Fourth Singularity, Part 2: A Square in Soho
1888
"Get down!"
Ayako called out as she ran through the fog, cleared for a moment by Caliburn's light, as the Ground Team rushed forward. The bespectacled man's eyes widened for a second, before he finally registered Ayako's words and ducked. She fired her rifle immediately after, striking the steam powered mechanical construct. Her empowered bullet caved the steel faceplate, before another shot pushed it back. Quickly she pulled out a burnt branch with a runestone wrapped around it, pointing it at her target.
ᚦ ᛒ
Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Berkanan, of Birch. Streaks of blue and white appeared on her red hair, as the branch bristled with electricity.
"Nornarboltinn!"
Mystical blue lightning erupted from the branch, striking upon the steampunk creation. The steel grew redder and redder, before splitting apart as the hot plasma phased through it. She aimed the branch to the automata that converged around them, as the rest of her team went in for the save. Waver was at her flank, covering for her as he waved the fan of Zhuge Liang at the masses, razor sharp winds tearing them apart like butter.
Ritsuka arrived first, his free hand tapping the shoulder of the mousy haired man. He was thin, perhaps underweight. His black coat was dirtied, splatters of blood on his glasses, though it was questionable if it was his or not. His faded blond hair looked like it was losing even more color. His green eyes looked to them, and he smiled with relief.
"Thank you, whoever you are." He said as Mash covered both him and Ritsuka under her shield. "I was confused, by what Shakespeare meant, when he said I had people waiting." His words were separated by ragged breaths.
"Yeah, sorry for barging in." Ritsuka said with a calming smile. "Mordred invited us in."
"Considering the current climate, and the fact that you're saving us, its fine." He replied with a tired smile, as another explosion erupted in the background.
Kagiso's eyes gave a brief inspection on the man's body, nodding after he was pleased with what he saw. "Taking into account the destruction around us, you're doing well."
The combined effort of Arturia and Mordred further decimated the plaza they found themselves in, necessitated by virtue of the steampunk construct. Unlike the lesser puppets that came in limitless droves, the constructs were built with far tougher material, carrying with them large cleavers of heavy metal. They didn't amount to much, in contrast with Chaldea's Servants, but it meant the Masters had to either rely on the Servants for their protection, or to pull out their heavier arsenal.
It was fitting, that the two Masters with the Casters bonded to them were the ones unleashing their wrath around them, empowered bullets and runes, dark curses and concoctions raining down debris that used to be the brick paths of the plaza.
The small blue haired Servant approached them, his own eyes inspecting the man. "Where's the Playwright?" he asked, straight to the point with his words.
Dust blew by them, swept by an explosion that their group had caused, causing the Alchemist to cough with a fist covering his mouth. "Sir Shakespeare found himself roped in by these, automata." He replied in between hacks. "He took the fall for me."
"It seems our job isn't finished yet then." Ritsuka commented with a nervous smirk on his face. He flinched when a large mechanical construct slammed its cleaver down on Mash's shield, the metallic echo reverberating loudly.
"Ayako, Koleen! Shakespeare is still unaccounted for!" Kagiso called out, ducking under the projectile that was aimed at his head.
"Got it!" the both of them replied in unison, before the Witch took the reins. "Circe! We need to find him, yesterday!"
"Understood!" the Enchantress responded, furling her wings as she took to the skies. Greenish light shot out of her staff, flying outward like an eight-pointed star. El-Melloi provided protection so her concentration was undisturbed, leaving the artillery to the two female Masters.
"Arturia, keep it up!" Kagiso called out to Chaldea's Saber, with nothing much else to say as he trusted the Saber in her area of expertise.
"As ordered, Master!" she replied, cleaving heavy metal with her sword easily, sidestepping the hunk of iron like a ballerina lost in a performance. Her graceful movements contrasted heavily with Mordred, leaving behind craters upon craters as her attacks were fueled by red lightning that permeated throughout her armor. "Sir Mordred, on your left!"
"Yes!" her voice had a metallic tinge to it, obscured by her helmet. The rogue Servant moved to the side as Arturia took the empty spot to carve down their path.
Despite the disparity between their two styles, there was no doubting the synergy between them, moving together like a well-oiled machine. The destruction Mordred was wreaking was somehow waylaid by Arturia's more precise actions.
