FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 2: Budding Dichotomy

The night hours soon gave way to morning, signifying the beginning of another day of business and school for the residents of Fuyuki. However, among the otherwise innocuous citizenry, seven people were participating in an event known to Mages as the Holy Grail War. In the simplest terms, this was a contest between seven chosen ones known as Masters and the high-level familiars they summoned as their Servants, seeking to obtain the holy chalice that could grant the victor a single wish.

Servants were once heroes of the past who achieved fame and notoriety for their deeds and were thus inscribed in the Throne of Heroes – essentially a 'library' outside of space and time where a summoner could borrow a 'copy' of the original legendary figure and materialize them as a sort of physical ghost, with all of their skills, weapons and combat experience intact. This was the same process that Bazett relied on to summon Cuchulainn first, and then Connla afterwards. All of the Servants were temporary beings that would fade out of existence once their duties were over, so it was common for some Masters to treat their Servants as nothing more than disposable tools.

In a Holy Grail War however, Masters had to take extra precautions to make sure their Servants didn't rebel against such distasteful behavior. They were gifted with three sigils known as Command Spells, which they could use to issue absolute orders to their Servants. Once these three Spells were used up, the Servant no longer had an anchor to the world and would vanish. Thus, it was wiser for Masters to take their Servants' personalities into account and seek to work in harmony with them during their contract. It didn't mean that all Masters were smart enough to understand this concept, but at least those in the know would ensure some degree of cordiality.

Thus, one could consider Connla to be in a strange situation with Bazett. At least the two would not argue with other, yet they wouldn't be able to foster any kind of friendship either. Perhaps this was partly why Caren stepped in to act as Connla's fake Master – the Servant could socialize with a modern human outside of confronting the other Masters in this battle royale. Since they only just met however, it was a total mystery as to what Caren's behavior was really like. Therefore, Connla opted to take it slow and observe the nun as meticulously as formulating a complex battle strategy.

As Caren unpacked her suitcase in one of the other rooms within the dilapidated Edelfelt Manor, Connla stood at the doorway and watched her quietly. The white-haired lady could no longer ignore the child warrior's stifling presence and demanded, "Are you perchance staking me out? There's no need to be so edgy during the daytime."

"It is a Servant's job to keep their Master safe."

"Then you should be watching over Bazett instead of me."

"I will alternate between both of you for now."

"Suit yourself then. Just don't peek while I'm getting changed – I happily spank naughty little girls who don't understand the concept of a woman's privacy."

Connla raised an eyebrow. "What do you think I am, some kind of deviant?"

"If anything, at least you're fun to tease," Caren murmured. Her already-impish smile possessed an edge of deviousness to it, and Connla wondered just who the real naughty one was. Caren then said, "Well never mind that. If you're going to be standing there, we might as well have a nice chat. It's boring to sort my belongings in silence."

"Mm. Then let me ask you something, Ms. Hortensia. You said you would be able to deal with the other Masters on your own, but I'm not exactly familiar with your capabilities. Could you further elaborate on what skills and abilities you possess? Such knowledge would be beneficial for me to devise stratagems should we get ourselves into a dangerous situation."

"Develop stratagems, hm? You sound more like a back-seat tactician than a front-line fighter."

"Not necessarily. It's a skill that my mother made sure to personally teach me. She told me of many factors that can affect the outcome of a battle, and knowing my allies' capabilities is considered one of the top three. There are many things I need to keep in mind as I fight my opponents, and making sure that my comrades are fighting at full potential is one of my priorities as well. If they are not, then I simply need to pick up on the slack to balance things out," Connla explained, then somberly closed her eyes and murmured, "Not that I've had any experience with fighting alongside a partner yet…"

Caren smiled a little and said, "How prudent of you to point out your own hypocrisy. Certainly makes things a lot easier for me. Very well, I shall explain. First of all, take a look at this."

She rolled up her sleeve to show Connla the many bandages wrapping around her arm. She continued, "One of my duties for the Church is to act as a demon detector."

"Demon detector?"

"I possess an ability where, should I come into close proximity with someone who is possessed by a demon, my body will undergo a radical change to mimic the effects of the possession. That's why I have to wear bandages all the time. It is purely genetic in nature and cannot be replicated with training, so my services have been deemed invaluable despite my lowly status as an acolyte. My mentor referred to it as masochistic pneumatic automatism diathesis."

