Just a note here. If you all got an alert saying I updated the story but there was nothing new, that's my fault.
I had uploaded Chapter 5 but then I deleted it 5 minutes later because I wanted to proofread this chapter for a bit longer. Sorry about that.
Anyway, here it is.
9/5/23 Edit: Fixed grammar mistakes and restructured sentences to make them more cohesive.
~X~
[The Gamer Patch 1.02 has been installed.]
[Would you like to see the patch notes?]
[Y/N]
Patch Notes 1.02
Landmarks have been added to the Game. Go out and discover these places for some rewards.
- Certain locations have now become landmarks.
- Locations you have already been to have been marked as discovered.
[Landmark Discovered: Café Leblanc.]
[Landmark Discovered: Shujin Academy.]
[Landmark Discovered: Issei's House.]
Rewards: 3 Gacha Tickets, 1 END, 2 WIS.
~X~
~ May 3 – Hyatt Hotel – Midday ~
Flopping down on the hotel bed, I sighed before going over my thoughts.
Fuyuki City.
A city in the Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, the place where Fate takes place. I did some research on the way here and just like a month ago, I found nothing. I tried looking at the history of this place and it showed nothing out of the ordinary. No serial killers, no monster movie filming going too far, no Great Fuyuki Fire, no gas leaks, no nothing.
With all this research, it would seem that this lead would be a dead end, but I don't want to give up on it just yet. Also, the quest hinted at me that I'll find answers to my parentage here, so that's another reason I'm here.
I just have no idea where to start looking. Fuyuki is a big place, and I don't know the exact locations of certain important places, like the Tohsaka and Matou Manors, or the Emiya Residence, assuming they exist here. My map function isn't helping me out, either. These places aren't labeled on it, and there's no quest marker telling where to go this time.
"So?" Morgana hopped on the bed and spoke up, taking me away from my thoughts.
"So, what?" I asked in return.
"What are we doing here? You've been quiet this whole time."
I stayed silent, debating what I should tell him. Eventually, I decided to tell him a part of my backstory.
"…Haah, I grew up an orphan all my life," I started. Morgana's eyes widened a bit when I started talking about myself, which I hadn't done yet with my friends. Whenever they ask, I usually defect the question. "That's not to say my life was bad growing up, but it does mean the other kids would bully me about it since I was different from others, but that's not important. At some point, I got to thinking, who are my birth parents? Why did I end up in an orphanage as a baby? Did they give me up because they didn't want me, were forced to, or did they die after I was born?"
I sighed, "I don't know the answers to these questions, and it's eating me up from the inside. I feel like I won't know peace until I find out," And ain't that the truth? I want to know why my last name is Emiya. I want to know why I look so much like Mordred from Fate. I remember having black hair and violet eyes in my past life. Why isn't that true in this one as well?
Morgana sat there for a bit, thinking things over, and then he spoke up. "You really think you can find information on them here?"
"I don't know, but it's the only lead I have," which is true.
Believe it or not, the Majima Family still looks out for me, and they have gone back to doing so when they heard I was back in Tokyo. They helped me out in getting my records from the now-closed Sunflower Orphanage. One of the notes in my records said that I was found dropped off at the entrance with a note telling them of my name and birthday and a necklace around me.
Rather cliché to be found like that but I have no memory of this necklace it mentions. I wish I had it so I can use my Mystic Eyes on it. There are no mentions of where that necklace went so that lead is a dead end since I have no idea where to search for it. Still, the Majima Family said they would keep an eye out, despite how slim the chances are.
"Hm, this may sound insensitive, but does it really matter who your parents are?" Morgana dragged me out of my thoughts again.
"In my case, it does," especially if my parents are who I think they are.
"Well, where do we start looking?" Morgana looked like he wanted to ask a different question but decided against it. I wonder what he's thinking.
"We'll start in Miyama Town," That's where the main characters' residences are and where Homurahara Academy is. Maybe I can look them up by their school records.
"Let's get going, Morgana," I slipped on Mordred's leather jacket as Morgana hopped in my backpack, and we left to begin our investigation.
…
But I should have expected it wasn't going to be that easy.
~X~
~ Riverside Park – Evening ~
Haah, things can never be easy. Here I am, sitting on a bench in the park by the bridge, Morgana sitting next to me. I did find the school, but that came up as a dead-end since they had no record of Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, Taiga Fujimura, or any of the named characters from the VN ever enrolling or teaching there. I hoped they would since it would list their home addresses, making the search easier.
