Fate Grand Order: Blessing of the Fortuity Shard

by FGO-BoFS

Meetings are something that most people experience often. They can be either frivolous or life-changing. Or anything in between. But there is a type of meeting that is rarer than any other. The type that has occurred scarcely more than a few times throughout Human History. A meeting between two people that could decide the future of Humanity itself.

3. Chapter 3

Summary:

---

Assaulted by an extremely frightening (and disturbingly hot) Servant, Mash and Ritsuka begin their first real battle in daunting disadvantage. Things are looking bleak, until a Magical Blue Dog arrives to help them.

As a bonus, they also discover a strange, rainbow colored rock. Something that, as they soon learn, must be hoarded at any cost!

---

.

---

.

---

Chapter 3: How 2 Grail War

---

Each time they clashed, it just grew louder. The screeching. The horrible, ear grating screeching.

'

The enemy Servant's scythe whished through the air, collided with Mash's shield, and moved immediately for another attack. The pattern had repeated several times over the course of ten seconds with seemingly no end in sight. And each time, without fail, the sound of metal grating against metal filled the air, assaulting Mash's eardrums.

'

"Nothing but defense, hmm?" the assailant asked with a gleeful smile on her face. "Not interested in fighting back?"

'

Not one bit. Even if her Senpai hadn't told her to do it, Mash would have fought the same way regardless. From just the first few clashes, she knew immediately that she would be unable to defeat this Servant. And while she had believed it since she first laid eyes on this woman, this had cemented it. As long as she focused all of her attention on defense, Mash believed that she could hold her back for maybe a minute or two. Hopefully long enough for Ritsuka to come up with a plan. But, there was something that really troubled her.

'

"Indeed... That would be wise." Blocking a wide swing that nearly tore the shield out of her hands, Mash and the enemy Servant made direct eye contact. And Mash could tell it from her eyes, her wicked smile and the way she fought. The Servant wasn't fighting seriously. Like a cat playing with its prey, she was thoroughly enjoying the situation, since she knew her victory was assured. The way she fought was relaxed, hasteless, and contained barely any effort. Compared to Mash who was struggling, her enemy seemed to possess no care in the world.

'

Receiving another heavy blow that pushed her back, Mash was given a few seconds to breathe as the Servant whirled the scythe in her hand and closed the distance between them by walking. "After all, with my immortal slaying scythe... if you were to be gouged by it, not even a miracle could save you."

'

Immortal slaying...? To have revealed the ability of her weapon just like that... This woman really wasn't thinking of Mash as even the slightest threat. And the way she described it... Apparently even getting scratched by it would be dangerous. The instructions Senpai gave her to avoid it at all cost had really been valid. As for the weapon itself, while Mash could think of a few examples to fit the description, there were just far too many options to properly conclude the Servant's true identity. All she could do was block any and all attacks that were thrown her way.

'

"Quite frightening, isn't it?" Without giving Mash a chance to answer, the Servant rushed her once again, beginning her merciless assault anew. "With a single, solid hit, you would be granted death, not a wound." Mash knew that the words were meant to frighten her, yet there was nothing she could do to block them out. Not even the awful screeching caused by the scythe scraping against her shield would help. "How does it feel? This feeling of drawing closer and closer to death?" And as much as she wanted to deny it, it was working. With every word, more weight piled on her, making her slower, uncertain.

'

Suddenly the Servant jumped up, flipping her body to land on the underside of one of the beams running across the arch of the bridge, followed instantly by another jump to send her downward. Mash could barely raise her shield in time as the assailant unleashed a powerful overhead strike, packed with far more force than any of the previous attacks. Taking on the full force of the attack, Mash could feel the road shattering under her feet as her arms and knees nearly buckled, just barely holding on. The enemy Servant on the other hand, was as gleeful as she had ever been.

'

"Block my attacks as you may..." A sweep from the right, which Mash blocked, followed immediately by an upwards strike. Taking a quick step back, Mash scantily avoided getting her left forearm sliced off. "But that feeling will gradually infest your soul..." With short, quick hops that Mash could barely follow, the Servant began circling around her, gravely disorienting her. Where would she come from? Above? Behind her? From the side? As she was trying to figure it out, Mash came to another, daunting conclusion. What if she wasn't the target? Turning around to check on both her Master and the Director, she managed to raise her shield just in time to block another strike. "Slowly but surely eating its way in!"

'

Having another one her attacks blocked, the Servant moved behind Mash once more, preparing a wide, sideways swing from her left. Getting her shield in position on time, the Demi-Servant realized her mistake too late. The swing connected with the upper part of the cross-shaped shield, the force of it pushing the armament aside, leaving Mash vulnerable. Before she could even attempt to counter, Mash felt the Servant's metallic boot striking her exposed stomach, knocking the wind out of her and launching her into one of the supporting pillars.

'

Crashing back first into the metallic pillar, the impact reverberated throughout Mash's body, nearly knocking her out. She could barely breathe as a dull, throbbing pain spread throughout her back and abdomen. Through her half closed eyelids, she watched as the enemy Servant once again walked towards her without a care.

'

"You may still be innocent, but your eyes belie your intelligence." Her smile growing ever broader, the woman made her way towards Mash. She had once again started whirling her weapon around, seemingly enjoying herself. "Do you understand now? Just how impossible it is for you to defeat me?"

'

Of course she did. She had known from the beginning that the battle was hopeless. Her legs nearly buckling under her, Mash used her shield to keep herself from falling over. Her breathing was racked, her back and stomach throbbed from the impact and she could barely stand. She was just about at her wits end. What could she even do at this point? What was the point of going any further?

'

Suddenly, as if to answer her question, Mash felt an invigorating pulse spread throughout her body. The pain she had felt faded away, as if it had never been there in the first place. Glancing at her side, she saw Ritsuka standing a distance from her, her right hand enveloped in a faint, green light.

'

Yes, that was it. The Chaldean Mystic Code's healing spell. Her Senpai had seen Mash in trouble and come to assist her. While she still felt exhausted, the pain from the impact was gone. Meaning she could still fight!

'

Rising back to her full height, Mash held her shield in front of her with newfound determination. For a moment she had forgotten it, but she didn't have to win at all. All she had to do was wait for Senpai to come up with a plan that could save them. Preparing herself for another assault from the enemy Servant, Mash was sure that any moment now, her Master would begin her plan to get them through this situation.

'

'

---

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

---

'

'

This was bad. This was so extremely, unbelievably bad.

'

Watching as the enemy Servant started attacking Mash once again, Ritsuka was searching for a way, any way, to get them through this situation. Yet nothing she could come up with would work!

'

The only useful thing she had learned throughout the battle, was that her Mystic Code's healing spell worked on Mash now. Since it was meant to be used on Servant's she hadn't been sure how it would work on a Demi-Servant, but thankfully she was now apparently close enough to a regular one for it to function.

'

But that was it. There was nothing else she could do right now.

'

It's not that she hadn't thought of anything. She'd had several ideas. It's just that none of them would work. She had considered having the Director and her run a good distance away and then using a Command Spell to summon Mash, thus allowing them all to escape. However, the plan had several flaws. First, if the Servant decided to come after them, she would definitely reach them before Mash did, meaning she could easily kill them. Of course, Ritsuka could use a Command Spell to summon Mash, but in that case, they would be back to square one, with one wasted Command Spell. Second, the enemy Servant might start fighting seriously after they left, and more than likely killing Mash in the process. That alone made the plan unusable. And third, even if they did manage to get away, they could only run for so long before the Servant found them again.

'

She had also considered using magecraft to attack the Servant, thus giving Mash an opening and possibly even damaging the Servant. After all, with her A Rank Magic Resistance, Mash was effectively untouchable to modern magi, letting her avoid any damage if she got caught in the spell. That plan went out the window when Ritsuka noticed that the enemy Servant had a B Rank in the Skill in question. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy or a Greater Ritual, it would be hard to damage her. And they had no time for rituals or any of the sort. She had asked quietly if the Director, being a Lord of the Clock Tower and all, could produce anything of the sort, but to do something like that, she would need a considerable amount of time. And that was something they didn't have.

'

She had thought about a third option, but no matter how she approached it, the plan wouldn't work with their current members. They need another ally, and strong one at that, but people like that didn't just fall out of the sky.

'

Ritsuka couldn't help but cringe as Mash was kicked once more, this time on her side. Firing up the Mystic Code's healing spell, she could only hope that the healing she provided would help Mash even the slightest bit. Watching her fight like this, scared and perfectly aware that she was outmatched, made Ritsuka feel like the lowest piece of trash on the planet. Despite those feelings being clearly visible, Mash still fought on, doing her best to buy her time to plan. Time that, as far as Ritsuka was concerned, was completely wasted on her.

'

Gritting her teeth, she couldn't bear to watch Mash getting played with any longer. She had saved the Momentary Reinforcement and Emergency Evasion spells contained in the Mystic Code for a possible surprise attack, but it now seemed that she would just need to use them for a straight up attack. If used together with a Command Spell, they might just allow Mash to slip through the Servant's guard and finish her off with a single, powerful blow. The plan was extremely risky, it would work only once and if they failed, the enemy Servant would realize the threat they possess and fight seriously. And at that point, it was game over for them.

'

Still, that was far better than doing nothing and watching Mash get killed. Firing up her magical circuits, Ritsuka started preparing to use the Mystic Code to its full extent. The timing would be everything, so she had to choose the best possible moment to strike. Ideally, it was when the enemy Servant was being cocky and twirling her weapon around like she had no care in the world. That was the key to their victory.

'

"Ritsuka! Whatever you're about to do, wait!"

'

Her concentration broken by the sudden interruption, Ritsuka glared at the communicator wrapped around her wrist. "This better be really important, Romani. You should be aware of how Mash is faring with the observation equipment. She's putting up a strong front, but she can't last much longer."

'

"...Yes, I'm aware." His voice made Ritsuka feel... worried, even more than she already was. Romani sounded dejected, forlorn, like they had just ran into a dead-end. Sure, the battle was going horribly, but it's not like they didn't have a chan- "...A similar signal as the one in front of you is heading that way. I don't have to tell you what that means, right?"

'

Ritsuka felt... cold. The Doctor had fallen silent and she could hear the Director whimpering right behind her. Each of them were very aware of what this meant. Romani had basically just announced their death sentence. With how the battle was going, adding another Servant, even a pathetically weak one, meant certain defeat for them.

'

What... what could she even do at this point? If she went along with the plan she had started before Romani interrupted her, they might be able to defeat the first Servant before the second one showed up. The problem was; what then? If they got lucky and the other Servant was weaker, they might be able to pull this off. But if they were equal, or God forbid, stronger, victory would be basically impossible for the Chaldeans. The approaching Servant definitely knew they were here, and given Servants' extraordinary eyesight, would most likely see their plan, reducing its effectiveness drastically if they tried using it a second time.

'

The worst part was, that Mash was still fighting as hard as she could, completely unaware of the situation. Looking at her back, standing tall, holding that massive shield in front of her, made Ritsuka feel... inspired. Mash was doing all she could, believing they could get through this.

'

Clenching her fists so hard that her nails nearly pierced her palms, Ritsuka made her choice. If Mash kept fighting, she wouldn't hold her back. She would use the Command Spells and Mystic Code to their fullest, supporting Mash all she could. Utilizing the plan would cost them two Command Spells, with no guarantee of success, but it was better than just dying while leaving them unused.

'

If nothing else, she could use her last Command Spell to send Mash away. As long as she was lucky, she might be able to survive until the Rayshift systems were fixed. They didn't all have to die here, so if Ritsuka could just manage to save this girl that had given her all to fight for her, that would at least be something, making sure her own life wasn't completely worthless.

'

But, just as Ritsuka was about to fire her circuits to their limit, she saw them. Five balls of fire approaching from the western end of the bridge. The other Servant was already here! She had wasted too much time thinking things through instead of acting, and now they all paid the price!

'

At this point, Mash also saw the fireballs, jumping back as they headed right in her direction. As she watched their trajectory, Ritsuka saw that they were heading straight towards the Demi-Servant. But... She then noticed what else was on their path. As Mash faced right towards the flames, there was something between them. No, someone. And that someone just so happened to have their back turned on the upcoming attack.

'

"Gaahh!?"

'

Ritsuka could only stare in disbelief at the scene happening before her eyes. Just to make sure she wasn't seeing things, she glanced at her side, finding Mash with a surprised look of her own. This was actually happening, wasn't it? The Servant that had assaulted them first had been attacked by the second one.

'

"I thought you were just some girl, but it looks like you've got some fight in you. Then I can't leave you like this."

'

"Who's there!?" While she was singed a bit, the first Servant seemed to be mostly fine, irritated more than anything. Glaring towards the western side of the bridge, she was clearly looking for the attacker. "Get out here so that I can cut you down where you stand!"

