Chapter Four: Aspirations of a Budding Hero
The young woman checked and rechecked her preparations, strands of her brown hair sticking out here and there and falling in front of her glasses.
"Summoning Circle, check." The metaphorical gateway was open and waiting.
"Catalyst, check." The mystical relic lay squarely in the center of the circle. Her blue eyes stared intently at her chosen centerpiece. She had to wonder if her source had been screwing with her. "What kind of Heroic Spirit am I gonna summon with the broken handle of an ancient wooden sword?" Alas, she'd had little choice. This was the only catalyst she could acquire on a shoestring budget and the last memory of an old and forgotten family.
"No, that's quitter talk!" She reprimanded herself. "This will work! If I give up before I even try summoning, I'll never have what it takes to be a hero! I will make it work! Command Seals, check!" She glanced over the Seals that had appeared on the back of her hand only a week ago. It hadn't been easy, but she was finally getting the chance to make her dream reality. This way, she could make sure she'd never again—.
"Nope, not going back there again," she scolded. "Nothing in those memories except pain…" She marched forward, symbolically pushing aside what was and forcing herself to face what was coming head on.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill and fill. Repeat five times, and when each is filled, destroy it. For the elements Silver and Iron. A Foundation of Stone and the Archduke of Pacts. For my Ancestor, my great Master Petrarch. Raise a Wall against the Wind and close the Gates of Four Directions. From the Crown, Come and Follow the Forked Road leading to the Kingdom."
The circle began to glow with a great light, flashes of energy crackling away in frightful arcs, but the woman who stood before it held firm.
"Heed my words. My Will creates your Body, and your Sword creates my Destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my Will and Reason, then Answer my Summoning!
I hereby swear, that I shall be all that is Good in the World, and that I shall defeat all Evil in the World!
Seventh Heaven, clad in the three great words of Power! Come forth from the Circle of Binding, Guardian of the Scales!"
A blinding flash of light erupted from the circle, forcing her to swiftly shield her eyes. When she was able to open them again, she gasped. A figure knelt before her. He was dressed in vibrant hues of red, blue and gold mixed with gleaming silver armor. His hair was black with streaks of white in it and his head was bowed in a solemn gesture of fealty. By his side was a sword, though it bore no metal on it at all, being carved entirely from wood. As he knelt before her, he opened his eyes, kind gray orbs, and asked her a question:
"I ask of you…"
Her heart was beating quick within her chest.
"Are you my Master?/Are you my Master?"
Said dignified introduction was promptly interrupted by the sound of another voice introducing themselves, causing the other two present to whip around to find the speaker.
She was a slim young woman adorned primarily in a suit of rich purple armor, along with a skirt of the same color with crimson adornments. Her skin was a fair pale shade thrown in brilliant contrast with her lustrous violet hair and startling red eyes. She had one hand resting loosely on the pommel of the sword at her waist, while the other was held up in an unmistakable "V for Victory" pose complimented by the dazzling smile that lit up her face.
"Oh Come On!!!" The man cried out plaintively, momentarily startling his audience of two. "I spent my whole trip down from the Throne telling myself: 'Don't blow your entrance!!' Hie am I supposed to make a good first impression now?!"
The intruder in question had the decency to look sheepish. "Hahah, sorry sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt. But if you ask me, your entrance was still plenty impressive."
He looked squarely at his boots so as not to show his face, but an observant eye could still see the telltale signs of a huge blush appearing. "Y-yeah, sure thanks…" Clearly the fellow was quite unused to praise.
"So, uhh, you are the Master, right?" He directed the question towards the young woman who'd stood before them both.
"Ah, yes! That's right. I'm Rita Mayze, your Master. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Awesome! I'm Saber X, nice to meet ya!" The purple haired girl with a sunny smile declared.
"And I'm…Rider. Hope you'll take good care of us…" the gloomy but good-natured fellow with a colorful outfit offered.
"Rider and Saber X, huh," she muttered. "Alright! Looking forward to working with you."
"So… Saber X began with a look that was both bashful and eager, "in celebration of our newfound partnership, you wanna have a duel?"
"A…duel?" Rider repeated in trepidation. "Like with swords and everything…?"
"Isn't that…dangerous?" Rita enquired worriedly. "I don't want either of you getting hurt needlessly."
"Don't worry, there's an easy solution," Saber X declared reassuringly. "Back in my world, we had different kinds of duels. You're thinking of a 'Total Loss Duel,' where we fight until the bitter end. I was thinking of a 'First Strike Duel,' where whoever gets the first good hit in wins. It's a lot better for a situation like this." Her smile switched from easygoing to challenging. "Whoever wins gets to be team leader…" she declared in a singsong fashion, her sword having already slipped out of its sheathe and been leveled one handed at his chest.
"T-team leader?!" Rider echoed, astonished. For a moment, he was completely thrown, turning desperately to Rita for advice. She shrugged, personally being curious as to see how they'd both fare. She sent him a mental nudge of encouragement to pump up his spirits. "You can do this!" she declared.
With that, Rider took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and nodded. He drew up his own wooden blade and brought it to bear before Saber X's. "Then in that case, I won't disappoint."
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Five minutes later, poor Rider was lying flat on his back, his eyes bugged out with him gaping like a dying fish. Saber X had demolished him. He considered himself a fairly speedy individual, but for every couple of strikes he managed to throw in, Saber X had responded with at least ten more. He could barely even scratch the woman! The victorious Saber in question was standing hunched over a few feet away, looking halfway between concerned and guiltily satisfied.
"Are you okay?" She inquired, extending a hand to help him up. "I didn't think I was going that hard against you."
"Just what the Hell is her definition of 'going all out?!'" demanded both Rider and Rita in their heads. She'd taken a few hits herself, but the duel was overwhelmingly in her favor. She reached down and hauled her partner to his feet.
"Seriously, you did good," she insisted. "You fought hard , and there aren't many people who can force me to fight at my top speed. I'm glad to have someone as strong as you watching my back!" She meant every word, he could tell. It was difficult to be frustrated or stay gloomy with her around, even when he lost. Her smile truly seemed like it would light up the sun, and the enthusiasm was nothing if not infectious.
"Y-yeah!" Rider replied with a nervous grin of his own. "I'm looking forward to fighting with you too!" And to signify their shared enthusiasm, they shook on it.
Rita watched the exchange a short ways away, smiling. Both Rider and Saber X had proven themselves phenomenal sword-wielders, and they had yet to reveal anything close to their full strength. For the first time in many years, her dream was visible on the horizon.
"I'll make sure to do you all proud," she vowed to herself.
"Oh wait, one thing," Saber X declared, reclaiming her allies' attention. "Do you need help with…that?" She asked, pointing towards Rider's weapon. Or rather, what was left of it. The last clash of their swords had simply smashed the humble wooden blade into pieces, and all he held onto now was the handle. A handle that looked remarkably similar to the relic Rita had used, now that she thought about it.
"Ahh, no, that won't be necessary," Rider replied with a grimace. "I just need to find a good replacement…You wouldn't happen to know a good place to find wood or bamboo, would you?" he inquired meekly to Rita. "If you have any proper iron or steel to forge a proper sword, that'd be even better."
Okay, perhaps things would be a bit stranger than Rita had anticipated…