Chaldea's Plans.


It has been a little over a month since the dark creatures have arrived. Locals have started calling them 'Darklings', while those of the Church consider them to be beings from Hell itself, Demons, with Magus considering them to be dangerous Demonic Beasts from some unknown realm. In a way, they weren't exactly wrong.

"Got it." Rider Class Da Vinci grinned as she was finally able to analyze one of the creatures fully, and just in time to as it then began disappearing. Her small little hands then grabbing a tablet and analyzing the data. "Let's see what we got here, hm." A lot of negative values, no natural organs in it. The closest to blood was that ichor stuff which soon vanished afterward. Not much in the brain, heck, these things had no brain.

"So they're not fully physical, but a mixture of a construct and given the ability to interact in the physical world." Da Vinci taps the data as she observes more. Finding interest in studying these 'Darklings' bio-data. Uh, Darklings. How she wished she got a better name for them and named them herself.

But some punk called in America got to name them first.

"Da Vinci." Smiling, the small Servant turned and saw Mash entering her little lab. She carried a tray with nice tea and a few treats on it. "I brought you something to eat. If you're not busy of course."

"Thanks Mash." Da Vinci cheered as she grabbed the tea and sipped it. A satisfying taste to her tongue, with a smile blooming on her face. "Ah. Good as always."

"I'm glad you like it." Mash smiled. She then turned and saw the empty cage where the Darkling had been, and then saw the tablet. The data it had on the creature and what they learned. "So you got more information on the Darklings."

"I did." Da Vinci then radiated a proud aura around her. Proof of her genius and at times, ego. "And I learned these things are somewhat similar to familiars of our own world, with some added stuff in it."

"Oh." Mash says as she then puts down the tray. Recalling how the Darklings had strange abilities that differed here and there, like the one called a Skull Ghost that could possess inanimate things. "So then does that mean we can learn more if we made a contract with them."

"Possibly." Da Vinci says before grumbling. "Some Magus in the East have actually successfully made a contract with these things. Though they're hard to control still, not to mention they're using them for less than good reasons.

"Like the terrorist group in England that tried assassinating their minister." Word had it some notorious men tried killing people using what Ireland called a Knucleavee to kill the minister.

"Yep." Da Vinci nods. "On the bright side, thanks to the world's knowledge, we have identified some of these things that match our own mythology. With some differences of course."

Things have gotten a bit better since these Darklings arrived here. These creatures of evil that many consider rampaging spirits, have caused much damage since their initial arrival. Now, while still bad with many dead, the Darkling situation is being taken care of much better with nations all over bringing the right gear. Even if it's for their own selfish reasons, some Magus have also helped out.

As for Chaldea, they had decided to secretly send some Servants to certain areas where the problem was really bad. Thankfully, the UN accepted the plan and felt they should do the same, contracting their own Servants to help out. So overall, things were looking good. Except for one little thing.

"I'm back." Cu, the great Hound of Ireland, grinned as he entered the room where Mash and Da Vinci had been talking. His spear having some dark liquid on it with some slight claw marks on him. Nothing a little magic couldn't heal. "Gotta admit, nice to see at long last those cowards got the courage to make it to the Antarctic."

"Because it's so nice that Darklings are here." Da Vinci rolled her eyes with Mash sighing.

Truth be told, while they had been safe at first for the entity of the month, at long last for whatever reason the Darklings have arrived here in their rebuilt Chaldea base. Representing 'Ice Age' creatures, the Darklings attempted to assault the Chaldea base. From the giant mammoths to the Saber tooth beasts and even flying dragons and centipedes. All aimed to attack and destroy them all from within.

They didn't even last ten minutes.

"Hey!" Da Vinci calls out to Cu. "Don't go killing them all off just yet! I need more to study them!"

"Then can't you get Medea to do it. She already has five of them." Cu points out how a few Casters actually made contracts with the Darklings, for reasons of their own. Mostly labor in some cases.