'

"What do you mean 'who'? Can't you tell?"

'

Turning her gaze upwards, Ritsuka, along with the others present, laid eyes on their surprise assistant, seated comfortably atop one of the bridge's beams. A hooded man wearing robes of light blue and white, sat there while holding a staff of some kind over his shoulder. "Don't tell me the mud got in your eyes too?"

'

This man... While he was obviously a Servant, as far as Parameters were concerned, he wasn't really that impressive. If Ritsuka had to guess, that, put together with his druid-like appearance and the fireball attack from earlier, would make his Class...

'

"Curse you Caster! Why are you siding with these wanderers?" Growling at the hooded man with resentment, the woman Servant seemed hard pressed for the first time since Ritsuka had laid eyes on her. These two, they were enemies without a doubt.

'

"Huh? Because it's better than siding with you guys." Jumping down from the beam with surprising grace, the Caster situated himself between Mash and the assailant. Though as he did, Mash was quick to place herself between him and Ritsuka, something she was thankful for. While he seemed to be an enemy of this woman, that didn't automatically make him their ally. "And hey, I don't mind brats with some potential. Young lady, be ready for a fight." Turning to face Mash, the Caster gave her a surprisingly genuine smile. "Don't worry, you're good. You can turn this around if you just pay attention"

'

"R-Right," Mash stammered, seemingly just as baffled over the situation as Ritsuka was. "I'll do my best!"

'

Were, were they seriously this lucky? Had they seriously just met a Servant willing to assist them? But why? What for? Trying to figure out his motives, Ritsuka came up with two possibilities. Most likely reason: This was a Grail War and he wished to eliminate one of his enemies. By siding with them, he could defeat this woman and be one step closer to victory. Though after she was dealt with, he might turn against them, given that Mash had already been exhausted from his earlier fight he might see her as easy prey. The second reason was the wildcard, filled with unknowns. The Caster had said: "better than siding with you guys." If Ritsuka was right, that would mean that the other Servants had formed an alliance of some sort, with Caster left to oppose them. But for what, she didn't have a clue.

'

"Hey Lady, are you her Master?" Snapping back to their predicament as she was addressed, Ritsuka turned to the Caster. "Then I'm leaving the orders to you. I'm a Caster-class Servant and I consider that Servant over there as my enemy. Not like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but for now you can trust me. In honor of the brave young lady there, I'll form a temporary contract with you and fight as your Servant!"

'

He... really was serious, wasn't he? If this really was the case... The plan she had abandoned as undoable had just become viable. "All right. We accept your help, Caster." Hearing her agreement, Caster's smile grew into a grin, as if he liked the way she answered. "I need you to handle that scythe wielder for a few seconds while I disclose my plan to Mash."

'

"Well said," Caster grinned as he whirled his staff to point at the enemy Servant. "It's good to see Masters that can make decisions quickly."

'

"Hah! Such naive bluster!" Gripping her scythe tightly with both hands, it was clear that the enemy Servant had finally gotten serious. Unlike before, her approach was cautious, not just attacking without a care. Taking advantage of that, it was Caster that made the first move. Running his hand across the air, his movement left symbols in its wake, which quickly turned to familiar balls of fire. Nimbly dodging the coming assault, the hooded woman dashed towards Caster, who was already starting another attack.

'

"Runes... So is Caster some norse hero?" Mumbling mostly to herself, Ritsuka watched as Caster made a leap in the air, landing atop a beam again and firing off more fire. Honestly, she was relieved. Instead of a magus that did most of their fighting through prepared rituals and utilization of their workshop, this Caster was clearly used to combat. This made him far more useful than Ritsuka would have imagined. "Mash. I will now explain my plan to you. I'm keeping this quick and simple so that Caster doesn't need to fight too long by himself."

'

Noticeably jolting a bit, Mash quickly turned to face her. She'd seemingly gotten drawn in the fight as well, not that Ritsuka could blame her. It really was an astonishing sight. "Y-yes, Senpai!"

'

Moving right at Mash's side, Ritsuka began explaining in a quiet voice, wishing to keep even the slightest possibility of being overheard as low as possible. "First off, our enemy is most likely a Lancer, given her speed and usage of a polearm. What we need is a surprise attack to finish her off with just two or three hits." Nodding in agreement, Mash still kept quiet, allowing Ritsuka to continue. "Now, to make this work, our timing needs to be perfect. I will tell you just your own part, so that you can focus fully on completing it. Caster and I will handle the rest."

'

Looking at her in a somewhat confused manner, Mash still nodded, seemingly understanding, but. "What do you mean by 'I will handle the rest,' Senpai? You don't mean to join the fight, right?"

'

"Of course not. I'd die almost instantly." Well, her not joining wasn't 100 percent accurate, but if she said that, it'd just worry Mash. Causing unnecessary concern for her was something Ritsuka wanted to avoid, given how much she already looked out for her. "What I mean is that I will cause a distraction. And once Lancer has fallen for it, you're going to immediately follow up with the strongest attack you can muster." As Mash nodded once again, Ritsuka took a deep breath. This next part would be the most important, given Mash's personality. She had to make this sound as natural as possible. "Now, I will stress this again, but given that this is a surprise attack, we'll only get one shot. A surprise attack is only a surprise once, after that, it's useless. You need to make absolutely sure that you don't get distracted by my distraction. Please focus on nothing else but Lancer, and once she loses focus on you, attack with everything you have. Then, we'll have Caster finish her off. Do you understand?"

'

"Yes, Master!" Raising her shield with renewed determination, Mash began her return to the fight. Caster had been keeping Lancer busy for the duration of Ritsuka's explanation, but now Mash would have to do the same in reverse. Given how hard of a time she'd had before Lancer had gotten serious, this would be extremely dangerous. Honestly, she hated doing this, but Ritsuka had to relay the necessary information to Caster, or the plan just wouldn't work. She would just have to be as quick and thorough as possible.

'

As another one of Caster's explosions lit up the bridge, the scalded Lancer leapt out of the flames, ready to slice him in half. "I'm putting an end to this farc-"

'

Just as she swung her scythe, Lancer's attack collided with Mash's shield. Having been far too focused on the druid, she hadn't seen the Demi-Servant coming from her side, jumping in front of the attack to block it.

'

"Nice save, Young lady," Caster noted as he fired off more flames from Mash's side. Thankfully he seemed to realize what her return meant, and so gave a glance towards Ritsuka, allowing the Master to motion him towards her. "I'll let you dance with her for a second." Jumping back while supporting Mash with more fireballs, Caster landed right beside Ritsuka. "I assume you've got something in mind, Master?"

'

"Yes," Ritsuka confirmed while keeping her eyes on Mash. Caster's last runes had bought her a few seconds since Lancer had been forced to dodge, but the enemy Servant was now beginning a full assault on Mash. She had to be quick with her instructions. "I'll make this short. Please keep fighting like before, but be ready for an attack from Mash. Once she gets her hardest hit in, we need you to light Lancer up with everything you have, can I trust you with that?"

'

While seeming a bit surprised by her rapid explanation, Caster's usual smile stayed on like nothing had happened. "Quick to the point, eh? Worried about the young lady over there, I assume?" Nodding in confirmation, Ritsuka motioned him to return to the fight, which he seemed to like. "Alright, I did say that I'd leave the orders to you, so I'll do my part."

'

Waving his hand to draw runes once again, Caster began to drive off Lancer who was busy assaulting Mash. The scythe wielder seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by the moment, which meant they had to finish this quickly, lest she got desperate. Giving one last glance to make sure Mash was doing alright, Ritsuka ran to the edge of the bridge to begin her part. Yes, her part, the distraction. The fact that the whole plan rested on her success made her feel suffocatingly anxious, but as far as the role of diversion went, she was the best for the job. Frankly, it was the only job she was currently good for, but at least she could actually help.

'

Running to the railing at the bridge's edge, Ritsuka strengthened her leg, raised it, and brought it down for an axe kick, smashing a part of the fence to pieces. As she did so, she quickly started looking for a suitable piece for her needs. It had to be small, or this would take too long. Spotting exactly what she needed, less of a rail and more like a shard of metal small enough to fit on her palm, Ritsuka quickly picked it up and began running magical energy through it. The principal was the same as with strengthening, but what she needed to do was 'fail' at it. By giving it too much energy unevenly, the shard shattered into several smaller ones, now perfectly sized for her intended purpose.

'

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Finally speaking up after being essentially frozen in fear for the last minute or so, the Director ran to Ritsuka's side with an incredulous look on her face. "How is that junk going to help us with anything?"

'

"Like I said, a distraction." Doing her best to block out the Director and focus on her task, Ritsuka began strengthening the individual shards. She needed to make sure they wouldn't shatter immediately on impact.

'

"And like I said, how is that going to do anything!?"

'

And now she was getting mad again. Ritsuka really didn't have the mental capacity to deal with this right now. Turning to face her irritated boss, she gave her the most serious, competent look she could. "I'm sorry, but could you please keep quiet, Director? This will require a lot of focus, and if I fail, we'll be back to square one."

'

While it looked like she really wanted to retort, it seemed that Ritsuka had nailed the tone on her response, so the Director decided to back down. "Fine. Do as you will."

'

"Thank you." She really meant it. While Director Olga Marie was... well, extremely irritable, she clearly understood that continuing to argue with Ritsuka would just waste everyone's time. And that was something they didn't have. "I would also like to ask you to move a bit further away, Director. This could get... dangerous."

'

Apparently not needing further justification, the white haired Lord was quick to shuffle back to her earlier hiding spot behind a pillar, something that worked perfectly for Ritsuka. Not that her spell could cause her any damage. Oh no, it was what came after that worried the Master.

'

Holding all the strengthened shards on her hand, it was time for the hard part. Cupping her hands and placing them together to form a tight seal around the metal shards, Ritsuka began strengthening the appendages next. If she messed this up, she would quite literally blow up her hands. Feeling the magical energy flow throughout them, she was now ready for the distraction.

'

While keeping as much focus on her hands as possible, Ritsuka gazed at the battling Servants. It was going surprisingly well. With both solid defense and powerful ranged attacks, Lancer was forced to use most of her time on dodging, only managing to land a hit once in a while and those were all absorbed by Mash's shield. And while that was good, Ritsuka really would need her to be still for this to work. But how could she do that? With both constant assault by Caster and unceasing defense from Mash, she had no reason to stay in one place. Thankfully, she didn't need to do anything.

'

Taking notice of the Master, Caster was quick to realize what was happening and moved away from Mash, making it seem like he was retreating. Taking this as her chance, Lancer was quick to begin flailing away at Mash, hoping to get rid of the defensive knight first. As she began her assault, she stayed in a relatively restricted area in front of Mash. And that was all Ritsuka would need.

'

Having strengthened her hands into an airtight seal, the Master began her chant.

"Tuuli puhkuu, puhaltaa, sirpaleet maasta nostattaa."

Feeling the air inside her cupped hands begin to rapidly whirl around, Ritsuka grit her teeth as the first hints of pain started to appear. Even with her hands strengthened, creating a wind spell in such a constricted area meant not only terrible pressure, but the friction caused by the whirling air also ate at her skin mercilessly. Biting the inside of her cheek to distract herself, Ritsuka lined up her hands with Lancer's position. This next part had to go perfectly, or else this was all a waste of time. Shaking from the pressure raging between her palms, her target finally came to a position she deemed as acceptable, and so, Ritsuka finished the spell.

"Kohteeseen ne saatattaa, vihulle tuskaa aiheuttaa."

'

Just as the pressure reached its peak, Ritsuka straightened two of the fingers in her conjoined hands, creating a tiny opening. And from the opening, the strengthened shards of metal rushed out, heading for their target. And like Ritsuka had hoped, Lancer had heard the sudden release of air and turned to look. Unfortunately for her, that would only make the situation worse. Considering their distance, sound traveled only barely faster than the compressed air, meaning that by turning her head, Lancer had exposed her face to the 'attack.'

'

The plan itself was remarkably simple. Magic Resistance would nullify all spells within its capacity. When it was high enough, even top class mages couldn't do anything to someone possessing it with their spells. And as far as Ritsuka's spells went... Magic Resistance wasn't necessary in the first place. Even a D Ranked Magic Resistance was enough to completely nullify her hardest hitting spells, maybe even E. And even without one, Ritsuka was quite sure that even the strongest wind spell she could muster would be incapable of even knocking over a Servant, no matter how weak.

'

But the shards of metal weren't a part of a spell. Even when being carried by one, they were still physical objects, only strengthened by magical energy poured into them earlier. So, while Magic Resistance would easily stop the wind itself, it did nothing to the shards moving along with it.

'

"Aargh!?"

'

Letting out a surprised growl as the metal shards made contact with the area around her eyes, Lancer brought one of her hands to her face while glaring at Ritsuka. Distraction complete.

