"Now! Can we get on with this? Without the petty squabbles?" The Commander was clearly annoyed, to what extent was still a mystery, even to himself.
"But, Maste-" Artoria starts, from her seat.
"But nothing! My king…or Artoria, or whatever other name or title…Agh!" Holding his head in pain, the armor disappears, and out comes a golden card. Dropping onto the ground with a small thud.
""Commander!/Master!""
"I-I'm…fine." Picking up the card, the Commander doesn't give it too much attention as he turns back to Artoria. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Slumping onto one of the other unoccupied seats, he lets out a long sigh. "...From what I can understand from what you told me, my body can't handle the Grail's near infinite mana, and needs to keep it from overflowing, so I need to summon more servants, but if I summon too many, I die?"
"You catch on quickly, my Husband."
"Oh. And you two are obviously related."
""Unfortunately.""
They say in near unison, causing them to glare at each other. "You also hate each other for some reason…Not that I particularly care at the moment. I kind of just want to sleep." If he didn't have all these guests, the Commander would have been in lala land by now. "So, sorry if this is rude, but I need you all out of here. Anis, give one of the spare dorms to…Artoria, right?" Getting a nod from the mentioned servant, he turns back to the last unassigned servant. "Morgan, Rapi here will take you to a roo-"
"I am staying here."
'...What?'
"It only makes sense, we are newly weds after all." Morgan states matter-of-factly.
"No, we're no-"
"Then I shall stay here as well. To make sure nothing nefarious occurs."
Feeling the headache from before resurfacing, he doesn't bother arguing anymore. "Fine. You two can stay, but here are some ground rules. No disturbing me or fi-"
"A Commander and a couple of Nikkes sharing a room? How utterly depraved." 3 uninvited guests enter the room, with the one who spoke looking incredibly smug.
'Let me finish speaking damn it!' Sitting up straight, the Commander addresses them in a slightly rude way. "You are?"
"Seriously? You're a Commander, and you don't know who I am? Hey! You, with the glasses, tell him who I am."
"M-Me? Ah…Well, Master. This is Syuen, CEO of one of the big three. Missilis to be exact. She's said to have the tendency to solve everything with money, and has a rather rude personali-"
"Shut it, trash can. Now, did that jog your memory?"
Sighing, the Commander does his best to not to sound outright rude. "I see…welcome to our humble abode. Artoria, Morgan, and Counters, please allow our guests a seat." He makes sure to leave out the uninvited part.
Now with all of the Nikke and Servants standing behind him, he motioned his guest to the now open sofa. "Hmph. At the very least you have manners, even if the accommodations are deplorable."
"You're depl-" Holding his hand up, Anis stops immediately.
"Apologies that it isn't up to your standards. However, I don't believe you're only here to criticize my living arrangements. What can a lowly Commander such as I do for someone such as yourself?"
"Hm…How about you fix your tone first, or actually, why don't I help you? Yuni!"
"Yes!" The pink haired companion of Syuen's, replies all too happily. In a flash, all of the room's occupants except Syuen's own group are forced onto their knees.
"If you want lick my boots, then do it properly!" Syuen says, slamming her foot onto the Commander's face.
""Master!/Commander!""
"Come on! Just like you were doing before! but with a little more effort!" She slams her foot again and again.
"You dare make a queen prostrate herself? Then you have the gall to attack my husband?! Perish, worm!" Summoning a curse with the power to kill the regular human 100 times over, her attack is quickly halted.
"Miha-"
"Morgan! Don't." With whatever strength the Commander has left, he stops Morgan, even showing his command seals to her. Turning his gaze up to the Ceo of Missilis, he glares at the still smirking Syuen. "What. Do. You. Want?" He forces out.
Thud!
Kicking him across the face, Syuen only continues to humiliate him. "I guess I was wrong!" Another kick. "Someone needs to teach you some manners!" And another. "You should know to respect your betters!" And, one last time. "Ugh. I got blood all over my shoes." Crouching down in front of the downed Commander, she starts to explain. "Anyway, to cut to the chase. You six are going to follow squad Wardress to the surface, and capture a certain rapture for me. If that's not done in 2 days, well…let's just say a stay at the rehabilitation center will be preferable." Standing up, Syuen starts to leave.
