Shock and Bore [/fin]

[Zack Smith]

If one would describe Zack's day in a single word, it would either be 'boring' or 'monotonous'. Explaining why this wonderful Tuesday was monotonous is easy. Yes, even Tuesdays can be boring if you spent the last couple of days doing the same thing because of a job. Get up, shower, breakfast, put some clothes on, tie up that hair, go outside for the day and to observe stuff like that war. Not that he observed anything about the war; it was a secret one after all. Continuing the daily schedule, after observing for a while there was the occasional weak monster that was apparently spawned by the Grail itself.

Just today the redhead has killed a couple of those things. A couple might be an understatement since there were over a hundred of them. It also didn't help that these things merged into a single being. Just great. Meeting that thing was awful, and fighting in that dark alley was really annoying; it was during these kinds of moments that he cursed those goggles of his. Sigh. Anyway, after wasting some time with a human-sized monster and using some of his precious energy to kick its smokey ass to oblivion, Zack prepared himself to leave on his bike until he heard wimpering from that alley. Yes, there was a witness. There was one simple, meaningless and bald commoner who was hiding in an open trash container who had seen it all. Hmm... Why was it not a child? Children were impressionable, and saying that this man encased in lightning armor was only a fragment of their imagination since those kinds of people are inexistent outside of comic books or fiction. Now an old homeless man, however, was different. The shockingness of this shocking shock was quite shocking. What an electrifying event. It was also extremely troublesome. Zack immediately slammed the man into a wall and proceeded to cast a suggestion spell on him after dropping a take-out bag from the restaurant he went to earlier.

"Hope you had a nice lunch, sir."

Those were the words Zack said upon leaving, now sure that there was no other witnesses around and that this homeless person was now believing that he went to a fast-food restaurant with an unknown man instead of remembering this atrocious monster.

And now he was bored. Really now. Spending all those days alone with no one to talk to is annoying, even on a job. This job was a unique one, since he was sent to observe the war in itself. That, and killing those spawns which are suspiciously getting smarter and stronger than the last one. Who knows? Maybe he will meet some kind of Chtulhu being tomorrow. Tch. If only he had his old partner once again. If she were here, those monsters would be nothing, but since he was sent here alone, things are getting out of hand.

He had this idea about joining the Holy Grail War. Even now he is still considering joining because of his now constant boredom. Of course, this meant that he would be disobeying orders a little, since he was only sent to observe and not actively participate in the war. But now, with these monsters getting stronger than ever, Zack's job is getting harder. That, and he needed company to get over his bored mood.

For a while, the redhead has been living in a single apartment room that he had rent for his time here. Zack was not one for humongous manors or mansions; he would get lost every chance he gets and would resort to throwing himself off a window in an action hero fashion so he could get back to the main entrance like he did when he lived with his father.

Upon entering his apartment room, the man reached for his pants' pocket. Dad gave him something he called a charm for good luck. Apparently this belonged to some unknown shaman of some sort. The old man gave it to him before he entered the Clock Tower all those years ago for luck. He also remembered reading about some Servants needing a cataclyst for summoning if their personalities didn't fit. Might as well use it right now, and since it was Tuesday, maybe luck would be on his side.

Now summoning a Servant was a little harder than expected. The circle had to be drawn with perfection, you had to concentrate and channel prana and stuff. Not that concentration was a problem to Zack; most of his spells had that as a prerequisite. So another line here, and... here... Hmm...

There. One wonderful Thermosurtical-something circle was drawn with perfection. In Zack's eyes, anyway. Placing the good luck charm, a broken mirror shard that had lost its sharp ends a long time ago after some angry redhead decided that he had enough of getting cuts every day of his life, on the circle, the enforcer started concentrating on the summoning chant.

"What was it already.... Oh right. Ye first, O silver, O iron."

Great. He remembered that this chant used some weird form of English, probably an old one.

"O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract."

This was easy enough. At least there were not so many foreign words.

"Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schrueikno..."

Damn it. What was that Archmagus' name already? Schrodinger? Nietzsche? ...No, not Nietzsche. It started with a S. It also was a German name. Smi- No. Sigh. Might as well start over the whole chanting.

"Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus... Schweinorg."

Schweinorg. That's him all right. Zack couldn't help but wonder if he was the kind of guy who went around and said 'Say my name' to people. Now he was straying from his purpose... On to the chanting.

"Yet, thou serves with thi-"

No. That was not supposed to be in the incantation. Might as well skip this and start chanting from the beginning.

" If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond.
I make my oath here.
I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heavens.
I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades.
Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words,
come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance-!"

Thou, thy, submittest, wilt, shalt.... Again with those Shakespearian words. At least the chanting was done. Suddenly, Zack felt something coming from the circle as he muttered that last words of the chant. Did he really do it? Had he been granted a Servant from the Holy Grail? He merely stared at the circle in front of him, looking forward to see what kind of being he had summoned.

