It was a normal day in Chaldea like any other.
Servants scattered around the facility. Some were stuck in the library, some prefered to make food, others enjoyed their time ducking it out in the simulator.
All was well in the world.
Unless you count the extinction of humanity as a bad thing.
But for Ritsuka Fujimaru, this was her world now. And as she woke up, stretching with a long yawn, she couldn't help but feel optimistic.
Why, you might ask?
Well, she had a very good feeling about this day. That, and Da Vinci said that she hooked up the new grail to the systems. Which means more servants and more stories to go around. And she was giddy to meet new people. That they were additional firepower in the herculean task of helping humanity was an added bonus.
The door opened with a "woosh".
-Good morning, Senpai.
Ritsuka covered her yawn and motioned the shielder to come closer and as Mash did, Ritsuka grabbed her and pulled into the sheets with her, snuggling. And while Mash could resist, she was, perhaps, too flustered to do anything about it.
For herself, Ritsuka noted that Mash pillow was the best.
*******
-Alright, Fujimaru, you are free to start, - said Romani Archaman through the intercom, getting a grin in return.
-I have a good feeling about this one… - she muttered to herself and prepared mentally.
What's important to note is that there is no set summoning chant for the FATE system. And while there didn't seem to be any correlation between words spoken and servant summoned, Ritsuka begged to differ. It always felt special to her to use a different chant. She even summoned an avenger this way once. Her verbal battles with Romani on this topic always led to Da Vinci, who just smiled enigmatically, not even trying to hide that yes, she knows how this works and no, she won't be telling them.
Anyway, today she felt like doing something special.
Let the silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the Archduke of contracts be the foundation.
It's black that I pay tribute to.
The color came to her the moment she spoke it. It felt right
Let the walls of time collapse,
Let the future meet past and converge in the present.
Let the weight of your past not matter
And the accomplishments of your future be virtue.
Let it be declared now, that your sword shall hold my fate,
As my life holds yours.
Here comes the part where she chooses the class.
You who wears mask not your own
Shall be welcomed here
And shall be the grain that tips the scales
Of humanity's salvation in its favor.
An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall prove unrestrained in my goodwill
And withhold judgment on sin
She really didn't know where that last one came from, but at this point, she found it pointless to question her artistic genius.
Let it be heard in the darkest corners of this world,
That the cycle shall be broken here
And the heavenly balance - restored.
The mana in the surroundings surged with power and rushed to the circle, creating gusts of wind and making Ritsuka take a step back. It then all turned into a pillar of light from which a figure stepped out.He wore a mask black as night, accented by his hair of the same color. The white shirt stood out in all of the blackness of his appearance. Black gloves, black suit, black tie, black shoes. To be honest, it was all rather unnerving. And maybe she imagined things, but it suddenly seemed so… quiet?
But a second later the feeling was gone, the gloves and the mask disappeared in motes of blue and a perfectly average man stood in front of her, an easy-going smile on his face.
-Hello, name is Roland. Just a washed up grade 9 fixer. Class Pretender. Hope we get along. You are my Master, right?
-Yep, that's me! Name is Ritsuka Fujimaru. And I dunno what "grade 9" is supposed to mean, but I honestly don't care. Welcome on board!
-Well, you certainly feel more welcoming than my last boss, - he said and then silently mumbled the last part - I'm not a few limbs short, at least…
Ritsuka, of course, remained oblivious to it.
-Yeah, what happened? - she asked, unable to suppress her curiosity and trying to keep the conversation going.
-I'll erm, I'll tell you some other time. For now, how about you give me the tour around the place and give me a reality lowdown. The era is certainly new to me… and the saving humanity part was rather hard to believe.
-Sure! Let's go!- ever energetic, Ritsuka wasted no time invading personal space and getting the hold of Roland's sleeve, she dragged him out of the room.
The exchange very much reminded Roland of his wife. She too was rather quick to close the distance. Minus the energy though. Angelica was more relaxed in that aspect.
