Editor: KaelanSix
"If shit doesn't make sense, then let's pretend what I write is correct" - AdvanceGamer
Ark blinked when he finally saw a familiar city in the distance. He was kind of wondering which part of Fate he was in but decided to just wait and see instead of rushing ahead like an idiot. He was a Caster after all.
Glancing behind him he looked down to see a sleeping Gray pressing her face against his back, making her look so peaceful, causing the Mage to smile slightly at such a sight. It has been a few days, so the two got to know each other somewhat... well, it was mostly Gray saying a few words and Ark nodding to her voice.
He frowned when the sight of Gray suddenly changed into Mordred, who was looking up at him with her usual cocky smirk.
The image disappeared, making Ark sigh and look ahead. Arvak sensed his Summoner's distress and whined slightly. Ark reached forward and petted the skeleton horse on the side.
"Don't worry, boy, I'm fine, just remembering the good times with my sister," Arvak whined in a way that showed he too missed Mordred. Hell, most of his summons missed Ark's sister dearly, especially Kit...
The Atronachs might not have known Mordred for long, but they knew that their Summoner cared about the girl very much, and after hearing how she died, the summons have grown to hate Artoria after seeing what it did to Ark mentally.
The Mage knows that if he ever called up his summons near Artoria, they will attack her without hesitation, and he wouldn't blame them.
Gray made a sound-making Ark look to see the girl slowly opened her blue, almost green eyes which darted around the forest with confusion spread across her face. She looked up to see Ark staring down at her with a smirk on his face.
"Hey, sleepyhead, enjoy your nap." Ark chuckled while Gray yelped slightly and leaned back. "Well, it looked like a nice nap." The Mage turned ahead and saw a familiar-looking city. With a shake of his head, Ark hopped off Arvak along with Gray, who was looking at the city in awe. She hasn't seen a city In a long time, it looked beautiful in the distance, but she wonders what it's like inside the city.
"Wow, how long did we travel for?" Gray looked at her Servant, who was petting Arvak. He glanced at Grey and pointed at his purple skeleton horse.
"A couple of hours," Ark said before looking at his Summon. "Arvak is a fast horse, and adding to the fact that he is already dead means he can run forever at his top speed whenever he likes." Ark turned towards his horse and smiled. "Thank you, old friend, go, return to the others and rest, tell them that they too will be called upon soon." Arvak bowed and disappeared from sight.
Ark walked up to Gray and stood beside her as she continued to look at the city with interest. The Knight smiled slightly and raised his hand before placing it down on her head. Gray blinked, then looked up at Ark, who chuckled.
So Grey was a Master in a Holy War with Ark as her Servant... ya, the Mage can definitely smell bullshit from a mile away, it was so plainly obvious, but the question stands, which Holy War was it?
That's the most important question of them all cause if Ark knows which one it is, he can easily have the drop on every Servant by knowing their True Name. Ark is just itching to troll some people right now and completely fuck with this timeline... hold on.
If Ark is here as Caster, then what about this Holy Grail's Caster? Did the Mage replace them, or is it something else entirely? The man reached up and touched his chest with a curious look on his face.
Now that he was thinking about it, being a servant feels a little different. For one, he doesn't feel tired or hungry, which was... strange and disappointing. Now only that, but his Magicka and Prana reserves feel bigger and more... potent? Was this the effects of being a Caster Class?
He still remembers everything, including his sword training with both Merlin and Mordred. Being a servant made him question a lot of things. The questions mostly included what he can do and what are his flaws.
Well, for starters, Ark has two sources of Magic and spells at his disposal. One source of Magic is complete bullshit along with its bullshit spells. To this day, Ark learns something about the Magicka side of him.
Next was his Prana reserves which are literally his life forces that can also basically be used for everything he does. Ark glanced to the side and could feel a connection between him and Gray, which was probably the Master and Servant thing.
