Author's Notes: Bam, Chapter 7, straight out of the mental oven! Enjoy your treat~
Chapter 7.
I opened my eyes to a thing of beauty. An open meadow, full of emerald grass that shook under the gentle breeze. Fluffy clouds whiter than any snow lazily drifted up in the sky. The soft winds that weaved around the small hills playfully brushed against my face and caressed my hair. Pretty sure they somehow even licked the recuperating flesh underneath the bandages.
I looked around in awe, dutifully committing to memory the breathtaking sight. This place was not unlike the clearing from the virtual tutorial, or whatever that was, except it wasn't just a simulation this time.
I crouched down and sank my hand into the sea of grass, marveling at its softness. It felt like liquid or jelly at least.
"Senpai?" A voice right beside interrupted my musings. I looked up to see Mash, already in her combat gear, staring down on me with evident curiosity in her violet eyes.
"Oh, don't mind me. It's just, out there in the modern world, places like this are a rarity. You might be able to find them somewhere in Norway, or Ireland perhaps, but never near any major cities," I groaned quietly as I got up, a sigh escaping my lips when I stood up straight, "Well, I guess you could add New Zealand to that list, Lord of the Rings had some absolutely beautiful terrains. Or what Hobbit? Bah, whatever, can't seem to remember right now. In any case, yeah, this is just as new for me as it is for you."
"Really? I thought the world was full of places like this," Was it just me or did she look a bit disappointed? Oh, right, Designer Baby that never left Chaldea, that makes sense, "Wondrous sights that make you want to enjoy them for hours and hours. I've heard stories about how beautiful the world is, but Lord Marisbury Animusphere, Lady Olga's father, prohibited me from going outside."
Hearing that out loud makes me sad. I turned to her and flashed the best supportive grin I could muster, "For someone who's never left home, you turned out surprisingly well. Makes one think," Seeing a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, I whirled around and stared at the green sea, "I have to say, I'd prefer staying at home all day to going outside any day of the week. I mean really, for an average citizen like yours truly, the outside world was bleak, polluted, and full of cold uncaring concrete."
I looked back at her and smiled bitterly at the surprised expression. Walking up right beside her, I put one hand on her shoulder and pointed with the other at the meadow.
"You see, all this? All this is something you'd likely never see if you were to live in the modern world. The roiling grass and the mighty trees, the fresh crisp air and soft soil… All you'd witness would be titans of glass and concrete, stuffed with plastic and a general feeling of desperation and purposelessness. I might be biased but, as an 'honorary' citizen of Earth, let me tell you: the world is not a pretty place. This, on the other hand. This is amazing. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. The only reason you'd want to change this scenery for an urban city is to appreciate just how much modern life sucks."
After giving that doubtlessly inspiring speech, I twisted my neck to look at Mash, brushing against her hair with the tip of my nose in the process. After a second of rebooting my brain, I realized just how close we've been standing. Her only visible eye was mere centimeters from my own, shaking slightly while staring somewhere in the distance. Her breaths were short and rapid, perfectly matching the frantic beating of my own heart.
Sensing the volatile potential of the situation, I took great care in not making any sudden movements. I unwound my fingers from her shoulder and leaned away from her like nothing happened, ignoring the traitorous crimson creeping up my neck.
"…so yeah, e-even if we are to restore humanity, I suggest focusing on the world around you right now. Cause when we get to the modern one? You will be disappointed."
Mentally cursing my cracking voice, I desperately searched for any distractions from the awkward moment. To my great relief, a burst of blue light not two meters away from me announced the arrival of my other two Servants, Cu and Medusa phasing into existence surrounded by a halo of energy.
Rider motionlessly stood where she appeared, while Lancer glanced around the meadow, probably searching for any dangers or points of interest. Though something told me Medusa was doing the very same, just through different means. Probably the way her nose twitched as if trying to catch some peculiar scent. It was kind of adorable, really.
I clapped my hands once to get the Servants' attention. "Alright, team! Da Vinci told me… Or rather 'almost forgot to tell me,' that we're in France during the Hundred Years War. Now, you being who you are and me being terrible at history, our only sources of info are probably Mash and Chaldea. Does anyone want to disapprove that statement?"
"Nope, you're right. I've been to Scotland, for obvious reasons, but otherwise, I stuck to Ireland." Cu scratched the back of his head with a metal gauntlet, his ponytail jumping up and down with the motion, "Gotta say, this is one pretty place. Had some similar views back home but, unfortunately, no chance to enjoy them. And the rest got quickly… stained, for lack of a better world."
"Indeed, due to certain events, I was forced to remain in one place for the entirety of my life. I'm sure you can guess them," Medusa paused, before a small smirk appeared on her face, "Even without me telling you 'eeeveeryyythiiing.'"