'

Had she used the same trick on a human, the shards could have very well pierced their skull, with a high probability of killing them. Against a Servant though, it was more comparable to getting shot with a plastic pellet from a weak airsoft gun, which was where the idea for her trick came from in the first place. Sure, it wasn't enough to cause actual damage, but it could be really irritating. And that was exactly what Ritsuka had aimed for.

'

"Little wench!" Growling with frustration, Lancer swung her scythe along the ground, sending rubble flying towards Ritsuka with alarming speed. And that was exactly what she had been afraid of.

'

Retaliation had always been a possibility, the severity of it was the most uncertain part. While the attack was only pieces of asphalt flung by the swing of Lancer's scythe, Ritsuka was well aware that this was going to hurt. A lot. Which was why she had been prepared for it. Having still kept the strengthening on her arms going, Ritsuka raised them to protect her head while reinforcing her legs and torso, hoping to negate as much damage as possible.

'

And then came the contact.

'

Despite the strengthening she had applied, Ritsuka came very close to throwing up as she felt a chunk of asphalt hitting her abdomen. Almost simultaneously, another one made contact with her right upper arm, striking right below her shoulder. And lastly, came a sensation that made Ritsuka cringe. Feeling a far sharper pain on her right thigh, it was clear to her that a smaller piece had penetrated her skin and pierced into the flesh.

'

Falling over from the impacts, even as the dull pain throbbed on her arm and abdomen, and a stinging pain spread on her thigh, Ritsuka began concentrating on firing up her Mystic Code's innate spells. In order for Mash to get the strongest possible hit in, she would need the boost provided by them. If she messed this up, the distraction would have been for nothing. And Ritsuka wasn't going to let something as small as a flesh wound ruin the entire plan.

'

'

---

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

---

'

'

It worked.

'

As she watched Lancer turn around and swing her scythe in frustration, Mash kept her eyes on the target as she charged her. Senpai had specifically warned her from getting distracted by her distraction, so doing her best to follow her orders, the Demi-Servant ignored everything else as she rushed to get her hit in.

'

And she had been right to, as before she could even get within three meters of her, Lancer had already noticed Mash and started a counterattack. But while she had gotten this close, a new problem arose. How would Mash be able to block or evade the attack while also getting her hit in? Up until now, she had barely been able to block Lancer's attacks with no time for attacks of her own, so what could she do to change the situation now? Time seemed to slow down as the wide, drawn-out swing came towards her and...

'

But, but it wasn't time that slowed down. For some reason, Mash's body suddenly felt much lighter and her senses seemed sharper as she approached Lancer. She could see the previously blurred scythe swing clearly as it headed towards her, ready to slice off her head. But just before it managed to, Mash crouched, letting the swing fly over her head as she prepared to attack now defenseless Lancer. Staring her opponent in the eyes, the Demi-Servant saw them begin to widen in shock, seemingly unable to believe that she had dodged the attack. And just as she pulled her shield back to strike the hooded woman, Mash suddenly felt noticeably stronger. It was as if something had pumped her limbs full of energy, now begging to be released.

'

And then she realized it. These were the effects of two of the spells embedded into the standard Chaldea Mystic Code: Emergency Evasion and Momentary Reinforcement. So that's what her Senpai had planned. In truth, Mash had been a bit skeptical when Ritsuka had told her to deal a powerful hit to Lancer. After all, she had been unable to land even a single one throughout the battle, why would she suddenly be able to now, even with the help of the distraction? But now it all made sense. Senpai had been looking out for her even more than Mash had realized, giving her everything she needed to finish her part in the plan. And since she had gone that far for her, there was no way Mash could let her Master down at this point.

'

Feeling the power from the reinforcement filling her body, Mash thrust her shield forward with her right hand, slamming the long, lower part of it right into Lancer's abdomen. The powerful strike bent the previously untouched Servant over as her stomach caved in, before launching her back several meters, sending her tumbling across the bridge. For the next second or two, Mash could only stare at her foe rolling along the ground, feeling a new sense of elation come over her. She had done it. She had actually done it. She had managed to follow Senpai's orders perfectly and accomplished her part of the plan.

'

As soon as her momentum came to a stop, the furious, and now also terribly disoriented Lancer attempted to scramble back to her feet, but...

'

"And that's the end of that. Ansuz!"

'

Before she even had a chance to properly react, the ground beneath Lancer erupted in flames. The raging inferno born of Caster's rune covered her entire body as it lit up the bridge like a bonfire on a moonless night. The ceaseless flames burned her flesh while reaching all the way into her spiritual core, causing catastrophic damage, enough to destroy her body in the next few seconds. But, that didn't mean Lancer would go out lying down.

'

Emerging from the raging inferno, a human-shaped flame dashed towards Mash with terrifying speed, followed by vicious screeching as something else pushed further ahead of its main body, reaching for the Demi-Servant. Barely on time to raise her shield to block it, Mash realized what the thin, burning protrusions were. Snakes. Snakes had erupted from the burning Lancer's head as she finally made contact with the shield, sending a staggering impact through it on her collision.

'

"Die! I'll kill you! There's no place for you here! Out of my sight, you castaway!"

'

Shrieking horribly as she clawed at her shield, Mash could barely hold the rabid Lancer back. Had the fire not been enough to eliminate her? If so, what could she do now? Should she focus on defense again or...

'

The clawing stopped. It just ended without warning, as did the pressure on her shield. Peering carefully over it, Mash barely caught a glimpse of Lancer's rage filled face as it vanished in a shower of golden dust. It... was over?

'

Silence took over the area as Mash looked at Caster standing a short distance away. The druid had a smile on his face while leaning on his staff, seemingly in a good mood. "Whew, talk about a last ditch effort. She knew she only had seconds left and still tried going for the kill. That woman is as scary as ever. Well, all's well and- hm?" Stopping in the middle of his sentence, Caster looked down at the area in front of Mash's feet questioningly. "Huh. So she left one of these behind too."

'

Moving her shield to look at what Caster was referring to, Mash noticed something bright laying on the ground right where Lancer had disappeared. A rainbow colored stone with eight pointy edges. Picking it up to inspect it, she wasn't really sure what it was. It was light and colorful, but she couldn't figure out much else. Turning to Caster who seemed to at least recognize it, Mash held out the stone towards him. "Do you know what this is, Caster?"

'

"Not really, no." A straightforward answer. Well, not that it mattered right at this moment. Taking a deep breath, Mash finally began to feel the elation of winning their first battle against a Servant. While it was true that both Caster and Ritsuka had played large parts in it, her Senpai had trusted her with a vital role in her plan, one that she had performed successfully. And the fact that it had all worked so well was just so- "Ahem!"

'

Her thoughts interrupted by the sudden cough, Mash turned to Caster who suddenly stood beside her with an amused look on his face. The blue haired man was pointing at something over his shoulder. "Not to rain on your parade, but you should probably deal with that first."

'

"You really are an idiot, aren't you!?"

'

Oh, so the Director had started yelling again now that the immediate danger was over. Peeking around Caster to see what she was frustrated with no-

'

Mash nearly felt her heart stop as she saw what the Director was yelling about. Olga Marie stood near the edge of the bridge, looming over Ritsuka, who was sitting on the ground. While the scene itself wasn't anything to worry over, the Demi-Servant felt cold as she saw what was on the ground next to her Master.

'

Blood.

'

Senpai was bleeding.

'

For the next few seconds, Mash could only stare in shock as blood slowly dribbled down along the side of Ritsuka's thigh, forming what could barely even be called a puddle on the ground. And then she ran. Missing the amused smile on Caster's lips as he looked at her go, Mash ran as fast as she could to Ritsuka's side, her heart pounding in her chest harder than she had ever felt before. "Senpai!"

'

Turning her face away from the Director in surprise, Ritsuka's expression switched to glad as she met Mash's worried gaze. "Ah, Mash. Good work out there. You pulled your role perfectly with that-"

'

"You're bleeding!"

'

Kneeling down next to her Master, Mash began to frantically look over the wound on her leg. "How did this happen? When did you get injured? Director, we need to stop the bleeding now!" Looking at Olga Marie standing over them pleadingly, Mash was shocked that she seemed still as frustrated as had been earlier. Why wasn't she doing anything? Senpai needed help. They would need to help her right now!

'

"Mash, calm down."

'

Turning to Ritsuka, who looked rather confused at her words, Mash returned her look with one of her own. How could she calm down with something like this happening? Senpai was her Master, and she had failed to protect her from a dangerous attack. If she hadn't been a failed Servant before, she was definitely now. How could she ever-

'

"Mash." Snapping back into the conversation, Mash looked at Ritsuka, who had returned to her usual calm and serious bearing. The look in her eyes was the same as when she had instructed her on throwing. "Calm down. It's just a flesh wound I got from a sharp piece of asphalt. I'm not going to die from something like this."

'

"A piece of asphalt?" Questioning how something like that could even happen, Mash thought back over the events of the battle. When could Senpai have gotten hit? The only instance when Lancer wasn't focused on her was when she was distracted by-

'

The distraction.

'

Realization washing over her, Mash felt even worse than before. The injury was absolutely her fault. "So, so this happened because I ignored you and focused on Lancer!? Even though she attacked you in response to the distraction, I didn't notice because I was too busy fighting!?" Mash felt as if she was going to throw up. Instead of focusing on protecting her Master, something that should be the highest priority for every Servant, she had prioritized attacking and defeating the enemy, leaving Senpai to fend for herself. She could no longer bear to look Ritsuka in the eyes, letting her face fall towards the ground. "I... I really am a failure as a Servant..."

'

"Huh? What are you talking about? You performed perfectly, following my instructions to the T."

'

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Mash raised her head the slightest bit in response to both the touch and her words. Ritsuka was staring at her directly in the eyes. "I told you to focus on Lancer just in case something like this happened. I knew that if I came even close to being injured, you would rush to my side immediately. But, we really needed that plan to work on the first try, so I couldn't afford to distract you." Well... that was, certainly true. If she had known of the risk, Mash would have been very hesitant about the plan. But while that could have put the plan at risk, it still didn't excuse her- "And it was my own fault that I got hurt. I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but I still didn't expect her to retaliate with that kind of ferocity."

'

"Yeah, that woman can be really nasty like that."

'

Hearing a familiar voice from her back, Mash turned around to see Caster standing right behind her. "Your Master is right, little lady. All you did was follow your orders perfectly, just like she intended. Ain't no shame in that. And like she said, the reason she got hurt was because she underestimated the temper of that serpent, so there's no need to beat yourself up."

'

To be honest, hearing all of that both from her Senpai and Caster did make Mash feel

better, but there were still details that bothered her. Like her shield for example. Instead of using it to protect her Master, she had used it to attack the enemy. Maybe that was just because protecting was its intended purpose, but it just felt... wrong. And then there was the more pressing concern, the fact that Senpai was bleeding. While she had said that it was just a flesh wound, and it was true that there wasn't much blood, it should still be taken care of as soon as possible. Thankfully, Mash's concerns were answered almost immediately.

'

"Now then," Caster said, looking over the Chaldeans. "There's a lot we need to catch up on, but I think it's best if I start by batching up the Master here. So I'll just-"

'

"Out of the question." Stepping in front of Caster with an attitude that surprised even the Servant, Olga Marie then crouched next to Ritsuka with a serious expression. "She's my subordinate, so I'll be taking the responsibility to make sure that she is in working condition, got it?" Staring for a few more seconds Caster seemingly decided to give up as he gave the Director an amused shrug and motioned her to go on. He had most likely figured out that nothing he would say could change the white haired woman's mind. "Good. Now then, a wound of this level is something I can definitely handle, so just stay still while I-"

'

"Ah, please wait, Director!"

'

Raising her hand to stop the healing, Ritsuka earned surprised looks from everyone present. The Director even looked somewhat offended before she proceeded to explain. "I appreciate you healing me, but before you can do that, I need to remove the asphalt shard still in my thigh. If you sealed it inside by healing the wound, that would have... unpleasant consequences."

'

Gawking at the reasoning while Caster chuckled on the side, Olga Marie was quick to give the Master some room, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier insistence. "Oh, ah... Alright. Go ahead."

'

Though Mash still continued to worry over the situation. Removing something that small from a wound, especially when it was deep enough to go unseen, was a delicate procedure. And since they had no tools with them, accomplishing it became even more difficult, How would Ritsuka even go about doing something like that?

'

And the answer was... shockingly simple.

'

Picking a single hair from her head, Ritsuka ran magical energy through it until it stood straight, hardened for the task. Then, she folded it and twisted the conjoined end around a few times, making sure the other end stayed stable. And just like that, she had made... tweezers. Quite literal, hair-thin tweezers.