[Ahwang Kongju]

The mirror shard glows in a faint white light and slowly starts to reconstruct itself to its original form, completing itself like a puzzle.

Once the mirror is in its complete form, light flashes in the room and a strong gust of wind surrounded the glistening circle.

-

The Avatar of the Moon Goddess Dalsun.

All she could see is nothing. So dark, like the Night. But she didn’t mind. She is part of the Night.

The Shaman Princess of the Night.

Even though she’s no longer a Princess and was banished from her home kingdom of Korea by her tyrant father, she doesn’t care.

Because at the time she was banished, she received a Miraculous Gift … from the Moon Goddess Dalsun.

With this Gift, she becames a Shaman, and protect her villagers from Evil Spirits and Illness. She has lived a good life until her end, when she sacrificed herself to defeat the powerful Vengeful and Wicked Spirits for good in order to save her village; and after her death, her body dissapeared without a trace.

Later, her Legend was slowly left forgetten as Time passed.

Now, while floating in Darkness, she looked up and saw a faint glow. Not just any glow, but her Mirror, the gift from her villagers when she became a Shaman. A special gift that grants her protection. The mirror that she hasn’t seen for a long time since she died, now it’s back, and someone is calling out for her.

She smiles faintly, she’s returning to the Living. She has no interest about this Grail, all she cares about is to protect and serve a trustworthy Master, just how she protect her people in the village of Korea. Whether in Defeat or Victory, she will protect her Master no matter what. So, she ascended to reach out for her mirror.

As she finally reached out for it, light flashes to her eyes.

-

As the light faded, a figure slowly emerges from the circle.

A dark-cloaked figure wielding a scythe that's adourned with a small Crescent Moon design and different markings on the blade, and decorated 2 golden bells with white and red streamers. Underneath her cloak, she was wearing a white and red ceremonial garb, a design almost similar to a kimono; possily fit for a Shrine Maiden, but mostly for a Shaman like her.

Her head was down for awhile, until she slowly look up at the man in front of her. Her face was hidden in a black mask, but shows her snow white long hair and a pair of glowing crimson red eyes through her mask. Her glowing eyes stared deeply in his eyes.

She’s been staring at him silently for a minute, until she finally spoke out.

“I am Servant Assassin, the one who answered your Call … I ask of you … Are you my Master?”

[Zack Smith]

Here goes the good luck charm. Great. He now had to explain to his father why this broken mirror shard reconstructed itself into its original form. Troublesome. Oh well. At least it had a use other than cutting its owner this time.

And then boom goes the dynamite. Or the equivalent of a flash-bang explosive.

If there was one thing Zack was not expecting in all this was that there would be such a blinding light. For a moment he was tempted to put on his goggles to protect his eyes, but as he was too busy relaxing home, said goggles were now sitting comfortably on the dining table. That light was extremely troublesome, and yet the redhead continued staring, hiding his interest behind a bored face.

As the light faded from existence, the redhead could make out a figure standing in the circle. Lifting an eyebrow, he began noting what should be his Servant's appearance. It wore a cloak and was apparently into shrine maidens. At least it looked like something that a shrine maiden would wear; red and white ceremonial garments were their usual outfit, and his Servant's outfit was extremely resembling with a few differences. If he didn't already know that he was summoning some kind of shaman, Zack would have thought that he has brought forth the Grim Reaper itself, what with that huge scythe. Said shaman was looking down all this time, trying to be dramatic. The enforcer had to admit that it looked good at a certain extent.

Once the shaman lifted its head, Zack finally noticed that it was wearing a mask. He could make out red orbs glowing behind it. These orbs might be the shaman's eyes though; the enforcer was sometimes slow on details when the time called for it. Said mask looked quite ominous, but it was not enough to impress Zack.

It might have looked even more ominous if that shaman was not a midget. The redhead's eyes bored into the shaman's eyes as they entered a staring battle that lasted around a minute or two; time was not really important in Zack's mind right now. Why was the atmosphere so tense? The battle continued until it began to speak behind its mask.

Servant Assassin. Here he expected to have a Caster-class Servant because of its... her clothes. That voice was one of a woman; a girl was standing before him, asking him if he was her Master. Such a stoic tone, too. Zack couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing her last words. Are you my Master? This question echoed in the depths of his mind. He did it. A Servant was summoned under his service.

Sitting back on the couch behind him, Zack looked at his Servant's mask. This would have to go for a while; such a mask is unfitting outside of battle, where it would protect one from blows to the face. It was at this moment that the man let a smile creep on his face as he prepared himself to respond to her question. That wonderful question.

"Of course I am your Master," His relaxed tone seemed to echo across the living room. "I am your summoner. I am your anchor to this world..."

