Back in Action
2018
Chaldea didn't greet the New Year by immediately getting back into motion, with the Director giving the crew a few days off to further recuperate. Much needed to let the morale linger higher just a little bit longer for them. Of course, there were still sections of Chaldea that were run by a skeleton crew, so as to not let the system deteriorate. And even more so, there was a particular group within Chaldea that was hard at work, even now on the 1st of January, 2018. So early in the New Year, and yet this group of people did not at all slow down, so quick to get back on their feet.
And it would be very remiss of Olga, in her own opinion, if she were not there with them, even if she was only supervising the Ground Team. The Control Room itself was also mostly empty, with a few of the crew volunteering to oversee the supply run. And of course, right here beside her, sitting on his own chair, was Romani.
The two additional Casters that have become staples within the Control Room were also there; Da Vinci and Lord El-Melloi, standing behind them.
Olga herself, with her hands pressed on the terminal, leaning her weight into it. Her eyes were on the screens, seeing the Masters all separated to cover more ground. And yet, her mind was fixated on something else entirely. On a moment that occurred the night before but didn't register until the moment she woke up on this very day. She questioned if it had actually occurred, and was beginning to doubt herself, as she muttered to herself.
"Did Aozaki call me by a nickname?" she whispered to herself, face bewildered in confusion.
"Yes she did." Da Vinci answered from behind her, the painted-on smile on her face masking the amused smirk she wanted to display.
"She did what?" Romani turned to the Caster with a furrowed look on his face.
"She called you Olgs, in case you forgot, by the way." Da Vinci continued, ignoring the surprised expression on the Doctor's face.
"It sounds… rather unflattering. Yet, I find myself alright with it." Olga said, digesting the word in her tongue.
"That tends to be her method of nicknames." The Lord said, as he joined in on the conversation. "I myself am referred to as Waves. Fortunately, it has not spread to any of my students, as fine as I am with her calling me that."
Romani chuckled at the name, as he fully turned his body to face the others. "If I wasn't certain that I'm forever known as Doc, I'm sure she would have called me Romes."
Light chuckles were shared among them at the mere idea, before Olga caught the Lord's eye. "Did she have a nickname for Lord El-Melloi? For Reines?"
"Mhm." He nodded, a smirk slowly taking root on his face. "Ayako liked referring to her as Reirei."
Romani choked on his own spit, turning to the Lord with a sharp glance. "Reirei?!" light chuckles echoed in the room, coming from the few assembled people inside. "Ayako's nickname, for a Lord of the Clock Tower, is Reirei?!"
"Now imagine how she felt." He said with obvious amusement, a hand rising to hush the voices of the people around them. "She tried warning the girl to not earn the ire of a Lord, and yet Ayako seemed to always know what to do to always stay on Reines' good side."
"She is very much a people person, even if there is a bit of a reclusive streak in her veins." Da Vinci said in a passing comment.
"All magi have reclusive streaks." The Lord retorted with a smirk, nodding back to the full-fledged Servant. "It took months to get you out of your cave."
"Years." Both Olga and Romani corrected, shifting their eyes to the Genius.
Da Vinci laughed at their expressions unabashedly. "And I was able to give to Chaldea some of its greatest tools."
"No one is denying that, Da Vinci." Romani commented, before he turned back to the monitors. "It seems they are nearing the end of this."
"That they are." The Genius agreed, as all their eyes followed the Doctor's gaze. "Will we attempt another summoning right after, Director?"
Olga shook her head at the question. "Do you think we have enough already? I was thinking of giving them a day to recuperate, even though they no doubt will want to again so soon."
"There's a few anomalies lined up in the pipe, with the Ground Team ready to tackle them as promptly as possible." Romani supplied from her very right. "We'll have it prepped and ready, for when they will head out once more."
"How about London?" the Lord asked, taking a step forward. "Have you determined the date?"
"We're narrowing it down." He replied, turning around briefly to face the Pseudo-Servant. "As of now, it's vaguely around the Industrial Age."
