Charles felt a peculiar empty feeling upon being teleported, as if his stomach had temporarily vanished.
When the world returned to normal, he was in a library.. A huge library, he soon saw, shelves of books towering beyond his field of vision.
"Where.. Is this?" he asked.
"Of course, you have entered the belly of the beast, O enemy Master. This is my own contractor's Workshop, his preferred area of abodement, the place in which he-"
"I know what a Workshop is. And you. What do I call you?"
The Servant stroked his beard. "You may call me Caster, for that is my Class in this Holy Grail War. Although, I suppose I shouldn't have told you even that? Ah, well! My tongue, as much as it flaps, can not help but slip on the occasion."
"Caster, I told you not to give anything away," came a voice from an adjacent room. "Bring him in."
Caster looked down at Charles. "Well, boy? Get up, and make haste. My Master awaits."
Charles got up, for he only then realized he was flat on his back, and after dusting himself off, ventured into the next room. This one was better lit, and much warmer than the cold library. If anything, it reminded him of his living room back home. In the center of the room, by the fireplace, sat a young woman with purple hair and blue eyes. At least, Charles thought she was a young woman. It was impossible to tell with some mages. She was dressed in a nightgown, as if already getting ready to bed.
Charles kept his distance even though there was an open chair next to her.
"Greetings, Saber's Master," she said, gesturing to the chair. "Please, sit. You have my word I won't lay a hand on you until the War begins."
It was the same thing Caster had said just minutes ago. Against his better judgement, Charles obliged, sitting across from her.
"Well? I hardly think you're here to make friends, so are you looking for an alliance?"
The woman sipped her tea. Charles blinked. Where had that come from? "Are you aware of the Three Founding Families of the original set of Holy Grail Wars?" she eventually asked.
"Of course. Who isn't?"
"Mmm. Indeed. The Einzberns in particular had a nasty habit of not being content enough to play with the rules. They were very fond of summoning.. Irregular Servants. Monsters with corrupted Saint Graphs, that could destroy the world if their perverted essence would pass through and fuel a wish made on the Holy Grail."
"Where are you going with this?" Charles asked bluntly.
"Last night, then. The pressure of evil weighing down on all humanity as a whole, pressure that still exists now, is of a magnitude and peculiar nature that it is most likely to originate from a Servant."
"An Anti-Hero, huh?"
"That would be the term for it, yes, and a powerful one at that. You might've already gleaned this, but Caster here isn't exactly suited for combat, so-"
"You want to make an ally of me? What about the Grail? Only one Master can have their wish granted once the Association has used it," Charles interjected.
To this, the woman simply giggled and waved him off. "It's quite simple, really. Once we've defeated the other Servants, we have a friendly mage's duel. Non-lethal, of course. The loser will cease their contract with their Servant, giving them a painless end, and the victors will make their wishes on the Holy Grail. It's rather convenient, is it not?"
"What do I get out of accepting this?" Charles asked.
"Well, you have my gratitude, of course! Tee-hee~!" the woman giggled. "But, if you mean what you have to gain in the material sense, it'd be my magic expertise. Servant battles are only half of every fight, you know? Masters and their own allies will be looking to incapacitate or… let's be honest, some will be looking to kill you. And I think we both know you don't have a lot of combat experience, Charlie," she said, her gentle smile suddenly menacing.
'She probably had me pegged from the moment I arrived in London yesterday morning,' Charles thought.
"Who are you?" he eventually asked. "If you know who I am, no big shot would be looking to ally with a mage from a one-hit-wonder Family like mine."
The woman smiled even wider. "My name is Akira Tohsaka, and I'm the best chance you have of getting your wish, Charlie."
'A representative of one of the of the Founding Families summoned a weak Caster?"
"Bullshit," Charles said immediately. "You've been recorded as summoning one of the Knight Classes for the last fifteen consecutive Wars running. In Britain of all places, even if you did summon a Caster, it would be someone like Merlin or- or- I don't know. What has he done?" Charles asked, jerking his thumb at Caster in the corner, who looked offended.
"Young Master, do not mistake my combat potential or alleged lack thereof for worthlessness of character!' the Servant said, raising his arms to the heavens.
"The course of any Grail War doth never run smooth, you must take the good with the bad in whatever form it may take!"
"Talking and talking and talking.. With that accent and prose.. is he supposed to be Shakespeare or something?" Charles asked, raising an eyebrow.
At once, Caster leaped back, covering his face with his arms. "Heed, Master!" he called. "This strange boy possesses some kind of psychic magick to peer into the minds of even Ethereal beings such as I! Quick, may thee haste and leave at once before he ensnares thine own mind!"
