FGA Chapter 14

To summon a Servants, is to make an irreversible contract

The nature of the Holy Grail War dictates it can only be won with two people. The Master and their Servant. For there to be a chance of survival, a sentiment must be reached. An agreement of mutual fate connecting the two spectrum

Logically, a big factor to consider is the attitude one must adopt when it comes to their partner: Teamwork. Cooperation. Even compromises is acceptable if for the sake of gaining a valuable ally. This is a fundamental fact so as to not blunder in their first step toward the inevitable endgame

How a Master act toward their Servant and what Servant they summon, can ultimately bring them a long way forward

____________

In a manor in Fuyuki, where the mansion of the Tohsaka family lay, a loud crash can be heard

Rin Tohsaka is displeased she did not summon a Saber Servant, but instead a cocky looking man in red had crashed through her ceiling, sending debris hurling across the room.

"There was...a spider" He replied smoothly to her inquiry, brushing the bit of dust off his shoulder "A really big spider, you could say"

One side of her face twitched

In another place, far away from the boundary of Fuyuki's busy urban area, a woman clad in business suit arrived on foot. Her short red hair swayed in the wind as she surveyed the land.

"How do you feel about this war, Lancer?"

He materialized behind her, long spear resting on his shoulder. The spandex clad spearman sniff the air, not dissimilar to how a hound would detect the smell of blood

A smirk soon broke out between that roguish face

"I'd say it's gonna be pretty interesting"

On the edge of the Einzbern castle's forest, a young girl with snow white hair is taking a walk with her guardian. The snow scatter with her small footstep

He slowed down to match her pace and accept her raised hand. The giant's palm was gentle. A warmth of paternity that cause her smile to widen.

"Haha, I'm so glad we're about to meet Onii-chan soon. The things you and I can do with him..."

Crimson eyes gaze with innoceous joy at the sky, dark possibilities coming to form behind that adolescent face

The rain came suddenly, withou warning. It coat Fuyuki city in a blanket of sheening humidity as a cacophany of droplets hitting the street echoed in her ear

The weakened Servant crawled along the alleyway until she came to rest at a streetpole

This is it. She realized, pursing her lips. The first Servant to be eliminated in this war. As her limb's shaking weakened and her vision turned to dark, the sound of footstep could be heard

Splashes of water hit her face. A pair of shoe stopped in front of her. Strangely, the rain pouring on her seem to had stopped, as though shielded by an umbrella

"Who are you?"

The wounded Caster look up at the man before her with surprise

Sakura lift up a box and place it on the table. Looking inside, several sharp implements could be seen glinting under the bulb's light. She counted them all, one by one

"This is all the knives I could buy with my money" Satisfied, the girl set them on the table

A shadow loomed over her to look at the knives. The masked man tilt his head in confusion. He picked up one of the tool, watching as its sharp edge glint when flipped over.

"Master, I appreciate that but...could you tell me why buy these things?"

"Dagger throwing is the only useful combat skill you have that does not compromise your identity. And I don't want you revealing your trump cards so soon"

She gestured at his arm

"Understood. But how am I to fight with...kitchen knives?"

"Improvisation, which your class would make you excel at the most" Her eyes narrowed "Can't have you dying in one hit now, you useless Servant"

Cursed Arm look at the ceiling in exasperation. How could he manage his Master's brutal expectations for him?

________

As the participants prepare themselves, some blue-haired guy finished his homework for the day and decided it's a good time to relax his mind

Siting upon the temple's rooftop, I took the time to enjoy the peace of mind from the silence

Getting into another world has been a terrifying experience for me. But, strangely, I found it to be kind of fun

The fight with Zouken, Rin, and then Gilgamesh. A living, breathing Servant. And I've actually land a hit on him as a human being. Who wouldn't get pride from such a feat? That's like an ant beinging a human to its knee

"It's still incredible I manage to get to this point..."

I look at the dark sky. The night was silent, marred only by the breeze which brush the hills. Down there, the city of Fuyuki were lit up with neo sign like a beacon in the dark. People mill around aimlessly amidst the weekend night, wholly unaware of trouble brewing their way for the next week

"But I have a feeling this will be the end of me"

Everything's fine and dandy, but at some point things will get serious. This is one such event. A war with the fate of this city on the line, where to get to its prize I will have to fight on twelve other participants  in potentially life-threatening situations

I'll probably be dead by the end of the week

__________

I turned back to the magic circle behind me. The faded Command Seals lit up in the darkness, their glow an almost painful visual cue for enemy Master to snipe me down at this moment had they probably been there

It's been two days since then. My hunt for catalyst has not been without its fair share of failure. In the end, I decided the best way to go about it is so simply rely on my luck, and hope for the best

"System. Start the summoning" I mutter

The circle lit up brighly under my command. The glyphs rotated clockwise in contradictory motion with their inner circles.

