Note: I tried to use french for part of this chapter, it did not go well
Oringal Archive Of Our Own posting date: August 13th, 2020
I grunted as I brought my blade up to block the vicious swing from the side. I stepped backwards, but my opponent doesn't give me the opportunity to gain any space between us. Twisting my body to the left, I deflected the sword thrust with mine.
Ok, another note to self: Sparring with Mordred is a bad idea!
Grinning wildly before me, Mordred swung her practice sword again. A dull pain erupts in my arms as my own practice sword rattled in my hands from the shock of impact.
Ugh…how did I end up in this position?
"Agh! There's nothing to do today!" Mordred whined, acting more like a petulant child than the knight that she was. It took a massive amount of will power to not laugh as she crossed her arms.
"Well, you could always try sparring using that combat simulation stuff Mash and Da Vinci told us about?" I said instead. This was rewarded with a dramatic groan and a theatrical eyeroll by my Servant.
"But it's boring alone!" She complained, making my earlier observation over her behavior become even more accurate. Fortunately, an idea pops into my head.
"Well, I did mention the idea of trying to spar sometime. Why don't we do that, as long as you don't go full-out on me as you would against another Servant?" Mordred smiled a bit savagely at that, standing up excitedly.
"You're on, Master!"
Ah. That's right. Next time, se if Mordred would rather watch a movie or something! I am all for bonding with the Saber and all, but good god she hits like a truck on steroids. I spend the next few seconds still on the defensive before the Knight of Rebellion finally managed to knock my sword out of my hands before holding the blunt end towards my throat. I raised my hands in surrender, panting slightly.
"Ok, I concede. That's what, 0-7?"
"0-8," Mordred smirked as she lowered her sword, and I my hands. "Thanks for helping me kill some time. I just have a hard time sitting still and doing nothing, ya know?" I shoot my Servant a dry look.
"I can tell," I said in a deadpan tone that causes Mordred to laugh a bit sheepishly. I run a hand through my sweat-stained locks of hair, pushing them out of my eyes. Maybe I should get them cut soon. "Well, it's time to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow morning for the Rayshift."
"You got it, Master. Night," she said as we left. On the way to my room, I reflected on the events of the week since the dinner.
The past few days had been rather chaotic. For one thing, the surviving staff of Chaldea had to figure out how to function with a severely-depleted staff with little to no chance of getting replacements for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, it seems that Da Vinci had been in the process of manufacturing a rather substantial amount of robotic drones that could help run the more mundane things, allowing for the human staff to focus on more specialized tasks. We also still had the vast majority of supplies that had been stored before the explosion, which meant that we had enough food, water, and power for at least several years, according to Doctor Roman. Of course, the other issue was with the new Servants Ritsuka and I had summoned.
Apparently, Medea, Sasaki, and Chulainn had all been summoned in a Holy Grail War. Out of the three of them, however, Chulainn seemed to have been the most laid back about this, exuding an aura of cautioned calm. The real trouble was mainly between the Caster and Assassin.
Chulainn had been rather tight-lipped about the exact details of what had happened to the various Servants and their Masters during the historical events of the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, but he did reveal that Medea had been able to summon Sasaki, and that for various reasons the two were hostile to each other, though it was mostly a passive-aggressive manner. The two Servants had said that they would put their differences aside when it came to work, but until that happens, Ritsuka and I were going to be keeping a close eye on them.
When I arrived at my room, I quickly stripped out of my sweaty clothes and hopped into the shower to clean up before going to bed. Once I have finished showering, getting dressed, and all the other stuff necessary, I made my way over to my bed. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Let's not screw things up," I muttered to myself, still a bit nervous.
Shaking my head, I eased my body into my bed, pulling the covers over myself and closing my eyes, eventually falling asleep.
Another night without dreams. Thankfully, that meant that I was fully rested and recovered from the sparring with Mordred last evening. That's a relief. I look at the alarm clock, seeing that I have just enough time to have breakfast and then get dressed before we had to meet up in the command room.
Unlike the past few days, I didn't have my meal with Mordred, Mash, or Ritsuka. When I returned to my room, I silently put on my Chaldea uniform. I then pull out my boots I had brought and laced them up, making sure that they fitted comfortably. Finally, I grabbed my cap and reached for a pin that I had placed on my nightstand, next to the picture of my family.
