Servants Summon Arc: An Irregular Contract

A quiet rain fell over a dilapidated city, whose landscape was a grey and dreary as the sky above. From a distance the urban landscape looked to be a mass of abandoned dwellings and industrial complexes, but there were still a few poor souls who called this place their home. It was in this city, beneath a wreckage of a collapsed bridge, a man in a disheveled suit and overcoat found himself on this fateful day. Roused by the sound of rhythmic dripping through the cracks of the makeshift ceiling above him, he began to stir. "*It looks like I passed out again,*" he thought to himself, slowly opening his eyes glancing around his surroundings, "*It's becoming more difficult to maintain consciousness and my memories aren't getting any clearer.*" The man, who only knew himself as Saber at the moment, slowly pulled himself to his feet.

Wracking his mind, he replayed the events from the past few days, the only clear memories of his own that he possessed currently. "*I was dying, or was I actually dead? Nevertheless, that's when she arrived, a blinding beacon of salvation,*" he thought to himself, "*Without a doubt I forged a contract with her at that moment, a contract to enter this war and avert mankind's destruction." It was that moment when his life as a magus ended and he took on the role of a servant in the Holy Grail War.*

"It seems you still cannot recall the details of your past," a soft voice rang in Saber's mind, "My apologies, I did not foresee such an event when I arranged for the grail to-."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Saber interjected with a sigh, "Your actions saved my life...I have no right to complain. Plus it's only my identity that I'm having trouble remembering, I still seem to have solid comprehension of my capabilities." With that said he still felt an unnaturally heavy weight covering his entire body. In all his years as a mortal he had never felt such an intense bout of exhaustion. Without a doubt this was the feeling the of mana deficiency. He had to find a suitable master quickly, otherwise his second life was going to be short lived. "Perhaps I should have become Archer..." he grumbled, sorely wishing their trademark ability, "Though, I suppose I don't meet the qualifications. Lady Marici, are you sure you can't tell me exactly where she is...?"

"I have already exceeded my authority the by bringing you back," the goddess responded, "If I would aid you without restraint the world will undoubtedly interfere with your mission. At the very least, I can assure you will find your master here, in this city." Nodding in response, Saber tied back his unkempt hair and continued his search for his partner in the war.

"This way, Widow!" Gun shots were fired off within the vicinity of the shouting voice. A woman dressed in an all black trench coat ran towards the gunfire sounds while reaching into her pocket. The hoodie on the coat was up, protecting her from the falling rain while also protecting her identity. Soon she met a man who'd been holding a family hostage near him, pointing his gun towards the younger baby. Typical for this area of the United States; Chicago, Illinois. Highest crime rate in both the state and country. "Aha, the Black Widow to the rescue, huh? Perfect, just the person I was waiting to see."

She didn't even bother to reply. Instead, she quickly reached into her coat's pocket and launched a jewel of sorts towards the man. Once close enough it shattered and released a bright light. The Black Widow vanished, only to reappear behind him. Grabbing his armed hand she swiped at his wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. The light had gone away by this time, and here actions were now clear to everyone around. Jumping onto his neck she swung him to the ground, and bashed her palm into his nose. Then again, and again, and again, until finally there was a cracking sound. *"This is my entire life. Sitting here, everyday, trying to save the life of the people."* She stood to her feet, and began to follow a path in the opposing direction.

"Thank you, Black Widow!" The family shouted out to her.

"The Holy Grail War." She said out loud. "I have no idea how to prepare a summoning for a servant. Is this supposed to be some sort of joke? You tell me to do one then, then you reassure it by saying 'never has an American appeared as a master for the war'. One more day until the start of it, I guess black people *are* always late."

Making his way down an alley way Saber found himself paused for a moment at the sight of a collapsed person before him. Without even examining the figure closely it was quite obvious that he was very much dead. "Not even a single line," he murmured quietly. From observation alone it appeared that the cause was an immense blunt force to the head. While completely caving in an individual's face was enough of a feat, the fact that the victim was only a few meters away from a discarded handgun suggested his opponent was particularly skilled indeed. More importantly though Saber's attention was immediately drawn to a point near the corpse. Kneeling down he picked up a small shard of crystal from the ground and felt it between his fingers.

"*Without a doubt this is the the work of Jewel Magecraft, and they were here recently,*" Saber thought to himself, picking up his pace as he moved down the urban corridor. While he had no way of knowing who the magus was, and what their intentions were, this was the only lead he had found since arriving in this city. All the while he couldn't help but feel as if the situation was oddly familiar to him as he scanned his surroundings for traps and kept an eye out for observational familiars as he began to track the magus responsible for the death behind him.

