Fourth Singularity, Part 4: Trouble in the Boroughs
1888
"Have you really not touched it yet?" Mash asked the floating Servant as their grouped approached the metallic coffin.
"I have not." The Caster replied, floating above the Shielder, peering over her. "I did not wish to disturb the place even further."
"We definitely should open it." Mordred said, being the closest to the coffin. "This is what your Casters were talking about, right? The creature?"
"Presumably." Mash answered with a nod, before she turned her attention back to their Master, as he inspected the corpse of Victor Frankenstein. "Senpai? Should we open it?"
"Hold on, Mash." Ritsuka replied, his hands unfurling the stiff fingers of the corpse. "He's holding something."
With surprising difficulty, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, stained with ink and blood. He straightened the piece of parchment as best as he could as he stood back up, trying to make sense of what was written, seeing the hurried writing. He nodded to himself, before his blue eyes met that of Mash's. "It looks like he figured out who the masterminds are. He only wrote initials though."
"Well? Spit it out then."
"Ahem." He reread the words before reciting it out loud. "I learned of a certain plot. Its name is 'Project Demonic Fog.' Though its present state is still unknown. The four leaders of the project are 'P', 'B', 'M', and 'V', and they could cast spells beyond human wisdom. They must be Heroic Spirits."
"Well that's not really much." He said with a furrowed grimace. His eyes looked up to meet theirs again. "There's nothing else but scribbles after this, so I guess this was the moment he died."
"Then that would explain why he only wrote initials." Mash said in understanding.
"Just leave it to the Casters. They can figure that shit out." Mordred said from beside the coffin. "What do we do with this?"
"Is there a way to open it?" he asked as he moved to approach the group. The Caster floated towards him, hanging between him and Mash.
"Not that I can see." Mordred responded, her fist clenching around her sword.
He noticed it. "You want to break it open." He said, not bothering with a question.
"I see no other way to open it. It's probably tied to Victor's life, or some other mage crap." The Knight said with a shrug, holding the sword with both hands as she prepared to strike the coffin.
"Do we need to open it?" Mash asked with uncertainty.
"If we leave this here, your enemies might take advantage of it." The Caster said, leaning her face closer to the Demi-Servant.
Mash's brows furrowed in frustration. "Then, why don't we take it with us, and open it back at base?"
"Then that means one of us will have the additional responsibility of protecting it." Ritsuka said with a grimace. "With who knows how many creatures are out there, I'd rather not have anyone of us be distracted."
"Well said, Master." Red lightning crackled along the blade, as Mordred held it back sideways. "Stand back."
"Don't use too much of your power." Ritsuka told the Saber as he moved behind Mash. "There's still something inside."
"Understood!" with a flare of power, she swung her sword.
The already haphazard room became even more of a mess, as every book, paper, debris, and other miniscule thing was blown away by the blast. When the wind settled, they saw the result of Mordred's work. The coffin's front lid was bifurcated, the coils holding the red electricity that was the result of her attack. He had to admit that he was pleasantly surprised, seeing that despite the collateral damage she caused, the rest of the coffin was mostly intact. He hoped that whatever, or whoever, was inside was still untouched.
He approached the coffin as Mordred, held her sword back, opening the coffin with her freed hand. The lid fell off its hinge, steam still obscuring whatever was inside. Mash followed behind him, with the Caster floating behind her. He waved his hand, trying to clear it as much as he could. When most of it cleared, he had to shift his gaze slightly upward at the taller figure.
Dressed in what could be considered as a sleeveless wedding gown, though the black see-through fabric made sure that it held its shape. Patterns that gave the image of petals were emphasized above the corset design. White gloves covered the hands, and he caught a glimpse of metal where the feet would be. The black bridal veil further emphasized the visage of a bride to his eyes, sat atop peach colored hair that covered the eyes, split apart in the middle by a golden colored horn that protruded. Where the ears would be looked like large headphones, though he was sure that that wasn't the case.
Ritsuka blinked his eyes, glancing to Mash while keeping his eyes on the creature. "Wasn't the story male?"
"That's what I thought too." Came her whispered reply to him.
He nodded, before moving himself closer again, noticing signs of life as the figure stirred. He held his hands on her shoulder, helping her out of the coffin. At the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Mordred had opened her helmet, seeing a look from her he couldn't quite understand. "Easy there." He said to the creature. Mash placed her shield to the side to help her along with him.
