Louise Evangeline Kotomi
Female Dormitory, 3rd floor
11:34pm
RainingLouise smiled as she rolled the old bullet backwards and forwards beneath her finger, her head resting on the desk top, her light brown eyes intently following the almost hypnotic motion. Either side of her were books, tomes and parchments scattered haphazardly, their topics ranging from basic alchemy to advanced chemistry. Behind her an alchemical circle was scrawled into the wooden floor panelling, crude in appearance but accurate in its intricacy. It sat cold and silent. The rest of the room was sparse by comparison to the desk, a simple bed, side table and lamp along one wall. A cupboard and chest of draws along the other. An old fashioned witch’s hat sat discarded just to the side of the magic circle.
After a moment of consideration she scooped the bullet up into her hands and placed it to the side. The notebook in front of her was more recent than the majority of the works with which she was currently surrounded, with symbols, circles and various phrases scrawled in her own hand writing. Louise was going to summon a Servant. Not really of course. She had no particular desire to fight and as far as she was aware she had nothing that she desperately desired. Simply put the will was not there to begin with. She was working on the assumption that that would drastically weaken any claim before she even began. Probably. Though with that said she had in her possession an item supposedly suitable to summon such a servant. The bullet of the legendary gunsmith Colt. She had acquired it through one of her father’s contacts, taking advantage of his current absence to acquire a genuine Artefact.
The words on the page amounted to what could be considered a rather crude summoning ritual, one that she had crafted herself using various sources as inspiration. Since it was familiar she had based the core of the ritual along alchemic lines. The essence of transformation and balance. In theory it would serve well enough for such a ritual. Which was why she had made sure not to transcribe a suitable summoning apparatus. Which is why she felt so confident that she could say the words aloud, just to see how they sounded. Nothing was going to happen after all. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and sealed her fate. In hindsight she should have used a different magecraft for the rituals base, considering the alchemical circle just behind her. With a gentle, mischievous voice she intoned the words;
Wreathed in flame, blood and sand, I invoke your name.
With steel tempered and powder dry, I bind thee.
Again to walk under heavens shadow.
Your form true.
In essence pure.
Born from Heaven’s clay.
Mind unhindered. Spirit shackled.
The cardinal gates I pledge to seal.
To quench the flame. To burn the sea. To shatter the earth. To assuage the wind.
The great wheel turns.
Together we are bound.
Behind Louise the old, well used alchemy symbols began to glow with a low but constant red iridescence. Without realizing it her heart skipped a beat, her circuits opening as though she were possessed, her will not entirely her own. Unseen, the air began to turn and twist. She couldn't look away, she could not silence the words. For the briefest of moments there was a stab of pain, like searing metal cutting through her chest. As the last of words left her body she found herself free from their grip, all but gasping for air.
---
Had Louise known better, she would have known that her attempts to avoid the Holy Grail War, in the manner that she had, were doomed to failure. Though many Magi would say to the contrary, the only integral parts of the summoning ritual were the circle and the desire itself. The invocation was merely a form of autohypnosis to activate the magic, and to guide the selection process of a Servant. Even a catalyst wasn't entirely necessary, it just made sure that you got what you wanted. After all, you wanted to be certain that you had gotten a good Servant to fight for you, but it was not a requirement of the Grail
So as Louise said the words of her makeshift ritual, even in jest, the Summoning Circle she had drawn began to glow, a link established to the Holy Grail and the Hall of Heroes, where those Heroic Spirits who could be called upon to fight resided. And with the Catalyst in her possession, the end result was fairly easy to predict as the air twisted and turned, and a glowing figure formed in the middle of the circle. Mana flowed, allowing the figure a corporeal form, gave him clothes, weapons, and the Holy Grail provided him the information he would need to fight in this War, and in this time period he had been summoned to.
