FATE/ RE:ORDER

[Asherterix]

You wake up on the floor. This in and of itself is rather unusual, but the really strange thing is the squirrel-dog-rabbit thing lying on you. It's actually quite fluffy, some distant not-fully-awake part of you registers, and then a lot more of you registers the feeling of the fuzzy thing's tongue licking your cheek. It's more unpleasant than the fur.

As you stir and begin to pull yourself upright, you notice the pink haired girl standing next to you. She fidgets nervously, shifting her weight between her feet. You can almost feel the awkwardness as you stare at her from the floor.

"Um…" she says, "Since it's neither morning nor night, please get up, Senpai."

You blink. "Huh?" That's a weird thing to say to someone you just met. You shake your head and groggily rise to your feet. Your head is killing you. "Sorry, but who are you? And where are we?"

Trait Gained: Splitting Headache!

Your head really hurts. Like, a lot. Autofail ANY checks.

The girl appears to shrink even further into herself, if that's possible. "That's… a hard question to answer suddenly. Maybe I'm not important enough for you to know my name?" And now you feel like an asshole. Great. "No, I do have a name, a proper name. But I never really had the chance to use it… I'm afraid I don't leave a good first impression." That's concerning in many ways, but you have bigger concerns right now. Like, for instance, where the hell you are. Fortunately, she seems to pick up on your abject confusion. "Oh, and we're in a research facility called Chaldea." She begins to say something, but looks to think better of it. "I'm sorry… I can't tell you where that is." Brilliant. So, you don't know where you are or who you're talking to. She clears her throat, bringing your attention back to what could charitably be described as the conversation. "Can I ask you a question, Senpai?" You nod in the affirmative. "You were asleep, but I can't see why you'd sleep in the hall. Can you not sleep unless you're in a hard bed?"

You were asleep? Well, that does explain why you were on the ground. " I didn't mean to" you say. "I'm just… feeling a little off, that all." The girl begins to speak, but is interrupted by the strange creature that was lying on you earlier.

"Fou! Fou, fou, kyuuuuu" It… chirps? Barks? Meows? Whatever it's doing it, it's doing it very loudly, which isn't helping your headache. Looking at it, the girl smiles and says "I forgot! I still haven't introduced you yet, have I, Fou? This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a Privileged Life-Form, allowed to freely walk around Chaldea. Fou led me here, and that's how I ran into you, Senpai." Fou appears to agree with this assessment, given it's happy yips. "He ran off again. He does that sometimes, just walks around." Her tone has shifted from its prior flat monotone to a fond reminiscence. She's looking at the creature with a fondness in her expression that is very distinct from the flat emotionless gaze she regarded you with earlier.

What species even is that? "You know, I don't think I've ever seen anything like him." You add. "He's definitely cute, though."

"Yes, normally he doesn't go near anyone aside from me, but he seems to like you, Senpai! Congratulations. You are now the second caretaker of Fou in Chaldea." So she's the only person who looks after the animal – Fou, apparently.

You bend down to try and pet Fou, but at that moment a rather tall man in a velvet green suit with a matching hat approaches you. His shaggy hair falls down past his shoulders, and his purple tie completes the mad hatter look. You can't place why, but something about him seems off in some way you can't explain. Maybe his outfit is just hurting your eyes. However, you dismiss the feeling. Your head is still killing you, so perhaps you're just treating people with more suspicion than you otherwise would.

He looks at the girl with a condescending expression. "Ah, there you are, Mash". So that's her name. Good to know. "That won't do, you know, wandering about without permission…" His voice trails off as he seems to notice you for the first time. "Oh, someone's already with you? You're…" He looks you up and down, sizing you up. You get the feeling he's not too fond of you or the girl. "The rookie who just got assigned here. I'm Lev Lainur, a technician employed here. And you are?"

"Ritsuka Fujimura."

"So you're last of the 48 Masters. Welcome to Chaldea. I'm glad you're here." He's saying all the right words, and his inflection aren't wrong, per say, but something about him is putting you on edge. You can't think what, though. "I hear you were selected out of many public applicants. How long was your training? A year? 6 months? 3 months?" Right, the application. You got a blood test, and you were told there was a UN project or something that they might want you for. You sent in an application, and then… you woke up here. That's concerning. No matter how you got here though, you don't remember any training… That's not good, is it?

Your internal concern must have shown on your face, as Lev's bushy eyebrows rise further up his forehead. "My, my. Now that's a surprise. I suppose we were really desperate for candidates..." he seems to think about something for a fraction of a moment, and the surprise on his face dissipates. It's replaced by the vague friendliness of before, but for a fraction of a second, you see a flash of something on his face. You swear for just a moment, you could see his smile stretch further than you thought was possible… but perhaps you're just imagining things. Your head still really hurts, so maybe you're projecting your misery onto other people. Yeah, that must be it. "You must be one of them, then. Do forgive me, I was inconsiderate. Please, don't be discouraged because you're a public applicant. We'll need all of you for this mission." He's not really talking to you now. He's musing about thing near you, you suspect. "38 elite mages, plus 10 talented public applicants… Somehow, we were able to gather all possible candidates. Now there's something to celebrate. In this year, 2025, all candidates capable of Spiritron Dives are here, in Chaldea." He refocuses on the girl, Mash apparently, and says "Come to think of it, what were you talking about with him, Mash?" He does seem genuinely surprised. "It's not like you at all. Did you know each other before?"

