Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 3: The First Command

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 3: The First Command

Upon hearing the female student's scream, Shirou and Rin rescinded their battle and ran outside to see what happened. Shirou found the unconscious girl first and inspected her, then reported, "It's okay. She's just passed out."

"Are you kidding!?" Rin snapped. "Can't you tell that she's been drained dry!?"

"Drained dry?"

"Of her mana... Essentially her life force. She has so little blood left that she'll die if we leave her like this."

"Die!? Can't you do something!?" Shirou exclaimed.

"I can stabilize her with one of my gems," Rin assured, then took out a green gemstone and powered it over the girl. As she was busy with the treatment, Shirou thought he sensed something wrong nearby and turned his gaze toward the outer forest. He stopped... and his eyes widened as a terrifying sense of danger overcame his nerves.

"LOOK OUT!"

Rin was so startled by his scream and of him pushing her that she jerked forward. When she opened her eyes, she found traces of blood on his arm. For all of the professionalism and elegance she took pride in, that all disappeared as she stared in sheer horror at the very first critical injury she ever got to witness in her life. A strange dagger attached to a chain had been gouged clean through Shirou's wrist, and large amounts of blood covered the sleeve.

"W-Why did you...?" Rin gasped, then shook her head and exclaimed, "I mean, you're bleeding like crazy! Doesn't that hurt!?"

"It does... You wouldn't believe how painful it is..." Shirou mumbled as he stood up, disregarding the agony through an absurd level of willpower. "I'll go see what it is. Stay here and take care of her, Tohsaka."

"Wha-!?" she protested, but he ran off before she could stop him.

****

Connla was about to emerge from around a corner of the school grounds, but then stopped and hid herself from view. She found Rin and Shirou taking care of the dying student and had witnessed the attack. Luckily, Connla was far enough away that Rin wouldn't pick up on the Servant's presence, though it also meant she couldn't hear what they were saying. Then to her surprise, she watched Shirou run toward the forest where the attacker came from, armed with nothing but a flimsy iron pipe.

That idiot! What does he think he's doing!?

Without thinking, and while maintaining her distance, Connla followed him into the woods. She even entered Identity Concealment mode so that should Rin accidentally see her, she would only catch a glimpse of some hazy viridian winds rather than a person. As Connla leapt from branch to branch attempting to keep up with Shirou, she thought, It's obvious that he was attacked by a Servant! If I don't do something, he'll be killed!

She came upon him just as he was being assaulted by someone else. The girl crouched on the thick branch, about to rush in and provide support for him when she noticed something on the top of his hand.

Wait... is that-?

When Connla had been initially summoned, she had been shown the sigils for the seven Servants taking part in the Holy Grail War. She also saw their faces, but had not been divulged of their True Names. She paused, surprised to see one of those symbols on Shirou's hand.

No mistaking it. That's the Command Spell for Saber. Then is this young man Saber's Master...?

Connla glanced over at Shirou's opponent. There was no doubt that the stranger was a Servant who didn't belong in this era. She was tall, slender, and absolutely beautiful with her ankle-length violet hair and form-fitting black skirt, gloves and thigh boots that accentuated her supple curvature. However, there was also a sinister countenance to her as she kept her eyes concealed beneath a lavender blindfold.