The book in my hand opened as I peered over its content.

It was taken from the Matou's library when I'm searchin for material related to the Grail War. The manual is old. Incredibly so. The worn leather would indicate it has been at least a century before somebody had taken it off the shelf

My hope is that there would be arcane prowess inside this enough to summon a sufficiently powerful Servant. Given that this book is from one of the founding family's stash, perhaps there is something that can be used here

Slowly, I recount the chant. From afar, the temple lit up with the glow of Mana. The ritual had started. There is no turning back at this point

The wind swept across the courtyard. The scent of Mana seem to attract the supernatural, as I could feel an invinsible pressure slowly building up amidst the circle. As the energy coalesced it gradually grew, forming a swirling mass of Mana motes orbiting the surrounding

I finished the chant. With that, the torrent of Mana rapidly closed around the center until it was ready to burst. The resulting explosion rocked the clearing where I was standing in

Falling flat on my ass, I blinked owlishly at the one figure in the center of the summoning circle. His eyes met mine, and mine met his in the following silence

For a moment, we seem to assess each other. I threw my head back and let ut a groan, having recognized that distinctive Greek armor and punchable face

"Of all the possible Servants, why must it be you?"

"Nice to meet you too, kid" The older man said. His voice unamused "Also nice to see my hope of winning this war is already going down the drain before it even begins"

""What kind of shitty luck is this?"" We both said at the same time

_____________

I've come to learn that the summoning rituals does not rely on arbitrary values to determine sufficient vessel for a Servant's participation

Rather, it seems as if whether they are chosen is based on the personality trait of the Master. More specifically, the Servant is chosen in compability with their partner

For example, Shirou and Saber, you famous "sword and sheathe" pairing. There's also Medea and Kuzuki, Rin and Archer, Iliya and Berserker. They are separate people who somehow manage to find common ground despite their difference

I've come to learn this is not necessarily a good thing

"So, your name is Jason?" I crossed my arms "As in, Jason, leader of the Argonauts? And you're a Rider Servant"

The last part was added as confirmation. No doubt a Servant can have alternative classes, but Jason in Canon had been pathetic man who cannot qualify for the mantle of a true leader, so he was a Saber instead. Something must have changed

"Yeah. And you're the brat who summoned me" The older man said as he leaned against the doorframe. Everyone else had gone to sleep, so its just me and him out here at the temple's entrance "I don't know how you manage that to be honest. It should be impossible for someone like me to be chosen..."

"What do you mean? You're a pathetic whelp of a Heroic Spirit who probably never have won a single fight in his life. All your deeds in legend was achieved by someone else" Jason's eyes narrowed at that, seemjngly offended by my word

"Watch your damn tongue,  shitface. I might not be the greatest of leaders, but do not forget I have once commanded the mightiest hero of Greeks on a legendary quest whose name shall be forever etched in history. My fame should at least rival that of Hercule's!"

It took some time to register that level of stupidity. I sat down motionlessly on the couch while my Servant continued fawning over himself

I can't tell if this guy is joking or he's legit a dumbass. Aside from the fact that literally nobody know of him beside the few shitty things he'd done in his life, he is still steadfast in his delusion. Jason is legit thinking he could stand a chance against that monster

The worst part is that he'll probably abandon me the moment the fight started going south

Why am I paired with this man who is a shameless coward and an idiot? We're not alike at all!