I winced at the jab, but smiled shortly after, "Now that's just mean is what that is. At least you're warming up to us. The first time I met you, you were rather… cold-blooded. Badum-tsssss."
In a sudden zone of deathly silence, the bones popping in Cu's neck as he turned his face towards me were like claps of thunder. My snickering wilted a bit under the pressure of his cold crimson eyes as he grinned.
"That… was actually a good one," Despite his words, his voice sounded distant, "I'm sure Fergus would just love to meet you."
"Thanks, I guess?" I wasn't sure if he appreciated the joke or not, so I glanced at Medusa instead. That was a mistake.
She was smiling at me, except not really. Instead of what one could call a smile, it was like her mouth was stretched out somehow, plunging it straight into the uncanny valley. Creepy. Fake-coughing into my fist, I hastily turned away from her and looked at Mash.
"Mash?" She was still facing the direction I pointed at, her back facing the rest of us, "Mash? Hello, Earth to Mash, anybody home? Hmm."
I walked up to her and, seeing the unchanged blank look in her eyes, waved my hand in front of her face. Alright, I didn't like this one bit. Humor slowly bled into worry as I tried to get her attention to no avail. After wasting a few minutes with no visible progress made, I realized that there was only one thing left to do.
"Rider, hit me." The one good way to wake up a Shielder was to be attacked, right? And I didn't want to get slapped by a demigod of all things, so the youngest gorgon was clearly the… better… option.
"On second thought-"
I saw the sky. My neck forcibly twisted to the side with seemingly no reason, the ground cut right from underneath my feet. Before my brain could process what happened, I hit the grass bed with an audible thud, staring blankly at the clear- Oh Holy-
"-Shit!" A second later a shadow fell on my face, as Mas suddenly stood her ground right between me and, assumingly, Medusa. And, while this was definitely an interesting perspective to see from, highly entertaining too, I had better things to worry about.
Like that giant fucking hole in the sky.
Right above our little group, the sky was ripped apart. Clouds swam through the air before being evaporated from existence when approaching the giant ring of light. Brighter than the Sun. Bigger than the moon. And through it, I saw space.
At first, I didn't believe it. After all, there was no way that pitch black expanse was space, space had things in it. This one didn't. It was just… black. But then I understood. There were no stars.
Just like that, no stars. Nothing. As if someone discovered dust on their new black shoes and wiped it off. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I told myself that there was no reason to panic. We were in a Singularity located in France after all, so, if nothing but France existed around us right now, then why should other stars and planets exist? But, seeing something so out of the norm, so utterly alien… It was scary.
A hand shook my shoulder and I lowered my gaze. Mash was crouching right next to me, hurriedly letting go of me once I shifted my attention to her. Cu and Medusa stood on my other side, silently watching the exchange. Without saying a word, I pointed at the sky.
"What the-"
"S-Senpai…?"
"What is that thing?"
"Heeeeey there, we're finally through!" Romani's chirpy voice echoed in the otherwise silent meadow, "So yeah, our first official Singularity, the one you're in right now, is located in France 1431, during the Hundred Years War. I believe France and England should have a brief ceasefire right about now and- hold on, Da Vinci, not now- the famous Saint, Joan of Arc, was just burned to death. Hm, that came out morbid. Anyway, the- h-hey, what are you doing?! I'm giving a briefing here and I will not let you steal another speech from me!- The objective is the same, locate the source of the Singularity and eliminate it! It's probably going to beanothergrailhurryupandgoodluck!"
Inaudible chatter could be heard from the connection, a single distinctly Da-Vincian voice sounding more angry than usual. Or ever, for that matter. Mash, still crouching, pressed a few spots on her shield without looking down at it. I mentally shook my head in respect. Even though I could do the same with a QWERTY keyboard, that took some skill.
The chatter stopped.
"Mama mia… What the hell is that?!" Romani was talking once again but this time his words were laced with shock and bewilderment, "Hang on, we're on it. You've got the visual, get me some data! Frank, check the spiritron readings. Albert, monitor the vital, tell me if that thing is affecting anything in any way, got it? Da Vinci, analysis!"
"Hm, from what I can tell, that is a circle of light. The energy contained there is pretty mindboggling, honestly. I mean planet cracking levels of mindboggling. And considering that's most likely True Magic, or close to it, there can be countless additional effects and properties. In other words, if that thing goes off, whatever that is, we're done for."
"Right.." Dr. Roman's voice came out tired but determined, "You guys take care of the Singularity, we'll deal with that thing. Try and get more data, probably. If anything comes up, you know we're here. Take care and good luck. Chaldea, signing off."
"So," I slowly started, "Let's just ignore that thing for now, yeah? We have a world to save, no time for… that."
I shakily stood up, Mash mirroring my movements, and exhaled. Alright, I've got this.
"As I was saying, only Mash and Chaldea are our sources of historical information for this time period. We've just heard some stuff from the Doctor, so I'd say we're good for now. Mash, how familiar are you with this time period, just in case?"
