Singularity F, Part 1: The Last Master
"Why in the damn hell are we not starting yet?"
For once, she was of the same thought with the South American. The eight of them were already sat at the last row of seats in the room they were drawn to. Although they reacted posthaste, they weren't exactly rushing at the alarm. B Team as a whole walked in a brisk pace, not even a jog, and yet they were still one of the few to arrive early. She glanced to the back, seeing A Team standing with their backs to the wall. Only seven of them though, missing the leader of the team.
She quirked a brow, she wouldn't have expected Mash to be late of all people. Judging by Ophelia's expression, it seemed like this was an unexpected occurrence.
As she turned to face forward again, her eyes scanned the other seats. Specifically, the Masters who had arrived as well, and began counting. When she finished, she found herself frowning.
"We're still missing seventeen people." She said with a disappointed sigh.
Even Mstislavsky shook his head. "Дилетанты." He leaned into the back of his seat, resting his head in his hands. "Even Director is unhappy." He gestured to the white haired woman standing at the front, looking visibly irritable.
"And more are coming in, thank god." Koleen commented, her eyes not leaving the door as four more people entered.
"Thirteen to go." Wei said with his arms crossed and his feet silently tapping the floor.
Dunya sighed at the antics of her teammates. "We don't need to count every single head, guys."
"We don't, but it keeps us occupied." Patrick said with a nod, before turning his gaze back to the door.
"We sure are an interesting bunch." Kagiso commented with an amused chuckle. He rolled his shoulder, eliciting an audible crack from himself.
Another two entered the room, followed by a single Master trailing a good distance away from them. Ayako shook her head and rubbed her eyes at the scene. "If I knew things would take this long, I would've taken a nap."
"You and me both, sister." Kagiso said, leading to the both of them sharing a good laugh with one another.
"I don't think the base is as big as most people think it is." Koleen said, counting four more heads that had arrived. "For its size, it's surprisingly easy to navigate through. Really, people should not be taking so long to get here, of all places."
"Really though, there is no excuse for one to be so late. They are procrastinating." Patrick said, voicing the unsaid sentiment of the rest of the team.
"We're missing two more people now." The American Witch relayed to the rest as four more people walked in.
"So Mash and the new guy." Ayako said, glancing back and still seeing A Team down a person.
"How would you know it's the new guy?" Abel asked her.
"I recognize most of these people here at a passing glance." She replied in without much thought.
"Guys, it hasn't even been 15 minutes." Dunya said with a deflated sigh.
"There shouldn't even be five minutes." The British man told them, earning agreeing nods from Wei and Abel.
The sound of the sliding door closing brought not just their attention, but everyone else's, as three final people entered the room. Mash and the green clad Professor, joining the rest of A Team. Ayako held back the chuckle that wanted to escape when she saw the brief look of relief on Ophelia's face. And the third person, a black haired Japanese young man that was probably just a bit taller than her, taking the last available spot in the rows of seats. He nodded to everyone with a polite smile, though there was a tiredness to his eyes that she noticed.
"Very well." The Director started with a clap, silencing Ayako's further thoughts and drawing everyone's eyes onto her. She planted her hands on her hips and addressed the gaggle of people before her. "To repeat what I've said when you all arrived here, welcome to the Chaldea Security Organization!"
"Do you think she was too harsh on him?" Koleen asked, tightening the Combat Uniform around her. Around her waist was a leather satchel, filled with various reagents and draughts she's brewed.
An understanding look formed on Ayako's face. "On one hand, we can't have someone not be at their best right now. On the other hand, he had just arrived last night, and his Basic Training was scheduled for this morning before the alarm sounded from what you told us."
"Exactly! We need everyone we can get, right? I don't think we can afford to just throw people away like that." Koleen said rather excitedly.
"I agree." She glanced to where the Director stood, in the middle of the room, barking up orders to the other Masters that were heading to their own coffins. "I'll talk to her."
"You don't have to…" she tried to dissuade her friend, but was waved off.
"It's fine. You just get ready, alright?" the Japanese redhead said with a smile before walking towards the Director, leaving her friend to prepare. She felt a shiver run up her spine, but she tabled that feeling for the moment.