Mash shakes her head. It's a small thing, like all her actions you've seen up to now. "No, I've never met Senpai before. I saw him sleeping on the floor, so…"

"Sleeping? Fujimura was asleep, here?" He thinks for a second, then clicks his fingers and says "You must have gone through the simulator on the way here. If you're not used to the Dives, then they can be pretty exhausting." Something about the way he's talking is setting you on edge. "I'd take you to the infirmary, but the Director's orientation speech is about to start, and you really don't want to be late for that."

They continue for a few moments about the Director, but your headache spikes again and you miss the rest of the conversation. "…ronment, you best hurry. It's in the Central Command Chamber in 5 minutes."

Mash raises her head slightly and asks nervously "Doctor Lainur, do you think I'll be allowed to sit in on the presentation?"

Lev looks honestly bemused by her questions. You're a little confused too – you think she's a member of the facility, given her familiarity with Lev and whoever the Director is, so why would she need the orientation? He gives a non-committal noise and says "Well, if you stand in the far corner, she might look the other way, but why?" Ok, now you're concerned.

"I was just thinking that I'd bring Senpai to the Command Chamber. He might fall asleep on the way there again." You'd be offended but honestly, you're close to collapsing again, so Mash is probably right. Lev considers the proposition for a second and says "… if I leave you alone like this, the Director will probably yell at me… I'll have to come along as well, eh? If Fujimura is OK with that, we'll get going." He looks at you expectantly. You don't really have any problems with that, so you nod, and you all begin walking down the white corridors. You weren't really paying attention, but now you're moving, the harsh white lights above you are not making your headache any better. Lev and Mash are continuing their conversation as you walk, but their words are just going over your head. You think they're discussing something about the Director, whoever they are, but by the time you manage figure that out you're in the Command Centre or whatever they called it earlier. It's a large, blue, circular room with a globe in the centre surrounded by large circular rings around it. You can't actually see through them thanks to the white-haired women in an orange dress standing in the way.

"This is the Central Command Chamber, Senpai." Why does she call you that anyway? You've known each other for like 5 minutes, and this isn't exactly a scholastic setting. "Your number, Senpai… you're on the first row." She points to the seat directly on the aisle. You gratefully collapse into the seat – you feel rather drained from the walk. Mash seems to notice how ill you feel, looking with some concern down at you. "… Senpai? Are you all right? You look pale…" You mumble something non-committal in response, but Mash doesn't seem to be that reassured. "I wish I could take you to the infirmary-"

Her words are interrupted by the withering stare of the woman on the stage in front of you. "Well, that wasn't on time, but it looks like we're all here now. Welcome to the Special Organisation, Chaldea. I am Director Olga-Marie Animusphere. You have been selected from across the world for your rare-" She says something else, but your headache flares up and your vision starts to go black.

END check DC 6: Don't pass out. Splitting Headache activates! Autofail.

Nope. You can't stay conscious for the life of you. The Director - Olga-Mary or something - looks down at you as you pass out, but you don't see her reaction. You hear her begin to start complaining, but then your hearing goes too, and you pass out.





You wake up back in the corridor from earlier. More importantly, you wake up in Mash's arms. She's carrying you?! She looks like a twig, how is she that strong? What's more, your headache is completely gone. For something so debilitating, it went away really quickly.

Trait lost: Splitting Headache!

"Oh, Senpai! You're awake! After you passed out, the Director ordered you taken back to your room. Sorry, but you've been left out of the first mission. Do you think you can walk on your own?"

Apparently, passing out made you feel a lot better. You feel kind of peppy, to be honest. "Yeah, I can." You tell her, you she obligingly lets you down from her arms. You shake your head to clear out any lingering tiredness. "Sorry about passing out." You laugh, a little self-consciously. You'd continue, but then you notice a blur of white fur approaching the pair of you. "Look out!" You say, but it's too late. The ball of limbs and fur careen into Mash's chest, writhing into a position where its belly is exposed for Mash to rub. Mash laughs and obliges Fou's demands.

"No, it's alright" she says, giving Fou even more scritches. "Fou likes this sort of thing. Isn't that right Fou?" From there, her words devolve into meaningless babble roughly on the subject of Fou's fluffiness. It's ridiculous. You want to pet the furry little thing too.

"Can I pet him too?" You ask, because he does look like the fuzziest thing imaginable. Mash, in response, offers the squirrel-dog-cat-thing to you, and you begin stroking Fou's fur. You're right. He's the fluffiest, cutest little thing imaginable. You idly chatter for a minute or two as you walk down the corridors about the sort of thing pet owners do – his name, his habits and so on, where you learn that Fou was named by Mash, and that he's only really affectionate with Mash, so that he's so content to be petted by you is apparently a rarity. You don't get why. He seems so friendly!

