The Summoning Chamber, Deployment Room, and Primary Generator were located in the very center of Chaldea, stacked on different floors. The energy provided by the Primary Generator descends through the floor to power both the Fate Summoning system directly below and the Deployment Room on the lowest floor, in addition to the rest of Chaldea. Secondary generators were located around the facility to power each wing individually in case of a serious malfunction, which is exactly what happened during the Fuyuki incident.

Repairs took a week to bring the three rooms back into their original states. Since then, the Primary Generator has been creating stores of excess energy to be used for the two rooms as originally designed. The merging of conventional and thaumatergical energy formed the rainbow-colored rocks that acted as a stackable reserve. They were an unintentional, but very welcome, consequence of the merging.

Whether or not science or magecraft was mostly responsible for both its discovery and continued creation is a flashpoint for an argument between the employees from both camps. Regardless of where the truth lies and how it's made, these rocks, nicknamed saint quartz, provide the massive influx of energy needed to activate the leyshifts and Fate System independent of the Primary Generator.

The Primary Generator spares enough energy to provide a single deployment via leyshift or three uses of the Fate System, but not both at the same time. The saint quartz provides the answer for the need to deploy several times in a day, if deemed absolutely paramount, or to expend in an attempt to bring in reinforcements from the spiritual world. A large stockpile is always kept on hand in case of emergencies involving an outbreak of problematic minor singularities or to use when a catalyst is confirmed.

It is frowned upon by both Roman and Da Vinci for Gudao to just activate the Fate system aggressively in an attempt to bring in a powerful hero. The young master is not one to argue the point either, as proven time and time again about how terrible the ratio between expended saint quartz and valued reward actually is. The chances of acquiring the essence of a servant already summoned, a craft coin, or a famous mystic code are far more likely than acquiring a new ally.

Unlike the regular summoning during a Holy Grail War, the Fate system powered by saint quartz didn't differentiate between famous items, concepts, and heroic spirits. Roman often inferred there was a previously discarded method to guarantee summoning a servant; The doctor keeps information from that away from Gudao for an unknown reason. While the chances for a hero to appear using the current method cannot be increased or guaranteed without a catalyst.

Though those were few and far between, the efficiency of the system could still be modified.

It is with this idea in mind that the Summoning Chamber received its first renovation that was completed this morning, in time for the special ceremony tonight. The room was inoperable for a week, so no use of the Fate system was done allowing the Primary Generator to create additional reserves. It wasn't a huge improvement considering the system can only create a single saint quartz in twenty-four hours. There were other means of acquiring saint quartz, but since they were difficult at best, the improved efficiency was more ideal.

The Fate system now operated at a twenty-five percent efficiency increase. The stockpile could grow faster, and they could attempt a summon more often. While the leyshifts were constantly tweaked to allow for longer duration and servant numbers during deployments, this was the first actual increase of efficiency for the summoning system. These are the thoughts the young master kept in mind as the light from the prana release faded and restored vision to the room's occupants.

"Oh. Oh spectacular. More damn black keys..." Gudao exclaimed in exasperation as he threw his hands up, eliciting some chuckles from the nearby servants.

Unfortunately, more efficiency didn't mean improved ratios.

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Fragment 11: Then There Were Two

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"So, what do you think, Master? Perfect adjustments with my help, no?"

"Except the black keys, it was a flawless first shot." The young master turned to the strong male servant standing next to him, giving him a small smile which was returned with a smirk and hearty laugh.

The man forwent his normal battle attire which could have easily passed as formal wear. Instead he wore a black formal vest over a plain, white collared shirt. A black tie had yellow lightning symbols running diagonally across it to form a unique pattern. The shirt was tucked into tan formal pants coupled with an ebony belt and matching formal shoes. He stood with both hands resting on his hips as he faced the center of the room with his master.

"I shouldn't have second guessed you for being able to complete the renovation in a week. I'm sorry for misjudging you."

"Not a problem, master, but you know better next time," the archer stated as he fiddled with the unusual blue markings at the ends of his long, black hair. "I can achieve great feats swiftly, especially when I work alongside the legendary inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Likewise to work with you, Tesla," The female caster stated cheerfully from behind the control panel. If the beeps and pings coming from the console's many screens were any indication, she was running some diagnosis tests as her fingers flew over the buttons and switches. A few employees were behind her at smaller data consoles.

