Fate/Grand Order: One-shot Collection
Hello everyone! I guess I should explain what all this is. So, simply put, this is a series of one-shots I wrote on my off-time. I find myself writing these faster and easier compared to my other usual story chapters during my college schedule for whatever reason. Maybe because it is 'something new', maybe because it is something I've been meaning to do for a while now. But I feel like I should give some context to its contents.
This is a series of one-shots based on Fate Grand Order. Keywords here being 'based on'. While this takes moments from Fate Grand Order, some more straightforward than others, they're altered to fit the narrative a little better. Due to FGO's structure and format, I believe many moments and scenes could've been executed better in terms of the story, and this is my take on them. Whether you like these or not, if you prefer the FGO version or not, is up to you, I'm not saying these are better by default. These are just ideas I would've included if I were on the helm of the story for Fate Grand Order. And I'd like to hear your opinions on them, obviously.
In addition, if any of you have any ideas for moments for me to tackle or anything of the sort, don't be shy to request and share your thoughts. There's no schedule or set limit for these. However, depending on feedback, this will be the base for a project of mine in the far future. Regardless, I hope you enjoy and have fun, since that's what's most import.
Thank you for reading.
Septem - Final Confrontation:
Whatever they threw at her was useless.
Attacks were deflected, defences were broken, and tricks were outsmarted.
Gudako and Mash faced what could be called a walking storm. The King of Combat, Attila the Hun, had been summoned through the Grail by Flauros, who she quickly slaid and took the Grail with. And she made her way to destroy the closest civilization. Nero's empire.
Mash was knocked aside despite her defences. Whichever Servant was called by Gudako was driven away.
"Ahh!" Boudica, their ever-present ally, Contracted with Gudako, managed to evade severe damage by using her shield, but the swing of the tri-coloured sword that acted as a whip knocked her back. She fell on the floor, staggered. And the moment she was about to stand up again…
"Boudica, flee!" The Emperor of Roses herself stood between Rider and Saber, holding her crimson sword, ready for combat.
"Nero, what are you-?!"
"Boudica, flee! As the emperor of this land, I command you!" Nero gave a decisive glare to Attila. "As long as Rome belongs to me, my citizens expect highly of me! It's only befitting of me to do so! Behold my talent!"
"Nero, back away!" Gudako yelled in panic.
"You can't possibly match her!" Mash continued. And that was the truth. No matter how Nero were, she was still a Living Hero. A human. Capable of fighting monsters? Perhaps. But matching a Servant? An impossibility.
This fact had been repeated over and over again. Against Caligula, against Caesar, against Alexander, and against Romulus. But to no avail. Stubbornness? Determination? Too fine a line to tell.
"…" Boudica's eyes, however, were entirely filled with rage and hatred.
Do it.
The grip holding her sword tightened to the point that if the hilt weren't there, her nails would dig into the flesh of her palm.
Do it.
The voice of her older self, the one that, if summoned as a Servant, would be an Avenger, a Heroic Spirit driven by vengeance and hatred.
Do it. You've wanted to ever since you've allied with her.
Boudica readied her arm. It would be so easy. It would be incredibly easy, in fact. As a Servant, she would be able to plunge her sword into Nero's heart, killing her in a quick motion. Even if the timeline were to be restored, she would've done it. She would've killed the person responsible for everything…
The one that ignored her husband's will. The one who took the land from her and her daughters. The one responsible for making her children suffer in ways no one should…
And yet… She didn't do that.
"You god damn brat…!"
"Eh?" Nero turned around, only to suddenly be knocked aside by a slap from Boudica's shield. "?!"
"For the LAST TIME!" Her sword crossed with Saber's. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A couple more clashes. The hatred in her eyes was still there, but it wasn't the only emotion. "How many times do we have to tell you that already, you stubborn woman?!"
"Boudica…?"
"I HATE YOU!"
Nero staggered back for a second. Her face shook slightly.