As they left the room, the silence overtook it and Romani, having been left behind, tried to check on the spirit origin of their new servant. He only gained one piece of solid information, though.
-The guy is from the future…
******
-Okay, to summarize, there is this wizard dude…
-A magus.
-No difference to me. He planted some things called Grails into the past, which made people in there go batshit insane and changed the course of history, which all together made it disappear, right?
-Pretty much. These points in history are called singularities, by the way.
-Huh, the only word I'm familiar with, and it has a different meaning. Although, time-space alternation does sound like the kind of singularity I would be familiar with…
-You guys have singularities as well? - she tilted her head confused, but very eager to find out the juicy details.
-Ah, well. What year is it?
-2016.
-...It looks like the calendar is a rather bad starting point. Let's start with where we are, then.
-Antarctica.
-...Nevermind. I have no idea where we are either.
-Wait, alright. Where are you from, Roland?
-The City.
-Good, what's its name?
-Its name is literally "The City".
The usually silent corridors became even more silent. They stared at each other with the underlying "well this is awkward" look until Ritsuka decided that enough is enough.
-You know what, I'm not about to deal with this without a good cup of joe and a breakfast. You in?
-Couldn't have put it better myself, - Roland smiled and followed after his new employer.
And they were off to the cafeteria.
*****
-Okay, let's start from the top then, - declared Ritsuka, - Tell me who you are, what you do and stuff like that. Where you are from.
-Erm, as I said, name is Roland. I am from the Backstreets of the City. A Fixer. - seeing her not getting it, he clarified, - A Mercenary in the simplest terms. I'm currently at the bottom of the barrel in terms of grading. I mean, to be fair, my current occupation is a librarian in a very special Library, but I was summoned to get the dirty job done, so I decided to present myself like this.
-A-ha, sounds hard to believe, your stats except luck - Roland winced, - are all at least C. That's average, but it also means your legend is a rather well-known one.
-Well, word on the street spreads rather fast in The City y'know.
-Uhum, and what are you known for?
-Well, I eliminated a few Star of The City level threats and killed a distortion and then did some more.
It was all, clearly, flying over her head, but Roland really couldn't thank her lack of knowledge enough. His past was something he didn't want to disclose in too great detail.
-So, basically, you are famous.
-Well, yeah, more or less. There are people more powerful and more well-known. Red Mist, for example, is legendary in status.
-That name sure sounds cool. Do you have a nickname like that as well?
-First of all, it's not a nickname. If you are a fixer with a shit ton of strength and notoriety Hana association will give you the color and you will officially become a semi-legendary existence in the field.
-Ha, maybe I should try summoning someone like that? - Ritsuka mused out loud.
-I… wouldn't really recommend it. Most of the people of The City are touched in the head. So, please, - and he really looked pleading, - never summon the blue sicko, unless you want this facility gone in a day.
-Will he try to kill everyone or something?
-No, I will kill him, but whatever happens in between is hard to say.
Ritsuka pondered on that piece of info for a moment.
-He really that bad?
-Every bit as bad as they come.
-Hah… But what about others?
-I mean, they are fine? There is Vergilius, Red Gaze, the guy is certainly powerful, pretty composed as well. There is also… that hag, Purple Tear. Rumor has it she can walk different dimensions.
This made Ritsuka brood for a bit. Could this Purple Tear lady be another version of Zelretch?
She ultimately found it pointless to consider. Lest she finds out she talked smack, comes here and screws with her in some way.
-Actually, I have another question. Shouldn't you have been given information on the world and era with the summoning?
-I only got bare bones. Dunno why. I reckon these operations have someone responsible for technical issues. Ask them.
-Fair enough, I guess. Oh, do you have any questions instead?
-Yeah, I…
At that moment an Archer in red came and put the food on their table.
-You know, it's you who is supposed to pick these up, right? - he gave Ritsuka an unamused stare.
-He-he, sorry Emiya. This is our new addition, by the way.
