Chapter 5: First Impressions

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Hey, I got it out before three months! Okay, maybe that's not much of an achievement but I'm still working towards making these updates more frequent.

Special thanks to nobodyreallyimportant for beta-reading this chapter!

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Key:

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Arias/chants"

"Noble Phantasm"(incantation)

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The world seemed to stand still as the Tower looked on in anticipation at the battered jump ship that slowly made its way to the pavilion entrance of the home of the Guardians. When word from the Tower's radio control had it that not one, but three Guardians had been resurrected, that sure made for some news.

Two Hunters who had been dancing on top of the post-office, again, much to the staff's annoyance, slowly brought their shimmying to a halt as they sat down over the roof's edge, legs dangling, idly making bets as to what classes the new Guardians, or rather Kinderguardians, would be. Granted, all started off as classless, but everyone could generally get a good feel of where one would go. Of course, there were always exceptions to the norm.

Several Warlocks who had been in a heated discussion about something related to the Traveler and the Speaker agreed to save their discussion for a later time, faces alight with curiosity.

The Titans, mostly those of the Gatewatch Order who had been stationed as guards for any unexpected assault, gazed on behind expressionless helmets, but even they seemed to lean forward in interest as they lowered their rifles.

As for the regulars, such as the staff and visitors, they were just relieved to have more Guardians around.

By this time a large crowd had gathered in the plaza. While not a mandatory rule, it had become something akin to a tradition for everybody to come and welcome new Guardians. It didn't matter if you were the janitor of the Tower or the Speaker himself; most everybody did it. Unless you were Osiris of course. He always claimed he had other things to do.

Therefore it was a surprise for many to see the elusive Warlock Vanguard show up, feathers and all. As usual, his helmet sat upon his head and the lower half of his face was covered by a mask, leaving only calculating and beady eyes to stare at the approaching ship while he discussed something with his Ghost, Sagira.

Beside him stood Saint-14. An Exo who had made himself famous during the Battle of the Six Fronts, he was the Titan Vanguard, and someone that everyone, Guardian and non-Guardian alike, looked up to. His own helmet nestled in his arm, everyone could see the excitement brimming beneath those glowing amethyst eyes of his as he too looked the ship of soon-to-be comrades, and the smile that threatened to break out across his face. Geppetto, his Ghost, merely sighed at seeing the look in her Guardian's eyes, but shared the same enthusiasm regardless.

And coming up behind both was Aparajita-4. He, like his Titan counterpart, was also an Exo. A rough-and-tumble kind of guy, people could often hear him bemoaning of being stuck in the Tower and longing to be out in the wilds. It was a Hunter thing, most likely.

No Hunter wanted to be marooned in the Tower while their brethren stole the all the glory for themselves.

The ship finally came to a stop, hovering just above the 'doormat' as most would jokingly refer to it as. It made sense, since this was where everyone transmatted themselves onto.

Three Ghosts dropped down from the ship, each bearing the standard white-and-orange color scheme of a Generalist shell; a sure sign. The plaza was bathed in blue light, blue motes wafting into the air and fading as three figures, two men and one woman if their body types and facial structures were anything to go by, stood and looked at the crowd, each of them wearing kit-bashed armor like all Guardians who first made their way to the Tower; there was no doubt made from leftover materials found nearby their once-dead corpses.

And yet, despite their ragged forms and torn clothing, everyone was taken aback by their presence almost immediately. The aura each exuded; it felt powerful and impossibly ancient. It spoke of a confidence, strength, and wisdom that no Kinderguardian, and even some veteran Guardians, should have, not yet at least.

They looked at the one on the left, one of the two men. He was the tallest of the three, if only by a small margin. Steel grey eyes paired with an indifferent expression gazed back at them coolly while the man's white hair blew in the gentle breeze. Those who dared to try intimidate the newcomer found themselves unconsciously backing off in wariness. To them, it felt as if they were trying to go up against a wall of unyielding iron. The resident Warlocks took note of him. If he was to join their ranks, then they had almost no doubt that there was a lot they would end up learning.