It was a parachute between two stylized wings, the badge of a paratrooper. It had belonged to my grandfather from when he served in the Second World War, and he had given to me. I pinned it against the front of my cap, and then my cap on my head. I looked at the smiling faces of my parents.
"Don't worry mom and dad, I'll see you guys again," I said aloud. Then I turned around and headed to the command room. When I arrive, I see that everyone else was already there. Well, at least I won't have to wait before being sent off to who-knows-where.
"Good Morning Mash, Ritsuka, and Jacob. You guys ready for your first mission?" Doctor Roman asked us, smiling slightly. We nodded before I spoke up.
"Morning, Doc. So, where are we headed?"
"Straight to business then. Sheba has indicated that the first singularity is in France sometime in the 15th Century. Unfortunately, we're unable to give you the exact year, but once you all arrive safely you should be able to find out," Roman explained. I hummed in thought. Well, at least we won't be going in completely blind.
"Any idea of what is the cause of the disruption?" Ritsuka asked, receiving a slight shake of the head from the acting director.
"Sadly, we don't. However, it doesn't seem to be a massive disruption, so to speak. Hopefully, it should be too challenging, especially since the two of you will have Mash and the other Servants to support you. Plus, don't forget about any possible Servants you might meet who are friendly."
Hopefully whoever it will be won't be a perverted Caster like Chulainn had been. I then notice that Mash had a small knapsack, but before I can ask about it, Roman explained about how it contained a few days worth of food and water, in case we can't find anything to eat or drink in the singularity. It was reassuring to know that we had something to rely on if that did happen.
"Ok, so this time, the two of you will be using the coffins to Rayshift into the first singularity. This should allow for future Rayshifts to be done faster and safely," Roman explained as we walked over to a set of said equipment. I eye them nervously. While I highly doubt that the events that occurred the last time these devices were used, the idea of being inside so small an enclosed metal container was very…unappealing, to say the least. However, I said nothing, deciding to trust the staff of Chaldea.
"What about our Servants?" I said instead.
"They will be using coffins as well," Da Vinci's voice said over the P.A. Mordred, Medea, Sasaki, and Chulainn all exchanged looks before walking over to some of the other coffins. I take a deep breath before walking other to mine.
"Well, see you guys on the other side," I said nervously before strapping in and closing my eyes, waiting to be sent back in time.
Opening my eyes, I blinked rapidly, raising my right arm to block some of the sunlight. I turned my head, taking in the surrounding area. "Well, looks like the Rayshift was successful," I commented idly.
We appeared to be standing in a field. Unlike in Singularity F, however, nothing seems to be an issue. No burning buildings, undead skeletons, or corrupted Servants.
"You feeling ok, Master?" Mordred asked, walking over to me. Looking over her shoulder, I see that the other Servants were spread out in a loose circle, observing the scenery. I nodded.
"Yeah. What about you?" Mordred grunted in response.
"We're going to look around, but we won't be far. You ok with that?" I nodded my consent.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'll go check in with Ritsuka and Mash. Once we establish a connection with Chaldea, we'll start planning our first move," I said. Mordred nodded in approval before walking over to the other Servants. There still seemed to be some tension still between the three newer Servants, but thankfully it seems that they were going to focus on fixing the timeline.
"You guys ok?" I asked as I walk over to the duo. Ritsuka finishes patting his body down before sighing with relief.
"Yeah, it seems so," my fellow Master replied.
"Fou! Fou! Fou!" I turned towards Mash, and arched an eyebrow at seeing Fou standing next to the Demi-Servant. Apparently he must have hidden himself in the rucksack Mash was carrying for our supplies. I was wondering where he was this morning…
"Fou?" Mash asked, clearly startled. "Did you tag along again?" To his credit, the dog-like critter seemed to be a little apologetic.
"Fou…" he whined. "Kyuu, kyao…" I swear to god, it feels like Fou was trying to speak. Ritsuka scratched his head.
"Did he sneak into Mash's coffin?" He asked. I sighed, cupping my face with one hand.
"Seems so. Okay, does anyone else want to announce their pretense?" I asked in a loud, rhetorical voice. Just in case someone did respond, I swiveled my head, letting out a sigh of relief to see nothing responding to my challenge. "Now that's been answered, it seems he arrived safely," I observed.
