The Snowy Streets Beneath the World Tree
Fuyuki A.D. 2014
Section 9: A Much Needed Break
Location: Foreigner's District
Date: April 21st, 2014
Time: 2:45
The battle against the Frost Giant raged on, the monster-fighting as if its life depended on it. Of course, the servant contracted to Eiji fought her hardest as well, with the aid of an ally servant. The red-cloaked girl was fighting as if she had been training her entire life. Every single one of her attacks was fluid, her movements light and precise, managing to bend and twirl her way out of every counterattack the beast threw at her. For her part, Rin was doing well, sniping the monster from a distance with her durable bow and her endless supply of swords.
Jeanne sent a swirl of flames at the beast, engulfing its feet and upper legs, causing it great pain if the jumping was anything to go by. The nearby houses shook from the shockwaves, some falling under the weight of the snow and disrepair. Cerise leaped from the husk of an old pickup truck, flinging her black-silvery chains at the beast, wrapping them around its arm. She used them as a swing of sorts, pulling herself overhead, bringing her glimmering sword down on its shoulder, at a wound that she and Rin had managed to make. The creature attempted to bat her away, but she expertly dodged, using its massive hand as a springboard, landing in a crouch on the ground a few feet away from Rin.
"Go for it, I'll cover you," she replied, earning a nod from the raven-haired magus. She darted forward, allowing her bow to disappear as she summoned Kanshou and Bakuya to her grasp. She flung them forward, summoning several more pairs, doing the same as Jeanne knelt down before her, hands joined together. She launched the girl upward, having called forth a large pair of Kanshou and Bakuya.
"Spirit and technique, flawless and firm
Our strength rips the mountains
Our swords split the water
Our names reach the imperial villa
The two of us cannot hold the heavens together!
Triple-Linked Crane Wings!" she shouted, delivering a series of precise strikes to the giant's chest.
With a snap of her fingers, the multiple copies of Kanshou and Bakuya struck the wound she had opened, sending blood and flesh in all directions. With one final throw, she flung the overedge versions of the twin-blades, as an extra added attack. Jeanne caught her in her arms, moving backward as the creature stomped its heavy foot on the ground, breaking the asphalt underneath them. It was a miracle they hadn't ended up in Fuyuki's sewer system from the many footfalls the monster had left in the area.
"I'm starting to grow tired here, we can't keep this up!" Rin said as the saint of Orleans set her down, once again drawing her sword. Vitch threw some healing papers in her direction, the wounds she had sustained slowly stitching themselves together. She felt a little better, but not enough. "Thanks for the healing,"
"Sure, it's the only thing I'm useful for, right now. But you make a good point, if we're going to take this thing down, we need to do it now, while it's weakened."
"Aim for the gashes on its body then, the more we attack, the wider they get. That means it'll start bleeding out." Cerise said, once again jumping into the fray, avoiding the humongous spear being swung at her. Ereshkigal closed her eyes for a moment, as she summoned a myriad of cage spears, taking aim at the abdomen.
"I'll only borrow this little bit of mana, Master. We need to start thinking about our escape, your hands are already numb and if your legs start to go, we'll be in real trouble," she said, causing the man to shake his head.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll just call Chaldea and ask for some spare mana batteries, just focus on this thing." the man said, earning a nod from the goddess. She stepped forward, using her spears as a wall to deflect the giant's weapon. She pushed him back, making him stumble back, something Cerise took advantage of, as she drove her sword into its big toe.
She spun around, launching her spears at several weak points, hoping it would bring the hulking beast down. With her last spear, she threw it herself, using her crimson lightning as a boost. It embedded itself in the giant's kneecap, causing it to scream in agony, as its knee buckled and caved in.
"Guys, I got an idea, it might be crazy but it'll work! I need that giant spear!" Rin suddenly cried, causing Jeanne and Cerise to look at her.
"Are you insane? That thing must weigh a ton!" the blonde saint cried, earning a firm look from the ravenette.
"It's the only thing that will kill it, now bring it here!"
"You got it." the red-cloaked girl said, dashing forward with great speed.
She slung her chains upward, bringing herself up to eye level with the giant. She let out a shout as she brought her sword down on its shoulder, right in the gash she had opened up. The beast let out another cry, using its left hand as a means to brush her away. She managed to dodge it, landing on its right hand, stabbing her sword into its wrist. The giant spear fell to the ground, causing another quake.
"Jeanne, boost me into the air!" Rin said, running at the saint. She let out a groan, mumbling swears under her breath as she joined her hands together once more. The young girl was thrown high, her hand glowing as she summoned her bow. Aestus Estus flashed into her hang, glowing with crimson flames as she shot it downward, willing it to explode. The asphalt caved in, a small hole being left behind from the explosion.
Eiji watched her curiously, as she moved toward the spear, using the strength of her class card to heft it upward. His eyes fell on the hole, and then onto the spear, a small smile appearing on his face.
"She's a genius. Vitch, Ereshkigal, help her get that thing upright!"
"Huh?" the pair cried in unison, clearly confused at his order.
"Just do it!"
They shrugged, racing into the fray as Cerise kept the giant distracted. She must have noticed what Rin was planning because her tactics had changed. She moved toward his left leg, using her chains to hurl herself upward. She spun herself around, kicking off the nearby wall, slashing a gash behind its knee, causing its one good remaining leg to buckle.
"WROARRRRR!" the beast howled, as it lifted its good hand upward. It started bringing it down, causing Cerise to back away, slipping on the snow in surprise.
"Gah… shit!'
"RIN!" Eiji shouted, causing the girl to drop the spear. Almost on instinct, she moved forward, sliding across the ground on her knees, bringing both arms above her head.
"I am the bone of my sword: Rho Aias!"
The glimmering shield of Ajax sparked to life, several glowing petals blooming above them, totaling seven. The giant's fist crashed into the shield, shattering the first two with ease. It brought its fist down on the shield again, breaking two more petals, causing the girl beneath it to cringe in pain.
"I can't hold this goddamn thing much longer!"
"Just hold it for a few more seconds!" Cerise said, rapidly standing up. She moved toward the spear, wrapping her chains around it, kicking off the husk of a vehicle, pulling it up as she went. Vitch and Ereshkigal slipped the other end into the hole Rin had created, causing it to slide down until it hit the bottom, the bladed tip sticking upward.