-Hello, name is Roland. Class Pretender, - he offered a hand to the archer.
EMIYA wasn't so fast to reciprocate.
-Call me Archer or EMIYA. I'm usually in charge of the kitchen. Need something cooked you ask either me or Boudica.
With that, he turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.
-Well, that guy was stiff.
-Don't mind him. Under all that gruff he is very caring.
-I'll trust your word then. So, back to the question. The lowdown. Are there any other human settlements, for one?
-Yikes. Alright, what do you know about the geography of the world?
-Only that before whatever shit hit the fan, there was more landmass to go around and use.
-So, not even what they were called, what countries were there?
-Nada.
-I suddenly don't feel like finding out where you came from.
-And that's a good thing. Means you still have your marbles with you.
-That bad?
-That bad.
In place of thousands words the silence in itself was the answer.
-Anyway, I'll need a map to explain everything, but in simpler terms. We live on a planet, the planet is round, and has a lot of earth but even more sea. Enough land for at least a hundred countries to form.
Roland whistled. That was a lot of land.
-In between all of those there are forests and fields, and volcanos and, you know, geography.
-I actually don't. There isn't a single not populated corner of the city. Vegetation is something you can scarcely see in the backstreets. Maybe if you are lucky you can find it in a nest,- he then saw her confusion, - a better part of the city, basically.
She nodded.
-Anyway, the population is, erm, was about half way to eight billion.
-Wait, really? - Roland tried to verify something.
-What's so surprising?
-I don't know just how big we are talking, but City had at least seven billion people. And that's with the high lethality rates.
-I… don't really have an answer for that, sorry. Moving on, these countries speak different languages, like Russian, Korean, Japanese…
-So that's why your name sounds familiar, - he then started talking in Japanese, instead of English - I know a bit of Japanese.
-Weren't you given it with the summoning?
-Nope. I picked it up for work, actually. There is a lady in charge of the fourth ranked association. We are acquaintances.
-That begs the question - how is there Japanese but no Japan?
-The country which this language comes from is long gone, and at this point, hardly anyone can be bothered with finding out why it's called that way.
-That's… pretty sad, you know, - she said, unsure what to feel.
-That's The City summarized for you. Sad shit happens and you can hardly do anything about it, - Roland shrugged, but you could see in his features, in tensed shoulders, in clenched fists that he wasn't happy with it either.
Conflicting emotions rose in her chest.
-And no one bothered to change it?
Roland's gaze wavered. It went past her, past the walls. To a place far away.
-There were two. One wanted to cure the soul of apathy and give people hope. The other wanted freedom and revenge for years of suffering.
At the last one his lips twitched.
-But in the end she gave up on that goal to escape the vicious cycle.
-You knew her?
It's actually only now that he notices how his lips are slightly turned. He schools his features, but a sign of mirth never leaves his eyes. It was a gaze of someone remembering their friend.
-She showed me that another way exists. She took it, and so did I. She also was my previous Boss.
-She sounds like a very nice lady.
-Ha-ha,-Roland chuckles as the memory of him appearing in The library flashes before his eyes, - Yeah, ha, nice she is.
Ritsuka looked at him funny, but Roland decided to take the conversation somewhere else.
-Can you lead me to the local library? Wanna see what you guys have. And we can continue with this "different countries" spiel.
-Sure, just give me…
-Na-hah. I'll take this to the sink, you sit here.
He entered the kitchen and stumbled on the red haired woman with - and he checked it with the corner of his eye - an unrealistically ample bosom.
-Hi, what do I do with these? Name is Roland, by the way.
-Just put them in the sink there. My name is Boudica.
-A pleasure, I'll be off… actually, do you guys have the ingredients for Pajeon?
- I'm not familiar with it… what is it made out of?
-It's rice flour, regular flour, some green onion, oil.
-Oh, we have those.
-Nice! You mind if I borrow the kitchen in the evening then?
