The first thing to return to Olga was her hearing. The sound of fires crackling slowly grew more noticeable, driving the fog in her mind away. The next sensation to return was smell, dirt, smoke, and dust finding their way inside her nose, clogging it. She opened her mouth to suck in a breath of air and coughed, and two more senses returned at the same time. Her mouth was completely dry, what felt like a layer of sand covering her tongue. As her body shifted with the breath, something dug into her back, drawing out a groan which quickly shifted into a cry of pain.
As the fog receded, it was replaced with the red hot sensation of pain. It felt like someone had taken out all her muscles and magic circuits below her neck, fried them over a fire, and then put them back in. Even the shallowest breaths possible drew out a small groan. Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, she focused on trying to force the pain down to a manageable level. Slowly, over the course of what felt like hours but she knew to be minutes, the pain lost its potency.
She hesitantly opened her eyes, squinting against the low lighting. Laboriously lifting her head up, everything seemed to be fire, low fires that didn't spread but simply sat and burned, refusing to die. The hollowed and shattered husks of buildings dominated everything in sight, their rubble being what was digging into her back. Gritting her teeth as her muscles protested with a new wave of pain, she forced herself to sit upright. Where was she, what had happened, where was everyone?
Pushing past the pain, an arm went out to grasp onto a nearby chunk of concrete, then the other. Achingly slow, she dragged herself up onto her feet. Leaning her side against the destroyed pillar, a glimmer of red caught her eye. On the back of her right hand was a sigil split into three parts, a spear with two wings coming out near the base. A few moments passed as the information was processed, before everything came rushing back. The rayshift test, Zelretch's visit, the ability to be a master being forced onto her, the explosions... Mashu.
The last memories of the young lavender haired girl brought her to her knees, tears starting to build as she bowed her head. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to force them back, to dam them up. The dam lasted all of five seconds before it broke, leaving her quietly sobbing into the foul air. She hadn't managed to save her, all that she had managed to do was put herself into danger. Everything that she had was thrown into saving Mashu, but all her efforts had done was trap her in the singularity and basically cripple her. She was a complete failure.
A small sound managed to work its way over the crackling of the fires, pulling her attention back to reality. The sound came again as she slowly pulled herself upright, feebly wiping the tears away with one hand. Something was out amidst the rubble, and it was getting closer. Stopping her snobs with a sniffle, she quickly shifted her eyes to search her surroundings , something white through the smoke and the fire, across the street. Straining to see through the fire, what little breath she was managing caught in her throat as it stepped through.
A skeleton, its bones bleached white despite the dirt and scorch marks of the terrain, but not completely unharmed. A part of the skull was caved in, and one of the arms was entirely gone. Wrapped around its torso was the ragged remains of its clothing, the only piece truly surviving being the belt. Resting loosely in a bony hand was a worn falchion, the blade still sharp despite its apparent age. Looking around with hollow sockets, it spotted her across the way and stopped. It's jaw dropped open and let out a loud cackle as two more skeletons leapt out of the flames behind it, joining in the heinous chorus.
Turning around, Olga stumbled away, putting the concrete in between her and the trio of undead. Every muscle in her body protested the motion, but the cackling was coming after her, rapidly. If she had been in better condition, fighting would have been the better option. Now though, even a single gandr shot was probably beyond her. Lying down and dying wasn't an option, leaving flight as the only option. Finding a hiding spot and waiting until she could establish communications was the best plan, even if it looked more and more like it was useless.
Finding herself in front of a rubble pile, she started climbing. A small groan of pain slipped past her lips, but there was no stopping. Pulling herself up to the top of the pile, one foot found its way onto a stable piece of concrete. The other found its place, but slipped as the piece shifted under the weight, sending her tumbling forward with a shriek. Curling reflexively up into a ball, she tumbled and bounced down the other side of the pile.
Landing flat on her stomach, the breath was driven from her lungs. Pain shot through her knees and hands as she forced herself back to her feet. Her lungs refused to work, leaving her gasping for breath as she started limping forward again. The cackling had grown even louder, almost as if the skeletons were laughing at her. Hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes even as her teeth ground together. Of course they were laughing at her, who wouldn't laugh at such a failure?