"Yes!" Eiji cried, fist-pumping as the weapon was readied. "Get outta there Rin, it's ready!"
She dropped her shield the moment the giant lifted its fist, jumping back in time to avoid it. Summoning Hrunting into her hand, she called forth her bow, pulling the string back as far as she could. She gave the giant a wink as she prepared her spell, the tip of the spear sparking with electricity.
"This is the red hound of the plains: Hrunting!"
The bowstring snapped hard as the sword was sent flying, a streak of red that sailed through the air, finding its target in the giant's eye. It wasn't enough to kill it, but it worked perfectly to stun it. Cerise made one last jump, summoning several chains that wrapped around its neck, as it continued digging the arrow out of its eye. Landing on the ground. She wrapped her hands around it, tugging them with all her strength.
"A little help here!"
Jeanne sheathed her sword, grabbing a hold of the chains, pulling them with all her might. Rin followed suit, with Vitch and Ereshkigal joining in. Even Eiji found himself pulling, having gone as far as activating his crest to channel magic through his arms. The giant screamed as it tried to resist, using its hands to stop itself from being pulled downward.
"Its arms! Someone get its arms or it won't stop holding itself up!"
"I got it!" Rin said, once again summoning her bow. She drew a pair of swords back, copies of Caliburn appeared at the end, glimmering a brilliant gold. She shot both into its left arm, doing the same with its right, the limbs snapping in half from the impact.
With one last pull of the chains, the group was able to bring the hulking giant down, the spear it once used to attack now piercing through its eye socket. It growled as in a vain attempt to free itself, only for Cerise to pull down with all her strength, ensuring the spear pierced its brain, a fountain of blood raining from both ends of the mortal wound. Its body twitched for a few seconds, spasming about before finally falling still.
"Hah… well… that happened," Eiji said, finally releasing his hold on the chains. He took a deep breath, brushing the sweat from his brow. He shuddered a bit from the cold, opening and closing his hands a bit in a vain attempt at regaining circulation. "You fought hard ladies, it was a good fight. All of you deserve a well-earned rest."
"Well aren't you generous," Jeanne spat, brushing her hair over her shoulder. "I'm one hit away from hitting zero HP, can we maybe get out of here before another one of these fucks comes for us?"
"She's right, we must make haste before we're surrounded by other beasts. Where is it that you are heading? You must have another place you are holding up."
"We do, my house. It's nearby, we need to move fast, Eiji already spent a lot of magic and we need to make sure he's not out here any longer." Rin said, darting past the giant's corpse. "This way, quick."
Eiji followed along, using his last energy reserves to keep pace with his friend. He spared one last long look at the deceased beast, shuddering at its gruesome end. It had taken five of them to bring one giant down. He hated to imagine what would happen if a group of them were to attack.
"I better not think like that, we were lucky. I just have to focus on recovering, that's the only thing I can do right now." he thought, as he kept moving toward the Estate. He just wanted to sit down in a warm place without having to worry about the cold. That's all he truly asked for.
Location: Tohsaka Estate
Date: April 21st, 2014
Time: 3:00 PM
Eiji had practically passed out from how much mana he had spent during the fight. Having to deal with the attack on the Academy, fight off Krichat and provide his servants with mana to defeat a giant had taken it out of him. The moment they had arrived at Rin's place, they had taken him to the front room. The woman in question rapidly started a fire, throwing several logs in the pit and using her fire gems to start it, making sure the flames heated the living room up. He had sent Cerise to gather up some blankets from the upstairs bedrooms, as the other spirits had been forced into Spirit form in order to consume less mana.
This of course made things a lot harder than they already were. Sure, they were safe at the mansion, but for how long? Who knew if the ones who attacked the Academy had kept tabs on the survivors as they escaped the complex. Realistically, an attack was imminent and Rin wasn't ready to fight. As such, she had chosen to remain in her "Archer" form, as she had dubbed it, not wanting to risk taking the Class Card off and being surprised. She was getting rather used to the nifty Mystic Code and was beginning to wonder if she could get her own, personalized code with a servant graph of her choosing. She knew that resources were scant, and that likely wouldn't happen. After all, when Fuyuki's singularity was resolved, she would end up disappearing.
Knowing the truth of everything had bothered her at first, but over the last few days, she had forced herself to accept it. Living in a cold tundra was worse than being dead. At least she wouldn't be suffering in the cold, fighting for survival and supplies and fighting off heroic spirits and demonic beasts.
There was a part of her that was begging and screaming at her. Telling her to stop Eiji by any means possible, in a benign attempt at survival. Her deepest animal mind was clawing at her, leaving deep gashes on her psyche the more she thought about her own death. She hadn't suffered from a panic attack because she had forced herself not to think about it. But now that they were resting, she had free time, free time to let her mind wander. And those thoughts… they weren't pretty.
It wasn't long before Cerise returned, carrying some MREs and some soft drinks she had found in the kitchen. She handed one to Rin who silently thanked her. She looked it over for a moment before tearing it open. She had gotten used to these over the past few weeks, so she already knew how to prepare them. She set the main meal aside to heat up, tearing open the snacks that came with it, shoving a few in her mouth. Her gaze fell on her sleeping friend, a frown on her face as she watched his rhythmic breathing.
"You care deeply about him, don't you?" Cerise asked, causing the young woman to glance at her, giving her a soft nod. "I've seen a lot of smitten ladies in my day, but there's something different about you. I can practically see the love in your eyes."
"Oh? That's a shame."
"Huh? Why would you say that?" the red-cloaked girl asked, clearly confused. Rin sighed, knowing she would have to elaborate. She grabbed her bottle of water and the packet of flavor powder that had come with her MRE, pouring inside.
"I am in love with him, but he's not the one I'm in love with."
"I'm sorry? That makes absolutely no sense,"
"The man laying beside us, he's not the Eiji I fell in love with. He comes from an alternate timeline, the true timeline, in a sense. You are aware of why you were summoned here, right?" she asked, earning a nod from the berserker-class servant.
"Ruler explained it to me. I was summoned here in order to ensure the Holy Grail War went a specific way. Ruler herself didn't want to leave the safety of her temple, so she summoned me and an Archer to serve as her enforcers. Sadly, Archer finds it more relaxing to sit in front of a television screen than doing her job. Thus, leaving me with the dirty work. I was looking for other servants to help me when the enemy Berserker was attacking."