-Give me a second, - she turned to the left, - Archer! Can Roland borrow the kitchen for a bit later? -she half shouted to the over half of the room, where EMIYA was doing his magic on some of the food.
-As long as it's not during the dinner hours. Alaya knows we don't have enough space here. And ingredients.
-Well, you heard the man.
-Sure, - he then shouted - Thanks a bunch Emiya!
A grunt was his answer, and with that, Roland departed for the library.
*******
-Okay, so this is our library. We keep the science related literature there, - she pointed at the far right corner, - The history books there - the shelves next to it, - Geography is the shelf on its right. There are many atlases there. And before I go fetch it, the rest is in order: Fiction, a bit of economy, languages, some books on magecraft for beginners, social studies, a bit of an art gallery, mechanics and schematics, religion, philosophy and the rest is… I dunno, I fell asleep on that last one.
-Don't worry, I can definitely relate to that.
-Oh, right, you did say you worked in the library… Now that I think about it, how a badass like you turned into a librarian?
-Well, it was a very special library that required a very special kind of badass, now shoo, I want to see what you guys… and is this thing not in alphabetical order? And that thing shouldn't be here at all, it should be here.
Giving an incredulous look at the man that got carried away at sorting books (!), Ritsuka promptly excused herself to fetch some atlases.
This was, undeniably, one of the strangest servant quirks she had ever encountered.
******
-Alright, sorry for that. Occupational hazard…-Roland scratched his neck and looked down, trying to conceal his embarrassment.
-It's alright. You are new here, so you don't know, but many great people also have "great" quirks. Yours is rather tame in comparison.
-Oh? Any examples?
Ritsuka pondered. Very hard. Should she subject this poor sod to Elisabeth's singing? Should she spare him?
-If you ever see a girl with pink hair asking you to visit her performance, politely decline and then leave as fast as you can.
Her bleeding heart won out.
-Wow! You look haunted. Hey, a breath in with me, alright. Iiiiin…
She breathed in.
-Ooout.
She breathed out.
-Okay, now you look better. So, what's with these?
-Thanks and, *khem* these are maps. And if you turn to this page…
The world map was presented in all its glory.
-Ta-da! The world map!
Fixer looked confused at first. His expression was clearly telling "you are pulling my leg. The hell is this".But when he didn't see a spec of deception on Ritsuka's face, it changed to pure, unadulterated bewilderment.
-Wooo! I mean. Holy crap! This big?!
His eyes dated to Ritsuka.
-You…!
-No, before you keep asking stupid questions, no, I'm not lying. This is the world map.
His countenance froze somewhere in between immense confusion and unimaginable shock. She was pretty sure, if you paid enough attention, you could hear his worldview being shattered.
All in all, it was rather hard not to laugh.
-Okay, okay… *inhale* *exhale*. Fuuh, alright. Suppose you didn't just destroy my world perception. What's next?
-Funny you should say that. I don't know. What do you want explained in more detail?
His eyes darted to the map. And he suddenly had too many questions.
The "how the fuck did people manage to loose this much ground" and "to what exactly did they lose it" he decided not to voice.
-Basic geography lesson, please, m'am, - he hung his head in a small bow.
-Alright! So this…
The lesson was very informative, albeit lacking in detail. And after all was said and done, Roland took a piece of paper and started drawing something.
-I'm no mapper, so sorry for it being messy, but basically, the City looks kind of like this. It's divided into 26 parts, each named after the letter of the alphabet, each part controlled by a Wing. A Wing is a Corporation which provides the City with what it needs. They can do so faster and with more profit through Singularities. Singularities is a - usually physics defying - technology that can create something or other. For example, the singularity of W. Corp (and have I mentioned that Wings take on the name of the region they settle in?) was transportation. You can enter the train at one point and appear in another in 10 seconds.
-That sounds… very physics defying, alright, - it was now Ritsuka's worldview being tested. This certainly didn't feel like magic. Or maybe it was?
The difference between Roland and RItsuka was - while Roland tried to actively comprehend the madness he was thrown into, Ritsuka gave up somewhere on the first lesson with Da Vinci.