"H-Hold on…" Despite his injuries, the Commander is still able to get up, albeit slowly.
"What..?"
"...Aren't you going to apologize?"
"Heh! Hehehehe! …Good one. Mihara switch with him, he obviously hasn't learned anything."
"But he's human!" She protest, earning herself a glare from the Missilis Ceo.
"I said, switch with him!" She says pulling out a gun, alarming all the servants and Counters.
"Y-Yes, Ma'am." Pointing a laser at the only other human, Mihara successfully switches her pain sensor with the Commander.
Pointing the gun at the aforementioned Nikke's abdomen, Syuen fires 2 rounds into her.
Bang! Bang!
"AGHH!" Falling onto his knees, the Commander feels some of the worst pain imaginable. Yet, that doesn't stop him, he gets back on his feet and continues moving towards the slightly perturbed Syuen.
"What the…Stop damnit!" She yells frantically.
Bang!
Now in front of a now shaking Syuen, he grips her shoulders, glaring at her with a murderous look in his eyes. "I said…apolo…" Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. The Commander's legs give out soon enough, and so does everything else.
Snapped out of her fear, Syuen stomps on the near unconscious Commander. "Serves you right." Noticing the other murderous glares coming her way, Syuen smirks at them. "I wouldn't do that, unless you want him to d-"
BOOOM!
An arm had gone flying, whose it was, the Commander couldn't tell. Everything hurt, but the pain wouldn't be there while he slept, so he allowed himself this moment of respite.
???
Standing before the sword, Artoria, without a doubt in her mind reached for it. "Are you truly going to go through with this? You will lose your humanity…" Says the incubus, appearing before the knight in training.
'...What is this..? Is that…Sa-Artoria?'
The young knight, unfazed by the question, nods resolutely. "To be king, means to abandon that which is not needed, even if it is my humanity that I must give up." She had spent too many nights coming to accept this truth, now in front of this issue, she was calmer than the non-existent breeze.
Gripping the hilt of the sword, Artoria pulls it out as if it were natural. With a shine, the sword filled the surrounding area with a beautiful glow. She had become king, but at the cost of something greater than her life.
'Woah…'
'I shall save this nation headed for death.'
???
"What!? But I am the one who shall inherit the throne!" A younger Morgan complains to her father, Uther Pendragon, king of the dying nation of Britain.
Looking up from the documents he was overseeing, the king sighs at his daughter's childish behavior. "Watch your tone, Morgan. You would do well in not questioning the prophecy foretold by the court mage." He scolds his teenage daughter.
'That's Morgan?! I can kinda see it…'
"B-But I inherited the primeval black power! Just like you! I was meant to be king! Not some child playing knight!" She tries reasoning, yet…it was never meant to be.
"Enough! My decision on this matter is final! To your bedchambers!" With that, the scene changes to that of her room.
Enraged by her father's choice, the young fae slammed the door behind her. The next few moments were…chaos. The room had not been so fortunate in being spared from her rage. 'Who does he think he is?!'
"It was me! Not her!"
CRASH!
The chair she would sit at was now reduced to scraps of wood after it crashed into the wall. "It was my birthright! She took it away! That damn human!"
"I swear upon my life, I will take back what is mine…" From there…Morgan's life was only a downward spiral filled with revenge against those who stole what was hers.
Yet…She never truly got what was hers.
'Wha-Huh?! Everything jus-'
"-red. It is your birthright." Crouched down next to the Homunculus child, Morgan tells her impressionable child of her right to inherit the throne.
Staring at the passing knight's of the round and the Once and Future King, Mordred's eyes are filled with both admiration and glee. A stark contrast to those which Morgan bore, a vengeful hate which only promised one thing, death.
'...I see…I guess that's why they hate each other.'
With a large flash, the voice of Morgan can be heard.
"I will not tolerate you. I will not save you. Merely obey. Hang your heads. I will protect a ……. of absolute subservience."
'Morgan?! Where did she-'
???
The disembodied form of the Commander found himself in a white…room? 'Where is th-'
"I'm not showing you anything, so get out."