With that, not an option, I started asking around about the people I was looking for, where their houses were, and even asked where the church was. Nobody knew anything except for the church. Following the church lead, I went and asked about the same people I was looking for, even Kirei Kotomine and his father Risei, but once again, no one knew anything.
I even asked about the Fujimura Family since it's a yakuza family. Nope, doesn't exist as well.
Haah, today has been dead end after dead end. It reminds me of the time Ryuji and I went around looking for people to speak out against Kamoshida. The difference is that we knew it was happening, and no one was talking. Here, there is nothing to find.
Morgana has been trying to help me, but since I told him very little, he doesn't know what to do. He wants to ask but doesn't because he knows this investigation is personal to me and my past. I rarely, if ever, talk about either of those.
…I'm glad this not-cat is my partner in crime.
Still, it doesn't change the fact that all my leads have come up as dead ends. It really feels like the characters of Fate don't exist here.
The quest hasn't been updated yet, so I know there is something to find here... I just have no idea where to look!
"Argh! This is so frustrating!" I had to vocalize my frustration because this was getting to me.
"Yeah, sorry. I don't really know how to help you here," says the ever-patient Morgana.
"…What now?" I asked because I had no idea what to do.
"How about we head back to the hotel? You need some rest. We can continue this tomorrow," Morgana suggested.
"Haah, I guess. Let's…"
!
Morgana noticed my abrupt stop and surprised look. "What is it?"
The reason I stopped talking is because my Presence Detection went off. I can feel an extraordinary amount of mana gathering about 10 meters behind me. Sharply turning around I can physically see purple-colored motes of mana gathering into a center.
"Morgana, are you seeing this?"
Morgana turned towards where I was looking, and I heard him gasp. "What the heck is that!? What's going on!?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
"Maybe we should-"
*BANG*
Before Morgana could finish that sentence, the gathering mana exploded outwards, and it looked like there was a large purplish void about the size of a car. And…
"What the hell!" I had to brace myself because it was as if someone turned on a vacuum, and the void was now sucking me in, but strangely Morgana was unaffected. I tried as hard as I could to stay rooted to the ground, even reinforcing myself, but it was useless. The wind was too strong, and I was lifted off the ground and flew into the void.
"Yuki!" Morgana's shout was the last thing I heard before I seemingly passed out.
~X~
~ ? - ? ~
"Argh," I groaned out.
Well, it seems I'm still alive, but I feel weak as hell right now. I can't get up or even open my eyes, so I focused on my other senses.
I can feel that I'm lying down on some grassy patch, but the grass feels… dead was how I put it. The only thing I can hear now is the sound of multiple fires all around. Some sound really close, others are off in the distance. There is an overwhelming smell of fire and ash in the air.
And… that's pretty much it. After lying down for a little bit longer, I can finally get up and open my eyes. So, after a bit of struggle getting up, I saw that I was in some sort of wooded area. It was nighttime, and there was this flickering orange glow in one direction. So, I decided to walk that way. Coming out of the woods, I recognized where I am. It's… Miyama Town. But… it was different.
Apocalyptic was the only way to describe what I was seeing. It was as if someone decided to set the whole world on fire.
…Where the hell am I?
"You seem to have gotten yourself into an interesting situation," Merlin spoke for the first time in a while.
"Hey, I didn't get myself into anything. I was just trying to track down my parents." I retorted.
"True, who would expect a dimensional rift to suddenly open up and drag them to another world?"
"Haah, of course that's where it leads… Any ideas of how to get back to my world?"
"Hmm, there's a huge gathering of mana that is at that mountain close by. I would assume that place is the most important. You could head there…" she trails off.
"But…"
"But places like that often have some sort of guardian and I believe at your current level you will not be able to defeat what is there."
"Great… So, what do I do?"
"What do you think you should do?"Merlin answers my question with a question of her own.
I thought it over a bit before I answered. "I should look around, look for survivors, and see if I can get a better handle of the situation."
"Good, gathering as much of an understanding as you can, is important to any situation."