Alas, the cooing over furry animals must end, and you eventually end up at your room. Mash looks much happier now. When you were talking with her and Lev, she looked like she was trying to retreat into that white jacket she was wearing, but now she's laughing and talking with you. You much prefer this version of Mash. "We've reached our destination. This is your room, Senpai." Honestly, you're sad to finish talking to her.

"Thanks for walking with me all the way here!" You tell her.

"Oh, really, it's no problem" she demurs "If you ask me, I wouldn't mind treating you to lunch." Fou jumps out of her arms and circles around your feet, making its distinctive cries. "Fou says he'll look after you, which puts my mind at ease." She turns around, breaking into a light jog as she begins to run down the corridor. "Bye!" She calls behind herself. "See you soon!"

You wave as she turns the corner with a smile on your face. You might be stuck in a random facility and not know where you are, but at least you've made a friend! You turn back and enter your room, but before you can take in the admittedly bare room, you almost walk into the man in the doctor's uniform humming to himself. In your room!

"Whaaat! Who are you?!" The home invader seems just as shocked as you are about your meeting. "This is supposed to be an empty room! What are you doing in my slack-off room! Who gave you permission to come here?!"

"It's my room! What are you doing here?!" You yell back at him.

"Your room? Here?" He stops flailing his arms at you and quiets down a little. "Huh, I guess that last guy finally showed up." He shrugs and scratches the back of his neck. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Fujimura. I didn't think I'd run into you here, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm the head of the medical department, Romani Archaman. Most people just call me Dr. Roman, though. I don't know why, but you can't really control nicknames, huh? You can call me Roman. It's easier to pronounce." He laughs to himself, as if he's making a joke that only he gets. "It sounds better, I guess. Roman has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It sounds cool, and a little bit sweet."

That's nice, but how did he know your name? You didn't ever give it to him. You voice this concern to him, and he replies that he saw your file, so he remembers who you are. Now, what did that file say again?

A/N: With thanks to VagueZ for help with formatting.
This is my first time running a quest! I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Asherterix]

Stats

In this quest, there are 7 stats, though you will only need to worry about 6 of them for Character Creation. These are Strength (STR), Endurance (END), Agility (AG), Intelligence (INT), Charisma (CHA) and Prana (MAG).

These stats exist on a scale from E to A++, with C being the average for a human. A human with E rank STR would struggle to lift a trumpet, whilst a human with A++ rank STR would dominate the weightlifting event in the Olympics. For servants, the base values are inflated. An E rank STR servant would be stronger than an A+ ranked human, while a Servant with A++ STR could crush houses with a single hand. Furthermore, C+ and B- are equivalent, and I will be using X+, rather than (X+1)-, as I prefer it.

EX ranked skills have a case-by-case basis for the number and quality of dice rolled.

Combat

Combat takes place through dice rolls. You will outline your plan for your side in the battle, and then I will narrate the battle, adding checks where I think appropriate. Good strategy will result in your allies being given bonuses on their checks, whilst poor planning will only hinder your efforts. A 'turn' is taken per check you initiate. END and AG will be rolled to see how well a hit is taken, while STR and MAG will be rolled to see how hard you hit. Having many allies is a good thing. It will give you more turns and enable more complicated strategy, though there is an effective logic to simply having one, invulnerable, tank in the middle of the fight. The decision is up to you.

In the Field

While not in combat, RNG (Random Number God) dice will be rolled to determine events outside your control. These may also be affected by bonuses and maluses, as well as traits (i.e lucky). Furthermore, when encountering obstacles, whether literal or metaphorical, checks will be rolled to overcome them.

A check is a number which you will have to exceed in your dice roll to pass.

Human E = 1D6 rolled per check. A++ = 11 D6 rolled per check, with an increase of 1 D6 per rank

Servant E = 10D6 rolled per check. A++ = 30 D6 rolled per check, with an increase of 2D6 per rank.

Noble Phantasm E = 15D6 rolled. A++ = 45 D6 rolled, with an increase of 3D6 per rank.

Noble Phantasms are gained at a rate of 1 point per turn, requiring progressively more points to activate. An A++ ranked Noble Phantasm may end a fight instantly, but you'll have to endure for quite a while to actually pull it off – or simply prepare beforehand.

Say your path is blocked by a large boulder, representing a DC of 65 to overcome. Ritsuka in this scenario has STR B+. He therefore rolls 8 D6 resulting in 46. Failure! Fortunately, his servant, Cu Chulainn (Alter) can step in with his STR at A, rolling 26 D6, resulting in 77. Success! The boulder is easily removed, and our heroes continue on in their merry adventure.

Alternatively, Ritsuka could use his INT stat of C to go around the boulder. As this is a rather simple idea to come up with, the DC is much less: 5. As Ritsuka cannot fail the check at all, it is considered an autopass.

Critical Successes and Failures

If you fail a check with a roll of <10% (i.e rolling a 1 on a DC of 10), the action will be considered a Critical Failure and will have a larger fail. Returning to that boulder, if Ritsuka rolled less than 7, he would sprain his back attempting to lift the rock and suffer a malus to all further STR checks until he is healed. A success of more than double the DC will be considered a Critical Success and have larger effects. In the case of the rock, a critical success wouldn't do much – you can only destroy a boulder so hard, after all. Critical Successes won't alter the universe – a Critical Success on an autopsy won't bring the corpse back to life – but can be rather improbable. It might, for instance, lead you to find a bullet in his neck that leads you to the true killer.

