First Singularity, Part 2: La Charité
2017
Golden pupils contracted to dots as a bright light shined onto it, shifting subtly under the inspection. The light was snuffed within the second, as the white haired Assassin Class Servant straightened himself and took a step back. His eyes scanned her entire body, looking over the bedridden Director who has so far been silent under his gaze. He leaned closer again, opening her mouth, finding no resistance from her. He nodded to himself before he took another step back.
"You sell yourself too short, Kagiso." Sanson said to the Shaman, who stood a few paces behind the Servant. "Your inspections were spot on."
"I just needed a bit of confirmation." The Shaman replied, turning to the empty desk inside the infirmary.
"Regardless, she is no longer catatonic." The Servant said, as a professional smile found its way on his face. "Good evening, Director. My name is Charles-Henri Sanson, Servant Assassin. If you heard me, please nod."
She slowly looked up, her shaky eyes meeting his. Her body was still, long enough for worry to build up in Kagiso, until she finally did. A very slow, very lethargic nod. The Shaman breathed a sigh of relief as he took a step closer to the bed, and writing down the process on her records. Sanson himself nodded satisfactorily, pleased to see Olga Marie make some progress in her recovery. The door to the infirmary slid open, as two more people joined them, pushing and pulling a cart in the late hour. The two nurses, looking better than they did, knowing the Director was okay.
They approached the bed, with the orange haired nurse taking charge. "Good evening, Director! My name's Aine, you might not remember me. Are you hungry? We brought you dinner." The white haired woman slowly turned to the nurse, eyes glancing to the woman, and then the tray. She nodded again. "Great! Don't worry, it's a simple hearty meal just for you."
A bowl if thick, chicken cream soup, almost to the consistency of porridge. "It shouldn't be difficult to eat, Director." The stringy haired nurse, Aleksis, said as she placed the bowl on the bed's table.
The Director kept her tired eyes on the bowl presented to her; a spoon placed beside it as well. Her right hand, rising tiredly to pick the spoon up. Soft fingers curl around the utensil, clumsily hitting the edge of the bowl as she spooned a light amount of it. Weakly bringing the spoon to her mouth, her eyes closed as she took in the warmth of the meal. Her already lax shoulders released any sort of tension that she held on to, much to the delight and relief of the nurses.
"Should we announce it to the base?" the orange haired nurse asked the Shaman and Servant.
Both males gave a brief glance to each other before they turned to the nurse. "I'm not sure that's the wisest option." Sanson said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It'd be best if we wait until she is closer to a hundred percent." Kagiso explained to them. "When she is capable of walking down these corridors, exerting her leadership. Not when she's still bedridden like this."
The nurses looked conflicted, sharing a concerned look for the Director. "How about Doctor Roman? Doesn't he deserve to know?" Aleksis asked.
"The Doctor… isn't a bad idea." Kagiso agreed, bringing his hand closer to his face. "Doctor, are you awake?"
"Just handing off the room to the night shift." The welcoming, if tired voice of the acting Director replied. "Why? Do you need me for anything?"
"You're needed here in the infirmary." The Shaman's voice brokered no nonsense.
"What happened? Is something wrong?" It was enough to get him worried, the sounds of his steps echoing in the corridor audible to them.
"It's the Director. She's awake… fully awake." The line was cut within the second, and now all they had to do was wait.
Slightly over five minutes of them waiting patiently, as the door slid open again, and the disheveled Doctor struggling for breath as his hands held the frame of the door. His hair looked a bit of a mess, a large coffee stain marking his once clean uniform, with a bit of steam still coming off of it. His eyes scanned the room, before they landed on the group that surrounded one of the beds. He pushed himself forward, closing the distance between himself and the Director.
"Olga…" he spoke through ragged breaths. "You're up. Thank God." His hand patted Kagiso's shoulder, while the other held the bed.
She looked up, her meal put on hold as she met the eyes of the Head of Medical. Her eyes began tearing up, the spoon dropping into the bowl, her grip on it loosening. "Romani…" her first words, leaving her trembling lips.
The nurses gave way, allowing him to reach her side. "Yes, Olga. It's alright. Everything's fine." He kneeled beside the bed, a hand on her lap and shoulder.
