#Pardon the absurd length and feel free to cut everything above the divider

[wroughtironhero]

In Circles

@nordiixa

Chaldea Security Organization, Western Europe 02/08/2016 22:58 Humanity Foundation Status: Critical

     “Are you sure it’s wise to be using our resources so frivolously?  Our summoning materials are limited and you haven’t exactly had exceptional luck with-”

     The shield sparks to life with magical energy once more, before fizzling out into nothingness once more.

     “Damn it!!”

     My Master tugs at her own hair and doubles over as she screams in frustration.  It’s now late in the evening and she’s been trying at summoning since this afternoon.  Even Miss Kyrielight has abandoned her for the necessity of sleep.  At the moment, the two of us are the only ones still awake in the halls of the Chaldea Security Organization.

               No, that’s not entirely true.  Doctor Akiman is awake as well, but the man only rests when he eventually faints from exhaustion.  It’s a worrying habit, but one that would be inappropriate of me to correct.  As a being that truly does not require rest, it’s not my place to object to the Doctor’s chosen schedule.

     The well-being of my Master is an entirely different story, however.

     “Why...  Why won’t anyone show up...?”

     The pitiable young woman I’m contracted to is now on all fours and the verge of tears.  I walk to her side and crouch beside, gently placing a hand on her shoulder in a pithy attempt at comforting her.

     “There’s no need to be distraught, Master.  Grief won’t improve your chances of success.  Regardless, you already employ the services of several strong Servants.  We are not without the means to defeat our enemies.”

     I mean to console her, but the strength of our ranks is no lie.  Aside from myself, there is also Lily, Heracles, Altera, Drake, Jack, and a number of... other powerful Servants.  Ones who I’m less than enthusiastic about working alongside.

     She glances up at me still distraught, wiping away tears with the sleeve of her uniform.

     “But we are!!  We’re still not strong enough!  Solomon, he...”

     So, that’s what this is about.

     Darkness clouds my expression as I remember our encounters in the London singularity.  As though encountering Mordred, Zolgen, and his twisted abomination of Saber were not unpleasant enough, we also had the misfortune of learning the identity of our greatest enemy.  The being who intends to permanently eradicate humanity is none other than the King of Magic himself, Solomon the Wise.  Wielding the power of the Grand Caster vessel and that of the complete Ars Goetia, it’s a wonder to think he can be called a Heroic Spirit anymore.  Even fighting with everything we had, we only survived because he chose not to destroy us.  Unless we can find some way to level the playing field, the human race is doomed.

     That’s why she’s so desperate to summon another top class Servant.  Humanity’s continued existence is riding on her and she doesn’t have the luxury of failing.  To be burdened with such an awful responsibility as not even an amateur magic user, it simply isn’t fair.

     Yet even so, she took it upon herself.

     I let out a sigh, folding my arms and shutting my eyes before responding.

     “Don’t tell me you’re losing sleep over something like that.”

     That comment seems to catch her by surprise.  She stares at me in confusion, her breath hitching with her sporadic sniffles.

     “Of course I am!  Everyone’s counting on me, but I... I don’t have any idea how we’re supposed to beat him...”

     I shake my head at her like a bemused parent and help her to her feet.  Once she’s steady, I turn my gaze upwards to the spinning globe of Chaldeas hanging above our heads and the darkened world it displays.

     “Sure, Solomon can burn the world to cinders.  He has an army of infinite demons behind him and he’s the most powerful magus in existence.  He clearly thinks he’s invincible.  So has everyone we’ve defeated before him.”

     My Master is not without her own problems so it would seem.  You could say I sympathize with her.  I know that it’s like to be thrown into an unreasonable situation.

     An amateur magic user fighting against impossible odds in a Holy Grail War with the fate of the world at stake.  This goes a step beyond nostalgia.  It’s more like a waking nightmare.  She knows she’s walking into hell, but she keeps trying to save everyone she can with a smile on her face.  Honestly, I’m getting tired of seeing this old reflection.

     “Hubris is the word for it.  Underestimating your enemy is the surest route to defeat.  Solomon will discover this in time, same as the others.  I’m sure of it.”

     Even so, I can’t help but be fond of seeing it.  In a way, she’s like proof that these ideals lived on.

     Yeah, I am sure of it.  She’s cleared up any doubts I still had.  My Master really has a beautiful dream.

     She swallows hard, trying to regain her composure as she stares up at me.

     “How...  How do you know that for sure?”

     Surprised to hear such a question from her, I look down to meet her eyes and give her my answer.

     “That much should be obvious.  It’s because you’re my Master.”

     Shock spreads across her face for an instant before it gives way to a rosy cheeked smile.  Before I can react, her arms are latched around my midsection in a tight hug.  A single quiet chuckle leaves me as I allow her embrace to continue.

     So this is the Grand Order, huh?  It really is unlike any other conflict I’ve been a part of.

     I pat her head gently and she eventually lets go, crossing her arms behind her back.  Her smile only grows brighter as she beams up at me.

     “Thanks, Archer.  I’m glad I have such a reliable Servant.”

     Normally, I’d fight the smile such an exchange would threaten to bring out of me.  For this moment though, I’m willing to make an exception.  This girl really is something else.

     “And I’m fortunate to have such a persistent Master.  Here,” I say to her as I reach into her bag.  Withdrawing a handful of Saint’s Quartz, I place it into her open palm.  “Just one more shot and then we’ll call it for today.  Okay?”

     She nods, smiling through the tears still formed in her eyes, and grasps the magical energy constructs in her fist with confidence.  “Okay!”

     Striding up the shield, she crushes the prisms in her hand before opening it outward to the shield, offering the miraculous energy as fuel for the summoning.  The shield comes to life once again, a summoning circle made of light hovering above it.  After a moment of hesitation, her incantation begins.