Lord El-Melloi II sighed, shaking his head with a frown forming on his face. "It had to be the Industrial Age. It couldn't be anything before? Hell, I'll take the Modern Era over that."
"I think everyone would." Da Vinci said with an agreeing nod, though she still had her signature smile on her face. "We'll need Mystic Codes just so the Ground Team can filter out the dense pollution."
"It's nothing compared to the worst in our current age, and it doesn't even compare to the dense mana of the old world, but the pollution is just unbearable. That's not even getting into the more disturbing aspects of London during the Industrial Age, living in history books as infamy." The Lord said, his frown shifting into a grimace.
"You're already anticipating yourself as part of the excursion then." Olga commented, giving the older man a quick glance.
"It is my home, after all." He said, with his grimace becoming more pronounced. "I have a feeling that the Clock Tower will also be involved."
"And having a Lord by their side will be a great boon no doubt." He said, his hands pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. "And as a London native, I should know it like it's the back of my hand."
"London is especially egregious." Romani responded, even though his eyes were focused on the Ground Team. "Very little has changed in regards to the layout of the capital, so this should be very familiar, with slight differences here and there."
"Chaldea, come in, we're sending our supplies back." The voice of Aozaki reached their ears, signaling the end of this exercise. The Ground Team, along with the accompanying Servants, had regrouped and situated themselves inside an alcove of sorts, sheltering themselves from the heavy rain. "We've found the strongest leyline here, and then we'll head out to deal with the anomaly."
"Have you located this anomaly?" Olga asked, leaning in closer with her hand on the station.
"Yes we have." Bertrand replied, with her red-shifting eyes reverting back to pink, her blonde hair still wet and clinging to her scalp. "Three miles north east of here, though we're not sure what kind of signature it is exactly."
"There are minute traces of divine energy. It is most likely another Shadow Servant, of some kind of demigod." Romani offered with a nod, his eyes glancing to them briefly.
"Probably." The American Witch replied, herself glancing towards the direction of the anomaly. "It doesn't change our plan though, we'll be done soon."
"We'll be here to welcome you guys back." The ginger haired man said with a smile.
"Roger that." Bertrand replied with a nod. "Ground Team, over and out." Direct communication was cut off, but the Control Room still had both audio and visual of them.
"The Ground Team will have a mandatory 6 hour break after this." Olga announced to the room, feeling the eyes of the three around her shifting to her. "With the next Singularity at the precipice, they will no doubt redouble their efforts in preparing for it. That doesn't mean we will allow them to burn out so quickly."
"Then I'll send a message to EMIYA and see if he'll be open to preparing a light snack to welcome them back." Romani said to her, taking a step back as he typed into his notepad.
"I'll head down and welcome them in person." The Clock Tower Lord said in response, already taking a few steps back from them, before fully turning his back to them.
"I'm locking myself in my workshop." Da Vinci said, following behind the Lord. "They'll have their Mystic Codes the moment they leave for the London!"
"I want the exact date of that Singularity yesterday, Romani."
"You got it, Olga."
"London, huh?" Ayako said with a long sigh, sipping on the juice box and leaning her cheek into her hand, elbow resting on the table. "So soon…"
"How long were you there? In the Clock Tower." Kagiso asked, biting into a small dessert.
"Only a few years." She replied honestly, with a shrug. "Didn't take too long for me, especially with Lord Valualeta being unexpectedly accommodating for me."
"Isn't the Clock Tower, like… university, for magi?" Ritsuka asked with furrowed brows, has his hand rubbing Fou's white fur on the table.
"Pretty much." Ayako replied with a nod.
"And you finished that in a few years? Damn, you really are a genius." His blue eyes widened for a short moment.
"It's not as smooth sailing as you think it is, Ritsu-chan." She said with a somewhat tired sigh. "I had to work my ass off for that."
"That definitely sounds like college." Koleen commented with an understanding nod. "Though from what I've been told, it sounds a lot more deadly."
"In a dark sort of way, yes." Kagiso said, tapping the table with his knuckles. "That deep rooted pressure has lessened slightly the past few years."