Most children would have no clue what Caren just said, but Connla coolly replied, "An automatic, physically stressful response to otherworldly spirits… I see. My teacher told me of people who were born with such abilities."

"Scathach, right? Of course," the nun mumbled in recognition as she remembered the tales surrounding the legendary Witch of Dun Scaith. "As the guardian of the gate to the Land of Shadows, she would be familiar with the concept, and would have taught her students such."

"Teacher's specialty was more with the dead than with demons, but the principles are the same. Both types of paranormal spirits are capable of possessing humans, so your job is to act as a beacon to find such victims so that exorcists can cure them. I can see how the Church would find you as a valuable asset, but I fail to understand how this relates to our mission. You can't exactly find Heroic Spirits like that since we're not demons to begin with."

"I wouldn't be so dismissive if I were you," Caren visibly pouted. "If you weren't a girl, I would have used this on you to punish such insubordination."

With some kind of magic that allowed one to store items in imaginary spaces, she flicked her hand and produced a red cloth that was about six feet in length and only about one foot in width. It flowed around her arms and back like a sash that belonged to a deity.

"Hmm…" Connla whispered in admiration. "That's definitely some kind of unique Magecraft going on. But what do you mean 'if I wasn't a girl'? Does gender have something to do with that cloth?"

"Indeed. This is the Holy Shroud of Magdalene, a gift from the Church for my arduous services. It has the ability to forcefully bind men, though it means that I cannot physically attack them while they are restrained or else the cloth will be rendered useless."

"Interesting. So because I was born female, you can't use it on me. At least it will be useful in certain situations, but it still means your capabilities are minimal at best."

"How annoying," Caren grumbled. "However true your words may be, they still sting. Why didn't you show up as a boy like the legends depict you?"

"It's not my fault I was born like this," Connla muttered. "My real history must have been lost throughout time, so everyone knows me as Cuchulainn's 'son' instead of his daughter."

The priestess shrugged in consternation and said, "Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about it. Perhaps when you get the chance, you should thank the Lord for delivering you upon this world as a girl."

"Huh…"

"Anyway, other than using basic familiars, that's about all I can offer as a Master. Perhaps you should do some sharing of your own, little Lancer. Indulge my curiosity into what you're capable of, for I have a feeling we'll be relying upon those skills more than my own."

"Understood."

They continued talking throughout the entire day, primarily of Connla explaining what her abilities were in candid detail to Caren.

At the same time, one of Caren's ghostly, worm-looking familiars quietly slithered up the walls of Homuhara Academy and slipped onto the rooftop where students would sometimes eat their lunches. Classes were in session at the moment, so there wasn't anyone around to witness this bizarre creature scouring the area.

Earlier, this same familiar had seen the aftermath of the confrontation between this War's Archer and Lancer Servants. The courtyard was so badly scuffled that it was temporarily sealed off from students until maintenance workers finished their repairs. Though there wasn't anything worth investigating there, the creature had sensed some kind of residual magical energy originating from the building itself, which prompted it to climb up to the roof.

After some slithering around, the familiar stopped when it discovered some kind of red crest etched upon the concrete. It was an octagram comprised of two congruent squares, with a thin circle on the outside and a larger one in the center, with strange symbols placed between the points of the octangular shape. Most disturbing was the image being portrayed in the very middle of the inner circle – some kind of eyeball-looking orb sucking in hundreds of random streams of energy. The imagery looked no different than sperm rushing upon the ovum, fervently contesting to see which one would get to fertilize the egg.

Caren's familiar backed away from the magic circle and transmitted the image back to its master.

"Hm?" the nun mumbled suddenly and closed her eyes, interrupting her spirited conversation with Connla.

"Is something the matter?" the Servant wondered.

"We've got a hit. Homuhara Academy is being targeted by someone."

"Targeted?"

Caren explained what her familiar had found, then made a poorly-drawn sketch of the crest and asked, "Do you recognize this?"

