Servants of Remnant
Chaldea is gone, but the memories remain. A world, filled with fairy tales, monsters and men. A history unlike any other. Sometimes… a hero is needed. From another world, from another time. Not all of them are great, not all of them are 'good'. But when the world needs a hero, these Servants answer the call. Perhaps only one, perhaps many do. These are the tales of many timelines. The 'Servants of Chaldea' who come to Remnant.
Hektor
Hektor yawned, leaning against the side of the building, Durindana perched against his shoulder as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a box of Mistrallian cigars, and then his lighter. Shaking one of the large rolls out of the box, he took it between his fingers, putting the box away before lighting the cigar, and taking a very short, quick puff of the expensive commodity, before looking over to the trash can about fifteen feet away, and chucking it into with with expert precision.
He chuckled as he looked up at the sign above the door, Signal Academy. He'd taken up Tai's offer last year… well kinda. He'd managed to get hired, specifically as Tai's teaching assistant and part time guard for the school. And in that time, he'd figured out quite a lot… like that this world was simultaneously far healthier than the old one, and also more… eh, he would have to say bleak. Grimm were everywhere, and really no matter how much you tried to cull their numbers, no one could really make a big dent. Of course, that had been before he'd shown up, but given the whole 'lack of mana' issue, and his own laziness, he wasn't about to get off his ass to cull Grimm on the ass end of Remnant any time soon.
Instead, he turned his attention towards the bright little youths here at Signal Academy, where he learned the meaning of Oz's words very quickly. Almost every in-training hunter here had two forms to their weapon, one for melee and one for ranged. A nice sentiment honestly, being versatile was always good. He'd also quickly figured out, cigars did not taste the same, Qrow, the few times he'd shown up, was the fourth heaviest drinker he'd ever met, and Tai really didn't like his habit of smoking, even when he only did it as far away from the girls as possible.
Of course, his own funds weren't much. He always gave half his paycheck to Tai anyway as just a rent of sorts, and while he'd managed to get his own Id as 'Hektor Faios', he still wasn't exactly trying to leave… not that the girls would let him. He was pretty much their second uncle at this point, and given Ruby was only three, he'd probably be a major figure in a majority of her life once she really started remembering stuff. At least she was up and walking, as well as talking. But Yang, the little trouble maker, really, really wanted to try and use his gauntlet.
He sighed, watching the door as the bell to Signal rang, and about twenty seconds later, a whole gaggle of teenagers just burst out of the doors, all on their scrolls or just talking to each other. Hektor just watched to some of them, who he'd had the pleasure of teaching when Tai needed a more… eh, different touch.
After the kids left, Hektor just opened the doors himself, walking through the halls of Signal, whistling until he reached Tai's classroom, pushing open the door and finding his friend inside, sifting through papers and humming to himself. "Afternoon Tai," Hektor waved, a smile on his face as Tai turned towards him.
"Hey Hektor," Tai responded, filing away the papers as Hektor walked towards him.
"Rough day?" he asked, Tai getting up from his desk and putting his hand to his neck before rolling his head.
"I've had better, but nothing too bad," he admitted, and Hektor just raised an eyebrow as Tai sighed.
"It's… complicated, you saw the inspector right?" Tai asked, and Hektor just nodded, he'd seen the older fellow. Glasses, grey hair, dressed mostly in green and grey with that bowler derby and nice suit with that fancy cane in hand. He could have sworn he'd seen him somewhere before…
"So just stress from inspection?" Hektor guessed and Tai just chuckled, grabbing his bag before starting to walk, Hektor joining him as they moved into the hallway.
"More like some uncomfortable questions about how I run the classroom. He asked how much math the students got and I honestly said I didn't know, I'm a combat instructor, not the math teacher. He also asked about my teaching assistant," Tai admitted as Hektor hummed.
"What am I illegal now?" Hektor guessed and Tai just shook his head.
