"Master, I think you stabbed him enough times." After Michael stabbed his created spear into Shadow Archer for the twentieth time, Blue Caster had been trying to intervene.
Well, he had been trying to intervene for a while, but though to let Michael get it out of his system first. Turns out Michael really hated Red Archer's looks, that once we immobilized him, he just started throwing everything he could at him in overkill mode.
Honestly, taking out the other Servants had been easier in comparison, as we ambushed Shadow Assassin. Hunted down Shadow Rider and Shadow Lancer before they would figure out what going on. We froze Shadow Berserker and my blades each counted as a separate Noble Phantasm, so killing him with one slice of each was simple. Shadow Saber was tough but with both myself and Blue Caster against her, with Michael playing long-range support, it was simple enough.
In-between fighting Shadow Servants, Master went with us and raided a few convenience stores, some cloth stores, an arcade, nik-naks from here and there, and we even found a functioning motorbike! Michael and I planned to upgrade the hell out of it.
Then we came over Shadow Archer, where Master really wanted to make sure he suffered.
"Yeah, you're right," Shadow Archer's Spirit Origin had been destroyed for a while now. "Just in case," and he stabbed the spear into the silhouette Servant's brain. It stopped moving. "Much better." Michael turned to us with a wide smile. "So, that's all the Servants and Shadow Servants, there are only five major locations of high concentration of mana. You'll find a lot of skeletons there." The Shadow Servant's body was dispersing in the background, while Michael cheerfully spoke. "X, you should go take care of that and get those Saint Quartz, while Cu and I will go back and prepare the operating room. See you back at the hotel, alright?"
Ah, damn. I'll have to be the one to do the work. Thankfully I'm pretty quick, and the enemies are literally made of bones with no muscle on them. Taking care of them was a cinch, which only took so long due to how many there were.
I got the five Saint Quartz and made my way back, however as I neared the room Michael and Blue Caster where in—I could feel it. The whole floor felt like a hospital room, and the actual room felt like the inside of a holy sauna to my senses—I caught the tale end of an important conversation. Dammit, sounded like I missed some important plot shtick, I should have finished those skeletons quicker.
Naturally I activated my Presence Concealment. This wasn't an assassination after all.
"...Too many things don't add up about you're planning Master, yet you're not blindly rushing with desperation. You actually have this planned out, even though it's the first time that, as you said, things worked out so perfectly. So I have to wonder how are you managing that?" Said Blue Caster dramatically.
Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a big sigh before placing his arms by his sides.
"I really hate when you're perspective like this, Cu." Said Michael with a tired look in his eyes. Oh damn, am I gonna see some big important plot point early that only becomes relevant later on? Wait. Doesn't this mean Blue Caster is gonna die? Wasn't his Luck better as a Caster?
"The whole rush of important info and decisions may work the girls, but I noticed how worried you got whenever I stayed quiet. I guess you knew me well enough to know, I try to calm down and think, whenever I needed to figure out what's going. So out with it already, what's kept the Recurrence going when you couldn't possibly reach the grail each time?"
"I can't tell you."
"Who gave you that Rune Crown? Even with the Recurrence that's not something human hands could make."
"I can't tell you."
"Why did you know what to do when you finally broke the Recurrence?"
"I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't?" Blue Caster growled out.
"Won't." Michael answer back just the same.
Everytime Michael answered he sounded more tired and pained. He looked like he was on the verge of crying.
"You said you sucked at Divinations, yet know how to save them? How does that work? ...Michael Chaser, did you mak—" Blue Caster's eyes widened at some internal realization, but what he was about to say was cut off by Michael's shout.
"Cu Chulainn, do not utter another word!" Michael shouted, and a Command Seal lit up from his arm and vanished. It was clearly an accident, the look of horror on my Master's face was proof of that. "I'm sorry," he stumbled back till he was leaning on a giant stone altar table covered in Runes behind him. I guess that's the operating table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Michael looked down, his hand covering half of his face as tears ran down his face. "I didn't mean that."
Blue Caster seemed to try saying a few words before shrugging and giving up. He approached Michael, and I went close to protect my Master. I didn't think Cu Chulainn would harm him, but the situation was volatile already. Cu Chulainn placed a hand on Michael's shoulder and smiled when Michael's eyes met him, trying to show no hard feelings.