She paused for a moment, taking a sip from her water, her eyes focusing on the crackling flames in the fireplace. "From what I understand, something happened in the future that has created unstable moments in time, giving us singularities. This is one such place. If you are saying this Eiji is from the "Proper" timeline, then I assume the one you knew and loved is deceased?"
"That's right. It happened so fast. We ended up getting together back in November, around the time this place was being fumigated for roaches or ants… I hardly remember. For as long as I've known him, I've had a thing for him. It's stupid to call it love at first sight but that's what it was. I was just too dumb, too stupid to admit it. The moment I did, it was a whirlwind. We were so happy. We basically skipped all the "New Relationship" bullshit since we knew each other well."
"You went from first base to home plate right off the bat? My, my, my, Rin Tohsaka, you naughty little minx." Cerise said jokingly, causing the girl to sputter.
"Don't make me hit you, you damned Berserker!"
"I was pulling your chain, sweetheart. Lightening the mood as it were. Anyway, what happened that ended up in his death?"
"Same thing that happened to most people early on. Some random mook shot him. The first few weeks were terrible. Do you know those television dramas? Where some sort of apocalypse happens and it either shows the beginning or it cuts to after?" she questioned, earning a nod from Cerise.
"Yes, I do. Archer has watched a few of those, her favorite is this zombie show from America. She started season one of a spin-off, shows the world going to shit."
"Heh, I know that show, and trust me, what happened in that show is chicken shit compared to what happened here. I'm not sure if you saw it all, or were here since the beginning, but it was terrible," she said, closing her eyes. She could almost hear the sirens, the gunshots, the screaming and shouting in the streets. "Jesus, I can still hear it. The gnawing of flesh, the people screaming, cars crashing into each other, people being killed and torn apart. The looting, the shootings… Fuck me, it was awful."
She gulped her raspberry water, reaching for her meal. She grabbed her pocket knife, slicing the top of the food, meatballs, and marinara sauce, along with a pair of flour tortillas. She grabbed the spoon, spooning some of the meat and sauce into the tortilla. "We put up a barrier around his house, teamed up with the nearby neighbors, and pooled our resources together. They wondered why our house was always missed, but we never told them we were mages. From the outside, our house looked like an abandoned shithole, no one would think it was an actual house, humans can't sense bounded fields, so it worked."
"What happened to the neighbors?"
"We ran out of food a month and a half in. The dad started going crazy, fighting with his teenage son while the wife was trying to take care of their 8-year-old girl. We were running out of food and finding rations was becoming hard. The Magus Hunt was still ongoing, and the Krichat patrolled the streets. We couldn't leave even if we wanted to. It finally came down to that last can of beans and the dad lost it."
She shoved some food in her mouth, downing it with her water. "He grabbed Eiji's gun, threatened to kill him if he intervened. He grabbed his wife and told his son to grab his sister and get ready to go. Eiji stopped the kid from going and was almost shot. The dad forced his family out into the snow, just as a Krichat patrol was moving by. They were torn apart in seconds. Only the 8-year-old kid survived."
"Dear God," Cerise mumbled softly under her breath.
"The kid was bright for her age. Not just that, she had latent circuits, Eiji thought it best to start teaching her magic, and that's what we did. For a month, we continued life, raising her as if she was our own. We looked like a neat little family, but food was still a problem. So we had to bundle up and start searching the nearby houses. We managed to score a huge hit of food and were set to be well off for a few months but… well that's when tragedy struck."
"What happened?"
Rin paused mid-chew, closing her eyes for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts. She swallowed the food in her mouth, remaining silent as she downed the remainder of her water, glancing at the fire.
"Some bastard came on us when we were heading home. He was all bundled up, couldn't see his face but I could tell he was our age. Eiji tried to reason with him, even offered half of our food, but he wanted something else. Probably a Magus Hunter, saw us going into an abandoned house, figured something made it tick. The kid started pleading to him, telling him not to shoot Eiji because he was a good guy. He blew her brains out with no remorse. That set Eiji off. He reached for his own gun but didn't get a shot out before he was shot. He died in my arms in seconds."
She finished the last of her food, wiping her mouth away with a few spare napkins, throwing the trash in a bag. She grabbed ahold of the dessert pack, tearing it open with her teeth. She sighed contently when she found some chocolate chip cookies inside. "Ah, the best part of the meal."
"I'm sorry, Rin."
"What for?"
"For what happened to you, of course. Perhaps if I had been more active, and if Archer hadn't sat on her ass all the time, we could have saved more people. Ruler is trying to find a way to win this war, but her nature as a ruler is stopping her from it. She can't choose a side, all she can do is influence the war and hope the right side wins." she said, glancing at her gloved hands in anger. "All I can do is be her sword, and serve justice to the bastards that deserve it. My list continues to grow, especially against those who attacked Homurahara, but even I am outmatched."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Cerise. You were summoned here to find a means to help, but now that you are with us, you will help the right side. And put an end to this nightmare. To that end, I will give my all, even my life if need be." she said, a smile on her face. "Besides, in proper human history, I am already dead. If I'm going to disappear anyway, I may as well go down saving my hometown."
The berserker honestly didn't know how to reply to that. That sad optimism was something she had never seen before. Perhaps she should follow in her footsteps, and seek some sort of redemption for herself. Then again, she had never done anything wrong. She had been born, chained up, and kept away from people until her awaited day arrived. All she could do was fight the good fight and hopefully help those she deemed good people. And thankfully, she had found an entire group of good people for her to help.
Rin stood up, fixing her skirt as she moved over to the fire, adding a few more logs into it, poking it a bit so it would spark back to life. "So tell me, are you incarnated?"
"Sort of," Cerise said, chewing her pizza. She growled a bit as she tore it, swallowing it in a single go. "Ruler is directly connected to Fuyuki's Greater Grail, since she abused its power to summon me and Archer, she broke a few rules. Thankfully, the rules that matter weren't broken and she wasn't punished by the Grail. Since she's connected straight to it, she provides us with endless mana. I just eat because I like food."
"Nothing wrong with that, heroic spirits should enjoy these temporary lives they are given. They aren't just familiars after all. They are heroes of the world, collected by the Throne of Heroes, and should be treated with respect and compassion." she said firmly. Cerise was sure if she wore glasses, she'd be pushing them up her nose like a poindexter.
