Chapter 4:

Tree Time Talks

"Tora not understand. Mash is not Blade, but is Blade that uses Shield instead?"

Nia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Didja not hear what she said? She isn't a Blade."

"But Tora only ever see Blades do the kind of cool, pow-pow things she did! If not Blade, then how she do it?"

Mash glanced down at her feet, "Well, I can explain but it's a bit...complicated?"

After a few short hours and the slow setting of the sun, night had finally arrived to the Gormett Titan. The sky was dark and stars shined overhead. With several hours of running behind them, Rex and his gang of friends decided it would be a good idea to take a rest for the night. They found a decent sized clearing underneath the Traveler's Resting Tree and set up a makeshift camp in the span of a few minutes.

Rex and Pyra collected a few logs for the group to sit down on and set up a neat little fire to keep warm. As lively as the Titan was in the daytime, it could still get a fair bit chilly in the later hours of the night.

As the night rolled in however, conversations began to pop up every once and awhile. No one was quite ready to hit the hay quite yet. Sure, they were exhausted from the running, fighting, and nearly getting their eyebrows burned off, but the excitement had stuck with them like a Crustip on a Salvage crate.

Rex in particular could attest to how hard it was to nudge those damn things off.

Of course, part of the excitement was due to the new members of Rex's motley crew. Ritsuka, Mash, and Fou joined the group in their campsite after formally introducing themselves. While Tora and Poppi had only barely been introduced to Nia and Dromarch since their rescue, the newest arrivals had only gotten their names off before the group had made camp.

Well, Mash and Ritsuka introduced themselves, the others were already well acquainted with Fou.

That's why the fuzzball was taking a nap on Dromarch's back while the others chatted. Fou curled himself up on the Blade's head while Nia leaned against her companion's side. Due to the Tiger's fluffy fur, it made for one heck of a better place to rest than a log. It was one of the few things she and Fou seemed to wholeheartedly agree on.

"Tora, how many Blades have you actually seen in action before today?" Rex asked, curious.

The Nopon perked up and began counting the digits on his hands, "Well, Tora seen plenty of Blades since Mor Ardain began recruiting! But...Tora never been in fights himself till Poppi…"

"So you're just assuming Mash has to be a Blade to do what she did? Why can't she be the Driver instead?"

Tora shook his round little head, "Tora don't think so! Ritsuka far too plain to be Blade, so that leaves Mash! She must be Blade!"

"Tora," Pyra shook her head disapprovingly.

"A-ah! Tora didn't mean anything by it!" he quickly fumbled, "Tora just...just, going by experience and aesthetics! Yes! Aesthetics! Grampypon and Dadapon show Tora lots of examples of Blades, Mesh just fit better than Ritsuka!"

Nia chuckled, "Wow, wonderful judge of character fuzzball."

"Mehmeh!?"

Pyra sighed. Since meeting Tora, she had a stinking suspicion that the Nopon had good intentions, but his words got away from him sometimes. That, and he had the habit of putting his foot in his mouth.

She turned to offer Ritsuka an apology, but he brushed it off.

"It's fine." he chuckled, "Even I can tell, compared to everyone else here, I'm a bit dull."

That comment made Mash shake her head furiously, "That's not true! Senpai, you're not the least bit dull!"

"Dull as dirt."

After camp was made and the fire was lit, the group moved to idle chit chat for a time. Tora, the curious little Nopon he was, jumped at the chance to learn more about his new friends. He even took out a tiny notepad and peppered the two with questions. As a mechanic and self proclaimed Blade smith, Tora's questions homed in on Mash and her abilities as a Blade. That proved to be a bit difficult to answer for the pair unfortunately.

After all, Mesh wasn't a Blade.

While they hadn't a chance to discuss it, neither of the pair had the slightest clue what a Blade was. As brief as their visit to Torigoth was, they had heard the phrase a few times. Ritsuka could guess who among them were blades after seeing Pyra, Dromarch, and Poppi in action that still left things vague. Mash guessed they were similar to Servants, only on a more physical plane. The more the two learned however, their assumptions were thrown right out the window.

