Merry Christmas Everyone! Don't you hate when you still have homework over break? Anyways, here's the chapter.
Orleans part 1
Sumireko Usami
At a glance, Sumireko Usami was your...well, not typical, but fairly normal high school girl.
Aside from a slight I'm-above-you attitude, her signature hat and cape, and also the fact that she claimed that she had psychic powers, no one would think of her as anything but a weird kid.
Here's the catch: she really did have those powers.
ESP, or psychic ability, was a sort of magical power that was similar to magecraft in nature. Unlike magecraft, one cannot obtain psychic powers through practice or knowledge. It is usually gained at birth when the brain goes through a mutation, changing their "common sense", allowing them to gain powers. Normally, espers, users of ESP, only had one or two powers. Sumireko, however, had over ten, all at a terrifying level of power. Pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, flight, clairvoyance, teleportation, soul separation during sleep and materializing a body for said separate soul, etc, etc. Those last three had caused her to travel to many bizarre and strange places.
But...what was this?!
Grass here, grass there, grass everywhere, all she could see was a grassy plain! There was a small tree there too...actually there was a forest. But that wasn't related! These were not plants you would find in Japan, that much she was certain.
"Hehe." She began to laugh.
"Hehehe. HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She cackled before grabbing her hat and throwing it on the ground.
"Fuck this! Where am I?! This isn't in Japan, hell even Gensokyo doesn't have a place like this! Don't give crap about this being that one genre gaining popularity, I can't live without electricity!" She howled.
She sighed, picked up her hat, put it on her head and began to float up. She blasted off into a random direction, hoping she would coincidentally find a piece of civilization anywhere.
"Goddamnit, what is going on…" she mumbled.
"Umm...are you okay mister Paracelsus?" asked Ritsuka. The slender man glanced at her and nodded.
"Apologies for my sudden outburst. It is just...you reminded me of my... former master's daughter. She was a bright child, like yourself...she was also my student in my time in a holy grail war, but I betrayed her trust. Even if it was not my fault, the fact that I still did such a thing assaults me every day." He responded.
Yesterday, after he had been summoned, he had looked at Ritsuka and basically broken down in tears. They decided to keep him away from Ritsuka for some time before letting them properly introduce themselves.
"Um, so, uh introductions again. I'm Ritsuka, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and I'm your current master. Let's get along now." Said Ritsuka while sticking out her hand. Paracelsus gently took her hand.
"Likewise. Caster class servant, Paracelsus von Hohenheim. I may not be much in a fight, but I am confident in my ability to create items and support my fellow servants. I hope we can be friends." He responded.
*Clap*
A second after they shook hands, a clap rang in the air. "Right, right, it's great that you two are bonding together, but please remember why we are here right now." said Doctor Roman, who was behind them.
That's right, they were currently in the command room. Earlier, an announcement had been made that they were finally clear for heading into the singularity. The destination? Orleans, France, 1431 AD.
"Now that we've finally finished repairs for the coffins, we can safely rayshift you guys to the correct singularity." Doctor Roman explained. Rayshifting was, in short terms, time travel. In long terms, it was projecting one's existence to a place separate from time. It was actually very difficult to legitimately time travel, as doing so would be akin to rewriting the records of the Root. Traveling to a parallel world that had not gotten to that point in history was relatively easier, and that was basically what a singularity was.
"Heroic spirits should be fine when rayshifting without anything, as they are not flesh and blood humans. However humans like Ritsuka and Mash need a special suit." He said while scratching the back of his head. "I would give them to you...but Da vinci took one of the last two, so...uh, yeah we only have enough for one."
Suddenly, Da Vinci burst through the door.
"Looks like I'm just in time!" She said cheerfully. She ran up to Ritsuka and gave her something. "As for your missing suit, it's in here! Judging from your look, you know what I just gave you."
Ritsuka was staring wide eyed at the object in her hand.
The translation bracelet. Except now with quite a bit more functions, like being able to translate your words to everyone, even without a bracelet, a camera function and...
"Mystic codes. This has a total of four. All of them are articles of clothing. In fact, you're wearing one right now!" Da Vinci said with an excited gleam in her eyes.
"Allow me to explain each one very quickly! All of them are designed with masters in mind." She exclaimed before a hologram suddenly displaying the Chaldea uniform popped up.