"I'm sorry, Cu. I'm really sorry." Michael rubbed his tears off. "But I can't afford anyone guessing or suspecting. I hoped if I rushed things before we moved on, you would be too busy to notice."
Blue Caster stood straight, and shrugged while smirking. He gestured with his hand a 'what can you do?' motion.
Michael chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I guess that's true." It sounds like I'm hearing a one-sided conversation. Oh, right Master-Servant telepathy. "And you're right, what I'm going to do is give Olga a Servant-like existence. Something like that would help her if I can't manage to get her a grail in time. And yeah I did want to use your life for it. It won't kill you. I think if you are summoned again as a Caster, you will remember this conversation with me."
Caster raised an eyebrow, then made a 'don't worry about it' gesture. Then walked away with his hands behind his head, then stopped and looked back at Michael with a wide grin.
"I already know how scary Olga is," Michael pinched his nose. "Can you please not give me nightmares about, what she might be able to do after this?"
Blue Caster laughed, or rather, his actions were those of laughter but no sound came out.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh your ass off. Whatever." Michael waved him off, before a frown came to his face. "I'm sorry." He said again.
Blue Caster waved him off this time, before looking and pointing at him.
"I'm not," Michael shook his head. "What I'm doing isn't out of selflessness. Rather unlike Heroes I don't want to sacrifice anything."
Blue Caster flicked his finger on Michael's forehead then...yeah I have no way to tell what he was saying. It looked like he was giving, what I'm sure is, an inspirational speech if Michael's look is anything to go by, but I can't hear or tell a damn thing about it.
"Thanks, Cu," Michael looked away with a small smile. He then took a big breath, and looked back his eyes filled with determination. "Alright then, we have a long day ahead of us. Three rituals, including one to make a trap-slash-bomb and one magical surgery. Let's go."
Cu Chulainn answer Michael's resolve with a grin of his own.
"By the way, what the fuck is taking X so long?"
Oh shit! I quickly got out of the floor, made my presence felt at the building's entrance and went up to meet Michael and Cu Chulainn.
Playing charades with Blue Caster was fun while it lasted.
=x=x=x=x=
Mash POV
I woke up to ceiling that looked like, it would be found in a victorian home.
"Hey!" I looked to the side to see Senpai greeting me, with a wide grateful smile. "Morning, well it's not morning and it never is here, but glad to have you back with us."
"Yes you really worried us, Mash." Said Miss Olga.
"Yo, nice to have you back." Miss X gave me a thumbs up from her place by the TV. The TV works in the apocalypse?
I felt my face heat up from worrying them, but I was kinda glad too.
"Mash, do you recall what happened?" Senpai said as he sat next to me on the bed. His tone reminded me of Dr. Roman when he was about to get into a heavy subject.
"We were discussing the Singularities, Solomon, Demon Gods and other related topics. Then I…" I felt my throat went dry as I remember. I wet my mouth and swallowed to continue. "I died."
"You didn't," Senpai quickly said to reassure me. "But you experienced what it's like. One of the negative side effect to using the Bleeding Lance in it's incomplete form, is the reenactment of the part of its legend, related to its return to heaven with its wielder."
"...Oh." I realized what that meant.
"Not only that, but let me say from my experience of knowing, that if you use the lance multiple times, you will die for real." Senpai looked very serious. I nodded as I understood the weight of what he was telling me.
"So I mustn't—"
"Don't even think about using it."
"Eh?" I thought he meant we'll be using it sparingly.
"There will always be a solution. Trust me, I know how to handle the enemies we'll face, so from now on, never use that lance unless—No. The only time you will ever have to use it will be against Solomon, and that's it. I can accept that level of risk, but no more. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, senpai."
"No, you don't understand. Mash, we need everything advantage we can get," Master showed me his two Command Seals. "I want you to promise me, to give me your word, that you won't use the Lance except against Solomon. It is very likely that we'll meet Servants who can mess with our minds, so even if I tell you to. Don't use the Lance. I would need three Command Seals anyways for you to use it efficiently like you did before." Said Senpai.
"Then why tell me not to use it, if it need three Command Seals?" I wondered about that.
"Because you're the type of idiot who would somehow learn to summon and use the Lance without telling me, for some stupid reason, like not worrying me, which will inevitably lead stupid situations that would be overly complicated when they really shouldn't be." He said in exasperation.