-What you must know about them, though, is that more often than not such singularities come with gruesome drawbacks. The magical 10 second train for exemple, makes you stay in that very same train for at leas a thousand years before you turn up on the other side. You get your memory wiped, tissues rebuilt, and then you are free to go! Ten seconds as advertised.
The girl had trouble visualizing the repercussions of a thousand year journey. Granted, Roland didn't mention that you can't feel hunger, get old and experience gradual mental degradation until you just start killing everyone… No, he wanted his new boss to sleep at night. Besides, it vastly looked like the world was a more forgiving place back in the day, no need to subject her to City horrors.
-Well, I'm sure Da Vinci would've been glad to research them. Sounds like a task fit for her genius level brain.
-Someone important?
-Yeah, basically the Tech-guy… girl of this facility. We are still running because she is so damn good at doing her job.
-...Why the stutter there?
-Well, historically, she was a he…
Roland's features thinned into stone.
-Fascinating. Anyway…-he decided to continue his lecture, - to make the wheels turn, Wings created a special environment called a nest…
-I really like those bird-themed names, by the way.
-Where most of their manpower resides. It's well protected, peaceful, no one tries to murder you in cold blood or make a pie out of you.
-Alright, sounds pretty good so far…
-Problem is, a nest is hardly a half of the territory. What's left is Backstreets with a capital "B".
-And let me guess, turning people into meat pies is a thing there?- her face scrunched from the picture alone. Her stomach audibly churned.
-Oh, no, that's pretty tame. There is no law enforcement there, unlike nests. So you have to pay protection money to either mafia, cults,fanatics, Fixers… well, stuff like that. Or fend for yourself. All manner of things happen there and everyone who grew up there wants to snatch a nest permit and leave the hell hole behind.
-And it's really hard, isn't it?- at this point, no matter how limited, Ritsuka started to get the picture.
It was not a nice one.
-Got it in one.
-And…-after getting her thoughts in order, she decided to get back to asking important questions, - who is in charge?
-Someone called the Head. They established The City and enforced their rule through people called Arbeiters, Claws and Beholders. And you can't try to figure out their identity, because one of the rules of the city is - never try to find out who the head is. Punishable by death, effective upon finding out that you tried. Which is, almost immediately. We are talking from seconds to a few minutes.
-Clairvoyance of some kind maybe?
-I mean, considering magic is real, sure, why not?
-Well, that was informative…-came the third voice from beyond the bookshelves and a universally acknowledged genius stepped into the light.
-Ah, Da Vinci! How much have you heard?
-Most of it, and I must say it sounds so very promising. A future where physics is negated through means not quite human. Makes me excited! A new peak to conquer!
Roland seized the inventor's figure and turned to Ritsuka.
-She is your resident Techie?
-Oh, where are my manners? Leonardo Da Vinci - the most prominent genius of all time. Pleasure to meet you Mr…?
-Roland, Fixer. Pleasure.
-Having listened to your tail, might I ask if you have anything produced by a singularity on your person?
Pondering on it for a bit, his gloves appeared in his hands.
-Singularities aren't limited to just corporations. Some weapon workshops have those as well. These gloves serve as dimension storage for weapons and also muffle sound around you. Making it so that only the swings of your weapons are heard.
Da Vinci's eyes lit up and she made a few steps forward, grabbing Roland's hands.
She began mumbling something but it was incoherent at best.
-Can I take these for…
-No.
-Oh, but I can make them b…
- No .
It was only now that the inventor noticed the steel in his voice. Her body shuddered as their eyes met.
These were the eyes of someone who can make your death veeery painful.
-It's an important memento of my wife. You will not touch it.
Da Vinci's Self Preservation instinct was very vocal about following that particular demand.
-But, - like it was a mirage, his tone lightened and a black mask appeared in his hand, - here, this is my mask. Makes it so that people can't recognize me. They take me for a passersby and forget about my existence almost immediately. They wouldn't remember what I wore, how I smelled. Even if I got out of the most disgusting gutter of The City.