"Tooting each other's horns, much?" Roman murmured to himself with a chuckle. A shiver ran up his spine. Sensing the threat, he looked up from the pedestal he walked up to check, seeing Da Vinci glaring at him from her spot at the panel. He raised his hands slightly in surrender as Tesla and Gudao turned to look between the pair.

"Sometimes I feel like you try to irritate me on purpose, Roman." The doctor let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head; He'd have to watch his murmuring more often.

There was a knock on the door to the chamber.

Gudao looked at the chosen blades of church executors still sitting on the summoning platform and sighed before walking to the entrance. Activating the keypad next to the door swiftly, the console beeped and the automated doors swung back to life and immediately opened. Gabrielle strolled through the door casually with a smile and gave a tiny wave to Gudao before turning to the rest of the room and waving to them silently as well.

Instead of her Magecraft Division uniform, she wore white sweat pants and a matching tank top. The wide straps of an orange sports bra with black lining could be clearly seen under the tank top's own. She leaned against the door. "So, how'd it go?"

"I have to tell our resident priest I got more ammo for him. Otherwise I think we're ready for tonight."

Gabrielle laughed much to the annoyance of her best friend. "Wow! More black keys? Even after the renovation? You have no luck this month."

"Shut up, Gabby. You think I like wasting quartz?"

"Oh calm down, I was kidding," she stated before strolling over to the black keys on the ground. Quietly picking them up, she eyed them for a split second before pocketing the red handles. "I'll give them to Amakusa on my way to the gym if you don't need anything else."

"Would you mind getting six more quartz? I would just like to make absolutely sure everything is working without a hitch for tonight~!" Da Vinci stated as she continued to run a diagnostic on the system. "Wouldn't want your big day going awry."

The young magus nodded and turned around with an excited smile. She liked the ring to her new title.'Gabrielle Rutherford. Second Master of Chaldea.'

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Gabrielle exited the Summoning Chamber and walked barely thirty meters down the hallway to reach the door to the Storage Vault. The door was highly reinforced compared to most of Chaldea, resembling a bank's heavy steel barricade. Granted it was more aesthetically pleasing than its civilian counterpart. Between its runic enhancements and high end components, it secured the contents with the help of the vault's solid construction.

The key card slider only activated for approved employees, though the female magus was thankful that she was promoted to that tier for multiple reasons. However, in order to even use the slider and accompanying scanning technology, one had to bypass the extra security measure in the form of a volunteer servant. The security measures were enough for employees, but some servants protested that the vault should be further guarded; There's no telling what a new servant may attempt in the future.

Though not many were interested in volunteering, a few did without any real hesitation, with the current long, blue haired guard being the last one; He was volunteered at the sincere recommendation of a certain female caster. At least he did his job well with minor complaints.

Forgoing his battle attire, the Asian servant chose a Hakama with a light blue top and darker shade for the bottom. The blue-haired assassin with a long ponytail leaned against the vault door with arms crossed and eyes closed in almost complete silence. A sandal occasionally tapped the ground beneath him in anticipation. Though the presence of his large nodachi was a usual circumstance, his guard had always remained vigilant.

Though Gabrielle had nothing to fear from the servant, he made her anxious for a very different reason.

His eyes opened calmly as he turned his head to view the approaching magus, a small smirk gracing his face as he pushed himself lightly off the door while acquiring his weapon. Moving to the other side of the hallway, the assassin simply resumed his previous posture and placed the blade next to him. He folded his arms once more as he watched the orange haired employee work the key card console.

Gabrielle pressed a few buttons on the console. Activating with a confirming chime, a few panels shifted on the wall next to the door to show a hand scanner. Above it another panel opened to reveal a blue screen with an interior eye scanner. Squaring herself to both, she placed her hand on the scanner and looked towards the eye screen as it re-positioned itself to her level. A ray of light shot into her eyes as the hand scanner glowed green.

'There, that wasn't so ba-'

The scanner beeped. "Error. Retrying biometric scanning procedure. Standby."

She lifted her hand and placed it back down, restarting the sequence. The light washed into her eyes again. The hand scanner glowed a warm gree-

And beeped again. "Error. Retrying biometric scanning procedure. Standby."

There was a low chuckle from behind her as the young magus felt her eyes narrow greatly in irritation as the system attempted once mor-

Another damn beep!? "Error. Eye scan could not be completed. Please open your ey-"

"You stupid piece of technology!" Gabrielle screamed as the servant behind her burst out laughing. She turned around with clenched fists and glared daggers at the assassin who was enjoying the scene too much for her liking.