She walked the short distance to reach the white haired Director, always with that acerbic expression that made it hard for anyone to even talk to her. Her feet paving through the water served to cool the coffins. In between the orders she was giving to the untrained Masters, their golden eyes met. She approached Olga Marie with measured steps, because they hadn't exactly had another one on one since that time outside the infirmary. Granted, that experience left her with a positive impression on her superior, but she still wasn't exactly sure how the young woman's mind operated.
"Director." Ayako greeted.
"Aozaki." Olga Marie greeted back.
"Won't take too much of your time." She said with her hand raised. "I was just wondering what your plan was on the New Guy?"
The Director's eyes narrowed onto her. "What's it to you?"
"Nothing, it's just that we need everyone qualified for this project, do we not?" Ayako said with a tilt of her head. "I hope you're not just going to relegate him to be part of the crew from now on."
"We do not have time for anyone to be sleeping on the job. Especially right now, Aozaki." Olga Marie explained.
"I understand that. Which is why I don't see anything wrong with the punishment. But it's not his fault his flight was delayed by a raging storm."
The Director's nostrils flared, but whatever she wanted to say back to her was let go, as she exhaled and let her body deflate. "Fine. His Basic Training will be rescheduled." She pulled out her pad and tapped onto it, before addressing Ayako again. "You are very convincing, Aozaki."
"So I've been told." Ayako said with a smile, before she turned and made her way back to her designated coffin as Olga Marie went back to giving out orders to the other Masters. She saw that Koleen's coffin was already shut, eyes closed as the systems that were in place put her under. Ayako pulled out her folded red coat, wearing it over her Combat Uniform, and took a step inside.
Yet she froze to a standstill.
An unbearable shiver ran up her spine, and her hand immediately traced a single rune onto the side of her head almost on instinct.
ᚨ
Ansuz, of the God Odin. The rune glowed beneath her hand as it disappeared into her skin, and she whispered. "Finnst."
Her body became just a touch more sensitive, but she focused on her hearing. It was faint, and in actuality she wouldn't have been able to hear it even if she reinforced her hearing, but with the tingling in the back of her neck and the shiver that had plagued her for so long, it made it clear.
A beeping.
Very silent, very faint.
The step that she took to get inside was retracted, and she looked around. Many of the Masters have already gotten inside their coffins, with but a handful left to look at her with curious eyes as she inspected the coffin. She was crouching down, feeling closer to the beeping. And when she felt she couldn't get closer, she held the base of the coffin with both hands, and traced the runes, one from each hand.
ᚲ ᚱ
"Kenaz, of the Torch, and Reið, of the Journey." This time her incantation was not in her thoughts, but whispered as the runes faded and pulsed. "Greina."
Her golden eyes, closed in thought, flashed open. She stood up and immediately rushed for Olga Marie.
"Direct-"
The Master Candidates, unlike the crew members who shared bunks with other people, all got single rooms. One could say that there were reasons as to the class divide, but Ayako didn't really cared for it. It worked out in her favor after all. It's why this little section within Chaldea became her home away from home. The bed, tidied neatly with a small desk with her laptop on it that made it easier for her to use on said furniture. The actual desk with the standard issue Chaldean computer sat lifeless, with various paraphernalia organized to one side of the desk. Because on the other side was the makeshift dollhouse she created for her familiar, who was resting just as lifeless as the computer. All was still, bathed by the cool light it provided.
A long, muffled sound of an explosion could be heard through the walls, and the lights went out immediately. The alarms went off, enough to awaken the familiar from its apparent slumber, looking around worriedly at the dimmed room.
"Emergency alert. Fires have broken out in the central power plant and central control room." golden threads erupted from the puppet, flinging itself to the closed closet. "The central division bulkhead will close in 240 seconds. All personnel, please evacuate from gate two immediately." It tapped its entire body onto the screen pad, letting the door open. And along with that, a wooden lid of a crate erupted from inside, shattering as it hit the opposite wall.
"To repeat, fires have broken out in the central power plant and central control room." from inside, a hand pulled itself out of an overturned crate, as the naked form of the Japanese Puppeteer crawled out of the small space. She looked around, seeing her familiar look to her, waiting.