Some of her lost enthusiasm came back.
-And with it, you can tinker alright.
All Da Vinci needed was permission. And as soon as she got it she grabbed a hold of the mask and flew out of the room at mach one.
-Well, that's that…-Roland turned around to Ritsuka and could see her conflicted expression clear as day.
On one hand there was a shock from a sudden display of bloodlust, on the other there was genuine (and Roland somehow knew it was genuine) concern and worry for him. Not to forget a hint of fear mixed in there.
-Er, sorry for going off like that, -he said, scratching his head,-I didn't mean to, it's just… a touchy subject.
-...Do you want to talk about it?
-No. But you can take me to where I'm supposed to live. There is only small stuff left to say anyway. We can discuss it some other time.
-Alright.
-Lead the way then,-Roland gave her a somewhat forced smile and they were off.
*******
Later that same day.
The Fixer entered the kitchen just as Boudica was leaving.
-Oh, Roland. I've taken the liberty to prepare the ingredients beforehand. First shelf in the fridge.
-Wah, thanks a lot. And I'd thought I'd have to search for them.
-Ha-ha, don't worry about it. In exchange however, I'd like to have a bite.
-Hm, sure thing, - he smiled and went to the fridge, preparing all the ingredients and some 20 minutes later Pajeon was done.
Roland brought it out to the common area to be met with…
-The hell you guys are doing here.
-Ah, Roland, some people heard you were going to cook and invited themselves, - said Boudica, her face graced with an apologetic smile.
-Greetings, Roland. My name is Artoria. A pleasure to meet you,-said the regal looking woman with blond hair and an air of dignity about her.
-I just came along because I heard the new guy was cooking, - that came from a blue haired man with wolfish face and red eyes.
-I had to come and see if you didn't burn my kitchen,-quipped EMIYA.
-It's fine and all, but you guys don't actually expect me to give you a bite.
EMIYA and the other guy shook their heads. Boudica and Artoria nodded. Roland facepalmed but decided to share some of it. What can go wrong, right?
-Alright, help yourself.
-Thank you…-said Artotia, and cut the slice of the dish.
And then promptly placed the entirety of what was left on her plate. Wolfing it in seconds. Boudica got the last slice and similarly, finished it quickly. The Archer dressed in red could hardly contain his laughter at Roland's expression.The blue haired spearman grinned lazily. And Artoria… while being unsatisfied with the quantity, was pleased with the flavor.
-It's good. The sides are just crunchy enough and are not burned. The flavor, while simple, is rather good as well. Thanks, Roland! - and only Boudica gave her sincere praise and a warm smile.
The Fixer however, could hardly restrain himself from gripping his own heart. It hurts when someone snatches your meal, you know?!
-Oh, and that was the last of the ingredients that we could spare. We have more, but we need those to feed people, - said EMIYA, a shit-eating grin on full display.
…the bastard was enjoying this.
-Alright, new guy. Now that this horseplay is over, how about a spar?
-And you are?
-Cu Chulainn. Lancer.
Roland gave him a once over.
He did look kind of like a battle junky. He would know, he saw a dozen of those.
-Roland, Fixer. Where do you think we can do that?-agreed Roland. He needed to see how he'd fare against servants. People of legend, supposedly. Not that those reached his time…
-Great,- giving a bloodthirsty smile, Cu led the way out of the cafeteria.
-We have a simulator here in Chaldea. Helps unwind between singularities, settle old scores.
-Or create new ones,-Roland added absentmindedly.
-Ha-ha, you're getting it. We are here.
With practiced motions, Lancer put the necessary information and everything around them started changing.
The quickly changing scenery made Roland look around and find himself…
-A forest clearing?
-Yep. We don't really need extra things here. Just the bare minimum.
Giving a long "hmm" the gloves materialized on Roland's hands.
Suddenly, an already quiet place becomes absolutely silent.