"What about when we complete the singularity, though?" Ritsuka asked.
"Since he is attached to one of us, he will automatically return alongside of us," Mash explained.
"So then this won't be a problem, right?" Ritsuka asked. Mash nodded, a stern expression on her face.
"Correct. We share the same fate." Nothing new there. I crossed my arms, eager to get moving.
"So, Mash, what year is it?" I asked. Mash didn't reply immediately, before pulling out her wrist device, the same kind Ritsuka and I also had.
"I have confirmed the time axis coordinates. We are indeed in France during the year of 1431. "It means we're in the middle of the Hundred Years' War." Ritsuka cocked his head at that.
"Um, the what now?" Mash opened her mouth to explain, but I cut her off.
"The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts fought between the House of Plantagenet ruling England and the House of Valois ruling France over the throne of the French Kingdom. However, the war was actually one hundred and sixteen years long and was broken up into three main segments separated by truces. The phase of the war we are in is suppose to be a period of calm during the last phase of the war," I explained. Mash nodded in agreement, impressed.
"Jacob Senpai is correct, Master," she said to Ritsuka. However, my fellow Master was pointing upwards, a troubled expression on his face.
"Look at the sky," He said, and Mash and I did so. Over our heads, despite the daylight, the sun was no where to be seen. Obscuring it was a large, purplish mass.
"What is…huh?" Mash asked, shocked. It was at that moment that our communication device linking us to Chaldea beeped, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a hazy holographic image of Doctor Roman appear.
"Yes, we're connected!" He exclaimed happily. "Not the best quality, sadly, but I've got a video feed this time as well! Wait," he asked, noticing the lack of responses from us. "What's wrong? You're all staring up at the sky for some reason." Mash finally looked away from the disturbing sight over our heads to look at Roman.
"Doctor, I'll send you visuals. What is that?" She asked. I listened as Roman spluttered in shock
"It looks like some form of magecraft that was cast over the satellite orbit," Roman finally said. "In any case, it's gigantic. It looks like it is almost as big as North America," He muttered as he appeared to be looking at something off-screen. "Hmmm, no records show such a phenomena occurring in 1431. It's surely one of the reasons for the disappearance of our future." No shit, Sherlock. "We'll have to analyze it on our end. In the meantime, you guys should concentrate on surveying the area. Start with looking for any Leylines."
Well, it's a good start. I turned to the others and open my mouth when we hear a shout.
"Hey, Master, we got company!" Mordred called out, ending our conference. We hurried over to my Servant and the others. Sasaki and Medea had their arms crossed, but in a stance that indicated the ability to spring into action in a heartbeat. Closer to Mordred, Chulainn leaned against his red spear, a rather focused expression on his face. "Over there," Mordred said, pointing a finger. I followed the direction to see a small band of men-at-arms bearing the golden fleur-de-lis on a royal blue background. French soldiers then. They were rather close, and walking towards us, though it doesn't look like they noticed us just yet.
"Orders?" Mordred asked, a serious expression on her face. Mash bit her lower lip nervously.
"What do we do? Should we attempt to make contact?"
"Couldn't hurt to try," Ritsuka said, and I nod in agreement. Hopefully, they could tell us what was going on, and from there we could try to start figuring out what else was different from the historical events of the era.
What I wasn't expecting, however, was for Mash to suddenly begin moving forward, Ritsuka close behind. Mordred and the other Servants stared wide-eyed, startled by the sight of two teenagers just walking straight over to a bunch of armed men, who have now noticed the two.
"Wait, Mash!" I started to say as the Demi-Servant walked over to the nervous group of soldiers. Before I can stop her, however, she began speaking, in English.
"Hello, excuse me," the Shielder said with a polite smile as the group of soldiers stopped, surprised by the appearance of a stranger just casually walking up. I groaned in frustration, slapping a hand to my face as the pink-haired girl continued speaking. "We are travelers…"she began to say before noticing the fact that the Frenchmen were staring at her. Fou, having followed behind her, crawled up her back to look at the apparent leader of the group of soldiers. If he said something, I wasn't able to hear it as I stood up, right before I heard frantic shouting.