"You're not helping, Sasaki!"

"This makes up for guarding this door any day!" The servant stated as he approached calmly with the irritating smirk still on his face.

Calmly turning her around and taking one of her arms, he opened up a clenched fist and placed it absolutely center on the hand scanner. Ignoring her slight squirming, he then used the free hand to tilt her head slightly back as the eye scanner redid its work with a confirming beep. The vault door made a series of clanks as reinforced bars were lowered from within. Slowly the door slid open, revealing the dark room within that lit up partially with overhead lights.

Satisfied, Sasaki took his place on the opposing wall once more as Gabrielle looked around to confirm no one saw what had happened before glaring at the servant with a pout. "I could have done that myself!"

"On the seventh try, maybe."

"Hey! I took-"

"-nine tries last time. I'm giving you more credit, young magus. You're clearly not as technologically adept as Gudao. That's alright. I needed entertainment."

Still fuming while the servant chuckled, she turned around and entered the Storage Vault. The room was filled with safe deposit boxes that lined the walls, all stainless steel and shimmering in the low light. A few carts in the center were also made of similar material, with small rotating tires underneath to maneuver them efficiently. Half of the carts contained the physical formation of mana prisms that Da Vinci often needed for extra research and crafting purposes.

Within the other half of the carts were the rainbow colored rocks that the female caster desired. Thankfully she only needed six.

Though each was small enough to fit within the palm of a hand, they were deceptively heavy. Gabrielle took three and cradled them in her left arm, and their combined weight was cumbersome; Whoever designed the crystallized manifestations to weigh so much was a masochist among magi. The female mage was glad she was physically capable, and especially loved to rub it in Gudao's face whenever he decided to tease about her technological ineptitude.

It's not like it was her fault she couldn't operate anything more complex than a calculator; Those things were demon incarnate!

Brushing the thoughts aside, she began the process of closing the vault door, much to the infuriating amusement of the servant behind her; Tonight was her big night and she wasn't going to let some smug servant's teases get to her!

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Gabrielle fell onto her back and stared at the gym's ceiling as her training lance clattered to the ground next to her.

She let out a sigh as she stared at the familiar symmetrical lighting of the high ceiling, lining the outskirts of a large dome window that melted snow as it landed. The room was circular to allow for a track to run along the outside, and large enough to fit four adjacent basketball courts in a grid for sports entertainment of various kinds. The outer rim of the gym held the weight equipment for those inclined to do so.

There weren't that many, even before the Fuyuki Incident.

The number of interested employees was small considering the population consisted mostly of scientists and mages. Regardless, many servants and several employees found the large room adequate for their use. Some even admired its tan walls and blue rubberized floor as an escape from the rest of Chaldea's modernistic design. It certainly meant less squinting in the dimmer lighting, which would have been annoying for anyone concentrating on maintaining physique.

Slowly pushing herself up, the young magus put a hand on her bare side and let out another breath as she thought of a potential bruise from the sparring strike.

She reached for the discarded lance with her other hand and used it to help herself up. She got into a sparring posture once more against her maroon haired opponent who stood quiet and ready. Unlike the magus, who had discarded her tank top and sweat pants to wear just the orange sports bra and black workout shorts, Scathach had chosen light gray yoga pants and a black tank top that hugged her figure well. Her eyes stared directly into Gabrielle's and awaited her first move patiently.

It had been ten days since Gudao, Roman, and Da Vinci agreed to make her Chaldea's second master.

She was a qualified candidate. Since then she has personally asked several servants to help her in different fields ranging from strategies with Lord El-Melloi II to advanced magecraft with Medea. Her physical combat training with Scathach and the other willing Irish lancers was another request, one she favored almost immediately despite being bad at it. She was a bit of a show off, as Gudao would often say, but there was nothing more impressive to the young mage than martial and weapon arts.

Her sneaker clenched the ground, causing Scathach's eyes to narrow ever slightly. Gabrielle grunted as she thrust the training lance towards her opponent who simply sidestepped and knocked the weapon downward before scrapping it up the length of-

The magus jumped backwards before the hit could connect with her head, following up with another thrust underneath the now raised lance. Scathach simply brought her training lance down to pin the orange headed female's to the ground. Grunting, Gabrielle swiftly freed the weapon and swung from the right at blinding speed, a miracle attack for most martial art practitioners, only to be casually intercepted by the spinning lance of her opponent.