"Hey Gray, let me see your left hand," Ark asked, making the young female look at him and nod her head. She held her hand out, and Ark spotted a familiar symbol on the Master's hand. It was the Restoration symbol which was surrounded by two different layers. The first layer was stripped, while the last layer was a dotted line.
It... was an odd symbol for sure, It was a bit surprising to see, but Ark decided not to question it.
"What are you looking at?" Gray asked, causing Ark to blink as he looked her in the eyes. He questioned if he should tell the girl about her command seals. If he did, it might cause some problems... Ark had a better idea.
"These are Command Seals," Ark said, pointing at the mark on the back of her hand. "These allow two things." The male stood up straight while Gray looked down at the Seals in wonder. "One: If we get separated, and you are in danger, then you can use a Command Seal to summon me to your location," Ark explained, making Gray nod her head as she listened very closely. "Two: These Command Seals can also give me a boost in power when needed." Ark didn't tell her about how they are also used to command him and make him follow her orders.
"Really, that's really strong?" Gray asked while Ark shrugged.
"Not really. It all depends on the master. Sadly, however, you are limited only to three, so be wise on how you use them," Ark said before giving her a serious look. "Not only that, but if you use all three Command Spells, our contract is over, and I will return to the Throne of Heroes."
Gray jumped and looked at the Pendragon with a worried stare.
"But don't worry about that. We won't need them." Ark smiled before sighing. "However, we need to be careful. Your Command seals are what keep us together. You lose them. You lose me."
Ark needed to explain how dangerous it is being a master cause he didn't like the thought of Gray being killed... it just didn't sit right with him. The Mage wouldn't mind killing Adults, maybe even teenagers, but children are a big no-no.
So Ark explained a bit more about being a Master and the dangers that come with it. Gray listened very closely to every word and kept glancing at her Command Spells with a worried look.
"You'll protect me, right?" Gray asked as Ark explained that no Master would show her mercy, not even other servants. It doesn't matter to them if they kill a kid. They only want the grail.
"Of course, only because you're my master." Gray flinched again, making Ark chuckle. "Calm down, Gray, you are a supposed descendent of Arthur Pendragon, so I'll protect you with my life." Gray nodded as her body started to relax. "Come on, let's head to the city. It's already nighttime." Gray nodded as she stood beside Ark, and together they walked towards the city.
"Hey, Ark."
"Yes, Gray?"
Gray stopped and thought about asking the male's past and maybe figure out more about him cause, after all, she only knows about King Arthur and Mordred Pendragon. The stories never talked about Arthur having a second son.
"Were you part of The Round Table?" Ark chuckled and shook his head. It seems Gray wanted to learn more about him. He was okay with that. Besides, it wasn't about the battles or how he died, which was fine. These were more pleasant memories.
"Nope, my Brother Mordred was, however," Ark explained as he looked at Gray, who was staring at him curiously. "I bet you're wondering about where I come in on Camelot." Gray nodded her head. "Well, I'm actually Merlin's Apprentice."
"You're Merlin's Apprentice!" Gray shouted, making the male jump slightly as he stared at the girl weirdly. "You're Merlin's Apprentices, the guy who's able to bend Nature to his very will and turn rocks into gold!" Ark blinked and tilted his head.
"Uh, that's somewhat false, and where the hell did you get that information?" Grey was quick to respond to the question.
"In a few books about Camelot, it talked about Merlin taking in an Apprentice after the crowning of King Arthur a couple of years later. However, nobody really knew anything about Merlin's Apprentice. All they knew was that the Mage is a prodigy in casting Spells." Ark chuckled at that. While it was true people knew Merlin took in an Apprentice, nobody knows who he was or where he came from. "It also talked about you being a better Wizard than Merlin."
At that point, Ark busted out laughing, making Gray jump when the Mage suddenly fell over, laughing his ass off. The little girl looked at the Servant weirdly, wondering what was so funny.