"Put a sock in it, just for a moment, William," Akira called. Charles blinked. The way she used such a vulgar term with such a regal tone surprised him.
"And yes, my Servant is William Shakespeare. And despite being in his city of birth.. Unless I were to lure an enemy Servant and their Master into the Globe Theatre, he wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance in combat," she sighed.
At this, Caster- Shakespeare seemed even more offended.
"Master, you robbed me of my chance to introduce myself! How could you ruin it for me so?" he protested. Akira ignored his complaint.
"So? Do you agree to my proposal or not?" she pressed.
Charles thought for a moment. "If I say no?" he asked.
"I'll cut off your hand and make your Saber submit to my command," she said flatly.
"I.. wouldn't be so sure.. She seems to be in high demand these days but likes where she is," Charles chuckled, though he quickly caught himself and cleared his throat.
"Can I have a day or two to consider? Saber.. really doesn't like him for some reason."
"Aye, that she does not," Shakespeare sighed. "Such a mystery, too. I never scorned such a beautiful maiden in my life, I would rather cut off my own ears and feed them to my horse. Why, if I-"
"That's enough, William,' Akira said sharply, to which he covered his own mouth. "I can understand why, but still. Your Saber conducts herself like a Berserker. She didn't even wait to take out her weapon before she attempted to pulverise William into bits."
"It's.. a long story," Charles sighed.
"I can imagine. Tell me in two days, once the Grail War starts."
"Were you going to ask my brother if he wanted to make friends as well?"
Akira sighed. "I did, when he arrived in London two days ago. He seemed very proud to fight solo, though, said he was going to summon the strongest Knight of Round. I think we can count King Arthur out if you have Saber already. His knights, though.."
"They all rode horses, and some wielded spears and bows. I heard the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, might've been the Berserker of the Fourth Fuyuki Grail War, back in the '90s," Charles said.
Akira nodded gravely. "My grandfather died in that War, and he'd summoned one of the greatest Heroic Spirits of all time. No Knight of Round is to be trifled with, no matter the Class"
"One question, then," Charles prompted. "How did the Tohsaka family go from summoning the greatest of the greats to.. Well… Him? Isn't your strategy always to summon the greatest warriors?"
Akira cleared her throat. "Well.. I thought to be cost-effective, seeing as how winning isn't a hundred percent certain, I wouldn't blow our entire budget on summoning a Knight class when the Caster has as much potential to.. Well.."
"So what you're saying is, you're broke?"
The air between them suddenly grew uncomfortably quiet.
"Hark!" Shakespeare suddenly called. "A maiden approaches! Master, I recommend we take our leave, lest we find ourselves at the mercy of the greatest fury this world will see for years to come!"
At the same time, Charles felt his mana circuits move from 'passive' to 'active' use- Saber was attempting to hasten her approach now that she had zeroed in on his location.
'Like a bloodhound,' he mused.
"We should indeed leave then, William," Akira said, though she put a hand on Charles' shoulder as she leaned over and stared him down. At this angle, he was only a few degrees away from being able to stare down something else.
'So close..' he thought, swallowing.
"You need my help to stand a chance of winning this Grail War, Charles. Take my offer into consideration."
Suddenly, Shakespeare had vanished, and a tall, imposing man with a large black cloak and a hat that obscured his face was in his place.
"Shall we take leave, my beloved?" he asked Akira, offering her his hand. To that, she took it, and allowed him to hold her bridal-style.
"As a sign of my trust, Charles, I'll give you a freebie. This is one of William's Noble Phantasms, 'The Globe.' It won't make him any more useful at fighting, but it makes him ten times more dashing, don't you think?" Akira asked, sighing. "Who are you tonight, William?"
The cloaked figure cackled. "My nature is one of vengeance, my story one to be remembered for the ages. My name is Edmond Dantes!"
Charles checked, just to make sure, and he could hardly believe his eyes. All the input that he was receiving from his Master's Clairvoyance had changed completely- The class readout he was now receiving was one of an Avenger-class Servant.
"That's a terrifying fakeout ability.." he murmured to himself.
"Indeed, indeed! To play this role- nay, to play as many roles as possible, that is my one true calling of this War! I will-"
Shakespeare-Dantes was interrupted by the sound of the Bounded Field around the building breaking.
"That would be your bride-in-waiting, O Master. Do give her my regards! Away!" he cried, leaping out a window. A split second later, Saber came crashing in through the adjoining window. Her eyes were wild and searched the room for a target.
"Master.. Enemy.. Where…?" she forced out between breaths. Charles was immediately at her side, and decided the best thing to do was to hug her tightly.
"There, there. They left," he said soothingly. "Caster was telling the truth, they really didn't mean me any harm."