Right, I should get to that. No point standing around here. Let's head down. I barely took one step forward when…
*SWISH*
My Mind's Eye (False) triggered, and I tilted my head as I just barely dodged a knife that came from behind me. I had no time to think as a volley of knives came from the same direction, forcing me to jump to the side. At the same time, I Traced a Nihil Sword and turned to face my opponent.
But no one was there.
Mind's Eye triggered again, this time a volley of knives from behind me and my left, forcing me to dodge, once again and use my sword to deflect the ones I couldn't dodge. Tch, who the hell am I fighting?
Once again, another volley of knives appeared, this time coming from all directions. I Traced a second Nihil Sword in my left hand and tried to dodge and deflect all the knives I could but…
[-1264 HP]
Two knives managed to hit me, both of them in my back. Damn it, my attacker has been testing me and probing my defenses, and he finally found an opening. Ugh, I have no idea where my assailant is, and at this moment, I can't get away because I have to focus all my attention around me.
[Due to certain actions-
I'll look at it later! I have more important things to deal with!
[-1376 HP]
Kff, not that my efforts seem to matter because it seems my attacker has figured me out as two more knives manage to land.
HP: 1484/3300
MP: 5825/6984
Even though I Reinforced my body, I still lost more than half my HP in just 20 seconds. I'm going to have to use the rest of my Stat Points. Even if it doesn't help much, it's still better than holding onto them. Let's put 10 in DEX and the rest in LUK.
[DEX: 92 - 102]
[LUK: 55 - 80]
[Due to your base DEX reaching 100, a new Perk has been acquired.]
[Speedster]
- Increase movement and reaction speed by 50%.
.
Well, that would've been helpful. I should have done this a lot earlier.
…I have an idea to escape, but I need to physically see him if I want a chance. But this mystery person keeps attacking from a distance and from the shadows. So, how do I get him to reveal himself?
[On your left.]
Thank you, Mind's Eye.
Swinging my left sword, I deflected the knife and dodged a couple more that came from other directions. I took off through the woods, my attacker's volley of assaults not stopping. I had to dodge, deflect, and use the trees to avoid more knives. This went on for about a couple of minutes as I was able to successfully survive the ambush this time by using the trees and my new perk to my advantage. Until, finally, a figure quickly appeared in front of me, stabbing a dirk at me.
I managed to raise my Nihil Sword just in time to intercept the stab. I was now able to get a good look at my would-be killer and using my Mystic Eyes I was able to find out who he is.
.
Name: Hassan of the Cursed Arm
Sex: Male
Class: Dark Assassin
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Level: 50
HP: 15000/15000
MP: 7143/7500
STR: B (400)
END: C (300)
AGL: A (500)
Mana: C (300)
LUK: E (100)
NP: C
.
Wait, what!? What the hell!? Did I get transported to the middle of the Fifth Grail War!?
Although… that does explain why Fuyuki City is on fire. I guess it has something to do with the cursed Grail.
Assassin is not as powerful as I thought he would be, but that doesn't matter right now. He's revealed himself. The circumstances are set. He was the last person to attack me.
So, pointing right at him, Assassin suddenly found himself surrounded by hellfire, as I used my Hellish Rebuke spell. I caught Assassin off guard, as he paused for a split second before he tried to avoid the flames that were tracking his movement.
As he was dealing with that, I hightailed it out of there, swords in hand, and into the town.
Unfortunately, the spell didn't stall him for as long as I hoped, since Mind's Eye (False) triggered again, allowing me to dodge some knives thrown my way. With his Agility at A-rank, he was catching up to me rather quickly, so I decided to cut through some alleyways, hoping to lose him while activating Presence Concealment as I turned a corner, breaking the line of sight. At its current level, it may not be enough to hide from Assassin but it's better than nothing.
After a while of zigzagging through the alleys, I finally lost him. I don't sense his presence anymore. Still, can't let my guard down just yet.
"You can't this up forever,"Merlin finally spoke since the start of this whole ordeal.
"I know that. And why have you been quiet this whole time?"
"I wanted to see how well you'd do in a fight."
"You've seen me fight shadows."
"Yes, but fighting a Servant is a whole different experience."
"Ha, you can say that again…"
~X~
It only took Assassin four hits to get rid of over half my HP. Shadow Kamoshida didn't give me this much trouble. Although, I did have my friends helping me and my Personas.
