Footsteps were echoing in the night...

“You go there! I’ll go here! Quick!”

...three...

“Wha- Guh‼”

“This for your treachery! You despicable Pandavas!”

...three, when everyone else was asleep.

***

“....! What? You aren’t asleep..!?”

A figure was sitting outside the tent, knees bent as two slender arms wrapped around them. The moonlight shone brightly that night, its silvery fingers spreading on that little clearings among the rugged tents. Bathed by the rays of the night, the figure’s golden hairs seemed to glow majestically in the dark. And when they waved slightly as the head turned around it was almost as they had live of their own, a being of light trapped inside strands of mortality.

And two clear brown eyes stared below that light, two cold gems piercing at the one who just entered the tent from the other side.

Strangely, the voice then held no surprise at all.

“Oh...I thought who would sneak into our camp this late at night.... It was you, Ashwattama.”

“...I...”

The figure seemed to pay no heed. Those two gems’ glow died off, and they promptly disappeared as they turned back to look into the sky, leaving the golden strands to face the confused man on the other side.

“Just so you know, I haven’t been asleep ever since I face him that day.”

The man moved slightly, remembering that grand battle where Shiva himself intervened. His best general fell that day, and the consequences of that battle and the gross misconduct shown there had far-reaching consequences to either of the opposing party.

And it may have led to this night. The night when the Pandavas finally won.

His fist clenched.

“You may be one of the most powerful warrior in Kurukshetra, but if you ever think of stopping me I will...”

“I didn’t say I would stop you”.

His eyes was widened in amazement. The figure’s head tilted to the right, face still staring at the sky.

“You have come this far...You were even able to sneak into our camp...Why should I stop you?”

“...Why? Why, because it’s the Dharma of Ksathriya to...”

At that time the figure tightened. The back that was lax until now suddenly tensed.

“Dharma...Why should we care about dharma...?”

There was an uneasy silence that followed the words. The man fidgeted, unsure of what he should do next and when. All the while, the figure stood there with back erect, not acknowledging the man with even a stare.

But acknowledged him with words instead.

“Do what you must.”

***

It was as if a curtain was closing slowly upon her vision. The stars that was abundant until now died one by one, leaving only two light shining on the little part of the sky that hadn’t been enveloped by the darkness yet. Her perception changed. The cold weary night became warmer, enveloping her in a strange yet pleasant sense of warmth. Even her hearing changed. What once was a whistling gale of dry wind now became little more than a whisper, tiptoeing through her mind leaving nothing worthy behind.

Except some words, resonating through the empty air.

“What you’ve been seeking your whole life is the same. Only that you knew it by a different name.”

“What I’ve been seeking....You called it The Holy Grail?”

“Yes. The epitome of love. The purest, unselfish love that saved mankind from their own sins.”

“...Just like the legend. It can grant mine...”

“Sure.”

“...What should I do to obtain it? Even if I have been seeking it my whole life... Even that wasn’t enough. I don’t have much time left before...”

“...The most important thing...is that you aren’t dead yet.”

“I can still obtain it...before I die...?”

“Sure. Now, do we have a deal?”

***

She could feel it. The familiar tugging. The strange feeling. The sense that she was being sucked into an unknown abyss.

Again.

Her heart was burning with determination. Her mind was set, as her body slowly crumbled and disintegrated into nothingness. Rather than being made complete, she was instead being pulled apart and then reconstructed again to better suit the situation she would be in. She still remembered her self, her accomplishments, the wretched existence that she had called her life. She was reminded of her vow. Her reckless determination. Her failures. And in the end she had the painful realization that she had accomplished nothing.

But along with those familiar thoughts there were inserted another thoughts, thoughts that, for her, both strange and fascinating. She had a glimpse of the place, of a place far eastern that she had been her whole life. There were new systems and new languages, and how the world was running now was far more different then when she had lived. Yet they were seamlessly integrated to her, as if she has always had those thoughts even before she was born.

And softly, even less than a flash, there came a slight feeling that with the summoning of Archer, all Seven Servants were completed.

She gripped her bow tight.

***

Suddenly, the circle exploded with light.