"Tch She never let me." Da Vinci growls as Medea and the others like Circe just won't let her. Stating she could capture some on her own. Well she could!...If she just didn't want to relax in the base, which she did. Cu just shrugged and went on his way.

"Well good luck then. Fergus and I are going to see how many kills we got." He then chuckled. "Though I bet Beowulf also got a good amount. He sure loves killing those Werewolves." He then left the two alone as Da Vinci rolled her eyes and moved to get back to work. Particularly on the latest project Chaldea was doing.

The ability to hop into other dimensions.

"So Da Vinci," Mash then decided to ask as she then sat down. "How goes the project into entering the Darklings home world?"

"Glad you asked." Da Vinci smirks as she then moves her swirly chair towards a computer and turns it on. After inputting the password and clicking a file, an image was shown. A type of cylindrical generator with clear tubes and Quartz as the fuel line connected to three Holy Grails with some magical runes etched into it. Though it did look somewhat incomplete missing some machinery here and there with the light it generated being dim.

"We have been doing well in utilizing the Imaginary Space combined with the aid of Zelretch's apprentice in helping us out." Da Vinci tells her as she then clicks an image that shows what appears to be their world with another image next to it being all blurry. "Because of her, we have been utilizing her experience with the Second Magic and have used it as a blueprint to create a jump[ from our world to whatever realm these Darklings come from."

"Have you gotten a clear image of their world?" Mash then asked, noticing the blurry image.

"Nope." Da Vinci mutters. "We actually got word of some Magus students trying to read into the mind of the Darklings."

"Uh...did it end well?" Mash asks, though already felt she knew what happened.

"Take a look at this." A new image popped up and Mash flinched at the images of the students who were tearing at their face. That wasn't pretty at all. "Yeah, those idiots thought it was bright to just utilize their Magecraft and see whatever memories these things have." Da Vinci shook her head at these idiots who weren't prepared. "Total mental shock with them repeating how they kept seeing death and some witch. They went insane towards whatever they saw."

"Witch you say?" Mash tilts her head.

"Nothing credible Mash." Da Vinci waves off the idiotic words of the fools who did it. "They just went crazy and started saying weird stuff like broken moon, a silver eye, and a sword that shoots bullets." Da Vinci then showed information on a part of the Grimm. "From what I got from El-Melloi II, attempts to peer into their minds seem to cause contamination within a person's soul. Not pretty stuff if I dare say."

"The soul!" Mash says worryingly.

"Yeah, these things are pretty much soulless. Construct familiars." Da Vinci tells her as she then shows a creature of a Darkling, one of the giant birds in fact. "Holmes has already run investigations that these things go after people with negative emotions. However, we discovered recently they also seem to like Magus even more." The next image shows a Darkling Griffon chasing a sole Magus despite so many other people nearby. "When the Mage Association went out to deal with these things, some got attacked and they noted that these things kept going after them. One Magus got hit by some beetle and well...apparently a good chunk of their soul was gone."

Mash gasped. She knew these things were dangerous, especially to ordinary people. But to think these things could even harm the soul. That wasn't good. Da Vinci noticed the look on Mash's face and then flicked her on the nose, making her gasp.

"Don't worry." She told her. "Only specific Darklings seem to affect the soul. The only other way to be contaminated is unless you make a connection to them beyond forcing a contract on them. Still...there have been problems with them."

"Problems."

"The Daemon kind." Da Vinci sighs. "Apparently those freaks can occupy the Grimm's bodies since they're soulless and other variables that I won't bother explaining. Just know, that the Church apparently have their hands full and have decided to force one of their own onto us when we get the Dimension Hopper up and running." She then grunted. "It was already annoying when Zelretch's apprentice forced her way in, now this too."

"Eh." Mash says in slight surprise. "The Tohsaka family is getting involved?" That was a surprise. Everyone knew the Tohsaka's had a slight connection to the wielder of the Second Magic, and is the owner of Fuyuki and one of the creators of the Holy Grail Wars. So while it was amazing the apprentice allowed them to have an analysis of the formulas to the Second Magic, for Miss Tohsaka to join was amazing.