I frowned at Senpai's explanation. I wouldn't do something like that, I would just keep the Lance as a trump card, not use it willy nilly.
"Maaash," as if sensing my thoughts Senpai grabbed my head like a grab fruit. "Give me your word, because you look like you're thinking of something stupid."
"Owie, owie, okay Senpai. I promise. I give my word, if I learn to use the Lance, I won't use it except against Solomon". I cradled my head as he let go. Why does Senpai's grip hurt when I'm a Servant? Wait, it didn't hurt. It's just phantom pain because I expected it to hurt.
"Good, I really don't want to use a Command Seal on this, Mash. So don't make me regret it. We need those to get out of dangerous situation, that we'll sadly end up in whether we want to or not." Said Senpai shaking his head in sorrow.
"Honestly, unlike you, Mash has her head on straight. I expect her to pull you out of stupid situations you land yourself in." Said the Director.
"That's why she's the best Servant for me." Senpai said with a grin.
"Senpai, that's not a compliment." I found myself confused on the current situation. "Also, Senpai, where are we? How did we get here? Where's Caster and why is the Director wearing his clothes? Also...did you lose weight?" I had to blink a few times at that. Senpai wasn't really unhealthy before, just a normal modern person. So not exactly fit. Now he looked like an olympic sprinter.
"Ooooh boy. Alright here's what been going on." Senpai sat in a chair next to the bed, took a deep breath, and gave me the widest fake smile he could. "We're at the Hyatt Hotel, we came here because they had a mall, and stores with supplies for us to raid. We came here by X's is gone, and I used his Spirit Origin to give Olga a more 'real' body, so she's now a Demi-Servant like you with all of Caster Cu's skills and abilities. She's still getting the hang of them though."
"You try having an entire new set of muscle memories, skill and instinct grafted onto you and tell me how you handle it." Cried out Director Caster Olga.
"As for your last question, I went to the gym." He grinned.
"Really?" My eyebrow raised and I blinked a few times at the unexpected answer.
"Ha! No, no." Senpai snorted. "I used a ritual to optimize my body using my memories of all the physical activity I did during the loops." He grinned like he was proud of himself.
To this new information, I did the most logical, sensible and mature thing.
I took a deep breath and calmly said:
"I'VE ONLY BEEN ASLEEP FOR A FEW HOURS, AND YOU ALREADY KILLED CASTER AND DID EXPERIMENTAL RITUALS ON YOURSELF AND THE DIRECTOR!? CAN YOU NOT BE LEFT ALONE, FOR ONE MINUTE, WITHOUT CAUSING SOME CATASTROPHE, SENPAI!?"
=x=x=x=x=
After I calmed down, and all of us gather our equipment and resources, we went to the rooftop where Heroine X's ship was parked.
"This, this is an actual spaceship." I said as I looked on in awe.
"Yep, trust me, you missed one hell of a ride, the first time around." Senpai said in excitement. Miss Olga on the other hand groaned.
We loaded up everything on the ship and took our seats.
"So everyone ready?" Asked Senpai.
"You never said how we're going to reach the other Singularities." Said Director Caster Olga. ...I need an easier name to use.
"Mash, the Holy Grail, please." I release the grail from within my shield and handed it to Senpai. Oddly enough, he took it on a tray and held it warily in front of him, as if he didn't want to directly touch it.
"The way the whole functions is that, when used to make a Singularity I suspect a great deal of energy, was already used to have it work at full functionality. However once we take it and cut it off from sustaining the Singularity, all the energy within it is gone, and it need a new dose in order to operate again." Senpai explained. "You can still use it, but it would mostly be small scale stuff like permanently empowering a Servant or some such. Or make feasts, etc."
"I don't think that counts as small, Senpai."
"Compared to what it is usually used? Trust me, Kouhai, it is."
"Okay," I felt my lips try to twitch into a smile at him calling me 'Kouhai'.
"So, how do we get it to function correctly?" Asked Miss Olga.
"Like this." Senpai dropped ten Saint Quartz into the golden cup.
"So the Saint Quartz will charge it up?" Miss Olga noted.
"Yes but sadly this isn't enough."
"What? You're not just saying that to shock us, are you?" Said Miss Olga.
"Sorry, I'm not. We need thirty Saint Quartz to use the Holy Grail at full capacity, and have it retain its functionality and structure afterwards."
"Senpai," I realised when he implied. "Do that mean there is a suboptimal method to using the grail?"