I can't stay out here in the side of an alley, it's too open. I need to hide. I slowly and silently lifted myself onto the wall that was behind me. It looks like it leads into someone's backyard. That shed over there will have to do. So I made my way over and was happy to note it was unlocked, so no breaking-in was required.
I took a breath, sat on the ground, and took stock of my situation, starting with my stats.
.
Name: Yuki Emiya
Sex: Female
Class: Faker
Alignment: Neutral Good
Level: 19
HP: 729/3350 [Regen: 6.7/min]
MP: 5168/6984 [Regen: 13.96/min]
Stamina: 56% [Regen: 2%/min]
STR: 73 (+20%): 87
END: 61 (+10%): 67
DEX: 102 (+35%): 137
INT: 78 (+25%): 97
WIS: 60 (+10%): 66
LUK: 80 (+10%): 88
Stat Points: 0
Money: ¥76740
.
Haah, I took a bit of beating, so I took a Vulnerary, which restored 20% of my HP and had two uses left. I'm a bit surprised that I was able to hide from Assassin. I still have the knives in me and…
"Aw, damn it." I just realized something important.
"What is it?"
"The knives, they pierced through my leather jacket! There are holes in it now!"
"…What a shame," I can hear her sarcasm.
"Ya damn right it is!" but I decided to ignore it, and kept complaining. I put the jacket into my inventory. I would've Traced a new one, but I wasn't sure if Assassin could sense the use of mana, so better safe than sorry.I'll have to find some way to repair it later, it's my favorite jacket. I would take out the knives stuck in me, but they're all in my back, and I can't reach them.
I looked around the shed. It was more spacious than I would normally think for one. Also, for some reason, it looked familiar, but I couldn't place it and…
Hm?
On the floor in the middle of the shed looks to be… a circle of some kind. I can't really make it out because it looked pretty old. I think time wore away at it.
"It's a summoning circle," Merlin helpfully answered what it is.
"A summoning circle? To summon what?" I questioned.
"A Servant,"Merlin simply answered.
I felt my eyes widen and looked back at the circle with interest. Maybe I can summon one for myself to better my chances of making it through all of this alive. One problem, though. This circle was, most likely, going to use the corrupted Grail of this world to do the summoning. I don't want my Servant to be connected to that.
Oh, don't worry about that, I'll take care of it. Instead of summoning through the Grail, I'll make it so you summon through the Game.
Really? Will my Servant be able to see the Game?
No, I'll just make them think that they were summoned through another summoning system. It's up to you to decide what to tell them. Also, your command seals will be just like in Grand Order, you'll restore one command seal every day at midnight.
Thanks, that's a big help.
No problem. Just to let you know, if you want to summon a Servant, just pour some mana into the circle, and I'll take care of the rest. What Servant you get will be like summoning with the Grail.
Right, let's get to work. Better make it quick because I'm sure Assassin will sense the spike in mana coming from this.
Walking up to the circle, I knelt down to place my hand on it and poured in mana. Merlin kept quiet, but I could feel her and some other Personas watching with interest. I'm also curious which Servant I'm going to summon. And… maybe they can pull these knives out of my back. They're starting to get annoying.
[Summoning attempt detected.]
[Searching for Catalyst…]
…
[Catalyst not found.]
[Analyzing Summoner…]
…
[Summoner analyzed.]
[Connecting to the Throne of Heroes…]
…
[Connection established.]
[Matching Summoner to Servant with the highest compatibility...]
…
[Servant found.]
[Requesting permission from Servant to be summoned…]
…
[Permission granted.]
[Summoning Servant.]
.
A bright light filled the room, and I backed up since I no longer needed to be so close to the circle. When it died down, I saw who was there. I could not believe who I had summoned.
"Servant Saber has answered your summons. I ask of you. Are you my Master?" the figure spoke.
In front of me was a girl who looked my age, but I knew she wasn't. She has blonde hair that is kept back in a braided bun with a ribbon tied in a bow, and her eyes are closed. She is wearing a long sleeve, puffed shoulder, high neck, royal blue dress with a white bodice, with lots of volume at the bottom. Over the dress, she is wearing chest armor, armor at her sides, and armor that covers her hands and forearms. She is kneeling on one knee while her hands are clutching her sword that is stabbed in the ground.
Any fan of Fate would easily recognize this person. She is, probably, the most popular character in the series. I used my Mystic Eyes to confirm this person is truly who I think she is.
