[M] Fate/Limit Chaos [MatrixOne + m139]

[MatrixOne]

Rated M for violence, gore and hugs.

***

Rider

To fight off a horde of enemies and die a heroic death to crown one's glorious tale, to live on in the memory of one's friends and comrades - it was a dream of every soldier. Heroes lived short lives, they died early and gloriously, some even more than once, over multiple tales and their many interpretations.

But then, there were the ones who just refused to die.

She fought for her friends, but each soldier she had saved just fell another day, on another battlefield much alike any other. She dodged a million blows, and dealt just as many in turn. She was a recruit, a grunt, and an officer, each title and medal bringing her further away from the battlefield, away from her glorious death.

Now, nearly two centuries later, she was back to fight another day, her legend given form through the miracle of the Holy Grail.

I'm being summoned...

A pact between a Master and Servant. A human in need of protection, and a legendary spirit in need of an anchor point with the world. Being summoned was always a gamble, and cruel Masters who would abuse their Servants were not uncommon.

But Rider didn't care. Her only thought was that, after all this time, she could still feel young again, still follow orders obediently and jump into the heat of battle for the sake of a friend. With that in mind, she gripped the sword that didn't yet exist, and emerged through the Magic Circle to greet the one who had called out to her.

A young body in peak condition, a suit of armor of clean leather, and the shoulder guard that reflected the light like a mirror. The prana lingering in the air kicked up a breeze that made the Servant girl's cape switch from red to blue as the differently colored sides faded in and out of view.

Her equipment made a clanking sound when she bent the knee to the Magus who had summoned her.

"It's a pleasure, Master. I am Servant Rider, here to fight the War in your name."

She raised herself to have a look at the Master who she was supposed to protect with her own life. The first impression was...

...

Unassuming.

Of course, the Grail had given Rider basic knowledge of the world and current customs, as it did to every Servant. But by that knowledge, the girl before her was too young, too little and too cozy to be a powerful Magus.

It's more serious than I thought. She'll need protection at every step.

"Have you ever fought a War, Master?" Rider asked. She meant to be careful about pointed questions, but her direct nature got the better of her. After all, Rider wasn't a knight or king - just an ordinary soldier.

And a soldier can't function without a general.

***

Caster

"Hmph. Do you really think you're worth my time?" He asked, but the answer wasn't coming.

Of course. The one he spoke to didn't even know what was going on. In fact... Was his Master even conscious?

How annoying.

The man stepped forward through the boundary between worlds, into what looked like a basement obscured by a wet mist hanging in the air. The strips of mold that were covering the walls made Caster curl up his lip in disgust.

"Oh. You call this hole a Workshop?" He asked the woman standing before him without giving her as much as a look.

She tried to step in front of him. "Wait. Aren't you going to greet me... As your Master?" She asked, her voice shaking. "What about the Command Seals? When are they..."

He moved past her, forcing her to back off. Caster's attention was entirely focused on the young boy with his hands tied behind his back, the boy's vacant stare informing Caster about the nature of the mind-manipulation Magecraft. It had to be very advanced to actually affect the boy in this way.

The woman raised her voice. "Hey. I've prepared him as a sacrifice for you. But if you want to eat him, you'll have to listen to me, first. Do you understand? Turn around and look at me."

But he didn't.

Instead, a beast twice Caster's size emerged from underneath his coat, making it obvious that Caster, in fact, had no true body. Everything below his neck was a dark mass of swirling, condensed matter, where a hundred red points stared back in all directions at once. The beast that had left this pit of chaos was akin to a wolf Familiar, only made entirely out of that mass.

"Say another word, and you die." Caster muttered over his shoulder to the Mage, before approaching the boy and severing the line of prana that was keeping his hands tied. As the magical bindings disappeared, the boy's consciousness returned to him. "Is your mind your own again?" Caster asked, holding up the boy's wrist.

The three red symbols stared back at him - Command Seals, proof of being a Master.