"M-me, better than Merlin, THE Merlin." Ark chuckled and sat up. "Sorry, Gray, but Merlin taught me all he could. I'm nowhere near as good as my Teacher. That wizard will always be better than me. Also, I'm not a wizard. I'm a mage."
"Really?" Gray asked as Ark nodded his head. The Servant got back on his feet, and they continued walking. "Well, what Spells are you good at?"
"I'm good at a lot of Spells," Ark said coolly as they reached a road leading into the city. "You'll just have to wait and see it in action." Gray pouted before nodding her head. "Now, where to next?" Ark said as he snapped his fingers, and Gray watched as Ark's Armor changed before her eyes.
Ark was in more casual wear, which mostly involved a pair of black steel-toed boots with dark blue jeans to cover his legs. On his upper body was a loose white shirt and over it was a red jacket.
Advance: It's basically Mordred's casual clothes but modified for a male's body.
"Wow," Gray said with a bit of surprise as Ark fixed his sleeves slightly. "Those are some nice clothes." Ark once again shrugged. He didn't care too much about how he looked. It didn't matter to him at all.
"Eh, I could have done better, but this is fine... Skyrim Magic is such bullshit." These casual clothes weren't actually clothes. It was just an illusion to hide his armour underneath. It was an excellent way to catch anyone off guard, thinking Ark doesn't have anything to protect himself with.
"So what is this city called?" Gray asked as she looked around the city. Ark looked around, still wondering which Grail War was he in. Ark heard fighting in the distance and turned towards it.
"It's called Fuyuki City, and at the moment, I hear a fight happening, and it's between two other Servants. Should we head over to it?" Ark turned towards Gray, who started to look nervous and fidgets slightly. "We don't have too you know. I'm not forcing you. We can find a place to stay and rest for a bit," Ark said, patting Gray on the shoulder. "I'm just saying, it's up to you. Honestly, I don't feel like fighting anything. I just want to relax somewhere." Gray nodded her head in agreement, and they walked away from the fighting.
"So, where are we going to sleep?" Gray asked as she looked around. Ark, however, raised an eyebrow. Did she expect them to get a room easily... well, she was, but not in a way she expects.
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"Eh!" Gray said, still confused as Ark twirled a key around his finger. They were currently walking down the hall of a hotel and heading towards their room. "Why did the woman just hand you the key without so much as..." Gray paused as realization slowly dawned on her. Ark watched with great amusement as her face gradually shifted into a deadpan look. "Ark, your magic is stupid."
"Don't you mean bullshit?" Ark only received a punch In the shoulder only for Gray to yelp as she held her hand in pain. "Also, yes, these clothes are only an illusion." They reached their room, and Ark unlocked it and pulled it open.
They both stepped inside and saw a pretty basic room: one bed, one couch, one TV and two nightstands on each side of the bed.
"Alright, you take the couch. I'll take this comfy looking bed," Ark said as he jumped onto the bed and sighed as his old life flashed in his mind. Sure it wasn't the best bed, but having an actually comfy place to sleep really made Ark happy.
"What!" Gray shouted as she stared at Ark, who was already asleep. Much to her surprise, she thought that servants don't need sleep... eh, it's probably something servants do that makes them feel more normal. Gray looked at the couch before glancing at the sleeping Mage.
She saw enough room for her and quickly shuffled up to the bed. She easily slipped into the spot that was open to her, which was beside Ark. Gray grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her. She wasn't really that tired since the girl woke up only an hour ago.
So Gray just lay there before she finally closed her eyes and tried to relax her body. After a few minutes, she finally fell asleep with a bit of difficulty, of course.
Gray suddenly felt warm as she opened her eyes. The girl glanced around in confusion since she was now surrounded by a forest and wasn't In bed. Hearing footsteps, Gray turned to see Ark holding his side in pain.
"Fucking Hate Archers," Ark grumbled as his body glowed a light gold. He sighed and lowered his arm down before walking towards a worried grey-haired female.
"Ark?" Gray said, worried as she walked up to the male, only for him to ignore her and walk past. "Ark?" Once again, she was ignored. Instead, she chose to follow the male.