.
Name: Artoria Pendragon
Sex: Female
Class: Saber
Alignment: Lawful Good
Level: 50
HP: 25000/25000
MP: 15000/15000
STR: A (500)
END: A (500)
AGL: A (500)
Mana: A (500)
LUK: B (400)
NP: A++
.
Geez, Saber is strong. All of her parameters are at A except luck, which is at B. My chances of surviving have shot up exponentially.
[Excalibur has been added to ?.]
Huh, I'm still trying to figure out what the question mark is. I should probably answer Saber's question now.
"U-Uh yeah, I'm your Master," I can't believe I stuttered.
"Kff," I felt the command seals burn onto my right hand. I took a look at them, and I could see a familiar symbol on the back of my hand. Well, that's interesting.
It was the Sasarindo, the crest of the Minamoto Clan. Three Japanese gentian flowers on five bamboo leaves. Why would this be the symbol of my command seals?
"Then the contract is complete," Saber spoke up. "I shall pledge to be your sword that will strike down your enemies."
Saber finally opens her eyes, showing off its green color, and gets a good look at me. I see her eyes widen by a fraction for a split second but, just as quickly, go back to normal. It was so quick that you would not have noticed it unless you were looking for it. I guess Saber noticed my similar appearance to Mordred.
"Who is this?" Merlin questioned, sounding confused. "She feels just like Arthur… And that sword…"
"Master-" Saber started to speak but stopped and instantly went on guard. My Presence Detection activated.
"Hm?" I turned my head in that direction and put my guard up.
"Master, I sense a Servant coming," Saber started to make her way out. "Stay here, I shall deal with the enemy,"
"I'm coming with you," I stated in a tone that said talking me out of it was useless. "You'll fight this Servant,, and I'll support you as best I can."
Saber looked like she wanted to disagree with me, but with the Servant approaching, there was no time for arguments, and Saber knew that. "…Very well then."
I took out Ivory and Elucidator, Ivory in my left hand and Elucidator in my right, from my inventory and followed behind Saber out of the shed. On the roof of the house to our right was a female Servant. She was dressed in this white outfit. It didn't really cover much, and it looked like one wrong slip, and her huge chest would cause an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. She, also, had scarlet hair. She jumped down and slowly started walking towards us. Saber brought her sword, encased in Invisible Air, at the ready. I used my Mystic Eyes to see who this Servant is.
.
Name: Boudica
Class: Dark Rider
Alignment: Neutral Good
Level: 50
HP: 40000/40000
MP: 4861/5000
STR: C (300)
END: B+ (800)
AGL: C (300)
Mana: D (200)
LUK: D (200)
NP: B+
.
[Sword of Boudica has been added to ?.]
"Saber, that's Rider, and she's Boudica, the Queen of Britannia during the time of the Roman Empire. I don't know much about her history, so I can't help you there. Just watch out for her chariot if she summons it," Saber gave me a nod, acknowledging the information.
Saber stood there while Rider got closer and then stopped about 10 meters away. They stood for a good 5 seconds before they started on their own silent trigger. With their agility as high as it is, they were a blur in this fight. I'm a bit used to this speed since I had to run from Assassin earlier, but I still had to use Reinforcement on my eyes, so I could see them better.
Saber has better stats and skills overall. Rider couldn't seem to be able to deal with her speed and Mana Burst. It was clear Saber was superior as she very quickly gained the upper hand.
Despite how well this seemed to be going, I am still a bit confused about one thing. Where is Assassin? I lost him not too far from here and he surely must've felt the mana spike. If not, then he should hear the sounds of battle between Saber and Rider. So, I pushed my Presence Detection as much as I could to find him.
I got my answer on where he was when I had to dodge a swipe from his dirk, aiming for my neck, from my left. Mind's Eye (False) is starting to become my favorite skill with how many times it's saved me against Assassin.As I was putting some distance between me and my would-be killer, I took some shots at him using Ivory, but he just avoided those with his A-rank agility and quickly closed the distance, slashing and stabbing.
[-184 HP]
[-192 HP]
[-179 HP]
[-186 HP]
He wasn't landing any significant hits, but he was able to graze me multiple times. I can't keep this up for long.
Saber noticed Assassin attack me and tried to break off from fighting Rider and get closer to better protect me against the two Servants. But Rider wouldn't let her and kept getting in her way.