"Well, I'm certainly happy to hear that. There are assholes out there who see us as magical slaves to do their bidding. Use those fancy marks to force us to do the darkest of shit. Thankfully, Ruler has never used and Seals on us. That's what makes her different from other Masters. Though if anything, I'm happy to know Eiji uses his to benefit his servants rather than force them to stop whatever ticks they have."
"That's one of his good qualities. He may act like a hardass sometimes, but he hardly means what he says. That's one of his downsides as well. He needs to toughen up, and cut that "Hardass'' schtick he adopts sometimes." She said with a sigh. She fiddled with her CSC, opening up its holographic menu. "Anyway, I need to call Chaldea, let them know their Master is out of commission."
"Is that a good idea?"
"Not really, but they're the only ones who could assist us. You came after us because Ruler wants to meet us right? We can't get to the base of the world tree on foot. We'll need some sort of vehicle or some other means to get there. We could go to the Einzbern Castle, but after what happened at Homurahara, I doubt Shirou and his group will help us."
"You make a good point. But it might actually prove useful to head there, Thor is a Rider-class servant, he could easily bring us to the base of the world tree. It usually takes me a few days to get there on foot, a week from Homurahara. But on Sleipnir, it could be a few hours. If we can fix a vehicle, even faster." the cloaked girl said, earning a nod from the ravenette.
"Something I'll keep in my back pocket. Well, here we go," she said, pressing the button with Chaldea's emblem on it. "Hey, can anyone read me? This is Rin Tohsaka checking in on behalf of Eiji Itsuka. Do you read me?"
The screen fizzled for a few seconds, being replaced by a white-haired young woman, one who Rin had never met. She had the air of a duchess and was likely royalty if her tiara was anything to go by. She was holding a doll in her grasp, an almost expressionless look on her face.
"Da, I can hear you loud and clear, Miss Tohsaka."
"Uh… who are you? We've never met before,"
"Ah yes, my mistake. My name is Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, I am a caster-class servant in service to Commander Olga-Marie Animusphere. She and Director Ritsuka Fujimaru are currently away on business with one of our field agents, so I've been left in charge." she said, sighing audibly. "To tell you the truth, I was waiting for someone to call, I am extremely bored here. I have no idea what any of these doohickeys do, and the staff here keep looking at me as if I was an idiot. It isn't my fault I was shot in the back of the head before I knew what computers were."
"Ah… right. Erm… well I was hoping to make a detailed report to Chaldea, especially after what happened but we'll call later when the Commander is available."
"Net, net! Pozhaluysta! I'll take the report, just don't hang up, I need something to do before I freeze this place solid."
"You better not! Commander Olga will have your ass if you do!"
"Zakroy svoyu lovushku!" she shouted in Russian, causing whoever had spoken to cry in fear. She cleared her throat, sitting upright in her chair. "Right, you may commence with the reporting. I'll make sure to jot down everything. Viy will also ensure your tale is as accurate as possible."
"Well… I guess I'll begin the report then. Man, I do not feel for Eiji, not a single fucking bit," Rin mumbled under her breath as she gathered her thoughts.
xxx
"That's pretty much it. Homurahara Academy collapsed, the people escaped and the Heroic Spirits took off. Jeanne confirmed the identity of Saber Alter as an alternate version of Artoria Pendragon. She is working closely with a Lancer-class servant, her half-brother, Sir Kay. Tamamo Vitch also fought off an unknown Archer-class servant. The last servant that we saw was the enemy Caster, whom Cerise believes to be a divine spirit. Sadly she wasn't able to identify her." Rin said, summarizing everything she had been speaking about for the last half an hour. Anastasia nodded, her fingernails clicking loudly on the holographic keys before her.
"Blyad, stupid space key," she mumbled, clearing her throat. "Alright, I've gotten everything in your account. It is a shame that you have lost contact with your new allies. But perhaps it was for the best, at least for now. We cannot keep wasting resources on the people of that singularity, even if it provides assistance for when time is restored."
"I wholeheartedly agree, Caster. Eiji made an alliance with four masters, and it amounted to nothing. They didn't want to attack the enemy base and kept on living in that academy like fools. They weren't even prepared for the possibility of an outside attack. They are a lost cause, but remain useful to us should we need them," Cerise spoke, a firm tone in her voice.
"Berserker makes a good point. Shirou, Issei, and Sakura are busy on babysitting duty, even if they are Masters, their priorities are on the people. Going to them for help would be useless. Which means we have to move on to our second option, meeting with Ruler. Tell me, is it possible for you to run a scan of the World Tree? Confirm there's actually a temple there?"
"Of course, that should take me only a few seconds." Anastasia happily said as she focused on the device in front of her.
"Why do you need to confirm the temple? I already told you it exists?"
"I know that, Berserker. Believe me, I trust you, but I want to have the data on my map, that way we can figure out a direct route to this place. Fuyuki Bay is normally inaccessible, meaning we'll have to hike on foot on miles of frozen water. That's miles of open terrain with no cover, I want to make sure we don't get sniped by Valkyries."
"Hmm… I suppose that is true. I tend to forget I'll be traveling with humans. Though with how many heroic spirits are among us, I doubt we'll have to worry about Valkyries." Cerise admitted, a flush on her cheeks. "Apologies for doubting you."
"No worries, I'm sorry if I lead you to think I didn't trust you."
"Alright, I've sent all relevant information to your CSC as well as Master Eiji. So, care to tell me why he's absent? You neglected to tell me that little bit earlier. He didn't get himself shot again, did he?"
"Again? He got shot once? Ugh… nevermind. The idiot spent almost all his magic sustaining his servants, so he's sleeping at the moment. He has to recover all of the mana he spent and likely will be sleeping for a few days. We're grounded until further notice. Since he can't rely on his servants right now, who can't even leave their spirit forms because it's too much of a risk, I was wondering if you could send me a catalyst."
Cerise was taken aback by this request, not expecting her to actually make it. She figured someone like Rin would have a catalyst or two to spare. But asking for one from Chaldea was entirely different. She watched on, her eyes refocusing on the small holographic screen.
"I am not authorized for that kind of request. However, I can forward it to Commander Olga and Director Ritsuka and see what they say. What kind of servant were you thinking of summoning?"
"Originally, I was collecting catalysts in hopes that I could summon a Saber-class servant. Eiji wished for a Lancer originally, which thankfully he was able to receive thanks to your help. Sadly, the catalysts I own here are likely to belong to non-Sabers. I'd rather have a guaranteed shot with you guys." Rin said firmly.