"East!" Circe shouted suddenly, as a trail of green light grew brighter in a path. "A block away, surrounded by more of these things!"
"Sir Mordred! Let's go!" Arturia gave her command, leading the charge to save the playwright. Begrudgingly, Mordred followed behind her.
Their heavy hitters left the plaza, and with them were the endless tide of automata and constructs, chasing after them and leaving the rest. It allowed the group to easily clear the scraps.
Power flared from the Enchantress as she finished off those that remained in what used to be a plaza. Kagiso took the moment of reprieve to meticulously inspect the battered man. Ritsuka provided whatever help he could, with Mash not wavering in her defense, eyes always scrutinizing their surroundings. Andersen silently held his gaze around them as well, trying to pick apart the scenery with his eyes. And the two magi used this minute to gather themselves, after they had poured their all in saving Jekyll.
Beneath her breaths, Ayako held herself up with her hands on her knees. Her golden eyes were closed, keeping her breathing through her nose. She felt her heart slowing down, and when she looked up, she saw Koleen's eyes narrowing.
"The fog's getting thicker." She said between coughs.
Before Ayako could even formulate a response, a sharp tingle ran up her spine, making her shiver as if she was in the dreaded cold of the night.
Her eyes widened.
There were many things she wanted to do at that moment, yet she knew that she wouldn't have been able to do them all. Settling for what her instincts were screaming at her for, she touched the pockets of her coat, calling forth the runestones, feeling that she wouldn't have time to pull them out. Three runes were felt at the tip of her tongue. She felt them heat up on her body, piercing through her pocket.
ᚦ ᛁ ᛊ
Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Isaz, of ice. Sōwilō, of the sun. Ayako felt the runestones erupt in her pocket, the vague outline of a tall diamond began shaping around her body. Her body, for a split second, acted like a beacon.
No.
A flashbang.
"Leiftur!"
And in that moment, a few things occurred within the same second.
The fog surrounding Ayako was pushed back by the light and the ringing shockwave of sound erupting from her, blinding and deafening anyone within her periphery.
Lord El-Melloi, noticing the alarm on Ayako's face along with her sudden action, and catching something just at the corner of his eye before the flash could blind him, attempted to pull her with his free hand, while the other already holding the fan of Zhuge Liang.
A small figure emerged from the shadows, with the fog cleared, wrapped in a tattered black cloth. A large purple knife was held in their right hand, aimed at where Ayako's chest was. Where her heart was.
"Maria the Ripper!"
In a perfect and unfortunate scenario, the knife would have pierced Ayako, and turned her into chunks of flesh strewn around the plaza. And yet, Koleen's worried comment was enough to trigger Ayako's instinct. That instinct forced her hand to cast Leiftur, clearing the fog around the group, unknowingly weakening the Noble Phantasm's effect. With her sudden alert expression, Lord El-Melloi managed to pull her towards him, causing the knife to miss Ayako's most vital organs.
Blood still erupted as her right chest was shattered, as well as it was coughed out of her. El-Melloi caused the earth to erupt behind them, but the assailant had already disappeared back into the shadows. Circe, still flying above them, gave chase towards whoever it was.
"Ayako!" Koleen rushed towards her friend, held by El-Melloi's arm. The damage done to her was nowhere near as gruesome as the damage done by Flauros, but the blood and gore was still a sight to see.
"Fuck…" the Puppeteer groaned out pain, as she was laid on the brick floor. Kagiso was immediately on her, a layer of white smoke already covering his form.
"It'll be fine, Ayako." He said as his eyes glowed white, his hands hovering over her. "You've been through worse."
"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like a bitch though." She answered with a struggling chuckle, able to capture her voice again.
"That must have been an Assassin." Ritsuka commented, keeping clear to not overcrowd the Puppeteer.
"It has to be, to be able to sneak up on us like that." Koleen agreed, looking between them as she stood back up.
"And also the fact that she's still alive." Andersen added with a scoff. "Any other Class would've just killed you outright." He said as he kneeled beside her. "I can help ease the pain until the Enchantress comes back."
"That would be appreciated." Ayako said, letting out a long groan as she let her head drop flat on the ground.