"Hmm…" Connla examined the picture for a minute. She mumbled to herself, "A Star of Lakshmi, or Ashtalakshmi, the eight manifestations of Lakshmi… Or in normal terms, the eight forms of wealth. Two circles… a barrier, perhaps? They must represent some form of isolation… The outer ring cuts off the outside world, while the inner ring ensnares what is already inside. This image in the center is very disturbing though… Are you sure you depicted this correctly, Ms. Hortensia? I can't make sense of these central scribbles whatsoever."

"That's the most accurate way I could show it to you," Caren pouted, offended that Connla was possibly calling her drawing bad.

"I guess it can't be helped. Anyway, I think it's safe to assume that this is part of a Bounded Field that someone is setting up. From what I can glean out of your picture, this crest symbolizes 'taking wealth away from others', so it's likely that either a Mage or a Servant seeks to harvest mana from everyone at the school. For them to surreptitiously plant these things without anyone noticing must mean that at least one Master attends that school. At the very least, I can guarantee that it is not Celtic in nature, so we can rule out Kirei and Father as suspects."

"So it's Fuyuki's youth that are going to be the first victims, hm? Quite the troublesome Master we have, showing no compunctions for reducing those they socialize with into drained husks. Well, if you look at it from a true Mage's perspective, all of Fuyuki has been allowed to develop solely for turning it into a mana-harvesting farm for the Holy Grail War, and the citizens are simply their cattle to slaughter."

"Ms. Hortensia," Connla's tone immediately turned severe, and she narrowed her eyes at the unconcerned nun. "However true you may believe that to be, refrain from making comments like that in such a casual manner. If we're going to be warning the other Masters of Kirei's deception, you should at least appreciate that not everyone is going to think the same way that you do."

Caren didn't like the Servant's attitude, not so much because she was being scolded, but mainly because the girl sounded more like an adult that was far more mature than necessary. The disconnect between Connla's charming appearance and her strict countenance bothered Caren, so she sighed dejectedly, "Hah… All right, I'll be sure not to break our dear little lambs too much."

"As long as you understand, then it's okay."

"Honestly. If only Bazett could give me your Command Spells, then you'd be able to understand how much I disapprove of a little kid trying to boss me around. That kind of entertainment is hard to come by, you know."

"Entertainment?" Connla raised an eyebrow, unsure of what her false Master meant.

"Never mind. I'll have to make do with this."

Without warning, Caren pinched her fingers on Connla's cheeks and playfully stretched them. The girl objected in a weird wheeze, "H-Hey, nawk hat ahf!"

"He he, you're so much cuter when you're being messed with like this. Being all serious and logical really doesn't suit an adorable tyke like you," the nun giggled, then released her grip.

"Owww…" Connla whined while rubbing her sore face. "Okay, I get it. As long as you're considerate with the other Masters, I'll be sure to mind my tongue while around you in return. Just please don't do that again."

"Very good. Servant or not, a child should be always be polite towards their elders."

"Uuh…" the girl whimpered and glanced outside. "C-Can we just get going already? The sun is starting to set, and I want to get this over with before night falls."

"Yes, let's. The sooner we get this Servant on our side, the better. First, give me a moment to change into more appropriate attire."

Connla waited at the front entrance for about 10 minutes until Caren was finished changing. The priestess returned to the Servant's side wearing a dark blouse with puffy sleeves and small frills lining the hem, and sported a grey long-sleeve shirt beneath the blouse. She wore black pantyhose, yet there was no skirt covering her waist area. This made her white underwear visible to anyone who would meet her, which seemed exceptionally inappropriate for a woman of her standing.

"Um… Ms. Hortensia?" Connla's expression turned sour. "What exactly are you wearing?"

"My exorcist's uniform. If I am to be a Master, I should at least look the part," Caren replied.

"I get that it's a uniform, but… d-does the Church allow its nuns to walk around in such salacious attire?"

"There's no absolute law stating that we sisters of the faith must always maintain our chastity. In fact, history has dictated that the Church will hold sway over the unguided sheep of humankind with any method. Nuns who doubled as prostitutes, coupled with extortion… or rather, a sinful man donating his fortune as a way to wash their hands of such impurity was one of the favorite tactics of the olden days."

"…"

"I have found this garment most convenient when dealing with men, for their propensity to fall victim to feminine wiles is as faithful as my undying reverence for the Holy Father. Of course, ease of movement is always a benefit."