As the light faded away and the flow of Mana diminished from that required for the Summoning to a more sustainable level, the Servant appeared in full. His hair was black, though it had begun to shift towards grey, his face weathered by hard work and the rigors of time. He was tall, with his muscles strong, his hands bound in leather gloves, wearing at the same time a green shirt, leather pants, boots, and a belt which contained a pouch for bullets, and a holster, in which could be seen a pistol of slightly different design, with the familiar cylinder of a revolver, but the trigger not visible.
The man had a gleam of curiosity in his eye as he looked about the room, quickly settling on the girl there, the one who had to have summoned him, and who didn't exactly look pleased. But, Colt put on his best smile, ever the salesman, as he stood before her. "Well, hello. Are you my Master," he asked, just for the sake of confirmation.
---
“Master? As in Master? As in Master of a Servant? Master in the way that would make you a Servant?” Louise said with obvious panic in her voice, the question merely a rhetorical echo that escaped her lips as her mind raced to comprehend the situation.
“This can’t be, I mean I didn't…that is…I never. Oh god, what have I done? Argh! I never meant for this to actually work! You’re not supposed to be here! The ritual was incomplete!” her voice faded into silence as she realized that she was on the verge of a panic fuelled rant, her inner voice chiding her for such an outburst. How it had happened was irrelevant. It had happened and now she had to take some measure of responsibility for it. She patted her cheeks before crossing her arms around her chest, one hand resting over her mouth in a thoughtful gesture. Louise considered the man who now stood before her.
And he was very much a man in all respects. Tall and broad shouldered with an imposing, almost fearsome presence. Yet he did not make her feel scared, not as she thought that she might. It was his eyes. There was intelligence in those eyes, curiosity. Even strapped with weaponry as he was he had a strangely calming aura to him. Was that because he was a Servant? Her Servant? Or was it something else? By now she realized that she had done naught but stare at him after her outburst and she felt her cheeks glow red. It was only then that she seemed to realize, as the residual glow of mana subsided that the summoning had completely blown out the dormitory electrics, leaving her and her Servant standing in nothing but moonlight. For a moment the only sound was that of the rain pounding against the window.
Louise nodded to herself and walked past him over to the edge of the Alchemic circle. She knelt to retrieve her hat. She smiled, shook her head and placed the hat on her head and turned to face the Servant.
“Louise Evangeline Kotomi,” she said in a tone of affirmation.
“Yes, I suppose I am your Master.” She offered him her hand to shake, a strange gesture considering the situation. She sighed in a dejected manner.
“I’m so sorry, you really must be unlucky to end up with me as a Master.”---
The lights may have died from the ritual that had been performed, casting them into darkness, but for one of the Archer class, it was no obstacle. Colt's eyesight was perfect as it was. In fact, he could easily say that it was better than it ever had been in his own life, and the same could be said for his strength, and doubtlessly things he had to test. But it wasn't a surprise, the Grail doubtlessly making him stronger in order to compete with the other Servants that had been summoned. What good was he if he couldn't fight, after all?
Quickly running through that, Colt stood still as his new Master reacted to his query, the panic all too audible for one who had made a job out of public speaking before crowds. He had no idea what she was talking about, beyond the ritual that was supposed to summon a Heroic Spirit to fight, and indeed he found his ego growing with the fact that he had actually qualified as a Heroic Spirit, given all he had done. Well, that was the way the cards fell, and he waited until she had gotten a handle on her own emotions and retrieved her hat from where it had fallen.
Once she had, he grinned, stepping forward and taking her hand in a firm shake. First impressions and all that. "Well, one alternative is 'employer' and 'employee', but it's faster to say 'Master' and 'Servant', isn't it?" Admittedly, such things made him think of aristocrats, and the Civil War he had been witness to, but he was aware that such things didn't have the same connotations in this time period, or so he was told from the information the Grail had given him.