Ayako began to realize at that very moment that so far, in each Singularity, her body's been through some exceedingly rough treatment. That was a tradition that she was not looking forward to.
The damage that had been inflicted upon her had been healed, with nary a scratch on her to be seen, yet still she laid on the bed that was given to her to rest. Her eyes were on the cream ceiling, both Koleen and Circe hovering over her meticulously. On the end of the guest room, Ritsuka, Mash, and Kagiso were attending to the holographic display of the Control Room, oddly enough showing just the Director, though with the addition of Martha added to the mix. Dr. Jekyll was also with them, freshly dressed and with his wounds and bruises looked after.
Olga's face bore a worried expression, her hands on the terminal, her body leaning closer towards them. "What sort of curse are you talking about? Do we need to rayshift Martha?" she asked them, with the Saint standing beside her, her own arms crossed over her chest.
"Nothing too specific." Koleen replied as she traced a pattern on Ayako's chest with her blood. "It's nothing like what Siegfried had to experience, back in France."
"There is no specific, debilitating curse affecting her." Circe added, overseeing the procedure the young Witch was doing on her body. "Simply the fact that, whatever it was, was a curse, and she's feeling the lingering effects of it."
"And there's nothing inherently heretical from what I'm seeing." The Ruler Class Servant said, her own eyes never once leaving them. "Koleen's Witchcraft is more heretical than whatever curse is flowing through Ayako right now. No offence, Koleen."
"None taken." The blonde replied without taking her eyes off Ayako. The Witch sighed, completing the pattern with her finger ending just above Ayako's navel. On her barely covered chest looked like a geometric, if chaotic, pattern of a pair of wings, with an open hand in the middle. "Get ready, Ayako."
She didn't answer, simply choosing to let Koleen move forward. Ritsuka, glancing to them, visibly shivered. "That looks terrifying. It's just a hand and wings. Why does it feel so terrifying?"
"Wouldn't be Witchcraft if it wasn't at least disconcerting." Circe replied for him with a smirk.
Koleen placed her clean hand on Ayako's chest, and her bloodied hand on the Puppeteer's hand, and began chanting. "The frail wrappings of man, held together so flimsily. Ripitopen, tea̸rita͠p͠art̡.͜ F͏r̵̴ę͜e̸t̴̡̧his̵̀b̀͘͢ờ̸d̛y̴̧̕,̵̡͢ f̵̢̢r̛͞o͟m̵͘t̨̡̨h̶͞i̸͟͝s͝d̷̕͠èà̵̕t͝hl͠͠y͟d͝e͘͠͞c̨͢ay͘.̷͏"
As her words became gargled and unintelligible, Ayako's body went rigid. The Puppeteer held back a scream as she felt a burning pain course through her, though a long pained groaned still left her.
"BÀ̵P̷T̀͝͞I̴̶S̀́M̸͞!"
The blood pattern burned, white smoke emitting from it as it formed into flame that covered Ayako's whole body. White fire that slowly turned dark and ashen, as the telltale signs of the curse was gradually absorbed out of her. Coming out of her pores, it projected a disturbing image for the people around them, seeing the black inky substance leaving her body like a congealing snake. Still through all of this, Ayako held back the scream she wanted to release, withstanding the prolonged pain.
The now blackening flame turned to smoke, and yet instead of flowing upwards it drifted down, seeping onto the bedsheet like sweat. When the burning subsided, so did the pain, Ayako's body went limp like a ragdoll. Koleen let the Puppeteer's hand go, standing back up to give her space. She turned around, facing the equally disturbed Jekyll, who was still visibly cringing at the rite. "I'm sorry, it looks like you need new bedsheets." She said to lighten the mood, as Circe picked the tired Ayako up with the help of her own magecraft.
"Yes, and it seems I need to burn these ones as well." He commented with a defeated chuckle. "Pardon me, I've never truly seen Witchcraft in action."
"It's alright. And thank you, for giving us this room." she replied just as easily.
"She's out." Kagiso said, appearing beside the Caster to look over Ayako. "Probably for at least half a day."
"Then the rest of you will need to continue on without her." The Director declared, nodding to them from back at Chaldea.
"Will she be alright?" Mash asked, her eyes glancing to the Puppeteer with concern.
