Chapter 2: New world

Hi all I'm back with a new chapter. Firstly thank you all for the Follows and Favs. Was not expecting this story to get this much attention in one week. So thank you.

Next I should tell you guess that I have no planned schedule to releasing chapters. I am working full time so writing things up does take a bit time along with the research to make sure I'm getting most of my lore from both series correct. While I am familiar and fans of both series, most of what I know comes from the anime. I have not read the Light novels for Danmachi or Sword Oratoria and only know bits a pieces of what happens in them that weren't covered in the anime adaptations. As for Fate, I do play FGO however I've skipped over a lot of the story. I up to LB 5 Atlantis in case anyone was wondering and have still yet to start it.

As for releasing chapters I'll try to write one at least every month so there isn't too big of a wait for you all.

With all that said onto the chapter.

Not many things could surprise Emiya any more and when they did it was usually something that would give him a small headache. But here was one of the rare times that he wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

Firstly was the woman that was in front of him. There was no doubt that she was his master, the Command Spells that glowed on the back of her right hand made that very clear. Secondly was the foreign energy that was radiating from her. While held back, he could feel small bits coming from her. Not to mention that wherever it was, the power was being converted into mana. No doubt this would take some adjusting and getting used to. Thirdly was the amount of mana that was flowing in the air. All around him mana travelled and if he had to guess the time period would mostly likely be in the Age of Gods.

"Excuse me sir. Are you okay?" Right… his new master was speaking to him. Better respond and find out what kind of Grail War he was thrusted into this time.

"Apologize for my silence Master, I was merely taking in the new environment that I've been summoned to. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am a servant of the Archer class, here to serve and fight for you in this Holy Grail war." Communication is established. A very simple introduction that is to the point of who he is and why he's been summoned. Now it was time to see what kind of Master he's been paired with this time.

"Master? Servant? I'm sorry but I'm not sure I quite understand what you're saying. I can't be a Master to a servant as it goes against my nature as a Goddess of Justice. And I'm quite sure what you mean by this… Holy Grail war." Confusion was clearly shown on her face. It seems that this is a case of the Grail picking random people to fill in the spots again. And what did she mean by "Goddess of Justice?" Surely his master couldn't be a God. Could that be even possible?

Emiya had seen many Gods be summoned as servants and even met the Goddess of Justice that his master was claiming to be. While never seeing her true form as she was summoned in the form of a Pseudo-Servant, no doubt that goddess would feel insulted that someone was claiming to be who they were not, though that could be the vessel side feeling the insult. He wouldn't be sure. However…

"Oh. But I am afraid that you are my Master as there is no else besides you in this room. And I'm not sure if you know but claiming to be someone you're not is very rude Master. Especially if said person you're claiming to be is a God." With his words spoken Emiya had one goal in this current conversation. To find out if his master truly was a God as she claims to be. While on the surface there was nothing indicating as such, the energy that he was feeling from her said otherwise.

"But I am telling the truth. I swear as the Goddess of Justice herself, I am telling you that I speak no lies to you."

("It seems that I've struck a nerve with that comment. She really is trying to convince me that she is a goddess, however I'm sensing no lie from her words. Best course of action now is to play along and see if those words still hold true.")

Raising both his arms with his hands open in "defeat", Emiya reply in one of his "infamous" sarcastic remarks. "Very well then, I'll play along with your act for now and let time reveal who really was correct Master." Even after his small surrender, those words left a small bitter taste to Astraea. It was like the man wasn't even taking her seriously in any way.

Seeing no point in the current argument any longer Astraea decided to move the conversation to more important matters. Such as this "master-servant" thing he mentioned or what this "Holy Grail War" was and who this man was. "I suppose so but now back to the matter at hand who are you and how did you get here?" It was clear to Emiya that the "goddess" wanted answers.

"Straight to the point eh. As I've said before I am a servant of the Archer Class. You may refer to me as Archer for the duration of this Grail War. As to how I got here, you were the one who summoned me here, were you not?" His response was clear and cut. Both of Astraea's questions answered without any hesitation. What scared Astraea most about Archer was that she couldn't sense any malice or lies in his words either, which meant that he was telling her the truth.

"I see. Now for my next question, just what is this Holy Grai…."