Wherever Ark was going, he had a purpose to it cause the way he carried himself was unlike the usual cocky attitude he had before. This Ark was very serious. No ounce of his humorous and funny self showed, only a cold stone statue of who he used to be.
Gray blinked when Ark's hands crackled with electricity. He held his arms up and waited. Bushes were heard being shoved to the side before a young man now older than 17 appeared from the bushes and stopped at the sight of Ark.
The young man looked to be wearing some sort of armor that Knights in training wear. He even had a sword strapped to his hip, but it looked to be broken down to the hilt.
"So you're one of King Arthur's trainees?" Ark said coldly as the young Knight shook In his armor. "Tell me, were you forced to join, or did you join willingly to help stop Mordred's rain of terror?" The Knight didn't respond, making the Mage sigh in annoyance. "Answer the question!"
"I was forced to join!" The young man yelled, causing Ark to stop channeling Magicka towards his hands. "My father was ill, so the Knight enlisting told me to take his place. I wanted no part in this war. I only want to be with my family." Ark would have laughed in the boy's face if this was really his excuse...
Ark stared at this boy, and he stared hard. Gray didn't know what the Mage could be thinking, but she knew for a fact that Ark was ready to kill the other male without hesitation.
"Ok... leave," Ark said, lowering his arms to his side. "Go back to your family and enjoy the time you have with them..." The Young man fell to his knees, thanking the Mage for giving him Mercy. "However," Ark said cruelly. "If I catch you in Arthur's army again, I won't give you another chance." The young man nodded and took off, running past both Ark and Gray.
Gray watched the man run before turning towards Ark, whose face continued to stay neutral.
"How long has it been since the war started?" Ark mumbled as he looked up at the Night Sky. "It has been only a week, yet it feels like it has already been a month." The Mage sighed as he heard a lot of footsteps coming from where the young man came from.
Out of the bushes came a group of Knights that looked to be just hired mercenaries judging from the way they looked and held themselves.
"Hmm, a bunch of cutthroats and thugs, oh Mordred, of course, you had to get those types of idiots." Ark sighed as the thugs looked at the Mage with a funny look but cautious thanks to his armor.
"I-is that King Arthur?" One of the thugs said, making Ark internally groan. He was once again mistaken for King Arthur, which he had grown used to at that point, but it was still annoying to hear.
"It has to be. Maybe if we bring the King's head to our Leader, he will reward us!" Another thug said while Gray took a step back. These thugs were going to try and kill Ark... she wondered how that turned out for them.
Ark grinned when he heard that, and his arms burst into flames catching the thugs' attention. They looked at him and noticed how it started to get hotter by the second. The group quickly realized they had no chance against this person or whatever it was. Oh, how right they are.
Ark suddenly burst into flames as he suddenly launched out two fireballs that connected with two thugs. The two thugs couldn't even scream before they were incinerated from the inside out. The group looked at the pile of ashes in fear, making them back up.
"Oh no, you are not going anywhere. You don't need Mordred knowing I'm here." Ark suddenly lunged forward as screams filled the forest. Gray could only watch as these thugs were burned from the inside out, leaving only piles of Ash.
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Gray opened her eyes and slowly pushed herself off the bed. She looked around, wondering what she had just said. It was scary watching Ark burn those thugs to practically nothing by what looks like a simple fireball.
"Hey you, you're finally awake." Gray jumped when a voice spoke up, making her turn to see Ark standing there with a slight smile. "Sleep well?" Before she could say anything, Ark waved his arm. "Ah, you probably slept like a rock for a good couple of hours." The Mage got off the wall he was leaning against and stood in front of Gray.
"Uh, OK." Gray wasn't sure how she should respond to that, but she decided to just roll with it. Her stomach chose to growl, making the Female hold her stomach.