Without missing a beat, Gabrielle sidestepped the incoming thrust and pinned the lance to the ground with one end before closing the distance to strike with the still freed opposite. Scathach pulled her weapon back, intercepting the potential strike to the cranium before pushing the entire lance at her opponent to force her back. Gabrielle was suddenly a blur as she re-positioned behind the Scottish lancer and thrusted her weapon towards her using the same inhuman agility as be-

Scathach casually side stepped and knocked the lance aside before taking a fighting stance once more.

Gabrielle sighed, "Seriously?"

"You're far better when we started your requested training, but you've got a long way to go, Gabby."

"But not far enough. I want to land a hit!" Gabrielle spun her lance swiftly with one hand, trying for a downward stri-

Scathach stopped the lance from spinning with a simple horizontal block before smacking the lance to the left and striking Gabrielle on her right, in the exact same spot she was hit barely a minute ago. She groaned as she dropped her lance again, both hands shooting to her side to rub the pained area as Scathach planted her lance firmly onto the ground next to her feet, holding it to her side like Jeanne does her standard.

"Gabby. Do not get fancy."

"You do spinning strikes all the time!"

"Cause teacher's a goddess among lancers and knows what she's doing."

Gabrielle turned to notice Cu had approached from behind her, interested in their daily training in the center of the gym; He had been the one sparring with her yesterday. His bare chest was coated with a light sheen of sweat as he placed himself akimbo. A white towel hung around his neck with his shirt nowhere to be found. Blue sweat pants hung loosely from his hips as he stood there barefoot, much like the duo.

Gabrielle consciously let her eyes grace his chiseled abs without any shame before looking him back in the eyes, a knowing grin and raised eyebrow on his face as she casually winked back. 'Clothes aren't the only thing I want to rub against that washboard.'

"How's the training going, little Gud- Er, Master-to-be?" He grinned, chuckling as he caught the glare she gave him for almost blurting a certain nickname.

"Painful. As usual. Your teacher knows no mercy."

Scathach chuckled lightly. "The battlefield is no mercy. The sooner you're ready for that, the better."

"I'm still not certain why you want to learn lancer arts in particular. Gudao barely knows any himself."

"...I just find it more interesting than the rest, that's all."

Cu shot her a half questioning look that she received every time she gave that answer. "I still say there's something else behind it. Not prying though, best of luck with your training today. Don't be too hard on her, teacher! Wouldn't want her battered for the ceremony."

Gabrielle watched him walk off before Scathach cleared her throat. When she turned around, the training lance struck a third time in the exact spot and she crumpled to the ground with a whimper. Obviously she was taking the recommendation half-hearted if anything; She'd have to ask Gudao for a healing spell or two later for the sore spots she can't reach properly.

"One, pay attention to your opponent. Two, I hope you don't intend to ogle half naked men on the battlefield too."

"I wasn't planning on i-"

"Hey, where are you going!?"

The two girls turned to the source of the voice, past Cu who was also staring curiously. All cleaning robots in the room began filing out of the gym with their eyes flashing gold and emitting constant synchronized beeps. They had appeared to abandon whatever it was they were doing and were making haste somewhere; Something of this sort had never happened before at Chaldea.

Confused and partially concerned, the trio looked to each other and nodded before running after the fleeing robots. Had it been an emergency, the alarm would have gone off by now, but the klaxons weren't blaring. Gabrielle disregarded the thought as she held her lance and chased after Cu and Scathach. Perhaps there was something engineering knew that they didn't.

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"We should hit the alarm."

"No, I don't think that's necessary yet. Let's just wait and see. Besides, Gudao or Doctor Roman haven't stated to do so yet."

"I've seen enough machine revolution theories in the fiction section to know the robots are rising against us right now! We have to stop them before they kill us all!"

Ignoring the argument between the two scientists and a third panicked, observing magus, Gudao and Doctor Roman stared with two equally dumbfounded servants at the center of the Summoning Chamber. After a momentary break, they had just expended the final three quartz and managed to get the glorious golden spin and rainbow light of a new servant summoning. It was only the third try with the new system and already they were rewarded with a new ally to join the fight.

The flood of robots from all corners of Chaldea suddenly entering the room was something else entirely unexpected.

Gabrielle, Scathach, and Cu barged into the room to take in the sight in equal confusion. They made their way towards the control panel where the others stood. The three bickering employees who had followed the robots in were ignored in favor of the synchronized display.

