Chapter 2
Master and Servant
Director Olga is running for her life. Past the ruined cars, debris and everything else that's destroyed. She is running from an army of armored skeletons that are chasing her. Ritsuka-chan and Mash are unaware that she is caught in the Rayshift as well. However, being alone like this isn't really fun for her, especially in a situation like this. She keeps on running until she trips on an uneven surface. She turns around to see the army come closer and closer. She grits her teeth and points her finger at them. She shoots out red energy balls at one of them and they vanish into thin air. The skeletons charge.
"Ohhhhh…why does it always happen to meeee…!?" Director Olga whines as she keeps on shooting. One by one, the skeletons disappear upon being hit.
However, she hears the skeleton above her, standing on top of a lamp post. It jumps and gets ready to strike her down. She shuts her eyes tightly, crossing her arms to form a weak shield.
"Fujino, help me!" she cries.
But instead of being sliced to shreds, she hears a clang. She opens her eyes and sees someone familiar dressed in black armor and holding a gigantic shield. She shoves the skeleton away and swings her shield to defeat it in one hit. She then charges at the army to fight them as well.
"Wait…isn't that…?" Director Olga can definitely tell that it's Mash.
The purple haired girl fights the armored skeletons valiantly, swinging her shield left and right, and has them die like flies. They are nothing to her.
"Hey! Are you alright!?" Another familiar voice calls from behind the silver haired woman.
Director Olga turns around to see Ritsuka-chan. "It's you…!"
Mash defeats the last skeleton with an overhead smash and then trots over toward the director.
"Director, are you hurt?" Mash asks.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Olga asks.
Mash puts on a serious face. "This is Singularity F. Fuyuki 2004. I know this is kind of hard to believe, but I'm…"
"You're a Demi-servant, aren't you?" Director Olga finishes as she gets to her feet. "After so many attempts, why did it succeed this time?"
The violet haired girl still puts on a serious face as she answers, "I know the staff in Chaldea were preparing a servant for a while….for the purpose of resolving the investigation of Singularity F." She closes her eyes as she flashes back to that moment during the fire. "Before I died…a heroic spirit appeared before me and offered me a contract. In exchange for becoming one and having a Noble Phantasm…he wanted me to eliminate the cause of the singularity. It was at that moment that I merged with the servant. I became…a Demi-servant…"
Director Olga huffs. "And then what? This lazy little girl over there is your master now?"
"Uhhhh…ahaha…" Ritsuka-chan holds out her hand to show the symbol.
"I knew it. That proves it once and for all," the silver haired woman says.
All of a sudden, there is some ringing going on from Ritsuka-chan's metal bracelet. She presses it and a large holo screen appears from the ground, rising to a rectangular shape. And when it boots up, Da Vinci-chan appears right before them.
"Everyone! Can you hear me?" she asks.
"No way! It's Da Vinci-chan!" Ritsuka-chan exclaims.
"Fujimaru! And Mash!" the inventor says. "As suspected, you got caught up in the Rayshift. I'm very surprised."
"Hey!" Director Olga pushes the two aside and steps in front of them. "Why have you taken control, Da Vinci!? A Heroic Spirit such as yourself? Explain yourself at once!"
"D-Director?" Da Vinci-chan exclaims again. "Why are you here? How are you still alive?"
"That doesn't concern you," Director Olga says. "Again, why is a heroic spirit such as yourself in the commander's chair? What happened to Fujino?"
Da Vinci-chan hangs her head low. "I'm afraid…she did not survive the explosion…"
"Wha…!?" Director Olga gasps. "No way…"
"The reason I'm here is because there is no one who are capable of doing this job," Da Vinci continues. "I may be a Heroic Spirit, but I'm still just as human as all of you."
"What about the 47 candidates?" Director Olga says. "What about the girls in the coffins!?"
Da Vinci-chan shakes her head sadly. "They suffered the same fate as Professor Fujino. All of them are dead…"
The silver haired woman clenches her fists while gritting her teeth. This can't be happening. She was so ready to have them take it to the next level…and yet it all shattered to pieces. All that's left is Ritsuka-chan.