"Koleen's Witchcraft is enough to rid her of a curse of that caliber." Martha answered, nodding to the Witch. "That's presumably because whatever it was, it had failed, so the curse couldn't fully latch on to her. If it succeeded, then I might need to join you."
"If it succeeded, she might not be here." Circe replied, her two-toned eyes shifting to the Saint. "The failed curse still managed to make her upper right chest erupt."
"That does bring to mind another important piece of information." The Director quickly took control of the conversation again. "What was it that struck her?"
"It was…" the Enchantress blinked her eyes, her brows making them narrow in consternation. "It was… I forgot…"
"You forgot? How could you forget?"
"I don't know. Can any of you remember?" she asked the others in the room, who in turn looked troubled.
"I couldn't get a glance." Jekyll answered with a shake of his head.
"It's all fuzzy." Kagiso said as he rubbed his forehead with his metallic hand. "I assume it's the same for the rest of you."
The other three nodded, with obvious frowns on their faces. "So it seems to be this entity's ability then." Martha surmised simply. "Do you remember the Class at least, should it be a Servant?"
"We assumed it was… what did we assume?" Koleen asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "An Assassin! It must be an Assassin!"
"It struck Ayako suddenly, and disappeared. That's the conclusion we all decided on." Ritsuka further reinforced, looking as if he was in pain in trying to remember.
"Senpai, it's enough." Mash said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, with Fou walking along it to lick his face.
"She's right. If whatever this thing is making all of us forget, then it's better to not think too hard on this." Jekyll said from where he stood, with a calming smile on his face.
"Then how did it fail to kill her? Do any of you all know?" The Director asked again, shifting the topic once more.
"She casted her flashbang before she got hit." Koleen replied.
"Fog…" all heads turned to the Puppeteer, still floating under Circe's palm. "Sent… shivers…"
"Her supposed 6th sense." The picturesque face of Da Vinci appeared, standing between the Director and the Saint. "Always seems to trigger just a moment before danger arrives."
"Fuck you… Vinci…" the Puppeteer cursed, chuckled tiredly.
"Alright, enough, you." With a twirl of a finger, Circe put Ayako to sleep, sapping what remained of her consciousness. "I'll take her somewhere quieter, and then I'll rejoin you. Is there another room that we can use?" she asked Jekyll.
He shook his head with a frown on his face. "No, I'm sorry."
"Then how empty is this complex?"
"It's relatively empty, there are only a few other tenants here with me. But the walls are thin, as nice as they are." He told her.
"Hm. I'll think of something later." She announced her plan to the group, before she made her way out of the room.
"The Casters need to keep all their eyes open then, to try and combat this poison that's fixing itself around London." Koleen said as she brought the conversation back. "If we can lighten the fog, hopefully we won't be a victim to whatever it was that struck Ayako."
"Understood." Both male Masters and Mash responded, followed with the quiet mewl of Fou.
"So how should we proceed from this then?" Ritsuka asked his fellow Masters, brows furrowing in consternation.
"Andersen had spoken about reaching the Clock Tower." Kagiso answered, his hand rubbing his own chin. "Perhaps we can tackle that avenue as well."
The Director's complexion paled at the mention, wiping the cold sweat off of her face. "Right. The possibility that they have been dealt with. My god…"
"This is also evidence that things would have turned out the same to them as they did to us." The white haired woman shakily turned to the Genius beside her, who had earned a raised questioning brow from the Saint. "You're laying out what you're thinking very clearly, Olga. Just loosen up."
Olga Marie shook her head, slowing her breathing before she could hyperventilate. "Right. Right. Calm down, it's just how it goes. Right." She said to herself, before meeting Da Vinci's eyes again. "Is Romani back yet?"
"He's on his way. He had a very healthy breakfast." The living painting remarked casually.
"That is information we did not need to know." Martha said, her finger tapping on her forearm impatiently. "What else do you have to go on?"
"I was in correspondence with a fellow researcher." Jekyll spoke up, coughing into a closed fist before he took a step forward, moving closer to them. "Before the fog encapsulated London, though we've never actually met face to face. It was always through pen and letter."
His brows furrowed, his chest rising as if he was holding back a breath. "He… hasn't written back in the past week. And, I would be lying if I said that I didn't use the previous opportunity to check up on him."