"I've, uhm, read through Chaldea's archives during my free time," She was clearly shaken after seeing the hole in the sky but was doing her best to reclaim her composure, "So I know some things. Hopefully, I will be able to help."
"You're a Servant, Mash, there's no way you could be useless," I patted her shoulder, "And with Chaldea busy dealing with that thing up there, it is up to you to act as our guide to this land of pasta and guillotines."
"Pasta is an Italian stereotype, Senpai, not French," Her face scrunched up in doubt, "That's what I read, at least."
"Tomayto tomahto," I waved it off and looked around one more time trying to spot anything of interest. The first clue to our destination, so to speak, "We have much more pressing concerns at the moment. Have comfortable are you guys with scouts?"
"Not really my thing, but I'll manage," Cu shrugged, "Hopefully run into some trouble, as it is."
"At least contact me if that's the case, alright?" I turned to Medusa, "What about you?"
"If that's what you want." Came the neutral response.
"Hm," Have to admit, such low emotional investment slightly hurt. But Heroic Spirits be Heroic Spirits, everyone is unique and has their own kinks to work through, "Okay then. Same directives, just check the surrounding for anything interesting. Like a castle, for example. Or an army."
"How about an armed squad?" Cu's voice interrupted my voice, "Not an army for sure but they're still coming our way."
As I looked in the direction he was pointing at, I indeed saw a group of armed and armored people heading towards us. I'd say they were wearing classic French gear of this period, except I had absolutely no idea how 'classic' gear was supposed to look like. They were garbed in chainmail with something warm-looking draped above and funny metal hats that looked like hybrids between a fedora and a bowl. Surprisingly, their faces weren't protected, definitely not by those tiny chainmail collars.
The spears and swords they clutched in their gloved arms were pointed at our feet as they warily approached us, swordsmen hiding behind shields with various symbols on them. Mostly vines, I think.
They stopped several meters away from us, eyes hidden in the helmets' shadows twitching at our every move. From an outside perspective, the fight probably looked inevitable. I was a bit anxious, adrenaline and all that, but not that worried. While the French were still on their way, Mash moved right in between us, with Medusa and Cu taking positions to the left and right of me.
"Qui es tu?! Identifiez vous!" The one at the front suddenly shouted, startling me. Man, I haven't heard French in a while.
Lifting up one hand, I smiled and took a step forward.
"Don't worry, I've got this. I've spent around three years studying French," I cleared my throat with a cough and stared the apparent leader right in the eyes, "Bonjour! Je m'appele Damien!" (Good evening! My name is Damien!)
Aaaand that's all French I could remember. Dammit, I should've thought this through. The silence was starting to get uncomfortable and I could feel tiny beads of sweat form around my neck. Fighting was fine, I had Servants on my side. But this… Shitshitshit, never again! Blasted spotlight, why did I volunteer in the first place?! Muffled snicker tore through the haze of my panic but when I turned to look, Cu was innocently whistling while taking great care in surveilling the surrounding fields for danger.
"Excuse moi," I spun back to face the soldiers, "Ubi est urbis?" (Excuse me; Where is the city?)
Wait a second… Was that French or Latin? Bah, whatever, they were similar anyway. I'm sure they know Latin, they're French!
"Ego et mei amici in silva erramus. Ubi est urbis?" (My friends and I wander in the forest. Where is the city?)
Judging by the confused stares of the French, they did not, in fact, know Latin. Oh well.
"Alright, I'm done here. Seems like these folks don't know their own language. Er, a language so close to their own it practically is, that is." I shook my head at the shameful display and aired my thoughts, "For shame."
That was the wrong thing to do, it seemed, as the weapons flew upwards to point at our faces, while the soldiers screamed something about 'English' and 'hostiles,' or something. I can see why they're just footsoldiers though, these guys would make for terrible diplomats.
"I should've just talked to them in French," I heard Mash mutter under breath before she raised her shield and glanced back at me, "Looks like the fight is unavoidable. Servant Shielder, awaiting orders!"
"Yeah, I can see your point," I scratched my cheek and began to empty my thoughts in an attempt to activate my Magical Circuits. The Mystic Code spells could come in handy, at least as a test, "Welp, here's the trouble you asked for, Lancer. Give 'em hell!"
"…Non-lethally, of course," I added as an afterthought. Gotta start earning those sweet Hero Points one day, so why not now?
The lead soldier's order, probably 'attack' but what do I know, was interrupted by the butt of a crimson spear smashing into, and through, his teeth. I winced at the sight, phantom pains wrecking across my jaw. I would not want to be in that guy's place, that's for sure. As I massaged my lips to settle the nerves, the poor man collapsed screaming which distracted the rest just for long enough for Medusa to sweep in and take names.
