"Y-you did adequately." The Director managed to eek out. "As expected from someone I made B-Team's Leader."
It's kind of cute how she praises people through a roundabout manner like that.
"A very intriguing display, Sir Shimoda." Wodime spoke up at Olga's side. "Forgive me for prying, but do you have previous experience with Servants? I couldn't help but feel you had some familiarity in the way you executed your actions."
Hmm, what to answer with?
Knowing there were several different Grail Wars in the past few centuries, I did have some wiggle room to work with.
"I happen to be acquainted with someone who participated in a Grail War, so I do have some knowledge of Servants. In addition to ample Combat Experience with regards to non-human entities, much of which were beyond the physical means of normal humans, I suppose you could say I have experience in situations like this and I just did what I normally do." I answered pointedly, not giving too much away, but letting them come to their own conclusions.
"Why are we just finding out about this now." Olga huffed. "Even some basic second hand knowledge on Servant combat and how to operate with them would have been something worth noting."
"I never had the opportunity to bring it up." I shrugged helplessly. "Was I just supposed to arrogantly blurt it out when the topic first presented itself?"
"….fine." Olga grumbled. "But shouldn't the paperwork you filled out before being accepted have asked about previous history? Why was something like that glossed over?"
"Actually, it barely covered anything beyond achievements that you would find in the Clock Tower. Things like combat experience, or miscellaneous experiences in that same vein were completely ignored. Honestly, reading the recruitment paperwork, Chaldea sounded much more like a research institution."
Olga opened her mouth and closed it again, bringing her palm up to her face. "Please tell me our recruiters didn't ignore a very important aspect of recruitment for potential Master Candidates, Lev."
"Apologies, Director, but Lev had disappeared as soon as the simulation ended." Wodime answered. "As did Miss Hinako shortly after."
"Ugh." Olga groaned out again. "It seems I'll have to audit our recruiters personally. I have no idea why that was missed by so many people, but we will at least be able to rectify it for the next batch of recruits…..as late as this correction is."
"If I may make a suggestion." I spoke up again, breaking her from her scowling.
"Speak, Shimoda."
"It may be beneficial to look for any combat experience, not just focusing on things like Dead Apostle Hunts. Or in my case, fighting Youkai in the past. While those kinds of things are no doubt worthy of notice, if a potential recruit had experience in the military, that would also be a great boon. It's nearly impossible to teach that kind of discipline to the random people we may find out and about without a lot of time and effort. The ability to keep calm under pressure, following orders without questioning them every step of the way, and handling extremely stressful and deadly situations."
"A wise sentiment. I believe it is a perspective I would not have considered." Wodime looked thoughtful. "Such history is easy to overlook for vaunted Magi, that is easy to not even consider them."
Olga glared at him briefly before orientating herself. "I will look into it and update our recruitment parameters. Your advice is most welcome, Shimoda."
Mmm, sometimes your world view is so skewed that you just don't consider certain things until someone pointed them out. Hell, Gramps and I are more than guilty for this same exact thing.
And it would also be a great help if I had to leave. Finding someone to fill my spot would be easier if they knew how to lead teammates into battle.
"Good, but I have some questions and I believe it prudent to go over your combat session, as this was your first attempt." Olga continued on. "Don't expect me to do this all the time. Since I was here, I may as well lend my expertise."
"Shall I grab my team then?" I offered. "We should turn this into a lecture for them. Even if we've barely covered Servants in their full capacity, with the simulation fresh in their heads, it would be good to hammer in some details."
[***]
"Alright, everyone, listen up." Olga slapped the chalk board at the front of the room. "Since it's your first time seeing combat at that level, we're going to do a break down of what you need to expect if you're put into that kind of situation."
Olga said before that she wasn't going to get involved with B-Team as it was beneath her, but here she was. She may come off a little harsh, but she never did anything...detrimental. The complete opposite from what I've seen thus far. She would always try her best to help with any problem that came her way.
Yeah, she would huff and groan, but she would do what she needed to make sure her subordinates were content.
"It's a little early for you all, but you got your first taste of how things will go if you have to deploy." Olga swept her gaze around the room. "Shimoda here performed well above what was expected of him. You all are lucky to have someone adept giving you practical lessons."
"Thank you, Director." I took her pause as cue to cut in. "So, as she said, we're going to do a little talk about my simulation." I clapped my hands, easing the tension a little in the room. Olga's presence seemed to have the effect of making everyone slightly cower. It was understandable in their position, but I wanted them at ease. "We've barely covered the basics, but this is also a good opportunity as you all will be doing something similar in the coming weeks. I don't expect any of you to do…..well, good at all. But we don't have the time to be gentle about our means."
"A-Team was kind enough to offer a schedule for when they will not be using the Simulation room. Your Leader will be making your own schedule to fill in those gaps when he deems you competent enough to take that step forward." Olga informed everyone.
Which was nice of Wodime. I wouldn't say it was cutting into A-Team's training time as it was empty time slots, but it was nice all the same.