"So another person that can help us. Possibly." Kagiso nodded, giving the Alchemist his undivided attention. "What is his name?"
"Victor." He replied. "That's the name he's been using. I assume it's his given name, rather than a surname."
"So you use Henry as well then." Koleen commented, earning a nod from him.
"It seemed only reasonable."
"I'm sure Lord El-Melloi has also found something with his familiars." Mash said, reminding them of the Lord's current task.
"That's true. We should reconvene with the rest then." The Shaman said with an agreeing nod.
"Let's." Ritsuka nodded, his hand reaching for his shoulder.
"Report back to us when you have outlined your plans, Ground Team." The Director told them, stepping back with her back straight.
"Understood, Director."
"Sorry I'm late." The Doctor's figure appeared around them, looking slightly disheveled as he coughed nervously. "What did I miss?"
"Everything." Olga responded with an unamused expression on her face. The Doctor flinched from the way she was glaring at him, and before he could offer a reply, their connection was cut off.
Without waiting another second, Mash picked up her shield from up off the ground, before it dissipated into motes of golden dust. She nodded to the Masters with a smile.
Koleen turned to Jekyll, and glanced to the bed. "I'll help you with the sheets."
"Thank you." He replied sincerely, sharing her glance as they both saw the ash covered bedsheet.
"We'll catch up with you guys."
"We'll see you downstairs, Koleen-san." Ritsuka said with a quick wave as the three of them left the room.
The hallway seemed brighter than the guest room, though that might be chalked up to the more illuminating presence that the lightbulbs provided. Ritsuka looked up, his eyes momentarily blinded by the light, before they quickly adjusted. A brief thought came to him for a fraction of a second, before he continued on walking down the hall, down the stairs to where everyone else was. Behind him was Mash, with Fou tucked next to her neck, perched on her shoulder. Kagiso's heavy steps covered the rear, the thuds of each foot louder than his and Mash's combined.
The living room seemed far livelier than before. Andersen and Lord El-Melloi sat on the floor together, their coffee on the coffee table as they talked over something that the Clock Tower Lord had seemingly written. Arturia sat on one of the sofas, overlooking the two with a concentrated look on her face, while Mortred sat on the boarded window sill, leaning her head into her hand with boredom overtaking her. Shakespeare, still looking slightly disheveled, his coat cast aside with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. He seemed to be fully engrossed in writing something, the feather quill moving fast like a laser printer.
And Ayako was placed on the larger brown sofa, resting with her now cleaned red coat draped over her. That left only one person unaccounted for, though they could hazard a guess, with the sounds coming from the apartment's kitchen.
Mordred seemed to be the first to acknowledge their existence, standing up with a gusto. "Finally! Please tell me you lot have a plan now."
"That depends entirely on what's being discussed here." Kagiso replied, glancing to the two Casters grouped together.
"We were merely discussing our options." Andersen replied, leaning back from the coffee table.
"I assume then that Lord El-Melloi found something noteworthy?"
"Depends on what you mean by noteworthy, but yes." The tall magus coughed into his hand before he addressed the room. "The Clock Tower is quiet. And undefended. Well, as undefended as it could be when we don't take into account the natural defenses that have been there since before the campus even existed. But I think the possibility of the Clock Tower being compromised is now a likelihood."
"So what should we be expecting there then?" Ritsuka asked, as he sat himself across them.
"Plenty of things that aren't needed to be discussed. It is better that the ones who go there are those that have been there." He answered before taking a sip of his drink.
"So you, the writers, and Ayako when she wakes up?" Kagiso asked, sitting himself on the armrest of the sofa. "That seems a little light on firepower."
"That may seem so, but I think it's better that whatever team that heads there to be light." he responded, briefly freeing his glasses from his face. "It is preferable that we are… subtle, in our movements."
"And I assure you, that we would be more than enough for whatever it is that lurks below the Clock Tower." Andersen further added, glancing to Shakespeare. "Don't you think so too, Playwright?"
"Oh, I sincerely beg to differ, my fellow esteemed Author!" the mentioned Playwright responded with a loud guffaw. "Need I remind you, that neither of us are suited for the frontlines? In fact, within this hypothetical party you are envisioning, there are only two who are accustomed to combat. And one of them will stay in the backlines with us!"