I barely deflected another slash from Assassin. Damn it, Assassin is keeping the fighting at very close quarters, eliminating the advantage that a long sword, like Elucidator, would have and turning it into a detriment. I placed Ivory back in my inventory, two-handed Elucidator, and focused solely on defense, deflecting the slashes and stabs from Assassin.
I could maybe hold out until Saber is done dealing with Rider, or she finds an opening to make it to me. …Or I can make my own opening.
Assassin backed off a little from his constant attacks, and I took that as my opportunity. Charging mana into my sword, I swung a horizontal slash, the mana at the tip released, and a Blade Beam came flying at him.
Assassin easily dodged the crescent-shaped mana, but Rider, who was behind him, didn't have situational awareness for some reason and was hit in the back. It didn't do much damage, but the surprise caused her to stumble, and Saber took that opportunity to quickly regroup with me in time to deflect a stab from Assassin and slash him across his stomach.
Assassin backed off and stood next to Rider, who looked worse for wear.
.
Hassan of the Cursed Arm
HP: 13257/15000
Boudica
HP: 18054/40000
Artoria Pendragon
HP: 24462/25000
Yuki Emiya
HP: 660/3300
.
Wow, Rider really took a beating from Saber, and my HP is really low again.
"Are you okay, Master?" Saber asked, noticing the cuts on my body and labored breathing.
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired," I answered. That's a lie. I have about 20% HP left and I still have those four knives in my back. Saber didn't seem to have noticed the knives.
My stamina is down to 12%. We need to finish this quickly. The easiest way to do that is for Saber to use her Noble Phantasm. But she has to charge it up, and there's no way the enemy will stand still long enough for her to do that. How do I keep them from moving?
…Wait a minute, that could work. But do I have enough light? Light from fire is too finicky, the shadows will constantly be moving. Looking up, I saw it's a full moon out tonight. Perfect.
"Saber, I have a plan," I whispered so the other two Servants couldn't hear me. "I need you to keep those two close together and in the moonlight. Got it?"
Saber nodded and charged forward to engage the two, while I hung back and activated my Presence Concealment. Normally, they would be able to find me at this close distance since my skill level is too low, but with their full attention on Saber, they can't be on the lookout for me. I reinforcedmy legs and quietly jumped onto the roof of the house to get a better vantage.
Despite the battle being a 2 vs. 1, Saber looked to be handling them with relative ease. I was almost tempted to let Saber deal with this, but I didn't want these two to escape. They'll just come back and be trouble down the road, so it's better to deal with them now.
I Traced and reinforced several verdant black keys in the air and waited for the perfect moment. Eventually, I got it when Saber launched Assassin into Rider with Strike Air. I fired the black keys, and they flew blindingly fast. Luckily for me, all of them managed to land in their shadows, completely paralyzing their movement. That's the hard part done. Now for the finale.
"Saber, by the power of my command seal, unleash your Noble Phantasm!" My hand glowed, and the bamboo leaves on the seal faded away, signifying its use.
Saber released Invisible Air, and Excalibur was shown in all of its glory, like a beacon of light glowing in this fiery night. She held Excalibur to her chest and closed her eyes.
"Sheathed in the breath of the planet, a torrent of shining life is born."
Motes of light from all over appeared and started gathering in the blade. Excalibur was shining even brighter.
"Now face its wrath!"
Saber opened her eyes and raised her sword high. A beam of light blasted upwards from the sword.
"EXCALIBUR!"
Saber took a step forward and swung the sword down. A wave of light raced across the ground towards the paralyzed Servants. When it reached them, it exploded upwards, the blast reaching towards the sky in a show of light. The motes that gathered in the sword were slowly falling back to the Earth. At the spot where Assassin and Rider were, there was some gold dust flying away.
.
*DING*
[You have defeated Servant Rider (Boudica)]
Rewards: 40000 EXP, Sword of Boudica
[Level Up!]
[You have defeated Servant Assassin (Hassan of the Cursed Arm)]
Reward: 40000 EXP
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
.
Damn… seeing an Excaliblast in person is definitely something. I'm a bit surprised we didn't get caught up in the blast, considering our battlefield is a backyard. It's a large backyard, but still… Whatever, let's not question it. It's not important.