So when Tora asked his questions, Mash answered honestly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not too familiar with what that is." she responded, "Back at Chaldea, I was given the classification of Shielder when my abilities manifested, I'm not a Blade."

Unfortunately, honest answers did little to clear up the confusion. Tora himself merely scratched his little Nopon head, still stumped. The others threw their own two cents but Poppi's Masterpon had plenty of ways to justify his confusion. Rex and Pyra didn't buy a word of it however. After the little incident involving Poppi's awakening and some of Tora's 'tastes', the Aegis and her Driver knew to take much of what Tora had to say with a grain of salt.

Ritsuka and Mash meanwhile were merely amused by the Nopon's suggestions.

"If only Da Vinci was here," Mash mused, "I'm sure she could explain things better, don't you think Senpai?"

Her master shook his head, "I dunno, I think she would make things sound even more complicated."

Mash blinked but couldn't very well disagree. Da Vinci was one of the most knowledgeable members of Chaldea in regards to Servants. She could easily explain the properties and classifications of a Demi-Servant. Then she'd likely go on to explain about the overall class categories, offhandedly mention the 'special' classes without a care. Oh, and she'd certainly want to go over how Rayshifting worked regarding Servants too.

In fact, Mash could see Da Vinchi set up this big elaborate presentation and have her own questions afterwards about-

"I think you're right Senpai."

If Da Vinci tried to clear up this misunderstanding, the problem would balloon until everyone had a headache. The little inventor was great at elaborating on something down to the most tiny of detail but she rarely knew when to stop. The more Mash thought about it, Da Vinci's real problem was knowing when to stop. One look at her workshop in either version of Chaldea could attest to that.

Unfortunately, the thought of Chaldea dampened the duo's moods. Mash nor Ritsuka regretted helping Rex and the others, but doing so meant testing the communicator in Torigoth was out of the picture. Heading back now to test it would be akin to walking up to a hornet's nest after smacking it with a baseball bat.

Or mentioning any Greek hero to a certain Amazonian Queen. Either would work well for comparisons.

Mash's shield felt extra heavy thanks to the communicator. Missing a chance to get in contact with Chaldea made the thing feel ten times as heavy. But being back in the wilderness meant static was the likely result if they tried again. Ritsuka pitched a guess that something could be interfering with the signal, but what? If it was the Titan itself then that was a problem that wasn't so easily rectified.

Neither Master or Demi-Servant had any ideas about taking a dip in the Cloud Sea to make a call.

But without a direct link to Chaldea or any idea where a Leyline might be, Rtisuka felt stumped. He felt like he was back in Shimousa again, alone and stranded. He wasn't a skilled enough Magus to figure out what to do on his own and unlike the Faux Singularity, there wasn't some evil Blood Moon staring him in the face the entire time. They were stuck on a gigantic Titan, and without a clue.

At least he had Mash this time at least. There was no telling what he might have done if his trusty Kouhai wasn't there alongside him.

Ritsuka chuckled. In all likelihood, he would have been a red smear atop the Titan's back without Mash. Just another one of the many, many times she had saved his life.

After listening to Tora fumble on for a good few minutes, Rex let out a sigh and shook his head, "He'll be at that all night I swear."

Tora was the excitable type, even if he didn't know where to draw the line.

"Anyway, so where you two from?" he asked, "Torigoth?"

"No, no." Mash shook her head, "Me and Senpai have never actually been there before."

Her Master agreed, "Yeah, we're basically tourists. Just walking around basically. We're actually from a place called Chaldea."

Nia raised a brow, "Neva heard of it. That some town on another Titan or somethin?"

Both Chaldeans shared a glance. Explaining the exact nature of how they arrived on Gormott would be more than complex. Falling from the sky wasn't exactly the most common methods of transportation. If the duo ever got their radio to work, explaining the where and the why would be much easier. So until then, Ritsuka figured, might as well run with it.