"First, your uniform is the first mystic code. It's designed with being an allrounder in mind. It has three abilities, which include a reinforcement magecraft similar to your aunt's mana burst, a healing magecraft, and finally a magcraft that boosts their reaction speed for a split second."
Next, an orange bodysuit replaced the uniform.
"This is the chaldea combat uniform. It's intent was finishing a battle as a fast as possible. It involves a reinforcement magecraft that sends to all your servants, a gandr that is designed to incapacitate you opponents, and also a spatial displacement magecraft that can switch the positions of two objects. Essentially it helps with moving and retreating injured servants."
The orange bodysuit disappeared, replaced with a uniform consisting of an orange vest, a loose black jacket, and a pair of shorts.
"Next is one that was designed by the some of the people that came from the mage association. It's somewhat of a mix between offense and defense. It has a massive mana storage inside of it, so it can be used to help one of you servants instantly release their noble phantasm. It also includes a multi target heal that is weaker than your regular uniform, as well as a...well basically it warps causality somehow, so your attacks have a probability of doing what you want. It's not really useful unless your servant's noble phantasm or ability is probability based." She said "Well, onto the last one, my personal favorite, the Atlas Academy uniform!"
A purple and green outfit which included a skirt as well as a coat with rather old fashioned blown up shoulder pads. There was also a square hat as well, so anyone who wore straight up looked like a graduate student or professor.
"The elegance in it's design, the contrast of it's two colors, spiraling and weaving together...and its abilities! Made with one purpose in mind, but one purpose that is perfected in this one suit! I dare say that out of all of our mystic codes this one is the most complete. It was originally designed with 'Most Powerful' in mind. However, it became inefficient, so instead, they decided that they would only focus on the supportive side. As a result, it has no offensive magecraft, but it's defensive magecraft is nigh-impenetrable. It can instantly dispel any curse, heal, and create a dimensional shift so that the servant or person can stay invulnerable for up to 20 seconds! Also it's healing ability is second to none. If there is one complaint I have, it is that this is not the most energy efficient. Otherwise, It's perfect. But, BUT, here's the best part! Could you imagine, if someone were to wear it an-and %^# me?" Her face turned red, her mouth began to drool, and on the expression of a true degenerate covered her face. Emiya covered Ritsuka's ears right on time, so her mind wasn't dirtied.
Dr. Roman smacked her across the head. "She's uh...she's a pervert. Ignore whatever she says, kay?"
"So the first is an allrounder, the second is attack, the third is for support, and the fourth is for defense." Ritsuka summarized, accepting the advice and ignoring the pervert's sudden outburst.
"Well, yes, but that's a bit…"
"*Cough* Aaaanyways, back on topic. The problem we have right now is how many servants Ritsuka can maintain at once, at least until we find a leyline. That number is currently 6, and excluding Mash, we have 9. So, you're going to have to choose which servants will be coming over first." said Dr. Roman
Ritsuka thought for a moment.
"Um...Dad...Tamamo...Paracelsus...Martha...Gareth…and Aunt Salter…?"
Salter sneered as Artoria choked on the sandwich she was munching on.
"Ri-Ri-Ritsuka?!Wh-Wh-why the other me?! Am I not worthy?!" She said with a horrified expression.
"Hmph, I guess she knows that I am superior." Salter said with a smug expression. Depression began to run over Artoria's face.
"No, no, nothing like that." Ritsuka responded while patting Artoria on the head. "Aunt Salter just seems less...showy. I mean, whenever you fight, you summon a horse and a spear, but Aunt Salter can just carry out a sword. Of course, her mana burst is a bit flashy, but as long as she keeps that under control... Also your uh…" she glanced at her aunt's chest.
"I admit that I was a bit jealous of your aunt and mother's current bust size, but I never imagined that they would become this big!" She exclaimed in embarrassment. "But alas, I unfortunately understand why I cannot go at first. Had I been in my formerly streamline figure, you would have chosen me."
"Yup, I probably would." She said with a smile. "By the way, where's Mash?"
The door opined behind her. Mash dashed in with a flustered look on her face.
"I'm sorry I'm late! I was doing a last minute study on my french!" she cried. She glanced around.
"Um...did I miss anything?"
Ritsuka shook her head, and recounted everything that happened in the past ten minutes. Mash breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, the briefings over. This will be your first time going through a regular rayshift. It has a 100% success rate, so you don't have to worry, kay?" said Da Vinci.
"...How many times have you tested it?" asked Ritsuka.