"Get to the infirmary, and help out any way you can, Aa-chan!" the familiar nodded, its golden threads shooting out and pulling it to the door, unlocking it for itself and Ayako, who stood up and dusted off the foam peanuts that clung to her body. She looked down to herself, and sighed, regretting not dressing herself up in case of emergency situations like this. So she rushed back into her closet and got dressed as quickly as she can.
She stepped out of her room in just as much of a rush, throwing a makeup brush inside as she continued buttoning up the white uniform, and was about to run herself straight to where the chaos is.
"Ayako?!" she looked behind her, seeing Doctor Roman as well as the young Japanese man running down the hall.
"Hey Doc, New Guy!" she called back as she too began running, with both men now catching up to her.
When the three of them were running at the same pace, Roman turned to her. "Sabotage?"
"Sabotage." She answered with a nod and a building frown on her face.
"Looks like you were prepared." He commented.
"Not as prepared." She said, tightening the belt around her bust.
When the three of them rounded the corner, they came upon another group of people, all wounded as one would expect.
"Ayako!" Helix, happened to be among them, now with one lens of his glasses shattered and a growing patch of red on his left arm. "What happened?" he asked as he approached them, followed by four other technicians, two other men and women.
"Bad shit happened!" she replied bluntly, and pointed straight at him. "Sinclair! Get to Da Vinci's, and tell her to get to the infirmary!"
The scrawny man jumped in surprise. "Will she answer?"
"Yes, she expected this!" Ayako told him.
"Everyone else, follow us!" the Doctor ordered, not bothering to see their response as he and the Last Master continued onward, followed by Ayako.
Seven people running down the corridor, spearheaded by the Doctor. What Koleen said earlier that day was true, when one becomes comfortable with the base it shouldn't take long to get anywhere. But with this act of sabotage, seeing more wounded and even more dead in the corridors, somehow made their rush take longer than it actually was.
The massive sliding doors opened, and all they saw was a sea of red. Fire ablaze, the walls and ceilings crumbled and leaving many debris, the atmosphere hotter than the sun. The technicians looked on with mouths agape, not at all expecting the damage to this extent.
"Only Chaldeas is unharmed?" the Doctor commented, his eyes on the recreation of the system in the epicenter of the room. "So it really was…"
"Doc…" Ayako approached the man carefully as the new guy looked to him in surprise.
"Suspension of power output unit confirmed. Insufficient power generation."
He gasped, looking up, and then looking towards the viewing platform. "This is bad!"
"Unable to switch to reserve power. Personnel, please switch to reserve power. To repeat…"
"I'll get to the basement power plant!" he said, turning around and already making a run for it, motioning a technician to follow him.
"Isn't it dangerous?!" the Japanese man asked.
"I can't let the Light of Chaldea go out!" he said with finality, leaving with the technician running behind him, struggling with the wound on her leg.
"Let's go, New Guy." She tapped him with the back of her hand. "We need to find any survivors."
He nodded, taking the lead as he rushed towards the wreckage, with her and the remaining technicians following suit. And behind the wall of debris that they had to climb, was a sight to be seen. A handful of the coffins, crushed under the weight of a larger piece of the ceiling that fell. A few more, shattered open, with some of them leaving splatters of blood on their screens. Bodies lay strewn on the water, with many more of the coffins seemingly in stasis, from what Ayako could remember from Basic Training.
But not all hope was lost. Some of the Master Candidates were still alive, even fewer were not heavily wounded, but they were helping those that were in critical condition. She turned to face the technicians. "Get anyone not dead out of here, got it?"
She didn't hold any rank or role above them, but they all nodded, splitting up and moving to help those that couldn't help themselves. Ayako, without another thought, rushed to where her coffin was. And where her coffin was, was also Koleen's.
"Ayako, you made it." But it wasn't the pink eyed blonde that greeted her. No, it was the tall African Shaman, who was struggling to pull out said blonde from her coffin.
"Kalls!" Ayako rushed to her friend, helping the Shaman pull the blonde out. She was still breathing, but the wounds were not a good sight to see.