The floodgates have been opened, as the tears streamed down her face relentlessly. He hugged the younger woman, letting her lean on his shoulder. "Romani… I failed… I screwed up…"
"Yes you did. We all did. But we will grow from this, okay? That's what we do. Chaldea will fix everything." The Doctor comforted the young woman, who at this very moment was not the Director of Chaldea.
She was merely a woman, who lost the meaning to her very existence.
2006
It was a peculiar sight to see, one that most people would not have expected, from a line of full blooded Japanese. A fading head of red, held by the eldest. A bright, almost neon red, heralded by the second. And a natural, fresh red, atop the youngest. Many a times the eye catching trio would draw in curious glances their way, yet none of them paid it no mind. Especially the youngest, for such a thing was beyond her understanding, despite her mature sense of self.
But right now, they were nowhere near the sights of the masses, nowhere close to being exposed. A mountain villa, granting them a beautiful sight of the Japanese countryside. And the three of them were inside the homey place that they have taken up residence for the time being. The older of the three, enjoying a quiet moment of reprieve outside with a cigarette in her hand. Her younger sister, perusing the TV for whatever it was they could get out here. And the small child, the seven year old Ayako, practicing her runic thaumaturgy by herself, with a determined look on her small face.
Aoko glanced to her neice, her bright blue eyes seeing the intricate patterns Ayako was tracing on the wooden floor. Her brows scrunched up as a grimace took its place, seeing the oddity that was her neice. Not specifically Ayako, but what Ayako was practicing. It was familiar, yet still foreign. She stood up and stretched herself, a glance showing her that Ayako barely reacted.
"I'm gonna get something to drink." She announced to the other person in the room. "You want anything, Ayako?"
"Hm, no." Ayako answered with a shake of her head, her attention focused solely on her task.
"Alright, but don't blame me when you get thirsty~." She jumped over the couch and made her way to the kitchen, taking out a cold bottle of water, just as she said she would.
But she didn't return to Ayako. She stepped outside, joining the former heir of the Aozaki. Touko, exhaling a long puff of smoke from her mouth, her glasses were off, dangling on the button of her shirt. The older sister turned to her left, seeing Aoko's bright red hair approaching her. The both of them, they weren't close by any means. Not yet, at least. But considering their past relationship? They have made huge strides to mend the bridge they have both burned; all so they could usher the brightest thing that had appeared in the dark stain that was their family.
"Yes?" Touko asked with a raised brow.
"What is Ayako doing?" Aoko asked, taking a quick sip before she continued. "That's not our brand of runes."
Touko shrugged as she placed the cigarette in her lips. "She wanted to try something different. It's Icelandic, from what she told me?"
"She, told you?" the incredulousness was thick in her voice.
Touko smiled proudly, one that befit her status as a mother. "Yes, she did."
"She did all of that herself?" Aoko said with some measure of hesitance.
"Yes she did. I had to pay a hefty amount in deliveries." Touko replied, not sounding the least bit annoyed by it.
The front door to the villa burst open, as the small redhead came running out towards them "Mom! Aa-chan! Look!" she said excitedly, almost tackling her mother as she wrapped her arms around Touko.
Aoko sighed as Touko ruffled her daughter's hair with a chuckle. "I told you, not to call me Aa-chan, Ayako!"
The small girl glanced to her aunt with innocent golden eyes. "Eh? But I thought you didn't want to be called old?"
"Oh, this kid…"
"What did you want to show us, Ayako?" Touko asked, cutting Aoko off from finishing her sentence.
"Oh, right!" she took a couple of steps back, into the open area up front. "This will elevate rune thaumaturgy!"
She turned away from them, facing off into the clearing, and closed her eyes. Flexing her hands, she opened them again, as a wave of color washed over her hair. She raised her right hand, a finger pointing with glowing energy. And one by one, she began tracing the runes.
ᚦ ᛁ ᛊ
"Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Isaz, of ice." She puffed up her chest, swelling as she inhaled to her fullest. "Sōwilō, of the sun." the three runes, floating before her, visible to all. They were light, uncontained. Aoko observed with some semblance of skepticism, knowing full well its drawbacks. The runes coalesced into one form; a rough diamond, visibly beating like a heart.
"Leiftur!" the diamond shot out like a bullet, hitting a tree nearby the villa.