I jumped down from the roof and approached Saber. "Well, that takes care of them."
"Indeed," Saber simply said. She turned towards me and didn't hide the widening of her eyes, to which she then narrowed them and threw an accusatory glare at me. "You said you were ok, Master."
"Well… I mean, I wasn't lying when I said that at the time," I sheepishly scratched my cheek. "But now that the adrenaline is wearing off, the pain is starting to set in."
I do look pretty bad right now. My jeans are all ripped up and have cuts and my blood on them. My tank top is shredded. There are some large cuts, rips, and blood all over it. My arms, neck, and face also have splotches of dried blood around them. And… I still have the four knives from earlier in my back, just wanted to remind you of that fact.
It's a good thing I wasn't inflicted with a bleeding status effect. I definitely would have bled to death in this fight.
"Hey, why don't we head inside the house, and you can help patch me up?' I took out a whole medical kit that I just bought from the Abyss Shop and showed it to Saber.
"Very well, Master," Saber said.
"Great!" I cheerfully exclaimed. "Maybe now I can get these knives out of my back." I turned around and made my way towards the house.
"What!?" Saber seemed surprised. Looks like she finally noticed the knives and that I'm walking with them in me with no problem. Well, not really no problem, they're really painful. I'm just choosing to ignore the pain. Not to mention, my stamina is at 6% now.
"I am thou… Thou art I
Thou hast acquired a new vow…
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Temperance Persona
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…"
[Temperance Confidant (Artoria Pendragon) has reached Rank 1.]
Huh.
As I entered the house, a landmark notification popped up that explained why this house, shed, and backyard seemed so familiar.
[Landmark Discovered: Emiya Residence.]
Rewards: 1 Gacha Ticket, 1 DEX.
.
~X~
Artoria Interlude – Who is my Master?
Artoria wasn't sure what to think about her current situation. She had been sent back to Camlann after her previous Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, betrayed her and forced her to destroy the Holy Grail.
She stayed there for who knows how long before she felt the pull of another summoning. But this was different. Whatever was being used to summon her stated that it was not for a Grail War, and she would not get a wish. But someone very important to her is in trouble and needs her help. So, she accepted.
The first thing she noticed when summoned was the smell of fire and ash in the air. The second was that she could hear multiple large fires going on in the distance. She went through with confirming the person in this room was her Master. Once confirmed, she opened her eyes.
When she got her first look at her Master, she couldn't help but be surprised at her appearance. It looked like Mordred was in front of her and was her new Master, but she quickly realized that this person wasn't her "son".
She saw recognition in her Master's eyes, but instead of her eyes turning to hate like she thought they would, it went to another emotion. Her eyes lit up with hope. Hope for what, she didn't know …yet. Artoria was about to ask for the circumstances of her summoning when she sensed the arrival of another Servant. That was when she realized this must be the "trouble" she was told about, or at least part of it.
After a tough battle, she and her Master were able to defeat Rider and Assassin. After said battle, Artoria nearly had a heart attack when she got a good look at her Master. She was covered in so many cuts and so much blood, she had four knives in her back, was incredibly pale, and her clothes were a torn mess.
Artoria frowned when she noticed that she did not notice her Master's injuries and took her word that she was only tired. She was supposed to protect her. So she is now mentally berating herself for not noticing Assassin in the vicinity.
Despite her Master's injuries, she was still standing and talking like she hadn't just gone through a fight with a Servant that almost killed her. It was shocking, to say the least. Now she has followed her into this unknown residence so they can clean and bandage her wounds.
They made their way to what appeared to be the dining room, where her Master took a seat on one of the cushions. She then pulled out a couple of electronic lanterns from… somewhere and turned them on, lighting up the room. In a flash of light, a bucket and a washcloth appeared. It seems her Master created these out of mana.
"Saber, can you fill up that bucket with water?" she asked.
Artoria nodded and dismissed her armor. She went to the kitchen, hoping the water was still working despite the destruction and fires that are outside (she'll need to ask about that later). Surprisingly, it was. So, with the bucket filled, she returned to the dining room where she saw her Master laying her head down on the table, eyes closed, and knives still in her back.
"Master," Artoria tried to wake her up. It seems either exhaustion or blood loss is finally getting to her. However, she can't pass out now. They need to clean and bandage her wounds.
"Y…" Her Master said something, but it was too soft to hear.