"If you say so…" Connla grumbled and turned away hesitantly before vanishing into her spirit form. She had a bad feeling that trying to discuss the Church's hypocrisy was a subject not to be treated lightly, especially with someone as devout as Caren. Since Connla was alive about 400 to 500 years before St. Patrick converted the citizens of Ireland to Christianity, she wasn't familiar with how the religion operated, so trying to argue with Caren would just make her look ignorant.

School had proceeded as normal for the students of Homuhara Academy. Most of the students and faculty had gone home for the day, save for two particular students. One was a 17-year old young man with rust-colored messy hair and yellow eyes. He was known to all as Emiya Shirou, but to those in the Holy Grail War, he was identified as the Master for the Saber-class Servant. Likewise, his raven-haired, blue-eyed classmate Tohsaka Rin was the Master for this War's Archer Servant. It hadn't taken them long to discover each other's roles in the Fifth War, and Rin had gone out of her way to explain to Shirou what the entire premise for the War was. She told him over and over again not to be a fool by going anywhere without Saber by his side for protection.

Yet, Shirou did exactly what Rin told him not to do. He went to school as usual, being all casual to his rival while leaving Saber behind at his residence. Rin was so shocked at his stupidity that she refused to talk to him for the entire day. With the early evening hours approaching however, and with no teachers or students to interrupt, her anger finally reached its peak and she could no longer contain it.

This led to Shirou and Rin having an argument at the stairs leading up to the third floor. Rin admitted how pissed off she was at him for being so naïve and declared her intention to get rid of him. Thus, she initiated the chase by firing a lone Gandr shot at him. He had managed to get out of the way, but only barely thanks to the raw power of the shot demolishing the floor. Once he saw how serious she was, he ran for his life through the school halls.

Shirou's pleas weren't entirely selfish though. As he grabbed his bleeding arm, he shouted at Rin, "You really could hurt someone with those things!"

"Then stay still so you don't feel any pain!" she screamed and fired more shots at him that he dodged. "One shot to the heart will kill you instantly!"

"You call that a mercy kill!?"

"Shut up! Stop bumbling around like an idiot and let me finish you off quickly!"

Shirou hurried downstairs to the first floor classrooms, barely ducking out of the way as Rin hurled a magic shot at him. He noticed her figure as she landed within the rising smoke and gasped, "Oh, crap!"

He scrambled into the nearest classroom and locked the sliding doors, preventing Rin from chasing him inside. He thought he would be safe, but she wouldn't be perturbed by such a simple obstacle. She called out, "Das Schließen Vogelkäfig… Echo!" †

Shirou saw a bright red magic circle materialize between the classroom doors. Fearing it was some kind of attack, he ran toward the window, only to discover that he was inside a hazy red 'box' that confined him inside the room. He recognized it as a Bounded Field, and that the next spell Rin sent his way would be lethal unless he protected himself. He dropped a desk onto its side, then pressed his hand against its underside.

"Trace On!" Shirou whispered. He was using his reinforcement magic to strengthen its components so it was equivalent to him hiding behind a sturdy boulder.

Immediately after, Rin yelled, "Fixierung, Eilsalve!" ††

She fired a relentless salvo of Gandr shots into the classroom, violently peppering the walls and floor with golf ball-sized holes. All of the desks and chairs were reduced to either splinters or useless furniture… except for the lone desk that Shirou shielded himself behind. Miraculously, it managed to withstand the barrage while sustaining some cracking and warping. He paused in nervous anticipation, then grabbed an iron bar from one of the destroyed desks and reinforced it like he did with the desk.

That was when Rin threw a small blue gem through the window above the doors, and its soothing glow intensified until it exploded into a pure white light.

As a female student was locking up one of the doors, she caught sight of the light illuminating one of the second-floor classrooms. She didn't know what was going on, but if one of the other students was still loitering around after school hours, she felt it would be prudent to go tell them to leave. She hurried for the opposite doors… but she would wind up not making it to her destination.

Shirou broke through the locked classroom door immediately after Rin's gemstone detonated.

"Looks like you finally decided to come out, Emiya," she smirked.

He stood back up shakily and brandished his impromptu weapon.