Aoko should have expected something. Instead, she backed away until her back was to the wall, blinded and deafened by whatever that spell was. All she could see was white, and the ringing continued on for what felt like an eternity. She shook her head, channeling the magic within her core, and cleansed herself of the inflictions. With her vision back, she saw the small girl excitedly bouncing with her arms around Touko, the mother returning the gesture with a proud smile on her face.
"What was that?" Aoko asked, pushing herself from the wall.
The young girl looked to her aunt again with a mischievous smile. "You know, like those flashing bombs the people in movies used."
"It was potent. More than I thought possible." Aoko said, her face still disbelieving.
"Well, yeah. 'Cause I'm not trying to attack them directly." Ayako said with a proud nod. "With this, I can affect them without having to touch them!"
"I wonder why I didn't think of that." Touko commented, the smile never leaving her face.
"That's because you're too caught up with your damn puppets. If you focused on runes yourself, then you would've accomplished something like little Rainbow here." She placed her hand on the fresh head of red, ruffling Ayako's hair to the child's delight.
Then Ayako's eyes widened, her already bright smile growing wider. "Mom! Come on! Let's get started on puppets!"
The older woman sighed, her right hand moving to her face. "Why, did you say that?" she asked her sister.
The Magic Gunner smirked with her chin held high. "Why would I not?" she replied cheekily, happy to have gotten the last laugh for the day.
1431
Ayako's eyes opened abruptly, her body waking up all at once. Her golden eyes saw the ruined ceiling of the abandoned house, reminding her of where she was. And when she was. She sighed as she rubbed her face with a hand, before she turned over and pushed herself up. For what it was, her sleep wasn't horrible. Better than expected, considering the circumstances. She turned around, seeing the doused bonfire and the empty room. Everyone seemed to have left the house, except for Elizabeth apparently. The pink haired Lancer was hugging her tail, soundly sleeping with a light drool dripping down the side of her lips.
"Haa, I miss being that young." Ayako commented, her dream still fresh in her mind, before she got herself off the ground. "I need to get a new body right away." She said before she began moving, leaving the rest of her equipment inside.
She stepped out, looking around the commune in the fresh French morning, and saw Cú Chulainn and Ritsuka across the brick path. The Druid was the first to notice her.
"Yo, lass. You're up late." He said with a nod.
Ritsuka turned to face her, bearing a surprised expression. "Yeah, Ayako-san. You're usually up early."
"Stuck in a dream." She replied, not bothering to hide her last minutes of sleep. "So, what were you guys talking about?"
"Cú Chulainn-san said there was a Servant yesterday." Ritsuka said to his fellow Master.
"A Servant, yesterday? During the battle?" Ayako asked with sudden trepidation.
"At the tail end of the battle." The Druid answered, his tall form bathed by the rising sun. "They could have either came to finish the job, but retreated when they noticed us. Or, they were about to help themselves, but left as either way because we were here to protect the commune."
"And the… trees told you this? That a Servant was there?" Ritsuka asked with visible confusion.
Cú Chulainn rolled his eyes as a smirk found its way on him. "The trees didn't say that there was a Servant. They imparted to me, the familiar signatures of something like us. I assumed it was a Servant."
"Or something worse." Ayako said with a shrug and a sigh.
"That too. But I went with the optimistic possibility for you, lad." The Druid said as he planted his hand on Ritsuka's shoulder.
"I can take bad news, Cú Chulainn-san." Ritsuka responded with deflated shoulders.
"You know you kids don't have to say my full name every time." He said observantly.
"But doesn't your name mean Culann's Hound?" Ayako asked wearily. "It'd be like calling you dog."
He chuckled amusedly. "I understand your hesitation, but as long as it's not used derogatorily, I'm fine."
The Masters glanced at one another, before they turned to the Druid. "Okay… Cú." The Puppeteer visibly cringed, causing the Servant to laugh in a subdued, hysterical fashion. "It still sounds weird. It's like I'm talking to a baby."
"Just call him old man, Masters." The form of Elizabeth appeared into view, with hands on her hips and her tail swaying. "I'm sure he doesn't mind."
Cú Chulainn's left eye twitched as the Lancer placed herself between him and the two Japanese Masters. "And you sure were taking a sweet time in there." He commented, fully facing the girl. "Had a nice nap, I take it?"