"I see… Chaldea does have vast stores of servants, thanks to Ritsuka Fujimaru and the bonds he fostered with all of us. You have a wide selection, we could even narrow it down to specific ones if you'd like. Maybe Emperor Nero of Rome? Or Atilla the Hun? Oh, what about the hero Sigfried? Or perhaps you'd like to summon Miyamoto Musashi to your side?"
"Ah… I… just send me whichever you think would help me. I don't care who it is, just make sure they're someone strong. Preferably from Japanese folklore or history." the ravenette said, earning a nod in return from the Caster-class servant.
"Alrighty, I'll be sure to let Commander Olga know. I shall have them contact you soon, it seems some of our newly summoned servants are beginning to cause a ruckus here. Sit tight, we'll send you some back up soon." she happily said, giving the pair a wink. They also noticed her doll waving at them before the communication ended. The two shuddered, remembering its beady eyes boring into them.
"She's certainly interesting. Chaldea sure knows how to recruit some interesting Servants, that's for sure."
"Indeed. Makes me wonder what it would be like if I were to join them." Cerise said a pensive look on her face as she lay back, staring at the ceiling. "You should get some sleep, Rin. I'll keep watch, I don't really need sleep so I'll be fine."
"If you are sure," she said, suddenly feeling tired. She grabbed ahold of one of the spare blankets, along with a couch cushion. "Cerise, thanks for helping us earlier… with the giant I mean. If it hadn't been for you… for your chains… we likely wouldn't have defeated it."
"I was at the right place at the right time," she said with a shrug.
"Pfft, right. Admit it, you were following us because you think Eiji is cute."
"What?" she sputtered, glaring at the raven-haired magus. "You have me fucked up if you think that's the reason I followed you."
"Hm? Oh, could it be I was the reason you followed me? I admit, I am cute but I'm not into girls. Though I suppose I wouldn't mind trying with a cutie like you," she winked. Cerise threw her cushion at the woman, causing her to start laughing. "What? I was just pulling your chain~"
"Oh… I see what you are up to, I'm going to get back at you for this, you little asshat," she growled, turning away from Rin, using her arm as a pillow. She wasn't going to sleep, but she wasn't going to stare at her either. For the next few minutes, the only thing she could hear aside from the crackling fire was the soft laughter of the Tohsaka Heiress.
Across town, Shinji shivered from the cold, having taken refuge in an abandoned mechanic shop. The scent of old dried oil and brake fluid lingered in the area, as he held his hands over a flaming barrel. It had been the only thing he could scrounge up on short notice. He looked around for a moment, wondering if he was truly alone, sighing in content when he was. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it, reaching inside his messenger bag for a can of tuna fish. It had been one of the few things he had managed to get before Homurahara collapsed. He sloppily opened it with a knife, tossing the lid aside, digging the solid chunks of fish from within, stuffing them into his mouth.
"What a sorry state you are in, Master. Hanging around a mechanic shop? Eating fish like a goddamn cat? Man how the mighty fall."
Shinji jumped at the sound of the voice, his only food source clattering to the ground. He placed a hand on his heart, steadying his breathing as he stared at his servant. He had a look of anger on his face, as he forced himself to stand up.
"That was my only tuna can, Assassin. What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted, earning a laugh from the heroic spirit.
"Me? Nothing's wrong with me. Did you forget what kind of servant you summoned? I'm the immoral boogeyman, he who slinks through the shadows like a disgusting mongrel. Using my sword to slit throats and leave trails of crimson in my wake." he said, placing a hand on his katana. "You, however, are just a cowardly boy, sitting in a mechanic shop eating fish. What the hell man? What happened to killing all the oldies and kiddies?"
"I wasn't expecting the whole building to be rocked the way it did. I thought I would have time to slip that bomb we devised in the cafeteria. But it went to hell in a handbasket before we could do shit. Besides, what the hell were you doing? For a Mad Dog, you certainly don't know how to do your job properly."
"Ohohoho, that's rich. Blaming me for your failure? That's rich. If you didn't notice, I was busy fighting off that Chaldea cunt and her Elderly General. I had to waste my time, my mana, and risk my pale ass fighting the good fight while you ran down the street like a little pussy."
"Well, what else was I supposed to do? I didn't have a spirit to help me escape and that Caster Goddess was there too. She was looking to cash in our contract, while you were supposed to deliver! Now I have to find another source of souls!" the man shouted angrily, causing his servant to roll his eyes.
"Or we could kill the goddess. She's a divine spirit, just like Thor and just like Loki. But even divine spirits can be destroyed, with a right stab." he said, slowly drawing his tanto. He flipped it around, running his finger across the back of the blade. "Just issue the order, and I'll go after her."
"I don't want you to die yet, Assassin. I need you, especially if we're going to move to the next phase of our plan. Back when we were at the academy, our dear friend Tohsaka let something important slip. Have you ever noticed the Valkyrie flight patterns changed?" Shinji asked, earning a nod from his servant.
"Yeah, I noticed. They're all flying around Ryuudou Temple now, they have been for the last couple of days. They seem really angry whenever they switch with the next group." the servant said, placing a hand under his chin. "They must be looking for something in that dusty old place. Checked it out myself a couple of times, but I haven't found anything."
"That's because what they are searching for isn't in the temple, it's beneath it," Shinji said, a small smirk on his face. "You know how you want to make your wish come true, and get revenge on that bastard, Sakamoto?"
"Yes… that's one of my greatest dreams. Why do you bring it up?"
"I bring it up because I know of a way to make both of our wishes come true," Shinji said, a devilish smirk upon his face. His eyes were gleaming in the low light of the flames, dancing with mischief. "Rin Tohsaka told Shirou, Issei, and my stupid sister where the Greater Grail is located."
Assassin's eyes widened in surprise, his jaw-dropping in shock. "The Greater Grail? You mean the thing that's supplying magic to the lesser grail, which is keeping us all grounded here?"
"That's the one. The one my great grandpappy helped to create, with the Einzberns and the Tohsakas. The Grail that started all this shit. The Grail that will grant us our wishes! We will have to find it, so for now we'll lay low. We'll bide our time, and make our way to the temple. When those flying bitches are nowhere in sight, we go in, and we take the Grail for ourselves."