Saber, fortunately, was already calming down. "So.. you're saying.."
"I'm okay, Saber," Charles smiled. "If I weren't, you'd be fading away now. See?" he said, willing a projection of his Command Seals to appear behind him.
"I'm still your Master. Everything's fine."
Saber sniffed. He couldn't see her but he soon realized- was she.. Crying?
"Are you alright, Saber?" he asked, only to be immediately pushed away.
"Of course," she sniffed, wiping her nose. "My emotions were merely running high from the remnants of my Battle Madness."
Charles cocked his head. Is that what she was calling that Skill now?
"I was.. Worried, Master. There's still much of this world that I plan to see once I win this Grail War. I can't do that without you keeping me here."
"Of course, of course," Charles chuckled. "But.. on the topic of winning this Grail War.."
'She what?!" Saber exclaimed after Charles had finished explaining.
"Only temporarily, until we've defeated all the other combatants. Besides, this is good. We still need to finish your Noble Phantasm, and we very might well go up against some seriously older English Heroes. We all technically have the home advantage here, but that just means they'll be even more powerful!" Charles tried to keep the most positive face he could, but it was difficult considering that Saber looked like she was about to fly into a frenzy all over again.
Saber's eyes narrowed. "Are you doubting my abilities, Master?"
Charles hesitated. "I'm doubting my abilities as a Master, Saber. You're the best Heroic Spirit I could've asked for, but.. I'm still part of this team, and I don't want you to go down for it."
Of course he doubted her abilities. With her lack of proper Noble Phantasm, relative lack of Mystery and the very real possibility that he wouldn't be able to control her in battle, their chances of victory were relatively low. But, he couldn't exactly tell her that.
"The Tohsaka magus will cover our weaknesses. Besides, once all the dust has settled, her Caster will be easy pickings for you."
Saber hesitated. "If you say so, Master. But.." she clutched her forehead. "I know for a fact that I know this man.."
"William Shakespeare was very much before your time, so it's not like you could've met him.." Charles said hesitantly.
"No, no," Saber shook her head. "From another time.. Another War.. I was maddened, so the memories that were taken with me back to the Throne were muddled, and the Grail keeps me from seeing them to keep from an unfair advantage.."
Charles remained quiet. He didn't know a whole lot about the relationship between the Servants they summoned and the Root of all Magic, but it sounded complex.
Saber smacked her palm against her forehead. "It's no use. The memories are lost to my current self. Just know this, Master. William Shakespeare is a sneak and a very smart one at that. Any magus who he calls Master would be the same."
Charles nodded. "I'm aware. Any magus who'd come to this War would cheat, lie and claw their way to victory through any means possible if it gave them just a slight edge. I'm one of them," he said, adding a wink for emphasis.
Saber shook her head. "No, Master. You're honest. Remember that about yourself."
Charles couldn't think of a witty response. "Thanks, Saber," he mumbled, to which she curtseyed in appreciation.
"You're welcome."
Wanting to break the air, Charles suddenly stretched, yawning. "I wasn't ready for all this excitement. I know I said I'd get right back to work on your Noble Phantasm after we got back, but it can wait until tomorrow, right?"
Saber seemed almost shocked at the idea. "I- If you must sleep, at least only until sunrise!"
Charles sighed. "If I must. What about you?" he asked.
Saber tilted her head quizzically. "Me? What about me?"
"Do you need to sleep? Do you wish to?"
Saber shook her head. "I'll keep watch over you throughout the night in case that sneak of a Caster, or someone else tries to steal you away again. Please don't make that a habit."
Charles grinned. "You're not going to sleep? But I sent for a courier to bring you pajamas before we left the lab. They should've arrived by now."
Saber crossed her arms. "You're taking pleasure in having the authority to dress me up as you please, aren't you?"
"You're going to let me though, right? Please? If I don't live through this Grail War, I'd never get the chance again," Charles pleaded, trying to look as pure-intentioned as possible.
"Absolutely not!"
SERVANT STATISTICS
CLASS: CASTER
TRUE NAME: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
STATISTICS
STR: E
END: E
AGI: D
MAN: C++
LUK: B
NP: ?
CLASS SKILLS
TERRITORY CREATION: C+
ITEM CONSTRUCTION: D
PERSONAL SKILLS
DISENGAGEMENT: C
NOBLE PHANTASM
THE GLOBE: B+
Self-Applied Noble Phantasm
Allows William Shakespeare to change the outward layer of his Saint Graph into anyone he reads about, extending to their Class readout if it a Servant. Due to the expansiveness of the Internet, this applies to just about every Heroic Spirit- every living person under the sun. He can't use their skills or their Noble Phantasms, and has the same near-0 level of combat potential even while transformed.