"Of course!" she replied with her chin raised at him. "A lady needs her beauty sleep, otherwise her skin will get all wrinkly and disgusting." She then pointed an accusing finger at him. "And don't you dare say that I didn't do what I was told. I took my nap as soon as Kitten and Deerlet woke up."
Ayako stood up, her hands raised to placate the two. "Alright, alright. We don't need to get all tensy in the morning here."
Ritsuka also stood up, though he took a few steps back and distanced himself away from the group. "Uhm, I'll go check up on Mash and Koleen-san."
Ayako sighed as he disappeared out of the corner, rolling her eyes as her hands fell back into place. "Damn it, Ritsu-chan." She looked to the two Servants, seeing them glare at one another, wondering how superficial it was, this rivalry of theirs. "Speaking of, where are they?"
"The Witch said she wanted to get a cart for you Masters. And the Demi-Servant wanted to help." The Caster answered.
"A cart, huh?" Ayako nodded understandingly. "Caster, when Kalls and Mash get a cart, can you reinforce it?"
The glare in his eyes disappeared as he turned to the redhead. "That'll be easy. Though who's gonna pull it?"
"I was thinking if you could make like, tiny versions of your Noble Phantasm?" she asked, with a somewhat hopeful tone.
"I could, but they're not made for that. We'd be going at a snail's pace, we'd be better off just walking." The Druid said.
Ayako brought a hand to her chin as she thought of their alternatives. "Do you have any runes that will allow the cart to move on its own?"
He shook his head. "I'm built for battle, lass."
"Then one of you guys will have to pull it then." She looked up to Elizabeth, who had been following the conversation along. "Liz?"
The pink haired Servant sighed. "Sure, I'll pull the cart. But don't get any funny ideas, Birdie!"
Ayako giggled at the Lancer's response, a rare response that's become more and more common since the explosion. "Thanks, I appreciate it, Liz."
"You better!"
They didn't know what to expect when they approached La Charité. An open massacre of death and destruction was, frankly, low on their list. In hindsight, it shouldn't have been, especially to Ayako and Ritsuka, with their experience with Singularity F, yet it slipped past their minds what with their success in defending Vaucouleurs. Success in one place didn't mean it was the same in others, as evident in this desolate commune they all stood in.
Ritsuka was off to the side, leaning onto a destroyed building, expelling the small breakfast he had. Because it wasn't just the bodies of the dead that littered the commune, but also those that have been risen again by whoever it was that commanded them. All Mash could do was pat his back to comfort the Japanese Master, while the small creature barked at his side.
Elizabeth was standing on the cart they had used, her eyes scanning the paths and roads, blocked and cleared, trying to find anything that stood out, while Cú Chulainn stood at what used to be the church, balancing himself on the top of the bell tower as his own eyes scanned the horizon. The members of B Team stood side by side, investigating the commune with their own unique methods: Ayako had a makeshift flying puppet, circling the commune; Koleen was spraying some kind of greenish liquid, muttering something beneath her breath.
"There definitely was a battle going on here." Ayako said, her left eye closed as she looked through the puppet's vision. "Between who, I'm not yet sure, though I feel like it involves this mystery Servant that watched us yesterday."
"Most likely." The Caster commented from his perch. "I see movement in the distance. Heading South East."
"Keep an eye on it. When we're done here, we'll be following whatever that is." Ayako said as she lowered her hand, the puppet she used dropping from the sky lifelessly. "Are you getting anything?" she asked her friend.
The small bottle that held the green liquid was fully emptied, the blonde Witch crouching down and ruffling the dirt with her hand. Then, eight spots around her, a faded green light, converging on where she stood. The lights beat like a heart, before it pulsed, a visible wave of green smoke spreading out from her. The smoke soon dissipated, disappearing into the dark corners of the commune. A few seconds, her body still, before she stood herself up, turning to face Ayako. Her pink eyes had that hint of deep red at the edges, slowly shifting back.
"There were a lot of Servants here." She told Ayako with a frown. "I assumed they were Servants, their signatures were nothing like I've ever detected. And then, some kind of confrontation."