To his right stood the other man. The Hunters present in the Tower took an almost immediate liking to him. He seemed to be his counterpart's complete opposite; his blood-red eyes, as unsettling as they were, seemed to speak of carefreeness instead of wariness. An easygoing grin had the hearts of many of those of the opposite sex, and even those of the same, flutter briefly. And the hair; while there was no regulation on one's physical appearance, no one had any doubt that Lord Saladin would throw a fit at the absurd length of the rat tail if the man ever became a Titan.

But it was the woman in the center that had the Titans standing at attention. Despite her short and diminutive stature, many of them, including Saint, felt an urge to kneel before her in reverence. Their hearts, regardless of whether they pumped blood, motor oil, or ethereal nectar, seemed to cry out in exultation upon laying eyes on her figure and were humbled when her eyes, a color of the brightest jade, swept over them. With nary a word or action, she had single-handedly garnered the respect of the City's most stalwart defenders. There was no doubt in their minds that this, this was a true Titan.

Saint, the social butterfly he was, broke the silence first. "Guardians," he exclaimed, walking forward and extending an arm in greeting, "welcome to the Tower of the Last City of humanity! I hope that your journey here wasn't too rough?" The woman answered.

"It was quite alright," she replied, extending her own arm and clasping hands with the Exo. 'A firm grip,' he noticed. His respect for the woman went up further, but he had yet to judge the other two. "There was a little scuffle prior, but we appreciate the concern. May I know whom I am speaking with?"

"Ah, forgive me for my manners! My name is Saint-14, and this is my Ghost, Gepetto. And you are?"

"Saber. Just Saber."

"An interesting name for a lady. Does it have to do with the sword you carry?" He gestured sheathed weapon on her waist. She nodded, and then he turned to her companions. "And you two: what are yours? Unless your names are similar to your partner here?" Like he did with Saber, he extended a hand in greeting. The man on the right stepped forward first. "Eh, ya almost got it. Call me Lancer." He grinned, and jerked a thumb towards the other male in the group. "And Mr. Dark and moody over there is Archer." Said male turned towards him, irritation visible in his features.

"Oi, I can introduce myself you know."

"Oh I know, but you're gonna put everyone off with the look on your face."

As the two started arguing, Saber merely pinched the bridge of her nose. To Saint, it looked like the poor girl had to deal with this for a while. "Please ignore them," she said, "they've been at this for a while." The Exo could only nod in sympathy, having his own fair share of listening to his fellow Vanguards go at it for hours while he could only look on in uncomfortable silence. If the two were anything to go by, they would definitely be in opposing classes, and he had a bad feeling he knew where they would go. On the bright side, it seemed like he got the more responsible one of the three.

Small mercies, no?

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Eventually, the occupants of the Tower, including Osiris and Aparajita, dispersed, leaving the three Servants with the Titan Vanguard as the four walked to a place called Tower North, or the right wing of the Tower. Arturia had to admit that she may have wrong about this place; it seemed nice, and the fact it seemed to be run more like a democracy despite there being someone who everyone designated as the leader of the City lessened her worries a little bit. Currently, she was listening to Saint, who was talking about the current state of affairs. Despite their constant glares(or in Lancer's case, smirks) she knew her fellow Servants were listening in.

"Right now we are going to see the Speaker. Think of him as a… proxy leader of the Last City. Normally he would come and see new Guardians in person, but lately we have all been kept on our toes." The Exo sighed, seeming to age a decade in the span of a second. "I will not lie to you all, this was a fairly bad time to be resurrected. Er, not that I am complaining. New Guardians are always a welcome sight here. It's just that… our scouts are sending in reports of large groups of Fallen amassing on the horizon. You've seen them: four-eyed creatures with two or four arms. Very barbaric." His eyes darkened as if remembering personal encounters with them. "I have seen their dregs eat children, sometimes alive. That is not something easily forgivable, if at all."

Needless to say, Arturia shared the sentiment. Cannibalism was the closest thing she could associate to what Saint was describing, and the mere mention of it of it sent a shiver of disgust through her. As far as she could recall, it had never been an issue in Camelot. 'But then,' she thought, a wistful expression gracing her features, 'there was many a thing I overlooked during my rule.'

Saint seemed to notice her expression, and quickly diverted the topic to something else. "What of your companions? They have been fairly silent during our first exchange in the plaza." He gestured towards Archer. "Archer, was it? Tell me, what is your impression of the Tower?"