'Huh?' Before the Commander can even turn to face the one who spoke, he feels his body forcing him to wake up.
Command Center, Nikke Dormitory
Gasping for a large breath of air, the Commander bolts up, alarmed. "Wha-Wha…Ugh." Holding his now sore stomach and arm, he observes his surroundings. "What happened..? Why am I here?"
"Commander. You're awake." Hearing the familiar voice of Rapi from his right, he turns in her direction. "Do you feel any pain?"
"N-No…" He shakes his head, but he doesn't mention the numbness in his arm. "Rapi, where are Anis and Neon? And the…others."
"Both Anis and Neon are cleaning your room to the best of their abilities, but I'm afraid some of the damage is irreparable. Miss Artoria is helping them," Her eyes turn slightly sharp, as she turns towards the door. "As for Morgan. She's r-"
"Right here. Did you call for me, my husband?" Looking at the pale servant, the Commander's gaze starts to fill itself with sympathy. "Remove that disgusting look from your face, before I choose to do so." Morgan threatens, repulsed at the thought of being pitied by a mere human.
'...' Unfazed by her threat, the Commander instead moves his gaze from the Witch and back to a now combat ready Rapi. "Rapi. Stand down."
"Negative Commander, we can not trust thi-"
"Stand down." Rapi stays silent for a moment, but ultimately drops her weapon. That doesn't mean she wasn't on guard, which the Commander noticed.
He gives her another look as he stands up, this of course causes him to lose balance, only to be caught by Rapi. "Thanks." Finally able to walk without the help of Rapi, the Commander motions for the two to follow him.
"I'm going to assume you were the one responsible for the explosion in my room?" He asks, but already knows the answer. "...Try not to make it a habit, I prefer not crashing in my subordinates' rooms."
"You speak as though you will not use a command seal on me the second something like that occurs."
Stopping right in front of the door to his room, the Commander turns in her direction. "I won't." Leaving it at that, he opens the door to…
"Tell your boss that she can keep waiting until the Commander recovers. It's her fault that he's in that state to begin with." Anis says, clearly annoyed at having to speak with the wardress squad.
"That's unnecessary, Anis." The Commander speaks up, staring at the two Nikke with caution.
"Commander!?/Master?!"
Letting out a tired sigh, the Commander chuckles mirthlessly to himself. "I would offer you both a seat, but as you can see…"
"Y-Yes, and for that we apolo-"
"Don't really care for your apologies, to be honest with you. I just want this over and done with. We need to capture a rapture, right? Then let's get going." Walking out the room, the Commander still feels the soreness in his stomach and arm.
'This day sucks…'
Surface
Yawning, I notice the distinct lack of raptures. "Why?"
"What is it, Master?" Artoria asks, the now revealed king of Camelot…which is supposedly somewhere before the retreat to the Ark.
Turning towards the two leading the way, I notice their attention on us. "You two never told us what exactly we're looking for. How can you expect us to be of any help, if you're withholding important information."
"...Codename Chatterbox. There isn't much we know about him, we were simply told to track him down and bring him back." Mihara, the one in the black leather…thing, replies.
"Bringing a rapture to the Ark? Is that bitch crazy?" Anis, who simply looks done with everything, curses.
"Anis, language." I scolded her. "So how exactly are we tracking it? Without an operator, we're practically sitting ducks."
"Chatterbox's signature isn't easily found, so we're resorting to simple hunter's tracking. His footprints are unique, and have been reported to be in the area."
"I see. I have hunted many game before, I don't believe this should be any different." Artoria states, her eyes scanning the ground.
"Commander, I have a few questions of my own. In the report given to us, Counters only consisted of three Nikke." Mihara says, holding three fingers up. "Anis from Tetra, and Neon and Rapi from Elysion." With each name mentioned she dropped a finger. "Just who are the two Nikke at your side?" She asks curiously.
'...Hm. Did they never introduce each other?'