"It's like they're gathering before a king," Cu noted offhandedly with a small chuckle, his eyes locked to the center of the room.

All robots were all linked via a centralized processor and relay hub in the science wing, so they could be remotely shut down or ordered as an entirety if necessary. The young magus crossed out the idea that someone gave a mistaken command function, though a glitch in the system was still possible. Based on the servant in the center though, and the robotic chants of the surrounding machines, Gabrielle could only assume the large, armored figure in the center was definitely the cause of the current situation.

She noted Gudao was prepared to use a command seal to summon additional servants to their side in case of an emergency. "It seems fine for now, Gudao."

"Yea. I hope it stays that way," he replied warily.

"What do you think they're doing?" Da Vinci whispered as she leaned towards Tesla.

"I do believe they are chanting," Came Tesla's dumbfounded observation.

"Chant? As in, prayer chanting? Can robots even have a religion?" Roman asked incredulously as he stared at the scene. "I need to have a word with the Science Division on the separation of church and robot if this is the case."

Da Vinci rolled her eyes at the absurd claim while Gabrielle giggled.

"Praise the Omnissiah! The Omnissiah graces us with his presence!" The robots suddenly echoed as one to a chorus of additional beeping that could only be assumed to be the machine equivalent of clapping.

"What's an Omnissiah?" Scathach asked, before hot air vented from the newly arrived servant.

In the center of the room stood the large, armored figure, looking out over the waves of robots. It finally approached the group of humans and servants behind the console. His dark gray armor clamored to life as the humanoid moved towards the group slowly, the hissing of hydraulics and pistons sounding within its plates. Golden accents coupled with a white design on the chest, resembling a cravat, with several large rivets adorning parts of the plating. Its fists nearly dragged on the ground as its red eye stared straight at Gudao.

Gabrielle was less worried and more curious if this new servant could squeeze through the doors, or would need to go into spiritual form like some large berserkers.

"Your facility houses a curious host of machines, master. Very impressive how far technology has come since my time, though I would have been more pleased were they of steam origin!" boomed a mechanical voice as the eye studied the young man.

"The Omnissiah blesses our creation!" "We have been praised!" "All hail the Omnissiah!"

"Thanks for the compliment, Babbage," Gudao nodded without hesitation, though obviously taken back.

'So this is the robot guy they met.'

Thankfully, Gabrielle could count her best friend among one of the 'heretical' mages that was great with technology, so he at least heard of Charles Babbage prior to their conflict in London. Gabrielle was when it came to knowing stories of past historical figures though. The nearby maintenance robot that was in the room must have relayed the summoning to the central hub and caused this event. But she was baffled why they robots would be so interested in-

"Um, Babbage, if you don't mind for your first order of business here..." Gudao began as he looked towards the sea of robots, causing the large servant to turn around much to the approval of its fellow machines.

"The Omnissiah graces us once more!"

"Do you mind doing something about all these robots flooding the room? I'm pretty sure they've made you their god considering your work, but Chaldea's efficiency is gonna slow to a crawl if we don't get them working again. Plus we have something to prepare for tonight, but I'll tell you about that after I give you the tour."

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"Feeling nervous?"

"Hardly. You were always the one with stage fright, remember?"

"Not so much now."

"You're welcome."

Gabrielle was putting on her new black skirt as Gudao, already in his cleanest master uniform, was finishing some paperwork on his desk behind her. Most would have seen this as inappropriate as the female magus wore nothing over her torso but a bra, but the two have had a long, sibling-like history together.

They had been neighboring friends since childhood, an oddity coming from relatively new magus families who lived next door of all possible absurdities. No one knew the other better than themselves, and while some at the Clock Tower jokingly called them a couple, they both knew they'd never be anything more than awkward siblings by that point. It was a good combination, as the two had grown up as only children, and their personalities complimented each other fairly well.

Where Gudao was an introvert, very observant, and calm under heavy pressure, Gabrielle acted on instinct, wore her heart on her sleeve, and was easily a social butterfly of the class.

It may seem like an ill fit, but the two opposites allowed the pair to see things from different perspectives with a simple inquiry to the other. It also allowed the two to push past their own little comfort zones when working together. In their younger days, one would easily cover the others' weaknesses and vice versa. But despite their differences they were both magically adept and treated the servants well regardless of origin. Gabrielle did have a tendency to shift her opinion of a servant if they proved to be more problematic or abrasive, however.

"Thanks for letting me change in here. I haven't unpacked yet from moving this afternoon."