"Much to their chagrin." Ayako added with a chuckle. "A few of them are getting on with the times, but…"
"Hopefully, when this is all over, we could show them the price they pay for such power." The Shaman said with a light shake of his head.
"Maybe in a few decades." Ayako said dismissively. There were a few magi that she was pleasantly surprised of, almost all of them were of the younger generation.
"So, London will be familiar ground for us then?" Mash asked, her bespectacled eyes shifting between Ayako and Kagiso.
"It should be, but although London hasn't changed much since the Industrial Age, there's no telling what else had occurred between then and now." The Shaman said in passing.
"London hasn't changed much at all. It's like walking down remnants of the past." Ayako added with a chuckle. "I'm still not sure whether I prefer that, or the organized copy-and-paste method of modern cities."
"Modern cities can be a bit eerie, in that regard." Ritsuka said with a slight frown.
"It's most obvious in American cities." Koleen said, turning to the male Master with an understanding look on her face. "At times, when I'm out of it, I forget which city I'm in, whenever I would be anywhere else but Boston."
Mash gasped in widened surprise. "That can happen?"
"When you don't have your wits about you, yes." The Witch said with a grim nod.
"Are we heading out immediately after this?" Kagiso asked Ayako, as their team leader. "Another supply run?"
"Just one more." She replied back to him. "After that, we'll try to summon a few more to help us out, tomorrow. Then we'll bring them out from a last couple of supply runs."
"And then, we tackle the Singularity?" Koleen finished for her. "Whenever that actually is."
"That's right." She sighed, tapping her thumb on the table, anxiety building up inside her, alongside impatience. "We've got a long road ahead of us. This new year doesn't change that."
"Understood." The Shaman responded curtly. Despite the break they were taking, the mood on the table was anything but lighthearted. It was quite unfortunate too, according to herself, coming off of last night's celebration.
But they needed to have a clear head, to be realistic of their situation. The morale boost was greatly needed, but now they needed to work. There is no rest for the Ground Team. Finishing the last of her lunch, she placed her palms on the tabletop, pushing herself back up. The others eyed her carefully, themselves reminded of the closing of their break.
"Let's get right to it then. The quicker we are, the more time we have to prepare before it all folds." She told them, golden eyes narrowed onto each one of them.
Nods of affirmation was all that she got.
They were all that she needed.
"Before we get back into the… nitty gritty of things, there is a new development that we'd like to share with you all." The Doctor announced to them all, standing at the head of the table with his hands atop it. Closer to the screen was a face that was becoming much more familiar in the setting, as even though she has never been officially declared as such, Sylvia's image was slowly shifting into that of the Doctor's secretary. One could tell that she was of two minds about it, but there was little that she could do.
She tapped on her pad, showing the screen for the people in the room. The blue atlas of Chaldea, zooming in on London.
"London, 1888." The Doctor said with a tired sigh, his shoulders heaving slightly.
"We got a date now, that's good." Ayako responded with a nod, keeping the expression on her face neutral. "Anything the scans are detecting?"
"Something is obscuring our eyes. Deliberately." He answered with a frown, as a picture emerged on the screen, showing a blank form of whatever report would have been filed. "No doubt it is connected to the anomaly, whatever it is."
"So we are going into this more blind than usual then." Koleen commented, keeping her hand on the black kitten, mostly for her own comfort to placate the growing anxiety within her.
"And we, don't know anything else going on there?" Ritsuka asked, with Mash nodding beside him. Fou even chimed in along, with his usual light bark/mewl.
"Nothing else, unfortunately." He replied with a grim tone. A smile quickly replaced it. "But, in lieu of this fog, so to speak, we have developed something in line for you Masters to use."
A few images popped up, showing a few of the things they have fought. Most of them from Singularity F, and a few from the minor Singularities they took part in. Shadowy figures, reminiscent of the Servants they both fought with, and against. The Shadow Servants. The Ground Team's brows collectively perked up upon seeing the images.