He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
Unfortunately, he had other matters to attend to, so he had to leave.
"Moving on." Olga grabbed a piece of Chalk and began writing on the board. The Classes of Servants that appeared in the simulation. "You should be aware of the absolute basics by now after the few lectures you have participated in. The meaning behind the Classes, for instance. We will start from the beginning. As well as Shimoda performed, what was his first mistake?"
I was actually curios what she was going to point out.
No one raised their hand, but it felt more rhetorical on her part.
"What about you, Shimoda. What was your first mistake?"
Well, I suppose in hindsight, I made a mistake from her perspective. "I put myself in the middle of the fight when I had the opportunity to take a step back."
Olga looked at me for a moment before smiling slightly. "Indeed." She nodded in approval. "Servants are beyond the means of nearly every Magus. It's a forgivable mistake in this circumstance, but it is not a good idea to stand in the middle of the fighting like he did. That isn't to say that Masters are not involved, a Master is part of a Servant's strength. You would do well to remember this. But at the same time, you are also the biggest weakness for a Servant. Your lives are much more valuable than your Servant's as well, take that into account in the future." She whipped her hands after writing on the board a few times. "Shimoda, recount the exercise from your perspective."
"Yes, Director." I turned back to face my team. "Starting from the beginning. You covered Noble Phantasm – very briefly, so I won't delve too deep into the workings of those. They're a Servant's trump card, sometimes cards, and come in many different shapes and sizes. You'll be able to see the Servant you make a contract with, their stats and their Noble Phantasms. I was able to learn right away that my Berserker could become invincible for a short duration, my Lancer had a very precise and near-instant attack that was hard to block, and my Archer had a wide-range kill shot."
A hand went up as I gestured to him. "Go ahead, Samuel."
"How come the other, erm, Servants didn't use their Noble Phantasms." He spoke the term with a little difficulty, perhaps feeling odd to say out loud.
"A good question." Olga interjected. "Shimoda basically explained why, but he will give his own opinion."
"I didn't give them the chance." I said simply.
"Good." Olga nodded. "It was not a fluke, or luck." She sounded actually a little proud if I were to be honest. "A Noble Phantasm generally costs an exorbitant amount of Magical Energy to release. It is not something to be used casually, a Trump Card is a valid explanation of what it usually means. There are exceptions, of course, but it holds true for most situations."
"Going back to my set up." I took over once more. "I made my traditional Archer take the high ground –"
"Monsieur." Pierre put his hand up this time. "What do you mean – traditional Archer?"
"Another good question, and something we simply haven't covered yet. Classes are…..broad and simplified. Archer basically means – any ranged Servant that isn't a Caster."
"An adequate simplification." Olga muttered. "Continue."
"Right, so I made my Archer take the high ground. I didn't have much time to set up a proper ambush, so I made use of the terrain. I set my Lancer merely out of sight so he could gain the initiative on his first engagement. And with my Berserker, complex commands wouldn't be well received. We covered why they're called Berserker, so I won't delve into that. So I made him my …well, to put it simply, he was my meat shield."
"Hey Boss." Samuel put his hand up next. "So, don't mean to be a downer. But you did a bunch of Spells and stuff. We don't know any of that, how are we supposed to copy what you did"
I was about to answer, but Olga stepped in. "Your situation is different, admittedly. But you will be provided abundant resources by Chaldea. We will be creating personal Mystic Codes for each of you that will help you if the situation calls for it."
They stared blankly at her for a moment. "Magical Items." I clarified.
Olga blinked, a flash of a flush for a moment. "….thank you, Shimoda." She said quietly before clearing her throat. "In addition, you will be learning to work as a team to overcome obstacles like this."
"Also, my Talismans aren't particularly difficult to use." I pursed my lips, thinking it over. "Get Reinforcement down, and I'll start teaching you all how to use them and make sure you're all outfitted with an assortment."
Atleast the basic Talismans weren't difficult to use. Nothing more than one-time use Mystic Codes. Channel Magical Energy, activate their effects. Things like the Shielding Talisman, a Healing Talisman, a few basic Elemental Talismans, etc. I had a lot I prepared beforehand. The benefit was their ease of use and lack of Magical Energy required, the draw back being their strength was lacking compared to the equivalent of a spell cast through 'normal' means.
Scáthach didn't let me leave until she thought I made adequate preparations for nearly every situation. Honestly, it was just her way of showing her concern and caring about me.
They noticeably perked up, and I couldn't fault them. Who wouldn't be excited about 'playing' with 'Magic'.
"If that is sorted, we will continue." Olga actually sounded a little enthusiastic, despite her earlier claim that that she wouldn't be helping B-Team and it was beneath her. Her eyes were lighting up with a certain…..gleefulness that I hadn't seen before. "Now, let's go over his combat strategy, and the commands he issued."
[***]
"Thank you for your help, Director." I said as the Team filed out of the room. We had been in a discussion for well over three hours, and Olga barely even noticed.