The rattling of chains could be heard from every point in space as the battlefield was suddenly filled with linked metal. A blur of purple streaked from man to man, tearing weapons from their hands, knocking them off-balance, and then driving holes through their hands or feet. Though brutal, I approved of the last action, as that meant they either couldn't run or couldn't fight, effectively halving their numbers. If the survivors were to try fleeing, catching only half would be easier than the whole squad. Same with fighting back. Say what you want but Medusa was a good fighter, if not a good warrior.
Mash fought much more conservatively, never straying too far away from me and always keeping distance between my vulnerable fleshy body and the sharp pointy tips and edges of the enemies' weapons. Anyone who got beyond the line she had drawn inside her mind was met with a wall of metal moving at superhuman speeds right in their face. Needless to say, I was rather surprised that this tactic was actually non-lethal. Now, I've never been seriously injured in my entire life, aside from a few head traumas during my infancy, but I was convinced that my skull would cave in should I get hit with something of that caliber.
I was so enraptured with watching my Servants fight that I completely forgot about my Mystic Code. I only realized that after the soldiers were already lying on the ground groaning, crying, or just plain passed out. Looking around the battlefield, I remembered that I was unable to spot Cu during the fight but, after thinking about it, he was probably too fast for me to notice in the brawl. Slaughter, rather. Slaughter not dangerous to one's life?
Regardless, watching Cu knee the last standing Frenchman in the stomach and the crack that could be heard afterward would probably haunt me for the next several days. Or not, considering how I've witnessed Medusa's 'garden' first hand. I was not looking forward to those nightmares. Hopefully, there won't be any, but…
"Whew, alright!" I exclaimed, rubbing my hands together, "Now we get to the interrogation part! Since these fine folk didn't want to tell us where the city is before, we'll have find out now ourselves. Their loss, I guess, should've have attacked for no reason. Pick your fight, people, I swear…"
"Senpai?" Mash called me out from nearby, pointing at one of the still-conscious soldiers, "I think they attacked because you were speaking English. We arrived during the Hundred Years War, after all, there has to be some animosity between the two countries."
"Nonsense, I was speaking French and a bit of Latin," I crouched down beside the gasping man, lightly slapping him on the cheeks to get his attention. In the back of my mind, I was mildly alarmed by the absence of my usual dislike for blood which should've raised its head due to the copious amounts of said liquid splattered everywhere, courtesy of (mostly) Medusa, but I'd just be wasting precious time if that were the case. And Sloth was a sin.
"Is something funny?" Cu asked as he approached, making me realize that I was quietly chuckling to myself, "You're not freaking out or anything, right? I know the sight of battle could be difficult to handle for the newbies but, considering what you've already been through-"
"No, don't worry everything's fine," I finally got the Frenchman's attention and smiled down at him, "Now, Mash, if you would be so kind?"
I stood up as Mash took my place and started speaking in French to the wounded soldier. I wasn't really worried about her as, A, she was a Servant, and, B, that hole in his right hand looked nasty.
I rolled my shoulders and listened to the satisfying popping sounds when I noticed Medusa coming towards me. I turned to her and raised an eyebrow, tracing the patterns of her blindfold with my eyes.
"The girl was right," She spoke with a hint of amusement hidden within her voice, "Speaking English in front of the French military was not the brightest idea."
"But when did I even- Oh," Everything I've said that wasn't directed at the soldiers was in English, wasn't it? I winced, "Ouch. Yeah, I should just leave the talking to you guys. I'd much prefer your company over their anyway."
"Oh?" Now there was something else in her tone, something new, "Was that a compliment?"
"Compliment?" I tilted my head in confusion, "I guess… I mean, I would much rather interact with you Heroic Spirits than normal people. Ehm, Romani, and Chaldean staff not included. What I'm saying is, what do they have to tell? They're normal people, same as me. Living normal lives, having normal hobbies. Boring. Even if I wanted to know something about French or France specifically, I'd just find a French Hero to talk to."
Judging by the visible part of her expression, I threw off whatever she was thinking in the first place but she still looked interested in the topic, so I continued.
"Look at you, for example. Good or bad, but can you really say that these people's lives are more exciting than yours?"
Her body froze in place, alarming me that I might've hit the wrong spot. Fortunately, instead of coldly staring at me, she answered in a monotone.
"Sometimes having a normal life is everything one could wish for, Master. Do not take it for granted." Sad but not surprising. With a shake of my head, I sat down and patted the ground near me. For a second, it looked as if her train of thought was interrupted by something but eventually she took a seat.
"Let me put it like this. And I'm sorry if I hit anything too personal but please bear with me. As a Master, I have to ensure I understand my Servants completely and the same goes in the other direction. Anyway, imagine if on that one day, nothing happened. You were let go with not a notch on your dignity and allowed to continue living your life. I'm not sure whether you were a princess or someone else but I do remember that you had a relatively normal life. Now, if that were the case and you lived, maybe happily maybe not, and then died, maybe happily maybe not, what would you be worth?"