The man remained silent for a moment, his shoulder slowly shaking as he started cackling. That evolved into a laugh that echoed throughout the mechanic shop. The man wiped a tear from his eye, his body still shaking with his mirth. "Ah, this is nice! This is fun! So we're finally gonna do something productive instead of sitting on our laurels. I like it! Especially because we get to be all sneaky-peaky like!"
"Precisely. This is another thing I decided to keep to myself, while Kotomine is busy licking his wounds and Chaldea is scattered about. We'll make our way to the Grail and we'll take it for ourselves. With its power, we will bend Fuyuki to our will. No longer will we have to live in this eternal winter!" Shinji said with a grin. "The first thing I'll do is make this place a beachside resort."
"Hey, as long as you bring me some sake and some beach babes, I don't give a shit what you turn this place into. You can turn it into a back alley hogwash for all I care." Assassin said happily, a grin on his face. "You know, you are more devious than you let on, even if you are a coward. At least you make up for it with your disgusting little plots."
"I appreciate the compliment, Okada-san. Now then, let's warm up a bit, we'll start moving in the morning. Thanks to that little scare you gave me earlier, I dropped my last can of tuna. Thankfully, I managed to take some rations from the academy."
"You, my friend, are lucky I don't need food. But even so, I managed to score this while patrolling the area," he said, pulling a bottle of spiced rum from his yukata. He pulled the cork out with his teeth, taking a long gulp. "Haaah… that's the stuff. Here kiddo, you deserve it."
Shinji took the bottle, gulping down a bit of it, causing him to start coughing loudly. "What the fuck? Why does it burn so much? Gah, this is terrible!"
"Bahahahaha! You pussy, you gotta learn how to drink before you can enjoy a commodity like this! Wait until you try sake, you won't quit drinking that stuff!" Okada said, reclaiming the bottle. Neither of them noticed the beady crimson gaze at the other end of the room, silently watching, silently drinking from a silver-colored pouch.
Location: Tohsaka Estate
Date: April 30th, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM
"You contacted Chaldea while I was out?" Eiji questioned, earning a nod from his best friend who was standing at the kitchen counter, a smug look on her face.
"Yep! I got to meet Anastasia too, she's a real sweetheart but man does she have a short temper toward technology. I'm sure she used every swear in the Russian dictionary." She giggled, sighing. "I gave them a report too, none of us were expecting you to sleep for so long though. You were totally spent."
"Yeah, that tends to happen when you spend all of your magic power sustaining g three heroic spirits. I dunno how Ritsuka does it. I should invest in some mana generators in the future."
"Honestly, Master, you did a fantastic job. All things considered." Ereshkigal said with a smile. "A lot of people struggle to sustain one servant but you managed three with no problem. With enough practice and some gennies, you might be able to sustain five or more!"
"Do you wanna kill him?" the raven-haired girl cried, eyes widened in shock. Ereshkigal rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her chest.
"You freak out over everything because you aren't aware of just how miraculous Chaldea truly is. From the information I was given through their system, I learned quite a lot. Ritsuka Fujimaru was capable of sustaining six heroic spirits at once. Thanks to him being the only Master in the world, and his actions taking place during a time the Association was inactive, he became known as one of the strongest Masters in the world. So Eiji sustaining five contracts would actually be ideal for him." she explained, almost scientifically as she spoke.
"But he isn't ready for it yet," Cerise said as she flashed into the kitchen. She snagged a can of fruits from the nearby counter, popping the top off with ease. "Anyway, Jeanne, Vitch, and I finished our survey of the area. It's clean, almost too clean."
"They probably pulled back units to prepare for another attack. Either that or their planning on moving into the Einzbern Castle. Thing is, even if they did that, the castle itself is hard to find. Illyasviel made sure of it." Rin said, frowning as she remembered the young girl. "It's a shame what happened to her, honest. I wish I could find the bastard that did her in and rip his heart out of his chest."
Eiji remained silent, not wanting to speak about Illya's death. He was already dealing with Rin being alive, he couldn't handle another one of his friends being dead in this timeline.
"Anyway, the path to Fuyuki Bay is clear enough. We mapped out a route to Miyama Town, we plan on securing a vehicle there. I spoke with Ereshkigal earlier and she's convinced she can fix up a vehicle provided she has the right tools."
"Yup yup! I might be the goddess of death, but the alchemist in me believes I can make a truck run. It's better than walking through miles and miles of ice!" The violet-haired girl said matter of factly, pushing her glasses up her nose. "We can't take many risks, especially with Giants, Krichat, and Valkyries on the prowl."
"The Valks seem to be concentrated around Ryuudou Temple. Ever since Saber and her Master ran into Rin and Caster there, they've been canvassing the area. You sure they don't know about the Greater Grail being hidden there?"
"I'm sure. Even if they get down there, I and Eiji put a barrier down there so no one could get through it. Sadly, if a high-level magus goes there, they might be able to break through it. But no one knows what's beneath the temple. Just us, and I guess Shirou, Issei, and Sakura too. But you've met them, they aren't going after the place." she replied.
"You know I wonder… Valkyries don't just listen to anyone, they take orders straight from the leader. They supposedly share a network, so if one sees something, all of them know it. They might be part of the Singularity, and if they are they might be taking orders from the High Brass." Eiji said, rubbing his chin in thought. "If we can track one down, we might be able to figure out who's controlling them."
"What if the Allfather is giving out the orders?"
"That's the thing, Rin. I don't think the Allfather is giving out any orders, I don't think he's even here. In which case, they might be taking orders from whoever has the Grail." Cerise said, finishing the last of her fruit. "We can't focus on that now, we can talk about that later. For now, let's focus on getting to Ruler's Temple."
"Right. Let's pack up a few essentials, we need to be as ready as possible. Do you have any spare ammunition, Rin?" the brown-haired man asked, earning a nod from his friend.
"Upstairs in my bedroom, I left all the ammunition and firearms I found in the city up there. I left my backpack up there too. Will you bring it down for me?"
"Sure thing. Ereshkigal, come along, would you? I'll need help bringing this stuff down. The more ammo we can carry, the better. The last thing I need is to hear Vitch complaining about using magic."
As the pair left, Rin dug her hand in her jacket pocket, pulling out the catalyst she had been given earlier that day. She held it tightly in her grasp, looking up at Cerise after a moment. She didn't have to say anything, the Berserker already knew what was on her mind.
"Go on, summon your servant, I'll take care of things topside. You gonna tell him about that servant though?"