Cu looked around, noticing the abnormality.
-You an assassin? - came from the Irishman, a bit of contempt seeping into his voice.
He never did like betrayers and cowards.
Roland shrugged.
-Try again, - a bit of playful mocking seeped into his voice.
His beloved Durandal appeared in his hands.
-A Saber? Well, I can work with that, - as those words left his mouth, he rushed forward, a blood red spear already in hand.
With a practiced and clean motion, leaving a trail of black behind, the spear was redirected, but Roland was almost too late to block the knee to his gut.
Cu didn't let up.
*CLANK* *CLANK*
With the smallest of motions Durandal parried the spear.
And with each hit Cu's smile widened.
And speed increased.
Step to the right, spear flying by. Step forward, Durandal tries to pierce Cu's calf. Step back, a small cut on his abs.
A block, a parry, a small cut.
In both strength and speed, Roland was losing.
But…
When Cu once again tries to impale him…
He steps forward, a pair of black bracers on him. Grabbing on the spear, Roland swings his right hand and the first solid hit goes to him.
-Ha-ha, not bad.
Too bad it didn't mean much.
With the handle of the spear to the solar plexus, Roland retreats, a pair of swords now in hands.
-Dual wielder? Daring!
He lunches forward, a cut for his shoulder, a block to his assault, a stab for his chest Getting the spear in a fork, the Fixer makes a step back. Cu loses balance for just a second and Roland fires the newly summoned gun.
*BANG-BANG*
But they miss.
As they pick up the distance, Cu chuckles.
-Ha-ha, you are like that Archer bastard. A guy who knows many a weapon.
-Doesn't seem to be helping, no?
-Oh, don't worry. It keeps me on my toes. Anything that's fired just doesn't work on me.
-Great, another blue sicko…-Roland muttered under his breath.
-Well, I know you haven't shown me everything. Come on!
With that, the hound attacked, his assault as vicious as ever.
With a pair of knives, he redirected everything, then swung a pernach with one hand and a hatchet in another. Throwing the spear to the side, Roland moves the hand above his head and a greatsword along with gravity flings the spear out of Cu's hand.
He catches it quickly, but it is already over.
-Mook workshop - Roland, already standing in an iaido stance, draws the katana…
The motion was simultaneous. One moment nothing happened. Another, the cuts appear all over Cu. His arms, his legs, his abdomen. Everything is damaged but most importantly, his right hand is crippled. He tries to grab Gae Bolg with his other hand but…
-Well, guess this is my win.
A long, pointy spear is already in front of his chest.
-You are a Lancer as well, eh?
Librarian smirked.
-A man of many talents.
As the two of them saw themselves out, Cu asked:
-No, seriously, what class are you?
-Pretender.
Cu whistled.
-Where'd you get the skills like that, anyway.
-Y'know, here and there. I'm kind of a merc, so I had to go places, fight people. Stuff like that.
-Understandable. I'll take the dub next time, though.
-Sure thing. You can always try,- Roland gave the hound of Ulster a lopsided grin.
Which was mirrored back.
The two broke apart near their quarters and as Roland sat on his new bed he couldn't help but think out loud:
-Angela, what have you gotten me into?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Silence Stats
Strength - C
Endurance - C+
Agility - B
Mana - C
Luck - E
Skills:
Information Erasure: C
When has his mask on, people won't be able to tell him apart from random passersby, and will quickly erase him from memory. Also prevents True Name Discernment from identifying him.
Presence concealment: D+
With his gloves on, the sound can't escape to the vicinity. Voices are muffled, sounds of steps disappear. Only the sound of his weapons cutting through the air can be heard.
Independent action: D
Life in the backstreets and his Fixer career taught him how to be independent. Can survive on his own for some time.
Arms Mastery - Black Silence - B
Can wield the weapons of his wife with the same proficiency as she did. If uses similar weapons only has it at C- rank
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Noble Phantasm:
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Will be revealed upon use.