"Worth?"
"Yes, who would you be? Not in terms of occupation or name, no, who would you be? What would your purpose be? Would you have had a goal in life? Would it have been any good? Settling down with a family or becoming a priestess, perhaps. Do those really strike your fancy?"
"Anything would be better than what happened," The was a wild brew of anger and sadness in her voice, "And if you can say otherwise then you know nothing about me."
"Tell me this, then. Just confirm or deny, no need to open your heart before you're comfortable with it. Do you, consider yourself a monster?"
"Yes."
"What a marvelous answer. Did you hear yourself just now?" I gently smiled and lifted up my arm to shake my finger at her, "No hesitation, no doubt. You know what you are, and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. But the fact that you can define yourself is one of the reasons I love you. Heroic Spirits, that is. You see, deep beneath everything else, and I have virtually no idea why I'm saying this right now, I am envious. I envy your resolve, I envy your dedication, I envy your confidence in who you are. Out there in the big world, with no tragic backstory or extraordinary talents to distinguish you, you are a nobody. I am a nobody. But you are not. Lancer is not. Mash is not. Da Vinci is not. Something happened to you, something that helped you define yourself, made you who you are. Cherish that memory. Good or bad, noble or evil, it is still something that makes you who you are. Don't be ashamed of that. Don't be resentful. If you are a monster and you want to be a monster, then let your heart sing! Build a lair, slaughter a village, kidnap a princess, for Christ's sake! And if you are a noble knight then hold true to your morals, never let an innocent suffer, and dispense Justice at your heart's content."
My throat was so tightly wound at this point it was hurting to talk at all. The corners of my eyes stung for some reason, but stubbornly drilled Medusa's blindfold with my gaze. I will not allow any of my Servants to be resentful of themselves, it was outrageous. At some point, I started to drive my finger between her concealed eyes with every sentence, first too carried away to notice then too passionate to stop.
"You said I shouldn't take my normal life for granted. Well, you shouldn't take yours. You a Hero, whether you want it or not. You are Great. Your sisters are Great. You all are Legends, Rider, Legends. I heard people cry during a stage play of your life. I've seen more iterations of you with varying backstories than I can count. Don't be ashamed of yourself, be proud! Be proud of everything you stand for because people like you… People like you make people like me look up in awe and 'I want to be just like that.'"
I finally went silent. My mouth was dry as a desert, and the back of my throat felt mutilated by a swarm of bloodthirsty animated needles. With hooks and spikes. I exhaled to get some of the pressure out and lowered my eyes. The formerly pristine grass was now painted with red, thin stalks brushing against each other in a mesmerizing dance of crimson. Then a realization shot through my body like a lightning bolt.
"D-Did… Did I just monologue?" This was completely uncharacteristic of me, to put it mildly. Despite what the song of my soul that I voiced for the whole world to hear a few seconds ago said, I could define some parts of myself. One of those being 'keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself.' "So why did I?"
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I sprung up, ignoring the Medusa's frozen body posture and the groan of a wounded man I've been sitting on, and dashed forward. Quickly getting to Mash, and Cu who apparently joined her while I was 'distracted,' I hurriedly spoke.
"Did you get the city's location?"
"Yes, Senpai," She looked up and her face morphed into a grimace of worry, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes-yes, I just need to do something real quick," I turned to Cu, "Scour the surroundings while I meditate, would you? Take Rider too, if she's up for it."
Without waiting for their response, I rushed away from the battlefield and stopped only when I found myself at its very edge. Taking a deep breath, I sat dropped down on the unblemished grass and closed my eyes.
White void, white void…
I opened my eyes to the empty prairie once again. No sound, no motion, only serenity. The alarm that caused me to visit this 'mindscape' of mine in the first place stood out like a mountain in the middle of the ocean.
However, something else was different too. Right in front of me, three black pillars that barely reached my chest erupted from the ground. There wasn't anything particularly notable about them, three simple blotches of tar, but from their foundations a web of fissures spread in every direction.
I could instinctively tell that these three were the effects of self-hypnosis I've put myself under, while the cracks were the effects of those effects. And the more I looked at them the more I realized that instead of breaking my mindscape, they were holding it together. Same color as the columns they originated from, upon closer look, they seemed to be less 'holes in the world around me' and more 'glue repairing the damage done.'
I carefully approached one of them and touched it with the tip of my finger.
MAGIC IS REAL.
Yeah, there was no mistaking it now, this was of my own doing. My legs gave out from under me and I sprawled over the empty void. I was so tired. Of all this stress, this fighting. I still dearly wanted my adventure but…
Suddenly, one of the three pillars pulsed and a shudder ran through this entire world. Like the last droplet of water during the high noon in a desert, the exhaustion, both physical and mental, left my body. I just couldn't feel it anymore. Blinking in confusion –and relief– I got to my feet.