"Didn't expect to see your puppet so soon." Kagiso commented, leaning on Koleen's coffin as the Japanese redhead stabilized her friend, taking a single draught from the blonde's leather satchel, carefully pouring its contents in Koleen's mouth. His right arm looked unresponsive, colored red all over and bending the wrong way, and the blood dripping down his forehead also showed how much he was going through.
"A bit too soon for my liking as well." She said back, helping Koleen up. "How about the others?"
"Dunya's and Mstislavksy's coffins are in stasis." He said, gesturing to said coffins. "As for the rest…"
She followed his gaze, and saw the piece of wall that erupted, landing on where the rest of B Team were. "Fuck." She said beneath her breath, before turning to him again. "Come on, we need to get you out of here."
"I can still help." He said, though his voice cracked under the pain.
"Not like that you're not. The most help you can do is to help those in the infirmary." She said as she walked to the wall of debris, hoisting Koleen up so the technician that was helping people over the debris wouldn't have too much trouble pulling her out of the mess thanks to his own wounds.
"Of all the things, I didn't think of this, Ayako." Kagiso said, silently listening to her words, pulling himself up with the help of the few other Masters that were trying to get out.
"I was hoping it wasn't this." She said back to him. "Take charge."
He nodded, and turned to the others and the few technicians. He'd clap if his arm was still functioning. "Alright, let's get the wounded out of here, now!"
She didn't stand around any longer, running around the coffins and debris for any other unaccounted survivors. There was no one else, for the few that did were now making their way out. "…Mash!" she heard the name from a distance, and ran towards it.
Her pace slowed when she saw the leader of A Team trapped under a huge slab of concrete, and couldn't help cover her mouth with her hand. The New Guy, struggling fruitlessly to move the slab, but achieving nothing, while the squirrel like creature that she saw hanging around Mash looked on at the scene.
"Please, just, get out." Mash said pleadingly to him.
"Forget it!" he countered, still struggling.
She was about to call out to them, when she was interrupted again. "Warning to observation staff. Chaldea's condition has changed." She looked to the recreation of the planetary system with widening eyes as the Last Master too stood up. The orb that served as the sun began glowing ominously. "SHEBA's near-future observational data will be overwritten. The survival of the human race for the next 100 years cannot be confirmed. The future of humanity cannot be guaranteed."
"Oh no." she said, fear audible in her voice as she turned to the rest of the wreck again. "Rauðr!" she heard pebbles of debris splashing onto the water, before her red coat emerged, and flew straight to her. "Damn." She commented, her hand holding the sleeve that was coated with a darker stain of red.
"Central bulkhead will now be sealed." She looked to the door, seeing it seal before her very eyes, and sighed. She turned back to the two as she put on her coat.
"Seeking qualified Masters… Seeking…" she heard the system call out, almost blocking it completely as she walked towards them. The sight of the New Guy, holding Mash's hand for what might be her final seconds.
"One hell of a first day, huh, New Guy?" both Mash and him looked to her, with the squirrel like creature seemingly ignoring her presence.
He chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that." He said, making sure to keep his hold on Mash's hand. "It might be a bit late for introductions, but, my name's Fujimaru Ritsuka."
"Aozaki Ayako." She greeted back.
"Resetting contact with suitable designee number 21 and number 48."
"Well, things might actually get even more hectic." She whispered to herself, giving the two some privacy as she turned back to Chaldeas.
"Starting Unsummon Program."
"Here we go." She closed her eyes to brace herself for the inevitable.
"Begin Spiritron conversion."
"Rayshift beginning in 3…
2…
1…
All operations cleared. Beginning First Order verification."
"Ugh…" Ayako's eyes slowly opened, seeing nothing but a dark grey, with a hint of faded orange. She was laying atop a hard, warm surface. She drew her hands close, and pushed herself off the floor. Rubbing the tiredness in her eyes, she gave her surroundings a brief and quick glance.
"God…" ruins, even more than the central control room was. She found herself in some kind of room, with all its furnishings either as dilapidated as the room itself, or reduced to ash.