'

Not wasting any time, Ritsuka then proceeded to widen the hole in her tights slightly, making sure it wouldn't get in the way of the removal. And following that, she carefully stuck her makeshift tweezers into the hole. The whole procedure made Mash admittedly a bit uncomfortable in its crudeness, and she suspected the Director felt the same from her expression. Ritsuka however, seemed perfectly calm as she carefully probed the inside of her thigh and after a few seconds, she pulled out the shard. Even when covered with blood, Mash could tell it was incredibly small, around the size of a fingernail in a pinky. Something that small moving at high speeds could have very well pierced through her entire leg, and it was most likely stopped from doing so only by the Mystic Code's protective spells. Finished with the extraction, Ritsuka unceremoniously tossed the shard away. "All done. If you could, Director?"

'

"Oh. Of course." Shaking her head slightly, Olga Marie began healing the hole in Ritsuka's thigh, wrapping it in a gentle, golden light. For the next few seconds, silence took over the bridge, only broken when Caster decided to speak his mind.

'

"Gotta admit. You're not much of a mage, but you've definitely got guts, lady. That's something I can appreciate in a Master." The statement seemingly surprised Ritsuka, appearing for the first time in the ordeal both uncertain and fuddled, as if she didn't know how to respond. And before she even had the chance to think of the words to use, Caster continued. "It's always nice to see a Master close to their Servant's side in a battle, instead of slinking in the shadows somewhere. May not be the smartest possible approach, but it's one I can respect."

'

"Ah, well... Not like I had much of a choice, given the situation," Ritsuka mumbled quietly, while Mash silently agreed with the statement. There truly had been no other options than to stay, since there was nowhere to hide on the bridge and she was sure that her Master was just as aware as she was of the fact that Lancer would have caught them before Mash could have, had they decided to run.

'

"While that might be so, there was also that plan of yours. Most mages wouldn't have suggested something like that if there was even the slightest of chances that they might get injured in the process."

'

"That's called being sensible." Huffing in her opinion, the light faded from Olga Marie's hand as she finished healing Ritsuka's thigh. Now the only indicator that there had been a wound at all was the red line on the side of her tights, where the blood had trickled down. "I trust that your leg is fine now?"

'

Moving the leg in question a bit and giving it a few taps to check, it seemed that Ritsuka's leg had been successfully healed, much to Mash's relief. She had been worried for a while, but with this, they could get back their task of restoring the Singularity. Though for some reason, the Director still kept kneeling next to her expectantly. "Good. Now, you got hit in a few other spots too, right? Remove your Mystic Code and show me where. I need to see the spots to heal them properly."

'

Did... did she just hear that right? Mash could only look in confusion as Ritsuka began opening the straps on her Mystic Code. There was more? Senpai had received more wounds? Her faded concern rising right back up, Mash didn't want to wait for Ritsuka to undress. She needed to know now. Looking at her Master sternly, she began her questioning. "Senpai, why didn't you mention that you had more wounds? If you get injured, you must let us know immediately."

'

"Calm down, Mash. It's not like I got stabbed several times. I got hit by two larger rocks, and they'd cause some bruises at best. But, better get them healed if we can. No sense in running around with even a mild injury if it can be taken care of immediately" Explaining in her usual calm tone, Ritsuka seemed quite convincing. She at least appeared to know what the level of her injuries were, which helped Mash calm down somewhat. Maybe she really was worrying too much? Ritsuka didn't seem to be in much pain and the Director was healing her just fine.

'

After opening the final strap, the redhead began removing her jacket, which went fine with her left, but some trouble appeared on her right sleeve. It didn't seem like she was in pain, to Mash at least, but she instead looked... annoyed. Ritsuka seemed to have trouble moving her right shoulder, making the task of removing the white garment challenging. Which was finally something Mash could assist her with. "Here, let me help, Senpai." Moving behind the sitting girl, Mash lifted the jacket around the collar while her other hand went for the right sleeve, pulling it gently off of Ritsuka's arm.

'

"Oh? Uh, thanks, Mash," Ritsuka mumbled, beginning to take off the black t-shirt she wore underneath the jacket. And as she did, Mash was surprised to say the least. Her Senpai had given off some hints of athleticism with her body structure and the way she carried herself, but this was beyond what she had expected.

'

While the Chaldean uniform had hidden it surprisingly well, Ritsuka was very, very muscular. As Mash examined her well-built body, the most apt comparison that she could come up with would be an Olympic athlete. From her clearly defined abdominal muscle to her brawny shoulders and arms, no spot had any sort of excess flesh to be seen. Hearing an impressed whistle from her side, Caster was more than likely in agreement. And seeing how the Director had stopped all movement and continued to stare at Ritsuka in surprise, Mash speculated that the same thoughts were running through her mind as well.

'

"...Director? The spots that were hit are right here in the middle of my abdomen and on my upper right arm..."

'

Mumbling in a quiet, reserved tone, Ritsuka snapped Olga Marie out of her little trance, flustering the Director once again. "Ah! Yes, yes of course. I was just... observing to make sure that there wasn't anything you might have missed in your self-diagnosis, yeah." Mash could only wonder if even the Director herself believed her horrible reasoning, but as she moved her hand to begin healing Ritsuka's abdomen, the Demi-Servant's attention shifted back to her Master, only to find yet another unexpected sight.

'

While her demeanor throughout the Singularity had been admirably calm and composed, with only hints of confusion and surprise appearing from time to time, right now, Ritsuka seemed genuinely uncomfortable. Instead of focusing on the Director and the healing process, her eyes wandered around, not staying fixated on anything for more than a few seconds. The shifting continued as Caster began to walk, moving to the other side of the sitting Master while in contrast, his eyes were firmly glued on her. The expression on his face was sharp, calculating, as if he was trying to solve some kind of problem.

'

As the seconds went on, Mash could wonder what exactly Caster was trying to verify. Every now and then, he moved to a different spot for a new angle, his expression slowly shifting from his usual smile to something akin to... sadness? Disappointment? Mash really wasn't quite sure which.

'

As the glow from Olga Marie's healing faded, Ritsuka, now looking even more uncomfortable, turned to Caster. "Umm... If there's something you'd like to ask Caster, you can go ahead."

'

At this point, the Director also joined the other two as they stared at the Servant, and for some reason, her irritation seemed to have returned. Caster, seemingly finished with his examination, only shook his head. "Nah. I already got the answer. I was just checking something since the rest of your body appeared so healthy, but..." Sighing rather loudly, Caster returned his eyes to the spot they had been glued on before, finally allowing Mash to see his exact target thanks to the new angle. The man was staring straight at Ritsuka's chest, now free of all garments with the exception of a reddish orange bra, matching her hair. "Stuffed, huh? A shame."

'

"Hngrkh!?" In response to Caster's remark, Ritsuka let out a sound somewhere between a cough and a vomit. As she watched the blue haired man walking away, her expression had shifted to what could only be described as absolute bewilderment. Silence took over the area as Caster finally stopped, leaning on a pillar roughly ten meters away from the group, waiting for them to finish the healing.

'

Mash could only describe the current atmosphere as vexatious. Ritsuka still continued to stare at where Caster had been, her face remaining in its shocked stage, all the while Olga Marie looked about as uncomfortable as Ritsuka had been earlier. After about ten seconds, the Director, still appearing as uncomfortable as earlier, began to heal the Master's arm, earning no reaction from the patient. The silence was beginning to grow painful.

'

Looking at her devastated Senpai, Mash admittedly didn't understand her extreme reaction. She understood the basic ideas. Some women wore padded bras to appear as though they possessed larger breasts than they actually did, for a variety of different reasons. And of course, it was normal to get uncomfortable when one's undergarments were spoken of in a group of relative strangers. That all made sense. She just couldn't quite understand why it had affected Ritsuka so drastically.

'

As the seconds ticked by, the only audible sound was the quiet humming that came from Olga Marie's healing. The woman in question seemed just barely less uneasy compared to earlier, and while Ritsuka had finally dropped the shocked expression, she now just stared at the ground, appearing relatively depressed. The situation was... troubling, to Mash. Seeing her Senpai like this in comparison to her usual calm self was unnerving. She'd had the same look on her face right after getting thrown out of the orientation, which was an appropriate reaction for the time. After all, that incident might have even gotten her fired on her very first day. But this? It just seemed so bizarre. Maybe she could better understand her reaction by asking about it? That did seem plausible, and would also work as a proper reason to break the silence.

'

"...Um, Senpai? Are you alright?"

'

"Yeah, yeah... Perfect," Ritsuka mumbled in a tone Mash had yet to hear from her. She just sounded so... forlorn, with her eyes facing towards the ground, her voice the only indicator she had even heard her. "Why would I care that despite the fact that my bust circumference is 83 centimeters, I'm only an A cup...?"

'

Olga Marie visibly cringed at the words, looking now more uncomfortable than ever. The only thing keeping her from moving away was the fact that the healing wasn't quite finished yet. "Mash... Just drop the subject for everyone's sake."

'

Perhaps that was for the best. As she didn't fully understand Ritsuka's distress, speaking carelessly might just worsen the situation. Though that did nothing to ease the feeling that wished to help her Senpai.

'

As Mash pondered on a better course of action, she noticed that the source of light from the Director faded away. Which meant that she had more than likely finished. "Your arm should be fine now," Olga Marie noted as she rose from the ground. Wiping away any dirt that might've gotten on her clothes while kneeling, she quickly eyed Ritsuka's body over. "If there's anything more, let me know."

'

Moving her arm around a bit, the redhead also stood up, putting her black t-shirt back on rather quickly before turning to Mash. "I'm alright, thank you, Director. Mash, could you give me the coat back?"

'

Ah! That's right. She had completely forgotten that she was still holding Senpai's Mystic Code under her arm. As Mash handed the coat back to its owner, Ritsuka was quick to put it back on, much like the t-shirt, while offering a quick "Thank you" to her. And as she finished fastening the belts on the uniform, a certain someone joined back to the group.

'

"Finished? Good, now we can get to business." Walking to their side, Caster turned to Ritsuka first, his usual smile on his face. "So, who should go first?"

'

While it was far slighter than earlier, the Master still appeared noticeably uncomfortable. Taking a few quick breaths, she moved her eyes to the Servant in front of her. "I'll start, if you don't mind. First off, thank you for your assistance in dealing with Lancer. Had you not joined up with us, the battle would have been considerably more difficult."

'

"Don't sweat it," Caster replied with a shake of his hand. "After all, I didn't save y'all purely out of the goodness of my heart. I have my own objectives here."

'

"I figured as much," Ritsuka nodded, with the Director close behind. Mash agreed as well, there was no need for this Servant to risk his life in assisting them, unless he wished for something in return. And while she wondered what it could be, Ritsuka came with a suggestion. "Is it safe to assume that it has something to do with this Holy Grail War?"

'

"Right you are. But before I go any further, I'd like to know about you. Where exactly did you come from?" Caster's inquiries made a lot of sense. After all, the three of them were seemingly the only humans left in the city, and then there was Mash's current 'existence'. That would certainly be something of note. And just as she thought of that, Caster gestured towards Mash. "I know the little lady here isn't one of the Servants that were summoned to our war."

'

Bringing a hand to her chin, Ritsuka appeared to be searching for a proper answer, something that wasn't quite simple. To explain it properly would take some time, which was why the Master turned to Olga Marie instead. "Director, could I ask for a more thorough answer from you and the Doctor? I think it would be far quicker for you to explain exactly why and how we are here."

'

"Yes, that's probably for the best," Olga Marie sighed as she took a step forward to get closer to the Multi-Appliance. "Romani, you're still there, right?"

'

"Of course. I've mostly been listening in while keeping an eye on the Rayshift repairs. Let me just get the screen up and... there."

'

While Caster had stared at the little wrist device with curiosity, he appeared the slightest bit surprised when the projected screen appeared in midair. "Oh, what is this? Some means of communication through magecraft?"

'

While Mash would have expected a more surprised reaction from someone who lived far before the present day, considering Caster's notable magecraft skills, something like their communication method wasn't probably too outlandish to him.

'

"Well met, Caster Servant," Romani greeted through the line. "I don't know which Heroic Spirit you are, but we have nothing but respect and awe for you."

'

In response to the Doctor's words, Caster seemed more annoyed than anything, giving him an unimpressed look. "Oh, spare me your remarks. I'm sick of hearing them. State your business, weakling. Isn't that what you're good at?"

'

Flinching noticeably at the Servant's harsh words, Romani quickly grew disheartened. Well, Mash couldn't deny that there was some truth in his words, as blunt as they were. "Uh... I-I see. All right then... Weakling... l got called a weakling from someone I've met for the first time."

'

"I leave mincing words to the poets," Caster noted and turned to look towards the western end of the bridge. Moving her gaze there as well, Mash didn't notice anything in particular, though Caster's eyes narrowed as seconds lingered on. "Talk while we move to a better location. We're basically sitting ducks on this bridge. I know a few good hiding spots across the city and one of them is pretty close."