"No, just wanted to know how long you'd been working with me it seemed, after that he left to continue the inspection. I swear it felt like I was being judged the entire time," Tai said as Hektor shrugged.
"Ain't that kinda the point of inspection Tai?" he muttered and Tai rubbed the back of his head.
"It wasn't like that sort of judging, it… I really don't know how to describe it actually," Tai mentioned and Hektor rubbed the side of his head with his free hand. That really did sound kinda weird. But he didn't think much of it as they reached the door… and a voice spoke up.
"Ah, Mister Xiao-Long, and friend it seems," the old, familiar voice spoke up, and Hektor nearly froze at it, Tai turned around, Hektor slowly doing the same as Tai spoke up.
"Hey there Mr. Mycroft," Tai said calmly, and Hektor just felt his heart sink at the sight of that face and the greying hair. He wasn't even being subtle… but perhaps that was the point.
"Please, call me Rubram," the man said, tilting his bowler forward with one hand and shifting his cane to under his arm, holding out that hand towards Taiyang, the two shaking as Hektor decided… well he'd probably been found out here.
"What's up with you then inspector Rubram?" Hektor asked, Rubram laughing as he let go of Tai's hand and held it out to Hektor with a smirk on his face.
"Just my job, nothing more, I was actually on my way out, have to get back to Vale before dark so I that I can catch my flight," he admitted, Hektor taking the man's hand and shaking it… and feeling the small slip of paper that was hidden in the handshake in the palm of his hand. He had half a mind to crush it already… if it weren't for one simple fact.
Rubram pulled his hand away and turned to Taiyang. "You'll should be expecting the results of the inspection in the mail in about… a month by my estimate, farewell mister Xiao-Long," the older man gave a small two finger salute before walking past both Tai and Hektor.
"What a strange guy," Tai muttered and Hektor just hummed in confirmation before pushing the other door open, Tai walking out beside him as they watched Rubram heading towards the town, spinning his cane as Hektor sighed.
"I'll be home later Tai, got something I gotta do," Hektor started, and Tai put his hand on Hektor's shoulder.
"Shopping or…?" Tai started, and Hektor looked at him, and sighed.
"Both probably, don't worry, I'll be careful," Hektor started, and Tai nodded, Hektor gave a wry smile, before walking with Tai until the gate, the two splitting off as Hektor started following Rubram, and finally held up the small slip of paper he'd kept in his palm.
"Meet me at the Town Crier…" Hektor muttered, before crumpling the slip in his hand and shoving it in his pocket, walking forward towards the town, Rubram a steady twenty feet ahead of him at all times, but at one point, the man just turned towards him with a smirk, and a nod of his head, motioning him to keep walking.
And so he did, and when they entered the town, Rubram disappeared into the crowd, but Hektor knew his destination well, and entirely expected he'd be meeting the man already sitting at the table with drink in hand. As he walked through the town, some people gave him kind waves, and he waved back. He was a common sight around Patch at this point, so he didn't need to worry about hiding… and hopefully if 'Rubram' tried anything, some of the folks to at least help him out… not that it would likely do anything if the man tried to go all out.
Walking towards the bar, he folded his spear, putting it in the holster he'd gotten a while ago to just carry the thing, and pushed the door open, and looked around at the… relatively empty bar. Johan, the barkeep, was cleaning a glass, and while Hektor gave him a way, he looked up the stairs, and walked up them.
When he reached the top, he saw Rubram there, of course he was, and he was even swirling a small glass of alcohol by the rim of the shot glass. He was even slouching in the chair, hat down over his eyes as Hektor spoke up.
"A lot of effort just to get me alone," he started, walking towards the table and pulling the chair out as the man chuckled.
"You should understand, I never do anything without a plan in mind… Hektor," Rubram pushed up his his hat, before lifting the glass to his lips, taking a small sip as Hektor crossed his arms.
"So then… James, why are you here?" Hektor started as the man, revealed, chuckled.