"A bit." Ritsuka nodded, "We haven't been home for a while, but a friend of ours recommended visiting Torigoth first. Said it was a nice place to visit if given the chance."

Rex chuckled, "Fair enough, always heard tales of the place back in Argentum. First time for me as well. Sorry to ruin your visit though, I hope it was just a bit of sightseeing, right?"

Unlike Nia's earlier remark regarding the two's activities, Rex's question was merely a curious one.

That and he felt a bit crossed for getting the pair thrown out of the city essentially. Only other time that happened was back in the Argentum trade guild. That involved a doofus who refused to hit the hay after having too much to drink. Rex didn't feel particularly bad about that but hopefully Mash and Ritsuka hadn't been doing anything too important at the time. After all the commotion they had caused, they would all need disguises like Pyra's before stepping another in town without being caught.

"It's fine," Ritsuka mused, "We honestly just arrived this morning. Didn't even have the chance to meet the locals before everything kicked off."

Mash concurred, "Yes, Senpai and I were actually going to visit the market and look around, but then we saw a punch of people arguing with some soldiers."

"We got curious and things kinda...happened when we saw a bunch of blue fire suddenly spring up from nowhere."

Dromarch closed his eyes and gave a nod, "That would be the Flamebringer, yes. She was quite determined to stop us from leaving."

"And she wanted Pyra too!" Rex added as he crossed his arms, "Like Hell I was gonna let that happen."

Pyra smiled, "Nope, you sure didn't. But then what were you doing in Torigoth? Was it looking for Fou?"

Hearing its name, the little fuzzball perked its ears up and looked over at the group. Before it could make a move though, Dromarch reached up with one of his paws and gently gave the creature a pat on the head. Fou didn't resist the soft pat and gently laid his head back down against the Blade's fur.

The sight made Ritsuka smile, "No, not exactly. We were actually following some advice from our friend. Might have even caught them there, but you know how things go."

"As for Fou, little guy likely just went on ahead of us. Hes fairly excitable."

Pyra gave a soft nod, "Seems he is."

"Yeah! We wanted to leave the little guy at Tora's house when we went to save Nia, and he came along anyway! Was quieter than a Bunnit stealing a carrot from my Auntie's garden."

The Chaldeans chuckled. That was Fou alright. Neither could honestly count how many times the little fuzzball had sneaked into their pods during a Rayshift. Their old medical director once confronted security about the little stowaway. Da Vinci even suggested setting up a whole new monitoring protocol of her personal design. But even with several skilled security technicians watching monitors like hawks, Fou still managed to sneak inside.

It was still one of the grand mysteries of Chaldea, and Ritsuka had a stinking suspicion that a certain detective held the answer. He was just too amused with their confusion to reveal it.

"Bloody bunnits, but anyway! What are you looking to do now?"

Mash and Ritsuka shared a glance, "We're not entirely sure honestly…"

"Me and Mash were kinda betting on exploring for a bit and maybe meet up with a friend, but that fell through, I'm a bit stumped on what now." the master huffed, "And it was such a pain to get here…"

Pyra offered her sympathies, "I'm so sorry about that…"

"Oh, please don't apologize." Mash quickly told her, "It's unfortunate but such things happen! Senpai and I will simply need to find another method somehow."

However, that was easier said than done. Until some sort of clue appeared to them, moving forward would be difficult. If contact could be restored with Chaldea, they'd have something to work with. Da Vinci could offer potential suggestions, Sion might examine the Titan and detect anomalies, or the Director could offer some of his trademark, 'sage' advice.

Unfortunately, until anything but static spewed from the communicator, that was out of the picture.

"Well," Rex rubbed his chin, "If you need some help, I'd offer it. But I need to get Pyra to Elysium first...

"Elysium?"

Ritsuka pondered at that name, he was certain he had heard of it before...