Traits

Traits can evolve with time, and you can gain traits through your actions within the story. For example, if Ritsuka begins as a Coward and he acts against this nature and succeeds in standing up to difficult situations, he may become Brave instead, granting buffs. If he were to summon exclusively Beast servants (i.e Hessian Lobo), he may gain the trait Beastmaster, granting him bonuses whilst in command of Beast-type servants.

Holy Grails

Ritsuka on his own cannot support many servants. Before connecting with Chaldea, he may only be able to command Mash and one other. As Chaldea's power reserves grow, however, he may command more servants. One holy grail = 5 extra servant slots. Holy grails may instead be used to strengthen a servant, granting them a power boost, forgoing the extra servants.

Bonds

You also have Bond with your comrades and Servants, which can increase through spending time with them or using them in combat (for Servants). Once a certain level of Bond is reached, you may encounter Break Points, where your friend may reveal deep-seated desires, fears and hopes. Navigate them successfully, and you will reap the benefits. Fail to do so, however, may shatter your relationship – though repairing your bonds is always possible.

Skills

Skills are semi-unique abilities for servants, which grant them stats in certain situations or upon activation. For my own sanity, only Active skills will be considered.

Servants only begin with their First Skill unlocked. Further development requires a close bond with your Servants. An especially strong bond may even evolve Servant's skills into abilities personal to them.

 

[Asherterix]

Character Creation

For your purposes, Ritsuka Fujimura starts out as the most average person possible, with a C rank in all his stats except MAG, where he starts with an E rank. Raising a stat costs 1 point, decreasing a stat grants 1 point, except for Mag, which requires 3 points to raise by 1 rank. For clarification, E to E+ counts as 1 rank. You begin with 3 points.

Once you are done creating Ritsuka's base stats, you will then move on to his Traits. Traits serve as characterisation and an elaboration on Ritsuka's abilities beyond raw stats. You begin with five Character Creation Coins, or CCC. Below is a list of traits with their costs. Negative traits give you more CCCs and make Ritsuka a more interesting person.

Spoiler: Traits

Athlete: You are trained in various sports. +STR, END and AG. Cost: 3 CCCs

Avaricious: Your mind is always on the money. -CHA. Cost: -1 CCC

Charming: You are naturally likeable. Bond points are gained more quickly. Cost: 3 CCCs

Crossdresser: You like to wear dresses. Flavour. No cost. (note: this only exists because of that one strip of You've Lost Ritsuka Fujimura)

Cool-headed: You know how to keep your head under pressure. +INT. Cost: 1 CCC

Coward: When danger comes, you're first out of the fire. -STR, END, CHA. +AG when attempting to flee. Cost: -3 CCCs

Easily Distracted: Your attention wanders with the breeze. Stats increase more slowly. -ANY when attempting checks for the second time. Cost: -3 CCCs

Equestrian: You know how to ride a horse. +2 AG when on a horse. Cost: 1 CCC

Extroverted: You like interacting with people. +CHA. Cost: 1 CCC

Fast Talker: Your words are much quicker than your fists. +CHA, -STR. Cost: 0 CCCs

Friendly: You're good at interacting with people. +2 CHA. Cost: 2 CCCs

Historian: You've a passion for history. +INT. +2 INT when checks involve a period of history of your choice (i.e Sengoku Japan, Victorian England). Cost 2 CCCs

Linguist: You've a passion for languages. +INT. +2 CHA when checks involve a language of your choice. Cost: 2 CCCs

Lucky: Things seem to go well for you, somehow. Roll RNG checks twice and take the better. Cost: 3 CCCs

Mythologist: You've a passion for legends and stories. +INT. +2 INT when checks involve a folkloric tradition of your choice (i.e Arthurian Myth, Greek Mythology). Cost: 2 CCCs

Musician. You can play an instrument. +CHA. +CHA additionally when performing an instrument of your choice (i.e vocals, piano, trumpet)

Natural Conduit: Against all possibility, you have a secret talent for magic. +MAG. Cost: 3 CCCs

Occultist: You have a background in folk magic. +2 INT when dealing with magic. Cost:1 CCC

Patient: You can keep at a task. Stats increase more quickly. +ANY when attempting checks for the second time. Cost: 3 CCCs

Pious: You believe strongly. +CHA. +2 INT when checks involve a faith of your choice. Cost: 2 CCCs

Reclusive: You'd rather spend time alone than with people. Bond ranks increase more slowly. Cost -3 CCCs

Scientific: You have training in a scientific discipline. +INT. +2 INT when checks involve a scientific discipline of your choice (i.e chemistry, biology). Cost: 2 CCCs

Short Tempered: You blow your fuse quickly. -CHA. Cost: -1 CCC

Shortsighted: You need glasses. -END while not wearing glasses. Begin with glasses. Cost: -1 CCC

Shy: You have troubles interacting with people. -CHA. Cost: -1 CCC

Stubborn: You refuse to budge on anything. -CHA. Cost: -1 CCC

Tech Whiz: You have a gift for technology. +2 ANY when interacting with tech developed from 1990-2025. 2 CCCs

Trained: You have formal training in a weapon. +STR. Gain +2 STR when wielding a weapon of your choice (i.e rapier, halberd) (note: any specific style of fighting such as niten ichi ryu or baritsu can be specified). Cost 2 CCCs

Unlucky: Things just don't seem to go right for you. Roll RNG checks twice and take the worst. -3 CCCs

Weak: You are physically feeble. -STR, END, AG. Cost: -3 CCCs.