"As always, damn slacker," He jabbed lightly and chuckled when she gave him the finger. She had recently moved to the room across the corridor from Gudao, one of the many kept open in case more masters were needed.

The female master-to-be smiled.

She remembered when Gudao was a total shut in and wouldn't even make jabs like that against her. Gabrielle always had to defend the poor guy from bullies, being taller than him when they were younger. It was ironic and it brought a nostalgic smile to her face; She was his knight in shining armor back then and he held a huge crush on her in their childhood. The young love had only faded after they moved to Britain for the last two years of high school.

If it wasn't for her building up his courage, he would have never had the guts to ask her, and she was worried the rejection in their pre-teens would have shattered their friendship they built up over the years. By the third time he tried asking her out, she tossed the idea of a broken friendship out the window. It seems they were always meant to be great partners but nothing more. Thankfully he stopped asking upon entering high school, even if the feeling lingered a bit longer.

Gabrielle silently turned sour as she put on the top of her master's uniform. It was their partnership and always doing things together that bothered her when Gudao was chosen as a master on his application but she was not. They had roughly the same magecraft prowess, albeit different fields, and their circuits were on equal par. The only reason she was not chosen like he was simply boiled down to time: Gudao was the last master of the forty-eight needed, so her application was rejected flat.

She was still taken as a Magecraft employee though, so at least they'd been together.

Since they arrived and the Fuyuki incident occurred, she was placed with the Summoning team after the Leyshift Department filled their diminished numbers. She honestly thought she fit better elsewhere, but the Security group was the closest fit and they were practically disbanded. That didn't change the fact she had great healing capabilities, the highest tier self-defense grades... and failed the summoner courses in the first year at the Clock Tower.

Yet she was placed in the Summoning team of all things. She hated how much Gudao rubbed in her face how she couldn't even properly create or control a familiar let alone summon something worthwhile. She also hated that Gudao became more popular than her and employees would refer to her as a more childish version of him when in reality it was the other way around: He became a more reserved version of her.

However, what she hated most was how much Gudao shouldered by himself since Fuyuki.

He always came to her for help and assistance, but since arriving from that singularity he almost completely shut himself away from her and carried the burden alone for months. They would still hang out, but never would he try to ask for her assistance, nor accept her offers... simply assured her everything was alright. They were partners, and he was more willing to take things on with the confidence and smile she taught him than ask for help again.

Was it his way of showing he's thankful for helping him become who he is now, strong and capable?

If that's the case it wasn't working. She constantly noticed the bags under his eyes and his weary stance. Sure he smiled and was kind like his mature self always was, but behind the mask she could read him like a book. He was beyond tired and had reached breaking point several times, and she thankful she had been there to make sure he didn't shatter. That wasn't like him though. That wasn't the Gudao she knew, the one who knew when help was required, and she really wanted to know-

"Why?" She frowned.

Gudao looked up and faced his friend. "Why?"

"Yes. Why?" she asked once more. "Why did it take you so many months to finally ask me for help again."

He was silent.

"We were partners, Gudao."

"You mean we are partners, Gabby."

She scoffed. "It sure didn't feel like it when you turned away from all my help until you were nearly broken. Then you'd just rinse and repeat. Who are you?"

He let out a long breath.

Gudao leaned back in his chair and sighed, running a hand through his head before covering his face with both. Gabrielle looked over to him with concern flooding her pupils. She slowly approached her friend, not finishing to clasp the last straps, and put her arms around his shoulder in a reassuring hug.

"I'm sorry, Gabby," He practically whispered as he dropped his hands and stared blankly at the picture frames hanging over his desk. The one directly in front was a picture of him and Gabrielle in front of the Clock Tower for the first time. They were some of the youngest freshman before they left for Chaldea.

"You always helped me through everything that wasn't academic. For once I wanted to show you I am able to stand by myself, thanks to you. Being surrounded by powerful servants who followed my plans and treated me like their comrade in arms... I felt powerful for once, even against the odds I faced. I felt like I could finally stand on my own. I didn't want to continue to lean on you like dead weight... I just wanted to show I can do things easy now... just like you always did."

"Since when is saving the world easy to do alone?"

He half smiled. "It's not. You're right. As usual."

"Damn right I am," She smiled as she rubbed her head against his affectionately. "Don't bottle yourself up again, got it?"

"Sure thing," He whispered. "Oh… and uh. Thanks... For being my childhood hero and best friend. I don't think I ever did say that yet."