He got up from his comfortable couch as he approached Assassin. His steps could be heard as he walked toward her.

"I am Zack Smith, nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to work alongside you, Assassin." As he talked, Zack removed his hand from his left pocket and brought it up for a handshake. "Let's shake hands, okay?"

Perfect.

[Ahwang Kongju]

After asking this important question, she waits for his response.

He is … a very interesting one there. She never seen anyone who had red hair or in any type of those clothing he's wearing before in her past life in Korea. This is the first time she ever met someone like this, and she knows that he’s not Korean.

She thought this man would be serious or any tone a Master she would describe, but she heard him chuckle. Good thing she’s still wearing her mask, otherwise he wouldn’t notice her raising her eyebrow. What’s so funny? Did she say something wrong?

What’s also surprising is that the man relaxed himself as he sat down on this … furniture … that’s what she believe it is. She never seen this kind of furniture before at past either. Well, it seems Humanity improve a lot as Time passed, now she’s wondering how much did Korea improve after her death.

With the smile creep on his face, he answered “Of course I am your Master,” She kept staring at him, so he is her Master, “I am your summoner. I am your anchor to this world...” … Well, she get the summoner part, but the ‘anchor to this world’ part … that’s new. Is this some kind of new “expression” or something that people use to say in this Time period?

She saw her Master rise up from his seat as he approached to her.

“I am Zack Smith, nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to work alongside you, Assassin.” Zack Smith … now that’s a very unusual name that she never heard from in Korea. But, she’s not in Korea anymore and he’s not Korean, so she doesn’t mind. Now, she in for a surprise when her Master brought out his hand to her. “Let’s shake hands, okay?”

…

She look down at his hand, look up to him, and then look down at his hand again.

……

Well … this is a first time someone would offer her a handshake. All she and her villagers do to greet by bowing to one another. But again, he’s not Korean, so she decided to take the offer of his handshake as she looks up to him. She felt his hand firm as they shake hands, he seems to be a strong type there, a strong and worthy Master.

After the handshake, she set her scythe aside with her right hand while using her free hand to reach for her mask. As her left hand grasp her mask, her eyes ceased the glowing and she slowly removes her mask, to reveal her face. Even though her eyes are no longer glowing, her eyes are still crimson red.

She looks up at her Master again as she dematerialized her scythe and her mask. “… You are a very interesting one, Master … interesting indeed ...”

First his appearance, his introduction, and now his handshake. He is an interesting Master.

She has no interest with the Grail, but she decided to ask her master his reason to be part of this War. “So tell me, why do you want to join this “Grail War,” Master? Do you have a wish in mind? Any particular goal?”

She waits for his response.

[Zack Smith]

It seems that she was not used to dealing with handshakes. All the redhead could do at the moment was making an encouraging smile on his face as the girl looked up and down, from his hand to his face. He wanted to sigh so bad, but this was his Servant; she may never have dealt with such a greeting. After a while, Assassin decided to accept this handshake of his; he made sure that his handshake was a firm one to have a good first impression on her. Too bad he still couldn't see her face, as trying to lock eyes with a mask was getting quite annoying.

His mental complaining were stopped as he saw Assassin setting her scythe aside. Guiding her hand to her face, the little girl grasped the side of her black mask and removed it, revealing herself to him. Of all things, Zack didn't expect his Servant to be such young-looking; her face looked extremely soft, fitting for such a young girl. At least he now knew that his Servant was not hiding an ugly face or any other expression like a grimace behind that mask. Not that Zack minded about Assassin's personal appearance; he had summoned her for company after all. Who was he to complain?

Assassin said that she found him interesting. Now was this flattery, or was there any secret meaning behind that? Some part of his mind declared that, yes, it probably was a positive comment. Even if it wasn't, Zack would probably not have minded but he, however, wanted to have a good partnership with her, so being some kind of optimist- this word still came out wrong, even in his mind- should be a good idea. His answer was to thank her.

Goals, huh? Zack did not really have a wish in mind. He, after all, summoned a Servant for mere company and also to help him take care of some inconveniences that he might meet on his mission. Explaining her his reasons for joining the war seemed a tad troublesome, as he is not even interested in winning; he was but an observer sent by the Clock Tower, and he disobeyed his orders of not participating in the war out of pure boredom. Might as well explain this the professional way. My way.

The redheaded enforcer brought a fist in front of his mouth as he cleared his throat once. Twice. Unlike the majority of people who clears their throat before entering a speech, something Zack also did, the man usually cleared his throat whenever he searched for words. This was also, however, only usable before a speech as he would look weird if he ever did that in the middle of one.

"I've been sent in Lucca to observe this war. The sixth Holy Grail War. Unlike other Masters who summon their Servant because they have a specific goal or a wish in mind, you, Assassin, have been summoned to help me take care of inconveniences in this war." He paused for a second before resuming. "In this war's case, there are monsters, beasts spawned by the Grail. If one of my objectives was observing this war, the other was for me to defeat said monsters as they endanger society."