"Ennemi attaquant! Ennemi attaquant!" The leader shouted to his comrades, who all drew swords or readied shields. Mash and Ritsuka started bickering slightly to one another as the former positioned herself protectively in front of the latter, shield at the ready.
"Well, so much for diplomacy," I said dryly before turning towards the others. "Fight to disarm to knock out," I instructed them. A feral grin spread across Mordred's face just before her horned helmet covered her head. The Knight of Rebellion lunged forward as the other Servants readied their own weapons.
As I make my way over to Ritsuka, however, I see that one soldier had managed to avoid the Servants defending us, and charges at Ritsuka from the side, his spear lowered to deliver a killing thrust.
"Ritsuka, look out!" I snarled, pushing my startled friend out of the side as the oncoming French soldier attacks.
My eyes narrowed in focus, I sidestepped the spear thrust before taking a large step forward. This places me within the soldier's guard. I raise my hands, curled into fists, and slam either of them against the Frenchman's ears. He cried out in pain, dropping his spear to grab his ringing ears. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I reinforced my knee slightly before slamming it into his groin, causing the man to drop to his knees. "Sorry about this," I said sincerely before I slammed my knee into his jaw, sending the man sprawling backwards, groaning in pain.
I carefully bent down and unbuckled the sheathed sword at the man's belt. Quickly stepping back to stand near Ritsuka as our Servants finished fighting the one-sided brawl, I pulled out the sword of its sheath and gripped the handle lightly. I hummed softly as I felt the weight of the sword. It was somewhat heavier than what I had used in fencing, but not impossibly so.
"This will work," I committed idly towards my friend, who grunted in response. His bright blue eyes were focused anxiously on the Servants. Or, more particularly, on Mash, it seemed. The Demi-Servant was holding her ground against her opponent, however, whose large, two-handed sword slammed harmlessly against the cross-like weapon.
Before he could recover or try to strike again, the shaft of Gàe Bolg slammed into the back of his head, causing the soldier to drop his weapon and stumble backwards, probably concussed if I had to guess. The other soldiers fight valiantly, but are just outclassed.
Mordred grabs the blade of her opponent mid-swing, and simply delivers a firm kick to the man's stomach, sending him flying backwards. Reading the writing on the wall, so to speak, the apparent leader of the group shouts to his men.
"Se retirer!"
The shout was echoed several more times as the outmatched soldiers gave ground. Some threw their weapons down, panicked expressions on their faces, while others helped up their injured comrades to their feet. I watched to make sure they weren't about to try another attack before turning to Mordred and the other Servants.
"Good job, guys," I said sincerely, smiling. Mordred scoffs as her helmet retracts once more, though she makes no effort to hide the pride of my compliment.
"Didn't even work up a sweat," Mordred boasted proudly. Chulainn shot her a dry look while Medea and Sasaki hung towards the rear, returning to their typical states of silence. I then made my way over to Ritsuka.
"Never imagined I would be in a fight where I would be praying that no one got hurt. Feels nice though," I idly remarked. Ritsuka grunt in agreement.
Mash sighed softly as she leaned against her shield. Ritsuka and I turned to her in concern, especially when we hear her muttering. "Physical fatigue aside, the mental fatigue is overwhelming," Mash said, possibly intending it to be heard by no one.
"Good job using the back of your blade," Ritsuka said, a bit awkwardly, though a soft smile emerged from the Demi-Servant's face. She adjusted her posture before responding.
"I didn't even know that was possible with a shield. I learned something today." I blinked several times, my brain trying to process what I just heard. Either I missed a joke of some sort between the two and Roman during the ill-fated attempt at greeting the fleeing soldiers, or they are being dead-serious. If it is the latter, I am going to need a stiff drink when we returned to Chaldea. I shake my head in mild irritation as Mash continued speaking. "It's seems that they've retreated," she observed before our commlink beeped.
"They're going back to their fort. You should follow them and try to see if you can ask what's going on. By any chance, does anyone speak French?" Doctor Roman asked. You know, this would have been a good question to ask when you told us that we were being to deployed into France. Welp, no point bringing that up. Before any of the Servants could speak up, I replied first.