'

As Caster began to walk while motioning them to follow, Mash turned to Ritsuka to affirm their course of action. Nodding in response to her gaze, both Ritsuka and the Director close behind her, followed after the Servant. Seeing how their front was already being covered, Mash decided to stay right behind her Master in case of an attack from their rear. And as she thought of that, it dawned on her just how reassuring it was to have another Servant on guard in case of an attack. Hopefully things would continue on this course.

'

'

---

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

---

'

'

Listening in as the Director and Roman explained to Caster why they were here, Ritsuka allowed herself a brief moment of rest as she sat on a relatively clean chair. Their new ally had led them to a store basement, one that was built to last, and most importantly of all, wasn't on fire. At her side, Mash sat on another chair, petting Fou while he napped on her lap. And while Ritsuka could appreciate the break, she was far more grateful that they got it for the Demi-Servant's sake. Aside from allowing her to rest physically, this also allowed Mash to recover her magical energy, something she definitely needed.

'

While she hadn't received any injuries, Mash had given her all to defend against Lancer's merciless assault, which in return, cost her energy. If they had to fight another battle without the break, she could have been in serious danger.

'

Yes, a new ally, a space to rest somewhat and a full map of the city. Things were finally starting to look up for their group.

'

Though that still wasn't enough to wipe away the absolute degradation Ritsuka had suffered earlier from her mind.

'

Caster had completely exposed her wearing the damned padded bra not only in front of her new boss, but also in front of her new... friend? What exactly would Mash qualify as? While they had met only some hours ago, they had been through so much that a friend seemed like a proper term. Anyways, she had still seen it all. And as a bonus, she was pretty sure that Roman had also heard it through the communication.

'

Ritsuka could only pray that her image hadn't been hurt too much and that they didn't think she was some shallow idiot that only cared about her appearance. Well, she did care, otherwise she wouldn't have worn the damn thing, but not that much. She had just wanted to appear more... feminine on her first day. Make a good first expression. The added, well, voluptuousness just helped balance out not only her height, but also these accursed butch shoulders of hers. And had she actually participated on the mission, she would have changed for something more appropriate. But, given how things turned out, she never got a chance to. At this point, she just had to hope that the unavoidable danger they faced might overtake that part of their memories, wiping the whole incident from everyone's minds.

'

"...And that's the current situation in Chaldea. Currently, Ritsuka is the acting Master and in the middle of conducting field research."

'

Hearing her name mentioned snapped Ritsuka out from her brooding, returning her focus to the conversation underway. And she was glad for it too, considering that it seemed like the Chaldeans' explanation was about to end. This was where the real information exchange would begin.

'

"Let me confirm something. You're a Servant from the Holy Grail War that broke out in this city, and the sole survivor?"

'

Nodding in response to Romani's question, Caster began his own breakdown. "If by that you mean I haven't lost. Our Holy Grail War changed to something else entirely along the way. I don't know how it happened either. The city was engulfed in flames, and the humans vanished. Only the Servants remained. Saber was the first to resume the Holy Grail War. That chap began rampaging like a tiger released from a cage. Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, and Assassin were all defeated by Saber."

'

This was all rather hard to take in. Caster had just abolished their previous theories. Not only was the Grail War still underway, but the disaster had happened almost instantaneously, making it unlikely that any rampaging Servant was responsible. This just raised even more questions.

'

"The survival of the Seven Servants..." Olga Marie mumbled, giving voice to all their thoughts. "That rule of the Holy Grail War was broken here."

'

"And in the end you were the only survivor, Caster," Ritsuka surmised, which Caster confirmed with a nod. Though again, an answer gave way to another question. "But how are the other Servants still around then? Didn't Saber kill them?"

'

"Yeah, that. Any Servant that was defeated by Saber became like that Lancer, corrupted by the black mud. They, and the monsters that sprung up like maggots, started looking for something together. The troublesome part is that I'm one of the things they're looking for. You see, the Holy Grail War won't end until I'm killed."

'

Ah, and now Caster helping them made perfect sense to Ritsuka. And judging by the looks of the others, they had all figured it out too. Well, not that it was a bad motivation or anything. "So you and Saber are the only surviving proper Servants... Then if you defeat Saber..."

'

"Yes, that would probably end the Holy Grail War here." Confirming the inquiry, Caster brought some hope to Ritsuka's mind. This would all make the completion of their mission simpler. Well, it would still be tough, but at least it was simple. They just had to defeat Saber. Unfortunately, his next words wiped that small hope away "But I don't know whether things would return to normal."

'

"Let me confirm something, Caster." Speaking up, Ritsuka brought the attention of everyone in the room to herself, something she absolutely dreaded, but now wasn't the time to worry about her minor anxieties. "You want to defeat Saber, but don't stand a chance doing it alone. That's why you came to help us... Right?"

'

"That's right," Caster nodded. "But it's not a bad deal, is it? Your goal is to investigate this anomaly. My goal is to put an end to the Holy Grail War. We share mutual interests. So how about we join forces?"

'

His proposition certainly made sense, at least to Ritsuka. Their goals were almost perfectly aligned in this case, so there wasn't really a reason to refuse. Even if ending the Holy Grail War didn't put an end to this Singularity, just getting rid of any hostile Servants would help them tremendously. And there was the chance that it would actually solve this whole mess. "I have no issues with your offer," Ritsuka confirmed, which seemed to please Caster based on his smile. Though this wasn't a decision she could make alone, so she turned to her boss next. "Do you agree, Director? The call is technically yours, so if you have any arguments, I'd like to hear them."

'

Upon hearing her question, Olga Marie blinked in surprise before quickly recomposing herself. It seemed that she really hadn't expected her opinion to be asked. "...That is a rational proposition. I'm not opposed to this alliance."

'

"It's settled then." Walking briskly to the sitting redhead, Caster was quick to offer her his hand while flashing his usual smile with a wink. "Until we bring an end to this Grail War, I'll be fighting as your Servant. The contract is only temporary, but I'm counting on ya."

'

Rising from her chair, Ritsuka shook the offered hand, doing her best to appear as collected as possible. "I, Ritsuka Repo, accept your contract, Caster. I'll promise to do my best as your Master." Not only Mash, but now she also had to act as a Master for this ancient hero, issuing commands to them both during battle... No pressure or anything. Well, as long as it was just the two of them, she could probably handle it. After all, considering how hard Mash was trying despite her fears, she couldn't just let her personal anxieties drag the whole group down.

'

"Hah, I'll work hard as your Servant too." Thankfully satisfied with Ritsuka's declaration, Caster released his new Master's hand and returned to his seat. "Now then, that leaves one last thing, your goal. What you're looking for is probably the Greater Grail."

'

"Greater Grail?" Romani repeated while clicking some buttons on his console. "I'm not familiar with that. What is it?"

'

"This land's true 'heart.' If there is indeed a 'Singularity,' it has to be that. But Saber is lingering around the Greater Grail."

'

"Wait a second..." Continuing typing on his console, Romani shared the map they had created with Sigma with the group. Projecting as a separate part from his screen, the three dimensional map spread across the floor, surprising Caster and Ritsuka both. The map detailed the western side of the city, highlighting a cave inside a mountain at the city's edge. "Could this be what you were referring to? From what we can tell, it's an incredibly powerful Magical Reactor, and we also detected the presence of a notable Servant close to it."

'

"Well damn. Ain't this a handy thing." Chuckling as he looked over the map, Caster pointed the tip of his staff at the highlighted cave. "And you're right on the money. This is Saber's lair right here. But before we can get to that bastard, we've still got to trim the enemy forces a bit."

'

Yes, that was probably for the best. If they stormed Saber's lair right away, the other Servants would most likely follow them, leaving them trapped between the two sides. And to Ritsuka, that was basically the worst case scenario. "You said that you defeated one of the Servants earlier, right Caster? Then besides Saber, we have three left."

'

"Aye. I took out Rider by myself."

'

"So that leaves Assassin, Archer and Berserker..." Mumbling as she collected her thoughts, Ritsuka began to recall the information she had read about each of the classes. Berserkers were usually just brutes who swung their weapons at everything they might consider enemies. With Caster's powerful runes and Mash's solid defense, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with one of them. Archers specialized in long range combat, but their strength varied greatly. If they were lucky and their opponent wasn't too powerful, Mash could basically just rush in with her shield, bringing Caster along with her to finish Archer at close range. Assassins on the other hand were usually rather weak, but their great capability for sneak attacks made them a different type of danger altogether. And... they actually had already faced Assassin in some form. While it had slipped her mind after the battle with Lancer, Ritsuka was certain that it was Assassin that had first tried to attack her in the Singularity. But there wasn't just one... "Caster, we've most likely already fought against Assassin, but there were two of them. Do you know anything about that?"

'

"Oh, that." Sneering in a way that left no doubt over how he felt about the Servant in question, Caster began pointing at parts of the map with his staff. "Yeah, that guy is an absolute pain in the ass. I've killed him 27 times all over the city, but more just keep popping up. Well, at least they're pretty weak, so there's at least that."

'

"So there really are multiple Assassins?" Olga Marie asked in disbelief. "But how is that possible? Even if more than one were summoned, 27 is just ridiculous!"

'

"It's most likely the guy's Noble Phantasm," Caster responded calmly in comparison to the incredulous Director. Though judging by the frustrated look on his face, he still lacked plenty of information himself. "No clue how it works, though I have a few theories."

'

"A Noble Phantasm that allows the manifestation of several Assassins..." Ritsuka mumbled, trying to figure out an explanation for such an ability. There were several Assassins... But the individuals were weak... Thinking about it logically, she could only find two possibilities, with no idea if either were accurate. But even if they weren't right, it wouldn't hurt to share them. The others might come up with something if she shared her own hypothesis. "I have two explanations... Would you mind hearing them?" Speaking out, Ritsuka once again became the center of attention in the room.

'

"Hoo?" Appearing amused once again, Caster motioned for Ritsuka to continue with his hand. "Let's hear it then."

'

Taking a calming breath, she began to share her theories. "First, the real Assassin might be the leader of a group of assassins, and their Noble Phantasm allows them to summon their underlings. Second, this Assassin has the ability to split itself apart."

'

"I see. Both of those are definitely possible," Mash responded from the side, raising Ritsuka's mood considerably. And seeing how the other two in the room nodded in agreement, it rose even further. "If the first one is true, we have to find the real Assassin to win, but if the second one is right, we might need to defeat all of the Assassins..."

'

"And there's no telling how many there are," Olga Marie crumbled from the side, her frustration evident. Well, in this case, Ritsuka was quite sure that all of them felt the same. How would they even find out if they killed them all? And if they believed all of them were dead, only for one to survive, it might be able to mount a successful sneak attack on them. There were so many problems when it came to this Assassin.

'

"I might be able to help with that."

'

Hearing a sudden, yet familiar voice, Ritsuka and the rest all turned to the floating screen where Romani still sat in his lonesome. But now, something extra had appeared: a small note in the corner, indicating a second speaker.

'

"Arista?" Olga Marie confirmed as she looked at the screen in confusion. "Weren't you doing repair work? Did you seriously start slacking off at a time like this?"

'

"Nah, my hands are definitely busy at the moment, but I don't need my ears or mouth to fix stuff. I've been listening the entire time." The entire... Ritsuka felt a chill run through her as the realization that another person had heard her shame hit in. Seriously, how many more could there be!? "Mash, you picked something up from Lancer's remains, right?"

'

"Ah- yes." Materializing her shield, Mash placed her hand to its backside and pulled out a colorful, spiky stone for everyone to see. This confused Ritsuka a bit. There was some type of storage inside her shield? She would have to ask Mash more about this later. "It just appeared as soon as Lancer disappeared."

'

"Hmm... Caster, you said that 'so she left one of these behind too,' so you've seen these things before, right?"

'

"Sharp ears you've got there, faceless man," Caster noted somewhat skeptically, clearly a bit dubious over Arista. Not that Ritsuka could blame him. Trusting someone you've never seen wasn't exactly easy. Still, Caster reached into his robes and pulled out an identical stone, holding it out. "Rider dropped one of these upon death. No idea what they are, tho."

'

"Nice. Discovering previously unknown substances is always a thrill," Arista said rather cheerfully. "Now then, Ritsuka, I need you to get a scan of both of these stones for me. You should find the scanner on the menu of your Multi-Appliance. It'll transport any results straight to Chaldea."

'

"Oh, alright." Looking at the little device on her wrist, Ritsuka brought out the menu, which projected on a small screen right above the gadget. And there, she saw the option for the scanner, just like Arista had said. Opening it up, the instructions were... incredibly simple. Just: 'point your Multi-Appliance at the target, press [Start Scan] and keep it steady during the scanning process.' Well, considering it was meant for mages, the simplicity was more than likely intentional. "I got it. Mash, please hold the stone steady."