Scratching his cheek, Zack turned around to head back on his couch and let himself fall on it. With his hand he motioned a similar-looking chair, asking Assassin to sit down at the same time.

"These monsters are, however, getting stronger as each day passes. I was not supposed to summon you, and yet I did because I felt that having a Servant would help me in this mission."

That sounded professional enough, and omitting the part about him being bored and wanting company was a good move in his book. Discarding his serious facade, the enforcer instead adopted a lazy smile as he looked at Assassin.

"How about you, girlie? Have any goals in mind? A wish?" He was about to stop there, but there was something that intrigued him. Sigh. Him and his troublesome sense of curiosity. Said sense of curiosity, however, was quite useful sometimes. "And now that I think of it, who are you really? What is your identity?"

[Ahwang Kongju]

She waited for awhile for his response, until he cleared his throat before he starts.

"I've been sent in Lucca to observe this war. The sixth Holy Grail War. Unlike other Masters who summon their Servant because they have a specific goal or a wish in mind, you, Assassin, have been summoned to help me take care of inconveniences in this war."

So it seems that he has no wish, and the reason she is summoned here just to give him a helping hand. Well, that’s fine for her, she doesn’t mind.

"In this war's case, there are monsters, beasts spawned by the Grail. If one of my objectives was observing this war, the other was for me to defeat said monsters as they endanger society."

She watched as her Master sits back at his furniture, with his hand he motioned to this other furniture for her to sit. Following his order, she obeyed and was now seated … she was amazed that this chair felt so comfortable. She looks toward her Master and continue listening.

"These monsters are, however, getting stronger as each day passes. I was not supposed to summon you, and yet I did because I felt that having a Servant would help me in this mission."

Monsters … as a Shaman, it’s her job to banish the damned spirits to whence they came. Now that these monsters are running havoc around, she vows to make sure that these wicked beasts will too be eliminated by her scythe, and she will always aide her master to defeat these monsters.

"How about you, girlie? Have any goals in mind? A wish?"

Her …goals … wish … Come to think of it, she doesn’t have any. All she cares about is to serve a trustworthy master till the end. Then, she heard another question.

"And now that I think of it, who are you really? What is your identity?"

…

She stared at his master for awhile … then slowly looks down …

It’s been awhile … since she remembers her past, contains many precious memories and of course tragic ones.

She slowly turns to look up at the window to the Night Sky. She could hardly see any stars, but what makes her glad is that she was able to see one thing that she’s glad to see for such the long time.

The Moon.

She stared at the moon for a few second, until she decided to tell him about her identity.

“… Ahwang Kongju …” she said her true name, as she sat up and approaches to the window to continue looking at the Moon, and placed her right hand on the window as she looked. Even though she reveals her identity, her legend is not well-known, so she decided to tell a little bit about her past.

“… I used to be a Princess of Korea … until my father grew tired of me that he sent me to exile from his kingdom … he never loved me ... and I never love my father anyway … he’s nothing but a tyrant …”

Yao … she sighs … she still remembers the last time she saw her father … when he banished her.

“… I tried to find a place to go, so I was welcome by the villagers with open arms, that they allow me to reside in their village as my new home … they were always kind to me, even though I’m not a princess anymore, they show a lot of care and respect to me …”

She missed them. She missed them dearly.

“A the night I first resided there … I had a dream … or was it real? … I saw a beautiful lady, descending from the Night Sky, her beauty radiant underneath the Moonlight… that woman I saw … was the Moon Goddess Dalsun.”

She’s not sure if it was a dream, but she could’ve sworn that she actually met the Moon Goddess. It was a most memorable moment she ever had.

“I was pity by the Gods because of my exile … so Dalsun came before me … to offer me her gift … So, I became a Shaman … possessed by the God … a Mudang … and serves as the Avatar of the Moon Goddess Dalsun ...”

She remember her time that once she become a Shaman by receiving her gift, her appearance changed; her indigo hair turn snow white and that her violet eyes turn crimson red. But, she doesn’t mind, she was proud to accept this gift from her Moon Goddess she and her people worshipped.

“As a Shaman, it is my duty to protect my people by curing illness and ward off Evil Spirits.”

She was glad to become a Shaman, she wants to repay the villagers for their hospitality, so she becomes a Shaman to protect them from illness and evil spirits. She lived to her duty ... until the end.

She was silent for a moment, continue watching the Moon. The symbol of her Moon Goddess Dalsun. Then, she turns and approached to her Master.

"As for my wish ... I don't have any." She responded. "I have no desire from the Grail. I don't care if I win or lose this War. My only goal is to protect and serve a Trustworthy Master at all cost, until the end."