"Then we shall weave a tale befitting of a Valkyrie for the Puppeteer." Andersen countered, drawing his own quill from his breast pocket.
"Don't your stories end in tragedies?" Koleen commented with furrowed brows as she entered the room with Jekyll following behind her, her sleeves lightly burnt with ash. She eyed the small Caster wearily. "In fact, both of your stories end in tragedies."
"Your point?" Andersen responded with casual indifference.
"She's not going anywhere with just you three." Circe said, her voice announcing her presence as she entered the room, carrying a bowl of what looked like some kind of porridge.
"With a Caster's enhancements, the Puppeteer will be able to stand against most phantasmal beasts." He countered, his blue eyes matching her two-toned orbs.
"I know." She replied simply. "I simply do not trust her with you lot. My niece could do all of your jobs, thrice fold."
Unsurprisingly, none of the other Casters disputed her claim. "Are you saying you wish to accompany us to the Clock Tower?" Lord El-Melloi asked, tapping his pen on the tabletop.
"No. I care not for the secrets of your Association." The Enchantress said, dismissing the Mage Association with a passing thought. "But perhaps we might encounter even more strays, and then you can go spelunking in the catacombs of this foggy hell."
"You're assuming we'd encounter another Caster?" Mash asked, staring pointedly to the Enchantress.
"It's not unfounded. This room is proof of the many Casters already here." Shakespeare said with an amused chuckle. "We might encounter even more Casters yet!"
"So, if we are to leave the Clock Tower to the experts, it means we need to table this plan for later." The American Witch said, glancing to her resting friend. "What else did you find?"
"There is a very concentrated magical signature, more than a mere anomaly, located in the original location of the Scotland Yard headquarters, over at St. James's." El-Melloi answered succinctly.
"Original?" Mash asked confusedly.
"Oh, right. You wouldn't know." He coughed into his fist before he explained it to her. "The Scotland Yard has changed locations a couple of times throughout its existence. This should be its first location."
"Nothing else stood out from his observations, but Jekyll here still has something personal he wishes to see through." Andersen said as he stood up, pushing himself away from the coffee table.
"I do." The bespectacled man responded with a sigh. "I guess it was foolish of me to think that I could keep anything from any of you."
"It seemed obvious, what with you walking off in the middle of this whole mess." The small Caster said with a neutral huff.
"Even I had to make sure that you didn't get in too much danger, Sir Jekyll." Shakespeare said, as he finally stood up from the chair he was sitting on. Mordred audibly groaned at the sight.
"Are we going to split up into two, then?" Ritsuka asked, turning to the unofficial second in command.
"No, three." Koleen responded, before she turned to face her body towards the room. "A group will head to Scotland Yard, another will go to the address of Dr. Jekyll's correspondence. The last group will hunker down here."
"Sounds about right." The Shaman said in agreement. "We can't exactly leave Ayako like this, not until she's fully recuperated."
"That's why you'll be here, Kagiso." She declared. "You'll be looking over her, and hopefully there isn't any lingering effects."
"Understood." He gave a simple nod in return.
"Arturia will hang back as well, to provide needed protection. So is Shakespeare, though that is more because of his recent incursion." She detailed out, earning a few claps from the Playwright.
"Much appreciated!"
"I will make sure harm will not come to any of them, Koleen!" Arturia declared, drawing her sword forth.
"Dr. Jekyll, you will also be staying here, for your own protection." She said with a rare glare that caused the Alchemist to flinch.
"Ah, I understand." He said reluctantly, almost falling when Mordred slammed her hand onto his back.
"Ritsuka, your team will have Mash, and Mordred. The both of you will find this address for Dr. Jekyll."
"Finally, some action." Mordred exclaimed excitedly, as her helmet shifted into place.
"Alright, Koleen-san." "We'll do our best, Koleen." The both of them replied in unison, punctuated by Fou's mewls.
"That leaves me with the rest of the Casters." the Witch said, turning to the remaining number of people. "We will head towards the Scotland Yard, and see what sort of happenings are occurring there."
"Then I will be the one to report our plan back to Chaldea." Kagiso cracked his knuckles, before turning back towards the stairs, leaving the group.