The Salvager nodded, "Yup! I made a promise to get Pyra there and I'm gonna keep it! No crazy military lady is gonna stop us, I'll make sure of that."

"You say that, but didn't you just walk into a trap by said crazy official?" Nia smirked.

Her Blade stirred from his slumber and glanced over at the young Gormotti, "My Lady, please remember that they did that for our sake. I am quite glad to not be trapped in that stuffy cell anymore. Are you not?"

"Course I am Dromarch, was just pointing it out."

Mash leaned over and whispered to her Master, "Senpai, I think I've heard someone mention Elysium at Chaldea before, have you?"

"I think so…"

Ritsuka took a moment to think. With the sheer variety of Servants from different ages of histories, mythologies, and time periods at Chaldea, it was often difficult to keep track of everything. It was one of the reasons he tried to interact with everyone as often as he could. But with the sheer number of missions, training, and the antics of the Heroic Spirits themselves severely cut into this free time.

As he thought about it however, one conversation did pop into the boy's head.

It had been a normal morning in Chaldea so far. Mash was busy helping Da Vinci out in her lab, the doctor was currently swamped with paperwork as he often was, and Ritsuka himself was heading to the cafeteria to grab some late lunch before his due time in the simulator.

As he arrived in the bustling lunch room however, he caught a glimpse at three particular Heroic Spirits. The three women were currently engulfed in a strangely heated conversation, which was odd considering the individuals involved.

Curious, Ritsuka approached and asked if something was wrong.

The response he got however...

"Master, we've been talking and...um...we're unable to reach a consensus on what to do with your soul when you die. So...can I have it?"

"Don't be silly! Ritsuka should come to the Greek afterlife instead! The Elysium fields are actually Fun!"

"Valhalla...is where...all the Heroes should go. As a Valkyrie...escorting heroes is my duty…"

"..."

Suddenly, Ritsuka honestly didn't feel like getting lunch right now. Maybe he should come back later when things are a bit less...busy.

He had gone hungry that day, not that he regretted it. Anything was worth skipping out on a question like that!

Still, with that conversation in mind, Ritsuka distinctively recalled Elysium being a location within Greek mythology and was somewhere not so easily found. Hades, sure, that was literally a small stroll for some Heroic Spirits when they were alive. Some of the other Greek heroes had even told him about how Hercules had gone there to get a dog during his trials. But the Elysium fields were a far more delicate place that had far more specific terms.

What did the name relate to here? Was it some sort of coincidence or something more.

Either way, Ritsuka set the question aside for the moment. They could figure out the differences another time, "Is that what you were doing in town? Looking for a way to get there?"

"Well...not exactly," Rex scratched the back of his head, "We were actually just looking for an inn really. Day before had been all sorts of crazy and we were looking for a bed to spend the night."

"But...then the military showed up and you saw what that turned into."

Giant walls of Flames, a Military Base, some soldiers getting the tar beaten out of them, and one Special Inquisitor with a stern look and an equally intense Blade. And Rex thought the day he met Pyra had been the most frantic day of his life. Heck, he was half convinced each day was trying to outdo the next.

"Then what's your plan going forward then?" Mash wondered.

Again, Rex scratched the side of his head and looked up at the stars, "Sorta in the same boat as you I'm afraid. Gotta find ourselves a way to get there, but Torigoth is…"

"The Ardainian military is certain to have all ships under a tight grip." Dromarch mused, "Heading back would be quite unwise."

Tora threw his wings into the air with a huff, "Tora's house too! Doubt Tora could smuggle friends back to house with so many soldiers!"

"That too," Rex sighed, but his uncertainty then turned to another smile, "But we'll handle it."

"Well, would you like a hand with it?"

The Salvager's stargazing came to a abrupt end the second he heard the question. Rex's head dropped like a bring and stared across the campsite. His confused gaze was met with Ritsuka's, who offered the boy with nought but a simple smile.

