This is so far the only Servants in Date A Live Verse. No plans adding any new Servants at the moment.
Z: wait what!?
daggercloak000: ok.
Chapter 19: The Training
*THUNK* *CHUNK*The spear barely missed Ritsuka before she could evade it and before she could ever rest her weight, she needed to buckle up again and jumped outward before another spear destroyed the earth beneath her.
*BOOOM*
It was getting dusty and Ritsuka was thrown out from the impact, landing on her butt wasn't the best option either. Her body were now aching but she need to move or she will be dead, or at least that's how she thought about this training.
Earlier, Scathach pulled her into a training at the remote forest this morning and Ritsuka was well aware of her reputation. Oh, she's not dubious about the outcome of this training and Ritsuka knew that she will become an effective fighter under Scathach's regime training.
The problem was: would she still alive aftermath? Ritsuka really wanted to respectfully refuse her nice offer but the dangerous tip of Scathach's spear that was pointed to her chest just made her enthusiastically available for her suggestion.
Ritsuka was now already crying inside but she better not show it in front of her supposed teacher.
Both Ritsuka and Scathach wore gym clothes… sexy gym clothes, where Ritsuka taught can only exist in the anime, only for Rider to bought it somewhere shady places. Ritsuka couldn't believe she would be wearing red bloomers again. No, she's not jealous of Nero wearing it, in fact, it looked great on her. Seeing Scathach also wearing the gym clothes on the other hand was just an icing on the cake.
Scathach really looked sexy in it… if only she could bravely say it in front of her.
Scathach handed her a spear replica and Ritsuka dreaded this revelation: would she be similar to Cu Chulainn now? Would she really be suffering now the infamous Lancer curse?
As if Scathach read her thoughts, the Queen of the Land of Shadows assured her. "No, I won't ever let you train in the same way as Setanta for your information. I'll be promise that this will be a 'light' training."
Still, Ritsuka was still cautious about this training. She gripped the spear tightly. Never have she thought Scathach was lying about her promise.
Ritsuka knew that whatever light training it was; it be difficult as it could be. The Master of Chaldea knew that she must not be pessimistic about this; she must retain the mindset 'the end justifies the means' but she couldn't help it.
It is as if she received a vision that 'if she dies, she dies'. What a horrible vision!
"Stand straight, Ritsuka!" Scathach commanded, as she puff her chest out while her stomach in. She was really getting it as a core commander. Ritsuka instinctively straightened out but it's a bit difficult when she's so conscious about her body. Ritsuka also gathered her orange hair into a ponytail that looked cute on her.
"So what's the first thing, teacher?"
Scathach was already a several feet away from her before she was content just by standing. This does not bode well for Ritsuka, she just felt it.
"Endurance."
"Endurance? Now?"
Scathach immediately raised her spear and didn't bother answering me anymore. That's my cue that the training started. She threw the spear with all her might, and at Ritsuka's bet, the spear was speeding nearly mach 10. The Master of Chaldea evaded and tumbled, her gym already been dirtied from tumbling too many times.
Ritsuka wiped her sweat on her forehead, she already admitted that her stamina might be shitty compared to her Servants. Without missing a beat, Scathach materialized another spear to be thrown at her.
What can you get a with a spear that can be thrown by mentor Scathach over the speed of Mach 10 and will definitely explode upon impact.
That's right, its death!
Ritsuka was facing her own death! And her body relentless fight for her!
Jumped and hopped for many times that she couldn't count, Ritsuka could feel her legs contract painfully but with your life being exposed to every danger, this is just fine.
Attempting to deflect them was a definitive no-no, at least for Ritsuka. Scathach didn't give any hints on how to end this game or if this has a timer or not. The only thing she knew was that her hand just ached as her own spear vibrated when she attempted to redirected Scathach's raging spears. If she attempted again, her arms might detach in process so she painstakingly did everything she can just to survive this ordeal.
Light training, she says, this is just straight-up punishment in style! Ritsuka was already drenched in sweat as Scathach drove her deeper and deeper in forest. Was this a part of her plan?
"H-hey, I am so sorry! Whatever what I have done! Can we please rest now!" Ritsuka pleaded as she hid behind a large tree.
*CHUNK*
The tree was chopped down in one blow! Ritsuka luckily managed to ducked down in a nick of time. What the hell is Scathach is thinking! Ritsuka knew she has no other choice but fight this head on.
It was now afternoon and Ritsuka was lying flat on the ground, not caring that her attire was entirely ripped, to the point her chest was almost exposed, save for Scathach who threw a towel just to cover her dignity.
"Thanks a lot, Scathach."
Scathach, who was barely tired from all of her doings, just shrugged it off.
"It's nothing Master."
She said as she sipped a cold coffee in a can which she got from the nearest vending machine. She offered one to Ritsuka, who barely raised her upper body as she wiped the sweat around her body. She didn't even care if her cloth was see through due to constant tearing and stretching.
All Ritsuka cared was to rest for the rest of the night.
"Can you tell me why training all of the sudden?"
"I want my Master to be at least caught up with us a Servant, seeing that were are now trapped in this world."
Ritsuka almost believed it, if it weren't for her snickering quietly.
"…" Ritsuka gave her a benefit of a doubt.