"Come now, can't I visit a fellow old man without any suspicion on my part?" James Moriarty responded, tapping one hand to the side of his temple, a devious smirk on his face as before he pulled the bowler hat off, and set it on the table, revealing his grey hair as Hektor leaned forward.
"I suppose I would be a little more trusting of you, if you explained where you came from," Hektor stated. There was only one version of the Napoleon of Crime he could place any form of trust in, and he honest hoped this was that one.
"Mistral, and before that, Chaldea," James stated simply, taking another sip of his drink before setting the glass down, Hektor sighing as the still mostly disguised Moriarty crossed one leg over the other, and laided one arm over the back of his chair.
"So… why are you here, alone?" Hektor asked, the unanswered question of exactly who was missing obvious between both of them as James sighed.
"Allow me to answer your question, with another question. What's last memories you have of your previous… appearance?" he asked, and Hektor hummed.
"Being summoned in Atlantis, dying, and then waking up here last year… and before that, Chaldea," Hektor admitted.
"She mourned you, you know," James stated, and Hektor just closed his eyes as the man before him grabbed his glass and took another sip. "She mourned a lot of good people," James said softly as he put the glass down again.
"So who's left? And better question…" Hektor started, and James started at him, looking older than he'd ever had before, sadness in his eyes as he tapped a finger against the table.
"I don't know…" he admitted quietly, and Hektor just blinked as James took a deep breath. "Allow me to better explain… Chaldea, or its recreation, are likely destroyed. After our most recent… set of endeavors, the Lostbelts, we kept finding singularities with… strange, showings and stranger appearances. One of these," James grabbed the glass again, staring at the half empty shot glass. "Was a singularity in Antarctica, where we discovered the signature of one Ivan," James explained as Hektor looked around… that explained why the bar was empty, this wasn't about to be a short conversation by any means, or one meant for prying ears.
"Lostbelt version?" Hektor asked, and James nodded, downing the rest of the alcohol after doing so, and setting the empty glass on the table.
"The singularity was unstable, highly, unstable, especially given its location… the original Chaldea. To put it lightly, the entire thing was a bad idea, but we never even got her into the coffin for Rayshift… as we were preparing to do so, we received some… unexpected visitors, and a bomb," James stated, and Hektor nearly slammed his hands against the table, but James held up his own hand.
"Save your anger… I'm certain she's alive. Where I don't know, the resources I've built up over the past year don't exactly stretch as far as they used to in Europe, especially with the ease of which they can dry up due to… circumstances," James admitted before sighing and setting his hands on the table.
"You're worried about her?" Hektor asked, and James just nodded.
"Me? Worried?" he almost seemed offended, but the frown on his face told the story. "Perhaps… it's been a year since then, and not a single lead has so much as turned up… except for one," he started, and smirked. "A man named Hektor Faios importing cigars from Mistral to Patch. Not exactly the most common of commodity items to be bought on the open market," he said, chuckling before sighing.
"Well I can't exactly be much help here James," Hektor started, crossing his arms again before raising one hand, palm up. "I've been here on Patch for a year myself, kinda ended up becoming an adoptive uncle."
"Of course you would," Moriarty grumbled, before getting up, taking his glass. "Want a drink?"
"Eh, sure," Hektor shrugged, James walking downstairs to the bar as Hektor closed his eyes. James Moriarty, here in Remnant… and the Master was missing? Well that was a problem.
A minute later, James came back up with a pair of larger glasses, sliding one to Hektor before taking his seat again and sighing. "So why the deception?"
"Because it's me, what else should you expect?" James started, lifting his drink and taking a sip.
"Right, stupid question. But aside from the lack of the Master… what about the remaining Servants?" Hektor asked, wondering who'd been up and moving when this had all went down.