_____________

Come morning, I groggily woke up and prepare for the day. Last night had taken a toll from me, not because of the summoning ritual's Mana cost, but also of the walking headache I had inadvertently bound to me

Said walking headache apparently had just eaten all the cereal I saved up for this month, the crumbs still sticking to his mouth amwhen I made for the food. I shook the box, only to find it emptied

Sighing, I lugged my schoolback pass the temple gate

"You're still going to school?" Jason followed after me, already in spirit form. I commend his intelligence, if only for the fact that he may had done it to conceal himself from dangers "We'll have to watch out for more opponents there. I can't run awa— I mean protect you should an enemy Servant decided to reveal themself"

"Not going to school would have been more suspicious in and of itself" I fix my uniform slightly "Someone might narrow down the range of possible suspect should we chose to hide. Best to blend in for the time being and hope nobody notice me"

"Daytime infiltration. I like that. Nobody can attack us, which mean I'll be safe for now"

"I'll use you as a meatshield if I weren't so shameless" I grumble. Though he had a point. The objective is to be the last man standing. With a Servant as weak as this, it'd be better to wait out while the real monsters fight "But if you want to stay out of trouble, perhaps we can establish some ground rules"

"Ground rules?" He tilt his head "Alright, bring it"

"Firstly, you'll refer to yourself as Rider. This is a form of designate that doesn't risk us revealing your true name" I began. In return, Jason nodded

"Second. Battles happen in nighttime only. Doing it in broad daylight means breaching secrecy, which will cause the Clock Tower to send their men to deal with us" I look at him 

" I'm not saying this lightly. There are Magus out there who are more than capable of putting a Servant like you down. Tread lightly, understand?"

He gulped, but nodded quickly. Once I was sure he would't break that particular rule, I continue 

"Third and most importantly, avoid battles as much as possible. Run as far and fast as you can at the first sign of danger, so long as a Servant is within the perimeter"

"Oh? That is a rule I can follow"

Jason let out a grateful smile while I grumbled at his callousness. I'm not exactly doing this for his safety, more than the practicality of engaging with a weak Servant by your side

The risks of losing outweight the benefits of a pyrrhic victory. Am I dumb enough to sacrifice my ticket for this war for some meager cause?

That's Shirou's job, not mine

___________

School went on as usual. As the morning classroom filled in, my eyes swept the school for signs of the others I know

Shirou acted no different than usual. Rin was there, as is Sakura. They even waved at me as I passed by, as if there's no magical war looming overhead and it's just another Monday for us

Calm down. You're only going to appear more suspicious acting this way

I took my seat for the day. What is first period? I glance at my timetable, and realize Kuzuki is teaching it. Not bad. Not good in normal circumstances, but I realize he'd be less likely to attack me given the talk we had. At most, Caster would consider an alliance with us

My thoughts go further, envisioning a combat scenarios between the our Searvants. Caster's prowess is something to be wary of, but her strength lies in creating magic territories. Not to mention her base had already been occupied by us, meaning she'll be too busy taking care of herself to go on the offensive

As long as Jason took the coward's way of fighting, she shouldn't be much of a threat

"Hm, wait. Isn't she an Argonaut? And in the legend..."

...oh shit.

I quickly activated my Servant's mental link while keeping an ear on Kuzuki's lecture

'Hey Jason, can I ask you something?'

'I'm all ears, Master'

'In your legend, there is this girl titled Medea of Colchis who boarded the Argonauts with you' I could feel him tensed up '...What is your relationship with her?'

The silence from the other side was palpable, such that I felt as though Jason might have been suffering from heart attack at the name. 

Though it was a sensible reaction, given what they did to each other

'It's hard to say. I felt like she might tore up my heart and string it on a fishing hook were we to meet again. But if it is the younger, innocent her, there would be no such thing'

'Do you really think so? Given that the girl cut her brother into pieces while under your patron goddess's influence, I feel like even she might come to be less than pleased'

'I guess. But why are you asking me this?' I coulf practially feel the speed at which his face turned pale 'Don't tell me she is a Servant in this war'

'Well, we're probably sitting in front of her Master right now' 

'Then why aren't we fucking running?! I thought that's what we agreed on!'

Ignoring him, I look at Kuzuki who's writing on the chalkboard. Something about butterflies. The man look like usual, but on occasions he'd glance at me from the corner of his eyes

'It's unlikely he's going to blow cover this soon' I shut off the connection between us

Attacking a student now would inherently draw other's attention. That includes potential enemy Master and Servants who would put him at a disadvantaged position

Furthermore, he don't know what kind of Servant I possess, which could include Saber, a potent class at melee range. Even Caster won't be able to save him at this distance were I to command my hypothetical Servant to attack

As I was ruminating over my options concerning Kuzuki, the man in question turned to me

"Matou, meet me after school. We need to discuss your homework"

The bell rang, signifying the end of the period. Without looking at me a second time, he walked through the door

______________

All in all, it might be a trap we're walking into

'The option of running away is still there'

'Ok, first, we don't know what he want yet. Second, I'd rather take the risk with this guy then having his Servant going after this later'  I closed my eyes 

'Besides, he isn't the type to lead people around. We'd still have the power to fight him off if things go South'

'And how would you know that?'