She went on a kneeling position, placed her hands on the ground and looked up at her Master, deeply in his eyes.

"Master. As a Shaman and by the Guidance of Dalsun... I swear ... that I will always protect you and be by your side ... no matter what ..."

She bows deeply to him. Showing her Trust, her Respect, and her Loyalty to him.

[Zack Smith]

Ahwang Kongju. Now that was an unusual name. However, only knowing a name was useless unless the Servant was popular in myths and legends; something that this Ahwang Kongju lacked in this era. Zack tasted the name two or three times, mumbling as he looked up the ceiling.

The next time his face lowered from the dirty beige ceiling, the first thing he saw was that Assassin was not sitting in her seat anymore. She was now at his window, her hand placed on the glass as she placed her gaze onto the night sky. Zack was about to ask for more information about Ahwang Kongju's identity and her history but was immediately cut off by Assassin who, like she had figuratively read his mind, started talking about herself.

Listening to her tale, the redhead stretched himself on his seat. Spreading his arms on the couch, his eyes and face slowly drifted toward the ceiling as he relaxed. He then proceeded to listen carefully to the story of Ahwang Kongju. Sure, he was not about to note everything she said; Zack was always one to take the most important details, those that defined people. A fallen Korean princess, loved by her people and yet hated by her own father. Possessed by some... Dalsun the night after she was accepted in some village, this Ahwang Kongju became her avatar, acting as a shaman. Heh. So I have royalty and the avatar of a goddess as a Servant, huh? Not bad. Not bad at all. Hell, I could consider myself lucky.

Even as the room went silent, the man's gaze did not fall from the ceiling. He relished himself in this silence as he registered Assassin's words once again; her tale, Ahwang Kongju's legend, was being recited once again in his mind under his own words.

He suddenly heard movement coming from his Servant's position; the floor slightly creaked under her light footsteps as she advanced toward him. Lowering his stare from the ceiling, the redhead met his Servant's eyes for a brief moment.

She wanted nothing from the Grail, she had no wish; the petite girl only wanted to serve a trustworthy Master until the end. Not caring whether she wins or loses, what Assassin said was very similar to his own words. A Servant-Master duo who has no desire from the Grail. That meant they could take as much of their time as they wanted. No need to hunt for Masters yet; his priority was completing his job. He suddenly realized that summoning a Servant meant actively participating in the Holy Grail War, which meant that Masters were now after him. Sigh. Why didn't I think of it before? How annoying. Oh well. He'll take care of that problem later.

The redheaded enforcer's eyes widened a little upon having the sight of a shaman- the Assassin Ahwang Kongju- adopting a kneeling position which transformed into her bowing deeply in front of him. Here she was, swearing loyalty and respect to a lazy bum like Zack.

"Huh."

With an internal sigh, Zack got off the couch and adopted a crouching position in front of the still-bowing Assassin. Great... I don't know how to deal with this... After wondering for a second or two about what to do now, the man decided to do what he always did to his younger brothers when they were young.

He placed his right hand on top of Ahwang's head and patted her. He promptly cursed himself for doing such a thing; patting heads were only destined for children, even if for someone as old as Zack, having someone with such a petite appearance and as young-looking as Assassin was pretty much the same as a child to him. Damn those young-looking girls and those pretty faces, even if they were warriors or spirit hunters.

After making an inaudible sigh, the redhead immediately removed his hand and slouched himself on it. Gah... I need a smoke...

"Good to hear, Ahwang. I hope you can keep that oath, because you're now stuck with me."

Now he just wondered what to do. Sure, the introduction was great and all, but now that it was over... Suddenly a tired feeling made its presence known in Zack's system. It must be the summoning... What a day.

"Alright." With this word he got up from his crouching posture. "If you want anything, feel free to ask. You can also feel free to explore the place whenever you want. Meanwhile, I will be taking a shower."

After punctuating his sentence with a smile, the redhead headed toward his bathroom. Before he closed the door shut he made a small wave at Ahwang.

"Oh, and please call me Zack. Master sounds too weird to me."

[Ahwang Kongju]

“Huh.”

That’s what she heard from her Master while she’s still bowing to her, and sensed him crouching down in front of her. She’s now wondering how her Master would respond to this, because she had a feeling that her bowing might have caught him off-guard.

What she didn’t expect was the part when he placed his hand on top of her head and patted her.

…

Well, this is a first time that someone would pat her head. It’s kinda … well … she can’t find a word for it. But, it could be a good sign; that her Master has understood her trust and loyalty to him. She, while still bowing, heard him speak as he finished patting her head

"Good to hear, Ahwang. I hope you can keep that oath, because you're now stuck with me."

She blinks twice, blushing. It’s a good thing that she’s still bowing, otherwise her Master wouldn’t notice.

He called her by her first name.