Fingers of lightning cris-crossed from the circle, zapping and running wild as they exploded in thousand different colors. The air around the room whirled, turning and spinning in a frenzied vortex as it became a howling whirlwind, encircling the marked ground with its mighty force. In the center of the light and air, right inside the circle, a figure was slowly being formed. Like a murky water that left its substance and became clearer little by little, so was the figure somehow being clearer with every second it took. The mark of the circle pulsated, glowing brighter and brighter, and as the light and the wind became so strong it was almost unbearable the circle gave one last mighty glow and promptly died down, its light flickered for a while before finally died out.

And in the center of the circle stood a figure with long golden hair, her head adorned by a winged tiara. She wore a curious dress of white and blue, accented with a belt and a flowing red scarf that seemed to bleed from her neck. Gold bracelets shone from her wrists, and in her left hand she hold a golden bow that seemed to radiate a glow of its own. The only protection she had was a green shoulder pad on her left hand, but a slight glance at her form told anyone that she would rarely need it.

And no one would be fooled. Because even though her figure radiated beauty and elegance, from the way she moved herself it was evident that she was a tool made for war.

Presently, she stepped out of the circle and clasped two hands on her forehead. It was a form of salute, and the one she was saluting towards was unmistakable. Her brown eyes stared directly at the blue-haired woman.

And the voice that came out from her lips was of utmost curiousness. For the voice was clear and light, a kind of voice that would not be out of place in little joyful talks in a grand ballroom. Yet the figure carried the voice in such a serious and heavy tone that the contrast was almost painful to hear. It was a gross mismatching, a complete waste of a voice that every human tried to avoid hearing.

Yet it existed. And the voice that rang through the room filled with rays of receding sun was one of both seriousness and melancholy.

“Servant Archer answered your call.”

She brought her hands down and lifted her face to see the blue-haired woman more clearly. It was evident from her expression that she had no expectations nor disillusionment through this act. For her, it was just that – a joyless, but required, act.

“I ask of you. Are you, my Master?”

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Heike Fullmann Eli Roth Yggdmillenia
Sorry for being too long! This is just an intro though so next posts won't be as long this!

And just realized that Melon is summoning two Servants at once, both Knight classes. Don't mix us up, Master! XD

i.imgur.com/LA9t3as.png

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i.imgur.com/6wiKPHu.jpg

The last thing Archer wanted was to make her Master fell on his back because of her. Seeing Eli fell backwards, she quickly stepped near him with a worried look in her face.

“Master Eli? Are you well?”

She extended her hand as wanting to help him stand. And for a while, the rigid solemn face of the warrior became more human, the face of a woman being worried.

But Master Eli seemed content, and so the visage passed. When she returned back towards Master Heike she was already a prim Servant again.

“But...I simply want us to trust in each other’s goodwill. Would that be enough for you, Master Heike?”

She nodded somewhat unsurely at her Master’s answer. By saying ‘it will be fun’ and ‘okay’ did she mean she agreed? For someone who was raised in the upper circle of courteous society full of decorum, Archer found casual answers such as Heike hard to understand. She needed a firm, steadfast answer that would not allow any second meaning.

Although if she was the one who answer, she would take the level higher so that she could circumvent the meaning itself. Archer was such a hypocrite.

But then, Master Heike started to barrage them with words. Archer, still standing near Master Eli, could only maintain her perfect posture and listened intently to what her Master had to say. Although in the middle of the expository she secretly tried to trade a glance with Master Eli to ask for his support. She was visibly hesitant, and overwhelmingly surprised by the casualness of her Master. Was her reason to be summoned this time was not for War?

Games…actually Archer knew some games from both end of the spectrum. What about Bekel, where girls used a small bouncy ball to pick up as many shells before the ball bounced back? Marbles she had played too, as well halma and congklak and seven stones , and also joining flowers to make the longest necklace without them snapping. But if Master Heike had meant games, then she had to find them a suitable bow and arrow to match her own. And an easier target too. She wondered whether there were small deers in this region.
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Heike Fullmann Eli Roth Yggdmillenia

Notes: No worries Blue! :D We're in here together. I hope everything went well.
Notes2: This is the last thing I'd expect for a Master to say XD  Really nice, Melon!