"Oh don't start, you're gonna make me tear up," She said as she released her hug and playfully smacked him on the head. "I mean it though. Rely on me again, it makes me happy. I love helping people, and I hate seeing you struggle by yourself..."

But that was in the past now, as tonight would change everything for the sake of her old partner. She would finally be able to help her oldest friend again and ensure he doesn't die from a million paper cuts caused by an overload of desk work.

Turning to the mirror, Gabrielle finished the last clasp on her new Master's uniform and looked herself over. The top was tight and hugged her figure, exactly as she requested of Naomi. If there was one thing she loved doing, it was looking good no matter the situation or clothing choice. She quietly observed Gudao as he started to work on yet even more paperwork with a small cringe; How much of that was she going to be doing starting tomorrow? Feeling her gaze on him, Gudao turned to her and smiled.

"Done yet? What, making sure your boobs looked good for the male audience?" Seems their long overdue heart-to-heart was over.

"Har har, Gudork. I will have you know, my sex appeal is timeless," She winked at him causing him to roll his eyes.

"Right, right, Gudako," He dodged the tissue box she threw in his direction. "Let's get going then. Don't want to be late for your own Command Seal ceremony."

"Lead the way... partner."

Gudao stopped as his hand touched the doorknob. He smiled back at her. "Been a while since we've been able to say that title."

She grinned enthusiastically. "Too long, but no longer... and we've got a lot to discuss, like what's this I keep hearing about you being near recklessly fearless in these singularities?"

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VII ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

The doors to the summoning chamber opened as Gudao and Gabrielle walked in side by side. Countless servants and employees, the entirety of Chaldea, had gathered within to celebrate the occasion. With eyes upon them, the pair walked down a makeshift red carpet stowed from when Chaldea first opened. The crowd made a pathway directly to the center of the room with no one standing within the outermost reaches of the summoning floor.

As the pair walked, Gabrielle looked to different points in the crowd as she noticed them. She smiled and nodded towards Scathach and Cu who stood side by side near the entrance as they walked past. There was a mock salute given to Nobunaga and Okita as they came up, the latter smiling sincerely while Nobunaga had the widest grin. She gave a small wave to Mashu who stood towards the very end of the crowd near the console, the fluffy Fou chirping happily in her arms.

While there was no servant against the idea of another master for Chaldea, there was a surprising number of servants who really pushed and advocated it should be her. A vast majority servant population accepted her, even if it was the previous application and qualifications that decided it. She'd simply prove those qualifications extended to trust, respect, and cooperation too. Since then, many have gone out of their way to help ensure that she would smoothly transitions into deployments.

She will not let any of them down, especially not Gudao.

"Your big moment, Gabrielle!" Roman exclaimed as the female magus stepped onto a makeshift stage near the main console. Gudao stood nearby, off the stage, with hands folded behind him in a similar fashion as Tesla and Da Vinci.

"Sorry, didn't prepare a fancy speech or anything. But thanks everyone! I'll do my best! Let's get this over with, we got work to do and saving the world isn't a breeze," Gabrielle said with a grin, eliciting chuckles from several in the audience.

"Of course. Feel free to start," Gudao stated with a smile from nearby.

"Mhmm," She murmured as she thrust her left arm out towards the Fate Summoning System.

While the system was directly responsible for summoning new reinforcement and items for the facility, it was also directly responsible for creating new command seals. Extra generated energy from the generator also helps to refresh an expended command seal over the course of twenty-four hours, or crown a new qualified candidate with the use of thirty saint quartz. While the loss of ten potential summons is a hard hit, the addition of a new master to help on the field was priceless.

But the system had to make the final acceptance first, just like the original ritual. And thus, with her hand outstretched, Gabrielle began the modified chant as the system roared to life with prana filling the surrounding air, ready to pass judgment. Based on compatibility, her crest quality, and her personal will, a majority believed there was no doubt it would accept her as a capable master. Her booming confidence removed any doubt from her mind about success, but there was only one way to truly find out.

Heed my words,
My will creates your bodies,
And your swords create my destiny.
Together we forge the future of humanity!
When all is naught, we shall be the guiding light!

The swirling vortex of blue prana that formed around the center of the room ignited in a bright flash. The hurricane of energy continued to surge and churn, forming a single ball within the center of the room that shifted from blue to red before shooting towards Gabrielle and colliding with her outstretched hand. She grit her teeth and continued.