"I've got them all right here," he said, tapping the side of his head. "I have one waiting for me back in Mistral, but otherwise no one else has managed to come up, at least…" he leaned forward. "Not within my current web, but at the very edges. A trio has apparently been making the rounds around southern anima, so I might try my luck to expand my sources there, but no promises," Jack explained and Hektor hummed as he took a drink from his own glass.
"So who's waiting for you?" he asked, and Moriarty just tutted.
"Now now, can't reveal all my secrets," Moriarty started before leaning forward, a serious look on his face. "There are some things I've unearthed that need a bit more time. I'm no Holmes, but there are… things I've noticed, and I did catch sight of someone."
"Wouldn't happen to be the great detective would it?" Hektor scoffed, and James just closed his eyes, before tenting his fingers over the table and leaning forward.
"Holmes is… a factor I fear I cannot predict, not anymore. But that's not the important thing. What is important is that he stays away," James started, and Hektor raised an eyebrow as James opened his eyes.
"To keep your criminal enterprise growing?" Hektor whispered, and James chuckled.
"Well that's one part of it… but the other is that he was acting strange… he'd been acting strange since we both arrived at Chaldea, and he has remained a wild factor since then. Whatever is going on with him, I do not and cannot trust him, and not just because he's my arch enemy," Moriarty started before grabbing his glass and lifting it up.
"What do you mean?" Hektor lay his arm on the table as James took a sip of his drink before setting it down.
"To put it lightly, I've learned something disturbing about him. That he has an… obsession and refuses to reveal many crucial pieces of evidence… and among that, is the evidence against him, evidence far more potent than what he had against the good doctor," James whispered, and Hektor hummed… that was… very odd to hear coming from Moriarty of all people. Nevermind the fact that he was, quite clearly, somewhat disturbed.
"So, you, the world's greatest criminal, is telling me not to trust the world's greatest detective?" Hektor leaned back in his chair as Moriarty nodded.
"At least you know my motives, I have an empire to build and a Master to find. Holmes… I don't know what he wants," he explained and Hektor did at least have to nod at that. Even when he had been at Chaldea himself, Holmes had always been an odd duck. And if anyone knew Holmes, it was James Moriarty.
Which was why it was kinda concerning that the man didn't understand what was going on with his rival.
"So you're going back to Mistral?" Hektor asked, and James just nodded, taking another sip of his drink.
"Where else, I have work to do there. The entire continent is swimming in criminality. I've got quite a bit of competition, and there are more than a few loose lips to pry open. And what else, I can't just not take up such a challenge," James smirked, there was the great criminal consultant, already thinking of his next great crime.
"Would have thought fulfilling your dream several times over would have sated you," Hektor joked, and James chuckled.
"Oh it did… it did, but my work is far from over," James stated before he finished off his drink. "Now then, off I go, Inspector Mycroft is expected at Haven next week, and I'd rather not disappoint," he said, grabbing his hat and putting it back on, Hektor taking a strong gulp from his own glass before standing up himself.
"Will you be in touch?" Hektor asked.
"I'll find you, don't worry about it," James waved at him, before walking down the stairs, and out the door, Hektor following after him, and when he exitted, he'd noticed the Archer had vanished into the crowds. He sighed, before walking off back towards the Xiao Long residence. That had been the strangest conversation and the most thought provoking one, he'd had in a year.
By the time he got back, it was relatively quiet. Walking inside he found Tai on the couch with Ruby and Yang, watching the television together. He waved, Tai waving back as Ruby and Yang also waved to him as he went into the kitchen, humming as he started pulling out food. It was going to be a quiet day for the rest of it… he hoped.
Needless to say, he hadn't been expecting the call the following week. A cross continent call from an unknown number. He was hanging outside Signal when his scroll had started beeping, and he'd pulled it open quickly and picked up.
"James?" Hektor asked, assuming it was him, and the familiar voice of evil spoke up.
"...I'm sorry for the surprise call, but I wanted to inform you what I just witnessed," Moriarty started, and Hektor remained silent as James continued.