Noticing Mihara and Yuni's expectant stares, I quickly begin the introductions. "Oh. I guess we never did introduce them, did we. This is Artoria Pendragon," I say, pointing at the Saber. "And her sister, Morgan Le Fay. Oh, and they're both ser-"
"From Squad Camelot. A new squad formed under Elysion, and is currently being tested under the Commander's command." Rapi cuts in, stopping me from telling them their true nature.
'...I guess it's for the best that they don't know.' Sighing, I hear Morgan scoff from beside me.
"Absolutely unnecessary. The target is in that direction." Morgan points at a ruined building right ahead of us, but I get the feeling she means that Chatterbox is further than that.
"And you know that how?" Mihara raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "Actually, Why should I believe you? Despite our actions, you were the one who star-"
"Unfortunately, she speaks the truth." Artoria states, crouched in front of a large print of a metallic…foot is probably the best word I can use for it. And there were more up ahead, all leading towards the direction Morgan pointed at.
"Raptures! Behind us!" Rapi announces, her weapon already aimed at the ready. "Group of at least 50! Along with a Lord-Class Rapture! Awaiting your orders, Comma-"
"Prostate yourselves." Before I can even give an order or get to cover, all of the Raptures are immobilized. Turning to face them, Morgan sneers at them. "This is what destroyed Humanity? Disappointing."
In a blink of an eye, their bodies are compressed by something, Magic perhaps? With the threat dealt with, Morgan desummons her spear.
Keeping my mouth shut despite my own curiosity, I notice the shocked expressions on the rest, even Artoria.
Yuni is the first to recover, as she complains like a child. "No fair, you just stole my thing!"
"Now now. Yuni, no need to get so angry. Her attack is a lot more destructive, not really the same, is it?" Mihara comforts, but turns her gaze to the Berserker with an inquisitive look. "Were you just showing off? I can't imagine that's all that efficient, you must've drained a lot."
Before Morgan can say anything else, someone else responds from behind me.
Yes, tell me Servant, how is it possible for you to utilize so much Mana?
Feeling the air escape my lungs, I lose my footing as I'm raised into the air by my neck. Now facing a Rapture I had never previously seen before, I try escaping its grasp.
No, you Servants need a Master. This is him? I believed we killed every Magus, I was wrong it seems.
That will change now…
To Be Continued…
Hm… I fucked up, huh? Well, now that LB6 has come out onto NA, I can now write Morgan.
I now know that Morgan(Ber) is or was a failed Avalon Fae on the quest to forge Excalibur. With that in mind, I have included a fragment of the Lostbelt events in the dream cycle.
If I'm not wrong she should have memories of both PHH and Lb6 versions, yes?
Now that begs the question, how does lb6 Morgan exist? Because I said so. Maybe I'll tie it in somehow.
Did anyone see what happened during chapter 24? Crazy, but deserved. I wonder when they'll drop her? Ima pull for sure if she isn't liberation.
Also, to my Fgo players, how goes pulling for Mothman? I used my remaining 400 Sq and got np2 sith and absolutely nothing else. I wanna die.
I was thinking 16 regular servants is too little. I may bump it up to 33, ngl. Before I end this, let me show you what I mean.
Saber: Artoria, Decided, Undecided.
Archer: Decided, Decided/May change this one, Undecided.
Lancer: Decided, Decided, Undecided.
Rider: Decided, Undecided, Undecided.
Caster: Decided, Undecided, Undecided.
Assassin: Decided, Decided, Undecided.
Berserker: Morgan, Decided, Undecided.
Avenger: Decided, Undecided.
Ruler: Decided, Undecided.
Moon Cancer: Decided, Decided.
Alter Ego: Decided, Decided, Decided.
Foreigners: Decided, Undecided, Undecided.
The amount may increase even more in the future, but for now? That's it. I have taken some suggestions from you all, but there are others I'm still quite not sure about.
Also, here's a lil thing I shall incorporate. Let's say Artoria we're to get her swimsuit. She will not become an Archer, I do not support class switches.
Also, Artoria (Saber) and Artoria (Lancer) are two independent beings. Just like Carmilla and Liz, so they can be summoned at the same time. Same can not be said about Alters…Unless your name is Jeanne Alter, but she's different.
Take that as you will.
I leave you with this. Nobu!