Please vote in plan format, i.e

[O] Play that Funky Music

-[O] STR D, END E+, INT D, AG C+, CHA A+

-[O] Musician (Trumpet)

-[O] Charming

 

[Asherterix]

Spoiler: Appearance

You are Ritsuka Fujimura, a 16 year old employed at the Chaldea Research Facility.

Parameters: STR D END D+ AG C INT B+ CHA B MAG E+
Traits

Spoiler: Traits

Weak: You are physically feeble. -STR, END, AG.
Shortsighted: You need glasses. -END while not wearing glasses. Begin with glasses.
Reclusive: You'd rather spend time alone than with people. Bond ranks increase more slowly.
Fast Talker: Your words are much quicker than your fists. +CHA, -STR.
Lucky: Things seem to go well for you, somehow. Roll RNG checks twice and take the better. Cost: 3 CCCs
Natural Conduit: Against all possibility, you have a secret talent for magic. +MAG.
Cool-headed: You know how to keep your head under pressure. +INT.
Tech Whiz: You have a gift for technology. +2 ANY when interacting with tech developed from 1990-2025.
Mythologist (Norse): You've a passion for legends and stories. +INT. +2 INT when checks involve Norse Mythology
Occultist: You have a background in folk magic. +2 INT when dealing with magic.

Bonds

Spoiler: Bonds

Mash Kyrielight: A girl you met after waking up in Chaldea. You got on rather well, you think. RANK: 1/10
Doctor Lev Lainur: A technician in Chaldea you met after Mash. You don't know why, but you got a bad vibe from him. RANK: 0/10
Director Olga-Marie: The leader of Chaldea. Kicked you out of orientation after you passed out. RANK: -1/10
Doctor Romani Archaman: The head of Chaldea's medical ward. Apparently, has been using your room to slack off. RANK: 0/10
Fou: A strange animal that woke you up. Seems to like you. RANK: ?/10

 

[Asherterix]

Right, you were a fairly intelligent young man, though physically you were lacking. Furthermore, you have a talent for modern tech and a passion for Norse mythology. Now, where were we?

Despite the volume of your conversation with Roman(?) markedly decreasing, Fou appears to be much less at ease than you. He's circling around your feet, growling whenever he thinks Dr. Roman(?) is getting too close to you. You absentmindedly reach down to calm him, with him letting you pet the Privileged Lifeform, but even with your petting, he doesn't look away from Romani (?) with unabated hostility. Dr. Archaman (?) seems to recognise this. "Oh, is that the animal that Mash is always talking about? You know, I didn't think it actually existed!" At his words, Fou bares his fangs and growls again. "Ah, he doesn't seem to like me very much… Will a treat make you change your mind?" He bends down to talk to Fou, but Fou simply huffs in his face and leaves the room.

Dr. Roman (probably) self-consciously scratches the back of his head. "What a look of pity… and it ran off too…" He shakes his head and turns back to you. "A-anyway, I think I know what's going on. You're that kid who the director kicked out of orientation?" You nod in confirmation. "Then you and I have something in common! I got yelled at by the director too." Apparently, that's a common thing to happen here. Sounds like a stable working environment, huh.

"Oh, the Rayshift experiment is about to start, by the way. Everyone's been sent to help out."

The whole staff… except for you. And Dr. Roman, apparently. "The Director said that I wasn't going to take part in the first mission, so..." You trail off, out of embarrassment or reluctance to share more, you don't really know.

Dr. Roman picks up on the unspoken question. "Well, I'm the head of medical, so there isn't really a need for me to be there. I mean, the Coffins can read medical supplies way better than me, so the Director said that" and he speaks with a higher-pitched mocking voice "'When you're here, Romani, everyone slacks off!', so she kicked me out." Despite the fact he was basically saying that he got fired, he seems cheery. "So now I'm sulking here! And then you showed up, so I'm thinking we can use this time to deepen our friendship!"

Oh no. You're not trying to make assumptions, but Dr. Roman seems to you the type to be friends with someone despite their protestations. He kind of reminds you of a small, fluffy dog of some type, to be honest. "I don't have much choice, do I." You reply, resigned to the next few hours being much louder than you'd have wanted.

"Nope!" Dr. Roman's response is exactly as chipper as you'd feared. "Because that means I'm spending time with a friend, and so I'm not wasting time!" This guy speaks with way too many exclamation marks, you think. He then proceeds to ramble about nothing for a long time. You don't catch most of it, but you think it's a litany of complaints with coworkers and advice about Chaldea. It wraps up after an unknowable amount of time, ending with "… So that's the structure of Chaldea. An underground workshop built 6000 metres above sea level." Wait, maybe you should have been listening. 6000 metres? You're on a mountain?! Under a mountain?!? What even is this place?!?!