'Personal experience' 

This is one of the times when Canon knowledge comes in handy. Kuzuki was raised from childhood as an assassin with minimal knowledge on human ethic. Given his expertise, it's likely he would have given me a palm to the heart for a quick kill. 

Fortunately, a person of capability like my Servant would easily subdue him were that to happen

To that end, him inviting me here would mean two things. That he is considering my previous offer of an alliance, or that he is going to have a straighforward attack sprung on us, to which we are prepared for

'Have you sensed any Servants nearby?'

'I can detect several strange signature, but none close to us at the moment'

Shirou and the girls must have gone home. 

'He's alone' I thought with narrowed eyes 'Stay close to me'

I arrived at the back of the school at precisely the same time as my teacher. The wind blew between us as the evening sun set in the sky. He look to me with the same lifeless eyes

After a moment, he started 

"Shinji Matou. On this place a week ago, you have proposed with me an alliance"

"That is true" I replied "The offer still stands if you're wondering"

"I encounter one of these...so called Servant just the other day" He look down at me "She appears to be wounded, so I took her home. She just recently woke up"

"Oh, is she named Caster by chance?"

"So you did know her. How surprising" Kuzuki raised an eyebrow "The woman indeed refer to herself as such. But she is tight-lipped about the situation"

Although I didn't know for sure, his comment serve as the only confirmation I need

Kuzuki meeting Caster....That would be when she killed Gatrum and burned down his Workshop. From what I remember, she escaped and meet him by chance when on the verge of death

The event seems to match Canon so far

"I have already explained the general gist to you" I mutter, looking up at my teacher "So you took the Servant home and nursed her back to health. That still didn't explain the reason why you're here"

"The woman is sick"

The gears in my head came to a stop. Both our attention turned to him 

"She won't eat. She can barely move. Her wounds won't heal. It occur to me that you might have a cure for her affliction, given your apparent knowledge on this...Grail war"

'Tis a trap!'

'Shut the hell up please'

"I may have an idea, but...I'm going to need to examine her if it is what I think it is" After a moment of thinking, I said slowly. 

Kuzuki look at me. His eyes squinted as he looked for a hint of malice. After a moment, he nodded once

"Follow me"

___________

We followed Kuzuki back through the opposite way of our home, away from the mountain. the sun had set and night is about to fall. It is really late

In the middle of the night, nobody would suspect a thing if a slight scuffle were to take place on this part of the city. Past the six o'clock mark, it would be freeground for our magic death match

'Oi. You do realize we're walking into a potential death trap, right?'

'Think of it like this. At the moment we have a weakened Servant who is not aware of us inside that house. It'll be the only opportunity to take her down should she prove uncooperative to us'

Caster is a tricky opponent since she have a brain. My argument had some merits in it

But it also has flaws as well, something which the idiotic Rider unfortunately picked up

'That is assuming that Kuzuki guy is no lying. You're basing this gamble on the fact that he is too much of a straitlace to deceive you'

I shook my head. He can be perceptive only when it comes to things concerning his life

For the time being, Rider does not know about what I am capable of. He still think of me as an average teenager with no combat talent. I'll bank in on our opponents thinking the same

The real ace-in-the-sleeve is my Gamer ability, not him. 

Deciding not to waste time explaining my reasoning, I followed Kuzuki back to his average-looking house. The door slid open as the both of us walked inside

The first thing that struck me is how blank it all is. There are hardly any furnitures on display. Lamps, drawers, electrical lights, and even tables are missing. The house seem as though it was still being sold and not in possession of the man before me 

But aside from the eery, minimalistic style, there is another presence we quickly took up on. A small concentration of Mana near our position, too faint to alert those outside, but strong enough to stand out amidst the silence of the house

Kuzuki moved with near perfect silence. Rider and I followed suit. We came upon the bedroom. As the door opened, we were greeted with the sight of a woman lying on a set of Futon. several blankets were wrapped around her in a small cocoon of warmth

Despite the comfy setup, the woman is shivering. Her beautiful face, which is framed by light blue hair, is scrunched up in pain as short gasps escaped between the interval of her breath

No mistaking it. That's a Servant. Obviously Medea too, given Rider's short gasp next to me

"She's been like this since yesterday. Delirious, mumbling out nonsense. Just this morning, her fever had gotten worse. None of the medicine I have at the house is working"

As Kuzuki checked her temperature and changed the sweat-soaked blankets, I turned to Rider on the other side

'Any thoughts?'