"0 times."
A look of shock ran over everyone's face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm joking, I'm joking! We tested it several dozen times on not only non living, but also living things as well. It's about as dangerous as running on a road made of beds! Anyways, only Ritsuka and Mash need to go into the coffins. The servants should be able to follow naturally afterwards."
"God, I thought you were serious for a second!" Exclaimed Dr. Roman.
"Wait, didn't you know about Rayshifting? Why are you getting shocked?" Asked Tamamo.
"I did, but I thought they already extensively tested it." He replied. Clearing his throat, he said, right, let's get back on topic."
"She uh, basically said everything I wanted to say. Anyways, your first task at hand is to find a leyline and establish a base. We can't send supplies without a summoning circle, so that should be your first priority. After that, figure out how history has diverged, and fix it. There's likely going to be a holy grail, so be on the lookout for that as well."
Everyone nodded.
"Right. Good luck. Not sure if even that's enough though." He paused. "Also, as acting director of Chaldea, human or not, I order everyone to return alive."
Emiya chuckled. "Well, we can't make promises, but at the very least we'll try our best."
*Clank*
The hexagonal plates on the floor shifted and began to rise up, revealing a smooth steel tube with a small glass window on the front. The Coffin, a container that mixed magecraft and science in order to hide your very existence from the world, and project onto another time. Because the soul was not bound by time and space, time travel could work this way.
Ritsuka climbed in, and attempted to get comfortable. Her teeth began to chatter. The coffin was cold, as they had to cryofreeze within a moments notice, but that wasn't why Ritsuka's teeth were chattering.
"...Are you nervous Senpai?" Mash called out next to her.
"Of course. I'm going to fight in a battle for survival. Why wouldn't I be nervous?"
"Hm, you just struck me as the type of person who would force themselves to be calm under any circumstance, like when we were trapped in Fuyuki."
Ritsuka snickered.
"Geez, thanks for the compliment." She said. "At that time, I...didn't really think we were going to survive, so I just stopped worrying about everything, focused on lasting as long as possible until some miracle might happen. Now, we have hope, and a chance at survival. But if I mess up, there are no do overs, no second chances. I have to get it the first time, or fail." She sighed.
"...There is a chance I might die, or some people I know will die. It's a...scary thought."
She heard a giggle from next to her. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing senpai, it's just that when I was with team A, I was surrounded by...geniuses. With the exception of Kadoc, everyone seemed so, well, inhuman. Honestly, when you first used magecraft, I thought you were the same. But, seeing you now...it's a bit reassuring I guess."
Ritsuka tilted her head.
Not sure what she means, but I'm glad she's feeling alright. She thought before taking one last breath to calm her nerves
*Whirr*
The entrance of the coffin closed.
"Good Luck"
Dr. Roman's voice echoed from the speakers in a last farewell before their departure. Liquid began to fill the tube, and Ritsuka closed her eyes.
Announcement A
Unsummon Program start
Spiritron Conversion start
Announcement A
Rayshift starting in 3, 2, 1...
Announcement A
All procedures cleared
Grand Order commencing operation
Destination: Orleans, France, A.D 1431
"PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME GO!" A fat man wrapped in chains hanging from the ceiling of a church shrieked. Lacerations scattered all over his otherwise luxurious looking robes.
"Pfft, look at you, oinking like the pig you are. What happened to that absurd level of bravado you showed? 'Burn the witch, for God commands it!' you squealed." A woman's voice spoke in front of him.
A shadowy figure sat in front of the bound man. A hand lashed out and grabbed the man by the mouth.
"Come, pray to your god, curse me." She said, her words dripping with malice.
The man suddenly went quiet, and a putrid smell suddenly began to fill the room.
"Christ, he shit himself." she muttered. A lance appeared in her hand, and she thrusted it into the fat man's arm. In turn, a blood curdling scream left the man's mouth.
"Should you not mock me? Scorn me? Abuse me? Trample me? And tell everyone the wicked Jeanne d'Arc is here!" She yelled while continuously smashing all his limbs. In the end, the man was left a bloody mess, his disfigured face barely able to make a sound.
"Ah, beautiful! How beautiful, my dear Jeanne!" a voice cried out. Jeanne glanced back.
A man wearing a dark robe, his eyes bulged out of his face, looking to almost pop out at any moment. He held a book that seemed to have a face on it's cover.