"47 people…" Olga says quietly. "47 lives have been lost. I failed them…just as I failed myself…"
"I have some other bad news…" Da Vinci-chan sighs. "It seems that Chaldea has lost 80% of its functionality. Once communications are restored, I'll request for some supplies to fix Chaldea."
"Thanks for the update, Da Vinci," Director Olga says, having her arms crossed. "I'm not happy about it, but until I get back, you're in charge."
"I will do what I can," the inventor says. She then looks over at Mash and Ritsuka-chan. The cute redhead giggles as she pets Fou and the little creature playfully puts its paw on her cheek. "But still…a Demi-servant? A fusion of a Heroic Spirit and a Human. I can't believe it succeeded at a time like this."
The director sighs. "Fine then. I guess I have no other choice but to continue the mission as follows. Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight will investigate this singularity."
"I wish you both luck," Da Vinci-chan says. "Whenever it's an emergency, feel free to contact me."
"Hmph." Olga turns away, eyes closed. "Like we need to send an S.O.S anytime soon."
"H-hey!" Da Vinci-chan pouts adorably. "Give me a break, will you!?"
Director Olga turns off the holo screen from her own metal bracelet. Mash and Ritsuka-chan walk up toward her.
"Is this going to be alright?" Mash asks. "Maybe we should wait for back up or something."
"No, we'll just be wasting time," Director Olga says. "We can't go home empty handed. Sorry, you two. Looks like we're stuck together. Do as I say. Understood?"
"Right, understood," Mash says.
Ritsuka-chan panics a little before standing up straight and saluting. "Uhhhh…Ma'am! Y-yes, ma'am!"
"Hmph! I never thought there would come a day where I have to rely on a commoner…" Olga huffs, crossing her arms again while turning away.
Suddenly, there is some beeping from Olga's communicator. She presses the button and Da Vinci-chan appears.
"You're being such a pest!" she says. "Can't you just-"
"You have to get out of there right now!" Da Vinci-chan shouts.
Mash looks around, readying her shield. "I sense it! It's a servant!"
"What!?" Ritsuka-chan gasps.
The trio start running for their lives.
"W-wait a minute!" Ritsuka-chan says. "What's a servant doing in this time and place!?"
"It's the Holy Grail War," Mash replies. "From what I've heard, it's a war to retrieve the holy grail. 7 Masters have fought long ago. The servants contained Rider, Caster, Berserker, Lancer, Assassin, Archer and lastly….Saber. They all fought valiantly to retrieve it. Yet, the final result wasn't recorded. Was it a success…or fail? The servants actions ended without anyone knowing about them. That's all we know."
"Then why…?" Ritsuka-chan starts when she hears Fou crying out.
"Fouuuu! Fouuuu!"
The trio stops to see chains appear before them, blocking their path. Ritsuka-chan walks over to touch them when Director Olga slaps her hand away.
"Keep away from there!" she shouts.
Just then, they hear some giggling coming from above them. They turn around to see a female servant appear before them. She has very long purple hair with a black dress, thigh high boots on her legs and a blindfold covering her eyes. Her skin is pale. Mash readies her shield.
"It's a servant!" she says.
"My, my…~" a seductive voice coming from the mysterious servant says. "What have we here~? A Master and Servant I have never seen before? Ohhhh, how fresh they are~" She licks her lips.
"Stay back!" Mash says. "I'll handle this one!"
"A-are you sure?" Director Olga says and points her finger at the servant. "Listen, we're in a world gone mad. And this servant here without a master shouldn't be so surprising. There are plenty more we'll encounter like this."
"Who are you!?" Ritsuka-chan says.
"I'm the one you can call….Rider," the mysterious servant says. "You will be joining my collection very soon."
The trio look to see a bunch of statues. The Rider servant must have petrified them.
"And you, little one," Rider looks over at Mash. "I can see this is your first time here. Well, I'm here to teach you a few things."
She charges at the Demi-servant with her blade and chains lashing towards her. Mash blocks every hit with her shield, yet she is being pushed back by her strong attacks.
"Hiding behind that thing like a little child, huh~?" Rider taunts. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're really a servant~" She delivers a strong flip kick, making the shield raise up high and leaves Mash right open. She flips again and delivers a straight kick to the chest, sending Mash flying.