"What about them is important, Doctor?" Kagiso asked, leaning forward with his metallic arm.
He clapped his hand, the would-be echo muffled thanks to the amount of people in the briefing room. "You will now be able to call in Shadow Servants of your own!"
There was a second of silence as they all digested the information. "Really? How would that work?" Ayako asked, taking the lead for the Team.
"Each Servant we have all summoned here in Chaldea have been included in our records. Almost everything we know of them." Olga said, speaking up for the first time. She sat on one side of the table, flanked by Lord El-Melloi and Da Vinci. No other Servant, aside from Mash, were here with them. "At the cost of a Command Spell, you are now able to summon a copy of our Servants, as Shadow Servants to assist you in your missions."
"This was something we've been working on for a while since before, but the sabotage had the project pushed to the side." Da Vinci further added with her picture perfect smile on her face. "I was confident that I would've been able to finish it earlier if I had worked on it in tandem, but the Director wanted my attention fully focused elsewhere." She sighed exaggeratedly, shaking her head in return.
Said Director grimaced, her expression coming off as some sort of pout, as she declined on commenting. "What this ultimately means for you, is that with our reserves as they are now, you can safely enter a Singularity with only one Servant accompanying you, fully committing your contract with them and supporting them. Should you require backup, you will be able to call forth these Shadow Servants to your beck and call."
"If they require the use of a Command Spell, wouldn't that be dangerous, in the field?" Ritsuka asked, raising his hand slightly. "What if we need them for, something else?"
"Although it hasn't been tested yet, your Command Spells should return if you dismiss the Shadow Servant." The Genius further elaborated. "Don't hesitate if you feel like you need to get yourselves out of a pinch."
"And, with what the Director said earlier, it means we can launch with a Servant for each Master, allowing much more controlled synergy." Mash commented, finding her voice to speak aloud.
"So a team of eight then." Ayako nodded to the Demi Servant, before she turned her eyes back to the Doctor. "Mash is a shoe-in, and so is Waves. Who do you guys think should fill in the last two spots?"
"Someone who can take on the frontline, and who can bring firepower." The Clock Tower Lord answered. "Perhaps we can try and summon a few Servants to our cause, before we select our roster. But I propose Arturia, as a tentative choice."
"Sounds good." The Puppeteer turned her golden eyes to the other set of golden orbs in the room. "Director."
No further words were needed, as Olga nodded to the Team leader. "How many materials do we have for a summoning?"
"Four days' worth of excursions have given us enough for two. Which is more than we would get on average from previous excursions, although in turn the Ground Team gone on far more supply runs than usual." The Doctor elaborated for them all.
"Do we have anything else that needs to be discussed first?" Kagiso asked, pausing the current topic for a second.
"Ah, yes, we have." The Doctor nodded in remembrance, as Sylvia tapped on her tablet behind him. The map zoomed out, before zooming in again, on North America. "We've determined the location of the next Singularity."
"Anything specific?" Koleen asked, her eyes perking up slightly. This was her home turf.
He shook his head to her question. "None yet, aside from the continent."
"If that is all, then schedule a single summoning then, within the next half hour." Her voice carried the order to everyone else in the room. "This is a new year. We will walk with our heads held high, so let's not falter here."
Ayako held back the smile from forming. Olgs was finally finding her rhythm.
It felt like it had been forever, since they were in the Summoning Chamber. The last batch of Servants arrived a week before the last Singularity. They were planning on leave in a few days at the latest, possibly tomorrow at the earliest, for London. They weren't in a rush, but they weren't going to hold off the next Singularity now that they've pinpointed the exact date and location. That would simply be irresponsible. None of them will simply leave it aside, even for a second.
Aside from everyone that was in the briefing room earlier, both Cú Chulainn and Medea had joined them, once again standing at the sides of the rooms, both their staves at the ready. The two Archers in their beck and call, EMIYA and Atalante, stood at the entrance, flanking each side of the sliding metal door. Both their bows were in their hands, arrows ready to be called just in case.