Quickly glancing over her shoulder revealed the skeletons descending the rubble pile behind her. Desperation drove her to bend low, grabbing a rock from the ground. Throwing open her magic circuits, she couldn't bite back the scream that tore from her throat at the pain. It took all of her control just to write a weak Ansuz rune onto it before closing the circuits back. Gripping it tight, a quick spin was the only warning the skeletons had before she threw the rune at them as hard as she could. Even if she was beaten and battered, she was a magus. And a magus was not to be taken lightly! "Ansuz!"
The rune glowed a bright red as the magic activated. Striking the leading skeleton in the chest, it detonated, exploding into a ball of prana infused fire. It engulfed the skeleton and sent her stumbling backwards onto her behind. She could feel the hairs on her face bending away from the heat, her eyes squinting as the fire quickly died down to smoke. Not a single cackle sounded out, leaving only the crackling of the fire as the background. Slowly picking herself up off the ground, she started limping away, not taking her eyes off the smoke cloud.
A piece of rubble went skipping along the ground as her foot connected with it. As it came a rest, the cackling started again. The two other skeletons leapt through the cloud, their bones burnt and black. Even as she turned to run, one was already upon her. Sword raised high, it leapt through the air to hack into her. Panic engulfed her mind. The only thing she could do was raise an arm in an attempt to stop the strike.
A loud thud and crunching sound came from beside her as something landed to her left. Before she knew what was going on, a large shield of was in between her and the monster. The cut hit the shield and bounced off with a clange, not causing it to budge an inch. The wielder pushed forward, lifting it as they shoved into the skeleton and knocked it to the ground. She watched in stunned silence as they raised their shield up as if it weighed nothing and brought it's bottom edge down with sickening force. The skeleton's torso was reduced to dust.
The other skeleton rushed the warrior low, trying to bring its falchion around the bottom of the shield. It found itself flying as the edge of the shield slammed into it, smashing against a nearby concrete wall. The warrior let out a sigh of relief as the remains of both started transforming into specs of black prana. They turned around to face her, the black specs drifting up around them as they stepped forward. "Are you alright, Master?"
Olga's eyes were still riveted on where the skeleton had been reduced to dust. Slowly, her gaze started to climb. Intricate sabatons of that same purple metal, leading up into stockings of the same color, shot through with a lighter purple. One went up to mid thigh, with a secondary band above it, but the other only went up just above her knee. A short skirt of interlocking plates covered some of the distance, but left plenty of pale skin exposed. Her stomach was also exposed, every other piece of her torso covered in plates. Following one arm, she found it covered in a long glove similar to the stockings. The shield was in the shape of a celtic cross, extensive scroll work covering the cross, while the outer circle was etched with a black flame design, and it alternated between a darker and lighter color. Finally looking at her savior's face, everything ground to a halt at the familiar features framed in lavender hair. "...Mashu?"
A small nod was all that it took before her composure broke, and with a stumble, she threw herself forward at the girl. Wrapping her arms around her neck, the two wound up in a tight hug. Olga desperately clinging on to her, and Mashu taking a few seconds to respond out of shock. A minute passed, then two, the director thinking of nothing but the pure relief that had flooded through her system. Mashu was alive, and she wasn't alone in this hellscape.
Eventually, the fact that she had literally thrown herself at her subordinate and was currently holding onto her for dear life worked its way home. Pulling back as if she had touched a fire, a blush quickly grew on her cheeks. Coughing into her fist to try and trying to regain composure, the blush grew even fiercer as Mashu gave her a look of half curiosity and half concern. "D-Do not look at me like that! I should be looking at you like that! Last I remember, you were half paste courtesy of a piece of the roof! How in the world are you in better shape than me, and WHERE DID YOU GET THAT RIDICULOUS OUTFIT?"
Wincing slightly at the sudden shout, she raised a hand in a surrender motion. "D-Director, I would love to explain it all to you. However, we're currently not safe. I don't know when more skeletons or something worse will arrive. It's in our best interests to find a safe place to hide until we can establish contact with Chaldea."
"Fine, let's go find some place to rest. You can explain it all to me on the way." Grumbling to herself, a quick survey of her surroundings found it bereft of anywhere that would work. Turning to start walking away, the first step left her stumbling as everything grew dark and hazy. The only thing that saved her from hitting the ground face first was Mashu's arm wrapping around her. A lead blanket of exhaustion hit her and dragged her down, she could faintly feel herself being picked up. A few noises that sounded like words were heard, but she couldn't figure out what they were before she slipped into unconsciousness.