The violet haired girl slides to hold her ground, gritting her teeth. "She is strong…!"
Rider charges again, lashing out two of her chains, but Mash blocks them. Rider does a back flip to create distance and smirks.
"For a servant, you sure are cowardly," she says. "Why don't I end your existence here and now…and I will obliterate that cute Master after I finish you off?"
Ritsuka-chan's eyes widen and backs away a step. Olga steps in front of the redhead, pointing her finger at her, getting ready to shoot her with magic. However, before Rider can do anything, Mash bashes her with her shield straight on. Rider slides to hold her ground.
"Nobody touches…my Master!" Mash shouts. She rushes toward the mysterious servant.
Rider charges at her and gets ready to hit her with her blade and chains. But Mash parries the attack and then, summoning all her strength, she swings her shield to bash Rider hard as retaliation. It makes the servant stumble back, feeling dizzy at the moment. Mash uses this opportunity to hit her back and forth and then thrust it forward as hard as she could to send Rider flying. The servant tumbles to the ground.
"You hit her~!" Ritsuka-chan exclaims happily. "Way to go!"
"Heh, seems like you have some fight in you after all," Rider says as she gets to her feet. "But those puny attacks alone won't be enough to defeat me."
"Then why don't I finish the job~?" a beautiful voice echoes from out of nowhere.
The trio and the mysterious servant look around to know where it came from. Sparkles appear between the trio and Rider. A young woman dressed in a purple dress with a hood covering her eyes appear before them. Even though they cannot see it, Rider is furrowing her eyebrows as she stares daggers at this person.
"It's you….Caster!" Rider snarls.
The woman takes off her hood, revealing to be a beautiful face with long light blue hair and pointed ears. "That's right. Been a long time…Rider. Tell me…how's your family doing~?"
"Grrr….why do you side with these low lives!?" Rider growls.
"Simple," Caster points her wand at the servant. "Because being on your side is disgusting." She fires lightning bolts from her wand and it hits the servant, causing an explosion.
"Wha….?" Ritsuka-chan looks over at Caster and then Rider, who gets on one knee. "Another servant appeared!?"
"Fufu~!" the beautiful servant floats over toward the trio. "You can say that I'm your temporary servant for now…young Master. And I see you got a servant as well. She's a cutie~"
"Oh…w-well, ummmm…" Mash doesn't know what to say as she is blushing furiously.
"Hold up! What makes you make the decisions here? How can we trust you?" Director Olga says.
Caster turns her head to the side. "I'm here to help you out of this mess. That's all I'm going to do."
Rider gets to her feet, preparing her blade and chains. "You think a few magic tricks will stop me? Guess again!"
She charges and swings her blades to hit Caster, but she skillfully dodges each and every one of them with a smile on her face. She backs away further and further until she backs into a wall. Rider lands in front of Caster, pointing her blade at her.
"Nowhere to run…" she says coldly.
"Fufu~!" Caster's smile never leaves her. "You think I'm doing this for suicide? Now, young lady~"
Mash charges at Rider, bashing her with her shield, making her stumble back. And she steps into a symbol Caster created. The beautiful servant swings her arm and flames appear from below, engulfing her. She drops to one knee, gritting her teeth. Caster spreads out her wings and summons 5 lasers to shoot at her. When they hit Rider, it causes an explosion. When the dust settles, Rider fades away.
When it's all over, Mash exhales heavily, using her shield to keep herself from falling.
"Great work~" Caster floats beside the Demi-servant. "I couldn't have done it without you…cutie~" She winks at her, causing Mash to blush.
Ritsuka-chan rushes in and pushes the two apart. "Okay, that's enough!"
Fou hisses at Caster.
Director Olga face palms herself. "With all the ladies around here, this one seems to be all Yuri."
Just then, a holo screen appears and Da Vinci-chan is on screen. "Let's just cut to the chase and see what that servant is up to."
The group go to a safe place where they can discuss and Caster explains the details she knows. From the time during the war, the city was blanketed with fire. And the only who rekindled it was the one and only Saber. She defeated 5 out of the 7 class servants. As a result, they became corrupted servants, just like what they saw with Rider. Caster took out Rider's sister, Assassin and a few other servants. The one that remains is Archer, who is Rider's other sister, who seeks revenge. She is going after Caster, so the trio would be able to go on their journey a bit easier without interference.