'One that doesn't involve killing the obviously defenseless Servant in front of us right now, who could potentially be carrying a grudge to me? Nope. Can't say I do'

'We could count on her to form an alliance with us' I absentmindedly tapped my fingers together 'Two is better than one, and in this case Medea will be a good support for a Servant like you''

'Provided she doesn't stab me in the back at her first given opportunity'

Although I agreed, I refrain myself from speaking further.  

I'm not a doctor. Yet as I moved on to inspect Caster, it soon became clear what she is suffering from. At least, that is what my years of studying Magecraft is telling me

"Did she tell you to make a contract with her?"

In response, Kuzuki held up  a hand. Spattered on it is the red-colored mark of the Command Seal.

"All right, from what I can gather, your Servant's not getting enough Mana" I set a hand on her forehead, recoiling at the heat "Mana is what sustain beings like her. Without it, she became a baked potato. Think of them like anchors that ground them to reality"

Servants are being who are constantly rejected by the World because they came from another time. In a way, they are most similar to Shirou's projection

Just like them, Mana is needed to maintain their presence. In a conventional Grail War there would be no mistake allowed. A momentary lack of energy could prove vital to their existence

"I thought our bond would have sustained her. That's what she told me. Something about providing her with fuel to keep her existing"

"Being a Master would normally negate a Servant from having Mana depleted, but--"  I held up a hand "Caster is a class that consume an abundance of them. I'm afraid yours just wasn't enough. You'll have to find an alternate way of supplying Mana to her"

"How do I do that?"

The question came fast, but not unexpected. I and Rider shared a look

"....There are several ways. You could either have sex with her" I could feel him giving me a stare "Or just a droplet of blood would suffice. If that is out of the question, soul sacrifice can provide some amount of Mana to her. Though I think just attaching her to a leyline would be the most efficient course of action"

"This leyline, is it possible for you to--"

"Yes. I can, and will provide treatment for Caster" I stated calmly "However, there is a price you must pay..."

_________

In the end, we took her to Ryuudou temple. 

Fortunately it's the middle of the night when we took off. Others would have surely called the police at the sight of two men carrying an unconscious woman into the wilderness. But we made it to the temple gate in record time thanks to Kuzuki's impressive physical conditioning 

As I performed the ritual to bind her to the nearby Mana, Kuzuki watched on. We observed as color returned to Caster's face, bringing with it a healthy flush as she visibly calmed down. However, her eyes are still closed

"Give it a day or two and she'll be back to normal again" I told him "This woman's exhausted as is. She must have been through a lot"

"You have my thanks today, Matou" A visibly relaxed Kuzuki bow to me. In return, I waved my hand in dismissal. I hadn't done much. It was all a ruse so that he could rely on me. 

"Please call me Shinji. Besides, it's not like I'm doing it for free. Just remember our promise today"

His face could be said to be carved from stone at that moment. Still, the Master understood he was in no position to ask. A grave nod was all he offered me, before he turned back to the unconscious Servant as I left with Rider. 

Kuzuki can tend to Caster as much as he wants. Now the only things we need to worry about is those troublesome ones still running amok out there. Namely, a loli and her Berserker which my crows have spotted around town

___________

Author's note: Kinda sudden update

Life is hard on me right now. I'm writing this not to bitch and moan about it. Just want you to understand why I haven't been working on stories as often as I'd like

(And if I did update, the quality probably wasn't going to be to above my standard quality)

Regarding this chapter, I tried to provide a comprehensive exposition before moving on to the start of the war. There's no real detonation as of yet. Shinji summoned a Servant with the same personality as him, which is pretty cool. I also made him Rider as a twist. Sakura having Assassin will play her own role later. Shirou and Caren is not on the spotlight yet. I promise they will

The reason Caster was unable to replenish Mana is because she wasn't able to hook herself to the leyline with Kuzuki. In this story, Shinji moved into the temple in his place, which cut off one of her best option for survival. I just made the scenarios and go from there

That is assuming she can't run on Kuzuki's Mana alone. But consider it. How rare was it for a human to possess sufficient Magic Circuit to power a Servant? Emiya is already much of an exception there. I don't think the plot with her being exhausted would be that hard to believe