Chapter 46: The Angel Of Helsinki
(Shiori's Perspective)
(Day 11 of the 6th Grail War)
Florence Nightingale and Shiori spent the 11th day fighting together with several dozen Finnish soldiers on a different front. They found these soldiers cut off from the rest, stuck behind enemy lines, and formed a team to fight their way out.
"We are almost out of here. After this, please bring me to where your wounded are kept. I have a job to do there," Florence Nightingale said to the Finnish soldiers.
"We can bring you there. However, there is a Mongolian encampment in our way," they replied.
Theencampment housed Mongolian General Jebe. He marshalled groups of sentries, ordering them to strike with the fury of a charging bull.
Florence Nightingale drew the Mongolian sentries with grenades and pistol fire. As they pursued her, moving to attack, she retreated, luring them into overextending. The Finnish soldiers with her then opened fire, catching them by surprise. A few of them managed to advance, where a fire orb cast by Shiori set them ablaze.
"We have defeated the first group," Florence Nightingale said. "It's time to destroy the encampment."
Jebe emerged from the encampment with more warriors. Seeing Florence Nightingale, he gave the order to attack. Jebe equipped his recurve bow, and fired from the back while his warriors who wielded scimitars and pole arms took the front. He rode atop a grey horse with a silvery mane.
Florence Nightingale threw a grenade at them, and jumped backwards. She pulled out her pistols, dual-wielding them to fire a spray of shots. Thinning out the army, she activated Angel's Cry and fought them at close quarters. She mixed punches with well-placed pistol fire and the occasional grenade, sending more of her foes to their deaths. Shiori flanked the Mongolian warriors with more fire orbs.
Jebe fired an arrow at Shiori, who was pushed out of its way by a Finnish soldier who had rushed to her aid. The Finnish soldiers fired at Jebe, forcing him to retreat.
"Why do you resist Genghis Khan? He rewards merit and ability. His rule will order this chaotic world," said the General.
"Seems like a pretty cruel world to me." Shiori blasted Jebe with a fire orb, its blue flames turning to orange as tendrils of heat gripped his armour.
Jebe cursed as his armour was singed. He fired another arrow at her, grazing her shoulder. Shiori cried in pain, as blood soaked into her clothing. She clutched her shoulder and cast another fire orb, struggling through the burning sensation on her shoulder.
"Ich zünde, wie ich will!"
This time, Jebe caught the full blast of the fire orb. He dropped his bow as the flesh on his arm became blackened and charred. Jebe refused to accept defeat. He cut off his wounded arm. As it fell off, molten metal poured from his veins, creating a new arm that glimmered in the light. He flexed his silvery arm, making a metallic ring as it moved, and resumed the attack.
Shiori could not believe her eyes. She stared blankly as Jebe advanced towards her, bow reclaimed. Florence Nightingale created a hospital bed using Item Creation, and sent it crashing into her foes. She jumped into the air and slammed her fist down, knocking her enemies away. Though she was a Caster, Angel's Cry offered her a degree of prowess in melee combat. She saw Shiori cornered by Jebe, and intervened with more grenades. Jebe's body was littered with holes, as his flesh was torn by the grenades. He doubled over, waiting for molten metal to fill his wounds before resuming the fight.
Jebe now directed his wrath on his Florence Nightingale. He rode on horseback, shooting arrows as he moved. This tactic proved deadly, as he was on the move whilst still attacking. He had already killed 3 Finnish soldiers when Florence finally knocked him off his horse with a well-placed grenade. Jebe got up and continued to use his bow. He shot at Florence Nightingale, his arrow burying itself in her arm. This arrow was special. It was tipped with a lethal poison, and Florence Nightingale began to convulse.
Shiori used a fire orb to distract Jebe, buying Florence Nightingale the time to use her medicine to heal herself. Now healed, she rose from the ground and shot Jebe squarely in the chest. His armour allowed him to survive the attack, though he was wounded. Shiori poured mana into him, and used her fire orb to transfer away the heat within him, freezing his molten armour solid. His molten metal no longer flowed, putting an end to his healing.
The Finnish soldiers flanked him from the side, unleashing burst fire to corner him. Florence Nightingale finished Jebe off with one last grenade. She held the primed grenade in her hand, and slammed it on Jebe's head, bringing it down like a judge's gavel. Both of them were engulfed by the explosion, which blasted him to pieces which faded into mana, his last war cry interrupted by the flash of fire and smoke. The metal parts of his body came loose, clattering on the ground as he fell over.
Florence Nightingale emerged unscathed, her hand that held the grenade was unaffected. The Finnish soldiers who saw her survive detonating a grenade in her own hand stepped back in shock. They could not fathom such a formidable ally.
With the encampment defeated, Shiori, Florence Nightingale and the remaining soldiers made their way back to their allies. Shiori's wound was healed with a quick touch from Florence Nightingale, who expressed concern for her safety.
By the time they arrived at the makeshift hospital, midnight had passed, ushering the 12th Day of the 6th Grail War.