"So we're definitely not alone. At least, standing against this Dragon Witch." Ayako repeated thoughtfully. "Anything more accurate?"
Koleen shook her head. "No. This is the extent of my abilities as of now."
"Alright then." She brought her wrist communicator close to her face, activating it. "Doc, you awake?"
"Yes. Sorry, we've been a bit quiet on our end. We've been keeping an eye out for you guys." The voice of the Doctor came through.
"Can you see what's happening South East of us?"
"Yes we can. We'll be back shortly."
"Thanks Doc." She turned to the last Master, finally standing up, though he put all his weight into leaning on the wall. "Ritsu-chan! Mash! We're heading out!"
"Yes, Ayako!" the Demi-Servant replied back, helping Ritsuka along with a comforting hand on his back.
As they all converged on the cart, with Elizabeth readying herself at the front, Ritsuka turned to his fellow Masters with wide eyed awe. "How do you guys… handle this?" he asked them.
"Witchcraft can get rather macabre, Ritsuka. I had to get used to this." Koleen answered.
"How do you think I prepared myself, with my puppets?" she replied with faux disinterest. "I also had to get familiarized with the concept of death from a young age."
"It's not something to be proud of." Koleen continued as they all got on the cart. "It's just, par for the course."
An audible thud rumbled through the earth, it's muffled sound audible from where they all were. Ayako pulled out her rifle as Koleen had her hand hovering over her pouch. Elizabeth and Mash immediately stood around the cart, ready to face whatever that was.
The form of Cú Chulainn dropped into view, landing beside them all. "We got trouble."
"South East?" Ayako asked?
"South East." He answered with a nod.
"Alright. Everyone! We're ditching the cart!" in that instant, each Servant took a Master in their arms, and leapt towards the danger that brewed.
"Signs of multiple Servants in that direction!" the Doctor spoke up with urgency. "Be careful out there!"
None of them replied, already bracing themselves for the coming conflict. The greater distance shortened to half a minute by the Servants, leaving small craters behind after each leap forward. The distance that would take a day by cart; two on foot. They needed no reminders of the capabilities of a Servant anymore, but they were showcased it again, as the group of six rushed to the forest.
The Druid was the first to land, stepping into just the lip of the forest as he gave Ayako a light push on her back, the Puppeteer taking a spot behind a tree with her rifle aimed at where the disturbance was, while the Caster melded himself with the forest. Elizabeth and Mash drew closer to whoever they were, landing with a dampened thud before them. The Servants stood themselves in front of the Masters, Koleen and Ritsuka hiding behind Mash's massive shield while the Lancer stood in front of the Demi-Servant, spearheading the formation.
Four Servants; two further off to the side, one opposite them, while another one was on the ground. All four of them shifted their attentions to the four that had arrived, bearing mixed expressions. One of the two that stood behind, a small looking girl with a bulbous red hat clapped her hand with an excited and relieved smile on her face, while the tall lanky man beside her smiled apprehensively. The young woman on the ground, with hair of gold, looked to them with eyes filled with hope. And the blue haired woman standing by herself, bore the expression of calm, contained rage behind glassy eyes.
"The Chaldeans?" she asked, head tilting slightly, as she aimed her staff at them. The large cross hanging sideways.
"And you are?" Koleen asked back, her hands reared back in case she needed something from her pouch.
The lone Servant glanced to the other three, mostly focusing on the young woman on the ground, before she faced them again. "Who am I? I wondered that myself when I was summoned." She closed her eyes, planting her staff back onto the ground. "Berserk Rider; that is what she has called me."
Koleen glanced to the cross on the staff, scrutinizing it for a moment, before her eyes turned to the Servant once more. "A Christian, at least."
"Without a doubt." The Servant began as she muttered something below her breath; a prayer of some kind, as the staff began lighting up. An explosion erupted on Mash's shield, scattering Elizabeth who was in front of it. "Now come, Chaldea. I will test your mettle."
"Aren't you going to deal with her?" Ritsuka asked, referring to the downed Servant.
"You are a much higher priority to me." A ghost of a smirk formed on her as a large shimmer came into view behind the Servant. As tall as a two story house, and twice as long. The trees around them were pushed, toppled over as a being of great size appeared right before them. Its scales were a dark brownish red, its mane just a tad blue. Horns protruded from the sides of its head, longer than their arms. Its yellow eyes locked in on them, as its growl reverberated through the forest. Ritsuka's hands clenched into fists unconsciously, while Koleen's was searching for something she could use at this very moment.