Before you can follow up on that point, however, something in Dr. Roman's lab coat pocket starts buzzing. He looks at you apologetically and grabs a walkie-talkie from his pocket. The voice of Lev Lainur comes out through the static. "Romani, we're going to start the Rayshift soon. Could you come if there's an emergency? A Team's fine, but B Team down is less experienced, so there's some slight abnormalities. It's probably just anxiety, but still, those Coffins are aptly named." You still have that odd dislike of Lev, but you thought it would probably go away once your headache cleared up. As it turns out, something about him just makes your skin crawl.

"Hey, Lev, I feel bad for them. Can I give them some anaesthesia?"

"Sure, just hurry up. You're in the infirmary, right? You can get here in two minutes." You know, something makes you think that your room isn't the infirmary. You look smugly at Dr. Roman, and his sheepish glance aside is probably the funniest thing you've seen since getting here.

"Uh, yeah, I'll be there quick." He switches off the radio and looks at you. "You think they'll forgive me for being late? I mean, if A Team has no prob-"

That's when the bomb goes off.

You don't see it, of course. You hear it, in the deafening explosion. You feel it, in the shaking of the ground and the shockwave that pushes through the air of your room. You look at Dr. Roman – but you can't see him. The lights are off. Then, they come back on. They flash red, an announcement blaring over the speakers. "ATTENTION. EMERGENCY. A FIRE HAS BROKEN OUT IN THE CENTRAL COMMAND CHAMBER AND CENTRAL POWER STATION." The announcement continues, listing safety procedures, but you and Dr. Roman aren't paying attention to it. He looks at you through the flashing red lights. "You need to get out of here! The containment wall is about to close. If you're still here, then"

But you don't hear the rest of his warning. You're already running to the control room. When you were walking with Mash, it took you 10 minutes to get from the Central Command Chamber. Now, you're running.

END Check DC 18: Don't get tired. 4D6 = 11! Failure!

As it turns out, it takes you 4 minutes to get there running. You push yourself to the limit, sprinting the entire way there. That takes a lot out of you. By the time you reach the Chamber, you're panting, sweat pouring off of you.

Gain trait: Exhausted!

-END until you take a rest.

It's awful. The explosion's effects are clearly visible, though somehow the… sculpture in the middle of the room has remained intact, the fires are still burning; the whole room is dyed bloody red. Rubble litters the floor, random bits of concrete and metal strewn throughout. Worse, you can see the bodies of those caught in the blast. You've never seen the aftermath of a bomb explosion before – why would you? Now, you don't think you'll be able to forget.

Dr. Roman comes up behind you. He's just as shaken as you, you think. "…No survivors. Only CHALDEAS is safe." He looks down, clenching his fist in fury. "Sabotage, it has to be."

Over the sound of the still-burning flames, the tannoy system sounds again. "GENERATOR OPERATION STOPPED. POWER GENERATION CRITICAL. PLEASE ACTIVATE BACKUP GENERATOR MANUALLY. CONTAINMENT WALL WILL CLOSE IN 30 SECONDS. ALL PERSONAL, PLEASE EVACUATE."

Dr. Roman looks back up, a glint of determination in his eye you find hard to reconcile with the easy-going slacker you met a few minutes ago. "… I'm going down to the power station. CHALDEAS' light can't go out." He looks back over to you. "If you run back, you can make it. Get outside and call for help. Don't stop at all on the way." With that, he turns around and runs off into one of the corridors leading out of the room. You, however, have no intention of leaving. The tannoy sounds again, but you're not listening. You're still exhausted, but you head into the room, desperately searching for any survivors. Dr. Roman might not have seen them: the fires obscured your visions.

INT check DC 25: Find survivors. 8D6 = 31! Success!

The first person you find, you almost stumble over. At first, you mistake them for another of the corpses you've already found so many of. They – you can't tell their gender, with how bloody they look- must have been close to the blast when it went off. They've completely lost an arm, and part of their left leg. Somehow, though, they look more annoyed than in agony. "Are... are you alright?" You ask, then mentally kick yourself. They've been blown up, of course they're not alright!

The look they give you is about as withering as you deserve. They hiss through their teeth and say "Look, I'll be fine. Go… Go find someone else." She's missing an arm! That's not fine! But the look on her face makes you quail, and you follow her advice, running back into the flames as she limps out of the rubble. You continue searching for any trace of survivors in the debris, and what you find makes your blood run cold.

It's Mash. Mash, crushed under more rubble than you could ever hope to move. Her legs are completely gone, smothered in an avalanche of concrete blocks and jagged metal. There's blood running down her face, and her glasses are shattered. You let out a wordless cry and rush towards her. "…Oh." Her voice is faint, nothing like the way you two cooed over Fou only a few minutes ago.

"H-Hold on, I'll-" You begin, but you're interrupted by Mash.

"It's… all right. You can't… save me. Please, run…" You can't. You can't leave her here to die. But… what can you do? You're still exhausted from running here, and even if you weren't, you couldn't lift the rubble on her at all. Maybe… maybe all you can do is be with her until the end. Even if you knew her for less than an hour, no-one deserves to die alone.