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU WITH ALL OF MY SOUL!" Boudica let words she had wanted to yell for a few days now. Her movements became sharper, stronger, but more ragged. In a way, she seemed more unpredictable. "Because of you…!" Everything came pouring out. "You don't even realize that because of you… I couldn't even continue the ruling of the country that was mine by right! I lost my husband! My daughters suffered! I asked them to do it to me instead, but they ignored my pleas!" She was supposed to be at a disadvantage. Her strength wasn't as high as Attila's. Her body wouldn't be able to sustain as much damage. Her speed wasn't able to match. Her magical power, her luck, they were laughable compared to Saber's. And yet…
"?" Attila could tell something was different. Unknown to emotion, she couldn't understand what was going with Boudica. Even though it was so obviously spelled out in her movements and her face. Her ragged face, bawling so many tears that her eyes could be confused for fountains. Saber's slashes sped up, resulting in multiple bleeding wounds all over her body.
But she kept moving. She kept fighting. Boudica's body, as long as the heart and the head remained active, no matter the kind of wound hindered her body, she wouldn't stop. This is the Battle Continuation that she earned in her many battles.
"I wanted to live a peaceful life! Because of you, I killed so many…!" Boudica was doing her best not to sniffle. Her vision was blurred by the tears, but that didn't matter. Attila may be her target, but it was like she swung at a ghost only she could see, occupying Attila's place. "I killed so many Roman Soldiers and yet… never once…!" Her teeth gritted tightly as her arm was whipped back. She should've let go of her sword, if not from weakness, from the hilt being soaked in blood. And as she swung down with all her might. "NEVER ONCE DID I ENJOY IIIIIT!"
Attila's body, for the first time, was gashed. Boudica's words suddenly made Gudako and Mash understand. Her alliance with Nero despite their History didn't come from rationality alone. That would never be possible. It was because of something as simple as…
…she simply did not hold any enjoyment in slaying those that she swore vengeance upon. There was no lasting satisfaction in shedding their blood. The everlasting hatred that qualified for Avenger was immortal. No wonder she classified for such a class.
No matter the soldiers she killed, no matter the Roman Emperors she defeated, bloodshed would never satisfy her.
Nero brought a hand to her heart. At this point in history, in her perspective, a Boudica was still alive. But the harm was done. There wasn't a way around it. In bringing joy to her people, she brought ruin to others.
"Nee, Boudica! Let us drink together! As proper comrades, we need to seal our alliance! Umu!"
Did that moment mean nothing? Perhaps. Looking back, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that the sole reason Boudica joined forces with her would be to backstab her at some point. Even so, a fact was unquestionable: Boudica sacrificed her legendary chariot to protect Nero and the others. She could've thrown Nero to the zone of the impact of Saber's heavenly beam, but she didn't.
Another swing. The tri-coloured sword made Boudica's shield give out and shatter apart.
Nero called out of instinct. "Boudica!"
The Rider, coated in so much red, skidded over the ground a short distance. Breathing heavily, and still unable to keep her emotions in check, she swung her sword somewhat randomly, as if to keep Attila at bay.
The cold, killing machine spoke briefly. "For a brief moment, you impressed me, Rider. But it has ended." The Sword of Mars was raised.
"!" Boudica stepped aside, evading the impact.
GASH!
"?!" Attila brought a hand to her stomach. It bled.
Boudica, for the first time in this entire combat—no, this entire adventure… held her sword with both hands.
Any swordfighter will tell you the reason why dual-wielding is ineffective is because the strength of the swing of a sword raises dramatically if you hold it with both hands rather than just one.
That moment of confusion, of surprise! It was now or never.
"Boudica!" Gudako raised a clenched fist, showing her Command Seal. "By my three Command Seals!"
"Three?!" Mash was taken aback.
"Defeat Saber! Bring us victory to save the world! And most important of all! Boudica, with all your might, protect all of the lives unrelated to this battle!"
Boudica's eyes shined powerfully as the symbol in the back of Gudako's hand became simple, red smears. Red lightning bolts struck her body and the hold of her weapon turned much stronger.
A ceremonial departure with a Servant. By utilizing all three Command Seals at once, she raised Boudica's power and magical energy to levels that were naturally impossible.