Stepping back, his hands came to rest on his hips as he grinned, committing the name to internal memory. "Samuel Colt, at your service," he replied with a slight bow. "And as my Master, you shall have my gun, and whatever other services I can provide you, until we have won our victory." It'd be difficult, especially considering that they didn't know who their foes were yet, but he had his skills and he was not about to count himself out just yet. Her own humble assertion earned a chuckle from the gunsmith as he gave her another look over, just to see if there was something he had missed before. "The Grail chose you, so while I should apologize for not being some ancient Indian warrior who'd probably be better suited to this sort of thing, I wouldn't count myself unlucky. I made a legacy out of doing stuff people thought was impossible." He exuded real confidence, certain that even if he didn't win, he would give it his best effort. Why else would he be here if not for that?
---
“Samuel Colt, the gunsmith?” she said more to herself than to Colt. It made sense. The bullet had been from that era and region, it stood to reason that as a heroic artefact it must have belonged to someone of import. Why not the famous gunsmith himself. It certainly explained his appearance and weaponry.
“Ah, no, I didn't mean that I was disappointed with you. I mean, I had no expectation to begin with after all. How should how I put it? You’re unlucky to have me as a Master, not so much the other way around,” Louise said, trying to be modest. Samuel was right about one thing though, the Grail really had chosen her. As to why she could not say. But if the Grail had chosen her then that meant it had chosen, or would soon chose others. And that meant that the war was coming. The thought brought a weakness to her knees but she endeavoured to not let it show.
Louise decided that the best thing to do was to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could. Information was power. She looked at Colt and nodded more to herself than to him, a look of determination etched into her expression, despite the fact that her hands were visibly shaking ever so slightly. She took and deep breathe and composed herself.
“Not Master, I don’t like that, and it would be a bad idea if anyone heard you call me that in public,” actually the thought gaze her goose bumps but she was not going to tell him that. He probably already thought her weird enough as it was.
“So I guess I should call you, huh, actually now that I think about it I have no idea what class you are. We should start with that, I need to know what abilities you have before we can do anything else.” ---
"The one and only," Colt confirmed with a grin. Well, she knew who he was, so he would have to consider that a good start to things. Her switch of what he had thought was a tad more worrying, but he refused to let it bother him. Doubtlessly she was being modest, trying to underestimate their own chances. True though, he didn't know what constituted a good mage or not, so he'd plan for all eventualities, just to be on the safe side. It was a stance and method that had suited him well in life, in the world of business, and there was little chance it wouldn't prove useful here as well.
He shrugged, accepting her refusal to go by the term 'Master'. He didn't mind too much either, though her worry was somewhat unfounded. But given her age, and the fact that she hadn't actually been expecting to summon anyone, he couldn't fault her for not knowing the basics. And it wasn't as if he was an old hand at this sort of thing, so he didn't really have room to judge. "That'd be Archer class," he informed her at her request, indicating his revolver. "I don't think this would be of much use elsewhere, except maybe Rider." Certainly there were some men in the Civil War he knew who would have fit the mold perfectly.
That said, he moved on to his other abilities. "So, eyes like a hawk, quick reflexes, and I can act on my own for a day or two without Mana from you, as long as I'm not too injured. Then there's this." At that, he drew his holstered revolver, displaying it for her to see, though in the dark it might be a bit difficult. "The original Paterson revolver. An enemy gets shot with this, it'll treat him like an average Servant, no matter what skills or traits he has. Though it's only got five shots before I have to reload it." Sad, but true. He'd fixed that design flaw later, but it had been there in the original, so it was here.
He placed the revolver back in its holster then, before stepping out of the circle and to the desk near Louise, picking up a pencil. "Then there's this." With a concentration of Mana, white lines ran over the writing implement, before it shifted in size and shape, and when the light faded he was holding another gun, a Colt Walker. "Any gun made by my company, be it a revolver, a rifle, or what have you, as long as i get a good look at it, I can make it from any object I touch." A pretty impressive trick if he did say so himself. Especially since he had no experience with magic in general.
He placed the gun back on the desk, and it soon dissolved into nothingness without the Mana to keep it as it was. "And that's all I've got in terms of special abilities."