"Ah, to think you would be such a master at torturing you executioner!" He cried. Indeed, the woman's name was Jenne D'Arc. And if her name was Jeanne, than the fat man in front of her must be the Bishop, Pierre Cauchon.
"Shut it Gilles." She snapped. "I'm not done yet."
She yanked Pierre's face and gazed at his eyes. "You burned me. You burned me and said I was a witch. Well, since you were so adamant on branding me one, I will abide by your will, and do what you did to me."
Flame burst from her hand, and she gradually brought it closer to the bloody messes body. As it approached…
"He. Haha. HAHAHAHA! Ah, that was refreshing." she said, while kicking over the burnt corpse.
A golden cup manifested in her hand, and a dark liquid formed inside of it. She poured it onto the floor, and a flash of magical energy signaled the start of a spell. Seven figures slowly rose up from the dark liquid. Servants.
"Rejoice, my ignoble Servants!" She cried"The surviving clergy are yours. I, your Master, Jeanne d'Arc shall forgive you all.
Devour their souls.
Feast on their flesh.
Savor their blood. After all, our manifestation is no different than that devil, Dracul.
I have but one order.
Wipe out this country, this mistake that is France.
Overrun it, trample it, reap it. Let us begin with our dear Orleans.
We shall return its fruitful land to a bare wasteland.
Age, gender, and religious beliefs are of no importance. Make sure you kill them equally.
That is the only order I give you as your Master.
To that end, I have given you all the attributes of a Berserker.
You may be a saint, or a hero, but now you shall dance with your broken soul.
Berserk Saber.
Berserk Archer.
Berserk Lancer.
Berserk Rider.
Berserk Caster.
Berserk Assassin.
And him, whom I summoned instead of Berserker, and myself.
I shall pass down judgement as this world's Ruler. Humanity has no value, for it failed to prove its love for our Lord.
They are guilty to a horrifying extent. Humanity is equally guilty, sinner and saint alike.
So we shall kill them all. I will not tolerate a single on-"
*Thump*
"Dammit Yukari! Why'd ya drop me off in this dark as hell place Ze!"
"Quiet Marisa, there are people watching. Not to mention, it is 13th century france. People do not take kindly to those who practice magecraft."
"But that woman over there is using magecraft to summon those weird muddy people! She won't be too mad at us, right?! I mean, Japan was really open to these weird magic abilities, so maybe…?"
"Patchouli's right Marisa, your voice would notify an entire village if we were in one right now. Also, not every country in the world accepted the unknown as well as the east."
A group of three girls had fallen right behind them. The purple haired one wearing a long gown and a bonnet coughed. Her name was apparently Patchouli.
"Agh, there is so much dust in this room. I am feeling a bit lightheaded." She muttered before wheezing.
"That's what ya get for being cooped up in yer mansion for so long." Said the blonde one named Marisa, who looked like a typical witch, complete with a pointed hat and broomstick.
The other blond one in a blue dress and holding a doll sighed. "But that godforsaken gap youkai just tossed us in here and told us to solve this 'singularity'. I would assume it is something like an incident, but I have no idea where to start."
Marisa glanced at Jeanne, who was staring incredulously at the trio. She began to walk toward them.
"Uwa, she looks pissed. I think we should bolt ze." Marisa said with a panicked expression.
"It is likely because of your mouth." Patchouli replied. She turned back, muttered something, and the entire wall in front of her suddenly crumbled.
"Well, we better get out then. I suggest we do some reconnaissance, as that will allow us to be more familiar with the area.." she said, and flew out at an extremely fast speed. The other two followed in kind, leaving a dust cloud behind them
Silence filled the area while Jeanne stared at the gaping hole in the wall.
*Swoosh*
A gentle breeze tickled Ritsuka's face. She blinked, got up, and glanced around her. She was currently in the middle of a plain, with a small forest resting in the distance.
She took a deep breath, and sighed.
Guess that means we're successful. She thought. She took another breath. She felt something bump her from behind, and was about to spin back until she noticed it was just Mash.
"Checking for abnormalities within the body...none. We have arrived safely at the destination, Senpai." Said Mash, who was pressing some sort of device onto Ritsuka's back.
"So...this is France 1400 years in the future...or 600 years in the past?" Said Martha with a nostalgic look on her face. "It has not changed much."
"Oh right, you drifted france in your legend." said Ritsuka. Looking back, she saw that everyone had arrived. "So, uh, wasn't this during the hundred years war? It seems weirdly peaceful."