So far, nothing dangerous and life threatening had happened yet, but it was better to be too cautious than too lax.
The lights in the room brightened as the terminal whirled to life, with the materials put in place. The operator stood in silence, with Doctor Roman by his side. The Ground Team stood in a line, awaiting the summons, with Olga and the two Casters behind them.
"So, who wants to take charge? Kalls?" Ayako asked her friends, glancing to them with a wry grin.
"Sure, I'll do that." The Blonde Witch replied, handing the Puppeteer her kitten before she took a step forward. She held her hand up, her Command Spells flaring to life.
"Romani, start it!" Olga commanded.
Like a switch that was pulled, the lights brightened as the materials were consumed, funneled into the summoning circle. The light pulsed every half second, each time a wave of energy washing over them. Koleen recited the rites, her words almost drowned by the loud noise around the whole room. Soon the light was so blinding that nothing else was visible to the rest of them. Then, when the ritual reached its apex –
The lights dimmed considerably, not fully darkened by the emergency lights that shone every time a Servant was summoned. That, along with the lines of the summoning circle, glowing a bright light blue, tinting the room with most of its color. Standing atop the shield that was used, was a familiar short woman standing on tall platform sandals, only able to reach the average height of a Japanese woman, even though she was anything but. Brown feathers draped over her shoulders like a cape, even though they knew those were actual wings. Her pinkish-orange hair was just the same, reaching to her waist, and matched by the Technicolor pink/blue eyes that seemed to eye them with a sense of mischief, further enhanced by the sly grin on her face.
"Well, well, well! Looks like I'm here early!" the Enchantress known as Circe said with a smirk, as she stepped off the platform. "This place looks a bit drab for my tastes, but it'll do."
"Gods damn it." Medea's voice cut through to them before the newly summoned Servant could continue.
Said Servant immediately turned to the other Greek Caster, smiling widely at her. "Medea! I have arrived here too!"
"Yes, I have noticed, Circe." Medea replied without amusement, though the hint of a smile that formed betrayed her true feelings.
The new Servant turned back to the assembled Masters, and smiled at them. "Well, let's get introductions officially out of the way! Rejoice, for you have summoned the great Enchantress, Circe! Caster, at your service!"
Ayako fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands as her shoulders quivered, seemingly sobbing. Circe furrowed her brows, witnessing the scene before her, for this was not the reaction she would have expected. Koleen and Ritsuka, who happened to be by her sides, patted the Puppeteer's back comfortingly, as Kagiso and Mash approached the newly summoned Servant. The Shaman brought his metallic hand to bear, taking the Caster's to shake.
"She's just been wanting a Rider after all this time." He said to the short Servant, even if her height was supplemented by her platform sandals. "Welcome, Circe. We are more than glad to have you join us."
At this, Circe shifted her eyes between the two before her. "Do you not have any Riders here with you?" she asked them.
"We do not, Circe." Mash replied with a shake of her head. "We are bereft of Riders."
"Could've fooled me, with what you kids had in the Atlantic." The Enchantress sighed, shaking her head disappointedly. "Where is that priestess, anyway?"
"Doing her priestly duties." Ayako said as she got back up. Her eyes were visibly reddened, as if she had cried herself. "Welcome to Chaldea! Just to reintroduce ourselves again, I am Ayako, leader of the Ground Team. The two beside me are Ritsuka, and Koleen."
"I know you want a Rider, but there's no need to be so exaggerated about this." Koleen shook her head, disappointed in her leader.
"Hello again, Circe-san." Ritsuka greeted with a respectful smile, bowing in turn before the Caster
She smirked proudly, glancing to Medea who approached them. "I see you've left your mark on him."
"Hm." An eyebrow rose at the statement, dispelling her staff as she crossed her arms. "No need to make it sound weird."
"So, where can I set up my workshop, hm?" she looked around the room, as the lights began turning on, with the Director approaching them, and the other Servants leaving, now seeing that the newest summon was on the same page. "Or perhaps you wouldn't mind sharing?"