---
Louise listened intently as Colt spoke, nodding to show that she understood what he had said in its entirety. His Class was Archer. That was all that he really needed to tell her in truth, it was the one thing that she could not be certain about in regard to the generic nature of all Servants. The weapon of a Servant alone was no perfect indication as to Class, though it was often suitable in application. In this regard Colt was no exception to the rule. As for generic Class abilities Archers always possessed the power referred to as Independent Action, to greater or lesser degrees. Colt’s it seemed was way above what was considered to be average for his Class. It was his less generic abilities that now held her rapt fascination, that of his Noble Phantasm. At once her mind tried to dissect the ability.
“That’s amazing, the ability to replicate any weapon that bears your Legacy. Even to this day?” she asked full of curiosity. Without offering him a chance to answer she carried on.
“At first sight it looks very similar to a magecraft we call Projection. Though it would seem that there must be an exchange with an item that already exists. Substitution perhaps? Or maybe the mechanism is closer to that of a sacrificial exchange? I wonder if I could transmute such an object once changed. Regardless you must need to perform some kind of Trace-like operation…” Eventually Louise seemed to remember Archer’s presence and turned toward him with an apologetic expression.
“You…probably don’t care about any that, huh,” she said with obvious embarrassment.
Louise looked at Colt with careful consideration before coming to a decision.
“Archer…I summoned you here. Whether I intended to or not is irrelevant. It happened because of me…and that makes it my responsibility. I guess what I’m saying is that ‘yes’, I am your Master. That is, if you’re willing to be my Servant,” Louise said as she offered him her hand.
---
Louise's consideration of the operation of Archer's Noble Phantasm was so much gibberish to Colt, who had no training in magic, and no knowledge of it beyond what had been provided for him by the Grail upon his summoning. That was the curse of Modern Servants, beyond not being as strong as those of old. Certainly, if she had wanted a truly strong Servant, she would have been better to summon an Indian spirit after all. But since that had happened, she would have to live with it. Certainly it seemed she had resigned herself to that, and he would as well as he stood there watching her talk to herself.
"It'd be my pleasure," he replied with a grin a she took her hand once more, giving it a firm shake. She was willing to step up and take charge, and in return he'd do the same for her. Besides, the offer of a wish in case they won was a bit much to pass up, all things considered.
He folded his arms across his chest as he glanced down at the circle, before his attention returned to his new Master, or Employer, or simply Louise or Kotomi. After all, there were a few things left worth mentioning. "I should mention that I'm leaving any magic related things to you. I don't have any experience with that particular subject. But, if you ever need me to make some things, I can handle that. I did have experience working with Morse to make telegraph lines, cartridges for the military, mines for the navy and gases like nitrous oxide. I'm even good with public speaking." An impressive list, but it'd certainly be useful as he flashed a grin her way, stroking his own ego.
---
“And in that case I’ll leave all of the fighting to you,” Louise responded cheerfully with a broad grin, her mood already starting to lift now that she had come to terms with the situation. It was not an ideal situation but for now she felt that she could handle it. With luck she might even survive it. Louise smiled and nodded appreciatively as Colt listed the obviously many talents that he possessed. Some of those skills would no doubt prove invaluable in the days to come. One or two of his accomplishments caught her attention more than the others however, giving her several ideas.
“Nitrous…oxide? Mines? That’s right!” she exclaimed and bounced around happily for a moment, realizing that despite the accidental nature of this entire arrangement that she and Colt actually possessed skills in common. Skills that could be combined to great effect. She composed herself and motioned to the books on the table.
“I'm a chemistry student, here at the University. I can make all sorts of useful compounds, given time and instruction. And those that I can’t make we could easily acquire.”Louise rooted around in another pile of books, carelessly tossing some over her shoulder. After a moment of quiet mumbling she uncovered what she was looking for. It was a tome, much older than her textbooks and far more well used judging by the condition of its binding. On the cover was a magical circle that bore some resemblance to the one that had summoned Colt. She held in front of her so that Colt could see the symbol.