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM* "The noise came from here. This must be where that goddess is hiding!" "She's blocked the door!" "Just break it down."

Astraea's question came to an interruption as the pursuers that she had lost found her. With all that happened in the last few minutes she completely forgot that she was still in danger which lead to ner next problem. She still had no plan to escape them.

*BAM* *CRASH* Her thoughts would come to a halt now that her barricade was broken down. All four of the grunts that were chasing her stood in front of the entrance, weapons ready. With her hope once again fading, it seemed like all was lost for Astraea. Archer on the other hand…

"It seems we have guests master. Are these friends of yours?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Honestly what would make Archer think that she had any sort of relation with these men. A tick mark formed on her forehead.

"If that's the case then please allow me to deal with them for you master. The sooner that I deal with these pests the sooner I'll be able to answer the rest of your questions." Seeing the clear discomfort that his master was in once all four of these men entered the building, Archer sought to deal with the problem. Leaving his summoning circle, he made his way towards his master's discomfort.

Noticing that Astraea was no longer alone. The Evilus grunts weren't scared at all. After all, what was one man against the four of them. Unfortunately for them, they were about to learn how wrong they were.

"Hey you with the white hair. Do us a favor and hand the goddess to us. If you do, we promise you'll live to see the light." "Yeah and if we're feeling generous enough maybe we'll let you in on some of the fun we have planned. HAHAHAHA."

Archer was a man of many things but even he had standards. What Archer saw ahead of him was not men of evil but trash that needed to be disposed of. "I thank you for the kind offer gentlemen but I'm afraid I'll have to decline for you see that there's some trash I need to dispose of immediately and I'm afraid I have to stay here to clean it up." He started slowly making his way forward, hands ready for his next move, his magic circuits activating.

"Trash? What kind of trash are you dispo…" *SLASH* Time slowed down as the man with white hair that was in front of them was suddenly right no longer there. Hearing the sound of something being cut, heads of the grunts turned towards the sound of the slash only to find that one of their comrades was a head short and the man they were looking for was behind them now wielding a sword in his right hand. Shock landed on their faces.

For Astraea who was behind Archer, everything happened in a blink of an eye. One moment Archer was slowly walking towards her pursuers, the next, he's already gotten behind them, drawn a sword from somewhere and decapitated one of the four grunts. With such speed she wondered what level this man was as it was too high to be anything under the average Level 3. Perhaps he was even faster than Ryuu, who was known for her speed in the familia. Could he even keep up with those from the Loki and Freya familia's? Those were questions racing through her mind at that moment.

Recovering from the surprise attack on their comrade, the now three Evilus grunts started to charge towards Archer. Vengeance was now what they craved, and the killer's head would do as tribute to their fallen comrade. Sadly for them, quantity doesn't always make it as Archer quickly dispatched the rest. One went for a simple downwards strike with his sword which was parried, followed by a swift kick to the ribs sending him crashing to the wall head first. The second went for a simple thrust, only for Archer to step to the side and cut off his arm before putting him out of his misery. His cry was never heard. As for the third grunt… you can probably guess what happened to him.

With all four now incapacitated or dead, Archer let himself ease a bit as the threat was halted. Making his way back to his master, he saw fit to continue their interrupted conversation however he had yet to withdraw his blade. After all, only a fool would assume the threat has passed on the battlefield. "Hmm not even worth my time. Although the timing on my projection took a bit longer than usual and drained a bit more mana as well. Probably due to the difference in the mana flowing through the air. Nothing a little practice and adjusting can do."

To Archer these grunts were trash that should be disposed of but if there was anything that he could thank them for, it would be learning how his current abilities were affected in this current world. The quick onslaught had taught him a few things. One: his body had yet to adjust to his new surroundings. With the air so full of mana it would take him more effort to project his weapons and it would cost him more mana to spend to project said weapons. Second: Whatever energy his master had was being converted into mana for him. Whatever this foreign power was, it was powering him up. Never before had Archer felt such a boost.

"Apologies for the mess master but I've successfully taken care of the trash. I'll be sure to dispose of it once our business here is finished. Now where exactly were we?"