"Well, it's more like a period of time where France and England were especially at odds with each other. There were battles every now and than, but it was never truly a war for a straight one hundred years." Explained Mash. "It could be compared to the United States and the Soviet Union's Cold War. They never really fought, but it is still referred to as a war."
"That makes sense." said Ritsuka.
*Crackle*
A video full of static popped up from Ritsuka's bracelet.
"-Get through? Hello? Testing, testing, 1 2 3." Said Dr. Roman though the comms. "Right, we got through. Hey guys! How's your first normal Rayshift?"
Ritsuka tilted her head. "Uh...kinda like falling asleep, than waking up in a completely different place. Same as last time basically."
"That's go-"
*Crash*
"Ritsuka! Are you alright?!" Shouted Artoria, who had promptly shoved Dr. Roman to the side.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. You don't have to be that worried Aunt Artoria."
"...I know, it's just...I'm still a bit traumatized from last time..." she said. Dr. Roman nudged his way back in, his breathing rough.
"Next time *huff*, ask before you *huff* shove me a dozen feet to the right please? Kay? thanks. Right, there should be a Leyline more or less to the west. It happens to be right inside a fort as well, so try finding a soldier and convincing them." he said.
Ritsuka nodded in response. She looked up for no particular reason, and widened her eyes.
"...Did anyone notice the giant ring of light in the sky?"
*Silence*
"It's emitting an absurd amount of magical energy!" Said Dr. Roman in awe. "I'm...not even sure that should be classified as magecraft, at least a modern type! That ring is almost larger than a continent! We're going to need to analyze on our side. In any case, this never happened in 1431, so it's likely related to the singularity itself."
"...you know, I've been a counter guardian for a long time. I've fought secret organizations, stopped a couple holy grail wars, and even fought a couple aliens." said Emiya. "I would like to say that this is no surprise, but...it's really astonishing."
He shook his head. "We can worry about this later. We should get to the Leyline as soon as possible. I spotted a Large fort near the spot, so we can ask around for anything weird that has happened."
Everyone nodded.
"Wait! We're not suspicious and we're also not british. She just happens to know english!" Ritsuka shouted.
"Excuse me, but I am British." said Salter.
"Me too!" chirped Gareth
"Aunt Salter, please shut up. You too Gareth" Replied Ritsuka, to which Salter grunted and Gareth who turned gloomy. She ducked under a spear that stabbed at her and shoved a gandr into the soldier's stomach, knocking him out.
Currently, while heading toward the leyline, that had bumped into a group of french soldiers. Mash had attempted to speak french, fumbled it with english, and Dr. Roman had reflexively responded, causing the soldiers to react to the out of place voice. Thus they had promptly been attacked in an attempt to apprehend them.
"Die!" yelled one of the French soldiers, before Mash knocked him out.
"Sorry senpai, if only I had studied my french more!" shouted Mash.
"No sweat, just focus on knocking all of them out, then we'll explain to them!" Replied Ritsuka who blasted a soldier with another gandr.
This went for several minutes until finally, all of the soldiers were rendered unconscious. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Muttering a quick spell, Ritsuka gathered a small ball of water in her hand, and threw it at the pile of unconscious soldiers.
"Gah! What the-you are the-" Sputtered one of the French soldiers. Ritsuka placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.
"Relax. Whatever you think we did, we probably didn't." said Ritsuka. Because of her bracelet, the soldier only heard fluent french.
"Y-you are French? Oh thank God, I thought that the British were foolish enough to be taking advantage of our current situation." he said in relief. Everyone's eyes perked up.
"Hm, actually, we're travelers from afar. Not from europe, we come from the east. We just happened to learn both of your languages. Would you mind telling us about your...situation?" Said Tamamo, who had hidden her ears and tail, as well as dressed in less showy clothes in order not to attract attention.
"So...Jeanne D'Arc revived, is evil now, and is attacking you with...dragons?"
"Yes. She came back. I'm surprised you people know who she is, being foreigners." said one of the soldiers, who seemed to be the Leader.
"Let's just say we have our...sources." replied Tamamo.
"So, uh, you need some help dealing with this problem? " Said Ritsuka.
"Yes, that would be great! You all seem incredibly strong. At this point any help will do." He said surprisingly.