Hmph.

He let go of the boy's wrist. "Do you understand your situation? I hate weakness disguised as arrogance. For that reason I chose you over that Magus, and you will now prove to me that my faith was not misplaced."

The Servant's pale face was so close to the boy's, he could see the unnatural cracks on the Servant's skin, as though the man was made of broken plastic. The points within Caster's body - eyes of hundreds of beasts - were staring back, hungry for an answer.

"Kill her, spare her, let her go. If you don't have the stomach for it, then I'll just do it myself, but make your choice before my patience runs out."

Servants and Masters were naturally drawn by their compatibility. There was something about this boy that made Caster feel like their natures were aligned, far more than the woman could ever hope.

"It's straining. I know it is. But I am now a part of you, like it or not." He told the boy through their spiritual link. The prana upkeep of a Servant was very tasking on a Magus, especially a weak one. In extreme cases, it could even be deadly.

***

Alexandra Alanai

Well, it's a little chilly out here, but...

She rubbed her hands together, standing above the Summoning Circle painted on a loose piece of cardboard she had placed on the ground. The wind was picking up, and stray leaves were getting in the way, smearing the blood that the circle was painted in all across the cardboard.

Geez. Maybe summoning a Servant out here wasn't the best idea...

Sure, it wasn't a fancy Workshop, but at least it wasn't some stinky basement either, right? Besides, the chances of anybody wandering around the forest at this hour were pretty slim, it was early morning, after all.

After reassuring herself like that, and in a few other ways for good measure, Alex began the summoning ritual. With her hand extended over the Circle and her eyes shining with excitement, she got through the meaningless lines of the chant. Something about a great destiny, the Holy Grail, a contract... The details were lost on her, but it had to be said. It was just a formality, really, but skipping them could piss of the Servant, and that'd be bad.

"...And in light of this pact, will you accept me as your Master, the one worthy of wielding the Holy Grail?" She exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically to make it sound like a glorious contract.

"Aha!" She added with a grin as the Summoning Circle lit up with energy in response to the ritual.

Amazing... With so little effort...!

It hardly took any work on her part. All she did was paint a Circle and say a few words, and the Grail did all the rest... No ritual's ever been this easy. If only George could see her perform, now!

But she had a spectator - her new Servant, of course.

"Hey." She beamed with a happy grin. "My name's Alexandra Alanai, but you can call me Alex. Or whatever you like, really. Looks like we'll be taking heads together from now on, hehen~."

With that said, she extended her hand to greet the legendary warrior.

[m139]

Marina Knightly

Perfect. Everything was perfect. She had designed this place, and had it built to make it perfect. Located in a side room of a small building the northwest end of her family's property, this was the perfect workshop. Everything was just right for today's events. Everything from the elaborately drawn summoning circle on the floor to the old, musty smelling leather bound book in her hands. And the ritual, too would be perfect.

And it was. She smiled, satisfied with herself when the able-looking servant arrived. She listened with a sort of self gratifying pleasure as the other introduced herself. And then...

Then came a statement- or rather, question- she was absolutly not expecting.

"Have you ever fought a War, Master?"

What? she thought, This was not supposed to happen. Why this question? What?

"Well, I, umm," she stumbled, trying to find the right words, "Well I, uh, no. Not exac- well, not at all. But I have done other things! And read the books. It will be fine, I'm sure."

She took a deep breath, then tried to get everything back on track to the perfect way it was supposed to be. "Anyway, I am your master, Marina. Is there anything you will be needing?"



Joe Gotnone
He was in a dark and swirling mass of, well, blackness. There might have been voices, or there might not have been. He could not really tell. He could not even tell if the noises were human, animal, or something else. All he could see was the moving blackness, in which his formless form was falling, falling, deeper and deeper.

And suddenly, he stopped falling. Without so much as "clunk" he landed in himself, and his eyes opened and saw...