She went for the shattered window sill, her golden eyes giving the ruined cityscape a onceover. Chunks of the skyscrapers littered the broken streets, with cars scattered around in various states of disrepair. The skies blanketed the land with a dark reddish hue, the sun or moon being completely obscured. In fact, it looked more like a nuclear fallout, based on a few books she's read earlier in her life. While she was surveying the landscape, a glint at the corner of her vision caught her eye. Immediately she looked towards it. Up in the sky, what looked like a red star somehow standing out amongst the red sky. It flashed. And, though the light grew dimmer, it looked like it multiplied.
Her eyes widened in revelation, pulling her coat tighter around her and jumped straight into another room. As the three runes on the back of her coat started glowing, two more appeared on her shoulder blades.
ᚾ ᛉ
Naudiz, of Need. Algiz, of Protection. The red coat turned orange, almost shifting to a yellowish hue. And for a brief moment, an array of color waved through her hair. "Skjöldur!"
The barrage of arrows rained down on the building she found herself in, and was immediately torn apart like artillery fire. Explosions, of fire and concrete, pelted each other. The floors gave way, and she fell, but she didn't care. She landed in an inaudible thud, drowned by the barrage, but her fall was dampened by the coat that was now shielding her. She wasn't expecting to survive a direct hit from whatever was raining down on, but she sure as hell was hoping they'd miss her by just enough. She covered her mouth with her fist, and put all her concentration in calming her body down. The hellfire that rained down on her felt like it lasted forever, but like all things, it must come to an end.
Even when things eventually calmed down, she didn't move. Her body, still as a corpse, trying its best to hide her presence. She counted, from zero.
1 minute.
2 minutes.
3 minutes.
5 minutes.
Her eyes opened. Her body, still shielded by her now orange coat, was buried beneath the rubble, what was left of the apartment complex. But the pieces, the debris, they were manageable. Handfuls of chunks. She waited a bit longer, before she finally breathed. Calm breaths as she let go of her coat, letting it go back to its darker red color. She began making an effort to get herself out of the mess, again the debris being those that she could handle. Another 2 minutes later, she finally freed herself from the rubble, and looked back to where the light came from.
There was another red star, but it wasn't aimed at her. She cringed, remembering her fellow Master that got dragged into this mess. And unlike her, he didn't go through Basic Training. Without an ounce of hesitation, she rushed to where it rained, hoping to reach him in time.
Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, the path was not a straightforward one.
She immediately hid behind a car the moment she saw them. A gaggle of skeletons, patrolling. She didn't have time to think long, for they were heading her way. She looked around, looking for anything she could use. She didn't want to use her rune stones just yet, they were a limited resource after all. And she found one.
A stick, a longish branch from an obliterated tree.
She nodded, picking it up and rummaging through her pocket, looking for exactly two things. A rune stone with the rune ᚦ engraved upon it, and a small sharp piece of obsidian. She clutched the cut piece and began carefully carving a rune on the branch. Just one rune, was enough for this. When she was done, she pocketed the sharp obsidian back and held the branch and rune stone with one hand.
ᚦ ᛒ
"Thurisaz, of the God Thor, and Berkanan, of Birch." She could feel the branch wrapping itself around the rune stone, becoming hotter and hotter in her hand. The edges of the branch began bristling, along with streaks of blue and white coloring her hair, as a confident smile formed on her face.
She stood up, pointing the branch at the group of skeletons, and shouted. "Nornarboltinn!"
As the skeletons all turned to face her, the clicking and clacking of their bones halting for a second, a bolt of lightning erupted from the branch. The first three skeletons broke apart, its bones flying all over the place. The next two were just as destroyed, barely even registering what had happened. The three after them began moving, but it was still too late. The ninth one was faster, firing a bow before its arms were pulverized, with its arrow missing its target by a wide margin. And the final two, rushing her with their spear and sword at the ready.
As the coloration of her hair returned, she threw the spent branch off to the side, charred black and burning at the tip. But she wasn't going to meet them head on. Not a chance in hell. She ducked into a nearby family restaurant, or what's left of it. Jumping over the tables and seats, she made her way to the kitchen, and waited. They were still chasing after her, even the one that lost its arms. She nodded, taking out the piece of obsidian, and began carving on the door.