Koleen nodded without glancing at the Shaman's retreating form. "Does everyone here understand the plan?" Nods were shared among, earning a smile that almost seemed out of place considering the serious tone Koleen had been using.
"Good." She said, answering back with her own nod. "Let's go."
Unbeknownst to the people on the ground, with their vision constantly obscured by the damning fog, carrying poison that burns and corrupts more than the already debilitating smog that covered the industrialized city, the skies raged with an unbridled anger. Grey clouds covered the ring, as lightning and thunder echoed within itself, converging around the landscape as if a hurricane was forming. The lighting grew louder, and louder, with every second the echoes of thunder reverberated farther and farther. A golden spark stood out, coalescing into a singular point.
Above Westminster.
Above the Whitehall Place.
Above the Scotland Yard.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
whew, this is out way earlier than usual, by a couple of hours.
had quite the bit of spurt of inspiration last night, which accounted for most of the chapter.
i realized while writing this chapter, that we spent most of it within Jekyll's home, so i felt that whatever his house is, would be a good title for today's chapter. so i did a quick bit of cursory research to see if Jekyll had some kind of location to call home, and was surprised when the author had given a very brief description (A Square in Soho, which fit quite well with what i wanted), and also pointed out what kind of building he had envisioned for the place.
the building turned out to be a real place, which was a sort of apartment complex with a pub at the first floor. had to do a little bit of editing for the previous chapter just to account for this nice addition.
i felt like i wanted to talk about that last bit, but i'll save it for the next chapter. it's my one true gripe of the London Singularity. i was also surprised at how short the chapter was when i was rewatching the memories.
we'll be seeing more of things next chapter, as we get into the meat of it, so stay tuned everyone!
let's talk about what's recently happened then!
a lot of things got announced in New Year's. really like Muramasa's personality, this curmudgeon old man. and although i have no connection with Tsukihime, my god that trailer by Ufotable's damn fucking cool.
and don't let me get started on GO/Carnival. a fucking masterwork. can't wait for 2030's Carnival.
we also got a bit of insight to what could be considered a sequel to F/SN! i've bookmarked and saved every thing we got from it for future use (anything involving Waver, Grey, as well as Shirou, Rin, and Luvia.) pretty cool stuff!
now, onto the reviews!
King0fP0wers: oh yeah. most people (based on the stats), picked Waver, but i already have him, so don't know who i would use the ticket for. probably Braddy, 'cause why not.
Quartermass: can't imagine how bad the smog could get. the few times i had to deal with it in Jakarta is awful. thank god i live elsewhere. and i have a something in mind with Jackie, especially after that little sneak peak we had. reading up on her NP, i was surprised to find out that it's technically a curse. which meant that it can be used at ranged.
my god.
Addicted2fanfics: i don't have Mordred, and i don't really have any plans on getting her. she's very popular, yet unfortunately i'm not a fan of her. which is why i'm also hoping that i can at least do her justice here.
darthwolf: that'll be interesting.
Supremum Rex Stulti: Ritsuka got it before Okeanos, courtesy of Da Vinci. he's been using it since. and regarding your second question, that'll be a surprise.
harlequin320: thank you!
TalonScythe: i prefer to stick around the current 4k-6k avg i have. did you know that the average word count per chapter for a novel is 3k to 5k words? blew my mind when i found out about that, not to mention how anything above 5k is considered too long (which i kinda agree, which is why i sometimes try not to go overboard, and to split up chapters if it gets too bloated.)
i know right! all of that new shit is awesome to see. and also a lot of things that can be used for PotP! and i didn't do the GSSR, i'm sticking to completely F2P in these gacha games. the only way i'll spend money if cosmetically, like the millions of awesome skins in AL. mhm.
and FoC, man. it's real something. if you're ever in the mood for some SoL F/GO content that's already covered the game till EoR, you'll be occupied for a while, that's for sure. a couple of people asked me if i ever thought of continuing it, but the story isn't really my style of writing.
you know there was a moment where i was worried that i wouldn't have anything to work with in regards to London, but once the ball started rolling, it doesn't stop. and hopefully it'll keep on rolling for as long as possible!
well, once again, that was fun! to write and read!
hope you guys are enjoying this as much as i am, leave a review if you don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!