"Oui. Je parle un peu français," I responded. I then turned to a surprised Ritsuka and Mash. I shrugged with a soft smirk, amused by their expressions. "In high school we had the chance to choose whether to study French, Spanish, or Latin. I decided to learn French," I explained briefly. Mordred cleared her throat, causing me to look over my shoulder to see her staring at us impatiently, tapping Clarent softly against her shoulder armor.
"Not to interrupt your little chit-chat, but if we're going to follow Doc's advice, we should get a move on, Master." I nodded in response.
"Ok, let's go follow them. Next time, however, I'm going to start the greeting, ok?" I asked in a somewhat stern tone. Mash and Ritsuka both blushed, the latter rubbing the back of his head awkwardly while looking at his feet. Behind me I can hear Mordred snickering.
We spent the next twenty or so minutes walking at a rather brisk pace before seeing the sight of walls up ahead. A castle, it seems. However, that is not what was the reason for suddenly halting. "What the hell happened here?" I asked in a stun tone, observing the area around our destination.
The green fields before us were marred with blackened spots where fire had scorched the earth. Well, seems like we found our first clue. I shook my head sadly and began walking forward once more. "Come on. Let's see what else is going on here," I said.
It took us another ten minutes to reach the walls of the castle. It doesn't get any better. Mash gasped softly in horror as we saw what had seemed to be a rather intact castle was barely standing. "This is….this is awful," the Demi-Servant said softly. Doctor Roman chimed in at that moment.
"It's a complete ruin on the inside," he reported. "The outer wall is more or less intact, but you can't call this a castle," he added. The walls were battered, with some more scorch marks spread out randomly. Discarded weapons protruded from the ground, along with pieces of armor and pieces of bone. Our Servants were watching warily for any threats. I highly doubt though that what remains of the garrison would count as such. Aside from the dozen or so soldiers that we had engaged earlier, a possibly another half dozen near the shattered gatehouse, the men-at-arms and knights we could see were all wounded to varying degrees.
"Nothing but wounded soldiers here," Ritsuka said, sounding a bit shaken.
"Indeed. Even though they're not in an active war. Or rather, they shouldn't be. In 1431, Charles VII of France entered a peace treaty with the Duke of Burgundy, who was previously allied with England," Mash said to her Master in response. "Naturally, there were probably a few small skirmishes between local groups-" I cut her off.
"But there shouldn't be anything like this," I stated before walking over, having spotted the now-battered French leader of the patrol. The men-at-arm's eyes widened as he cried out in alarm.
"Attention! Ici ils reviennent!" The man shouted, summoning a sense of panic amongst the survivors. I raised my hands, trying to show that I'm not here to attack. Behind me I hear Mordred curse as I addressed the Frenchman.
"Attendre! S'il vous plaît, attendez," I spoke hurriedly, causing the soldiers to hesitate, weapons still at the ready. At least they seem to be now waiting to hear what I have to say. This might be my only chance to prevent any actual bloodshed between them and our Servants. "Nous sommes des voyageurs. Nous venons en paix. S'il vous plaît, abaissez vos armes," I requested before looking over my shoulder at Mordred and the others. "Put away your weapons, quickly," I said before looking back. I let out a quiet sigh of relief to see the man before me lowering his sword somewhat, a befuddled expression on his face.
"Vous ne travaillez pas avec l'ennemi?" He asked warily, eyeing what he must have seen as a baizre and exotic mix of foreigners. I shook my head emphatically before replying.
"Non. Je pensais que les Anglais n'attaquaient pas," I said cautiously, eager to hear more about this enemy he spoke of. "Le roi n'a-t-il pas signé le traité de paix?"
"Le roi? Vous n'avez pas entendu ce qui s'est passé?" The man asked, relaxing now, an action the rest of the soldiers who were able to stand and fight followed. "Le roi est mort. Il a été brûlé par la flamme d'une sorciѐre." I grimaced after I finished mentally translating what I had just heard. I look back at the rest of the group.
"If I am hearing this correctly, the man says that the king is dead, and that he was burnt to death by a witch's flame," I reported before addressing the solider once more. "Qui a fait cela?"
"Jeanne d'Arc." What? "Elle est apparue comme la 'Sorciѐre Dragon'."Well, at least we learned something important. I nodded numbly before indicating that I needed a minute to relay this information. I gestured to Mash, Ritsuka, and Mordred to come closer, and the trio do so.