It's then that the strange ball in the middle of the concentric circles sculpture turns bright red. As Mash turns weakly to it, the speaker system sounds again. Some part of you, detached from the blood and the dying girl, is really sick of it. "WARNING ALL OBSERVATION STAFF. CHALDEAS' STATE HAS CHANGED." It proceeds to rattle off something about being unable to guarantee humanity's future. You're more focused on Mash.

"They... shut, off the area. Now… you can't, leave." The resignation in her eyes hurts. She's only concerned for your safety. She knows she's dead. Still, you're not going to leave her. You can't.

The tannoy speaks again. "COFFIN VITALS NOT REACHED. RAYSHIFT REQUIREMENT NOT MET. SEARCHING FOR QUALIFIED MASTERS… TWO FOUND. CANDIDATE NO. 4, AKUTA HINAKO. CANDIDATE NO. 58, RITSUKA FUJIMURA. RECLASSIFIYING AS MASTER. UNSUMMON PROGRAM, START. SPIRITRON CONVERSION START."

You don't know what it's doing, but whatever it is, it's working. You and Mash are flickering into golden particles. Mash, at least, isn't too concerned – there's no surprise on her face. Yours, on the other hand, must be a veritable tapestry of shock. "Um… Senpai? Would, would you mind… holding my hand?"

There's no point to refusing. You do as she asks.

"ALL PROCEEDURES CLEAR. FIRST ORDER, COMMENCING. RAYSHIFT BEGINNING IN

3

2

1"

And then everything goes dark.

 

[Asherterix]

How do you describe what is happening to you right now? You could go by sight: there's a giant blue ring, moving closer to you. You could go by hearing: dead quiet. You could go by the feeling of falling, not downwards, but somehow inwards. But even then, that's not quite right. It feels like your soul is being expanded then sucked through a straw then being shot out of a cannon. You couldn't even feel your soul before now, but now it is complaining about what is happening to you. Is this rayshifting? Whatever it is, you don't like it.

Eventually, though, it stops. After an indeterminate amount of time, which could have been an hour or a second, you wake up on the floor. You're awoken by a familiar noise and a familiar sensation – Fou licking you. You think that you are passing out entirely too much. It's been about half an hour, and you've already been unconscious three separate times!

"Senpai. Please wake up, Senpai." That must be Mash. You would get up, but whatever the hell just happened has sapped the energy from your bones. You can't even open your eyelids at this point, so getting up is a completely out of the question. "… Won't wake up. Maybe I should use the official title..." Official title? What does that mean, you wonder… "--- Master, please wake up. If you don't, I'll kill you."

You're on your feet within the second. Senpai was weird. Master is worse. "Thank goodness you're OK, Senpai!"

You have many questions. Last time you saw Mash, she was crushed under tons of rubble. Now, she's… well, she's certainly looking better, but what is she wearing? Gone is the lab coat, black dress and tie, replaced with… uh, very little, actually. She's got black gloves with purple stripes on each side that go up to her elbows, but then the rest of her arms and shoulders are completely bare. Similarly bare is her stomach, which seems to have been cut out of the rest of her form-fitting black shirt/armour piece, with a black metal mini-skirt on the bottom. Her socks are much like her gloves, covering about half of her legs, with a ring around her right calf. It's... a lot. Well, actually, it's very little. Though, in all fairness, the giant shieldsshe's carrying around like it's nothing probably gives her all the defence she needs. You have a lot of questions, most of which centred around how you got from holding Mash's hand while she was crushed by a ton of concrete, to her standing guard over you with a new outfit, a giant shield, and in a completely different location.

You try and express all those questions at once, but somehow the first thing you end up asking is "Did you say you were going to kill me?!"

Mash, embarrassed, looks away. "I misspoke. What I meant to say was 'you're going to die.' I got confused, because of how sudden everything was." Well, that's fair. You got knocked unconscious by what happened, so mixing up some words is understandable. There are other questions, though. You would ask more, but it's at that moment a blue sheen appears between you two, projecting an image of Dr. Roman.

"Right, I finally got through! This is Chaldea Command Room. Do you read me?"

Mash's demeanour totally changes upon his words. She straitens up and her voice goes from the more natural tone she was just using with you to a far more military, clipped voice. "This is Mash Kyrielight, Team A. At this time, I and Fujimura have completed the shift. We are alone. Minds and bodies both intact. Rayshift and Master capabilities both satisfactory. Please register Fujimura as a researcher." You know, you're kind of getting sick of people throwing out random technical terms and the not explaining them to you.

Dr. Roman sighs. "So, Fujimura got caught up in this too, then? Honestly, I'm surprised you're still alive." He must have caught your unimpressed look from the hologram thing he's using. "Which- which I am happy about!"

"I'm glad to know. What the hell is going on?" You've earned some tactlessness, you think. After all, given you appear to have been teleported from a room which has been bombed to a completely different city, which now you're looking at doesn't actually seem to be much better off.