"Uuuggghhhh…" the creature looked up from her hunched and lethargic form, the hair that covered her eyes shifting away to show her mismatched eyes. Her left eye was blue, and her right eye was golden.
"Can you stand?" the Caster behind him asked, floating back down to the messy floor.
"Uuhh…" she nodded, though her legs quivering made it difficult for her to stand to her full height. Mordred help her in that regard, straightening her back with her metal gauntlets pulling the creature by her shoulders.
They heard the sound of muffled explosions, followed by tremors. The creature looked around confusedly, while the group looked at each other. The Caster looked between them, curious. "It seems things are getting hectic out there." Ritsuka commented with a chuckle. "Do you want to help them? Help Koleen-san's group?" he asked the Saber, knowing how antsy she must be feeling.
"Hell yeah I do." Mordred replied, though she shook her head to the question. "But your lives are my responsibility, and I'm not leaving you guys alone until we at least get back to Jekyll's place."
"So should we head back then?" Mash asked, picking her shield back up.
"We should." Ritsuka nodded. "We can save the introductions for later." He turned to the creature, seeing her eyes locked to the corpse. A frown was on her face, but he couldn't determine what emotion she was feeling. "Uhm, Frankenstein's… daughter?" he called unsurely.
She turned to him, and though he couldn't see her eyes, it seemed like she was surprised. "Uhm." She responded with a groan.
"Can you run? Fast?" he asked, mentally kicking himself for the stupid question.
"Uhn." She nodded.
"Alright, that's all I need." Mordred said, as her helmet shifted back into place. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Ayako scoffed before her eyes even opened, the dream still fresh in her mind as her body sluggishly tried to catch up. Everything was blurry for a few seconds, her body feeling a sudden weight on her chest, before her vision finally cleared. Once again, her eyes came to the cream colored ceiling, illuminated by the dim light. She felt the weight shift for a second, before settling down again, somewhat cluing her as to what exactly it was that was on her. Her eyes trailed downward, seeing Fou laying on her red coat, looking straight at her.
"Hey there big guy. You're not with Mash today?" she asked with a smile.
"Fou." He answered with a shake of his small head.
"Alright. Can you move a bit? I'd like to get up." The small phantasmal beast stood up, stretched, and walked up towards her head. She chuckled, before pushing herself up, letting the red coat fall off. She sighed at what she saw.
"Damn it, Circe. You could've buttoned me up." She complained to the Servant who wasn't there to hear her, buttoning up her shirt. Her golden eyes found another person in the room, sitting silently and peering through the cracks of the boards on the window, overlooking the darkened city of London. "Arturia?" she called out.
When the Saber turned to face her, she didn't find the bright smiling face she expected to see from Arturia. Not even the cold visage of the King of Knights that at times would appear. Just a very neutral expression that almost seemed unnatural on the young blonde's face. When Ayako blinked, the usual smile she expected took its place, so quick that she questioned herself if she actually saw it in the first place.
"Where is everyone?" she asked instead, her hands folding her coat as Fou nuzzled into her red hair.
"Kagiso is meditating in one of the empty lots of the complex." Arturia replied, nodding towards the door. "Shakespeare is also somewhere else in the building, claiming that he needed a quiet place for inspiration. And Dr. Jekkyl is taking a shower, although he's been in there for the past couple of hours. Everyone else left for the City of Westminster."
"So that just leaves us three, huh?" Ayako nodded, her eyes trying to see the Phantasmal Creature atop her head. She made sure she wasn't wearing her shoes before she placed her feet on the coffee table.
"That is the case, yes." She replied. Fou jumped off of Ayako's head, running across Ayako's legs towards Arturia. He made himself comfortable on her lap as she turned to face the Puppeteer. The Saber's green eyes focused on a covered bowl on the table. "Circe prepared something for you before they left."
"Did she now?" Ayako followed with her own gaze, seeing the ceramic bowl with a silver spoon laid atop the lid. "Let's hope it isn't poison."
A pout formed on Arturia's face. "She's our Caster. She wouldn't do something like poison you, one of her Masters."
"No, but she is still Circe." Ayako said with a chuckle, taking the bowl into her own hands. "Poison's part of her repertoire." She raised a spoon of the porridge-looking meal, and took a bite out of it. As she chewed on the meal, her brows furrowed.
"Is it not good?" Arturia asked, her head tilting slightly.
"No." Ayako replied. "It doesn't taste bad. It's just… flavorless." She took another bite, tasting the food, and nodded as if to confirm her earlier words.