(Day 12 of the 6th Grail War)
Shiori and Florence Nightingale approached the field of injured and dead. Army medics scrambled to treat the wounded. More and more wounded arrived, from Simo Häyhä's battlefront, and the area approached maximum capacity. Florence Nightingale quickened her pace, ready to get to work.
"Excuse me Ma'am." A commander raised his hand to halt her.
"I don't know how you got here, as we have evacuated the civilians from this area, but you have to get out. It is not safe," he said. "I'll have two of my troops escort you."
"We are here to treat the wounded," Florence Nightingale said.
The commander clearly did not recognize her, though he noted the oddness of Florence Nightingale's uniform. Thinking nothing of it, he assured them his medics can handle it, as it would be wrong of him to allow civilian healthcare staff to enter a war-zone.
The Finnish soldiers spoke up for her. They told the commander she was Florence Nightingale, a spirit summoned to help fight against the Mongolian warriors.
The commander accepted the explanation, as he had received reports of Simo Häyhä coming back from the dead, and another group composed of a swordsman and a Chinese archer, them being Aasaa and Hou Yi. He let Florence Nightingale and Shiori through to tend to the wounded.
"Looks like he won't be bothering us now," Shiori watched him leave, relieved they could now proceed to tending to the wounded. She waved at the Finnish soldiers as they bid them farewell.
"It was most fortunate we met those Finnish soldiers. I am honoured to have fought beside them. Their bravery is most admirable," Florence Nightingale said.
Now their attention focused on the vast numbers of wounded in the parade grounds. They stretched as far as she could see.
"This is bad." Shiori's face turned pensive, her eyes burgeoned with discomfort at the sight of their tortured faces. "Do you think we can treat them all?"
"It will take a lot of mana, though we have to try. For their sake." Florence Nightingale's fingers coiled around the handle of her lamp, mana converged in on the incandescent wick, causing the intensity to peak.
She ignited her lamp, and walked across the field of wounded. The lamp's soft soothing glow began to ease the pain and worry of the soldiers. New hope filled their hearts, as their wounds closed. Colour returned to their faces, and some of them began to sit up, now feeling better. They did not know this mysterious woman, though their quavering lips formed the same words. "I saw an angel."
She continued her rounds, stopping only to tend to those still blanched in pain. Her initial wave of healing magic healed those with minor to moderate injuries. However, those who sustained severe injuries needed more attention.
Shiori followed Florence Nightingale, carrying some of her medical equipment. Together, the two of them treated the soldiers who still needed help. From perforated stomachs to blood-filled lungs, from missing limbs to third degree burns, from fractured bones to internal haemorrhage, they worked through the hours. Not a single soldier died that night, as the light of the Lady with the Lamp staved off death and brought salvation.
The soldiers and medics there gaped in awe at the miracle they had witnessed. They each approached Florence Nightingale to thank and praise her.
Florence Nightingale finished her rounds, as dawn began to break. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and turned to the exhausted Shiori. They had accomplished their mission, though their more soldiers required aid elsewhere. Already, new soldiers with injuries streamed in. Such was the endless struggle of a nurse.
Florence Nightingale got up to resume her duties. Shiori tried to follow, though her Servant halted her, insisting she rest.
"You have done enough. You need a break, lest you become a casualty yourself. I will continue treating, and when you awaken, we will head off to the next area of wounded."
Shiori accepted this and sat down. She never felt so tired in her life. Her limbs moved sluggishly, as if made of lead. "Florence, can I have a hospital bed?"
"Haha. Here you go," Florence Nightingale said, materializing a bed for her. Shiori curled up inside.
Watching Florence Nightingale turned to leave, she said, "Will Aasaa forgive me?"
"Because you abandoned them?" Florence Nightingale turned around and took a step towards her.
Shiori sat up, her failure to overcome her fears had hurt Aasaa. She almost felt she deserved to die at sea for abandoning him when he needed her most. "I'm a coward. I can't-" Florence Nightingale cut her off, and clasped her hand around hers. Florence Nightingale's dismayed yet forgiving eyes met hers. "Where are you now?"
Shiori paused, unsure of what answer to give.
Florence Nightingale tightened her grip, the warmth of her hands flowing into Shiori's. "You are saving the wounded. You are on Helsinki, fighting for the same cause as the others."
"But I-"
"Ran? Deserted? Sailed away? What matters is you turned back, and realized fighting is the most important thing now. The only thing now."
Shiori hugged Florence Nightingale before lying back on her bed. Around them, the light remained dim as the smog of war blocked the warm, yellow rays of the morning Sun. "I just want to tell him...how sorry I am, how I want to make things right."
"And he wants to tell you the same." Florence Nightingale patted Shiori's head, stroking her hair. She smiled as Shiori curled to a comfortable position and rested her eyes. "Rest well Master."