"…It's too open here, and security seems fairly lax if you are expecting an invasion." As always, the former Servant of the Bow had something negative to say. He had gotten better, but not by much.

For a moment Arturia was worried that Saint would get mad at her friend, so she was surprised when he burst out in laughter instead. "You sound just like Osiris! Always so serious and critical, that one, saying 'I have better things to do than attend boring meetings.' Bah!" He shook his head. "Frankly, I cannot blame him. They are boring as they are necessary, and it doesn't help we have people pursuing their own agendas. But you needn't worry too much; everyone in the Tower has some form of military training, and the reports on enemy movements come in every hour. I assure you, we are far from being underprepared."

Archer didn't look convinced, but he remained silent. Saint turned towards Lancer. "And you, my friend? What are your thoughts?"

"Eh, so long as ya got good opponents I have nothin' much to say. However, 's much as I hate to agree with the bastard, I share the same sentiments." And of course Lancer was getting stir crazy. She and Archer being there to get him off his battle-lust helped in some regard, but they could only do so much before he got bored and wanted to look for a new fight.

"Ha! I have a feeling that you would get along with Shaxx easily. Ah, he is the one in charge of the Crucible. Think of it as an arena where we pit ourselves against each other. There are plenty of strong fighters. Death is hardly a problem, so we can fight, die, and fight again."

At that, Lancer perked up, obviously excited at the prospect. The chance at fighting your opponent without the fear of death was a truly appealing thought to him.

They finally arrived at a place that Saint called the 'Speaker's observatory.' "Wait here," he told them at the entrance, "I will go get him if he is working."

He walked in, disappearing up a flight of stairs hidden behind the wall of the observatory, yelling, "Father! Stop working and come say hello to the new Guardians!" The three looked at each other in surprise.

Father?

Saint soon came down with a masked man dressed up in white and black, with robes akin to that of a Warlock. At first glance, he seemed diminutive despite his broad stature, lacking any form of power or strength. She could hardly sense anything coming from him, and began to have doubts as to how this man became the leader of a city and remain in power for so long if Saint's words were anything to go by. However, seeing as he was still around, she decided to stow away her doubts, at least for now.

"I apologize for not coming to welcome you all. As I am sure you have heard from Saint, things have been… busy lately." the man said. His voice was soft, not in a grandfatherly way, but more like someone who had seen much of what life had to offer. Kind of like a mentor, perhaps.

Arturia was immediately reminded of her foster father, Ector, and the thought sent a pang of longing through her chest. Oh, how she wished she was a child again, listening to his stories before bed. Those were better, more innocent times.

"Please, come inside." He gestured for the three of them, and they followed.

The observatory was large and quite open; a massive machine comprised of many rings that constantly spun around a single holographic orb took up most of the space. Beyond that, hung the Traveler. Their Ghosts flashed into existence and flew around, their shells spinning as they took in the scenery. Saint stood away from them, leaning against the observatory wall.

"I am sure you all have many questions; who we are, and how things came to this point, are some of the most frequently asked by anyone new." He turned and looked outside. "We were a great race, once. Fantasies beyond our wildest dreams turned into reality, sickness became a thing of the past, the average human lifespan tripled, all thanks to the Traveler."

They looked to the white orb, its underbelly damaged and broken, revealing its inner workings. Arturia still remembered when it was still whole and unblemished. It once possessed an ethereal glow to it, before they died. Now, its luster was gone, whatever life it possessed stolen away by what attacked it, and killed them.

It was Archer who voiced the unspoken question the three shared. "What happened to it?"

The Speaker looked at him. "The Darkness came." It was a simple phrase, no more than three words, but a shiver went down her spine. "Your Ghosts, the ones who revived you, are its last and greatest creations. The Traveler created them the moment it died, sending them out into the Solar System to look for those worthy of inheriting its Light. You are now their Guardians, people brought back from beyond the veil of death to become protectors, scholars, and explorers."

"The Last City is all we have left." Archer's Ghost came down and spoke, Lancer's and her own following close behind. "It was built in trying times, when things were a lot more dark than they are today. Now, we're counting every day it stands."