"Hm, I'm sure her heart's in the right place." Arturia said with a smile.
Ayako continued eating in silence, trying to finish the meal that was prepared for her, even if the flavorless nature of the food made it difficult to stomach. The silver lining throughout all of this was the fact that she felt her body being rejuvenated, the lethargy slowly seeping out of her. When she finished the food, she made her way towards the kitchen, with the intent of washing the bowl as a curtesy for the still yet unseen Dr. Jekyll. When she came back to the living room, she found the man had joined them, with his hair still damp.
"I see you've freshened up, Dr. Jekyll." She announced herself to the room, startling the man in his seat.
He turned in his seat to ace her, smiling nervously. "Yes… I really needed it."
Her brows furrowed at the anxiety he was showing, until she remembered the man's story. As much as she could, anyways. She wasn't one to read most English literature, so her knowledge in regards to the man sitting before her was rather scarce. "Hope you didn't waste any water in there." She chose to comment, promptly tabling the thought to the side as she made her way back to where her coat was.
He grimaced as if he was caught doing something he shouldn't have. "I might have. I lost myself inside there."
She arrived back at the sofa, sitting at the edge to be closer to the Alchemist. She snapped her fingers before his eyes, startling him. "You still there?"
"Uh, yes. Of course, I'm still here." He replied through blinking eyes. "Do you have any plans?"
"Nothing at the moment." She replied, leaning into the sofa. "My friends had come up with one, so I will trust in their judgements."
He stared at her for a good few silent seconds, before his mouth opened to reply. The door suddenly opening halted his action, as Chaldea's Shaman returned, his body coated with the white smoke she had gotten used to seeing. He closed the door behind him, nodding to everyone in the room, before moving to join her.
"What did you get?" Ayako asked as he settled himself, the smoke dissipating on his form.
"My ancestors are not too keen on this land." He replied with a slight grimace on his face. "It is too… lifeless, to them."
"Yeah, I can see that." She agreed with an understanding nod. "The smog will no doubt get worse too. This is but a taste of what's to come."
"They also feel something stirring from the skies." He continued after her tangent. "Something favorable for us."
"Well, that sounds good." She glanced to the boarded up window, behind Arturia. "I doubt they speak of the Ring, though."
"I thought so too." He said as he flexed his hands, audible cracks filling the room.
"So we will just sit here and wait?" Jekyll asked again, fidgeting in his seat, looking anxious and uncertain.
"We need not complicate matters by throwing in wrenches into a moving machine." Ayako explained, her golden eyes narrowing onto him. "When the other party throws the wrench, we will fix it. But we will not meddle in their affairs unless we are needed."
"Master Ayako, Master Kagiso." The Saber called out, her green eyes still locked outside. "Master Ritsuka is approaching, with guests."
"Oh, is that so?" the Shaman asked curiously. "Who do you see?"
"A tall bride, and a small floating child." She replied as she glanced their way.
"Huh?" the three humans shared in their confusion.
Jekyll shook his head before standing up, rubbing his hands together as he glanced towards his kitchen. "I'll, prepare something for them. A warm drink, perhaps."
Kagiso stood up himself with a nod to the Alchemist. "I'll go ahead and try and find Shakespeare."
"Alright, then the three of us here will hold the fort." Ayako said, gesturing to Arturia and Fou. They all shared a nod, before splitting up. Jekyll, to his kitchen, and Kagiso, towards the door to the rest of the apartment.
Ayako stretched her arms above her head, the corner of her lips curling up to a smile when she felt weight on her lap, seeing Fou adjust himself on her again. Her hands then scoured her folded red coat, doing a quick inventory of her runestones. When she was satisfied that everything was in place, she looked around the room.
"Where's my gun?" she asked the only other person left in the room.
"It is under the coffee table." Arturia replied, already moving to retrieve said weapon. She placed it on the tabletop, before moving back to her spot by the window.
Ayako moved herself to the floor, sitting closer to the coffee table as she began taking apart the rifle. She hadn't given the weapon a full rundown maintenance since she laid down the hammer before the French Singularity. There were a lot of parts within the Mystic Code that kept it running, the amount of work she put into it to push it beyond just a gun that shoots magical bullets. There were many people that told her, simply turning a gun into a Mystic Code was a futile effort. Yet she has seen the exceptions. And from those exceptions, she strived to prove that it wasn't a rarity, but a reachable possibility.