"Absolutely not!" she physically stomped her foot down, earning a cackle from the Druid before he closed the door behind him.
The Enchantress laughed from getting the desired reaction from Medea, before she turned to ace the Director, who had closed the distance. "Welcome, Caster Circe. I am Olga Marie Animusphere, Director of Chaldea. And thank you, for answering our call to arms."
Circe's eyes narrowed, as if she was inspecting Olga. The Director flinched when she noticed, but said nothing else. Circe hummed in… approval? Ayako wasn't sure. "You have a lot of weight on your shoulders, little girl. Be sure to share that weight around, lest you crumble to dust." The new Caster tilted her head, smirking at the Director. "Though, I'm sure you knew that already."
Ayako turned to Olga, seeing the white haired young woman breathed through her nostrils. She calmed herself down, finally exhaling, though slowly. "I know." She replied, careful with her words. "I am… trying."
"Good!" a hand rose from Circe, patting Olga's head. "Then I'm sure you'll find your space soon enough." The Caster turned to face the Ground Team, seeing bewildered looks from them all. "What? I had to raise a child as well, and sometimes being a magus is detrimental to her progress, as oxymoronic as that statement could be."
"Hecate also made sure to keep you in line." Medea said with a challenging smirk. The older, yet shorter, woman flinched at the mention of the name.
"Yeah well, she's not here." Circe's wings furled open, as if challenging Medea back.
"No, but her presence is." Medea said, calling her staff back into her hands. "Remember this? You gave me this."
"Ugh, yeah I do." She grimaced, her wings ruffling again before folding back onto her. "Well, introductions have passed. I'm gonna find a room to set my workshop at, probably next her." She gave a nod back to Medea. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"We will tackle the next Singularity soon, preferably tomorrow." The Director said in response. Circe let out a drawn groan.
"And I just arrived, too." She sighed and shook her head, her eyes scanning the people around her. The playful mischief in her eyes were taken over by a more serious glint. "Well then? No time like the present, let's get to work. When and where?"
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Arturia said, all but jumping in place, hands held together. "This is the closest to home I will be!"
"Weren't you just there with Birdie a month ago?" Elizabeth commented, eye brow raised with a smirk on her face. "It was Wales, wasn't it?"
"But we weren't there for long, as you probably heard." The King said, turning to smile at her friend. "Maybe sometime in the future we can go to Hungary!"
"Aha…ha ha…ha…" Surprisingly, Elizabeth didn't share the King's enthusiasm. "It's not a priority."
"It's not?" Arturia asked, tilting her head in a cutesy manner.
"Liz." Both young Servants turned to Koleen, who had walked up to them with her kitten in her hands. A knowing smile was on the Witch's face. "You know what I'm going to ask."
"Aaaahhhh!" the Countess rushed towards the Witch, taking the black kitten and cradling him in her hands. "Little Roman, you're in good hands!"
Mew.
"Aaaaahhhh! He's still so cute!" she squirmed with the kitten in her arms, hugging the little creature delicately.
"Aozaki, you're leaving in seven minutes!" the Director called out, hands on her hips as she approached the Puppeteer, sitting on the bench in the central bulkhead.
"I know, Olgs." Ayako replied with a smirk, taking a sip from the bottle of water she brought along.
"Then suit up!" the blush deepened on the other woman's face, seeing the top of the Combat Uniform unzipped on her body.
"Its fine, Olgs." Ayako stood up, wiping the water on her lips. "We're still waiting for a few people anyway."
"At least zip up!"
"We really need to find something for you to relax with, Olgs." Ayako said with a smirk, moving closer to the Director. Olga flinched slightly when Ayako wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "This is too much stress for you, it's unhealthy."
The white haired woman gritted her teeth, her hand reaching for the zipper on Ayako's back. "Zip up!"
"Alright, alright! Ey, ow! Slow down, woman! We have delicate skin! You should know that"
"Then you shouldn't just prance about underdressed!"
"I see things are quite hectic already." El-Melloi's voice echoed in the large room, entering it with both Greek Casters beside him. "Are we still missing anyone?"