"Pfft… Nah. I think I'll just keep it a surprise, you know… just in case." Rin said with a wink. "Thanks for helping, Berserker, I appreciate it."
"Mhmm. Have fun, try not to blow the house up while you summon them, would you? That's the last thing we need right now." she said, giving her friend a wink. She grabbed a can of cola as she went, cracking it open with her teeth. She took a swig from it, coughing a bit. "Ugh… this is diet."
Rin shook her head as she headed down to her father's study. She had work to do and she wanted to keep it to herself for as long as possible.
xxx
Despite the snow having stopped falling, it was still unbearably cold. The wind was blowing from the west, and with it came swirling drifts of snow. The buildings of Miyama Town did their best to shield them, but walking in the open streets was still unbearable.
A few reinforcement spells were all Eiji needed, thankfully he and Rin were capable of just that. The pair walked close together, their coats tightly buttoned and their hoods firmly placed. Vitch had gone ahead, moving from building to building and providing them with cover. Jeanne had of course, taken the road ahead, not wanting to speak with anything. She held her flag in her grasp, the banner billowing loudly behind her. It felt almost as if she was leading a platoon of soldiers into battle. Perhaps that's how she saw it. The obsidian-clad woman moved forward without a care in the world, her hair moving in all directions as she walked.
Ereshkigal took care of the rear, her spear in hand, eyes firmly locked on her surroundings, that of course left Cerise to walk by the two Masters, being the last line of protection in case they were attacked. Things had been far too quiet for their liking. The buildings in Miyama Town were shells of their former selves. The normally lit office buildings had gone dark weeks ago, think sheets of ice coated the once shimmering Plexiglas. Nearby businesses were boarded up, large painted "Closed" signs being written in Hiragana.
The building that had stood out the most was one of Fuyuki's most famous. Acros Tower, a large, needle-like structure that had been completed in 2012. It was a 500-meter tall building that had been built by a famous corporation. It boasted a large mall, an aquarium, a bookstore, a concert hall, and a theater. The outlook on the top floor was one of the famous attractions as it allowed visitors to see all of Fuyuki City. He still remembered when the tower was being built, it had been the first development in Fuyuki in years. He had never visited the tower after it had been completed but had heard all about it from school friends. The tower now sat abandoned, the ice and snow that stuck to it reflected the light in all directions, making it glow a brilliant white. He felt Rin tap his shoulder, tearing his eyes away from the tower.
"You keep staring at the tower, something wrong?"
"Just admiring it. I never got to see it after it was completed. I remember a large conglomerate built it and rented out office space on the 5,6,7, and 8th floors, along with floors 12-14. I heard a video gaming company was going to start work there but I left before they got here."
"It was an overseas company, someone from Microsoft if I remember correctly. I think they were trying to make the Xbox more popular in the Japanese market. But you know what they say, Japan will always favor Sony and Nintendo over Microsoft." she said, earning a chuckle from the young man.
"Ain't that the truth. After the shitty launch of the Xbox One and the Red Ring incident with the 360s, I lost faith in the system. I still have a working PS2, meanwhile, I bought four Xbox 360s and they all died within a year of purchase, pieces of shit."
"They just don't make them like they used to, huh Master?" Ereshkigal piped up, a catty grin on her lips. "I bet you I could make an even better gaming console than whatever is on the market now. In fact, if we ever have spare parts, I think I will make one. The alchemist in me is practically begging me to make something."
"Oh great, the Great Queen of Kur is going into game development, how quaint."
"No need to be an ass about it, Rin," Cerise said, shaking her head. "We should remain focused on the task ahead."
"Hey Master, I just wanna give you a heads up, there seems to be a roadblock a few blocks ahead of us," Vitch said, her voice buzzing from the radio clipped to the man's shoulder. He grabbed ahold of it, holding the button down.
"A roadblock? Can we get around it?"
"Well, technically speaking, we can go straight through it. It isn't a roadblock in the sense that there's something blocking our path. It's a roadblock in the sense it's a person." she replied, causing the man to stop.
"A person?"
"Hey boss, you're gonna wanna check this out." Jeanne suddenly said, making him lookup. He took a few steps forward, grabbing a hold of the binoculars she was holding out to him. To his surprise, the one who was standing a few blocks away from them was his partner.
He took off in silence, struggling to run in the snow. It crunched loudly beneath him, the streets of Miyama Town, while plowed, still had plenty of ice and snow on them, making it difficult to even move normally. He slid to a stop after several meters, pausing in front of a four-way intersection. The wind picked up as he looked onward, locking eyes with Hinako who stood before him unmoving. Cao-Cao stood close behind, spear in his grasp, ready to fight if need be. The wind picked up again, ruffling their clothing a bit, the woman's hair blew in her face, but she didn't seem bothered by it. He remained silent for a moment before steeling his nerves, finally speaking.
"I thought you were dead, Hinako. The academy was attacked so suddenly that I-"
"Save it, I don't care for whatever prattle you are about to give me. I didn't come to share platitudes nor did I come to check on you. I just wanted to let you know, from here on out, I will be acting on my own." she spat, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Had we done what I proposed, the school likely wouldn't have been attacked. Hell, I'm sure we would be at home with the Holy Grail by now."
"You don't know that, Hinako. But I'm not going to argue anything with you, if you think you can do this without my help, fine, do what you want. Just as long as you don't cross my path. I would rather not have you as an enemy. It wouldn't be good for Chaldea's Masters to start fighting among themselves." Eiji replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Boy, you got some nerve talking to him like that. Isn't he the leader of your team? Where do you get off speaking to him like that?"
"First off, Tohsaka, this doesn't concern you. You are just a third party, someone who is liable to do more harm than good. Not to mention your life will be forfeit the moment we fix this singularity. Second, Eiji is not my team leader. I happen to be a part of Chaldea's A team, the one his half-ass team is trying to replace."
"Halfass? I'll have you know, all of us passed our entrance exams. We earned our positions in Chaldea, I didn't ask to become the Team Leader. Da Vinci awarded it to me and I had to accept it. I was put in command of our little scout party, but if you don't agree with what I have to say, that's fine. At the end of the day, I can't stop you from doing what you want, but don't you dare speak to my friend like that." the man spat, his anger rising.
"See, that's your problem. Instead of focusing on the problem at hand, you are mingling with the locals. You shouldn't even be speaking with this woman, she is clearly distracting you. Look at what happened at the Academy. All of that could have been avoided if we attacked the West Side of the City as I proposed!"
