What is this headache...

Waver Velvet held his head in his hands. He had just woken up, still unsure whether he'd be worthy of the Command Seals. He had gotten hold of a relic, though, so he knew there was a pretty good chance of it. Besides, all those blowhards at the Clock Tower were nothing compared to him. Nothing! He bet by the time he was their age, he'd be able to teach their classes in his sleep.

Idiot Archibald. Insulting his essay? It was perfectly backed up, research showing the validity of all of his points. Clearly, it was only an expression of his own insecurities, that he chose to pick on a student who was more intelligent than he was. Lord El-Melloi must think himself too far above mere students, especially ones without much lineage, to even consider that they might be right and he wrong.

What a stupid aristocracy they had over there, anyway. Elevating men and women from the old families to high rank, encouraging them to look down on everyone else... this was nothing but a recipe for incompetence at the highest levels, as everyone up there had their head too far up their own ass to know what to do about anything.

Well, too late for them now. I have the relic and I'll win this War.

...I just have to do something about this headache, first.

Waver, one hand covering his eyes from the bright sunlight streaming in through the window, used the other to throw the thick blanket off of himself. It was way too heavy for this weather, and he realized he had been sweating all throughout the night. His cotton pajamas, blue with white pinstripes, were soaked around the underarms.

"Another thing to wash," he muttered.

He stood up. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, as if the headache were interrupting the nervous signals from his brain to his feet. His bare heel hit the ground as he moved to the door of his bedroom.

creak

The old wood complained as he opened the door. "Shut up," he told the door.

He left the room, and closed the door behind him.

creak

"I told you to shut up," he muttered angrily. He wasn't in a very good mood this morning.

Deciding to leave the door for now, he ventured toward the bathroom. Looking at the carpeting covering the upstairs hallway, and the paintings on the walls, he wondered what sort of people lived here. They were probably still asleep in their bedroom. They seemed nice, but he didn't know much about them.

Well, the longer they slept, the happier he was. He felt a bit guilty about taking advantage of them like that, but he felt better about it since he wasn't really hurting them at all. He knew how to fine-tune the potions he was putting in their drinks, so as to avoid any adverse effects. You had to be careful with old people. Bodies get weak, fragile... the last thing he wanted was to find that he had killed innocent people in his quest.

The Mages' Association had a rule about outsiders who witnessed Magecraft. They were made to forget about it, or eliminated. It was a rule Waver had always hated, one he felt smacked of a sense of elitism and selfishness. Wanting to concentrate all the knowledge and power of Magecraft in the old families. Sure, they said that all they wanted was to research a Way to the Root, but if that was the case why make Magecraft such an exclusive art? Invite to the Clock Tower anyone who showed promise, so that they too could contribute to the endless chain of research. Doing things this way only stagnated the search for Truth, which disgusted Waver.

Truth is paramount, and I shall win the Grail and find it. Show those bastards.

He entered the bathroom, making sure to open the door slowly. The creaking just made his headache worse, and he couldn't afford that. He opened the medicine cabinet, and found what he was looking for.

Magecraft was an excellent thing to study, and had provided Waver with many hours of bliss whiled away in libraries. But that appreciation for the rituals of old didn't mean he couldn't appreciate modern science, and what better triumph of science was there than the small white convex cylinder in his hand?

Aspirin. He popped it in his mouth, took a small paper cup next to the sink, and took a drink of water to wash it down.

He already felt better, even though the medicine couldn't possibly have been metabolized that quickly.

He checked his reflection in the mirror. Dark brown hair, messed up by his sleep, covered his face. He looked terrible, haggard.

Well, who could blame him? He had been running around for a week, trying to avoid the prying eyes of the people at the Clock Tower who wouldn't have been terribly happy to learn about what he did with Archibald's relic. Then, making it to Japan on Satou's advice, he hypnotized an old couple who lived on a ley line near Fuyuki into thinking he was their grandson. That itself was a real ordeal; it drained his mana every second the spell was active, and he had to keep it up whenever they were awake.

Still, Satou wasn't an idiot. The Inaba ley lines were really great, and Waver could feel his mana recharged just by being on top of them. They ran through Fuyuki, mixing with the ones that fuelled the Holy Grail ritual, but very few people knew about them. They were his, and his alone, as far as this Holy Grail War was concerned, and he planned to use them well.