"It's true that you need to be capable for yourself at least if we are not by your side… which is nearly impossible. The other thing would be that it's the perfect time to train in you in magecraft."
"I see… so why no warnings? I could have accepted that deal right off the bat."
However, Scathach was quite suspicious of her words. "Well, if I told you this is how I train my students, would you?"
"Touché… although either way I have no choice, do I?" Ritsuka was now worried about herself. Especially, if Scathach was grinning comfortable, and Ritsuka was not comfortable with it.
Their quiet rest were interrupted by Kurumi who chose to materialized in the shades of the tree. She was still wearing a loose T-shirt that was given by Kiara.
Immediately, Scathach and Ritsuka noticed her presence and the Master of Chaldea waved to her, even though she never cared.
"Hey there! Kurumi." Ritsuka greeted without any hint of malevolence, as if she forgot what happened the last time. It just made Kurumi irritated of her, but curious at the same time. Scathach was wary, just like the queen warrior she is.
However, this time, she could feel Kurumi's intention not dangerous, at least for now.
Kurumi eventually approached Ritsuka ambiguously. Their saving grace that Kurumi has no evil intentions were she lacked her weapons this time. Still they stood their guard carefully.
"You're the one who saved me, right?"
"Depends on what occasion… how's your wounds, by the way."
"They're fine…" Kurumi replied as she caressed her wound area before she continued staring at Ritsuka. "…however, I have other things to say."
"What is it? Kurumi?"
"I want to pay you back as much as possible for saving my life…"
Ritsuka offered Kurumi a canned drink from the vending machine Scathach pointed earlier which Kurumi hesitantly accepted. They were somewhere in an abandoned park void of people and for added safety, Scathach formed a bounded field around them just to make sure.
Kurumi looked at her drink then at Ritsuka, as if she was trying to figure out what this peculiar individual was made of. First of all, she wasn't even afraid of her, Ritsuka was unfazed by her deaths of her clones and her massacre streaks. Unlike Shidou, Ritsuka seemed to have a firsthand experience to everything that is considered unnatural. That's how she was seeing her for a moment.
"Even though I am the worst Spirit this place could ever witnessed; I still have a strict standard that I followed." Kurumi said as she took a seep from can. "I am quite bothered why you spared my life from one of your Spirits."
Hearing that, Scathach just raised her brow, she expected Ritsuka to explain her side too but instead… "Well, first of all— this is my first time seeing a clock eye."
A beat and Kurumi was baffled for a moment, Scathach felt infuriated for the sudden. At that moment, Kurumi was conscious of her peculiar eye from now and covered it by some strands of her due to irritation.
"…I'm just kidding by the way… but honestly, having a clock eye look so cool." Ritsuka already have seen Servants with beautiful eyes and others with Mystic Eyes too but this is really her first time seeing an eye with an iris that looked and operated like a clock on Spirit associated with time. She thought that the themes were fitting.
"Please get straight to the point…I have no time for jokes or games." Kurumi reasoned but Ritsuka couldn't help it… especially when Kurumi managed to make another pun.
Kurumi was now frowning and was tipping into the scale of a lot more dangerous, so Ritsuka straightened herself. "Kurumi, I've got to admit that you are the first full-fledged Spirit that I've encountered for the time and that your skills and abilities correlate to 'time' and they are indeed wonderful and powerful... but I couldn't help but think of something." Ritsuka said as she looked at her straight to the eye.
Kurumi was now amused over her. "Go on, I'm listening to what you are saying."
"Why bother killing millions?" Ritsuka said it without any hint of doubt.
Kurumi was just stunned for a moment then laughed out loud. "Oh, such foolishness… of course, it's because I'm a Spirit… I could do whatever I can."
"But that contradicts your claim of having standards… the thing that you've said to me earlier. If you are indeed as the worst Spirit as you are claimed to be, then you will not bother to visit us, or that you should have already left the monastery the moment you wake up." Being in the company of some of the worse Servants back in the Chaldea, Kurumi did not even reach their level of degeneracy and yet she tolerated them as fine. To Ritsuka, Kurumi wasn't even trying.
Of course, if Kurumi turned out be that way, it will be completely different story. Ritsuka kept on clinging on the fact, that Kurumi can still be saved according to Shidou.
"Oh, so you have some calculations about me? Tell me about me more." Kurumi was very interested when Ritsuka mentioned her morality.
"It's pretty simple: your incredible powers of time has a price, namely your life, isn't it?... and in order to replenish your 'life force' by little, you prey on the other human." The concept was very common for Ritsuka, according to some of her Servants when they remembered their Holy Grail War in the past; they can replenish their mana by 'eating' other humans if their Master have insufficient mana to maintain them. To consider, Ritsuka wasn't even surprised to Kurumi's massacre streak, although, she still abhors the concept of it.
Kurumi neither confirm or deny Ritsuka's claim. "Oh, so what plans do you have for me? Do you want me to became a human like what Shidou proposed?" Ritsuka was well aware of Shidou's reputation of sealing Spirits of this world; so far he had already sealed two Spirits. Obviously, she has no ability to seal the power Spirits of this world. She still has no idea if this applies to her own Servant too and yet she wasn't exactly too peeved exploring that possibility.
However, if vice versa…
"I propose to contract you, Kurumi." Ritsuka suggested eventually.
Interesting…