"What did you say?" Artoria questioned.
"Yuki, Yuki Emiya. It's my name. Use it instead of calling me Master," Yuki said in a sleepy voice.
Artoria was internally shocked to hear the last name. Does she have some relation to Kiritsugu? If so, from what she's seen so far, she doesn't act like him. Kiritsugu would rather kill his enemies from afar, not fight side-by-side with her. Anyway, back to business.
"Yuki, you can't sleep yet. We still need to bandage your wounds."
"Ugh, I know," Yuki slowly slid back from the table. Her eyes were barely open. " Saber, help me take off my clothes."
So, Artoria helped Yuki slowly undress down to her underwear. With her tank top, she used scissors to cut it off, since it was unwearable while being mindful around the knives.
"Lay face-down on the floor," Artoria requested.
Yuki did as asked and laid down on her chest, crossing her arms in front of her and resting her head on them. Artoria soaked the washcloth in water and then slowly started cleaning the dried blood off Yuki's back. When that was done, she placed a hand on one of the knives and gently took it out, hoping to cause no further damage. When they were out, she cleaned, disinfected, and bandaged the stab wounds.
"Can you please turn around and lay on your back?" Artoria asked.
Yuki silently did as she was told and moved to lay on her back. Artoria started cleaning off the blood from her arms. Maybe now is a good time to ask some questions about the situation.
"Yuki, can you tell me about what's going on here?" Artoria wanted to find out since whatever summoned her gave almost no information.
"Hmm, I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I do know," So she started telling the story, slowly and tiredly, of how she was in Fuyuki searching for her parents, how a dimensional rift opened and dragged her into this world. How she ran into Assassin and got those knives impaled in her. How she summoned Artoria in the hopes of making it out of this world alive. When she finished, she had fallen asleep.
As the story was over, Artoria had finished cleaning the blood and bandaging her wounds. She had gotten a pillow and blanket from one of the bedrooms for Yuki to use, and she is now searching the house for some clothes for Yuki to wear. The only ones she could find that would fit her Master were some male clothes that looked about her size.
Returning to the dining room, she placed the clothes on the table, set Yuki up with the pillow and blanket, took a seat near her, and waited for her to wake up.
Artoria couldn't help but stare at her Master's sleeping face. She looks so much like Mordred. Perhaps she is a descendant? She's sure Mordred never had any children, but that's the only explanation she can think of. She did say she's from a different world. So, there could be different circumstances. She does not believe Yuki would know because she does not even know her parentage.
…This is something to figure out later. Right now, they need to survive this place.
She has been summoned to Fuyuki, where the Grail Wars take place. However, she was not summoned to fight in a Grail War but to protect her Master, and she will do the best she can. She has no idea of the situation or why the city is destroyed and on fire (although, for some reason, this house is still intact). Hopefully, she and Yuki can figure it out when she wakes up.
~X~
Social Links:
0 – Fool (Igor) – Rank 2
I – Magician (Morgana) – Rank 2
V – Hierophant (Sojiro Sakura) – Rank 3
VI – Lovers (Ann Takamaki) – Rank 1
VII – Chariot (Ryuji Sakamoto) – Rank 4
XIV – Temperance (Artoria Pendragon) – Rank 1
XVII – Star (Issei Hyoudou) – Rank 3
Author's Note:
So, that's Chapter 5. First venture into a (sort of) new world and a new Social Link.
Constructive Criticism is appreciated.
(Preview)
"Yuki, what is our next move?"
"Well, we still need to figure out what's going on in this world."
"And where do we start looking?"
*BOOM*
"How about where those explosions are coming from."
(x)
"Who are you two?"
I turned to face the person who asked that question. There were three people. All of them appear to be in their late teens. One of them is holding a shield that is bigger than she is.
(x)
"I don't know why but looking at you is seriously pissing me off!"
(x)
Saber and Shielder were launched into the surrounding buildings. Rubble fell on top of them.
"Damnit! Weren't we supposed to avoid Berserker!?
"We're gonna have to fight him."
"With who!? Saber and Shielder can't beat him! And Caster has disappeared on us!"
"Well… I do have something…"
"Then why haven't you used it already!?"
Jeez, woman. Do you have to yell so much? "Let's hope I have enough mana for this…"
"I am the bone of my sword.
Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."