Her rifle was fully disassembled by the time Ritsuka's group had returned, coming into the apartment with a knock. The door opened to his ragged breathing, looking visibly exhausted, with his Magic Circuits fading. His uniform was stained by his building sweat, no longer looking pristine. Following behind him was Mash, her shield thumping heavily as she leaned into it the moment she took a step inside. A floating child, dressed in black, followed right after, smiling as she looked around the room in wonderment. A tall… woman(?) in a bridal gown, leaning on the wall tiredly, gazing at them with hesitance, her anxiety shown on her body. Mordred closed the group at the rear, her body language showing her to be completely calm as she shut the door behind her.
"That's why you shouldn't skip out on your training with Martha, Ritsu-chan." Ayako said with an amused smirk.
His brows furrowed in frustration, no doubt words of protest were threatening to spill, if his body weren't so caught up with heaving. Mash shook her head beside him, showing a light smile at his antics. She had said multiple times that she wouldn't mind accompanying him during the Ruler's training regimen, and yet still he tried to weasel his way out of it.
"We got a couple of strays with us." Mordred announced, as her helmet folded into her armor. "A Rogue, and Victor's… daughter."
The woman in the bridal gown nodded affirmatively. "Uhn!"
"Victor? Who's Victor?" the Puppeteer asked.
"He's my correspondent." Jekyll replied, reentering the room with a tray of cups and a teapot. "I offered another avenue for your team to approach."
"Ah, I see, I see." She nodded in understanding, turning to the bride again. "And you are?"
The tall woman took a step back unsurely, shifting away from her. Ayako held back the frown that wanted to form. "Is something wrong?"
"I don't think she has a name yet, Ayako." Mash said, drawing the Puppeteer's eyes towards her.
"She doesn't? Rea- wait…" her right thumb and finger covered her eyes, going through the information that she had just received. There wasn't much to go on, but with a name like Victor, and a daughter that only felt vaguely human to her, there really wasn't anything else other than that for her mind to go on, even though it felt like a stretch. "Your father's Victor Frankenstein?"
"Uhm." The newly identified creation nodded with a light smile on her face.
"Ah, you know who he is? Is he famous too in your time?" Jekyll asked curiously, not even surprised that they would know his correspondent's full name. He placed the tray he carried on an empty table, difficult to find one with the coffee table used for the Puppeteer's gun.
Her gaze flickered towards him for a moment, before they return to the… bride. "You could say that. You need a name though. Got anything in mind?"
"Uhm." Her answer was a shake of her head, her shoulders deflating slightly.
"Then we'll come up with one, I'm sure there'll be something fitting for you." Ayako said, planting her hand comfortingly on the creature's shoulder. The tall figure smiled in appreciation. She then turned to the floating girl. "And who's this small one?"
"She's a Rogue Servant." Ritsuka answered, finally catching his breath again. "She was at Victor's place, using it as a shelter."
The floating Servant, who had been exploring the room, turned her eyes towards her. Ayako felt a slight shiver run down her spine when she saw the Servant smile. "I am Caster, and I would like to help." She said with an even voice.
"Oh, would you mind giving us a name then?" she asked again. "We have a lot of Casters with us."
"I don't know." The small Servant tilted her head to the side. "There is only so much trust between us."
"Then how about I start first?" Ayako stood up and approached the Caster, her hand reaching forward. "I am Ayako Aozaki. Leader of this fine group."
Slowly, the Caster reciprocated her handshake, but before she could reply, the door opened again.
"I'm sorry I took a while. Shakespeare was rather stubborn." Kagiso said, announcing himself to the room as the Playwright walked in behind him.
"Ah, you're back, Mordred." Shakespeare said, and the telltale signs of irritation began showing on Mordred's shoulders.
"Shut it, Playwright. I'm in no mood for your nonsense." She said as her gauntleted fist tightened before Shakespeare could get in another word.
The Playwright chuckled at her retreating form, but he stayed his tongue. He simply turned to the group with a glint in his eyes, fully closing the door behind him.
"I see our group has grown." Kagiso said, taking in the two new people in the room. He saw where Ayako was standing, and began making his way towards her. "I am Kagiso, the group's designated healer."
"She said she doesn't trust us yet." Ayako said, nodding to the Caster, who waved her hand at the Shaman.
"Is there?" his eyes moved up and down the Caster, nodding at what he found, before he pulled back his right sleeve. "Perhaps something familiar to bond over?" he said, showing his metallic prosthetic to her.