Directly in front of him, was another face. Except, it was not just another face. Instead, this one was staring at him with a hundred eyes: two where they were supposed to be, and a bunch of tiny red ones, mixed in everywhere else. In his tired state, he could not tell whether the man was wearing a mask, or if the face was the mask.

And he did not try to figure it out. He was too busy with a more important task: trying to keep himself awake. In fact, he could barely hear the words the other spoke to him. All he heard was something that sounded something like a threat. And then came the penetrating words of the other: "It's straining. I know it is. But I am now a part of you, like it or not."

Indeed it was straining. Even to get the next words out was hard. But, despite the difficulty, both in hearing the first question and in his own vocolazation, he managed to speak, although in a softer tone,

"Do what is necessary."

Then, he passed out.



Saber

An ordinary person dies, and, like the dust which they are made of, his story is soon dispersed by the winds of time. But a hero, well, a hero does not die. He goes on living. And sometimes in more than one way.

He heard the call. The call to cross that bridge he had once crossed long ago. To come back into a world he had long since left. To stand up, and fight again. Even if others fled.

And so he crossed the bridge, and in doing so, pledged to defend another before he came back.

He entered into a circle of swirling golden leaves, and the crisp, cool breeze of autumn surrounded him. And, in front of him, she stood.

The one who had called him.

She spoke, gave her introduction, and extended her hand.

In response, the servant she had summoned, dressed in ancient Roman armor that glinted faintly in the light, took the hand, and shook it firmly, nodding his head slightly as he did so.

"And I," he said, "am servant Saber. Or Horatius, if you wish. I give you my sword."

[MatrixOne]

Rider

So her Master had no firsthand experience in any conflict whatsoever...

...

A few seconds passed as Rider mulled over that fact.

...

"I see. You have extensive knowledge, but little experience, am I right? Knowledge is valuable in a war." She finally said, hoping to sound encouraging. The truth was that while Rider did hold the title of an officer, she was never good at actually leading or planning. She never wanted to be anything other than a simple soldier.

After making sure the room was safe, she faded her armor back into spirit form, instead manifesting clothing more appropriate for the current era - a navy blue suit without a tie, something a bodyguard of an important businessman would wear. Rider had to mingle with the upper class during her life, and her fashion sense carried over to what clothing she could manifest. There was a distinct lack of jewelry except for the silver circlet in her hair, and her clean white shirt with the top button undone contrasted Rider's upper class appearance with her soldierly aura, the kind that made her look ready for combat at any moment.

With her armor and weapons invisible, Rider was aiming to seem less threatening to Marina. The common misconception about Servants was that they were just more complicated familiars, made to fight and listen to orders. But Rider knew how important the human aspect of a soldier was in a war, and how much the mutual respect between the soldier and the officer really mattered. Of course, Marina was the officer here - and Rider had no objections to that.

"I appreciate your honesty, Master." She smiled. "To answer your question, there is nothing I currently need. As a Servant, I don't have to eat or sleep to function properly and am ready for orders at all times. However, if I may ask... How are you feeling?"

She paused to think of a right choice of words.

"...Are you doubting my combat abilities, because I am a woman?" She asked. "Don't. I can say with complete certainty that my skill in direct combat can't be matched by anyone, in fact, I could take on any Servant even without my weapons with me. There's only so much experience one can accumulate within a single lifetime, and the lives of heroes are generally very short. That was not the case with mine." She spoke with a cocky smile, trying to state everything as objective truth. "My abilities earned me a place as the first female officer in the history of my country, so there's no need for concern. If you find a target for me, I will hit it."

***

Caster

His laughter shook the walls of the Workshop, the overwhelming influence of a Servant pressing against the feeble Boundary Field, threatening to destroy it with the very pressure of his presence. It was so loud, the screams of the devoured Magus hardly even reached Joe's ears.

And as the boy drifted off to sleep, he saw flashes of images. His newly formed link to the Servant was projecting a vision, taking his dream.

