14 Summoning [1]

Mars walked down the corridor of Chaldea with a slow stride. His crispy blue eyes settled on the figure of Roman inside a room, who was busy tinkering with the Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System, or FATE, for simplicity's sake. It was, as its name suggests, a machination to summon Servants. It was only able to summon three of them in the past, one was Da Vinci, the second one was fused with Mash, and the third remained shrouded in mystery.

It makes no sense for Mars to be a Demi-Servant. Gilgamesh wasn't summoned, which everyone believed was the case…but it wasn't. Gilgamesh somehow defied all logic for the sole purpose of entertainment. Yet, Mars couldn't shake the feeling there was more to the deal than what was on the cover. In history, Gilgamesh was a very arrogant King, but he mellowed and became somewhat benevolent after his great journey.

Mars knew Gilgamesh was 'sleeping' right now, having deemed his time off as boring and tedious.

"Roman! Is FATE working?"

Roman had a hand on his chin as he stared intently at the system before him. It was a foreign sight to see Roman in such a silent and serious mood that Mars felt a bit miniscule for some reason. There was also another feeling that Roman was hiding a lot, keeping up a solid wall so others wouldn't find what was on the other side.

Mars, for one, didn't care about Roman's past. Mars came to Chaldea when he was 10 years old, with him being 23 at the moment. Mars has known Roman for the past 13 years. Mars found that the Doctor was hilarious but very kind and generous. He could be dependable when the situation arose and had not found Roman dislikable.

Whatever his past was, it would not change Mars's opinion, for he sees the man in the present, who is, dare he say it, a father figure.

"I'm still getting negative results. I believe it's best we use Mash's shield as the catalyst to summon Servants."

"I think that's what we should do."

After Mash came, with Da Vinci in tow, she placed the large shield on the glowing blue area in the middle of the summoning room. Mars could feel a sensation burn his right hand, eliciting a groan. It was like his hand was being dipped in a steaming cauldron.

"Eh? Mars is that…" Da Vinci picked up Mars's right hand, which he didn't retract from her hands for some reason.

"These are Command Seals…but a Demi-Servant shouldn't be able to have them, right? You're still technically under Fujimaru's command," Da Vinci spoke with her tone bridging between awe and curiosity.

"Umm, well. Senpai was one of the 48 Master Candidates, right? I don't think it's farfetched for him to have Command Seals," Mash flicked her glasses in a cute fashion as he surveyed the phenomenon.

"Actually, I might not be under her command," Mars began, with everyone glancing for him to continue. "When I pulled out Scimitar, it should've been an impossible feat that should've drained Master of her mana. I believe I was under the Independent Action skill."

Roman nodded at the explanation. "That seems to be the most feasible conclusion we have right now. If that's the case, you must be extremely careful on the battlefield."

Da Vinci nodded in agreement. "Roman is right. Should you fall, it'll be disastrous. Fujimaru also depends on you to back her up, as well as everyone here."

"Right…I also noticed something," Mars moved his hands from Da Vinci's grasp, which were delicate and soft. "You don't have a Master, yeah? How about becoming my Servant."

"Oh my, and here I thought you didn't care about me."

Mars shook his head at Da Vinci's playful tone. "Well, Roman certainly isn't helping you stay here…and It would be better to have you for the long haul instead of dying on us."

"How sincere! Very well, I wouldn't mind~"

After taking the necessary steps to have Da Vinci become Mars's servant, the Demi-Servant Master could feel a slight tug in his mana pool, It wasn't by much, but he could tell that Da Vinci was staying afloat thanks to him.

"Seems like it's a success. Now, let's test FATE!" Roman said excitedly, his hands rubbed together in anticipation. If this works, then they'll have more allies.

"Roman, we should be cautious," A voice of weariness left Mars's lips, getting the Doctor to furrow a brow. "We don't know who we're summoning, right? For all we know, we could summon some Anti-Hero who would be willing to gut us where we stand."

Everyone took in Mars's worries. There was no guarantee that the Servant summoned would quickly fall in line and obey. That's why Command Seals are present, to act as a deterrent for the unpredictable mind of a Servant. This is most needed when it comes to Berserkers.

Needless to say, everyone was on alert.

"Alright. I'll start. What do I have to do?" Mars asked the Doctor for his aid, considering that Roman should know a bit about how to make this work.

"Place your hand on the shield, and activate your magic circuits. We can try and see if we can summon a Heroic spirit with that. If this works, we can verify that a Heroic Spirit can answer a call depending on the Mana signature."

"So…I'm a testing dummy?"

Roman grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, but yes."

Mars could only sigh at Roman. He makes for some good laughs. "Fine."

Following Roman's words, Mars bent down and touched the shield. His arms began to light up as lines with a purple glow, with golden hues on the edges, began to take shape from his fingertips to his shoulders, a weird blend of colors. Mars's mind entered a slight trance. The thought of himself flying past the stars began to course through his mind.