ᛇ ᛉ
"Eihwaz, of Yew, and Algiz, of Protection!" the door began cracking from where the runes were carved, spreading out like tree branches. A dark shade of yellow flashed through her hair. The skeleton holding the spear rushed forward, the point aimed at her, and just when it was about to cross the threshold, she shouted. "Skellur!"
She slammed the door closed, a minor shockwave erupting from it as the sounds of bone clattering could be heard from the other side. She retreated deeper, looking through the implements and paraphernalia that were littered around. She sighed, picking up the dented frying pan. She began carving onto it as a sword broke through the door. She was rushing, and though her years of experience meant that her runes never wavered in their form, her hand and fingers were bleeding thanks to the sharp obsidian she was clutching.
The door shattered, the sword-wielding skeleton lumbered inside as the sound of its bones clacked inside the room.
ᛏ ᛉ
"Tiwaz, of the God Tyr. And Algiz, of Protection!" she held the pan like a shield and weapon, cracks also forming from the runes. "Skjaldmær!"
The sword struck the pan, wedging itself in the metal. She held the pan with one hand, and traced two runes on her left thigh.
ᛖ ᛗ
Ehwaz, of Horse. Mannaz, of Man. She felt her muscles tense up, and swung a kick at the skeleton. "Stökki!"
The lower half of the skeleton's torso shattered to pieces, and she swung the pan downward, throwing the skeleton's hold off of its sword, and she stomped it with her foot. She looked up, seeing the last skeleton enter the room, still armless, and still rushing her. She swung the pan against the defenseless skeleton, caving its skull in, and swung again.
When the armless skeleton's form fell, she stayed where she stood, her hold on the pan still tight. Then, when everything seemed clear, she relaxed. The pan fell out of her hand, clattering on the ground and leaving a stain of red of the floor, from her bleeding hand that coated the handle. She backed herself into the wall, and slid down tiredly. She had never gone through such a prolonged encounter before. And the extent of her rune thaumaturgy, though better than most, meant that it left her in this exhausted state. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to dawdle. So Ayako stood up, dusted herself off, and opened to a sprint. She's wasted enough time as it is already.
Exiting through the back entrance, she opted to go through buildings and alleyways this time around, hoping a more direct path would not only be faster, but safer as well. A maze of corridors were her only obstacle this time around, but she found them way easier to deal with than the skeletons. When she heard the sound of ongoing conflict, she picked up the pace, pushing herself past her limit.
She stopped herself just at the corner of the alleyway, a hand on the brick wall as she regained her composure. She looked towards the sound, and her golden eyes scrutinized the scene. The Last Master, standing atop a large piece of the road with a concerned look on his face, with the squirrel-like creature on his shoulder. Her eyes widened when she noticed Director Olga Marie, on her knees and looking the most disheveled she's seen her. And the one that made her question the validity of what she was seeing, swinging the largest shield she has ever seen in her life, and dressed in a way that she wouldn't expect the girl to.
She blinked away the shock and focused more on the fight, seeing dozens of skeletons converging on Mash. And how easily she was dealing with them, swinging the shield like it was nothing to her. Her mouth was agape in awe, before her eyes narrowed on her fellow Masters. Even if it wasn't needed, she was going to help.
Her hands dug into the pockets of her coat, searching for exactly six runestones. Her fingers felt the carvings, and she pulled them out, two in one hand and four in the other. In her left hand, she had with her ᚠ and ᛊ. In her right hand, she had two ᚦ, ᚨ and ᛊ. She nodded to herself and, with the runestones in her hands, clapped. Her circuits lit up, spreading from her scalp and reaching all the way to the sides of her face and the back of her neck. She withdrew her hands apart, the runestones floating in a line in the order she needed them, as the tips of her hair began smoking.
ᚦᚨᚠᚻᛊᚦ
"Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Ansuz, of the God Odin. Fehu, of the God Freyr. Hagalaz, of Hail. Sōwilō, of the Sun, and Thurisaz, of the God Thor." The stones themselves began disintegrating, leaving nothing but the runes that were lit ablaze in a light of bright blue, all vibrating with power. Her hair, shifting to a dirty blonde, the tips still smoking, and some even sparking amongst another. The runes coalesced, and surged to the sea of red above them.