'

"Yes, Senpai." Doing as she was told, the Demi-Servant kept the mysterious stone on the palm of her hand, staying as still as she possibly could as a beam of light shot out of the Multi-Appliance, enveloping its target. And after about ten seconds, the light faded, a message on the screen informing of the scans completion.

'

"Nice. I'm seeing the data over here. Now, scan the other one too. We need to make sure they really are the same."

'

"Alright. Caster, if you could?" In response to Ritsuka's request, Caster held his stone much like Mash, the process overall going identically like the previous one. "It's done. What do we do now, Arista?"

'

"Just a sec, I'm cross referencing this with the data we have in Chaldea and- Oh? Wohhooaa! Now this is some wild stuff!" Speaking in an excited tone that completely overshadowed his previous enthusiasm, Arista had seemingly found out something extraordinary about these colorful stones. As for what it was, Ritsuka hadn't a clue. "OK. If I'm right, this might just be one of the biggest breakthroughs in Chaldea's history. But before I reveal anything, there's something I want to know."

'

"Can't make anything simple, can you?" Olga Marie huffed from the side. Though while she tried her best to appear annoyed, her curiosity had definitely risen as she heard Arista's words. After all, even if the situation was... just absurd, massive breakthroughs were a welcome event to the head of any organization. "Go ahead then. What do you want?"

'

"This is actually directed to Caster." Arista's words came as a surprise to everyone, though they had seemingly raised the curiosity of the man in question, judging by his expression. "I'm kinda disappointed that none of you figured out to ask this, so I'll just do it myself. Caster, what is your wish for the Holy Grail?"

'

Ritsuka blinked in surprise. She... really hadn't thought about that, and judging by the faces of her two companions, neither had they. Both Romani on the screen and the Director looked at Caster cautiously, joined by Ritsuka soon after. The man in question continued to stare at the screen blankly, not showing any reaction to the question. And the question was definitely important. After all, if Caster's wish was somehow dangerous, Chaldea couldn't just let him use it.

'

As seconds ticked by and the atmosphere grew heavier and heavier, Caster was under the constant watch of everyone present. Suddenly, his mouth started to move and... twisted into a grin, followed by laughter. "Aahahhaa! That's right! That really is an important question! Hahhaa!" The atmosphere lightened so suddenly that Ritsuka swore she felt short of breath for a second. As if he had been replaced with his complete opposite, Caster's chilling calmness had been overtaken by utter merriment. Looking around, the others appeared just as dumbfounded as she felt, their cautious stares now completely dissipated. "Hah, I'm just gonna give it to you straight: I'm not really interested in the Grail. I fight in Grail Wars for the sake of a good time."

'

...Huh? Did she just hear that right? Caster had no interest in the omnipotent wish granter, but enjoyed being summoned as a Servant for the sake of fighting other heroes? This really baffled Ritsuka. What kind of hero would have such an idiotic reason- No, wait. She actually did know at least two individuals among legendary heroes that would do something like that, based on their legends. Though based on the descriptions in their stories, Caster being one of them was basically impossible.

'

As Caster continued his laughing, likely at their dumbfounded faces at this point, everyone else remained quiet, unsure what to really say. Until Arista dove straight to the point again. "OK. Heroes like that aren't exactly unheard of, so I can believe that. However, who is to say you really are a hero like that? That's why I'd like you to reveal your True Name to the Gang over there." Finally stopping his merriment as he heard the question, the Servant got somewhat serious again. Ritsuka had been afraid someone would bring that up. It was a perfectly natural question, one that she had meant to ask. But... "The fact that no one asked this before now is kinda puzzling. Were you waiting for a good time or something?"

'

And that's what Ritsuka had been afraid of. Well, at this point she might as well just come out and ask. "I was, actually," she admitted, moving Caster's attention to herself. "Since revealing one's True Name can be troublesome for Servants, I wished to wait a bit longer into the discussion before prodding about it. To make asking it more natural than just blurring it out..."

'

"Senpai..." Glancing to her side, Ritsuka noticed Mash looking at her in surprise. As for the reason, she could most likely guess: A mage showing regard for a Servant's feelings. Most would have straight up demanded for the Servant to reveal their identity without care, but she just couldn't help it. Servants were called weapons, yet she was unable to think of them as such. Maybe it was because Mash was her first Servant or because of Caster's demeanor, she wasn't sure, but she just couldn't shake this feeling away. A weapon was something that did what its wielder wanted, it couldn't make decisions, it couldn't show emotion, and it couldn't feel pain. Just the thought of treating Mash, this girl who was so obviously afraid and unsure of herself yet chose to protect her, as a 'thing' made her want to throw up. Caster as well, while he was... kind of a jackass, was clearly more akin to someone who dedicated himself to his work than a weapon. If she were in the same position as either of them... well, she would most likely do as she was told, but while she didn't mind taking orders, being treated like a thing would be... well, irritating.

'

"Sheesh. No need to look so gloomy, Master. I really don't mind sharing." Shifting back into reality upon being addressed, Ritsuka turned to Caster, now smiling like usual. How... how long exactly had she been mulling over the subject? Mash was still looking at her, but now with the slightest hint of concern. And that was something she definitely wanted to avoid. Mash already had so much on her plate, Ritsuka couldn't let herself add to it. Straightening herself, she returned to her dealing-with-people-face, shifting her trained facial muscles to lose any sight of anxiety. With that, she motioned Caster to continue, hoping her shift was good enough to convince him. And seemingly, it was, and the Servant stood from his seat and walked closer. "So, I'm Cú Chulainn of Ulster. Good to be working with you."

'

As soon as Caster spoke his name, Ritsuka saw the faces of the others filling with surprise, quite sure she also heard the Director letting out a small gasp. Having already set her face, she didn't have the same issue, though even if she hadn't, her reaction wouldn't have really changed. She knew that Cú Chulainn was a major hero in Irish mythology who had a really powerful spear, but not much else. It was pretty tough to get surprised by the name reveal of someone she barely knew. That didn't stop the others though, especially Arista.

'

"Yo, hijo de puta! Hablas en serio!? You guys are getting backed up by Cú Chulainn?!" Sounding more enthusiastic (and spanish?) than ever, Arista was the first to speak up. "Cú Chulainn, the man himself! Damn if this ain't an awesome turn of events! He's- he's..." Suddenly, it was as if something had sucked all energy out of the man's voice, lowering the volume in half. "Aw, dude, you got summoned as a Caster? Talk about shitty luck."

'

Well, that was... something. Not really understanding the context, Ritsuka turned to Caster, who... seemed extremely depressed? "I know, right? That damn Snake managed to fill the Lancer spot before me..." Caster whined, making it hard to think of him being some great hero. "Man, Caster is just not for me. How can a Caster survive in a Holy Grail War like this? If I was a Lancer, I might've been able to take care of Saber myself."

'

"Still, your crappy luck aside, I believe you now." Wait, just like that? Looking at the faceless source of voice in disbelief, Ritsuka was trying to wrap her head around the decision. Arista believed Caster just like that. "Judging by the stories, Cú Chulainn was the kind of guy who would do something like this."

'

Seeing how the Director nodded with a sigh, it seemed that Arista was right in this case, making Ritsuka wish she knew more about the subject. Well, at least they had this mess all sorted out, so that they could start actually forming a proper plan. Speaking of which: "Caster, do you know Saber's True Name?" Asking the question brought the attention of everyone in the room back to her, but Ritsuka pushed any anxieties aside. "Seeing how they managed to defeat all the other Servants, they must've used their Noble Phantasm at least once. And the way you talked about Saber, it sounded like you'd fought several times."

'

"Yes, I know it." Hearing Caster's confirmation, Ritsuka felt the smallest amount of relief rushing over her. Just knowing the identity of their enemy was a tremendous advantage in a battle against a Servant, so this could help them form a foolproof strategy for victory. However, just a single glance at Caster's serious face made her realize this wouldn't be the case. This wasn't some opponent who would go down easily, no matter what they did. "Anyone who gets hit by Saber's Noble Phantasm will find out that bastard's True Name... The other Servants were all defeated because Saber's Noble Phantasm was that powerful."

'

"A powerful Noble Phantasm, is it? What was it like?" Mash asked, noticeably nervous as she continued petting the critter on her lap. Not that Ritsuka could blame her. Lancer had already been incredibly problematic, and she hadn't even unleashed her Noble Phantasm. Well, she wasn't exactly sure if that was true. From the way she described it, Lancer's scythe had most likely been a constantly active Noble Phantasm. But while it had been dangerous, it wasn't really all that powerful. If Saber's Noble Phantasm was truly the key to their victory over the other Servants, it would no doubt possess a massive threat to the Chaldeans. And while Ritsuka had expected it to be dangerous, Caster's next words proved that to be a grave understatement.

'

"The sister sword of the Sword in the Stone. It's the most famous sacred sword in your time period. Its name... The Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur. Wielded by King Arthur, the proud King of Knights."

'

Quiet.

'

The entire room grew painfully quiet as soon as Caster finished his revelation. Looking around, the expressions on the rest of the Chaldeans' faces reflected perfectly how Ritsuka felt. Shock, disbelief, hopelessness, it was all there. Mash, while obviously scared, still remained surprisingly calm, while in contrast, the Director looked like she could faint from sheer fright. What... what could anyone even say at this point?

'

"Cojeme..." Not really surprising at this point, Arista was the first to speak up, though he did sound about as shocked as the rest. Maybe even he didn't have anything to- "Well, this ain't good."

'

"Really!? Thank you, I don't think anyone here noticed!" And there went the Director...

'

Doing her best to tune out the horrific screeching emanating from her boss, Ritsuka wasn't really sure if this was better or worse than her panicking. Maybe just the slightest bit better. At least Caster seemed entertained by the Director's rant, and even Romani seemed so engrossed in it that he was distracted from his earlier worry. And glancing at her side, Ritsuka could see that Mash as well had been absorbed in the screaming. Honestly, it did amuse her a bit too.

'

After ranting for about a minute, Olga Marie stopped for breath, having seemingly gotten everything out of her system. For now at least. For the next few seconds, the only sound in the room was her quiet panting. And then Arista started again. "Feel better? Nice. Can I offer a solution to our problem now?"

'

For the first time since the whole debacle began, all eyes moved away from Olga Marie and shifted to the only place they could look at to visualize the disembodied voice, the tiny note at the corner of Romani's screen. A solution...? He actually had a plan this quickly? Ritsuka hadn't even had the time to consider anything they could do, yet Arista was already offering them a solution. While the Director had called him a genius, this was just... bizarrely fast.

'

"...Let's hear it then," Olga Marie sighed, finished catching her breath. Her outburst really had managed to improve the mood, not just for the others, but to herself as well. Ritsuka couldn't help but wonder... had Arista's nonchalant comment been on purpose?

'

"Well, it's simple, really. We'll just summon another Servant to help you."

'

Silence, once more. This time however, the cause wasn't dread, just pure astonishment. Yes, it was simple, no doubt, but to say it so casually...

'

"...Are you screwing with me again?" Olga Marie asked, this time with full justification. There were so many holes in the idea that Ritsuka didn't even know where to begin. How would they even summon a new Servant here? Who would be the Master? The problems just kept piling up. And based on the expressions of everyone else, they all seemed to be thinking the same thing, the Director appearing especially tired. "How in the world do you even plan on doing that? The Fate System isn't that- er, isn't that simple to use. We can't just boot it up and hope for the best."

'

"That was true. Before now, at least."

'

"Huh?" Now genuinely confused, Olga Marie could only stare at the little note on the screen. "What do you mean?"

'

"How could I say this nicely..." Arista muttered. The faceless man remained quiet for several seconds, seemingly trying to find proper words to use, until: "No puedo, a tomar por culo. Frankly, the Fate System is kind of a piece of shit."

'

"...Eh?" Staring at the screen in utter bewilderment, Olga Marie remained speechless for several seconds, looking as if she had just been slapped across the face. Even after finding her words, it seemed that she could barely even put them together. "Ho- how dare you! The, the Fate System, it... it was created by father! It has the ability to summon Servants at a... um... It just can! It's an unparalleled accomplishment and..."

'

"11 years." Two words. It took two words from Arista to silence the Director, leaving her looking somewhere between frustrated and embarrassed. "11 years, and the Fate System has managed to summon a grand total of 3 Servants. As a ritual meant to summon Servants, it's far from impressive."

'

"Yeah, that ain't exactly remarkable," Caster noted, a point that Ritsuka had to agree with. Only three over the course of eleven years? Yet they were supposed to summon 48 Servants, one for each Master, for this mission?

'

As if he had read her mind, Arista was quick to bring the same point to light. "Seriously Olga, this whole deal with 48 Masters. Was it supposed to be a gambit of some kind? That maybe if so many Masters attempted to summon Servants together, some of them might actually succeed?"