FORGO SLOTH.
Yeah, this thing. Bloody useful, despite being pretty terrifying. Also that speech earlier. Now I understood that it was this command talking. Disclosing your opinion was a big no-no for me during my 'normal' life, one wrong word and I was detained from life. 'You offended these people, those people, my four-year-old son, and also my unborn daughter.' 'You're a terrible human being, you should ashamed of yourself.' Being labeled a psychopath was never far out of reach because that's just what people do these days.
But then, at that very moment when Medusa showed honest to God interest in what I thought… I guess I just couldn't help myself. And now, looking at this column of reality corruption, I realized that keeping silent at that moment, not developing the relationship between a Master and a Servant… That would've been a slothful thing to do. A waste of potential. A missed opportunity.
I looked at the three pillars again but this time in a new light. I was worried I was endangering my sense of self, that I was losing who I was. Something I didn't have a lot of in the first place. But that wasn't the case. Self-hypnosis wasn't making me different.
It was making me better.
And maybe, just maybe, if I could mold myself into the perfect Hero for my Servants, someone who was actually capable of saving humanity, I could find my worth. After all, why let others define you when you can do it yourself?
I smiled and thought over this day so far. What I did right, what I did wrong, my flaws and my strengths. Nothing really came to mind, except for that bit of absolute embarrassment when I tried 'negotiating.' But, if I wanted to correct that fault, what would I do? I couldn't just say something like Have No Fear. Well, I could, but that would be a bad idea.
Unable to come up with anything, I shrugged and focused on returning to the real world. The pearly expanse was replaced by an emerald sea, with Mash nervously pacing not two meters away from me. The moment she noticed me looking at her, relief bloomed on her face and she made her way to me.
"Senpai!" She dropped on the grass with her legs tucked beneath her and smiled, "Are you okay now? You looked disturbed, I was worried."
"Yes, thank you, Mash," I smiled back and stretched, feeling all my worries flee from my body, "Better than ever I'd even say. Have Rider and Lancer returned from their surveillance trip?"
"Just a few minutes ago, Senpai. They have confirmed what the soldier said to me, there's a castle nearby. Vaucouleurs, I believe it is called."
"Great. Gather the Team, if you would," I got up at the same time with Mash and hopped a few times on the spot to reignite the muscles, "We're heading out."
Everyone was gathered within a minute or two. Cu stood to the side with a massive grin on his face, Gae Bolg barely contained between his fingers. The spear felt alive as it was twirled all around the place, singing hymns to bloodshed as it tore through the air. Medusa was visibly shaken after our conversation, fists wound on themselves till they got white as snow, even though her face didn't show much emotion. She didn't indicate that she saw me looking at her, but I smiled encouragingly anyway.
Mash was, as usual, by my side, looking almost as excited as Cu though for entirely different reasons. Outside of Fuyuki, this was probably her first proper time outside, and in such a beautiful place at that. I gave her a pat on the back, armor of course, and pointed with my hand deeper into the fields.
"Off we go!"
An elegant hand garbed in black and purple armor reached from outside my field of vision, took hold of my arm and pushed it to the left.
"That way, Senpai. The castle is that way."
"Oh of course it is. Off we go then!"
"Ehm, also…"
"What now?"
"What about the soldiers?" What soldiers? I looked at Mash and she pointed behind us, where the French squad was lying broken in pools of their own teeth and blood.
"Oh, those soldiers," What could we do about them? "Okay, alright. What to do, what to do. We can't exactly drag them with us, now can we. Let's see now… Oh, I've got an idea! Rider, can you un-stone people?"
Medusa twitch, clearly not expecting being addressed but looked at me anyway. Her forehead scrunched up a bit as she pondered on my words.
"I don't think so, no? Why would-?"
"Never mind then, there would be no difference between that and just killing them in that is the case," I scratched the back of my head in thought, "Hey, Doctor? How big a historical difference can we make here, outside of the whole 'saving humanity' shtick?"
"Nothing major, really," The second I called him, the hologram popped up right in front of me, a cone of light originating from Mash's shield, "History tends to correct itself, so whatever happens in the Singularity, stays in the Singularity. Aside from saving humanity, of course."
"Okay, great. Also, can you ask Da Vinci to cook up some sort of a translator for us? It appears I've been slacking during my French classes, so…"
"Sure thing, I'll ask her. Anything else? Cause that thing up there is at least the size of North America, and we really don't want it coming down on us for whatever reason."
"North America, is it? Could've sworn it's bigger," I muttered, "Not really, no. I guess we'll just-"
Just as I was about to finish, a gale of wind swept past us, almost knocking me off my feet. Well, technically it did, but Mash managed to catch me in time, so it didn't count. When I looked up, I saw a shadow dig into one of the clouds and then burst out of its other side. A distinctly bird-shaped shadow. Except bigger. Much bigger.