"W-what?" he fumbled, "Ah, no! Come on, you two have done enough already! You helped us out a ton!"

Besides him, Pyra nodded as well, "Besides, you just said you were looking for your friends."

Ritsuka appreciated the concern, but shook his head, "Our friends are fine, trust me. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to find us first."

Resourcefulness was a major mainstay of the Chaldea organization, especially when it involved Holmes and Da Vinchi. Mash wouldn't be surprised if the former had already cracked what had happened to them in the time they had been gone. Whether the detective actually told anyone yet of course, is a whole other matter.

Nia rolled her eyes and leaned back onto Dromarch, "Well, you two better be ready then if you're that determined."

"We couldn't step five feet into the Torigoth before Mor Ardain got the drop on us. Wouldn't be shocked if that happened again."

Tora scratched the side of his fuzzy head, "Wasn't it friend Nia who got caught first, not Rex-Rex and Pyra?"

"Yeah! They caught you because of that bonkers wanted poster of yours!"

Mash tilted her head to the side. She vaguely recalled the bulletin board she and Ritsuka had passed when they entered Torigoth.

There had been a few wanted posters hung up, but she couldn't recall one that looked anything like Nia.

Speaking of which, the Gormotti driver sprung up from her comfy seat and shot Rex and Tora a glare, "I'm telling ya that was not me! That Bloody thing was some sad sack's attempt at being funny! All those soldiers need to have their eyes checked for mistaking it for me!"

"Um…" Mashed raised her hand, "I-I'm certain it wasn't that bad Nia. Senpai and I never even saw a poster that resembled you."

Ni huffed but with Mash's reassurance, she crossed her arms and leaned back against Dromach. At least someone wouldn't be mistaking her for that scribbled mess.

"Did you guys look at the bulletin board at the entrance to the town?"

The Shielder blinked, "Ah, yes...yes we did."

"Then that's why," Rex mused, "Nia shredded the one they had posted up there when she saw it. The soldiers had their own copy they carried around when they tried to arrest us."

"Oh…"

That certainly explained why the board had one spot open that had been torn up by something…

Nia glared daggers at the Salvager, "You're askin for it now."

"Alright alright! I'll stop." he chuckled, "It's not like you're the only one with one of those now. I bet after the mess we made, they got posters for everyone! Even Gramps!"

Rex could picture it now. In a week's time they could stroll into Torigoth and all across that board, there would be eight new wanted posters that fit them perfectly. He just hoped his copy would be placed right over those two jerks from Torna who tried to kill him, Pyra, and Nia.

Suddenly, a small white paw reached out of the boy's helmet and bopped him on the back of the head.

"Now leave me out of this! I like to consider myself a mere passenger to your antics!"

"Sorry gramps, but you're involved now! Don't pay any rent, get labeled a criminal just like the rest of us!"

"That's absurd, and entirely uncalled for. I never did anything of the sort when our positions were reversed."

Rex shrugged, "Sorry, I don't make the rules. Gotta take it up with Mor Ardain."

"Well, I just might."

Slowly as the night pressed on, many of the group began to settle in for the night. Tora and Poppi were the first. The Nopon drifted off the slumber with a slight snore while his trusty creature watched him diligently till she too nodded off. The next was Nia and Dromarch, who both curled up against each other in a fluffy embrace. Fou and Azurda, the smallest members of the group, also drifted off. The former slept near Mash as she prepared for bed and the latter made himself nice and comfortable inside Rex's helmet.

The Shielder suggested taking watch in case any uninvited guests tried to disturb them, but Rex cheerily declined. He called it recompense for protecting him and Pyra from getting charbroiled and offered to take the watch instead. She tried to argue but Rex's optimistic persistence wore the tired Demi-Servant down quite quickly.

So as the Moon shined down overhead, only Rex, Pyra, and Ritsuka were left awake. They sat silently amongst themselves as the campfire slowly began to burn out. It still crackled with a dim light, but its embers grew low and sat among already spent ash. Unless someone put another log or two on it, it wouldn't last much longer.