“Remember all that nonsense from a moment ago? Well, I'm an Alchemist. That is to say I practice a form of magecraft called alchemy. It’s not combat worthy, not like others are so I can’t really help you all that much in battle. Not directly anyway,” Louise said with growing confidence.
“But what I can do is restore anything that is destroyed to its original form in mere moments, no matter how complicated or intricate. Or even how ancient. If it helps I can also change the properties of materials at their most basic level, provided it does not already bear some divine or legendary quality.” Louise beamed at him. It seemed as though this ego stroking was contagious.
---
"Looks like Lady Luck still has some left for us after all," Colt agreed with a nod at Louise's exclamation. He'd consider it good fortune to get a Master for this war who also pursued the sciences, or some magical equivalent to that. Certainly he'd heard of alchemy before, but only as a legend, a fairy tale. Finding out that it was real, and could actually work, well....if it weren't for the knowledge the Grail gave him, he would have been a lot more surprised. As it stood though, this would be less difficult than he thought. At the very least, it would even up the odds from him being a Modern Servant.
It wasn't too difficult to notice how she seemed to match himself when it came to a sense of superiority, but he didn't mind too much. That was how great things were done, and great deeds achieved in the end. One had to have the drive to do the impossible, if they were to make it happen. So it was some comfort to see his Master as ambitious as he had been when he was that age.
That said, Colt had taken up a position leaning against the wooden desk, practically exuding calm, confidence, and casual ease with the situation. It had worked in negotiations, and it worked here. "Now then, anything else I should know about you before we get started? Since you didn't expect this to work, I'm going to assume that you don't have a wish yet." Though she had to want something. Louise wouldn't have been chosen otherwise if she wasn't worthy, and part of that meant having a wish. But if she didn't feel like telling him, then that was fine as well.
---
Colts question caught her somewhat off guard, causing Louise to rub the back of her head in a slightly embarrassed fashion. He had assumed correctly of course. Colt was nothing if not perceptive, a trait she imagined he owed more to his experiences in life than to his current state of existence.
“Well, to be completely honest I…don’t know,” her answer was not exactly true and they both they it. The Grail would not have chosen her had she not had a wish that she wanted fulfilled. She had never really considered herself the type to hold out for wishes being granted. She preferred to make things happen herself.
“But I aim to find out, with your help of course. For a team like us, winning should be no problem! Hahah!” Just as she finished speaking the lights flickered back to life, bringing to light one last problem that she needed to resolve before the night was done. All things considered it was quite a pressing problem too.
“Now don’t take this the wrong way Mr Colt but you shouldn't be here. This is the girl’s dormitory after all and, well, that is the one thing you are not,” Louise said playfully, a mischievous look in her eyes as she withdrew a blanket and a futon from the cupboard.
“So for tonight at least you’re going to have to sleep on the floor. Starting tomorrow I’ll find us somewhere a little more…private. We're going to have a lot of work to do.”---
As expected, she had no wish at this point. Still, Louise didn't seem the type to e completely indecisive, and Colt was confident that one would be stumbled over eventually, and definitely before they won. One could not deny her enthusiasm now that she was in the contest though, and that was what he liked to see. It reminded him of his own life, and further highlighted the similarities between the two of them. "You've got that right," he agreed with a nod of his own.
The bad news he took remarkably well, stepping away from the desk and over towards the rain streaked windows. "Don't worry Ma'am, I've got that under control," Archer replied with a confident grin before fading from sight as he shifted to his Astral form, making him invisible to anyone who wasn't involved in the Grail War, and to most Masters as well. Still, she would be able to tell he was nearby as he spoke to her. “Get some shut eye. I'll set up a watch on the roof, if that's alright. There was a chuckle then as the invisible form moved about. So if you, for some reason, get attacked during the night, I would suggest the window as an exit in case I'm a tad slow." That said, he moved off to begin his watch, the contract concluded.