"Did he tell you who was responsible?" Asked my fellow Master.
"Yes. He claims that it was the French saint, Jeanne d'Arc. He called her the 'Dragon Witch'. But shouldn't she be dead?" I asked, the last part directed at Mash. The Shielder nodded, a confused look on her face. Mordred crossed her arms, her brow furrowed a bit, but says nothing.
"Yes. She should have been burnt at the stake only a week or two, in fact," replied Mash.
"So it seems we found who is responsible for the changed timeline, it seems," Ritsuka added. "But, who exactly is this Jeanne d'Arc?" I gave him an incredulous look, and open my mouth to explain when a cry of alarm rang out.
"Ennemi détecté!" One of the few French knights shouted from the wall, pointing ahead.I turned to Mash, who activated her commlink.
"Doctor Roman, any readings on if it is a Servant?" I asked hurriedly.
"I'm picking up magical energy signals headed your way! It looks like its just familiars created using human bodies." Please don't be skeletons, please don't be skeletons, please don't be skeletons. "Skeleton soldiers." Damn it.
"Well, at least we won't be held back when fighting this time. Mordred, go nuts," I said to a now-smirking Mordred.
"Agreed. Orders, Master! Let's pulverize them!" Mash shouted. I turn and raise an eyebrow at her choice of words, and Ritsuka shrugged helplessly in response. Well, at least she doesn't have some sort of bloodlust expression on her face like Mordred or Chulainn. I turned to the French soldier once more.
"Emmenez vos hommes à l'intérieur! Nous nous occuperons de ça," I said, earning a grateful thanks from him as he turned around and instructed his men to help those who were wounded and couldn't move on their own to get inside. My arms crossed against my chest, I stand next to Ritsuka as our Servants make quick work of the several dozen skeleton soldiers.
It seems that their biggest strength is in their numbers, overwhelming opponents with attacks from every angle. An intimidating effect against mere soldiers, no doubt. Against several Heroic Spirits, though? Not much of a problem. Indeed, the only one who seemed to be enjoying the situation was Mordred.
After the Knight of Rebellion smashed the final skeletal warrior with Clarent, the commander of the French garrison came back out, an awed expression on his face as he spoke up.
"Je vous remercie," he said in a grateful tone.
"Nous sommes venus vous aider," I responded. "Maintenant, êtes-vous sûr que c'était Jeanne d'Arc?" The man nodded solemnly.
"Oui. J'ai combattu sous sa banniѐre pendant le siѐge d'Orléans. Ses cheveux et sa couleur de peau sont différents, mais c'est elle." He paused, a mournful expression on his face before he resumed speaking. "Quand nous avons appris qu'elle avait été capturée par les Anglais puis brûlée sur le bûcher, nous avons tremble de colѐre! Mais elle a fait un pacte avec le diable et est revenue." So Jeanne was indeed burnt at the stake like it should have happened, but she didn't stay dead it seemed.
Before I could either relay what I had just learned to the others or ask what he meant by the last part, a grating roar fills the air. The Frenchman's eyes widen in recognition and horror before he started shouting. He shouts a word that I don't need to translate to the others. "Dragons!"
I whirl around, my hand gripping the hilt of the sword. Sure enough, about a half-dozen large, green, winged creatures were bearing down on us.
"Dragons?!"
"Wyverns!" Ritsuka and I shouted at the same time. Mash and the other Servants readied their weapons to attack the moment the wyverns dove to breath fire on us when a new voice was heard.
"Soldiers, stand strong!" Turning towards the direction that it came from, I see a blonde teen in armor running towards us. In one hand she clutched a slender flagstaff, the banner it bore being furled around the shaft. Trailing behind her was perhaps the longest ponytail I had ever seen, thickly braided.
The soldier next to me gasped, dropping his sword, staring at the newcomer like he had just seen a ghost. The blonde girl skids to a halt next to us, eyes focused on the incoming wyverns. "Who is that?" Ritsuka asked. Mordred lets out a dry chuckle, looking at the blonde newcomer.
"Well, long no, no see, Ruler."
Question of the day: Who do you find more interesting, Jeanne or Jalter? Furthermore, what are your thoughts about Jalter just in general?