'

For a second, the Director looked like she was going to cry, only for all the signs of sorrow to be overwhelmed by anger. She really had a talent for that. "So what!? What if it is somewhat unreliable!? And weren't you just suggesting that we use it to summon a Servant!? Aren't you completely contradicting yourself!?"

'

"Specifically, I said that it was true. And, I did mention that I discovered one of the biggest breakthroughs in Chaldea's history."

'

Almost simultaneously, everyone in the room turned to look at the strange, rainbow colored stones. These things were the solution? A few minutes ago they had no idea what they were, and now they were the key for success?

'

"Just think about it for a minute," Arista incited. "What are these things made of?"

'

"Not really sure," Caster admitted, turning the jewel on his hand as he looked it over. "I can tell that they are concentrated, crystallized magical energy of sorts, but nothing further than that."

'

"That's true, but the specific material is pretty easy to guess, when you think about their origin."

'

"Their orig-" For the first time since Ritsuka had met Caster, the man appeared genuinely, truly shocked, staring at the stone on his hand in utter disbelief. Soon after, Olga Marie's eyes noticeably widened as she too stared at the jewel, leaving Ritsuka feeling... lacking. While it seemed that both Caster and the Director had realized specifically what he meant, Ritsuka, along with Mash and Romani, were all still in the process of grasping the specific answer. Thankfully, Caster gave it to them. "You're saying these things are remnants of killed Servants?"

'

Now catching on, Ritsuka too focused her eyes on the stone on Mash's hand. Remnants of Servants? She had never heard anything about this. As far as she knew, when a Servant disappeared from the world, they left nothing behind, yet apparently these things were indeed 'something' left behind.

'

"You're seriously suggesting that these things are remnants of Servants then?" Olga Marie asked, still astonished by the compiling information. Though her gaze sharpened once again as she worked things through in her head. "So, is it safe to assume that if we use these things as a Catalyst for summoning Servants, we can summon the Servant that dropped it in the first place?"

'

"This is all just really bizarre," Caster grumbled, looking the slightest bit uncomfortable. Well, considering that to him, he was essentially holding a body part of one of his kind, Ritsuka could understand it bothering him. "Servants ain't supposed to leave anything behind once we're done, but now we leave these things behind as corpses? The hell is wrong with this Holy Grail War?"

'

"Not exactly. They don't share traits with any specific Servants. We know this, since the two stones you have there are completely identical. My current theory is that when a Servant's spiritual body is destroyed, their fading Saint Graph collapses, leaving these stones behind. And I want to make it absolutely clear that they're not tied to any specific Servants. These jewels are essentially formed of leftovers, things that the Saint Graph received with their Servant body, left behind once again when they fade from the world. Essentially, if a Servant's Saint Graph is the contents of a book, these things are the covers, not ultimately having any greater purpose than keeping the contents together. To put it simply, these stones are like someone took the covers off a book, scrubbed them clean, and left them behind as something that could fit in just about any book."

'

That was definitely... a lot to process, but at least Ritsuka now got the basic idea. Not that all the questions had been answered, yet it was a start. "But how do these things even exist?"

'

"No idea," Arista answered, much to the surprise of those present. "Could be an effect of this blackening thing or something caused by the nature of the Singularity. Not enough info to be certain."

'

"Yeah, this is definitely some revolutionary stuff we're dealing with here," Romani agreed. "But how exactly do they help in summoning Servants?"

'

"Well, if my theory is correct, and it most likely is, they ease the act of summoning Servants by providing a small part of their structure for them immediately. To use my example from earlier, we're providing the covers for a book."

'

"So, they're essentially a foolproof catalyst..." Mumbling while looking over the stones, Olga Marie seemed deep in thought, not saying anything for over ten seconds until she turned to the projected screen. "How confident are you in this theory of yours, Arista? Can these... stones really guarantee the summoning of a Servant?"

'

"89,7 percent. Not really a full score, can't really give it to something like this, but high nonetheless." Responding with a nod, the Director seemed satisfied in his answer. "Although, we ought to name these things, right? Can't just keep calling them 'rocks' forever." Visibly cringing at the suggestion, Olga Marie began to look annoyed again for some reason, all the while Romani appeared to be holding back laughter on the screen. Ritsuka felt terribly out of the loop. Was this some sort of inside joke she was not getting? "Well, since they are remnants of Servants' Saint Graphs, and they have this colorful, crystalline structure, how about calling them Saint Quartz?"

'

Saint Quartz... Yeah, Ritsuka could get behind that. Not that it was the most creative of names, but a nice, simple one all the same. Though you wouldn't think that based on the Director's expression. Once again, Olga Marie appeared genuinely surprised, though Ritsuka couldn't even begin to guess the reason. Well, not until she spoke up at least. "Arista... That has to be the most sensible name you've ever given anything."

'

Listening to Arista respond with another sarcastic quip and the Director yelling back at him, Ritsuka could only wonder what manner of relationship the two had. While she now understood the reasoning for Olga Marie's surprise, at least partially, she was once again feeling really left out. But why was she even thinking about this? She had gotten really distracted. They all had to some extent. It would be better to get the conversation back on track, mostly so that she could properly understand Arista's plan. "Ahem. Could we please get back on track? I'd really like to hear the details of Mr. Arista's plan."

'

"As much as I'm enjoying this whole thing, I've got to agree with Master here," Caster concurred while keeping his eyes on the Director. He really was a straightforward guy... well, Ritsuka could understand finding some amusement in her easily angered boss. Not that she'd ever admit it, though. She wasn't going to risk losing her job again. "I'd like to get more details as well."

'

"Yeah, just drop the 'Mister.' Makes me sound old," the disembodied voice complained before moving on. "But, yeah, to put it simply: We'll summon one more Servant to help you guys out. And considering that we're dealing with King Arthur here, the Servant I have in mind should be fairly fitting for the job."

'

"I get that, but who's going to be the Master?" Caster asked, something that everyone else in the room wished to know too. From what Ritsuka understood, the Master was the thing they were currently lacking, though she supposed the Director could fulfill that spot, being a Lord and all. "The redhead here already has a contract underway and I highly doubt she can support another Servant. Not with those magical circuits." Yeah, she figured it would come to that. Not that Ritsuka really minded. She was well aware of the reality of Caster's words. And very aware of her own limits. If it was just Mash, then she could handle it, but anything more would be really rough on her. She did wonder why the prospect of the Director becoming a Master hadn't come up, though.

'

"And that's why she'll be getting some magical energy support from Chaldea, so that she can handle it. You'll need to link up with a local leyline first though, but considering that we need that for summoning anyway, it's no problem."

'

Wait, was this really what they were going with? Looking around the room in confusion, Ritsuka still continued to wonder why no one had even suggested the Director becoming a Master. Did... they all know something she didn't?

'

"Hold on, Arista," Olga Marie interrupted. "Can Chaldea really afford to spare energy for something like this? Aren't we already running low due to using the backup generator?"

'

"That's not really an issue. Keeping a Servant manifested doesn't require that much power, and I've already shut off everything that is not vital over here."

'

Moving her eyes to Romani, who confirmed Arista's statement with a nod, the Director seemed satisfied. "I see... That's good at least. Continue with your explanation."

'

"Not really much left to explain. You go to the nearest leyline and link it up with Chaldea, we send you the catalyst and maybe some food and drink too, and finally, we boot up the summoning system to get you your backup. Any questions?"

'

"I have one," Caster called, raising his hand. "Who exactly are we summoning? You said you had a catalyst, so you know which Servant we're going to get. Not that I'm complaining about getting more allies, but I just want to make sure it's not some jackass who's a pain in the ass to deal with."

'

"First off, no worries, it's not someone you know personally. Second, they won't cause you any trouble, most likely. Can't say things with 100 percent certainty, but there shouldn't be any issues. And finally, as for their identity... you'll just have to wait and see."

'

"Of course you would say something like that." Sighing in frustration, Olga Marie threw a tired look at the screen. "Hopefully the Servant is at least a strong one."

'

Ritsuka was a bit surprised the Director hadn't been more insistent on knowing the Servant's identity, but perhaps she knew she wouldn't get anything more out of Arista, deciding it was better to save her energy.

'

"Well, I'll give you a bit of reassurance. The catalyst is something we got as a backup for Ophelia, so that should give you some idea of its quality."

'

Looking a tad surprised upon hearing the words, Olga Marie appeared to grow slightly hopeful. "For Phamrsolone? I see... That actually does work as a reassurance."

'

Getting a bit lost in the conversation, Ritsuka tried to remember if she had heard anything about the person in question, but came up with nothing. She was quite sure she'd never even heard the name. From the way they spoke about her, she was more than likely a Master Candidate, but that was all she could pick up.

'

"Senpai."

'

Hearing a quiet call from her side, Ritsuka turned to Mash, now leaning a bit towards her to speak quietly. "Ophelia Phamrsolone is one of the Masters on Team A. She's a mage from a prominent family residing in Germany, and seemingly wished to summon a Norse Servant."

'

"I see. Thank you, Mash." Giving a smile and a nod in response, Mash moved back to her original position. Ritsuka really was thankful for the info, seeing how it made the situation much clearer. A mage from a prominent family was sure to summon a powerful Servant, and given that she had chosen a Norse one, Ritsuka could at least make some guesses. In the best case scenario, it could be an extremely powerful Servant like Sigurd or Starkad, and even if it wasn't, there were still plenty of strong choices, like Hrólfr Kraki or Ragnar Lodbrok. She could definitely see why the Director now felt reassured.

'

"Now, anyone have anything more to add before you head out to the closest leyline?"

'

"Wait a second, Arista," Olga Marie called out, rising from her seat. "We haven't even put a proper plan of attack together. That should be our first priority."

'

"Um... Director?" Calling out to her boss, Ritsuka noticed Caster grinning from the corner of her eye. And judging by his smirk, he knew exactly what she was going to say. Ugh, she was instantly regretting this. The Director had already moved her eyes on her, so there was no backing out at this point. Why couldn't someone else have spoken out before her? "...Wouldn't it make more sense to save our strategy meeting for later? After all, we'll be gaining a new ally with the summoned Servant, so it'll be easier to plan out any combat scenarios when we know exactly what they are capable of."

'

Almost instantly, Olga Marie grew flustered, striking Ritsuka with a painful wave of secondhand embarrassment. To have made such a glaring mistake and gotten called out for it... The redhead regretted having opened her mouth at all.

'

"Ah, y-yes. I suppose that... that would be faster." Stammering out her response, the Director drew different reactions from just about everyone. Ritsuka could hardly look at her out of sheer empathy, Mash somehow remained perfectly calm, Romani rubbed his neck awkwardly, and Caster looked like he was going to burst out laughing at any moment. The atmosphere was frustratingly painful. "I thought that we should... uh... form... yes, form at least some basic foundation for our strategy, but I suppose it would be more efficient to just wait until we summon the third Servant." Ritsuka could only wonder if Olga Marie herself even believed what she was saying.

'

"Alright, now that we got that out of the way, is there anything else?" Arista asked. The answer, however, was a surprising one.

'

"I would like to confirm something." Raising her hand, Mash stood from her seat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Even with the support from Chaldea, are you certain that forming another contract wouldn't cause any danger to Senpai's health?"

'

And there it was. Ritsuka could only grit her teeth in response to Mash's words, unbearable frustration coming over her. Once again, she had to worry about Ritsuka because of her ineptitude. Not that she couldn't understand her reasoning. After all, Mash knew her quality as a mage, so it was only natural for her to be worried. And of course it made sense for a Servant to protect their Master, nothing strange about that. But what bothered Ritsuka was the fact that she could do barely anything in return. Mash fought for her and worried about her safety both in and out of battle, yet all she could do to repay her were maybe a few spells to boost her combat ability and some words of encouragement. That was all, and it was absolutely infuriating.

'

"No need to worry. As long as the two of you don't go absolutely nuts on spending your magical energy, she should be perfectly fine. A bit tired maybe, but nothing a nap and a meal can't fix."

'

"Very well," Mash nodded before turning to Ritsuka. "That should be acceptable, right Senpai?"

'

"Oh, uh... yeah. No complaints here." Damn it. Had she seriously gotten distracted by her brooding again? She had just barely managed to pick up the subject to not make a fool of herself. Focus. She needed to focus. She could save worrying about her inferiority complex for a time when they weren't in a life threatening danger.

'

"Alright, I trust there's nothing else?" Waiting a few seconds for confirmation, Arista continued when none were voiced. "Here's the location of the nearest leyline. Head over there as soon as you're ready."

'

With a beep, the map reappeared from Ritsuka's Multi-Appliance, a highlighted spot marking their location clearly. "Hmm... A bit less than a kilometer away, huh?" Given the terrain and possible interruptions, it should take them around 20-30 minutes to get there. Well, not like they were in a massive hurry anyways. Standing up from her seat, Ritsuka looked around the room for the others' reactions. "I'm ready to go whenever. How about you guys?"