And then another one.
Before my very eyes, the skies were filled with those shadows, each rapidly heading in the direction where I was still pointing at. The air was filled with the roar of the winds and the rustling of the leaves, trees actually bending before the element's force.
When the last creature flew past us and I recovered from the shock of seeing what I think I just saw, I realized that this was a wonderful opportunity to finish my sentence. With a few alterations, that is.
"Change of plans, we're leaving the soldiers here. If they die, it'll be sad but not disastrous. But if those things are heading where I think they're heading, then letting a city be wiped off the face of the maps is not on my to-do list," I stated with as much confidence as I could before adding under my breath, "Not yet at least."
No one showed any sign of hearing that last part, so I just rolled with it.
"Onwards!" Then, "Mash, do you mind?"
Just as Cu and Medusa dashed after the flying beasties, I was swept off my feet and propelled forwards with frankly supernatural speeds, courtesy of Kyrielight Express. Absentmindedly, I noted that this was indeed a comfortable way of transportation. I wonder if Asterios or Heracles Express would be any comfier. Oh well, nothing I can't find out later.
Hills and trees blurred around me as we began to close the distance between us and what I suspected were wyverns. Eventually, Vaucouleurs revealed itself before us in all of its damaged glory. The once mighty citadel was lacking chunks of walls here and there, its stony defenses lay cracked and shattered. The few French soldiers that still had the courage to man the walls had no chance against the incoming waves of wyverns and, surprisingly, skeletons. Hordes of undead marched into the city from the ground, while swarms to scaled monsters tore at it from high above.
Frankly speaking, the city could not hold for much longer. Not without our help, at the very least. We stopped just before the enemy could notice us, and I was let back down on my feet. Quickly getting my remaining hair in order, I did a once over and confirmed that this, in fact, was an army. In the game, there were only three waves of enemies with usually three units in each. Generally speaking, no mission had more than twenty hostiles, and that was a stretch already. Seeing a literal battlefield unravel before my eyes was pretty scary.
And exhilarating.
Just from looking at it I could feel my heart start to beat faster. Blood was pumping in veins, screaming at me both run away screaming and rush in screaming. Was this Cu felt when heading in battle? Was this how Beowulf felt? If so, then I could definitely understand their reasons.
For entire life, the one major obstacle between me and letting off some steam in such a way was my fear of pain. Or, rather, a dislike of pain. I didn't like the feeling of being hurt, simple as that. I didn't like blood because I didn't like knowing how it came outside. And I was averse to hurting others because they were human, just like me, and I could easily imagine the same wounds on my very own body. The same pain.
But now?
"Mash, you're with me, make sure I get to the castle safely. You'll also have to handle the negotiations," I began to give out instruction as the grin growing on my face started to resemble Cu's, "Lancer, Rider? Show me what you can do, but most importantly… Have fun."
With that, I threw the caution to the wind and rushed towards the castle, screaming at the top of my lungs. It was dangerous, it was silly, and it quite possibly put the entire operation at risk. But I had trust in my Servants. I knew they'd keep me safe if only to rinse my brains later by themselves. And also…
Just this once, before I really dedicated my mind to the cause, I wanted to be myself. I wanted to stop hiding behind the mask of politeness, and moral codes, and societal norms, and just scream. Scream for everyone to hear.
Soon enough, my legs started to burn, weakness caused by the lack of proper exercise. My throat started to tear apart because I didn't stop screaming, even as I ran straight into a group of wyverns. I saw their deeply set reptilian eyes, pits of crimson staring into my soul with untold maliciousness. I saw their leathery wings, spread like a cape, ready to send a burst of air so strong it would tear me apart. I saw rotten skulls of former humans, just like me, peer at me from behind the scaled beasts, as if presenting me with my own future.
And through it all, the noises, the sounds, they all mixed together, until all I heard was silence. I ducked and I weaved, I stumbled and fell, and yet I got up and ran again. Silence. And then-
Beep.
A sound.
Beep.
So similar to that blasted IV, an unstoppable, uncaring sound that could be heard in reanimations when the heart was still working yet seconds apart from stopping forever.
Beep.
My blood was on fire.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my uniform glow and wounds I've never noticed receiving began to fade away. The torn flesh of my shoulder stitched back, the white bone disappearing before my very eyes. A muted snap as my legs were twisted into places they should've been in in the first place. The suddenly recovered depth of vision when I felt my left eye socket begin to fill with something.
I knew no pain. And now I also knew no fear. For the thing one cared the most about was their own body. And I just saw mine being taken apart and put back together like it was just another Tuesday! And guess what? Throughout the whole ordeal, not a single ounce of discomfort.