"Or you could have ended up dead. Are you insane? Do you think it's a wise idea to launch an attack on a city that's armed to the teeth? Look at how many men they sent to the academy. All of them with military-grade weaponry. They brought a fucking tank! Not to mention Four Heroic Spirits were there too." Rin said, glaring at the woman. "But sure, go ahead and attack them, it's your funeral."
"Hey, we shouldn't be arguing like this. We're all on the same team, right? We all want this eternal winter to end, but we can't achieve that if we're at each other's throats!" Ereshkigal said, shaking her head in disdain. "You agree, right Cao-Cao?"
"Fighting isn't a recommended course of action, however, I will follow whatever my Master orders, at the end of the day, she summoned me. If she believes acting on our own is for the best, then that's what I shall do. I apologize for any trouble we may cause in the future," the man said with a bow.
"Why don't we all just take a deep breath and calm down. We all want the same thing, right?" Cerise asked, earning nods from the three Masters. "Excellent, then we should go with our original plan of meeting with Ruler. Speak with her, see what she's planning. If you agree with what she has proposed, then awesome, if not, then we all go our separate ways. We can do that, right?"
"I suppose we can do that," Eiji said, glancing at Hinako. "Is that alright with you?"
"That's fair enough, I'll agree to that. We shall journey together to Ruler's domain, but after that, we will be off on our own. We will attack the Western City, whether you want to or not." the woman said firmly, turning to her servant. "Rider, retrieve the vehicle you procured, it shall get us to Yggdrasil faster than going on foot."
"Yes, Master. I shall be back momentarily," he said, flashing away in brilliant sparkles.
"Wow… you even got yourself a car, that's impressive."
"Wasn't hard, seeing as there's an abundance of them. I move faster on my own, honestly, I should have been the one to have come here. I likely would have finished this faster if I had." Hinako boasted, her crimson eyes locking on Eiji. "I will say, at least you can handle more than one servant, which is a feat all on its own. But you don't even come close to the level of Kirchstaria Wodime. He is a far better leader than you are."
Eiji remained silent, not wanting to say anything. He would rather let the young woman vent, he knew she was angry about something. She continued, ignoring the glares Ereshkigal, Jeanne, Rin, and Cerise were giving her, as she turned away from the group. "Why Da Vinci even picked you is beyond me. You might be an A+ ranked Magus, but you are not leader material. You'll never be half the man Kirchstaria Wodime is. I wonder what he would have done in your place, he likely wouldn't have mingled with the locals, and he wouldn't be chasing a girl from a bygone era either. Open your eyes, Itsuka, before someone rips them out of your skull."
Cao-Cao arrived in an armored military transport a moment later, parking in front of the group. Hinako climbed into the passenger seat moments later, slamming the door shut. The audible clicks of the opening of the back door filled the air, cutting over the rumble of the engine. Hinako's window lowered, the rider class servant being visible within.
"Get in, we'll be there within an hour if the roads are favorable."
Eiji gave the man a nod, silently telling the servants to climb into the car. Vitch appeared before him, giving Eiji a look of concern before climbing into the car. Rin was about to say something, but he remained silent. He waited for a moment before finally climbing in, taking a seat in the back with Ereshkigal and Cerise. Once they were all inside, Cao-Cao started driving.
"Just drive straight toward the bay, the ice is frozen enough for the car to drive on it. Yggdrasil should be around 5 miles out."
"Yes, ma'am."
The group became silent again, as they drove off into the distance. Eiji leaned back against the side of the car, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He felt Ereshkigal tugging on his sleeve, making him open his eyes. She had a look of sadness on her face, her lips pursed into a frown.
"Are you alright, Master?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"You spent a week unconscious after taking down that Giant, Master. The last thing we need is you becoming too stressed. If you feel sick or anything, let anyone of us know, we'll take care of it," Vitch said, giving her Master a genuine smile. Eiji gave her one in return, patting her head lovingly.
"I appreciate it, Tamamo. I'll be fine, just have a lot of things to chew over, not to mention I have to have my story straight for when we speak with Ruler," he replied, leaning back against the side of the truck. He clenched his fist tightly, feeling something pierce through his glove, pricking the center of his palm. He opened his hand a moment later, seeing the Team Leader pin Da Vinci had given him in his grasp.
"Hinako is right, Da Vinci made a mistake… All I'm good for is being weak and making poor choices. Maybe she should take over from me. I shouldn't have come here." he thought to himself, as he kept looking at the pin. This didn't go unnoticed, as Rin had been peering over the seat, keeping a close eye on him. She grit her teeth in anger.
"I'm gonna have a word with Hinako when we get out of this damn truck. Who the fuck does she think she is, talking to Eiji like that?"
"Do you want me to cut her head off Master? I think she'd make an excellent target for me to practice on."
"What? No, are you insane Saber? We don't just cut people's heads off. Stay out of my thoughts!"
"Hehehe… sorry, Master. You kinda broadcasted that thought to me. I'm keeping a close eye on the truck from the rooftops. I'll be following on horseback shortly after. Let me know if you need me." the feminine voice said, slowly disappearing from her mind. She sighed, briefly wondering if she had summoned the right servant.
A/N: Hello everyone! This is section 9 of Fuyuki! I can't believe 9 sections have already been written. I'm happy with how it's turning out, we are close to the end of this arc, and the heavy battles will be happening soon. I've already decided to have 15 sections in total for this section, though that honestly depends on the nature of the arc. I finished Section 10 a few minutes ago and am planning the next few battles before the final confrontation. I really wanted to be finished in time for a Valentine's Day special but there's no way I will be able to do that. So instead, I will be doing a "White Day" event, depending on how Singularity 2 goes. I am planning a small break while I plan Singularity 2, though I already know who the protags will be, the servants that will be used, and where it will be, so that's good. So that's good I guess.
There might be an event between Fuyuki and Singularity 2, but I have no idea what that will be haha. I guess I'll let the chips fall where they may. Uh... I don't have much in the ways of news for the story, aside from the first four singularities being plotted out and having their locations, protags, and locations being settled. If you have ideas for potential events/distortions, do drop me a PM, I appreciate all suggestions! If not that's fine too. I hope you all are having a good day, it's once again snowing here, but such is the fate of New England, haha. See you all later!