After a few minutes, Rex sat up and gave a slight stretch, "Oof, getting a bit stiff there…"

"It is getting late," his Blade noted, "Maybe you should get some rest, Rex."

"Right, right. I'm just gonna take one last look around the tree, okay? Just to make sure we got no pests waiting for the fire to go out to do something."

With a slight nod, the young Driver walked off toward the outskirts of the tree for one final pass. The Traveler's Tree was a large tree in itself but it was also a fairly peaceful one. Nothing too dangerous frequented it at night. Nevertheless, it didn't hurt to be sure as Rex would put it.

Once the boy vanished from view however, Pyra turned to the only remaining person still awake besides herself, and her driver.

"Aren't you tired too? It's been quite a day."

Ritsuka tried not to chuckle. The others were asleep after all, "A bit yeah, but I've always had this weird issue with sleeping. Talk to Mash in the morning, she can tell you stories."

"Oh really?" the Aegis giggled, "I'll be sure to. Sounds fun."

The pair shared in a small bit of laughter as they waited on Rex to return. Ritsuka was sure Mash wouldn't share all the tales relating to his sleeping antics but there were several she could share. Like the day they met, when he had fallen asleep on his first day on the job and got chewed out by the director. Even he had to admit, that was not how he expected his career at Chaldea to start…

"Ritsuka."

Snapped out of his thoughts, the boy turned at the mention of his name. As he did, he was met with Pyra looking at him from across the campsite. However, something had changed. The Aegis' eyes lacked the kind warmth she had while giggling just a moment ago. Or, to be more precise, that calm cheerfulness was buried underneath something else.

Her eyes were clouded in a somber expression, a hint of concern, and...

Sadness?

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" she asked, her tone much softer than it had been all night, "It's going to be dangerous, and I'm afraid you'll regret coming if you do…"

Even with the fire still crackling, Pyra's questions were met with silence. The Aegis took this as an answer regardless, and bowed her head, now staring at the grass between her shoes.

"Rex won't be sad. I'm sure. He bounces back from quite a lot I noticed. You can just tell him tomorrow-"

"I want to help."

The Aegis looked up, her eyes wide, "But, you won't be-"

More silence was she met with, but this time Pyra had no words to give.

Across the camp, Ritsuka met her gaze with a small smile and a peaceful look behind his eyes, "I honestly want to help, I mean it. Mash too, I promise."

"It's why we came to help back in town," he muttered, "We didn't know what was going on. Honestly. There was just some soldiers telling the townsfolk to leave because something was wrong."

"But when we saw the fire. We couldn't stop ourselves," Ritsuka shrugged, "And now, I can't stop here either."

Calmly, he then turned toward the direction Rex had walked off in, "You, Rex, and the others? You're good people. It doesn't honestly matter why someone may be after you, or what you're doing. When we see someone like that who needs help…"

Behind the Master's gaze, several faces flashed before his eyes. There was a girl with white hair, a black and orange coat, and golden eyes trying out for someone to save her. A little boy standing in front of a massive walled off city with a bloodied body of his mother at his feet. Standing next to an impossibly busy king was a woman in a green dress and a veil covering her mouth, she smiled and waved at him as they passed her.

And finally, there was a man. He had pink, fluffy hair tied up in a ponytail.

He wore a white doctor's coat over a green pair of pants and a shirt. Both hands were covered in a pair of gloves, and he had green sparkling eyes..

...eyes that vanished as he faded from view, disappearing entirely.

"..I can't help but want to lend a hand."

Ritsuka grew silent. His head leaned forward and folded his hands over his lap.

Slowly though, he raised his gaze once more and met Pyra with a smile, "So, I'm sorry. But you might be stuck with us for a bit."

Pyra also grew quiet. Words failed her in the brief moment she looked on, watching the boy shift and turn under his own thoughts.