I hereby swear, That I shall be all the good in the world
That I shall defeat all evil in the world!
Seventh heaven clad, And the great words of power,
Grant me the power to lead the Guardians of the Scales!

Pain rocketed up her arm from her hand but she continued to grit her teeth and held firm, watching in amazement as the system accepted her call, circuits, and prana. The searing pain subsided as did the brilliance of the light as three red command seals formed on the back of her hand, almost completely identical to Gudao's.

Quickly gasping for breath when she never realized she held her own set, she gazed upon the command seals that glowed faintly as cheers erupted from the crowd around her. As quickly as it had begun, the simple ceremony was over, and the Fate System has accepted a new master. Grinning wildly at being successfully accepted by the system, any trace of doubt left her mind as she turned to the audience behind her and threw an excited fist into the air to many cheers. She wrapped her arms around Gudao as he jumped onto the stage and hugged his friend, with an excited Fou leaping onto her shoulder to lick her cheek in acceptance.

"The dynamic duo is back!" She beamed.

"Please don't start calling us that. It sounds really bad," Gudao laughed as they released and high fived. "Don't forget, you still have one last thing to do."

The cheers slowly died down as the female master tilted her head in confusion. "You didn't tell me about anything before the after party. Are we pre-gaming before dinner?"

"Yea we- What, Gabby no!" Gudao exclaimed to many laughs. "You have to do your first summon!"

"First summon?" She asked incredulously. "Didn't you just summon Babbage today? We're going to burn even more quartz for black keys with the day's luck gone."

"Not necessarily," Gudao grinned as he pointed towards a small, ornate wooden piece that Da Vinci was currently raising on one hand as she walked towards the center of the room. Gabrielle's eyes widened upon sight of the catalyst. "All indicators are green. We have a round table fragment. All that's left is for you to pull the lever once it's in place."

"You sly devil, you planned this secret."

"Consider it an apology gift for forgetting one of your birthday presents last year."

"Throw in some blueberry schnapps later and you're forgiven."

"Deal, Gudako."

"Asshole Gudork." She grinned happily.

Da Vinci returned to the control panel and pressed a few button, making a sole lever appear from underneath a safety hatch. She nodded towards Gabrielle, giving room as the female master approached. Placing her hand gingerly on the lever until it blinked green upon recognition of her od signature and circuits, she then gripped it tightly and threw it back, activating the pedestals.

The ritual began as it had so many times before. The energy from the saint quarts shot to the center, formed the ball of energy, and created the summoning circle. The catalyst dissolved within the swirling central ball of energy, gone to the world in order to form a spiritual bridge to a servant. Without a single doubt, the audience watched as the balls turned golden and spun, speeding up until they imploded inwards as they had so many times before.

The light from the summoning faded to reveal the silhouette of the summoned knight.

Truth be told, the catalyst could summon any knight, but like the original system used before, the identity of the master helped to play a role in determining who was chosen. If it could not be a specific servant, then it would be a match to whatever the summoner's identity was. When she gripped the lever and the system's biometric and prana scanners sensed her identity and spirit. The fusion of magecraft and science determined, without a doubt, its call to a specific spirit.

And so, an enthusiastic, energetic knight appeared in silver armor with accents of red that made Gudao's eyes widen in delight.

A familiar, silver horned helmet made Lancelot and Arturia tense in severe concern. The front, crimson red cloth blew with the last breeze of flowing prana as the knight's ornate sword swiftly de-materialized. With subdued clanks of moving metal, the helmet swiftly disassembled itself and integrated with the knight's chest piece, revealing vibrant green eyes, a wide grin, and blonde hair tied back into a ponytail with coupling braids. The knight closed her eyes and chuckled.

After reopening them, she looked forwards towards the first familiar face to her. "Hey! Long time no see, Gudao!"

"Mordred!" Gudao exclaimed happily as he began his approach to the female knight. Gabrielle followed closely at his side as some cheers erupted from the audience at the arrival of a familiar face.

"So, I see you're my master now, huh?" She beamed as she put her hands on her armored hips.

"Correct, but not quite."

Her grin subsided and she tilted her head in confusion as Gabrielle stood next to her oldest friend. They turned to look at each other and smiled before facing Mordred once more. Connecting the dots, and similar uniforms, the knight of treachery studied the two before she smirked.

"We are your masters. Welcome to Chaldea! We look forward to working with you!" Gabrielle stated proudly for the first time.