He lifted his right hand to brush aside the bangs that covered his face.

When he did so, he saw something in that mirror which made him entirely forget the pain in his head.

"YES!"

He held his hand in front of his face, admiring the back of it.

"Command Seals..." he gazed in wonder. He hardened his expression. "Of course, of course... it was only a matter of time." He nodded to himself. "The Grail recognized my talent, and is rewarding me with Command Seals. Clearly, it believes that I deserve to fight and win the Holy Grail War."

He balled his hand into a fist.

"It won't be disappointed."

XXX

Waver stood in the backyard of the old couple's house. He looked at the summoning circle he had drawn in the grass. Wasn't really possible to draw on grass with chalk, so he had had to use spray paint; he didn't think it would matter, though. Unlike the Mages' Association, the Grail wasn't bound by outdated traditions. As long as it worked, it didn't care how anachronistic his methods were.

He held the coffee cup in his hand, filled with mercury. It was covered in frilly patterns of spider lilies, which embarrassed him a bit, but he hadn't had the foresight to pack his own vessel for the invocation fluids.

Iskandar's shroud stood on a pedestal made up of old milk cartons. He hoped the King of Conquerors would forgive the ignoble circumstances of his rebirth when he saw how skilled his Master was.

Waver took a deep breath.

He held the mercury-filled cup in front of him in his left hand, raising it slightly above his head.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill," he said, the excitement rising within him. "As each is filled, so it is destroyed."

They'll cower before my Servant. I've basically won already. Maybe they'll be smart enough to surrender.

"Let silver and steel be the essence."

So what will I do after I win? I mean, the honour of winning a Holy Grail War is great and all, but I'll have access to the most powerful wish-granting artifact mankind has ever seen. I'll have to figure out what I'll use it for at some point...

"Upon it rests the cornerstone and the Archduke of Contracts. Become the wall that repels the gale."

I guess the main issue is that I won't have the chance to get my hands dirty, with my Servant doing all the work. I won't be able to demonstrate my own skills as much. Ah, well. That's the price you pay as a Master.

"The four gates close tightly. Burst forth from the Crown, and follow the winding road that leads to the Kingdom!"

Wonder what happened to Archibald, anyway. He probably just gave up when he realized the relic he had was a fake. Maybe he's even sent people after me, from the Association? Let 'em try. My Servant will stop anyone who tries to get me. And he can, too, especially with me behind him.

"I call to thee! Thy body, formed of my will; thy sword, enforcing my fate! An thou bend to my will, and my justice, heed the Grail's call and answer me!"

I bet Iskandar would be ecstatic to learn that I'm his Master. He studied a tonne of philosophy in life, so he'd certainly prize talent and training over bloodlines. I bet Archibald wouldn't have been able to discuss Homer with him like I would. I doubt he's even read it. Imagine, summoning a Servant without doing the research.

Idiot.

"Seven Heavens, clad in the Three Holy Souls, cast aside your shackles and come forth; o Guardian of the Scales!"

The summoning circle, which had been glowing this whole time, finally began to blaze with a great light. Waver kept his eyes open as long as he could, and just before he had to close them, he thought he glimpsed the form of a large, muscular man. Finally, the light filled his vision, and he had no choice.

There was a noise of rushing wind around him.

The wind stopped, and he felt it was safe. He had no idea what the historical Alexander had looked like, since there was no pictorial evidence or anything like that, so he didn't know what to expect. He didn't care, though; all that mattered was that his Servant would crush the others, and even if he was as short as all the history books said, they won't be able to underestimate his strength.

He opened his eyes.

Standing before him was a large man, almost a giant. He must've been 8 feet tall. Muscles rippling through his arms, chest, and thighs. Wearing a brilliant crimson shroud like a cape around himself, and armor encrusted with gold. A crown of red hair, and a short beard, also red. In his hand he held a short sword. He smiled at Waver.