In her past, she was always called “Princess” or “Shaman” or any other title given by her people, and she didn’t mind about that. Her father … well, he refused to call by her name or as his “daughter,” and she doesn’t care. But, for someone calling her by just her first name … she felt … “glad” … and she doesn’t know why …

She slowly sat up as she looked up at her Master. She tilted her head a bit, seeing her master looking a bit exhausted, possibly from the Summoning, because it could take a lot of energy to perform such ritual.

"Alright." he got up, "If you want anything, feel free to ask. You can also feel free to explore the place whenever you want. Meanwhile, I will be taking a shower."

With a smile, he headed to the bathroom. Before he entered the bathroom, he turned to her with a small wave.

"Oh, and please call me Zack. Master sounds too weird to me."

Her eyes widen a bit from this ‘request.’ First, he called her by her first name,; and now, it's time for her call him by his first name. But, if that’s what he want, then she'll do it.

She nodded, “… Understood … Zack … and please … don’t push yourself too hard …”

She looked down a bit and blushed. Saying his first name sounds a bit foreign to her mouth, but she’ll deal with it. After all, her Master is a very interesting one.

She watched as her Master went to the bathroom. Standing there for a few seconds, she removes her hood (still leaving her "hair ornaments" on) and looks around the Living Room. This place looks very different from any room she seen in her past. She spots something on the coffee table and picks it up.

It was a remote control (well, to her, she doesn’t know what it is). While observing the remote, she pressed some of the buttons, but nothing happens. She pressed the '1' button, nothing. The "Volume" button, nothing. But, she pressed the "Power" button, the TV turned on.

“-and now, it’s time for the Weather…”

Hearing a voice, she looks toward at the TV (or to her, a “Mysterious Box”) and tilt her head a bit. Hmm?

She slowly approach to it and crouched down. She looked at the screen for a second, then stands up to look around the “large box.” She wonders what is it, and how do these people fit in this box. Is it magic? She looked at the remote again curiously, and pressed “Channel,” then looked up and saw that the screen has changed. She pressed it again, it changed again. Staring at the screen she looked down at remote and decided to press “Power” again, and that’s when the screen went black, turning off the TV.

She blinks. She pressed the “Power” button again, the picture came back. Pressed it again, it went black. She blinks. Well, that was interesting.

She decided to leave it alone as she placed the remote back on the coffee table and looks around to some other rooms.

Since the bathroom is occupied, she left it alone and went to peek in the other room, which happens to be his bedroom. As she got in, she spots a light switch by the door. Curious, she flips the switch and somehow managed to turn the lights on.

She looks up to see where the light came from, and flip the switch again, which turns. She flips the switch again, there’s light; flips it again, darkness. So she turns on the lights again and looks around his bedroom. It looks okay, except the bed. The bed was not made and blanket was a bit wrinkled. From what she saw and learned from the villagers in the past (since she no longer lives in Royalty anymore), she made his bed neat, fluffing the pillow and straightening and spreading the blanket to make the wrinkles go away, and now she’s done. She hopes her Master doesn’t mind.

As she turns of the light and exit his bedroom while closing the door, she ventures through what she believes to be a kitchen. It looks a bit decent, with the shelves and the cupboards here; but what amaze her were other stuffs such as the stove and the fridge. She approaches to the fridge and slowly opens it to see what’s inside. There was a small light inside that lights up when she opens it, and she saw some foods and drinks within, and felt a cold air from it. She closed the fridge door and went to see the blender, the toaster, the microwave, and others; until she stops to see the stove.

Standing in front of the stoves, she stares at the knobs. She raised her hand to poked the knob first, the she slowly twist it as she heard a clicking sound, and then a small flame ignites. She turns to look at the flame and blinks.

…Magic? she thought.

While staring at the flame, she slowly twists the knob more, seeing how the flame starts to get smaller and smaller as she turns, and when she slowly turns the knob back, the flame slowly increase to the way it was. As she turns the knob to its rightful position, the flame disappears. She tilts her head a bit and blinks twice while staring at the stove. That was very interesting. But, she decided to leave the stove alone and went to the sink.

She looks down at the sink and saw 2 dishes and mug. It seems that her Master might have forgotten to clean them. She looked at the Bathroom door, then the sink. She decided to clean them up for him, since her Master might be still exhausted. So, she rolled up her sleeves and begins washing the dishes, good thing the villagers in her past also shown her how to wash such items.

After cleaning the dishes, she approaches to the dining table. What caught her attention were her Master’s Goggles lying on the table. She look down at the goggles for a few seconds until she slowly pick them up. She found this unusual item very intriguing.

While observing the goggles, she pulls the band to see it stretch. Then, she puts them over her eyes to peer through it. She looks around while holding the goggles over her eyes.