"I found Achilles," James started, and Hektor nearly dropped his scroll, before James continued "Or rather… he's dying,"
"James what the hell!" Hektor started as a small scuffle ensued on the other side of the line, before the voice of his own rival spoke up.
"Hektor?" Achilles started, before coughing, that you?"
"It's me, what's going on?" he asked quickly, before Achilles chuckled.
"I pushed my luck to far, that's what… Didn't realize how much I'd been spending," he started, before coughing again as Hektor closed his eyes. That idiot…
"I'm not going to last much longer… but I gotta ask you something," Achilles said quietly and Hektor just listened as his rival continued. "Find her… will ya? Tell her I'm sorry when you do,"
"Just hang on you idiot," James' muffled voice came over the line as Achilles coughed again.
"I know when I'm spent professor… she can't sustain me any longer, whatever condition she's in…" he started before the sound of something being summoned barely came over the scroll, and Achilles coughed again.
"Stop spending your fucking mana you idiot," Hektor seethed over the scroll as Achilles just laughed.
"I'm already dying, Hektor… just wanted to make sure I leave something behind… good luck you two…" Achilles said quietly as someone started moving him.
"You aren't dying on me yet you stupid Rider," James complained, muffled as Achilles remained silent. "Stay awake dammit!"
Hektor closed his eyes as he turned off his scroll, and the doors beside him pushed open, Taiyang standing there a look of concern on his face as Hektor was still holding his scroll. "What happened!? I heard you shouting!"
Hektor just turned to his friend with a very sad smile, before holding up his scroll. "Just got a call… someone found a friend of mine… they're gone now," he chuckled softly, before lowering his head. That idiot…
"Hektor?" Tai started, before turning around, "Come on, help me with class."
"Yeah, sure…" Hektor started, following after Tai, trying to take his mind off of the… pitiful thing he'd just listened to. But it reinforced something he'd already figured out… the dangers here were very real, not just the monsters, but of the problems encompassing the master's condition. If Achilles had just passed due to Mana deprivation of all things…
"You going to be alright?" Tai asked as he stood before the classroom door, Hektor looking up at him and giving a sad smile before chuckling.
"I'll be fine Tai… let's teach the brats," he stated, and Tai led him into the classroom, and Hektor tried to leave his thoughts behind. He'd deal with all that later… for right now, he had a job to do. Responsibilities, and a pair of adorable brats to help care for back at the house. But he still wondered…
What sort of crazy world had he been summoned into? And would he actually be ready for what came his way?
AN: Not every chapter ends on a happy note... Some Servants just cost too much to keep around. Remnant has mana in the air for self sustainment if your cost isn't extraordinarilyhigh, but poor Achilles is a case where he's pretty bad. But on the other hand, the aforementioned 'Devious Archer' is here, or he was, he's hanging out in Mistral. But this was Chapter 3 of Hektor's tale, yeah not very exciting I know, but not everyone lives a life full of excitement.
But, there still remains a few things I want to answer in this Author's Note. Namely something that might not get answered without a bit of context. It doesn't Pertain to Servants of Remnant but to The Shining Beacon. Namely a small history lesson. Servants are very much affected by stories. In the Shining Beacon, the 'Hero from the Stars' was very much a faunus. That is fact, to the point where assumptions can be made. When a Servant is summoned in The Shining Beacon there is pretty much a coin flip that happens. A 50/50 shot to start with that they'll either be normal, or affected by what's essentially a low rank of Innocent Monster, being turned into a Faunus. Of course that chance increases when the summoner very much expects a Faunus, like Blake did. 'The Hero from the Stars is a Faunus, therefore other Heroes like her are also Faunus'. Mordred got lucky with the coin flip essentially, while Okita never had a chance.
Sorry about the info dump, but wanted to clear that up because it really can't be explained anywhere else. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see your reviews... and maybe a bit of what you do to Tv Tropes ;)