"You think you can beat me with that silly weapon? Just give it up. You don't stand a chance of winning against me," Rin taunted, then raised her arm with the Magic Circuits etched upon it. Her expression grew dire as she demanded, "This is my final warning. Put down your weapon and give me your Command Spells. Stripping the nerves out of your arm is better than dying."

"Never!" Shirou retorted. "If I gave them to you, it'll be the same as me betraying Saber!"

"Is that so? From my perspective, you've already betrayed her by being such a dim-witted Master who doesn't appreciate the danger he's in."

"What!?"

"Enough talk. I hope you're prepared, Emiya."

Before Rin could launch the decisive Gandr spell that would kill Shirou, a strange noise suddenly broke through the tension between the rivaling students.

"KYAAA~AAAH!"

Caren left the Edelfelt Manor and strode through the forest to make her way into the city proper. It was a cool February evening, not as particularly chilly as it was earlier in the month. She felt there was no need to put on a long coat, and her thick stockings provided enough warmth to resist the cold. She didn't say anything, preferring to enjoy her stroll while quietly observing the barren trees. A thin layer of snow was the last remnant of winter, and it wouldn't be long before the first leaf buds sprouted and matured into immature green leaves. Caren always looked forward to the first days of spring, finding solace in the knowledge that nature's annual hibernation would soon be over.

Caren found the nearest street and turned towards the school in question. With the nighttime hours fast approaching, and with how the Edelfelt Manor was never visited by anyone in Fuyuki, there weren't any onlookers to meet the strangely-clad priestess. She didn't mind the absence of people though. Despite her friendly attitude and mannerisms, she actually had terrible social skills. Most of her fellow Church members often said that she had a tendency to provoke her acquaintances, and that her choice of words were callous and witty to the point of being uncomfortably acerbic.

During Caren's quiet trek through the woods, Connla remained near her in spirit form. Since Servants were nothing more than recreations of human beings created with pure mana, they could dematerialize and become invisible ghosts. This was especially convenient for reducing the amount of mana a Master needed to sustain their Servant's physical form. In Connla's case though, she just wanted to keep her Celtic warrior's garments hidden from the local Japanese folks, especially since Caren warned her that the Japanese tended to treat foreigners 'differently'. Connla wasn't sure what that meant, nor if she could take her partner's word for it, so she opted to remain low-key as much as possible.

Eventually though, Connla's voice broke through the tranquility as she unexpectedly said, "Ms. Hortensia? If I may, there's something important I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Caren wondered. "Didn't you already tell me everything I needed to know about yourself?"

"There's one more thing I need to cover, which regards my identity," the Servant said as she rematerialized into physical form. "Although the vast majority of Servants will likely never figure out who I am, Cuchulainn is one of only two exceptions in this entire world, the other obviously being Scathach. Although the number of people who know my True Name are few and far between, if word were to reach Cuchulainn that I am participating in this war, no doubt he will pursue me with utmost fervor before we are prepared to face him."

"You make it sound like it's a major problem."

"Because it is. Recall my original manner of death."

Caren closed her eyes and recounted Connla's story in her mind. Her golden irises shot back open when she realized, "You were struck down by Gae Bolg…"

"Correct. That means it is my greatest weakness. I have absolutely no way of defending myself against it - you could say it is my destiny to die should Gae Bolg be used on me. Since I fought Father to a standstill in that fateful battle, should such a battle occur between us in this Holy Grail War, the end result may very well be the same."

"Aren't you able to take Gae Bolg away from him and turn it against him?"

"Impossible. Scathach did not teach me anything about wielding that spear. It takes a tremendous toll on the user's body to throw it, and such forces would cause a small child with no training like myself to self-destruct. I don't know if she intended to teach me how to use it as I grew up, but my mother called me away to journey to Ireland before such lessons could even begin."

"What a problem," Caren mumbled listlessly. "I hope you don't expect me to come up with some kind of solution for you."

"Not to worry. I have a plan in mind," Connla assured calmly. "Call it a workaround, if you would. Give me a moment…"

She performed a few hand gestures and drew various Celtic Runes around herself. Soon, her entire body disappeared, as if she were a ghost caught in the peripheral view of someone's vision. A hazy aura of greens and aquas that swirled about in a gentle flurry was the only indication that she was present. To Caren's astonishment, Connla spoke in a heavily distorted voice, "ThiS iS a SPecIAl SKIll inHErEnt tO Me, cALLed IdenTIty CoNceALmENT. IT is aN ALLegorY to OnE of ThE thREe gEAsa thAT I possESS – to NeVeR sAY mY naME tO anYonE."