"So if we defeat all the servants..." Da Vinci-chan says.
"The Holy Grail War will be over," Caster finishes.
"There IS some item that we need to clear this singularity though," Director Olga says. "Tell me. Do you know where we can find it?"
"Of course," Caster says as she looks over at a very tall hill. "At the heart of this land...Saber and Archer are protecting it. The grail itself. I'll take care of Archer myself. She's out for revenge and again, I'm the one she wants. You three will continue as planned."
"Great," Da Vinci-chan says. "I'll leave the rest to you." And she disappears.
Caster stretches her arms a bit. "Well…I guess I better get going. But first…" She turns and stares at Olga. She steps closer and leans toward her, invading her personal space. "Something is not right about you…why aren't you a Master?"
"Grrr…that's none of your business!" Olga shoves Caster away.
"Fufu! You're pretty cute for a first class mage~" Caster says.
"And what is that supposed to mean!?" Olga shouts, blushing furiously.
"I may have a new mate~"
"Sh-shut up! Stop talking nonsense!" the silver haired woman shouts.
Ritsuka-chan laughs nervously and then looks over at her friend, who is spaced out. "Hey, Mash? Is something the matter?"
"O-oh…sorry," Mash says. "I mean, ummm…that is…"
Director Olga realizes what's going on. "Oh, I know. Something that has to do with you, right?"
"Yes…" the Demi-servant says. "It seems I can't use my Noble Phantasm at this time."
"The what now?" Ritsuka-chan asks, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's a weapon servants use at certain points," Director Olga explains.
"What about the shield?" Ritsuka-chan asks.
"Well, the shield certainly qualifies, but still, it hasn't shown me its true form yet," Mash says.
Director Olga sighs. "Now I get it. When you told me you had no idea what servant you merged with, it's kinda obvious why this happened."
"I'm so sorry."
Caster smiles. "Do not worry. A Noble Phantasm CAN be activated, whether you know it or not. But…it's not just you who should believe in yourself." She points her wand at Ritsuka-chan. "This cutie of a Master should be able to reach your heart…even if it means….fufufu~!"
"Wh-what!? What are you saying!?" Mash blushes heavily. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Huh?" Ritsuka-chan is also confused.
"Fufufu! Well, I better leave right now before I get tempted to do all sorts of cute things to you~. I'll be here again to guide you to where Saber is located." Caster says. With a wave of her wand, she disappears.
Director Olga lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm beat. Let's find some place to rest, shall we?"
"Right," Mash nods.
The two walk ahead of Ritsuka-chan. The cute redhead frowns and looks at the symbol at the back of her hand. Is she really capable of being a Master? The last of the Masters in Chaldea?
They go to an abandoned, wrecked school building. Ritsuka-chan looks around for Mash until she finds the Demi-servant standing in the halls, looking out the window.
"Fou!" the little creature calls out, making Mash turn around.
"Sempai…" she says softly.
"Hey…aren't you cold?" Ritsuka-chan asks.
"No. It seems that this form isn't affected by temperature." Mash replies.
"Oh…" the redhead turns to look down at the floor. "I'm so sorry."
"What for?" Mash asks.
"I always put a burden on you. If I were a great mage or something…instead of a normal girl…" she says, softly.
Mash gives a soft giggle. "It's alright. Sempai, you are just great the way you are. That's…what makes you human."
"Eh?" Ritsuka-chan says.
"Actually…I'm very happy you formed a contract with me," Mash smiles happily. "You being here with me was the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me."
"Mash…" the redhead says.
The violet haired girl puts her shield aside to walk over and hug her, resting her head on her chest. The redhead blushes.
"U-ummm…Mash…!?"
"Sorry, Sempai," she says softly, rubbing her head against Ritsuka-chan's chest. "Can I stay like this for a bit? You feel….so warm…"
"Oh, Mash…" Ritsuka-chan whispers as she gently embraces her. "Okay. Just for a bit."
The two stay silent for a moment before Mash turns and sees the red sky above them.
"Say…Sempai…" she whispers. "Do you think the sky was blue before this?"