"Shouldn't Olga have told…" Dr. Roman pauses for a second. "Oh right, you were unconscious for that. Uh, the short version is the purpose of Chaldea is to observe the future. Recently, however, the future has become unobservable. We managed to trace the anomaly to Fuyuki, 2007. To find out what happened, we received authorisation from the UN to perform the Rayshift experiment, which was meant to send back 7 qualified mages back in time to fix the anomaly." You know, you think you might be able to see what's wrong with Fuyuki. You might not know much about time travel, but you do have (mostly) functioning eyes. The constant fire is a pretty big clue. "After the bomb went off, the Rayshift experiment was enacted without proper preparation, and you, Mash and Akuta – one of the original members of team A – were sent back to Fuyuki."

That's a lot to take in – time travel, magic – but he still hasn't explained what Master means. And anyway, you've spent more time than you'd like to admit researching the occult, so, magic being real isn't that surprising. The fact the government has a secret magic research facility is even less so. The way he said it during his explanation makes you think that it's more than just classism. "And the stuff about Masters?"

"Well, the plan was to have the original team summon 7 Servants." And he takes special care to pronounce Servants with a capital letter "A Master is someone who has summoned a Servant. A Servant is…" The hologram pauses for a second. "A Servant is someone who made a significant impact in history. After that person dies, their actions are recorded by the Throne of Heroes, and they can be summoned back to Earth, with more power than they held in life. Normally, it's for the Holy Grail War, but Chaldea managed to come up a way to summon servants without the War as a pre-requisite."

INT check DC 32: Did you understand that? 8D6 8 + 2D6 (Occultist) = 38! Success!

Not the best worded, you think, but you get the overall gist of it. "So, summoning famous ghosts with superpowers?"

"A bit rough, but in layman's terms… it's about right."

Hang on, if people who summoned a Servant are called Masters, and Mash called you that, then… "But I haven't summoned any Servants?"

"Actually, Senpai, you have." You let out a confused noise at that, one echoed by Dr. Roman from the hologram. "Please check my condition. I think you'll understand my situation better."

There are a few seconds of silence as Dr. Roman scrambles about in whatever control room he's reaching you from. Then, he starts yelling. "w-Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa! Your magic circuits, your strength… You're not a human, you're-"

"A servant." Wait, but if Servants are historical figures, then… has she fused with one or something? "I don't know how, but after the explosion, I saw a servant. He seemed…" and she looks vaguely frustrated at that, the sort of frustration that comes from having ideas but not the words to express them "He seemed familiar and offered me a contract. He said that, in return for his powers and Noble Phantasm, I would eliminate the cause of the singularity."

Dr. Roman takes some time before responding, clearly conflicted about something, but you can't tell what. "A demi-Servant… Chaldea's sixth experiment. Marisbury, you… It's succeeded, then. Does the Servant still have consciousness?"

"No, he gave me his abilities, then vanished. He didn't even give me his True Name, so I don't even know what Heroic Spirit I am..." If the Servant (Heroic Spirit? Are they the same thing?) that gave Mash that shield also gave her the outfit, then you would put money on them not being of great moral repute. "Nor what Noble Phantasm I'm holding. At this point, there's too much I don't know." She looks forlorn.

"Hey, look on the bright side" Dr. Roman must have noticed Mash's sadness as well, as he's clearly trying to comfort her. "Not every Servant is cooperative. Now you're a Servant, that's not a problem anymore. After all, you're completely trustworthy. Now, Fujimura, given Mash is a Servant, I think you can understand your position."

INT check 30: Do you? 8D6 + 2D6 (Understood Dr. Roman's explanation) = 45! Success!

You think you do. "If Servants are summoned by Masters, then… am I Mash's Master?" You already hate the whole 'Master' thing, but Mash did call you that when you woke up earlier. You don't think it would have taken a genius to put those pieces together.

"Yep! Basically, Mash is drawing on your prana reserves to power that transformation. Even if it is a little… revealing." Mash blushes at that. You're not surprised – for what is clearly meant to be armour, it has some pretty big weak points. "Anyway, I haven't got much time before the connection breaks up, so I'll keep this next part quick."

"Your mission is to find the causes of this singularity and resolve them. You've got some options if you want to move out. You could head straight south, to the nearest leyline. It'll get you a stronger connection to Chaldea, and I can connect further. You could go a bit further southwest and get to the former Tohsaka manor. Uh, Fuyuki looks a bit…" Charred? Burnt? Actively on fire? "Worse for wear, but my scans are telling me there's something interesting over there. East is an option, that's where I'm pretty sure Akuta Hinako is, but my scans are saying she's healthy, so she'll probably be fine on her own. I don't think you should go west, though. The computer's saying there's something with a massive magical presence there, and I don't think it's good news." He attempts to say more, but a rash of static renders his words unintelligible. "…. Connection…. See you….. Good l"

"Mas-" Nope.

"I'd prefer Senpai. Or just my name. Either works"

"… Senpai, your orders?"

FUYUKI START

Where do you go?

[] South, to the leyline (Gain: a stable connection to Chaldea! Meet: ???)

[] Southwest, to the former Tohsaka Manor (Gain: a summoning catalyst! Meet: ???)

[] East, to Akuta Hinako (Gain: Akuta Hinako! Meet: Akuta Hinako!)

[] West, to investigate the magical presence (Gain: ???! Meet: A massive magical presence!)