"Caster! Mash! Deal with the Beast!" Ayako all but yelled from her spot. "Sorry God." She said to herself before she took a shot at the Servant.
The crack of her bullet was dampened by the forest, but the projectile was deflected by the Servant's staff. "Strike them down, Tarrasque!"
The Masters were pushed back by the shockwave of the Beast striking Mash's shield, the Demi-Servant barely holding it back.
"Take the fight elsewhere!" Koleen ordered as she stood back up.
Mash wanted to glance behind her, but couldn't, focusing her attention on keeping the Beast at bay. "But…" hesitation was clear in her voice.
"Go, Mash!" Ritsuka said, scrambling to get on his feet himself.
"Yes, Masters!" she pushed the Beast back, just enough for Caster's presence to make itself known, by virtue of clean interweaving shapes of wood snaked around the Beast's form, dragging it deeper into the forest. Mash chased after it, ready to assist the Irish Druid in dealing with the Saint's mount.
Another crack resounded in the forest, and once again the Servant deflected it. She began muttering a prayer beneath her breath, one that was interrupted by Elizabeth as she rushed towards the Rider Class Servant. Elizabeth pushed herself with her wings, trying to shift the berserk Servant off balance. The Lancer, so focused on the Rider, didn't expect the gut punch that instead staggered her. Elizabeth took a few steps back, readjusting herself before she rushed again, ready to spear her opponent.
The maddened Saint, with her contained fury, stopped Elizabeth in her tracks, holding the elaborate spear in her hand. She pointed her staff at Koleen, a prayer at the tip of her tongue, before she leaped back as a crystalline horse stomped between them. The small girls was riding the steed with a proud smile on her face, landing beside Elizabeth as her steed rushed towards the maddened Servant.
"Come, Amadeus! Let us assist them!" she called out to her fellow Servant, who so far was watching the exchange with little interest.
He shook his head with a sigh as he pulled out his baton from inside his immaculate suit, a hint of a smile forming on his face. "All for the whims of a lovely Queen."
Elizabeth and Mash, along with the two Servants, then continued their assault of the Saint, hoping to finish the fight as to not prolong it further. With the heat of it no longer baring down on their faces, Koleen and Ritsuka made their way to the downed Servant, carefully pushing herself off the ground.
"Are you alright?" Ritsuka asked with audible breath.
"I am, thank you, Chaldea." She replied with a genuine smile. "Your intervention proved to be timely."
"Thank god." The Male Master said with a relieved sigh.
"You're Joan of Arc." Koleen noted with familiarity.
The Servant almost flinched at the recognition. "That I am."
Koleen grimaced as questions formed in her mind, before their communicators spoke up. "Kalls, questions later. We need to put an errant Saint down first." Ayako's words rang through to them.
"You're right." Koleen sighed as she calmed herself down. "Saint Jeanne, please, assist us."
The Servant looked conflicted, turning her gaze to the battle that had been set away from where they stood. "I understand." She said, sounding more confident than her expressions would dictate.
"What do we do?" Ritsuka asked his fellow Master as the Saint joined the fray.
"We assist." Koleen answered, her pink eyes focused on the battle. "Doctor, you said our Command Spells recharge?"
"Yes, since the Servants are mostly sustained by Chaldea." The voice of Doctor Roman spoke through to them.
"Good." Her Command Spells flashed as she drew its power. "Elizabeth! Use your Noble Phantasm, and take Saint Martha down!"
The Lancer's body stilled as a wave of power surged through her, and smiled a confident and sinister smile, using her wings to leap back from the Saint as the other Servants kept her occupied with their own arsenal. She struck her lance down, tip sticking into the dirt, and stood herself atop it with her wings spread open wide. She drew in a lungful of air, the veins in her neck visible under the pressure, showing pink and red from beneath her skin.
"Drop the curtains, and behold! My most valued piece!" the other Servants finally felt the pressure that emanated from her, feeling the impending Noble Phantasm that was directed at Saint Martha's direction, and all scrambled away. The maddened Saint, now free from them, rushed for Elizabeth in a fury, but she was too late.