The first thing that came back to Olga was her sense of touch this time around. Her mind vaguely registered the cold, hard concrete to her back and below her. It was contrasted by something warm, smooth, and soft that her head was currently resting on while her arms wrapped around something similar. With it came a deep ache all over her body, drawing out a low groan. She heard and felt whatever her head was laying against shift, starting to pull away. Grumbling, her grip tightened and pulled whatever it was closer. A hand came to her shoulder and shook it gently. "Director, I know you're exhausted but you have to get up. We can't afford to spend anymore time resting."
Cracking her eyes open just enough to see past, a blurry mess was what she found waiting for her. Blinking a few times to clear them out, she eventually managed to make out her surroundings. A burnt out room, dirty with soot and rubble. An area of the floor had been scraped clean, and that was where she was currently sitting. Looking over, it took a few moments to realize what was going on. She was leaning against Mashu, hugging her arm tight against her chest.
A few moments passed before she let go, raising a hand to her mouth as she let out a jaw splitting yawn. Mashu quickly extracted her arm, a small blush playing across her cheeks as she moved to sit across from her. Finishing the yawn and rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eyes, the reality of the situation managed to work its way back into her mind. A fierce blush grew on her cheeks and her gaze darted down to the ground, trying to figure out what to say.
"You were and still are suffering from both magical, mental, and physical exhaustion… If we weren't on a time limit, and we were safe, I'd say you'd need at least a couple days in bed. But…" Mashu looked over towards the rooms door, rubbing the back of her neck with a free hand. Sighing softly and thanking whatever being was watching over her that she had an out, she waved a hand.
"I know the situation Mashu… Oh wait, no I don't. I passed out before I got a clear view of the situation! We're in the Singularity, that much is obvious. Why Fuyuki City is currently a literal hellscape, I don't know and I doubt you know. I don't know why in the world you're able to walk, or wearing that ridiculous outfit, or what shape Chaldea is in currently. So now that I'm awake, how about we start from the top and work our way down, hm?" Mashu flinched slightly under the frustrated look she sent her way. A sigh escaped from her lips and she bowed her head, rubbing her temples. Don't take your frustrations out on her Olga, she doesn't deserve it.
"A-Alright Director… As for why I'm wearing this ridiculous outfit, after you fell unconscious trying to… save me in the Rayshift Chamber." She winced, remembering the extent of the injuries Mashu had. "I was… dying, that I knew for certain. What bothered me more was the idea that you'd be stuck in the singularity alone. I was just laying there, holding your hand and crying, when someone appeared... It seems one of the masters decided to preemptively summon a servant. It's master died in the explosion, but it must have seen what you were trying to do and how upset I was. It offered me a contract, its abilities in exchange for solving the singularity and protecting you. Then… he vanished."
"A human and a servant fused… A demi-servant. Chaldea's sixth experiment finally succeeded… I suppose that's at least one upside to this mess. Do you have any idea what the name of the servant you bonded with was?" Fighting back a curse when Mashu shook her head no, she looked away, towards the door. No true name meant no access to the Noble Phantasm, which severely limited Mashu in her combat capabilities. Against skeletons, it wasn't an issue. It would only become an issue if something more powerful was present… She shook her head and looked back at Mashu. "Have communications been re-established with Chaldea?"
"They got a message through while we were on our way here, but the connection broke up quickly. I brought us to the Leyline Terminal so that we can re-establish communications, but I can't do it by myself." Nodding along with the comment, Olga dug into a pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk. The fact that it was still in one piece surprised her, considering the amount of punishment she had gone through. Drawing the circle itself was a simple matter, having practiced the movements required dozens if not hundreds of times in the past. Finishing it off and standing up, she took a few shaky steps out of the way and gestured for Mashu to finish it.
Stepping forward, the shield was laid in the center of the circle. The lines of the circle lit up white with prana, their surroundings quickly warping to form those of Chaldea's summoning room. A small sigh of relief escaped her as she took some comfort in the familiar blue walls. A burst of static drew her attention to the right, where the familiar face of Dr. Roman appeared in a blue hologram. "CQ, CQ? Hello? Helloooooo? Okay, the connections back, I can see you two clearly. Good to see your conscious again, Director."
"Romani! What are you doing? The medical director should not be in charge of the control room! Where's Lev? Gregory? Matilda? Anyone but you?!" Losing all composure at the sight of the Doctor, she began practically howling at him.