Then, she heard her Master called out her name, which cause her to flinch (nearly shrieked) and almost dropped her Master’s goggles (good thing she was able to catch it before it hit the ground). She quickly turned to her Master, who is done with his shower and already out of the bathroom, wearing different clothes unlike before.

“Y-yes, M- … Zack?” she blushed. Then, she looks down at the goggles she was still holding that she quickly puts it back on the Dining Table, and looked back at her Master again.

[Zack Smith]

That shower was taking longer than usual for some reason. He blamed that on what happened tonight, that feeling of having summoned someone of a higher presence than himself. There also was something he noticed earlier when he was about to grab that bar of soap. It wasn’t there before, and Zack didn’t know when it appeared.

On his right hand was some kind of symbol; an unknown symbol that decided to invade his hand as if the man decided to go to the nearest tattoo store and asked for said drawing. It was after a few moments of staring at it that the redhead finally remembered the purpose of this symbol. It was a Command Seal. It was the proof that he was a Master, allowing him three absolute orders. Seems I’m going to have to hide it from other people.

Having enough of staying under the shower, Zack turned the water off and got out. After drying himself with a towel, the redhead looked inside the dryer for a change of clothes. Unlike a ton of other Magi who disliked and loathed the use of electronics or modern items, Zack was the kind of person that used them out of necessity instead of principle. That meant that he was not reluctant at all about using dryers, stoves or cellphones; these were just details waiting to be mentioned. Opting for a simple T-shirt and a pair of pants and after drying his hair, he finally got out of the bathroom and was about to call upon Assassin.

Said calling was obviously forgotten about as he saw his Servant playing around with his goggles. Seeing her holding the goggles over her eyes and looking around with them caused Zack to stifle a laugh. Which then turned into a session of eyebrow rising as he noted that Ahwang was not even paying attention to his return. Might as well announce myself.

“Ahwang.”

Whatever answer he was waiting for, the sight of Assassin flinching and catching a pair of goggles before they hit the ground was very unlikely. It was also extremely amusing. Turning around to face him with a red embarrassed face, the small girl responded while putting the item back where she took it.

“Nothing, really. Looks like you were having fun there.”

The redhead lazily waltzed toward the dining table and reached for the lighter that rested on it along with some carton of cigarettes. He slowly took one from the pack, stuck it on his lips and lit it with the fire produced from the lighter. After slowly expelling some smoke and placing the cancer stick on the edge of a metallic ashtray, Zack wondered what they should do. Would they need to go outside? Of course we would. He once heard about Servants taking an immaterial shape so the Master can save prana, meaning that he probably shouldn’t think about procuring Assassin some clothes other than what she has on... Even if it looked tempting to see what she would look like in a dress or, better, in a suit. I take back what I thought about the suit. She looks too young for that... Or is she?

He sat down on the chair nearest to him and turned his eyes to the shaman. Slouching on his left hand and masquerading with his right. He took a potato chip... and ATE IT!, Zack took his cigarette with his right and took another drag on it, making sure not to expel any smoke in Ahwang's face.

“Do you have any other questions?”

[Ahwang Kongju]

“Nothing, really. Looks like you were having fun there.”

She lowered her gazed to the ground as her Master approached to the Dining table.

Well … that was embarrassing.

She mentally cursed herself and her curiosity. Sometimes, whenever she sees something extraordinary and fascinating, it’s like she’s in her own little world. Almost letting herself off-guard. She shook her head, mentally note herself to not let this happen again … well … in battle, she’ll take care of it, but anything like that, even in public … it’s gonna take awhile …

She looked toward her Master, who was seated and he seems to be exhaling some kind of smoke (to her, she thought there’s something wrong with his breathing or something).

“Do you have any other questions?”

…… she has so many things to ask …… but that’ll make her ridiculous to say ……

But, again … cursing her curiosity again … she took a deep breath … and responds

“Well … few of them … but … it might sound ridiculous but … ” she blushed as she points to the stove, “…How do these work? I mean, the flame appeared without the use of hands or tools to make fire for the stove. Was it magic?” Then she points to the TV “and … how do these people fit in that box there? Was it also magic?” and then she points at him, “And … you're breathing smokes. Are you alright?”

So, she listens to her Master explained a bit. So, it wasn’t magic, it was … technology. Humanity sure has improved as Time passed. Yet, these technologies … were fascinating. She was amazed that the stove start the fire with this “burning fuel,” not wood; even this “TV” … a box with moving pictures … amazing. What other things have Humanity improved...?

But when he tries to explain about this “smoke,” she doesn’t understand what he means, that she blinked and tilted her head. But, he said to forget about and don’t worry.

“I see…” Interesting. Interesting indeed. “Thank you for explaining.” she bows to him.

She saw him looking a bit tired. She doesn’t want him to push himself to hard, so it’s better that he should take a break tonight.

“Zack, if you’re exhausted, I believe it’s best for you to rest.”