"Not anymore." Kagiso said as he appeared beside him, with Ritsuka and Mash just behind the Shaman. "We are all ready."
"Finally!" the Director turned to them, having had enough with trying to get Ayako's uniform zipped up, though the Puppeteer had no problem doing so on her own. She gathered herself, after having her person being frayed by Ayako's antics. "Ground Team!"
The four Masters and Mash grouped up, standing at attention with Ayako at their front. The teasing smirk she had on her face was replaced with a more serious expression, knowing the magnitude of the situation at hand.
"Compared to the last Singularities, this will be familiar lands for most of us. Both the location, and the dates." The Director started, her hands clasped behind her. "And it is because of that, that we – not just all of you, but us included – must be extra vigilant. There is no telling, what has changed, what is wrong. The anomaly could very well be something so familiar to us all. So, we will not fail this. Understood."
"Yes, Director." They all answered in unison. She nodded to them, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. The other three Servants that will head out with them, standing behind them also ready, while both Elizabeth and Medea took her sides.
"Then go and carry out Chaldea's will with you, Ground Team." She said to them, feeling confidence she has yet ever felt since she took on this mantle. "We will be watching, and waiting, for your return."
"Yes, Director!"
The date, is January 4th, 2018, the start of a new year for them, for Chaldea.
And what a way to start it.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
well, looks like that 3 week grace period i gave myself wasn't enough. unfortunate.
really unfortunate.
so, looks like upcoming chapters will be monthly, until i get some free time again.
with that out of the way, let's get straight to it!
i've DMed with omegadramon during this time, and he will know, that i initially planned on having, spoiler alert, Euryale and Asterios to be summoned, along with maybe a 3rd Servant. i couldn't come up with a good story slash reason to have them, so i scrapped that, and (once again) pushed Circe's appearance further up.
this Chaldea really is stocked up on Casters, like no joke. in that sense, imma just say it right now, we're not gonna be summoning anymore Casters for a while here. we're full up on them.
also, been having real shit luck on the gacha, not even 4 stars. damn, dude.
fortunately, i got the Valkyries with the ticket. look forward to seeing them in the far future. like, real far.
we're also going to see the Shadow Servants, that apparently is the canon way that we can bring in more Servants in the game (showcased by the Shimosa manga), so that'll be interesting.
and yeah, we're starting with London next chapter. so far, there's only one big difference i have planned, so hopefully i can have a we things to change up with the monthly gap now. right off the bat, we have Arturia, so that alone will be interesting.
well, there's nothing else to say, so let's get to the reviews!
Ichigo Oga: i just make it up as i go along dude, and try to make some connection between the runes and their meanings.
Addicted2fanfics: thanks again for dropping by dude!
1740: i'm not sure if i'll be doing OC Servants anymore.
Agris the Demon: the rabbit hole is deep. very deep.
emiya: i've toyed with the idea of a prequel story, maybe someday in the future. so i'll settle for flashbacks for now.
Thekiller7: thanks dude!
harlequin320: and thank you dude!
TalonScythe: Path of the King is legend, the best fic if you're searching for something with Medea. and as a proud Deadbeat, welcome to the rabbit hole!
and yeah, the flashback scene here was just a little bit of something for Ayako, before we got into the meat of the party. the Medical team is also fun to write, probably the second most developed group of secondary characters behind Helix and Violet. and hell yeah dude, Olga is real fun to write. i can't wait until the main game shows us more with what's going on (nudge nudge wink wink), 'cause i already have a plan for that when we come to it.
and no, i do not have Edmond, though i would love to have him. i'd like to have at least the "canon" Servants in the game, and he's as canon as we can get. if i don't get him, he'll stay as a minor character, kinda like Da Vinci and Holmes if i never got them in my game.
well, with that out of the way, thanks again everyone for reading through all of this!
it's awesome to see that you guys are still around, and i'm so happy for that!
hope you enjoyed reading through this one, leave a review if you don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!