"Kilenc Sárkány!" and a bellow that shook the ground resounded through the forest, pinning Saint Martha where she stood as the breath of a dragon descended upon she who tamed Tarrasque. Even those not in Elizabeth's periphery were covering their ears with their as they too felt as though a dragon itself was roaring down onto them.
A bellow that felt like it lasted longer than it actually did, eventually stopping as abruptly as Elizabeth herself. Saint Martha fell to her knees, holding onto her staff for support, her form crumpled despite not looking any worse for wear. But they all knew the truth, of what she had sustained from facing a Noble Phantasm and weathering in on her lonesome. The Lancer Class Servant stepped off her weapon and approached her, glancing behind her to Koleen.
The pink eyed blonde gave Elizabeth a single nod.
A nod that she returned with a confident smile, as Elizabeth pushed the maddened Saint back, allowing the weakened Servant to look up to her. She placed the tip of her lance on where the Saint's heart would be, and struck it through, sealing the fate of the maddened Saint.
The Saint's eyes trailed down to the weapon, a hand rising to its pole and slowly gripping it. "Yes, you are capable." She almost whispered, as the light in her eyes returned for one final moment. Her head looked to where the Masters had stood, and smiled. "You, will be able to defeat, the Dragon Witch."
"Even if we weren't strong enough, we would still have done so." The voice of the Japanese Puppeteer answered as she stepped through the clearing, her rifle held on her shoulder.
"But now, I know truly, that you are capable of achieving of such a feat." The Saint said as her form began to dissipate. "Go. Go to Lyon, and find the Dragon Slayer that resides there. A mighty dragon stands between you and the Witch, and he will be the one to deal its killing blow."
Motes of golden dust signaled her end, leaving nothing behind but Elizabeth's lance. Even the battle that was happening out of their view was finished, judging by the silence that reigned around them.
"Well, I guess that proves it." Ayako commented with a tired sigh.
"Proves what, Ayako-san?" Ritsuka asked curiously.
The Puppeteer glanced to the Saint that was still standing with them, seeing Jeanne D'Arc shifting her eyes between the Masters unsurely. "If all Saints are like them, then whoever this Dragon Witch is, is just a fake."
"And they're out there, parading your name and face most likely, besmirching your good will." Koleen finished with a growing scowl.
"There, there, Kalls." Ayako patted her friends back comfortingly, as the unfamiliar Servants began grouping up around them.
"That was a splendid show, truly!" the girl with the bulbous hat said, clasping her hands together. "Please, please! We were just resting before you all showed up. Let us take this time to get to know one another."
The Masters all glanced at each other as Caster and Mash rejoined them. Both Ayako and Koleen nodded to Ritsuka, who for a moment looked like a deer caught in headlights, as he turned to the shorter Servant. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
dudes. i apologize for this long break, but holy hell did i needed that. both because of that block i kept referencing before, and because i just needed a break, and it was awesome.
hopefully, after this moment, things can speed up, because one of the unfortunate things about having a writer's block at this moment means that i'm already sick of Orleans. man, i can't wait for Septem. /s
also, little fun fact, the nurse who had just introduced herself, her name is pronounced "Anya".
i'm going to have to go through the Orleans CGs to see if there's anything that's redundant that i can shave off, and turn into something new, so, look for that at least.
onto the reviews!
King0fP0wers: dude, that was something that they never addressed, so we'll have to get some kind of Mystic Code like that.
KRP: again, unless they can be actual different characters, i'd rather stick to one Class per Servant. what Class that ends up being is up in the air. hell, a Servant might get summoned in an alternate Class that was revealed far later than actuality. (for example, i'd like to have Avenger Nobu, and she might get summoned instead of her Archer version. another couple of years until we get that chance though.) in regards to side content, anything that has some kind of repercussion with the main story will definitely be used, whether as a one off chapter, some kind of mini-chapter, or spread apart like Singularity chapters. the examples you listed are good contentions, alongside SERAPH (since it is an event), Garden of Order (because of the ties to Ayako), and a few other i have in mind.
Lulumo: i don't have a set idea for that yet, so we'll see.
with that out of the way, thanks for reading, hope you drop an opine,
and i'll see you guys all next time!