The shield acting as the catalyst began to light up, small motes of sparkling bluish-white appeared before forming into a bright ball, and electricity coursed everywhere. Mars snapped out of his trance and took a few steps back but remained near the summoning circle.

The light died down, and the first thing Mars could see were…ears, extremely cute and fluffy ears.

"Servant Archer, I have answered your call," The voice spoke dignified and with a hint of amusement as they peered at Mars's blinking eyes.

"IT WORKS!" Roman shouted abruptly, getting everyone to deadpan at him, except for the confused Archer Servant.

Mars coughed into his hand. "Ah! Yes, Archer. As you can tell…this isn't a Holy Grail War,"

Getting a closer look at Archer. They were a beautiful lady, wearing green clothing, clad in verdant green with sharp eyes that were befitting of her role. There was also a small trace of a beast within those eyes. Her hair was long and untamed, adding to the Archer's seemingly exotic features. She also possessed a long, yellowish-green tail.

Her emerald-green eyes looked at Mars curiously. Something about him seemed to rattle her, but she held back her weariness.

"I am confused. You have another Servant…but you feel like one too," Archer expressed in an accent that was oddly pleasant to the ears.

"I'm a Demi-Servant. A cross between a Human and a Servant," Mars explained. "And yes, Da Vinci here just signed a contract with me because I received my Command Seals just a few moments ago before summoning you."

Archer furrowed her brows and looked down at what she was standing on. It wasn't anything that was from her legend. "You summoned me with a shield as the catalyst?"

Mars nodded. "I did. Also, Archer, you're free to tell us your name. As you can tell, our situation is a lot more than a Grail War."

Archer stepped off of the shield, her hair swayed with her steps, and her ears twitched. "I see…you have no idea who I am, so I was summoned by fate? My name is Atalanta."

"Well, Mars, it seems you summoned a very strong Heroic Spirit, the infamous Huntress of the Argonauts," Roman beamed.

Atalanta, however, scowled at the man. "Master…this man. Can I shoot him?"

"EH?"

Mars chuckled. "Not yet. You can use him in the training range when we get there."

"HUH!"

"Thanks, Master. May I know your name as well?"

"Mars Goldwyn, and the second to last Master of Humanity as of now. I think we'll get along just fine, Atalanta. I'm sorry this isn't a Grail War, but I hope you aid us. We'll explain everything about the situation after I summon another Servant."

Atalanta suppressed a scowl at the thought of another Servant beside her being summoned, but she conceded and nodded. "Right. I pray that you don't summon anyone unfavorable."

"I agree…okay! Let's do this once again," Mars walked back to the shield, with Atalanta gripping her bow a few meters behind. She knew she was summoned by chance; if that was the case, there was no telling what her new partner would be like.

Atalanta felt she could give Mars the benefit of the doubt. He didn't display any sleazy behavior upon seeing her, and her time alive left her weary of men. However, she'll wait and see how her Master acts and operates.

The same light occurred, and the room went bright. Mars stood back up and waited patiently for the light to die. A tall, brisk figure was seen, standing a bit taller than Mars by two extra feet. The aura they exuded was clam, like a tranquil river, yet their stature was imposing.

Mash's eyes widened a bit. For some reason, her soul shook with a hint of remembrance.

"Servant Lancer, but please call me Percival!"

"The 2nd seat of the famous Knights Of The Round Table! I believe this is nothing short of success, Mars."

Percival smiled as he walked off the shield, but when his eyes interlocked with Mash's, his gray eyes seemed to shake before he regained his composure.

"Percival, thank you for answering my summoning. I will inform you that this isn't a Grail War but something of extreme proportions. As such, you're not my only Servant," Mars spoke to the taller, well-built man, who nodded.

"I see. What an interesting predicament. Very well, Master, I shall lend my strength. You have a heart of gold. I look forward to our future battles!"

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AN: Sorry for this chapter being uploaded late, but I had a hangover from my birthday and woke up late lmao. I thank everyone for the Birthday wishes, though. As promised, here's the Summoning Chapter. This marks the first one. Next will be Gudako's turn.

Any suggestions?

So, I decided to go for Atalanta and Percival. They have some common things, yet they're two completely different characters. They also like eating food, and Mars is a cook, so…there's that dynamic. I won't have Percival tell Mash about Galahad, I feel like it's too soon, but he will aid her along the way, which is another reason I summoned Percival.

And his design is so well done. Personally, he is my favorite Knight.

I decided to do my own thing with the summoning process, so I hope that isn't too much of a problem.

I started Fate/Extra, and I'm on episode 3 as I upload this. Hakuno is "Okay" so far, but nothing special from what I see. I'm also going to start Fate/Lost Einherjar sometime this week. I heard great things about it and the double servant format it has.

With that said, feel free to let me know your thoughts!

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