Recovering from her shock of the events that just transpired, Astraea saw fit to respond to her savior and stir right back on course with their interrupted conversation. "Ah y-yes. I-its no problem Archer. You mentioned something about a "Holy Grail War.""

"Yes… the Grail War. Allow me to explain Master. You are one of seven chosen masters that will participate in a "sacred" ritual for a cup that "can" grant wishes. The masters chosen by the grail summon Heroic Spirits, such as myself, to fight for the chance to win the Grail as servants and have their deepest wish come true. Once six of the seven servants have been defeated, the Grail can be summoned. Any questions?"

"I think I got it. But just how do you know that I'm your master?"

"Look at the back of your right hand master." Following his command Astraea did so. With her focus now on her back-right hand, she noticed three strange red marks now painted. "The three marks that you now see are known as Command Spells or Command Seals. These marks are what signify you as a master of the Grail War. By using these marks you can claim three acts of absolute obedience that cannot be ignored and will be followed. However, should you use all three, our pact will end and so will your participation in the war."

"A-absolute Obedience… No, I couldn't do that." Hearing that Astraea had the power to command absolute obedience onto someone shocked her. As a Goddess of Justice, this went against her very nature. It scared her that she now held this power. Power that she didn't even want or to use on anyone. Forcing someone into obedience wasn't the kind of Justice she envisioned.

Okay so maybe explaining the natures of the seals without giving the benefits was an error on Archer's part. Especially saying that in front of a "goddess" of Justice. Seeing how distraught his master was after hearing his explanation, he sought to correct his mistake. "Apologise master it seems I have failed to provide you with some of the benefits of using the seals. By using the seals you could call me to your side instantly or you could give me a power boost in battle. The seals aren't just used for selfish reasons."

Even hearing that didn't fully reassure Astraea.

Seeing that didn't really help Archer saw fit to move on and stay on topic. "In any case, you are now a master and those seals won't fade until you either use them or I fade away. It would be best for you to cover your hand if you're worried about people seeing them."

"Hmmmm."

Releasing a sigh Archer dispelled his projected sword and made his way over to Astraea and did something she didn't expect. A surprise yelp could be heard from Astraea. He picked her up off the ground to carry her. But this carry wasn't a carry on his back, it was a bridal carry. Realising what he just did, her face turned crimson. "W-w-w–what are you doing!?" Never in her life did Astraea think she'd be in a bridal carry position. She'd seen a few times but she never thought she would be in one, with a man no less. It was honestly more embarrassing than she expected.

Looking a bit up to face Archer, his expression remained unchanged. He looked at her with stern and serious eyes, however she noticed a glint of comfort in them. "It's been a long day and you've clearly been through a lot master. I think it would be best to take you back home to rest and process everything that's happened in the last few minutes. After all, an event like this happens every day." Finishing what his intent was, Archer made his way out of the broken building and onto the streets.

Exiting the building the sun had started to set. The sky slowly turning orange. "By the way master, it would be best if you could guide me to your home as I am unfamiliar with the landscape we're in. Wouldn't want to be roaming around aimlessly now would we?"

"O-of course. Firstly take a…"

"Lady Astraea! Where are you!" Astraea's directions came to a halt as a familiar voice rang through the streets. From the corner of right eye, Astraea noticed two familiar figures ahead clearly searching for her.

"ALISE! KAGUYA! I'm over here!" Turning to the direction his master was calling to, Archer noticed the two figures. Seeing that his master clearly knows them he made his way to them.

Hearing the sound of their goddess calling to them, Kaguya and Alise quickly made their way to the sound of her voice. On the way they noticed that she was being carried to them by a strange man in red with white hair. Questions of who he was and what relation he had to their goddess was pushed to the side as the well-being of their goddess came first.

Alise was the first of the two to make it to their goddess and immediately checked to see if she was alright. "Lady Astraea thank goodness you're okay. I thought the Evilus got their hands on you. Are you hurt? Injured? Where are the crooks that dare lay their hands on you? I'll punish them myself!"

Kaguya, now reaching the pair, pulled her captain back a bit to create some space between. "Slow down Alsie, you're overwhelming her with too many questions."

"But Kaguya it's my duty as the captain to make sure nothing's happened to her." The two familia members started to bicker. A smile started to form on the goddess face.