...

He saw a pit of endless, formless mass, swirling with a single desire for eternity.

He saw a boy standing over that pit.

He saw the scorching sun hanging over the orange tiles of a rooftop in Florence, and a bird peering through the window, knocking its beak against the glass to get the attention of the girl sleeping inside.

He saw the sun go down, replaced by the moon, and the moon trade places with the sun. Each time, the bird would come back. Each time, its body would be darker, more worn. The cycles went by so fast, days just blinking in and out turning into years, and those into centuries.

But the bird kept coming back. The inky mass that formed its shape refused to let it go.

And when she would open the window and shoo it away, it would come back another morning, its eyes red as a demon's, and when she was long dead and the mansion destroyed, there was always the shadow hovering above, watching it happen. In one blink, arrows flew over the rooftops, and in the next it was gunshots. The world changed, but the animal stayed.

There was no boy anymore, and no bird, and no house - what remained was a disgusting monster. Each day, it had to be there, to trace the familiar remains with its stare.

How could a creature so horrible, be so sad?

...

The dream ended abruptly, Joe's consciousness dragged back into present day.

"These memories are not yours to see." Caster said, looking down on the boy. "Stay out of them."

They were inside some sort of a comfy lodge. Joe was tucked in a bed that smelled of girly perfume, and the wooden walls along with the howl of the wind outside made it feel like a holiday trip location. The complete lack of Japanese furniture was confusing enough that it could seem like they'd moved to another country while Joe was out.

The Command Seals on Joe's hand were pulsing painfully. There was... something nearby, that's what they seemed to be saying.

... something dangerous.

Caster's brow twitched. "If you pass out again, I'll make sure you never wake up. The owner of this house is close, and it's only a matter of time before they come here to kill us." He sighed. "Seeing you might change their minds. If not, what happens... happens."

It made sense that seeing a monster like Caster inhabiting a house would call for killing him immediately. But Joe didn't look like a monster at all...

Caster seemed unsatisfied with himself. "This... house. It seemed perfectly ordinary and secluded, but apparently there was a Magus living here. I can't imagine what sort of an amateur wouldn't even create the simplest warning measures, but there it is."

Caster's vampiric silhouette looked out of place in this room full of stuffed animals and cute patterns on the curtains. He was fidgeting around, the black smoke radiating from his presence avoiding the porcelain figurines stacked on the shelves. Over their heads, the sound of scratching limbs on the rooftop indicated Caster had the house secured and safe, at least.

***

Alexandra Alanai

The squeeze of her handshake got that much tighter when she heard Saber reveal his name out loud.

"Ssh! Don't just say those things, are you serious? What if-"

The sound of shuffling leaves made her turn around, and there it was. A monster that, despite its external form of an animal, was undoubtedly a familiar (http://puu.sh/mcHpm/10a15a14b6.jpg). Alex had her own surveyors in the air, but when she checked their assigned places within her mind, she got no response. They were all gone.

As much as she wanted, she couldn't just blame it all on Saber, because she was the one who chose this place for a summoning. Even if the owner of the familiar hadn't heard Saber's name, he saw the Summoning Circle plain as day. In a place without normal humans, being ambushed by a Servant was a real danger regardless of the time.

"...And now they know. We've got to go." She pulled her Servant straight out of the handshake, hoping to get to the lodge before any reinforcements could make it.

... but she was too late.

The sleek black form of a predator coming for them from between the trees. At first, Alex thought it was a bear. But it wasn't a bear. The size checked out, but not the physical form.

It was a giant tiger.

Alex froze in her spot. "Can't be... Is that a...?"

She didn't finish her sentence. The leap was so fast, she couldn't even raise a hand to stop it. It was nowhere near the level a regular animal could ever achieve.

She'd shout for Saber to help, but the beast was too quick to let her get a word out.