"Apparently her man got injured when the Darklings came." Da Vinci clarified. "When the Darklings arrived, they literally came out of thin air. So it isn't a surprise some came next to people, or even in the showers." Both girls shivered.

"So then that means-" Da Vinci nodded.

"Yep. Tohsaka's husband was minding his own business when one came right next to him and ripped off his entire right arm and crippled his left leg." Da Vinci then chuckled. "And he still managed to kill it and all the Darklings in the area. Heck, the only reason that he didn't kill more is because of blood loss." If she remembered right, man got some fancy new prosthetics. So good for him.

"Understood." While Mash felt bad for this man, it was amazing he still managed to kill many. And now because of said incident, the owner of Fuyuki will come personally and help him. 'I wonder what she's like?' She was unable to find much information on her, so she'll meet her face to face including appearance. That should be interesting.

"In any case, how goes things for your little lovers." Da Vinci teased Mash who blushed, as she was once more reminded of her new relationship with the Fujimaru siblings. IOt was great!

"F-fine." Mash blushed. "Thankfully, they're parents made it out when the Darklings struck, and are spending some time with them after all this time of being away from home."

"Yeah. makes sense they'd want to visit family." Da Vinci agrees. She then smirked and gave a knowing look to Mash. "So...Did they give you their blessings?"

"Da Vinci!" Mash says, mortified! Blushing even more while the genius herself laughs. Even worse, no. She still hasn't talked to the parents. Oh, was it going to be an awkward one when she shows and the three tells the parents they were in a three-way relationship. That was going to be a very uncomfortable talk. Hopefully it all works out.

"Well then," Da Vinci then continued on and went back to her work. "Aside from your new relationship problems," Mash huffed. "Pretty soon, we'll get this thing working and find the homeworld of the Darklings. I have to admit, this is really making things fun. To see a whole other world."

"Especially since this is a world that isn't part of our Human Order." Mash nods, also curious in seeing this new dimension. "Although, with the Darklings as an indicator, won't it just be a world full of monsters?"

"Nope." Da Vinci says with confidence. "From what we learned, these things, they know how to kill humans." Reports were that they avoided all forms of animal life and only went after humans. Or in some cases, familiars Magus summoned that had a high intelligence. "Our brightest have already determined these things go after sapient beings, meaning wherever they come from, has their own lifeforms on it."

"Humans?"

"Possibly. Though since this is another world, and taking a page from the Trecking of the Stars show, could be aliens." Though considering how so many of these creatures eerily look like earth myths and animals, Da Vinci felt it was likely humans. But if not, then she wouldn't mind aliens. Just as long as they weren't jerks like the self-proclaimed Alien God. Man was that a depressing battle.

"Still," Mah sat down and thought of the new journey they would have. "To enter another world. A genuinely new world...I hope it won't involve a threat to our world. Like the Incinerations and Whitening."

"I hope so too, but considering what's happening now, I can't think of this but an invasion." After all, while some of the Darklings showed intelligence, no way these things had the knowledge to bust into another world. Something allowed them to enter their realm. A mastermind had to be in charge, and messing with their world. The situation with the Darkling is alright now, but while much lower than when this first started, these things still kept coming across the globe. Being here now in fact in Antarctica.

No way these monsters knew where their base was. Meaning they were led here. As such, while it was still unofficial, many are already considering the Darklings homeworld to be a threat to humanity. With the more extremist saying they needed to destroy their world. So Da Vinci, despite what she said earlier, deep down really hoped that whatever world they had really was just a world full of monsters and nothing else. Because if there were lifeforms, good lifeforms, then a choice would have to be made.

The question was, will it be the right choice?


The true tragedy with the Lostbelts is that they could have gotten better. But for the true Earth to live, Chaldea had to wipe it out. So once they get to remnant, well, expect the future Arc to involve a war between two worlds.

And yeah. Even if he's not a Servant and lost an arm and a crippled leg, Emiya is a badass and took out over a hundred Grimm until blood loss happened. Don't mess with Rin's man!