"You hungry, let's go get something to eat, I would make some food, but we don't exactly have any ingredients," Ark said, grabbing Gray and dragging her out of the room and out of the hotel. "Let's explore this city, get a feel for the soon-to-be battleground, and after that, let's get us something good to eat."
So that's what they did. Ark walked around with Gray looking at everything. Ark wasn't too impressed. He has seen much taller buildings and much more impressive structures in his old life, but that didn't stop him from admiring where he was.
He was in a Holy grail war. The Mage couldn't help but feel nervous. This war was going to be brutal. They needed to be cautious and not get killed, which sounds simple enough. Ark felt Gray tug on his arm, making the Mage look down at her.
"What's the matter, Gray?" She pointed forward, making Ark look to see that it was a simple looking candy shop. The male grimaced, he wasn't the biggest fan of candy, he much rather preferred Ice-cream or chips...now that he was thinking about all this, it has been a very long time since he had any Ice-cream...
The duo walked towards the shop when suddenly Ark stiffened. He could feel someone's eyes on him, and it was annoying the male greatly. Ark looked around, trying to find where the eyes were coming from until he landed on a familiar face.
It was Rin Tohsaka, and she was staring at Ark intensely. The Mage assumed that Archer told Rin that he was a servant, but they didn't know Gray was his master.
The young man shot Rin a smile before turning away from Gray's location, which was inside the Ice-cream store and walking down the sidewalk. He obviously couldn't sense Archer, but Ark knew he was nearby. He just needed to lead them away from Gray.
It was super obvious that Rin was following him, and he bets that Archer was trying to stop her from following the Mage.
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"Master, why are we following the Servant?" Archer said with an annoyed sigh. "It's pretty obvious that you're following him." Rin scowled at Archer's voice echoing In his head. She knew that already, but this was her chance to figure out who this Servant's Master is.
The older male Rin was following, turned a corner, and the female Master did the same. Only to pause when she realized it was a dead-end and no Servant in sight.
"You know, following me is pretty creepy." A voice said from behind her making Rin spin around to face the enemy Servant. "Haha, Ya, your face just screams stalker." Rin felt her eye twitch when she heard Archer chuckle too. "Anyways, I appreciate it if you leave me alone. I'm trying to enjoy myself with my Master, who I'm pretty sure is worried about me."
Rin had yet to say anything and knew she couldn't do anything since they were out In Daylight. She tried to think what kind of servant this was, which was much more complicated than it looked.
The servant was in a casual set of clothes. He definitely wasn't a berserker since she ran into said class last night. Definitely not Saber or Archer. That only leaves Assassin and Caster. However, the male wasn't that good at hiding and didn't try to disappear, so probably not an Assassin Class, that only leaves Caster.
"Where is your Master, Caster?" The servant only looked amused at the girl before him. Ark wasn't all surprised that Rin figured out what class he was. She was a bright girl. It was only a matter of time.
"Well, I applaud you for figuring out my class, Rin Tohsaka." Ark's smile widened when Rin's eyes shot open in surprise. "Surprised? Please, that is nothing. I also know you, Master, to the Archer class." Ark looked up and knew he was staring at Archer, who was standing on the roof looking down at him. "And I also know your true name, Archer. However, I will keep it to myself." Ark shrugged and turned away.
"So you figured out my class, that's nothing compared to knowing your Servants name and your family name... oh and Rin." Ark turned to face a still shocked Rin. "Tell Saber that I said hello, and be sure to say these words to her. 'Enjoy the shit show that is soon to come.' And with that, I take my leave." The Mage left the ally and quickly walked back over to the Ice-cream shop.
Oh, how much he missed trolling people. He fought back his evil grin when the shocked face of Rin flashed in his head. Ark doesn't know if Archer believes him in knowing his true name, but it didn't hurt to try... man, he missed trolling people, and that was such a good opportunity that he couldn't pass up.
Now all he had to do was wait for the Chaos to begin. Oh, he couldn't wait to troll more people and completely fuck with this timeline. He can finally let his dark desires loose once more.