He staggered back, as though she was right in front of him, and raised his hands. "D-Director, I know I'm not qualified for this position, but there's not any other option." Seeing his expression fall, she felt herself freeze as he continued. "The explosions were precisely placed to knock out most of the systems, while also killing as many people as possible... No one in the control room survived, we're down to 21 capable staff out of Chaldea's 300. Chaldea has lost up to 80 percent functionality, and all that is left is going to keep the Rayshift, SHEBA, and CHALDEA operational… Olga, CHALDEA has stopped detecting human life within one hundred years into the future."
The two stared silently at each other, even as Mashu put an hand onto her arm. The dam that had been hastily re-erected in her mind threatened to spill over, to break as the true scope of what happened hit. Lev was dead. Almost everyone was dead or injured. Almost everything her family had built, devastated in one well placed attack. The world was literally going to come to an end Eventually, she remembered to breath, and took in one large shaky breath. Releasing it slowly, a small nod was directed at Romani. Tears had already been shed, what they needed now was action. "What about the Masters? What kind of condition are they in?"
"All of the other masters are in critical condition, but still alive. They won't last for long however, the medical wing was damaged in the explosions and we lost a lot of supplies." He winced as he explained, noticing the severe frown that formed immediately on her face.
"Activate the cryostasis on the Rayshift Coffins. It'll buy enough time for us to get outside aid. I'll deal with any legal backlash that might come. I'm not losing more staff than necessary! Rayshift three Saint Quartz to our position. Mashu and I shall summon another servant for assistance, and then begin investigating Singularity F for it's cause. Once found, we'll Rayshift back until a team can be gathered to fully deal with it." She raised a hand and let out a small growl as both him and Mashu moved to say something. "No arguing! That is a direct order, am I making myself clear?"
Looking at her for a few more moments, he offered a small nod before turning off the comms. Closing her eyes for a few moments, she sighed internally. If she ever met Zelretch again… she wasn't sure if she would kiss him or beat his face in. Turning towards the shield in the center of the summoning room, the hand on her shoulder tightened a bit. "Director, you can't summon another servant, you're barely standing as is! At least rest for a while longer before trying."
Shrugging the hand off as a small container materialized from gold dust in front of them, she slowly bent down and picked it up. Popping it open to reveal three crystals glowing the color of the rainbow, she took them into her hand. A quick glance back revealed Mashu's concerned face, and she set her face into a stern expression. Now was the time to take charge, not let doubt drag her down. "I'll be fine. The Saint Quarts handle most of the prana expenditure for the summoning itself, and maintaining the servant is handled by the Fate System. We need another servant to watch our backs, especially since you can't access your Noble Phantasm."
Acquiescing to her logic, Mashu positioned herself a short distance back and to the side of Olga. She looked at the circle in front of her, gripping the Saint Quartz tighter in her hand until they cracked, and broke. The prana they encapsulated rushed into her circuits. This must be what the first drink of water after walking through a desert must feel like. With a hand pointed towards the summoning circle, she repeated the summoning mantra in her mind.
Let silver and steel be the essence,
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation
Let the Fate System be the ancestor
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut, fill.
Shut, fill.
Shut, fill.
Shut, fill.
Shut, fill.
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
Heed my words. My will creates your body,
And your sword creates my destiny. If you heed humanity's plea,
And seek to aid in our Grand Order, then answer my summoning!
I hereby swear, that we shall be all the good in the world,
That I shall defeat all the evil in the world!
Seventh heaven clad, and the great words of power,
Come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!
The light in the circle began to grow brighter and brighter, shooting up towards the ceiling in a rotating pillar of light. Mashu and her had to look away, protecting their eyes as the light turned golden. All of a sudden, it broke, shooting off in every direction. They turned back to face the light as it dimmed, one eyebrow rising as she heard a voice speak. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master! My true name is Artoria Pendragon, but since I am still in training, please call me Saber Lily."
This took forever to come out… But, it's here. Only took over a month eh? But, basic set up is well underway! As to the difference from this to the actual story as presented. Olga in the original story didn't know what had happened until after Ritsuka told her. In the original, there was never a real connection in her mind to the tragedy that had happened. It likely never truly hit home just how bad the situation had been. So, in this situation, where she personally saw the hellscape. Where she tried to save Mashu, and completely failed… it had a bigger impact on her. Everything else pretty much follows the original story, with a few mild alterations here or there. I took the summoning chant from Fate Zero and changed it to suit the goals of Chaldea. Hope you enjoy.