The small Servant's eyes widened, as Kagiso got down to one knee, holding his arm out. Her black, artificial hands reached out to his forearm, fingers wrapping around his metallic joints. "Wow…"
"My dear friend here was the one that made it for me." He said with a smile, flexing his fingers one by one.
"My whole body's also like this, although you can't really tell." Ayako said, following the Shaman's lead as she too pulled back her sleeve. Then, with two of her left fingers, she touched her forearm, and whispered. Before their very eyes, what her body was actually made out of began to show itself. The veil that was enforced upon her was pulled back, if only for a short moment. The doll joints so pronounced, it was in actuality quite disconcerting at how naturally it moved.
"You can do that?" Ritsuka asked with widening eyes, mouth hanging open as his eyes locked onto her arm.
"Only for a second though." Ayako replied, releasing her hand and letting her arm return back to its intended form.
"Wow…" the small Caster remarked, her hand holding onto the two Masters' arms.
"Movement, outside." Ayako silently cursed, although she did let out a sigh as she stood back up, turning to Mordred, seeing her standing by the boarded up window beside their Saber. "Looks like weird, looking… tanks?"
Ayako hurried her steps, with Kagiso and Ritsuka following behind her. The Servants moved aside to give the three of them room, as they tried to peer through the boards. It was difficult, but there it was. Three wooden, conical vehicles, with cannons circling around their structures. Her golden eyes narrowed on the design. It was, vaguely familiar, for she had seen it before.
"There is more converging around us it seems." Shakespeare said, his voice coming from behind them, seemingly approaching the window himself.
"What, are they going to attack us?" Jekyll asked, looking around worriedly. "They've caused havoc around London, but they have steered clear of main buildings and residences!"
"Some are apparently exempted." Kagiso commented, his metallic hand bringing a fetish forth.
"Tell me guys, that design, seem familiar to any of you?" she asked them, before sneaking a glance towards the Demi-Servant. "Mash, prepare your Noble Phantasm."
"On it, Ayako."
"It does." The Shaman replied with furrowed brows.
"Very familiar." Shakespeare answered with a knowing look.
"I've seen it in a video game." Ritsuka said with worry, locking eyes with her.
"What? What is it that you see?" Jekyll asked, as the man himself was reluctant to stand so close to the window.
The four of them nodded in understanding, piecing the puzzle with their own respective deductions. By this point, the sounds of the amassing artificial army were audible to all of them. The cannons on the tanks moved upwards as much as it could, aiming its sights on the apartment. Ayako threw her red coat towards her dismantled rifle as they all retreated back.
"Mash!"
"Lord Chaldeas!" the last member of A Team slammed her massive shield onto the floor, cracking it with her weight, the shimmering glow of the shield forming before them.
Splinters and debris rained down upon them, as the cannons pierced through the building and sowing destruction around them.
They were being invaded.
2018
The Chaldean Druid grimaced, seeing the smoke rise from the explosion. The Demi-Servant's Noble Phantasm might have protected the Masters from direct fire, but the building itself was still, for all intents and purposes, exposed. The brick and mortar building began tumbling down, its foundations no longer able to hold the building up as its pieces fell apart from the enemy barrage. Its neighboring buildings weren't exempt from the blast, as the walls began crumbling before their very eyes.
He looked to the woman beside him, seeing her widening eyes. "Looks like they're gonna face ye." He commented.
The grimace seemed so out of place, compared to the picturesque smile she always had on her face, her eyes locked onto the screen. "They're going to have their work cut out for them." She said, not just in reply to him. "I won't go easy."
The Doctor turned his gaze towards them, his frown very apparent on his face. "Should we not tell them? Give them advice on how to defeat you then?"
"I'm sure they would have noticed already." The Renaissance Genius said, her words lacking her usual mirth. "And they've been around me enough times to at least understand me."
"Aozaki at least." The Director said, her own golden eyes never once leaving the monitor. "With the exception of Romani, she is the only person here in Chaldea that you frequently socialized with."
"Relatively frequently." Da Vinci corrected. "The both of us have our own responsibilities as well." She sighed again, shaking her head as a smile began reforming on her face. "Besides, I'm sure right now Ayako's probably cursing me for the bullshit I'm putting her through. To use her words, of course."