As the final log in the fire crackled and spit embers floating overhead, she smiled.

"Okay."

Elsewhere:

Deep within a mechanical fortress, a red lamp lit a rather spacious room.

Dim lights surrounded the chamber with a singular red lamp that hung overhead. At its center was a circular table with items scattered across its surface. Numerous Core Crystals were piled rather haphazardly to the side. Some were whole and glowing, while others were cracked and dim. One Crystal in particular had been cracked open and split in half. All light had faded from the gem, leaving it as black as coal atop the table.

Aside from the crystals, there were several odds and ends sitting atop the table. There were tools, a few either tanks with varying levels of fullness off to the side, and a tablet. That particular device sat in its charging port, just within reach of its owner as he worked.

At the center of the circular table, a lone figure stood. He stood, hunched over the table with a Core Crystal in one hand, and a scalpel in the other.

He made no noise, his eyes focused on an experiment already in its later stages.

"Still fiddling around I see?"

Despite the interrupt, the figure continued to work and merely raised his head slightly.

"What is it Akhos? As you can see, I'm rather busy."

Standing at the only entrance to the chamber, a man stood with an amused smile. He had black hair, blue eyes, and a pair of red glasses on the bridge of his nose. The man wore a set of blue armor with a notable samurai aesthetic of large shoulder armor and baggy pants.

Akhos leaned against the side of the door and pushed his glasses into place, "Nothing in particular. I just came to inform you that Malos and Jin will be arriving in the hour."

"Ah, I see. Were they successful in their endeavor?" .

"Unfortunately not." Akhos mused, "Given the news of the Aegis awakening, I'd say expect Malos to be in a particularly bad mood once he arrives. Either way though, you should be sure to have your reports ready once they get here."

The figure rolled his shoulders and continued his work, "Yes, yes. I have them all prepared. As well as another request for more subjects, my work requires a fresh batch."

"Another?" Akhos raised a brow, "You already burn through the last one?"

"My work is very sensitive. Quality subjects are necessary. The ones provided resulted in less than optimal results. You know this, so more is required for me to continue this research."

A light chuckle echoed through the room, "And when will you have a working example of this research? With how much this is costing, Jin might not keep funding you if you're unable to deliver something in a reasonable timetable. Malos always does prefer to cut the fat when things don't work out so well."

The figure raised his head and spared his guest a glance. Behind a black hood, a red eye coldly glared at Akhos. The figure wore a black cloak underneath a white lab coat that obscured almost all of his features. The only noticeable exception the member of Torna could make out was a dark red gem on the figure's chest.

"Do not worry," he assured, "My tests are going as predicted. By the time Mikhail has finished inspecting the factory, I will have a functioning prototype to demonstrate my research."

The intense gaze sent a shiver down Akhos' spine. But after a split second, he readjusted his glasses and gave a shrug.

"If you are certain, just make sure you're ready when the time comes. Understand?"

A crack sounded from the table. The figure put one of his tools aside and pried the glowing Gem in his hands open with a sickening crunch.

"Crystal."

The figure then placed the shattered gen aside and picked up a fresh one from the pile, "Now then, leave me be. If the others are to be arriving soon, then we must prepare. I'm certain Jin will have orders for you, as well as I once he arrives."

"Of course, of course." Akhos nodded.

His peace said, the smug man pushed off from the door and made his leave. With no other interruptions present in his lab, the figure turned his attention back to his work. Carefully, he picked up another scalpel and began nudging it within the grooves of the Core Crystal.

There were many more in need of preparation before the next subject was ready to proceed.

An:

-Welcome back everyone. We got a bit of a more...calm chapter after the recent few. Still, if anyone has any questions for me and don't care about spoilers, just make sure to let me know in a review or something. Now that the two teams have met up, we'll hopefully be get things rolling soon, so stay tuned!

-For those who frequent the Fate/Grand Order reddit and know about a certain sprite comic series, yes, that flashback to Chaldea's lunchroom is taken from that.