Shiori slept for a few hours before two of them set off at noon to lend their aid elsewhere. They found themselves on a rooftop, overlooking a long road in the middle of a city district. A stream of medical transport vehicles drove through, filled with wounded soldiers. They travelled away from the front lines.
The timing could not be more opportune for an ambush. The Mongolian warriors understood this, as they revealed themselves, rising with drawn bows from concealed positions on the rooftops above them. Baidar, another Mongolian general, ordered his archers to pelt the vehicles with arrows.
"We have to save them." Shiori got to her feet, fire orb at the ready.
Screams of terror could be heard from the vehicles in the streets below. Finnish soldiers emerged from several escort vehicles, though they came under heavy fire, their defensive measures proving insufficient.
Florence Nightingale raised her hand, a pale blue light radiated from her palm, as a blue humanoid grew in size behind her. "Despicable of you to attack the wounded," Florence Nightingale said. "Nightingale Pledge."
Baidar watched with frustration as his soldiers ceased hostilities, caught within Florence Nightingale's Noble Phantasm.
"You cannot halt us forever. We will attack the next evacuation when you are gone." Baidar drew his weapon, a flanged mace.
Florence Nightingale observed as the last of the vehicles had fled the scene. The escorting Finnish soldiers saluted her, recognizing she had stopped the enemy. Once they escaped, she deactivated her Nightingale Pledge, ready to fight Baidar.
"We may not be as mighty as you Servants, but never underestimate how far we will go for our Khan." Baidar smashed the ground where Florence Nightingale was moments ago. Florence Nightingale activated Angel's Cry and punched him right in the neck, using her understanding of human anatomy to great effect.
Baidar let out a ragged cough, temporarily incapacitated. Florence Nightingale blasted him with a grenade.
Her pistol rested snugly in her hand, finger on the trigger, ready to send forth piercing shots. She did so, raising the weapon, bullet summoned to kill. Then, it struck. Her arm faltered as a deep, crippling pain thundered in her neck. Following this, burns appeared on her body.
She observed the burns on Baidar from the grenade. They matched hers. Her neck felt as if it had been smashed.
"Understand my pain," Baidar said, using his flanged mace to knock a distracted Florence Nightingale down.
"Shiori, don't burn him. Damage to him will apply to you as well," Florence Nightingale said.
"Then how do we stop him?" Shiori said, lowering her hand, the mana to cast a fire orb dissipated.
"Let me kill him. I will heal myself."
Baidar charged towards Florence Nightingale. She grabbed the handle of his mace as his attack missed her. Manipulating his weapon, she brought it down on himself, causing him to shake as the impact shattered his bones.
"That still applies to you," Baidar said, now coughing blood.
Florence Nightingale activated her Nurse Of Steel, healing all her wounds before a jealous Baidar. Florence Nightingale twisted his arm, disabling him. She healed that injury as well, the moment it applied to her. She jumped over him, and shot him in the back, executing him.
Blood poured from Florence Nightingale's back, as Baidar collapsed and disappeared into mana. She healed through her injuries and returned to Shiori.
"Incredible," Shiori said. "He didn't stand a chance."
"It's going to take more than a coward who attacks the wounded to stop me," Florence Nightingale remarked, keeping her pistol.
Shiori and Florence Nightingale ventured to another battlefield, certain that they secured the stretch of road used for evacuation. As they left, more Finnish reinforcements arrived to fortify the position. The two of them fulfilled their calling, to save lives and fighting evil where it lurked.
"Florence, I think I have decided to change my goal." Shiori turned to speak to Florence Nightingale as they travelled.
"What do you mean?"
"I used to say that when this is over, I would return to a peaceful life in Helsinki. I think that is impossible, as this Grail War has changed me forever," Shiori said, her tone becoming stern and reflective.
"Are you referring to how Helsinki will never be the same after this?"
"No, I mean, I find there is more to life than preserving my safety and I want to continue saving others after this."
This surprised Florence Nightingale, who understood how much she prized survival and personal safety.
Shiori continued, "I felt so good fighting for them today. Saving lives is my true calling. I can feel it."
"Are you sure? Not doubting your resolution, but you have a crippling fear of death." Florence Nightingale noted the change in Shiori's character, wondering if it was genuine.
"I still fear death, and I value safety. However, so many around me faced death today. So many put aside their safety to fight." Shiori knelt before a dead Finnish soldier, his lifeless eyes staring into the cold blue sky. She closed them, and whispered with solemn gratitude for his sacrifice. "I must fight to save others, for I treasure life. I will do all I can to stop death, for it is my greatest fear, and no one should have to live cowering in its looming shadow."
Florence Nightingale saluted Shiori. The Grail War had hardened her. She was no longer the scared girl who snivelled at the brink of hysteria at the first sign of death. Instead, when pushed to the brink, she broke through, galvanized by a solid desire to resist death's embrace. Woe be to the fool who dared to cross her now.
They took a rest as the 12th Day drew to a close, retreating behind the front lines to heal the wounded soldiers. They set off to find Aasaa the next day, on the morning of the 13th Day.