[m139]

Marina Knightly

Silence. Was Silence a good thing? The uncertainty of silence certainly was not. Had she made a mistake in the summoning? Maybe she wasn't ready for this. Maybe she would never be ready for this... Maybe this was all a mistake! Around and around the thoughts swirled in her head. And then the silence was broken. She spoke the expected answer. And then...

How are you feeling? What kind of a question was that! Luckily for Marina, before she could answer, her servant continued, with a much easier question.

To which Marina answered with a smile and laugh.

"Because your a woman? Why would I doubt you because of that? I'm a woman! And between you and me... women are generally more competent than men.

She smiled to herself, then turned to the window.

"Now," she said, "There should not be anyone around here... we are kind of out of the way for those opponents... We will have to go into the city for that... And as to who we will have for them... Rin, most likely. But she will be last.



Joe Gotnone

Blackness again. Then memories, rushing. Things he had never seen before. Disorder, sadness, pain, horror. Then suddenly, light.

It was over. The same face was looking down at him again. "Those memories are not for you to see." it said.

Memories... Memories?

Suddenly, what had happened- or at least, part of what had happened, came back to him. The girl- the shortcut on the way home- the darkness- then the sudden waking- that face- the scream. The scream!

He stood up and looked around, but, of course, the woman was gone. What had happened? He looked at his arm. There were the three symbols, each one pulsing with the same, incessant beat. Slowly, he sank back into his chair. How much he would have loved to once again to fall into the peaceful blackness of unconsciousness... But how impossible that was for one who is wide awake in a mix of disbelief, horror, and uncertainty.

He heard the scratching of the tree limbs outside. Somehow, this simple sound was enough to break him from his stupor. He had no clue what he was going to do now- he had never really even wanted to be in this war, school was trying hard enough to kill him as it was, but now, it looked like he did not have a choice. Of course, he could always just tell his servant to kill himself- itself- theirselves? I t didn't matter. He couldn't somehow, he seemed to be able to identify his own self with it- as if it, too, were lost in some strange way...

He walked to the curtain, and pulled it open slightly. Outside was a beautiful little sculptured garden, or it would have been, had it been a bit earlier in the spring. Now, it was mostly brown, and the few flowers that remained were dropping their petals, giving up on whatever last hold they had on life...

Joe dropped the curtain, then shivered, even though the air was not that cold. Then, he spoke, still looking at the now closed curtains:

"I don't know where we are... I have never been in this part of town... possibly countryside before... I... don't know..."

Don't know what? he asked himself.

Soon enough, the voices answered back, don't know anything.

So what? he answered himself back

You will fail. You will die. came his ready response.

But that doesn't mean I can't try. His own answer to himself was shaky at beast, but it was something. And even a tiny sliver of hope was worth holding onto in his once safe world, now crumbling apart.

He turned to the only other in the room, the one who had saved him from that woman. Perhaps he would live until tomorrow? He was not sure. But at least he had someone who would help him.

"So," he said, his voice a bit more resolute than before, "What do you suggest we do?"



Saber

It was coming from her left. The giant Tiger that could easily squash her. Without even thinking, his right arm had reached for his sword, even as she was releasing his left.

With a magnificent whoosh, the tiger leapt into the air, and the muscles in his leg, once tensed, now had released their energy as they completed the silky black arc.

And in the same moment, the sword was drawn, and its owner tensed his own muscles, contracting as the other extended himself towards the one he was going to protect...

And then the tiger began its downward decent. It eyed its target, and with a snarl, descended toward it, paws extended, mouth opened, large dirty teeth exposed...

And then suddenly, it was knocked to her right. Snarling, it fell on its side and attempted to roll over onto its back and get at its attacker, who had sprung from the ground and knocked it out of the way with the thrust of his sword.

As the tiger rolled, the swordsman skillfully withdrew his sword, cutting part of it side as he did so. And with the tiger in its prone position, he took a couple of steps upward to avoid its paws and swung at the neck...

Then the tiger was no more.