Cú Chulainn chuckled amusedly. "Sounds like her alright." He said, before he felt something shift within him. He planted his wooden staff on the floor, stopping himself from almost tripping. The people around him noticed. "What…"
"Seems like they're using them already." Da Vinci said as a smirk formed on her face.
It took a second for the group to understand what she meant. "The Shadow Servants." The Director noted with a nod.
The Doctor nodded along, before giving his terminal his undivided attention. "I will check if any of the other Servants felt something off."
"Are you alright?" Da Vinci asked the druid, placing her clawed gauntlet on his shoulder.
"Ye, I'm fine. Wasn't expecting it." He replied, standing himself back up straight. His red eyes narrowed back onto the monitor, searching for something. Something specific, if at least to confirm.
"There I am." He said upon noticing the shadow figure that seemed to somewhat resemble him. The obscuring shadow, and the fog the Singularity was emitting, made it difficult to discern.
"I see two more." The Director said, pointing directly at them. "It looks like, Saint Martha, and Sanson."
"One from each Master then." The Doctor commented.
"Let's hope all that muscle will be enough." The Druid said, tapping his staff on the floor before holding it on his shoulder. "It seems like the enemy has had enough of being passive."
The other three nodded, putting their hopes and trust on the chosen few below.
1888
She coughed out the dust that she unconsciously inhaled, her back lying on a toppled beam. She looked up, seeing the many floors that they had fallen from. Mash still stood at the top, holding the Noble Phantasm even though most of them were down here. Jekyll was the only other person that hadn't fallen, looking down on them with panicked eyes.
She coughed again as she rubbed her eyes, her ears ringing from the cannons that were still firing. "Fucking hell, Da Vinci, you bastard." She said beneath her breath, though she wasn't actually trying to hide it. She sat herself up, her arms clutching her red coat, haphazardly wrapped around the parts of her gun. She felt movement inside it as well.
She opened it, just a tiny bit, before a blur of white leapt out, landing on her shoulder. She chuckled when she felt Fou settle himself on her, as she traced two runes on her red coat.
ᚲ ᚱ
Kenaz, of the Torch. Reið of the Journey. The runes lit up before it was absorbed by the red coat. "Greina."
As if a passing thought just occurred, she smiled when she confirmed that all of her pieces were accounted for. "Everyone!" she called out to the group, her hands tightening her red coat into a makeshift sack.
She didn't hear them, more so felt the shifting around her. Kagiso and Ritsuka were near her as they too got up. She gave them a nod even though they were still gathering themselves. They had no time to dilly dally.
"Shakespeare!" she yelled, unsure of where the Playwright was, but she needed him to hear her wherever he was. "I need eyes, now! Who, what, and where they are!"
"As the Valkyrie wills it!" was his immediate response. The heat of the situation made her not register the word he used, all that mattered was his confirmation.
"Arturia, Mordred! Deal with the tanks! I need them gone, immediately!" she called to the Sabers.
"Understood, Master!" Arturia replied, as a blur of white and red shot out of the debris.
"Little Caster, please support them!" she said to the floating Caster just slightly above them. She didn't get an answer, but the small Caster followed behind the Sabers.
She felt a tug on her shirt, and turned around. The tall daughter of Frankenstein was still here, her white gown disheveled and askew. "Uhn." She grunted.
"You want to help?" Ayako asked, getting a nod from the artificial human. "Alright, you'll be with us."
"And what will we do, Ayako?" Kagiso asked as he and Ritsuka surrounded her.
She met their eyes with a nod, visibly making sure that they were alright. "We will scour through this mess and try to find survivors. Jekyll wasn't the only person living in this apartment. That goes for you too, Doctor!" she called out, looking back up.
"I will try as much as I can!" he answered her, before disappearing from their view.
She nodded back even though he wasn't there to see her, before shifting her attention back to her fellow Masters. "Before that, we need to call backup."
"You mean Koleen-san?" her fellow Japanese asked. She shook her head.
"The Shadow Servants." She said, gesturing to the Command Spells on her wrist.
"It does seem like it is needed." Kagiso said, his hand touching his chest where his own was. "This mass seems much more limitless than before."
"I'll try first, to see if it works." She held her hand out, closed into a fist as the Command Spell flared with power. She closed her eyes to concentrate, feeling the heat burning on her skin.
When she opened her eyes, a shadow began forming before them. Taller than even Kagiso. Smoke-like shadow almost obscured its form, but it was clear enough to her. Clear enough to them. The one and only Druid of Chaldea. The face was featureless, indistinct. It truly was a shadow.