"Interesting," the nun smiled. "So in order to protect your True Name from being exposed to Cuchulainn, you devised a skill to mask your presence around him."

"PreCIselY. I diD nOT wANt tO AlArM yOU, sO I figUREd iT wAs bESt To exPLaiN tHIs To YoU beFOrE wE gOt unDErwAy wITh oUr miSSioN."

"Fair enough. But does maintaining this ability cost a lot of mana for Bazett?"

"NOt parTIcuLarlY. It IS aTTachED tO mY gEAs, wHiCh poSSesSes pOWer oF itS oWn, sO tHe MAna exPenDITUre sHouLD bE mINImaL."

"Good. So it's possible for you to keep your face hidden at all times. Cuchulainn aside, no Servant should be able to figure you out, which will give you an advantage in battle. Even if anyone tried to scry my mind for details, it will be futile since I'm not actually your Master."

"ThE faCT tHAt aN eiGhTH SerVanT iS RuNNinG aMoK shOulD gIvE aT leAST soMe oF tHEM PAusE. ThAt mAy giVE Us aN oPPortUniTY tO ExPlaiN oUrSelVes wiTHouT ResORTiNg tO VioLenCE."

"I don't share in your optimism, but with the circumstances as they are, I have no choice but to take the risk," the priestess said, then rubbed her ear and complained, "Still, that warped voice of yours is rather grating to listen to."

"DoES iT bOThEr yOu? I cAn aLWaYs sWiTCh BaCk," Connla said, then spoke in her normal tone, "But do note that I will need to disguise my voice should Cuchulainn be within the vicinity. Hiding my form will do nothing if he remembers me by speech alone. To be honest though, it would be a lot easier on me if I could actually stay silent as much as possible."

"As they say, loose lips sink ships," Caren smirked. "I guess I don't have to worry about ordering you to be quiet and let me do the talking to our enemies."

"Judging by your countenance, your lips are powerful enough to ground space rockets."

"Is that a hint of sarcasm I hear?"

"Take it as you will. From here on out, I will either be in spirit form or in Identity Concealment mode unless you order me otherwise. Naturally, I won't be saying much either. If you need to talk to me, I suggest we do so when none of the other participants are around. You and I do not share a psychic channel after all."

The priestess thought to herself, What a cheeky little upstart she is. But I guess she wouldn't have fought Cuchulainn for an entire day if she was a complete pushover.

A strange emotion welled up within her, and she fought the urge to plaster her face with a creepy grin.

How long will it take before the true nature of this war takes its toll on such a delicate little soul? If nothing else, it will be quite entertaining to see what it takes to break the Child of Cuchulainn.

"Is something wrong?" Connla wondered.

"No, it's nothing. Come, we're almost at the-"

That was the moment when they heard the female student's terrified scream. Although the pair weren't in close proximity to the shrieking as Shirou and Rin were, it was still audible enough for them to hear.

"Lancer," Caren commanded, "get in there and find out what's going on."

"Got it," the Servant replied and materialized her spear, then leapt forth faster than any human could muster. The resulting gust ruffled the nun's hair and shirt. Once the winds settled, she remained there for a short while.

During the day, Caren and Connla decided that it would be best for the false Master to stay as far away from any battles as possible. However much her own weakness irritated Caren, she had to admit that she simply didn't have the abilities nor talents to reliably hold her own against expert Mages. Exacerbating her annoyance was how she had to rely on a Servant who essentially called herself a trainee and was nowhere near as proficient at combat as most other legendary Celtic warriors were. Even so, all Caren could do was wait and see how Connla fared in her first confrontation…

Or so she thought. Caren suddenly glanced toward the woods just outside Homuhara Academy. Was it some kind of energy she sensed? Did she catch some slight movement out of the corner of her eye? She wasn't sure, and curiosity started to overcome her. Although it went against her better judgment, she purposefully turned on her foot and clicked her boots upon the sidewalk, heading into the small gathering of trees to confirm her suspicions.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

† - "Closing Bird Cage"

†† - "Lock-On Rush Salvo"