Of course normally, soldiers would not be so quick to trust strangers. However, since things had been hectic lately, any person who wasn't hostile could be considered friendly. Afterall, the enemy would have no benefit trying to take down a kingdom when there was a possibility that the threat could rear its head toward them.
"Leyline detected, proceeding to set a summoning circle." Said Mash. The familiar scene of a summoning circle appearing on the shield appeared. A circular barrier covered an area several meters around the leyline.
They were currently setting up base inside the fort. The state of the fort was...well, in shambles. Most of the walls were battered, and several were actually broken down. However, it was the safest place any person could currently find in this nightmarish scenario. After all, an entire village worth of people had been holed up in this fort. Because of that, the group had decided that getting reinforcements as well as supplies were more important. As Martha was a saint, her...well holy aura managed to convince the soldiers of the fort that what they were doing was not witchcraft or anything like that.
"Right, let's start." said Ritsuka, who was preparing to bring over everything Chaldea was about to send. Finally, their long awaited break after a long hike was-
"ROOOOAAARR*
not here.
"Senpai! Magical life forms detected, numbering in the dozens, maybe hundreds! They seem to be-"
"Wyverns." said Emiya, who was standing atop a nearby watchtower. "Not only that, skeletons are also there as well."
He glanced at Ritsuka and sighed. His daughter's eyes sparkled when she heard the word 'Wyvern'. Bipedal, dragon-like creatures that could not breathe fire, these were creatures that were extremely dangerous, even to highly trained mages. Which was why one look was all he needed to know that she was up to nothing good
"No Ritsuka, whatever you're thinking of doing, you can't." he promptly said.
"But they're wyverns! Their teeth and claws are excellent magical catalysts! You don't know how long I've wanted to get my hands on these!" she said with a rather greedy expression. "C'mon dad, pleeaase? Can I at least harvest one or two of them?!"
Emiya sighed, lamenting the trait that his daughter inherited from her mother.
Rin...why did you have to show that side of you in front of her? He asked his wife who might be in a better place...that was a bit doubtful actually.
"No, and also, stay here."He replied, "Evacuate the people further into the fort, and try summoning something." He then ran off with several of the other servants to help.
Ritsuka pouted, then glanced at Mash and Gareth, who had both stayed behind. "Guess it's just us then." she said while stretching.
"Don't worry senpai, I'll protect you!" she replied enthusiastically.
"That's right Master! I swear upon my king's name that no harm shall befall you!" said Gareth.
*Voww*
That sound that signified the beginning of the summoning process rang out. So far, with the servant's ranged capabilities, they have been able to hold off the hoard of magical beings. Salter herself had been single handedly destroying the skeleton army, so all grounds were currently covered. All the villagers and soldiers had managed to be convinced to leave it to them, so at the moment, they really could only imagine how a small group of people could hold back a hoard.
Tapping her pendent, a pile of Saint Quartz rolled out.
Clapping her hands together, she shouted,"Gods of luck, gambling, gacha, one of the eight million gods of Japan or something like Daikokuten or Bishamonten! Please give me good rates!"
The other day, after summoning Paracelsus, and right before leaving the singularity, she had done a summoning session, and gotten...nothing. Well, only black keys actually. She then realized that her first two times were just damn lucky, so she was praying to any gods of luck at this point.
First summon, nothing.
Second, nothing as well.
Third, fourth, fifth, all the way to tenth, were craft essences that were not too useful at the moment all rolled out.
A roar cried out. A black wyvern barreled through an opening within the walls, and landed in front of Ritsuka. Shaking its long scaly neck, it shrieked.
Crap Baskets. Nothing this time either. The first two were just lucky huh? Thought RItsuka, who had already begun to trace several blades. Mash had already grabbed her shield and stood in front of Ritsuka, preparing to fend off any blows. Gareth was faster, and instantly shoved her lance into the Wyverns maw.
*click*
The wyvern's head was blasted clean off. Gareth sighed in relief.
"Whew, that surprised me. " She said, wiping her brow and looking back. Glancing at the corpse of the Wyvern, she noticed something. One of the wings completely mangled. Perhaps it might be from one of the casters, but there were burn marks all over its body as well.
Someone or something had wounded the creature, and it was to the point that it likely would have died even without Gareth shoving a gun lance into its mouth.
They would find out that someone is in the next moment.
"Ritsuka get down!" Shouted Emiya, who had jumped off the wall while firing at something. Tamamo, paracelsus, and A wave of dark energy sprouted from outside the fort, aiming at something in the sky.