"Good job, Kouhai." Senpai patted my head. Heh, this felt nice.
"So there is a way?" Asked Miss Olga.
"Using ten quartz, we can activate the grail and make a wish, and it will fulfill it no problem. However, in the place of the missing quartz, and-slash-or energy needed, the grail will use itself as energy to fulfill the wish." Said Senpai.
"...So we can only use it once." Miss Olga looked trouble.
"Yep," Senpai sighed heavily. "We're gonna have to jump from one Singularity to the next, using one grail after the other unless we gain a lot of quartz or find an additional grail."
"We're leaving way too much to chance." Miss Olga grimced.
"Maybe, but we still have a shot, were we had none before."
"Why not use the grail to go and save Chaldea before it's destruction?" I asked, hoping dearly that I stumbled on a hidden option that can help everyone.
"We already talked about—Oh right, you were asleep for that," Miss Olga paused to collect her thoughts. "One, the enemy also has a Holy Grail of their own. Multiple even. We can't wish the destruction of Chaldea way as they can cancel our wish with a grail of their own. Two, we can't travel to the point before Chaldea's destruction, not because of some time paradox. We would be well away from our own 'selves' that we would be safe, but rather we don't have the forces necessary to defend Chaldea from whatever destroyed it."
"And three," Senpai took on from Miss Olga. "Fujimaru and Kishinami were with us when we Rayshifted, yet I never found them here. Ergo…" He paused and grinned at me.
"They likely landed in another Singularity." I couldn't contain my joy at the realization. I was so, so glad.
"Yep! Now then, Mash you hold the grail while I make the wish and sent us on our destination."
My feelings of elation hit the brakes, as I suspected something may be wrong.
"Why...can't you touch the grail, Senpai?" I asked.
"Well, imagine yourself in a restaurant, you go to the counter, and order a lot of stuff, then when you finally get your order, and you're halfway to leaving, before remembering one that thing you wanted to get. You go back to the counter, but you see there are already other people, and the cashier is now glaring at you and looking like he was planning to kick you out if you asked for anything else." Senpai gave a very convoluted example.
"I would say the restaurant has a very bad customer service."
"Yeah, but it's the only one there, and there is nothing you can do about it, and the workers are reality warper who set the rules. Best not piss them off. Now go order the extra fries in my place." Senpai chuckled at his own joke as he took my arm, and I grasped the cup. "I wish upon the Holy Grail!"
The grail and quartz within it glowed intensely. The whole ship was shaking as space around it starting distorting.
"Oh boy, these readings are amazing!" Shouted Heroine X.
"Everyone hold on, this is gonna be a hell of a ride!" Shouted Senpai.
The ship floated, and then blasted off as the blue wormhole of Rayshifting engulfed us. We travelled smoothly straight through it, till we blasted through a glow of white light.
As we opened our eyes, we saw a different sky, a different world.
Heroine X landed the ship in a wide grassy meadow.
The second the ship doors opened, Senpai dashed out. I looked back to see the last bit of the grail vanish in sparks of golden particles.
I went after Senpai, wanting to ask him why he rushed out like that, but anything I could say died on my lips.
Senpai was looking at the sky with tears streaming down his face. He looked upon it with such awe, gratitude like he never saw something so beautiful.
"Blue…" He whispered. "The sky is blue."
I couldn't comprehend how enormous of a thing that meant to him, but I wanted to help him regardless.
"Yes, Senpai. It is."
For a while we stood there. Senpai watching the blue sky in absolute joy, and I was watching Senpai.
A cough interrupted our momentary peace.
"I'm sorry for breaking your celebration, but you need to debrief us on what this Singularity is, and we need to start looking for other Masters." Said Caster Olga.
"Well," Senpai had quickly dried his eyes, and use magic to create water and splash his face. "We are in Orleans, France in the year A.D. 1431 and as to where the other Masters are," Senpai pointed at something in the distance. "I would say the dragons attacks that flying fortress firing Ancient Greek pink lasers is probably a good start."
=x=x=x=x=
A/N: Well even if it's a day late, Merry Christmas, everyone.
Also I wanted to mention I made a discussion thread on my forum here:
www dot fanfiction dot net / forum / The-Silver-Box / 189174 /
Just remove the spaces and replace "dot" with an actual dot.
There is also a link on my profile page.