The rain began to pick up a bit. The slight drizzle quickly changed into downfall of showers. Olivia grabbed the front of her hood and pulled it down just a bit more to help cover the rain. In the alley way's path she chose, lie nothing but darkness and a dead end in the distance. Throwing her hands into the pockets of her trench coat, she began to play around with jewels ones that looked like the ones she'd thrown just moments ago. *"He's been following me since I knocked that man out a little while ago."*

With her hands in her pockets, she quickly threw one of her jewels in the air and just like the time before, it shattered. A loud screech would filled the ally way, and with her other hand she pulled a paid of plugs out and threw them into her ears. "You, I sense mana in you. Who are you?" She questioned the man, but then continued "That's if you can hear me though."

Catching the image of a small figure ahead of him in the alley, briskly moving down the path, Saber hastened his pace to question the individual. Before he could begin to ask her about the situation, she threw up a small jewel into the air above her. "*Definitely the magus from before,*" he thought to himself, as the blaring sound echoed around him. Wincing in response to the auditory assault, he found it particularly peculiar that something as intense as this wasn't having more of a debilitating effect on him. "*Undoubtedly a good strategy in a narrow corridor like this,*" Saber thought to himself, "*...but it seems a servant's body is more resilient than I thought.*"

Still though the prospect of someone as impulsive as this potentially becoming his master was worrisome to say the least. Sighing he couldn't help but question what Marici grand plan for him. "Do you have a habit of attacking everyone you come across in the alley?" Saber questioned, an unpleasant look apparent on his face. "Regardless, let's return to the topic at hand. Allow me to answer your question with one of my own. Are you seeking the Holy Grail? That is...if you can hear me with those on."

"No," She stated as the sound began to slowly fade away. "No, I can't hear you, but I can read lips on a basic level." Removing the plugs from he ears, she turned to fully face the unknown man. For a second she was stuck, she heard the man speak of the grail, yet she made no remark out loud. "No, but I attack people who conspicuously follows me down dark alleys." She continued on, answering his questions just as he asked them. The rain began to slow down, and so did the streets. Lifting her hand up, Olivia grabbed the sleeve of her coat and pulled it up revealing a watch. *"Half past midnight."*

Lowering her hand back down she looked down the alley making sure it was clear of anyone but the two. "The Holy Grail... Do I seek it? Yes. The cup said to grant my any wish. What do you know of it?"

"What do I know about the grail?" Saber began to reply, pondering what kind of response to give, "Well...as one of the servants in the war, quite a bit." Glancing around the surroundings he decided to pick up the pace of the conversation. "Most importantly I know that you have no hope to win the war without a servant," he explains coldly, "Honestly though...I doubt a child like you has the capability to survive such an ordeal. You'd be better off just quitting while you're ahead."

Olivia nearly choked on oxygen itself after the man that stood before claimed himself to be a servant. "You? A servant? Me believing, that is the equivalent of you believing I can survive the war." Olivia gave off a slight chuckle at her statement. "Let's say you are a servant," Her tone completely changed the mood of the conversation back to a more serious note, "and I am capable of surviving through out this war. Would you, a servant, lend a young girl like me a hand, and ENSURE nothing other than victory in this war?"

"..." Saber couldn't help but sigh at the young woman before him, "...is this truly who you have chosen for me, Lady Marici?" Resting his face in his palm, the servant took a deep breath before facing Olivia again. "So...the first thing you do when meeting someone claiming to be a servant is request a contract?" he began, his manner of speech not unlike that of brother scolding his younger sister, "What would you have done if I belonged to an enemy faction?"

Waiting only the briefest moment for a response, Saber held up his hand to cut her off before she could respond. "You know what...never mind," he abruptly explained, "If I continue to question every one of your actions, then we truly aren't going to get anywhere." Taking a step forward, he addressed the young woman before him in the appropriate manner. "I am the servant Saber, brought into this war through literal divine intervention. As such, I possess no contract with a master, and without one I will soon fade from this world. If you will provide me with an anchor, and aren't secretly a murderous psychopath, then I swear to obtain the grail for you."

"I mean, I never knew that servants had such a "*normal*" appearance. Aren't you all meant to be copies of heroes in the past." The ebony tapped her temple, "I've studied my history quite well, or so I think. Yet for some strange reason, I can't seem to put your face and a hero of the past together." Olivia then began to deeply survey the man proclaiming to be Saber closer. "Under one condition will I take you up on your offer. Tell me, "Saber", what is your true name? By revealing your true name, you also reveal your weakness, correct? If you're so trustworthy, and or wish for me to believe you in any way shape or form, then share with me your true name."