In an instant, thunder echoed in the skies, and Ayako raised her single hand high, closed as if she was holding something. "Mash!" the Servant-imbued girl briefly glanced to her, eyes widening in surprise and relief. "Hold your shield like an umbrella and duck!"
Without hesitation, she did as told, covering herself with her shield. The skeletons all rushed her, hitting her shield with their haphazard weapons, uncaring and unnoticing. With renewed determination and the weight of an unseen force, she swung her held hand down.
"Mjölnir!"
And as if the God of Thunder's mystical hammer actually bashed the shield, the bright blue lightning struck the massive armament, the sound it emitted echoing through the derelict city. The shockwave of the sound itself capable of pushing cars and heavy objects that were near Mash, but it was still the lightning that did the most damage, reflecting off of the shield and eliminating most of the skeletons into a fine dust of bone meal. Only a handful were left, hesitating in their steps, and leaving them vulnerable for Mash to dispose of with a powerful swing of her shield.
Ayako fell to her knees, her hair still blonde and now the tips of her right fingers were burnt, smoking from the intense heat she experienced. They were numb, and all she could hear was ringing, though thankfully she could feel that effect lessen on her. She could've waited longer on the ground to rest, but she didn't. With her left hand holding onto the brick wall, she pulled herself up. She saw Ritsuka and Mash approach her in a jogging pace, with Olga Marie trailing behind them.
She couldn't stop the smile that formed when she saw that they were all alright.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
the first part of a few. i planned on only there being two parts, but things got too long and bloated so i split it up, like i said previously. also, on an unrelated note, you may have noticed that last rube spell Ayako casted, there are no spacing. i didn't want that, but for some reason FanFiction is deleting the runes bar one, so they're all "one word" unfortunately.
before i get started with my explanation of Ritsuka, let's go back to the actual canon of F/GO, and the survivors.
Chaldea is an org with a crew the size of around 200 people, along with 48 Masters. after the explosion, 60 were left, and all Masters bar 2 (because Mash is a Master as well, something that everyone including DW forgot apparently) are in stasis. now, as you may have noticed, with the Masters at least, it's a bit different. a few more survivors, and many dead, alongside the ones cryoed. i felt that, with the story going ahead with more than one Master (ie: have more than 1 survivor), that there still needed to be some form of consequence. an explosion like that should leave some kind of damage. so, it was a sort of equivalent exchange, more survivors and in exchange there are now more dead.
we'll get to the crew later on.
and, now we're back to Ritsuka. my initial plans for this fic didn't have him. it had Ayako and someone else (which i'm sure some of you guys already know who.) but, somewhere down the line, Ritsuka came into the picture, and i ended up thinking with him as well. so, Ayako, Ritsuka, and that other person. but why Ritsuka, you might still be wondering?
honestly, it boils down to three reasons.
1. we all, when we play games, have our own ideas on how the characters we play be. and the way i picture how the PC in F/GO acts, is way different than how it's portrayed already in the game. like, for example, i wouldn't be such a dick to Liz. sure, i'll be a bit of a troll for shigs and gittles, but i feel like the PC takes it too far, even if it's for comedic effect. people say the PC is a blank slate, but DW implanted enough of a personality to make me go "that's not me. that's not how i picture the MC to be".
2. thanks to the First Order OVA, the Lost Room OVA, and now the Babylonia anime, we're actually seeing Ritsuka with more of a personality. A personality that's been formed from his experience through the Grand Order, but a personality nonetheless. because of that, Ritsuka pretty much became his own character.
3. and ultimately, i don't think Ayako, or anyone else for that matter, pairs well with Mash. right now, at this point, she's still a blank slate, perfect for the PC who is also kind of a blank slate early on.
well, that's that, so let's get on to the reviews!
Emiya and A Lost Nuffians: thanks guys!
King0fP0wers: most def, she will be seen as the senior of the Masters, 'cause the only other person above her rank as a Master kind of has a submissive personality. and the body, don't worry, we'll see it get used soon!
KRP: i'm also looking forward to Salem, because i have a specific plan coming up for it. let's hope things go to plan so we can get there!
all in all, thanks again for dropping by, a review would be nice,
and i'll see you all next time!