy as hell being lazy and working on my DND campaign.
Furthermore, I am thinking of skipping large parts of the rest of Fuyuki singularity, because it's an absolute dump of exposition that doesn't add anything of value for anyone who remotely knows their way around the universe of Fate. Secondly, there isn't anything of value left outside of the very end of the singularity, also known as Beat Emiya, Alter and have Olga be incinerated. I don't feel like writing tons of dialogue for boring situations like Cu teaching Mash how to Lord Chaldeas by tagging Olga with a rune of misfortune.
I want this story to move back to Chaldea ASAP, so we can enter the most juicy phases of this story: What's a man gotta do in Chaldea when everything's gone. And slice of life between servants and the antics of a master who knows more about them than they'd like.
With that said. I'm out.
P.S.: Spellcheck wants me to replace "Nobunaga" with "Bungalow".