The sword without promised victory began to shine brightly, Mana leaking off its steel…
Rider raised her sword, for an overhead swing while leaping forward.
"SWORD OF!"
"?!" Altera's eyes shook as the bright light blinded her.
"BOUDICA!"
A swing that was supposed to release a barrage of Mana Projectiles instead resulted in a burst of bright blue light. An explosion that swallowed both the astonished Attila and the smiling Boudica.
The sword slowly shattered into pieces…
The problem of fighting a sword without promised victory is that death is just as likely…
"…Huh?" Boudica opened her eyes.
"Ah! Mommy fell asleep!"
"Shhh! You're going to wake her up!"
Boudica raised her head in a jolt and turned to the voices. She knew them too well. They were voices one could never forget.
"See? I told you!"
"But… Ah! Mommy, why are you crying?! I-I'm sorry for waking you up."
A pair of children with hair as red as hers and eyes as bright as the sky. To see them again, like this, was nothing short of a miracle.
"It's nothing honey. I just have something in my eye." Boudica lied naturally. It wouldn't make sense to her daughters why she was so glad to see them again. Was it delusion? Was it reality? Had her life as a Servant in Septem been nothing but a dream?
No matter the answer, it didn't matter. She spread her arms. "Mommy is gonna getcha!"
"Whaa! Run away!"
"Mommy is about to attack!"
Her two children were caught in a tight hug, with giggles of happiness flying out of the three mouths.
"You three sure are rowdy today. Did something happen?"
Boudica looked over to the side. Another familiar voice. Another ghost of the past greeted her with a warm smile.
Her husband. "Prasutagus?"
"Hm? Why do you look so surprised?"
"O-Oh, it's nothing." She tried to disguise it, laughing it away. She raised both of her children with ease and rocked them gently from side to side, not too dissimilar to a swing, before letting them back to the floor. "Hey, darling?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think we can go on a picnic today? Just you, me, and the girls."
"It should be possible… How come? Is it a special celebration? Gh-! Don't tell me I forgot an anniversary of some kind…"
"No, nothing of the sort." Boudica assured, chuckling while giving a light tap to his shoulder. "I… just felt like it. It's such a beautiful day too."
Prasutagus looked over the open sky and gave a smile. "Ohhh? You're right as usual. Very well. Girls! Raid the pantry!"
"Yay!"
The four made their way to an open field, carrying light meals with them. Boudica and Pasutagus sat on the green grass, under the gentle breeze, as heir two daughters played around with each other and observed blooming flowers with fascination.
"…Hey."
"Hm?"
"Do you remember how we first met?"
"T-This really is a forgotten anniversary of some sort, isn't it?"
"I already told you it isn't, you dummy!" Boudica giggled a little. "I'm just curious."
"Well, it's hard to forget. I was a stumbling mess."
"Yes. You were." Boudica looked over the horizon. She wanted the moment to last a little longer. A moment of peace with her family…
The dust cleared up.
Gudako, Mash and Nero looked over the dusty winds and found…
"Boudica!" Nero rushed to Rider's side with unmatching speed. "Boudica, you-!" And she suddenly stumbled back, raising her hands to cover her mouth of shock.
Boudica's body remained. But that was it. Standing on her knees, Boudica's life had left her body. Eyes half open and a soft smile across her face. A limp hand finally le t go of the golden hilt of her broken sword.
Gudako and Mash approached. Boudica's magical signature was gone. And yet, her body remained. When a Servant runs out of energy, when their 'life' ends, their body is supposed to dissolve into Mana.
Despite being at a disadvantage throughout the battle, she refused to back down. Even in death, her torso refused to bend over and fall.
Nero clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth for a brief second. "…How unfair of you, Boudica…" Nero made her best to hold back tears. "Calling me stubborn when you refuse to fall over…"
Gudako and Mash were speechless.
Rider's body slowly turned grey. The moment a not-so-soft breeze hit the corpse, it crumbled into ashes.
The Queen of the Iceni died with a smile on her face.