Waver was amazed at the Servant. He knew he'd be strong, but... looking at him, and gauging his stats, he was truly amazed. He hadn't expected this... he had never thought that something like this would really happen. He knew he deserved it, and knew that he was good enough to do it, but to think it really could happen... it was too weird for him. He had to close his eyes, and open them again, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Boy!" The Servant - Iskandar - spoke, apparently confused. "What are you doing?"

"I...I-" Waver stammered. His... Servant! Talking to... him!

"What?" Iskandar walked over to him, and put his hand on Waver's shoulder. "Is this the first time you've done this? Don't tell me you were expecting someone else? Hmm..."

Iskandar was lost in thought for a moment, when he noticed that his hand was no longer on Waver's shoulder.

He bent down to the ground, trying to revive his Master's unconscious form. He was lying there with a look of confused ecstasy on his face, his limbs still. His toes were bent a bit.

Iskandar put his ear to his Master's chest, and was glad to hear a heartbeat. He flicked his Master's forehead with his index finger, causing him to open his eyes crying, and holding his hands to his head.

"Owww... It must've been a dream after all," Waver said. "What's wrong with me, that I actually thought the Grail would pick me, of all people? Maybe I should just give up... The aspirin wore off too... What'll I do now?"

"Good question," Iskandar said, from behind him.

"Well of course it is, who do you think..." Waver froze. He took his hands away from his head, and turned around.

On seeing Iskandar's grinning face, he immediately remembered the events leading up to his fainting several minutes prior. His mouth opened in shock, and he pointed a finger at him.

"Y-You..." his finger shook. "Are you... really?"

Iskandar laughed heartily. "Of course! Who else would be summoned, with that shroud as a catalyst?"

"Then... then..." Waver lowered his finger, and looked down at the ground, then back at Iskandar. "It worked?"

Iskandar nodded.

"Oh, well that's nice, isn't it," Waver said. He tilted his head back, and stared at the heavens. "Hahahahahaaha! I did it!"

He faced Iskandar once more. A mad grin. "Hahahaha!" He touched Iskandar's face, feeling the shape of his cheeks and the texture of his beard. "Prickly."

Iskandar seemed amused at this. "What a strange Master you are. Tell me, boy, what is your name?"

"My name? My name..." Waver seemed a bit confused. "Waver. Yeah, Waver Velvet." He removed his hand from Iskandar's face, stared at it for a moment, and held it out. "Shake."

"Nice to meet you, Waver," Iskandar said. He took the hand, and shook it vigorously. Letting go, he said, "So, what is your wish for the Grail?"

"What do you mean? What Grail?"

"Well, the Holy Grail. The one we Servants are summoned to win for our Masters. Surely, you know of it?"

"Oh, yeah... that one. I almost forgot about it. Why do you ask?"

"I must have assurance that my Master is worthy of me," Iskandar said. "If his wish is to use the Grail's power for cowardly aims, I cannot put myself with him. In that case, I may as well disappear here. So," he leaned in close to Waver. Waver could feel his hot breath on his face. "Tell me, Waver. What is your wish?"

"Well, I... wait. I can't have you disappearing, not after I finally managed to summon you."

"Hmm? There's no need to worry about that, boy. I doubt you have particularly evil desires-"

Waver raised his right hand to the sky, and the Command Seals began to glow. "Servant! By this Command Seal, I order you to stay he-"

flick

Iskandar's index finger slammed into Waver's forehead with such force as to immediately render him unconscious. His body flew twenty feet.

Iskandar once more walked over to his Waver's unconscious form, and looked down at his face. It was frozen in an expression of pride.

He shook his head.

Truly, a strange Master.

But... there is something within him, the makings of a great leader. Perhaps he will make a fine addition to my army, one day.

I merely have to train him.

Hey y'all. Hope you liked the chapter!

Waver's friend, Satou, is named after the protagonist of Welcome to the N.H.K. I read the novel recently, and it shook me. Reminded me of like a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the otaku. Speaking of Hitchhiker's Guide, I realize in hindsight that the way I wrote Waver here, he resembles Arthur Dent a bit. Hmm.

Read Hitchhiker's Guide, by the way. Good series.

I think the next two updates will finish our roster of Servants, then maybe we can get to the fun bits. (Truthfully, the Summoning scenes are my favourites in Fate/Zero, so this is probably why I keep dwelling on them, heh.)