"Each day is a blessing for Guardians and non-Guardians alike," Lancer's added. "Much of the past may have been lost, but there's always some hope for the future that things will take a turn for the better.

"So much d-darkness has plagued h-humanity for the past f-few centuries. N-no one wants things to go b-back to that."

Arturia didn't see it, but she could tell the Speaker was smiling behind that mask of his. "Your Ghosts will guide you, Guardians, as you guide them. The bond the three of you share with them is something special, and so valuable. Guard it with your life." He looked at their fourth companion, who was currently engaged in a conversation with his own Ghost. "I wish I could say more, but I need to get back to work. Saint?"

The Exo paused in his conversation, saying one last thing to his Ghost before it nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. "Yes, Father?"

"Take our new Guardians to get rested up. We will get them outfitted with better armor and weapons tomorrow."

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Once they were outside of the observatory Arturia looked at the Exo Titan with a dry expression. "Father? That's what you call the Speaker?" Saint had the decency to look sheepish at her remark. Well, as much as an Exo could at least.

"He… er… adopted me, more or less. It was some time ago, back when I was still learning under him. Maybe… two decades ago?" He cocked his head to one side, as if trying to remember that particular day. "Ah, the details are a bit fuzzy."

The quartet was walking to a nearby kiosk in the plaza. Night was falling, the sun letting out the last few rays of color before it would disappear. Several stores were beginning to close shop or had employees switching out for the day. Regardless, it was still an active hub of activity. Saint spoke with the frame manning the kiosk before it gave him three sets of codes to rooms.

"Frames will be active 24/7 if you need assistance with anything, be it requisitioning common amenities or taking bounties." He explained, his Ghost sending the codes to the other three Ghosts. "Just, don't try to bother them too much when they are working. The sweeper frames in particular will often chase Guardians if they kicked over a bucket or knocked down a trash can. It's a funny sight, but only if you are not on the receiving end of their ire."

"Personal experience?" Archer asked, obviously amused at the image of the large Titan being scared off by one of the small robots waving a broom and screaming bloody murder. Saint shivered. "I still have nightmares about the last time."

Putting some thought to it, Arturia had to agree with her friend's perspective. Saint seemed like the type of person who would be willing to brave even the most eldritch of horrors thrown against humanity, so the thought of an entity that significantly paled in comparison was something that would certainly be the butt of everyone's jokes for a while.

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves in front of a door with the numbers '2004' on it. "Archer, this will be your room. Saber and Lancer, you have rooms 2005 and 2006 respectively. They are a bit small, but there is enough room to for basic needs. Feel free to customize them to your liking." He gave them one last goodbye before disappearing to wherever he was needed.

Arturia looked at her friends. Lancer just gave a toothy grin, let his Ghost enter the code to his room, and stepped inside without a word. Archer only shrugged, but placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe it won't be that bad. The people are friendly enough and their intentions seem genuine. I think you'll be fine."

While the words made her feel a little bit better, it brought up a question that had been sitting in the back of her mind for a while.

"…Is this how you felt as a Counter Guardian, Archer?"

The former Servant rubbed the back of his head, in a gesture not unlike Shirou's in the Holy Grail War. Then again, the two were technically the same person. She wondered how he and Rin were doing.

"That's a difficult question to answer. The circumstances through which I became who I am today were very specific, and I can say with absolutely certainty that there were other Counter Guardians who had no problems with their afterlife. Besides, it's only been a day, so getting an accurate read on this place in such a short amount of time is hard. Not impossible, mind you, but that wasn't my primary goal when we got here. Just get some rest. We can talk about it later with Lancer in the morning if need be."

And then Arturia was left alone in the hallway, with only her thoughts and Ghost to keep her company. She sighed, letting her Ghost unlock the door so she could take a look. 'No time like the present.'

Saint had been right about the place being small, but it still felt fairly roomy to her. There was a small closet built into the wall on her left that could fit several pairs of clothes, or armor if that's what they were going to be wearing for the foreseeable future, as well as a footwear rack on the bottom. On her right was a kitchen, which quite frankly was going to prove useless if Archer decided to keep cooking for them, and knowing him, he would. She could find a use for it later.