[Zack Smith]

It was, indeed, very amazing and amusing to watch someone’s face change when they are embarrassed, such is the case of one Assassin when she listened to his last question. If at the very beginning Zack thought that Ahwang Kongju was a stoic warrior, right now he saw her as an extremely curious and shy girl. That was a little relieving as the redhead didn’t even know how to deal with someone of the stoic mentality, and actually preferred when the one he was talking to.

Apparently, when he was busy showering and watching his new tattoo, his Servant wandered pretty much everywhere in the apartment room. Now that he thought of it, Assassin came from an earlier era, a long time ago; it justified her curiosity as she had no possible idea of what the modern world offered her. A slight chuckle came out of his throat.

He adopted a thinking pose with his left hand under his chin, contemplating what he should say to that clueless little girl about the magnificent- or not-so-magnificent for the usual Magus- world of technology. Yes, it meant that he had to give her some kind of speech.

It meant that he had to give her The Talk.

“It is not magic, nor is it magecraft, Ahwang.” He pointed the items the girl told him about with his cancer stick as he talked. “Nearly everything in the world is now powered by what we call technology. We are in a period of change, a period of power and most of all a period of time where the world is composed of non-moving lazy idiots who can’t do anything by themselves.”

He got up from his chair and directed himself to that dirty white furniture near him. His right hand patted the stove’s metallic surface as he looked at Ahwang’s questioning face. With this he explained what changed between her era and now using words such as ‘troublesome’ or ‘burning fuel’, along with delicacies such as ‘electricity’ and ‘power’. He explained how it worked and how electricity along with technology changed the world. The same was done with the television, which he basically described as a way to give information easily to the world, along with a couple of uses like entertainment or education. The redhead explained the kinds of shows one could watch on television, and carefully omitted everything about pornography.

After explaining pretty much how technology worked in this world, Zack moved on to the next question. Said question made him laugh a little as he placed the cigarette at its right place on an ashtray. He tried to explain what a cigarette was, but it was a failure since Ahwang didn’t even understand a word of his explanations.

“Sigh... Forget about it, there’s no need to worry about it.” He paused. “Besides, this is just a way to help me relax.”

At least he was glad that Assassin had good manners. Hearing people’s thanks was always music to his ears. He stretched himself a little and yawned. Seems I should get some rest...

“Yeah, I think I’ll be getting some rest. Thanks.”

Sure, he might allow himself to sleep a little, even if it was for around five hours or so. Today was a very slow day if you omitted that monster during the afternoon, and maybe some random events in the morning. I should wake up earlier than usual and show Ahwang around a little... Seems like it's a good idea.

"If you want something to wear other than that cloak, there are some clothes you could get in the dryer in the bathroom." He paused once again, forgetting that he was talking to someone who was new to this era. "You'll know what it is. Just look inside and if the clothes look dry enough for you, take 'em."

With these words he entered his bedroom without closing the door behind him. The lights were already on when he set his feet inside the small room, and his bed was already made. Probably Ahwang when she had her excursion earlier. He set his alarm clock to two or three hours earlier than usual and went to sleep.

[Ahwang Kongju]

“Yeah, I think I’ll be getting some rest. Thanks.”

It’s best for them to save their strengths for tomorrow, now it’s time to rest for tonight.

"If you want something to wear other than that cloak, there are some clothes you could get in the dryer in the bathroom."

She blinks. “Dryer?”

"You'll know what it is. Just look inside and if the clothes look dry enough for you, take 'em."

She nodded. “Alright.” she then enters the bathroom.

The bathroom is kinda new to her, with the sink and shower looks very different from her era. Then she found “another box” with dry clothes in it, which was the dryer. While digging through the dry clothes, all she could pick was a white shirt and pair of blue jeans. Most of his clothes are too big for her, but she has no other choice but to change. Maybe tomorrow, they’ll find some suitable clothing for her.

As she finished changing, she look at herself in the mirror.

…

Yep, she definitely looked ridiculous. The shirt was too big for her that the shirt collar nearly showed off her bare shoulder, and the jeans are long that she has to roll them up to her ankles. But, she kept her complaining to herself, she’ll get used to it. She was thinking about changing her hair and eye color to purple (which was her original appearance before she became a shaman by Dalsun), but she’ll do that if she’s going out in public. So, she’ll change her hair and eye color tomorrow if they going to look around the city.

After, she takes the cushion pillow from the living room couch before she went to her Master’s room, so she can guard him when he’s asleep. That’s her duty as a Servant: protect her Master. She approached to his bedside she laid the cushion on the ground, and looked down at her sleeping Master, who’s now asleep.

“Do not worry, Zack …” she whispered as she kneels and sits down properly on the cushion while placing both hands modestly on her lap, facing to him, “I will always be by your side to protect you … Sleep well …”

She lowered her head a bit as she closed her eyes, meditating.