Needless to say, I loved self-hypnosis.
"SENPAI!"
"WHAT?"
"What were you thinking! You can die out here, there's no way I can protect you from all these-"
Mash was interrupted by another wyvern swooping in send sending its tails crashing at her face. Before that happened, however, a streak of red flashed and severed the appendage at its base. The fanged head was rolling on the ground not a second later.
I saw her blink without stopping the sprint. I also saw another wyvern aiming to bite her head off and a cloud of chains that wrapped around it prior to compressing it into fine mincemeat.
Chuckling, I reversed my run and jumped at Mash. She quickly reoriented herself to catch me with one arm across the chest, while simultaneously using the other to shield us both from a spear flying our way.
"If you don't believe in yourself, my dear Kouhai… Believe in your fellow Servants!" I waited until I saw the briefest grimace of resignation appear on her face and then continued, "And believe in me who believes in you!"
I swear, that phrase will never get old. Extracting myself from her arm, I ruffled her lovely pink hair and grinned.
"Now then. Catch me if you can!" Instead on dashing away, I froze on the spot and shouted as loud as I could, "Greatest kill count gets a favor! Mash, you get one if I manage to keep my arms attached to my body. See ya!"
With that, I sped up to the castle, its wall steadily getting closer and closer. Tails, wings, and bones were flying in every direction, accompanied by the whistling air, rattling chains, and Mash's quiet cursing.
…
Wait, what now? Denying that last one until I could see it with my own eyes, I turned to look back just in time to see Mash breaking one of the wyvern's spine in half, bones snapping and muscles tearing under the weight of her shield. Hopefully, she wasn't that cross with me because of this escapade. Just in case, I decided to get some brownie points by casting Displacement on her, the Mystic Code's spells coming as easily as breathing, to help her avoid getting impaled on a hooked talon that one of the bigger wyverns sported.
Not for long though, as a second later she tore it off along with the leg. Yeah. I'll just carry on running for now.
Fortunately, I didn't need to find the gates because of all the holes, so I just ran past whatever defenses the French had in place. My screaming self was given a few weird looks, no doubt about that, but seeing that I was human the 'guards' decided to let me in. I could understand them, really, in such a situation any help could come in handy- and that's Joan of Arc.
Mhm.
The straw blonde hair shining in the sunlight, the strange armor that didn't seem to actually protect anything, the headpiece that I didn't have the slightest clue as to its purpose, and a pair of one of the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen. Come to think of it, all Heroic Spirits I've encountered so far had beautiful eyes, each in their own way. Reflections of the soul indeed.
In any case, that was, in fact, Jeanne D'Arc, one of my favorite Nasuverse characters, a top tier waifu just as every other Heroic Spirit, and boy she was pretty. And she was looking at me.
After blankly smiling at her as she weaved a string of French gibberish, she seemed to realize the issue and finally spoke in English.
"I don't know who you are, good sir, but you have my deepest thanks for coming to aid us in this time of need!" Her voice was… nice. Was I being weird? As expected, but still, "However, I fear that we won't be able to hold on for long. I would show you the way to safely escape from this deathtrap, but we seem to be surrounded from all sides. I'm truly sorry but you'll have to stand your ground to the very end with all of us. For what it's worth, please know that I shall do my best to protect you!"
And then she bowed to me. I was still staring at her, the smile welded into my face, when she plunged the butt of her spear into the ground, a masterpiece of a banner unfurling from its upper half. This– she… She was apologizing to me for coming to help her but being unable to then leave her to die? And she would do her best to defend my life as an apology?
This… person… was dangerous, extremely so. I think I understand now why she was burned on that pyre. I wanted to kill myself now for being a terrible excuse of a human being, and I've never even torched anybody to death in my entire life!
Aw, shoot, I feel terrible now. Watching her scatter the monsters left and right with her banner was like watching Lord of the Rings all over again, except she was the Bright Lord Jeanne, and those were the Allied Forces of the Dragonkind and the Undead. And, despite how she looked from the side, her words rang true. Against that army outside, she would fall. And all of these people would go right after her, judging by the grim determination burning in the eyes of every passing soldier. Even the dying ones, with no doctors to ease their pain, were screaming encouragements for the still-fighting.
It…
It was…
It was beautiful.
"Direct Orders: I need this town and I need its inhabitants. Alive. I also want those monsters outside gone."
No later than I transmitted my command, three things happened at the same time.
A skeleton covered in rags that was about to impale a wounded soldier was ground into fine dust as the ornate shield slammed straight through it.
A wyvern rearing its head at Jeanne in a ferocious roar was bisected by a bloody blur, a man with a grin just as ferocious emerging from between its falling halves.
A whip of chains wrapped itself around the French Saint's arm and pulled her away from her previous spot, a scaled tail ending in a gigantic bone club cracking earth in her place.
The cavalry has arrived.