"I need artillery raining down around us." She commanded. The Shadow didn't give her any direct response, simply rushing out into the fray.
"Looks like it works." Kagiso commented. "Let's give the call, Ritsuka."
Ritsuka nodded beside him. "Let's." he replied, as he too began raising his own hand.
A second passed as power flared between them, and now she too could see the shadows appearing. One, feminine, with heavy hands. The other, a large coat with an even larger sword. "Cull their numbers." Kagiso commanded the Shadow of Martha.
"Defend us." Ritsuka followed up, and like before, the Shadow Servants did not respond. Saint Martha's Shadow leapt through the debris, while Sanson's stood nearby, massive sword in hand.
The three Masters nodded to each other, and turned to the tall daughter. She stood there, waiting patiently for them. Ayako placed her hand on the taller person's shoulder, allowing Fou to run along and place himself on her shoulder. "Ready to save lives, Eve?"
Behind the hair that covered her eyes, Ayako could tell that they widened. She needed a name to call, and in the spur of the moment Ayako called out the one that fit the most. Slim hands wrapped around her arm, and Ayako could see the edge of her lips curling upward into a smile.
The newly named Eve nodded her head vigorously, her smile wide and bright and filled with hope.
"Uhn!"
The three Masters couldn't help but smile back at her enthusiasm.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
things are about to get a lot more hectic for the group, as the antagonists have decided that they're not just gonna sit on their asses and wait for Chaldea to come to them.
and what better way to combat quality, than with a limitless quantity?
we're also seeing one of the bigger changes to the Singularity here. the mats say that Makiri Zolgen was acquainted with not just Para-what's-his-name, but also Da Vinci. i felt like it wasn't a coincidence for his supposed "friend" to be summoned, so i figured having another "friend" to help out would be interesting.
of course this Da Vinci won't just be a carbon copy of Chaldea's Da Vinci, be it old or young. this Da Vinci's got something up their sleeve as well. as Chaldea's Da Vinci said, they won't go easy.
and we're going with Eve here! i'm sure a lot of you will get why i chose this name instead of the more often used "Fran", but it'll mostly get explained next chapter. all i'll say, is that i've always just preferred her being called Eve.
so far, this chapter is looking like it'll be the longest by far, but hopefully not by too much. if i were to gauge this in anyway, i'd say we're half way through it, more or less. after that, we'll be touching in one some events and interludes. we'll be getting to America around April in-story, Jerusalem(?) around June/July, and Babylon around Oct/Nov.
aside from that, i've been sorta busy irl, so i haven't had time to really do much when it comes to playing the game myself. i've skipped out on the past couple of events and reruns myself. i'm still waiting for Maou Nobu, and Orion. those two are currently my big top picks that i'm going for, so fingers crossed.
well, with that out of the way, let's get into the reviews!
Addicted2fanfics: i skipped out on Murasaki's event, i've just been so busy lately.
King0fP0wers: oh don't worry, the villains have something up their sleeves as well. and yeah, Andersen's new(old by now) animations are so cool, i couldn't resist not using them. and yeah, even the story itself is short. Londinium is far from the worst Singularities, but there's so little content in it. it's the weight of the content that makes up for it though.
Quartermass: they were tacked on! it felt like they were trying to fill a quota, so they just put in Kintoki and Tamamo in the game. so lazy. a lot of people have Altera as their favorite Sabers, shame i don't have her.
harlequin320: thank you!
TalonScythe: Arcade is definitely it's own world. female Merlin instead of male. Sita in America instead of Rama. a different endgame boss in America. Mozart as the villain in Orleans. Jerusalem (as it was intended) instead of Camelot. shame there isn't any huge translations of the story, i'm rather curious as to what's happening over in that pruned timeline.
Kintoki and Tamamo are definitely a mixed bag, but that's mostly because they are truly tacked on in the game itself. i actually went back and reread it just to make sure that i wasn't wrong, and lo and behold i wasn't. not only were they only tangentially related (Kintoki through lightning, and Tamamo through i don't know, divinity?), they arrived in the last chapter of the story and didn't even do anything. like seriously, what?
this way, they'd at least get a chance to be more part of the story than how they are in the game. it's a good thing too, the Ground Team's gonna need the extra muscle.
well, thanks again everyone for once again reading through all of this! i enjoyed writing them and seeing you guys read them!
drop a review if ya'll don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!