     “Heroic Spirit unbound by time, hear my call.  We stand at the precipice of mankind’s ruin.  If nothing is done, our plunge into darkness will be final and absolute.  Answer me and fulfill your role as a hero of legend.  Join my cause and fight by my side against the enemy of humanity.  I ask of you...  No.  By my command, come forth, Servant Lancer!”

     The summoning circle emanates forth a blinding golden light.  As the light fades and my vision returns to me, I’m made aware of the statuesque feminine figure before me.  She’s an unspeakably beautiful Nordic warrior, clad in intricately detailed armor and wielding a menacing spear with two giant blades at its tip.

     My Master winces in pain as the red markings on the back of her hand flash with light.  Staring at the newly arrived Servant and then her command spells, she sports a toothy grin before leaping in the air with a pump of her fist.

     “Haha, it worked!!  Archer, we’ve got a new Lancer!  ...Archer?”

     My Master turns to me in confusion, curious as to my lack of a response.  My eyes stare past her, transfixed on the Noble Phantasm of our new arrival.

     Using my structural analysis magecraft, I can scan any weapon in my sight and learn the entirety of its history.  This skill and my extensive knowledge of mythology allows me to determine the identity of other Servants far more quickly than your average Servant.  In this case, discovering this Lancer’s identity is easier than usual because of her Noble Phantasm.  None could wield that spear save for the tragic heroine of the Volsung Saga herself, the maddened Valkyrie, Brynhildr.

     Her eyes snap to meet mine as I feel her read my soul just as I read her polearm.  It’s the basis of her personal skill, Hero’s Bridesmaid.  It allows her to learn the legend of any Heroic Spirit she faces, gaining an advantage against and becoming infatuated with them if their legend is a romantic one.  Of course, becoming the object of her affections has an obvious end result, as the man who slew Fafnir could no doubt tell you.

     An incomparable agony assaults me as her search begins.  My mind strains in protest as she delves through my past, desperate to find the intimacy she seeks and sink her fangs into it.  Static fills my vision as my resistance renders me paralyzed in concentration, denying her taking every ounce of energy available to me.

    ‘          I ask of you.  Are you my Master?’

     Precious memories hidden deeply within me are laid bare before the Valkyries prying eyes.  Days spent together even in the midst of War, I treasure them all more than any sword I’ve ever beheld.  Even fallen to the depths that I have, I never allowed myself to forget those golden moments.  The Valkyrie feasts on my sentiment like a leech on an exposed vein, empowering herself through my weakness.

     ‘          I finally understand.  You were my sheath          ’

     Despite my protests, she sees it all.  Every awkward conversation, every stubborn argument, every fight for our lives, every private moment; the dream we shared is on full display to a third set of eyes who should have never seen it. Her assault seems to go on without end until finally she finds the moment she sought.

     ‘Shirou          I love you.’

     Damn it.

     The struggle barely lasted longer than a second and it’s decided just as quickly.  Raising my hands up and projecting swords into them, I just barely block the spear’s thrust tip as it hovers perilously close to my chest.  Brynhidlr’s absurd speed to meet me created a gust of wind so powerful my Master was blown off her feet.  While struggling against the Valkyrie in bladelock, in the periphery of my vision, I see my Master crawling to bring herself upright, staring at me with a single eye open and a baffled grimace across her face.  As I attempt to speak instructions to her through my clenched teeth, the weight of the Valkrie’s weapon increases, launching me backwards into the depths of the facility.

     The sound of clashing metal and searing magic echoes through the halls of Chaldea, warning any staff awoken by the sound to take cover.  Sadly, it’s not the first time something like this has happened.

     The spear’s blade narrowly passes over my head, taking a few loose hairs with it, before carving out a deep gash in the hallway’s interior.  Her next swing meets Bakuya solidly, shattering the yin sword and prompting a new projection to take its place in the same instant.  I attempt to use the opening to deliver a plunging counter attack, but she bats away my stab with a deft twirl of her polearm and forces me to retreat even further backwards.

     My cloak’s in tatters.  I’ve suffered a dozen different grazing blows I’m doing my best to ignore.  As for the facility...  Well, I’m glad there are Casters on hand.  Our new recruit’s wrecked every inch of this place she’s been through chasing after me and doing the repair work by hand is not a pleasant thought.  Granted, I’ve contributed to the property damage a good deal while trying not to die, but I don’t think anyone will hold that much against me.  Assuming I survive, of course.

     Another sweep leveled at my head.  She seems to be targeting my head and chest exclusively.  I can only assume the face and heart focus are symptomatic of the homicidal obsession.  I continue to dodge and parry her blows as we move ever further through the labyrinthine facility.

     Alright, I think it’s time I was honest with myself.  I might have bitten off more than I can chew here.  I’m at a severe disadvantage fighting Lancers and seeing as the Sabers aren’t arriving as backup, this won’t end well at the rate we’re going.  She’s backing me into a corner and I’m running out of space.  Unless I pull a win out of this quick, I’ll be completely at her mercy.  My thing for dangerous women might finally be catching up to me.

    As her spear comes for me again, I catch it between my monochrome swords, bringing us to a temporary standstill.  Desperation and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I decide to employ one of my more unconventional tactics: conversation.

     “Listen, this might be a bit late but,“ I say to her, increasing my volume so as to be heard over the sound of our straining steel.  “I’m not Sigurd.  Killing me would be of absolutely no benefit to you.  You know that, right?”

     While trying to reason with the Valkyrie driven insane by heartbreak might not seem like the best idea right now, I haven’t tried it yet and until it makes my situation worse, I’m willing to give it a shot.