Setting his master down to stand on the ground, Archer took in the appearance of the two women who seem to know his master. The first was the overly eager Crimson redhead that carried a rapier by her side. Her hair wrapped in a ponytail with green-eyes. Her outfit was simple in design with armor that covered her chest, shoulders and arms. The second reminded him of a Japanese beauty with how traditional her outfit was. Black silky hair, the kimono, the katana by her side, it all reminded him of the place he once called home all those years ago. He however noticed that both of them had several cuts, bruises and dirt covering them with several tears in their outfits.

Moving away from the two beauties, Archer focused his attention to the weapons they carried. Analyzing them he took in the weapons histories and structure. Both were crafted very well by talented blacksmiths. A lot of care and heart were put into the making of these weapons though he did notice the name Hephaestus being brought up in the creation of the weapons.

Another name of a god in this strange land and a Smithing god from Greek mythology this time. Surely this wasn't just a coincidence. Was he truly in a period of the Age of Gods? If he was then he hoped to not see The Witch, the Snake or Berserker. He didn't need to see them again in another grail war.

Finally deciding to stop the bickering of her captain and vice-captain, Astraea finally decided to speak up after having her fun. "Alright settle down you two, no need to continue. As you can see I'm unharmed and fine. A bit exhausted and dirty but that's nothing a good bath and rest can't fix."

Hearing the words of their goddess the two obeyed her command. "As you wish Lady Astrea. By the way Lady Astraea, who's the man beside you? And why was carrying you?" Alise had many things but a bit of tact she was lacking. Kaguya could do nothing but shake her head but even she was a bit curious of what the story was.

Taken aback by her captain's sudden questions Astraea looked towards her "servant" only to notice that he was looking back at her. It was clear to her that he wasn't planning on saying anything. "Ah well you see girls, the man next to me is the reason why I'm safe. If it weren't for him then the members of the Evilus would've gotten their hands on me. Had they, they would've done all sorts of terrible things not only to me but to all of you as well and it's thanks to him that none of us will have to face such a fate."

Hearing their goddess explanation, both captain and vice-captain looked at the pair in shock and surprise. Neither of them wanted to imagine what sorts of terrible acts that would've happened to them if the Evilus had their way. They could only look to their goddesses' savior and bow in respect.

"Thank you for saving and protecting our goddess. Words cannot repay you for what you've done."

"Yes it's thanks to you that our goddess is still here and with us."

"Please, your thanks isn't needed. Any decent person would've done the same thing. I just happened to be in the area when she was in trouble. You two don't need to thank or repay me

In any way." With his attention now shifted back to the two women, Archer could only try to get them to face him back up. He could tell that both of them cared deeply for his master and while he found their thanks grateful, he found it a little too.. Grateful. "Please raise your heads now."

At Archer's request both of them straighten up however neither of them were willing to give up about repaying him. "But we must. You protected our Goddess from the crooks of the Evilus so it is only fair that we repay you in some way Mr.?"

"Archer. You may refer to me as Archer. No need for the formalities either."

With his name known a flashy grin appeared on Alise's face. "A strange name but okay Archer. I am the captain of the Astraea Familia, Alise Lowell. Beside me is our vice-captain Kaguya."

"Gojouno Kaguya. A pleasure to meet you Archer." Following her captain, Kaguya introduced herself and in tradition to her culture she bow'd. A smile could also be seen on her. "Once again I cannot thank you enough for saving Lady Astraea."

"As I've told you Gojouno-san you thanks isn't… wait." It was then that Archer was hit with a sudden realization. Recalling the conversation in his head he managed to pick out the word that two described his master as. "Goddess". Recalling even further to when he first introduced himself to her she call herself "the Goddess of Justice." What finally hit the nail in the coffin was her name. He never got the name of his master, only referring to his master as "master." Turning his head towards her, his realization finally led him to one conclusion. "So you are…"

A great smile was forming on Astraea's face. Seeing Archer's reaction to realizing her nature as a goddess brought her great joy. "Ara. It seems that you finally realize who I am Archer. Though I guess I never did properly introduce myself to you. Fufufu." So he was right. His master really and truly was a…

"I am the Goddess of Justice, Astraea. It's nice to meet you Archer."

His master really was a Goddess after all.