Ritsuka-chan can only nod and keep Mash in her embrace.
**Later**
Finally, when Caster appeared, she teleported all of them, including herself, to a large cave.
"This is the place?" Director Olga inquires.
"I'm certain," Caster says. "It will lead you right to where Saber is. I will hold off Archer. Ohhhh, and speak of the devil, she is finally here~"
A white glow appears and there stands a girl with long purple hair tied in pig-tails and wearing a white dress.
"So it's you…" the girl says.
"Archer, my dearie~" Caster says, taking a step forward.
"I saw you. You took out both of my sisters," the female Archer says as she summons her bow. "But today, I shall take you out as revenge. I won't let you live."
"Awwww, come on, it was intended," Caster says.
Archer does not listen as she draws an arrow and prepares to fire. She looks over at Mash, who gasps and raises her shield. She shoots her arrow, which turns purple and violet trails follow. Caster gets in front of Mash, waves her wand and shoots out fire balls to intercept. It makes the arrow disappear upon impact.
"Go my darlings~" Caster says. "I'll handle this girl. You take care of Saber."
"Right!" The trio say as they make a run for it inside the cave.
"Oh, you're not getting away." Archer says as she jumps down to go after the trio when Caster floats in front of her.
"It's between you and me, remember~?" She says and winks.
"Grrrr…fine. But you are clearly no match for a Goddess, you hear?" Archer says as she prepares another arrow.
"Goddesses, humans, whoever," Caster says. "I can take them down no problem~"
Archer grits her teeth and jumps up to fire three arrows at the same time, this time they set ablaze. Caster jumps in the air to evade when the fire arrows hit, causing small explosions. The blue haired woman waves her wand to summon lightning bolts, in which the Archer class servant dodges and fires more arrows. Left and right, the two shoot out their projectiles and almost all of them completely miss. They jump back to create distance and Archer glares at Caster.
"You will pay for what you did to my sisters," she growls.
"Sorry, dearie, but in the rules of the war, one shall take each life form," Caster says. "And I took out most of them. All that's left is you~"
"Not if I take you out first!"
They fire projectiles once again. This time, Caster fires more and more projectiles than Archer, making some fire balls and hurling them at the pig-tailed girl. She gets hit multiple times, making her stumble back. She retaliates by firing purple arrows and they form a rainbow as trails. They successfully hit Caster, making her stumble back as well, but she stands her ground. She smiles.
"Good one, Archer~" she says. "But it's far from over~"
"Then, how about I end this quickly?" Archer jumps in the air and draws another arrow.
"Gladly. I'm getting tired of shooting over and over, honestly~" She takes out a knife that has a blade shaped like a Z.
Before Caster can charge, Archer fires her arrow that glows pink and it swirls around. It hits the Caster servant directly in the heart and it explodes. The older woman is severely damaged, but she is still able to manage to charge at Archer just to stab her in the heart with her knife. When it's all over, the two stumble back and drop to their knees. Both of them are defeated, which results in a tie. But it won't matter to Caster. She has done her job.
"At least…at least I get to see my sisters again…" Archer says as she sits back against a rock wall. "I will be there soon…"
Caster smiles. "Nice family reunion…fufufu~. I hope you three will have a good time together again…~"
With that, Archer fades away. Caster looks over at the cave and smiles. "You three…best of luck, you hear?"
And then…Caster also fades away.
**Meanwhile**
The trio run as fast as they can through the tunnel until they get to the other side. They see a very tall hill with a person standing on top of it. There is a large glow behind that person as well.
"Is this the grail she's guarding?" Director Olga inquires. "And what an incredible aura…!"
"So you've come here," the person starts to show herself. She is dressed in black armor, has pale skin and has platinum blonde hair tied in a regal bun.
"Is that…Saber?" Ritsuka-chan says.
Mash readies her shield, gritting her teeth. Fou jumps on Ritsuka-chan's shoulder.
"So…you have a servant, I see," Saber says. "Prepare yourself, then. I shall see how much do you trust in your shield." She jumps down and lands on her feet to point her sword at the group. "I shall break it with ease."
Ritsuka-chan looks at the dark servant with fear. Can Mash really defeat this powerful servant?