"Yes, well, I was just doing my duty as your Senior and the Director." She always preened under praise.
"Having you here helped them greatly, I'm sure. I find it unlikely that any other experience Magi would be so willing to spend their time to help them."
"....It wasn't a bother." She said in a hushed tone. "They actually listened to me, so it wasn't unpleasant." The last bit was added with barely a whisper.
And I felt like there was a lot to unpack with what she said. But I was going to pretend to not hear her, I don't think she meant to voice her thoughts like that.
Jeez, she must have had it rough if something like this was enough to make her so happy. I said before that it must have been stressful to run an Organization like this, especially after her father passed. But maybe I was just underestimating what she actually had to do to get this far and keep her position.
"You have done well, Shimoda." She returned to her rather stoic expression. "I'm pleased that you handled yourself so well in the simulation, and you have good theoretical knowledge that I don't find lacking. Since you are the Leader of B-Team, I believe you can be let into one of the secrets we're keeping."
"Secret?" I repeated, a lot more interested now.
Could this be a clue I was looking for? I hadn't been able to pick out any major problem yet. Sure, Lev was a big red flag, but that hadn't crossed into the boundary of problem on the same scale as what this Singularity represented.
Not to mention the other things I've met here.
"As you know, Servant Summoning through the FATE system has only a miniscule possibility of succeeding right now. Fortunately, we have been able to summon a singular Servant and they have been a great help to Chaldea." Olga informed me. "I will take you to meet Caster."
"Caster?" I blinked. "Are they a traditional Caster or someone who just fills the role?" While I was a little sad that it didn't go the direction I thought, it was still interesting to meet another Servant.
"A traditional Caster." Olga replied. "I mentioned Mystic Codes for B-Team, we can discuss what you should need with her as she will be the one to fulfill those request. She has taken over certain duties since her summoning, some of which involves the production of Mystic Codes."
"Fascinating." Unfortunately I couldn't reveal myself, I would love to talk shop, but I had to keep my competency a secret beyond what I've already shown.
Olga began leading me out the room and down the hall. "Please remember that her existence is a secret. I don't want to have to deal with outsiders wanting to bother her for their own personal gain."
Yeah, a Caster Class Servant would undoubtedly have knowledge that most Magi would salivate over.
"Who else knows?"
"A-Team, Roman, Lev, Myself and a select few more of the staff that she has to interact with. She does wander around from time to time, but her existence as a Servant is a Secret."
"Noted, I'll be careful about it in the future." I stated aswe approached an end of the Facility I had yet to visit until now. I was able to sense many different kinds of Bounded Fields and defense mechanisms. "Are we approaching personal workshops?"
"You noticed." Olga eyed me inquisitively. "You have good senses. I noticed when Assassin attacked you in the simulation and you called for your Lancer before he even appeared. It's a shame you haven't had the opportunity to apply to the Association for your talent to blossom."
"I thank you for the praise, but I don't think I would fit well in that environment."
"Regardless, this is where personal workshops of the staff are housed. I don't think I need to tell you what that entails. If you're found trying to break into one, being fired may be the least of your concerns. But I don't suspect I will have to watch you for that." She continued onwards, several more Bounded Fields washed over us. "Caster has two Workshops, a public and a private one. She can be found in her Public one most of the time, and if the situation calls for it, you can approach and attempt to contact her."
"Anything I should know about this Caster Servant?"
"They are…..eccentric." Olga twitched a little bit. "Here we are." Olga didn't even give a knock of courtesy, she pushed the door right open.
"Director, you're here!" A cheerful voice greeted us.
"Caster." The Director returned curtly.
I peeked in to a see who spoke. A woman wearing a bright blue and red set of garments that wouldn't be out of place at a renaissance festival, yet at the same time, had a modern touch with a skirt that showed off some very beautiful legs. She had bright blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair, and what could be described as a gorgeous face.
"Oh my, who's this?" Caster looked at me. "Ah, you're Takao Shimoda. I had a few moments, so I watched your simulation battle. Onmyoji, an interesting bit of Magecraft. It took me a few minutes to figure it out. Not very difficult, but it was fun."
I blinked. "….thank you?"
"What do you mean you watched?" Olga narrowed her eyes.
"Mm, I hacked into the surveillance." She said as if it was unimportant. "But, introductions are now required!" She spun around once in her chair before jumping to her feet. "You were admiring my body, as expected. Continue looking at this model of perfection that I crafted for my vessel. Gaze upon my genius and splendor, for no beauty could match that which I have created. And are you wondering who stands before you in such perfection? It is I, Da – "
"Eight out of ten."
The Caster came to a screeching stop. "Pardon?"
"You said you made that body? I'm assuming it wasn't the form you were supposed to be summoned in, but your preference by your admittance of crafting it. I give it an eight out of ten, not bad."
Why did it suddenly get a lot colder in the room?
[***]
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