'

"I'm prepared as long as you are, Senpai," Mash replied as she stood up as well. She really was diligent, almost to a worrying point. Though thankfully as Ritsuka took a quick look at her, Mash's magical energy had been nearly fully recovered. At least she wasn't working herself too hard.

'

"No problems here," Caster called out, leaving just the last person.

'

Seemingly thinking about something, Olga Marie had remained seated, not saying a word. The look on her face was so focused that Ritsuka could almost hear gears turning inside her head. But just as she was about the call out to her, the Director stood up on her own, looking her straight in the eyes. "I have no issues with this. The sooner we get more fighting power and supplies, the better. Let's head out, Investigation Team!"

'

Marching rather fervently towards the door, though she did wait for Caster to exit first, Olga Marie seemed... surprisingly motivated. As for what had suddenly caused it, Ritsuka had no clue. Following behind the Director, she turned to Mash right before they got outside. "Mash, if you don't mind, could you keep watch at our rear?"

'

"Of course, Senpai," the Demi-Servant answered with a smile, as eager as she usually was. And while Ritsuka found it commendable, she just couldn't help but to also feel a bit sad about it. Mash just worked so hard despite her fear of fighting, and at this point, she was also quite sure that she would be willing to throw herself in front of any danger just to protect her, her Master. Just the thought of that made Ritsuka feel so... meager.

'

She could only hope that Caster, along with the Servant they were preparing to summon, would be able to lessen Mash's burden.

'

'

---

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

---

'

'

The walk to the leyline had gone... surprisingly smoothly.

'

Mash had only had to raise her shield for defense a few times, yet none of those times actually involved any combat for her. Whenever a stray skeleton appeared, it was almost instantly turned to ash by Caster's runes, and a few times he hadn't even bothered with runes, just hitting the monsters with his staff.

'

There ultimately just wasn't much for her to do except watch their rear for any attackers. And a part of her was happy about that. It just meant that she didn't have to fight, and could focus solely on keeping both Senpai and the Director safe.

'

Yet another part of her felt... useless. If she couldn't fight for her Master, what use was she as a Servant? Even if she had still been a regular person, she could have done everything she had done during their walk without issue. But as a Servant, just by existing she was passively draining magical energy from Ritsuka. If she wasn't doing anything... didn't that make her more of a hindrance than help?

'

"That's the spot, right over there."

'

Stalling her worrying for now, Mash looked at the spot Caster was currently pointing, the ley point they had come here for. In the past, the spot had been hidden in an alleyway running between buildings, making it a good, covert spot. Now though, most of the buildings had been raised to the ground, their burning remains the only proof that they had even existed in the first place. The ruins still provided some cover, but far less than would be ideal.

'

"Mash, place your shield on the ground," Olga Marie ordered as she walked right next to the ley point. "I'm going to set up a summoning circle, with your Noble Phantasm as the catalyst."

'

Before doing as she was ordered, Mash gave a glance to Ritsuka, who nodded in agreement. "...Understood. Now let us begin." Having received confirmation, the Demi-Servant set her shield on the ley point after removing the required Saint Quartz from its storage, watching as it began glowing and...

'

In a flash of light, a circuitry-like sphere surrounded their immediate area, catching both Mash and Ritsuka off guard, while Olga Marie and Caster remained calm, the latter looking around curiously. The scenery was one Mash was quite familiar with. "This is... The same as the summoning experiment chamber at Chaldea."

'

"Woah!?"

'

Turning around upon hearing her Master cry out, Mash noticed a faint glow emitting from Ritsuka's body. Specifically, from the magical circuits running through her body. The redhead looked at her now glowing arms in confusion, only for them to return to normal in a few seconds. "What... what just happened?"

'

"That was Chaldea's magical energy forming a current through your body," Romani informed, appearing on his familiar screen once more. "It might feel a bit weird at first, but it should ease up in a minute or two."

'

"If you say so." While Ritsuka was still feeling around her body, her bearing had returned to its usual calmness. To Mash relief, it seemed that she wasn't in pain, and had only been surprised by the sudden connection.

'

"Ah, by the way, Caster," Ritsuka called out, gaining Cú's attention. "Do you mind keeping an eye on our surroundings while we take care of this? If anyone were to attempt a sneak attack on us, this would be the prime moment."

'

Giving a quick nod, Caster flung his staff over his shoulder and walked out of the sphere. "Yeah, I don't really mind guard duty. I'll give you a call if something comes up."

'

"Thanks, we appreciate it."

'

Watching as the druid walked away, Mash once again felt thankful for his assistance. With her shield on the ground, her fighting ability was greatly reduced, so if they were to be ambushed, she wasn't sure she could protect both Senpai and the Director in time. Though that thought brought her earlier worries back to her mind... Well, at least she could now be of use with her shield acting as a summoning circle.

'

"Alright. Stable connection to Chaldea: Check. Magical energy current formed through Ritsuka: Check. Path connected to Mash's shield with the Fate System: Check." Listening as Arista enumerated the required procedures for the summoning, Mash felt the slightest bit excitable. If the summoning would work as planned, it would be a notable step for Chaldea's summoning system. "Everything looking good on my end. How are things over there, Roman?"

'

"Uh, well..." From his tone, Mash could immediately tell that the Doctor was having a problem of some sort. That was the voice he used whenever someone had expected him to do something, yet it was not finished. "I did send staff to fetch some provisions for the investigation team, and the catalyst you sent to the Command Room is also here..."

'

"...But?" Olga Marie asked flatly, clearly aware that the problem lied in whatever the Doctor was doing.

'

"Well... We've been doing our best in the Command Room, but we haven't been able to fully restore our systems..." Romani admitted nervously, earning a frustrated sigh from the Director. "Specifically, it's about the Rayshift systems. You see, they're-"

'

Suddenly cutting his explanation, Romani looked somewhere left of the screen, his eyes wide. Continuing his silence for a few more seconds, the Doctor began typing on his console, seemingly checking for something, until: "...They're fully operational."

'

Blinking a few times in surprise, Olga Marie seemed confused for the slightest moment, until something appeared to click in her head. Her expression falling flat once more, she focused on the little note at the bottom of the screen instead of Roman. "Arista... You waited just until this moment to bring the Rayshift systems back online, didn't you?"

'

"Maaaybe? Would you believe me if I told you it was just incredible timing?" Not even bothering to answer the question, Olga Marie's continued apathetic stare spoke louder than words. "Didn't think so. I did finish things up a few minutes ago. Well, not that the systems were going to be used until now anyways."

'

"Terrific," Olga Marie sighed, turning back to Romani. "Is everything ready now?"

'

"All good to go. I had the staff load all your supplies into a Conveyance Container, so we're ready to send them right away."

'

"Good. Send them." Taking a few steps back from the shield in preparation, Olga Marie shielded her eyes in advance for the coming light show. Following her example, Ritsuka, despite not knowing exactly what to expect, did the same, with Mash joining her as well.

'

A single sphere of light rose out of the center of the shield, followed soon by twelve smaller ones that appeared from the rings circling it, which then distanced themselves from the middle, forming a summoning circle. The small spheres then proceeded to rotate along the edges of the circle, soon reaching a speed where their individual forms were lost, appearing only as a single band of light. And then, over the course of a second, the band expanded outward before crashing into the sphere that had remained in the middle, creating a flash much like that of a camera, leaving a white, rectangular crate in its wake.

'

"Supplies received," Mash noted as she put down the Saint Quartz and went to pick up the crate, moving it off her shield.

'

"Good," Olga Marie nodded, walking to her side. "Before we go any further, let's make sure that we got everything we need."

'

"Yes, Director." Removing the clasps that kept the lid on, Mash moved it aside to check on the contents of the crate. Inside were a few bottles of water, a thermos, three vacuum packed sandwiches, a small pack of dried fruit, and... another box? Picking up the unknown container, Mash looked it over in her hands. It was rather small, only 20 cm long, 10 wide and 5 thick, weighing barely anything. She was familiar with the rest of the supplies, but this was something new to her. "What is this box for?"

'

"The catalyst for summoning is in there," Arista answered. "Can't keep priceless artifacts just lying around, so it's safe inside that container."

'

Looking at the box in her hands curiously, Mash was joined by Ritsuka who moved to her side to get a better look. "Can... can we open it?" the redhead asked, just as curious as her Servant.

'

"I mean, you kinda need to if you want to use it, so go ahead."

'

"Right. Could you, Senpai?" Mash asked, holding out the box for easier access.

'

With a nod, Ritsuka moved her hands to unlock it. Turning the small handle on the lid a few times, she opened the tiny box, revealing its contents.

'

Inside the cushioned container, there was a single feather. No, as Mash looked closer, it wasn't an actual feather, but a piece of metal in the shape of one. It was very beautifully made, yet there was something about its appearance that bothered her. Its color. It was something like a grayish white, which could be considered normal for a feather, but something about it still bothered her. She couldn't properly put it into words, it was like the color was unfitting of the craftsmanship, something extra...

'

Ritsuka too seemed curious about it, looking at the feather from different angles, before muttering out the answer Mash had searched for. "Is this... it's covered in ash?"

'

"That it is. And don't even think about 'cleaning' it. That ash has completely merged with the feather, ever since the fire that left it behind many, many centuries ago. As for why it's like that... Yeeeeah... You'll probably understand why when you meet the Servant."

'

"Not ominous at all..." Ritsuka mumbled, with Olga Marie nodding in agreement. But despite her grievance, the Master still picked up the Saint Quartz and walked right next to the shield still laying on the ground. "Well, we don't want this taking any longer than necessary. Our light show here will definitely draw some attention eventually, so I'm ready to proceed with the summoning as soon as possible. Any objections?" she asked, looking at the Director.

'

"None. You're right in that we need to get this done as soon as possible," Olga Marie agreed as she turned to Roman. "Is everything ready with the Fate System?"

'

"All set," Romani nodded, giving a thumbs up from the screen. "Now, as I explained during the walk here, Ritsuka, our equipment will take care of basically everything, leaving you with a simplified chant to bind the Servant to you. You still remember it, right?"

'

"Of course. I'd like to think my memory is better than that," Ritsuka sighed and placed the Saint Quartz in the middle of the shield. "Mash, you're fine with holding the catalyst, right?"

'

"Yes, Senpai." As if she needed to even ask. In fact, Mash had to wonder why her Senpai always made sure to ask before requiring anything from her. Well, perhaps that was just one of her ways of showing kindness.

'

Nodding in confirmation, Ritsuka turned to face the shield once more, holding out her right hand. "Alright, let's get started."

'

Just like earlier, the spheres of light emerged from the shield, but this time, the sphere in the middle lifted the Saint Quartz together with it. And right before the smaller spheres began their rotation, Ritsuka spoke out.

'

"I shall declare here; Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"

'

It really was a simple chant. Mash had heard that in a proper summoning, it would be far longer, but since the machines did most of the work, the Fate System allowed it work with the bare minimum.

'

The Command Spell on Ritsuka's hand shone as the small spheres began to rotate, preparing to expand outward as they formed into a band. However, instead of a single band of light, three were formed, rising vertically before crashing into the sphere in the middle, blinding those present.

'

And then, Mash felt it. Even if the light kept her from seeing, she could still feel the unmistakable presence before her. "Ah, it always feels good to be right," Arista's voice declared, confirming the result without a shadow of a doubt. The summoning had been successful.

'

As the light faded, allowing those present to see again, Mash was finally able to observe the Servant's appearance: At first glance, she could tell that the Servant was without a doubt a woman, an incredibly beautiful woman. She had a delicate body and mystical, long teal hair that reminded Mash of the night sky she had seen in pictures. Taller than either her or Olga Marie, yet shorter than Ritsuka, the Servant was clad in blue armor while holding a lance that looked heavy and huge to an impossible point, and yet it was being lightly carried in her hands. Her eyes, shining like amethysts, focused on Ritsuka as she spoke with a soft, quiet voice.

'

"Brynhildr... My Class is... Lancer. I await your orders... I will fight as your spear, Master."

---

.

---

.

---

Notes:

---

Remember how in the last chapter I said that it was supposed to end later? You do? Cool. Well, I had planned to end it at the point Brynhildr was summoned...

And now you know why I didn't post them as a single part.

Also, I would've been an entire month late on my schedule, so that's another reason.

'

But yeah, in this part we finally start on the whole: [Making game mechanics make sense in the story] deal. Of course, how Saint Quartz exists is still pretty vague, but it'll get expanded on once the characters themselves figure out how it works. And later, I get to try making more game mechanics make sense... Jooooyyyy...

'

On the next chapter though, things are gonna get a bit crazier in story alterations. Can't make things too easy for the gang now that they've got some firepower on their side after all :)

'

Next time: [Assassin Fracas]