"Quickly," he said, speaking to the one onlooker, "Master, we must go to a safer place. You lead, and I shall be behind you."

[MatrixOne]

Rider

The tension was broken by her Master's laugh. Thankful for it, Rider laughed with her, allowing a smile to linger afterwards.

"Times have changed indeed, Master. It took me years just to prove my competence to men, but I came to find that not one of them complained when I saved their lives. In the end, no one could deny I was a soldier... I grew up among soldiers. My dad was a Major, and as far as I know, my birthplace was a military camp. The first toy I had was an unloaded gun." She shook her head, still smiling. "Hah... I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Having a pleasant conversation wasn't the interaction she'd expected to have with a new Master. However, as soon as Marina mentioned the matters of War, Rider's focused expression returned.

"Understood. If we patrol the city at night time, that will flush out any enemies. I'll be able to handle them, offensively or defensively depending on their power levels, but they'll likely be backed up by their Masters. I understand you'll have no problem destroying enemy Magi." Marina's strength was a no-brainer, the way she spoke about competence. "That Rin won't know what hit her, Master." Rider allowed the smile to return to her again. If Marina were a military leader, Rider would never be this casual. However, in light of their interaction, it seemed the two of them were closer in rank than the title of Master would imply.

***

Caster

The boy was completely lost, on all levels possible. Caster never thought someone could be this incompetent, and he used to be a teacher. ... A long time ago.

"Get a hold of yourself. You are a Magus, no matter how weak. Act like it." He said through his teeth, his dark aura dimming the lights of the room to the point that only his pale skin was visible in the darkness. "As long as I am here, no harm will befall you. Do you understand? None. You are under my protection - if you die, I die."

The mental link between Joe and Caster was enough that Joe could partially see into Caster's mind.

Or what was left of it. The man's mind was pure chaos, guided by urges and instinct, rather than rational thought. He seemed composed, but that was due to his nature, not choice. It felt as though he was as likely to throw himself at prey as he was to read a book in silence. He was a human, an animal, a monster, a familiar... all at once, each taking part in a whole that was Caster.

And this thing, this Caster, was what Joe decided to ask for advice.

"Hmph. I see. If there is no point in talking, then we should destroy them both."

More red points popped out in the darkness, the eyes of beasts emerging from Caster's body.

***

Alexandra Alanai

The blur of gold and black - a fight of a Servant and some manner of beast, everything happening too quickly to pick out individual movements. Before Alex could say a word, the tiger was struck down, melting into a black mass that soaked into the ground as quickly as it appeared.

"That's not a normal Familiar..." She was about to give Saber a lecture on Familiars, but the Servant interrupted her, asking to lead the two of them to safety. "Yeah, you're probably right. My Workshop is just around here, it's like a winter cabin in the woods... Really old-school. We'll be safe there, come on." She pulled him after her.

...

It took them a few minutes to reach the cabin, however...

"Something's not right... There should be less monsters, not more." Alex muttered, peering at the cabin from behind Saber. The giant black spiders crawling on the walls and roof were not part of the local wildlife. "I hate to break it to you, Saber, but I think a Servant just used my home as a Workshop. We're now officially homeless, and I left my wallet in my coat, which is in the house, so I can't book us into a hotel."

She sighed.

"I guess our course of action will depend on... whether you can kill everything in sight. These are Caster's Familiars, so Magic Resistance should cancel out most spells he could throw out. I'll draw them out, so if they look too strong... Just pick me up and run, all right?"

She sprang up from behind Saber, not letting him see her face to figure out if she was serious about that last part, or not. She just pattered over to a clearing where every monster could see, put her hands together at her mouth like a megaphone, and shouted:

"Hey, you! Find your own Workshop, damn it! Saber can destroy you in seconds, so the smart choice would be running away, now." With that said, she looked over her shoulder at Saber. "You're a Roman, right? So you fought ancient beasts and the like. Should have no problem..."

A few dozen red eyeballs were already looking at them.