Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 1: Unexpected Playing Piece

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 1: Unexpected Playing Piece

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This and any future stories involving Connla will assume that you have read all previous stories, so some details already covered there will not be explained here. If you haven't read those, I recommend you do so before this one so you aren't too confused. In addition, this particular story assumes you have prior knowledge of what occurs in Fate/Unlimited Blade Works since this tale is a deviation of that route.

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It was another quiet day in Chaldea. Life continued as normal for the one Master, her multitude of Servants, and the staff members. Just a week ago though, the entire organization was in turmoil after a bizarre event had stranded two of the Servants in an unknown alternate world, forcing everyone else to scramble to find them. The pair were eventually rescued and the Singularity occurring in that world was resolved, which essentially settled the matter.

However, the two Servants did not return uninjured. The first one, the Treacherous Knight Mordred, had been tortured without remorse, and then immediately had to fight several life-threatening battles. Even so, her boundless vigor and high resistance stats as a Saber-class Servant allowed her to withstand the brutality and emerge relatively intact.

The same couldn't be said for Mordred's partner; the Child of Cuchulainn, Connla. Since she was only a seven-year old Servant, she didn't have the same pain tolerance thresholds that Mordred did. Furthermore, right at the conclusion of the incident, Connla had pushed Mordred aside to protect her from a vicious Noble Phantasm, but wound up being caught in the blast and thrown through several thick castle walls. This left her so horribly battered that most of her bones had been shattered, and she was so traumatized that she slipped into a deep coma.

One of Chaldea's other Servants remained on a vigilant watch over her. He was one of the incarnations of Cuchulainn, specifically the Berserker-class Alter version. He stared at his daughter's sleeping face, which was partially hidden beneath an oxygen mask. The heart monitor rhythmically beeped in the background, and her breath continuously fogged the mask every few seconds. Her hair was bundled beneath a hospital cap, and her entire body save her face was wrapped in layers upon layers of bandages. A miniature plushie replica of Cuchulainn, nicknamed Mini-Cu, was tucked beneath her arm. Her condition had improved significantly compared to the first few days of hospitalization, but Roman and Nightingale weren't sure that they could declare her stable just yet.

During this time, Cuchulainn grew to despise himself even more than before. He had secretly accompanied Connla and Mordred during their outlandish adventure in the hopes of protecting Connla. Even so, he had failed to do so once again. He was so despondent that he refused to go on missions unless Ritsuka absolutely needed him, and once his duties were over, he would head straight back here. He sat next to the bed and held Connla's right hand, which bore the ring he had forged and given to Aife so that she could pass it on to Connla when she left for Ireland. It was the proof of their bond, forever connecting them as parent and child.

He dared not make a sound, fearing that he would wake her up prematurely. Though he felt guilty for allowing this to happen to her, he was also relieved that she would not cause him more trouble with her careless gallivanting while in this state. He wished he could converse with Connla, but he believed it was better that she got her rest. No one knew when she would awaken, but Cuchulainn was determined to be the first one to welcome her back home.

For now, he would wait patiently until that day came...

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"Bazett! Hey, Bazett! What the hell happened here!?"