Beyond the kitchen the room split off into three separate areas; the bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom. Of the three, the bathroom was the smallest. The living room and kitchen combined could fit six people comfortably, and the bedroom was only big enough to accommodate one person. She made a beeline for the latter, not bothering to change out of her clothes though she lacked extra sets to begin with.

Arturia laid there, staring up at the ceiling in silent contemplation. Maybe Archer was right, but she had a feeling he too would be keeping a wary eye for the first sign of deception. For now, she would take this opportunity to rest and recuperate, but there were some loose ends she needed to tie up.

The silent companion floating in her room was one of them. They were an unknown, having powers akin to a grail in some respects. At the same time they also seemed human in nature, which, while it would make interactions easier, it also meant trust would likely be vital in this. And judging by the silence permeating through the room and the nervousness coming across their newfound neural bond in waves, it was going to be a hard endeavor.

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The Tower plaza was fairly quiet at night, with only a few Guardians running around the plaza besides those on watch duty. Despite the looming threat that threatened to overtake the Last City, the air was quite relaxed; civilians still went about their daily lives as if nothing was going on and Guardians came to and fro taking one bounty after another.

And yet, that didn't stop one Shirou Emiya from looking down at everything with a frown. The question Saber posed had kept him up, and he really did have to wonder.

'Am I going down the same path?'

"Can't sleep?" Shirou turned to see his Ghost coming to rest on his shoulder.

"I suppose not," he responded. "I mean, how could I? You die only to wake up in a dystopian future where everything's gone to hell? How can that not keep one awake at night?"

"Well, you're certainly taking it better than other Guardians I've seen before. Their reactions were a little more… extreme, at times." The former Counter Guardian chuckled, but it was devoid of any amusement or mirth. "I assure you, I am taking it very badly at this moment. I just know how to deal with it." He looked at his hands; they were rough and calloused, but they were clean and unblemished.

The sight sickened him.

Just because he had escaped Alaya's contract through some very, say, 'unconventional means'(and even then, he was still suspicious if that was truly the case), did not mean that he had escaped his fate. To him, the differences between a Guardian and a Counter Guardian felt so very small, newfound freedom be damned. In the end, he just saw a another enemy to fight, another threat that had to be taken down before it could raze humanity down to the ground. It was a only small comfort that he didn't have to kill the ones he saved.

And what did he have anyways? Nothing but his empty hands, a Reality Marble, a new power completely beyond his understanding, and only two people he could wholeheartedly trust without reservations. Camelot may have changed him for the better, but at the end of the day, he was still the same person who foolishly cast aside a promising future in exchange for a hell that broke him down to his core. How could that and a decade of freedom turn millennia upon millennia of jaded cynicism and regrets completely on its head?

"I can feel your emotions, you know." His Ghost spoke up quietly. "It's like a cascading waterfall that threatens to drown me without ever letting me go. What sort of life did you live that it causes something like this?"

"One that damned me for eternity. If I'm being honest, I think you chose the wrong person to resurrect; the baggage I carry with me is only something that few can handle."

"No, I don't think so. Every Ghost has one Guardian that they're destined to be with. Sometimes in our desperation, we can resurrect the wrong person and the results prove to be disastrous, but somehow," his Ghost spun to face him, and he was almost taken aback by how confident the little construct seemed. "I know that you were the one I was destined to be with."

"…Are you trying to propose to me?"

"Wh-what?! NO! That's not what I meant at all! I-I mean the bonding process can be seen like that, but that doesn't—"

"Relax, I was only joking." And now his Ghost was full of indignation.

"Did you really have to do that?"

"I merely saw an opportunity and just couldn't resist."

His Ghost glared at him, the top half of his optic darkening as a way to convey how he felt about the situation, but gave up when it was obvious that the conversation was over. The two would continue to gaze down upon the millions of lives that they were entrusted to protect, one continually pondering the mystery that was his Guardian and the other questioning the events to come and his purpose in them. A comfortable silence enveloped the two, and no more words were spoken. Doubts were still held and questions were still left unanswered, but for now, this was enough.

They stayed there for the rest of the night.

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Well, hope you enjoyed! Let me know that you think in the comments section, be it ideas for the future or just an analysis of the current state of the story in general. And as always, thank you for your time.