"Intense magical energy is appearing 1 kilometer from your position! It's at least a servant, and possibly on the level of a dragon! The distance is shrinking fast as well!" Dr. Roman shouted from the comms.
*BOOM!*
An object smashed through the walls of the fort, grinding to a halt in front of the group of servants.
*clack*
Something got out of the rubble. The servants readied themselves for a sudden attack.
*groooowl*
Brown hair, glasses, wearing a hat, a cape, and a school girl uniform, the girl stumbled forward and flopped on the ground.
"...I'm...not a witch...just a person with powers...need...food." she mumbled in japanese with a miserable look. Ritsuka blinked, stared at the girl, than gasped.
"Sumireko senpai?!" she cried.
The girl referred to as Usami struggled to look up. Pushing her glasses up, she blinked.
"...Ritsuka?" she asked before fainting.
"...so who is she senpai?" Asked Mash, who had momentarily been shocked at Ritsuka calling the stranger "senpai".
Ritsuka scratched her cheek.
"She's a friend from middle school. We made a club called the 'Secret sealing club' or Hifuu club, 'cause she's an esper, and I'm a mage, and we both wanted to research the supernatural." she said with a nostalgic look. "She moved to the Kantō region last summer, so we ended up going to different high schools, though we have been in contact."
Mash thought something, then smiled. "I never thought I would get to see one of your friends, and for her to be an esper." she said. After all, the outside world was burned down. "But was she always such a powerful esper?
Ritsuka nodded, to the amazement of all the others. "Yeah, I always wanted to see her fight servants, cause her firepower is actually insane. Not only that, she can do things that border on the level of true magic, so I've been kinda using her as a research subject, as well as helping her develop and control those abilities."
"I see." said Mash while nodding.
Emiya walked up the unconscious girl. "Well, if she's your friend, we can trust her. Summon some supplies and everyone else. We'll be making a feast tonight."
*sniff*
Something smelled good. Sumireko opened her eyes and wiped them.
"Oh, you're awake. Been some time, senpai." said a voice from beside her. She glanced, and sighed.
"This is a dream, right? There's no way that kid is here." she muttered. Fujimaru Ritsuka, a young japanese girl who had skipped a couple of grades, and her, well, kouhai. She was a mage, one of the few who also had supernatural powers, so they became fast friends over their similarities.
*Splash*
A ball of water smacked into her face. She gasped and spit.
"Dear Kana-something, why'd you do-wait. You're real." She said in realization. She rubbed Ritsuka's face, and pulled back in surprise.
"Wait wait wait." She said while massaging her brow. She thought for a moment, turned toward Ritsuka, and promptly barreled into her in a hug, crying along the way.
"UWAAHH. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW GLAD I AM TO SEE YOU! I'VE BEEN STUCK HERE FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK, NO FOOD, NO WATER, actually a bit of water, BUT ALSO BEING HUNTED DOWN BY A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WITH PITCHFORKS WHO SCREAMED SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES IN FRENCH!" she sobbed. Ritsuka rubbed the older girl's head.
"Yosh, yosh. Calm down." she said, and pushed her off. Grabbing a bowl of soup, she gave it to Sumireko. "Here, eat something. It's not too rough on the stomach, so you should be able to swallow it."
Sumireko nodded. Sipping some, she instantly brightened. "Wait, who made this?! This is amazing!"
Ritsuka pointed a thumb behind her to a tall, well built and tan man.
"My dad. Not the one you know, mind you, but my dad from my original world."
That's right, RItsuka was from a parallel world, meaning that she had led a completely different life. This was one of the many things that drew Sumireko, with her ever growing thirst for the occult and supernatural, to this girl. That, and she just wanted a friend, though she wouldn't admit it.
"Wait, but isn't your dad...dead?"
"He, uh, became a heroic spirit. You know, the thing I kept talking about back then? He managed to become one. It's complicated." She said.
"Well anyways, long story short, the world was burned down, so basically everyone's dead. The reason I'm here is because I was kidnapped by an organization that can fix it, and I'm basically their last hope. So yeah, welcome to the Chaldea crew! Wanna help me save the world?"
HA! Bet you didn't expect me to put that curve ball in there, right? Right? ...ok maybe some of you did. But anyways, yeh, there will be five touhou characters in this arc. One more will appear, so stay tuned!