Clarent's blade screeched angrily against that of the unnamed sword. Their owners snarled at one another like dragons, neither one showing an ounce of weakness towards the other. Both were currently deadlock. As much as Mordred hated to admit it, Jeanne d'Arc Alter had gotten stronger.
The Knight of Rebellion wasn't sure if that was because of the twisted version of her fri—of her comrade, had been summoned as an Avenger, Alter was more focused, or a combination of both. Probably both.
"Ha, is that the best you got, little kitten?" The Avenger said mockingly, and Mordred's teeth grinded against one another as she tightly clenched her jaw. "I thought that when we last fought, I lost because I focused only on you. That I had been carless."
"I'd hope not. Nothing's worse than a lackluster opponent. Now, shut up and fight!" Mordred retorted, bouncing on her feels eagerly. The moment that she finished saying those words, the Knight of Rebellion shot forward, readying Clarent for a powerful slashing attack.
Alter swung that banners of hers around, and Clarent strained against it. With her sword blocked, Mordred tried to overpower the Avenger's guard with brute strength, activating her Mana Burst ability for good measure.
To her consternation, the Avenger's primary weapon gave way only slightly. She was stronger than she had been as a corrupted Ruler. She also had a completely different fighting style.
In Orléans, Jeanne Alter's fighting style was practically the same as Ruler's, albeit a tad more aggressive. The sword remained sheathe, the weapon of choice that silly-looking banner. As an Avenger, Jeanne Alter used both of them, in a completely unique fighting style.
Growling once more, Mordred slammed her right knee into Alter's abdomen. The force of the blow knocked the pale Servant backwards. What Mordred didn't expect, as she started to press forward, was for Alter to extend her sword arm towards the face of the oncoming Knight of Rebellion.
Mordred's eyes widened, and a gasp slipped past her lips as the tip of Alter's sword closed in on her face. The damn bitch was going for the eyes, literally! She leaned backwards, and the Dragon Witch's blade slipped through the right eye slit of Secret of Pedigree.
Thankfully, her reaction prevented her losing an eye, but Mordred didn't come away from the attack unscathed. A sharp flash of pain erupted on her cheek as Alter's sharp blade skidded against her cheek, a few inches below her right eye.
Mordred leapt backwards again, wanting to put as much distance between the Avenger and herself, as a warm liquid, her blood, began welling up the narrow but deep gash before sliding down her cheek. The two female Servant paused, taking a moment to catch their breath.
Jeanne Alter smirked smugly at Mordred, giving a mock salute with her unnamed sword. Under Secret of Pedigree, Mordred gritted her teeth together. "I'll remember that move from now on," she growled warningly. Her opponent laughed cruelly.
"Ha! It felt good to land an actual blow on you! Dying without harming you physically was one of my biggest regrets the last time we saw one another."
"Enjoy it while you can, Dragon Bitch. You won't have the chance to do so for much longer." Mordred raised Clarent up, her gloved hands tightly gripping the hilt of the stolen sword.
The two exchanged another flurry of rapid blows. A few of Jeanne Alter's scrapped against her armor, but not piercing it. Meanwhile, the dual weapons of the Dragon Witch kept Clarent from scoring a meaningful hit of its own.
That didn't stop a good right hook from Mordred's hand after shifting her grip on Clarent from breaking through, though. Alter's agonized cry of pain was damn satisfying to Mordred's ears. The Dragon Witch stumbled backwards a few yards, her right cheek a throbbing red. She spat out a glob of red-tinted saliva.
"That all you got?"
Mordred roared and bared down on her, only to run into the butt of Alter's flagpole. She leapt backwards, wheezing slightly as Alter taunted Mordred once again.
"I told you I had gotten stronger. That includes a new ultimate attack," Jeanne Alter said with that damn condescending smirk of hers. "Allow me to show you!" The air was knocked out of Mordred's lungs as Alter slammed her right sabaton into Mordred's gut.
Unprepared for the attack, the blonde knight skidded backwards, slamming Clarent into the tiles to slow her momentum down. Her helmeted head whipped upwards. Her narrowed eyes widened, however, as she felt the air somehow change between the two. Alter had sheathed her sword, her eyes closed.
"This is the howl of a soul filled with hatred!" Jeanne Alter roared slowly drawing forth her sword. The air began to grow hot. Not warm, but hot. Flames began dancing around in a small circle around the Avenger's feet. What the hell kind of Noble Phantasm was this?!
Alter's eyes snapped open, the yellow orbs seemingly burning with rage and anger. Raising her sword towards the ceiling, Jeanne Alter made a downwards slicing motion with the weapon. "La Grondement Du Haine!"
A column of fire roared into existence, charging towards Mordred. She wasn't sure what would happen if the fire made contact with her, but she wasn't in a hurry to find out. Still, the unleashed Noble Phantasm was bearing down fast on her!
"Mordred! By the power of this Command Seal, I order you to avoid Alter's attack!" As soon as her lover finished speaking, Mordred felt the rush of excessive power washing over her body. Her mind urging her to move. Mordred's eyes narrowed as she focused on the rapidly approaching column of hellfire.
Activating her Mana Burst ability once more, she flew to the side. Hitting the tiles, she rolled a dozen or so yards before coming to a halt. She felt the ground rumble, and at least a dozen or so spear-like projectile burst out of the ground where she had just been standing.
Alter growled angrily, and she re-sheathed her sword, no doubt readying herself to unleash that Noble Phantasm of hers once again. Mordred's eyes narrowed.
It was time to finish this fight. The others had already finished off Alter's companion, and Mordred didn't want for any of them to interfere with the intent of helping the knight. This was between the Knight of Rebellion and the Dragon Witch. No one else.
The blonde knight charged forward once more, closing the gap between the Saber and the Avenger rapidly. To her grim satisfaction, Mordred saw Alter's eyes widen in shock and horror. Cursing angrily, the Dragon Witch cut off the flow of energy for her Noble Phantasm, struggling to unsheathe her sword in time. Meanwhile, that banner of hers was swung downwards like a club.
Letting go of the hilt of Clarent with her left hand, Mordred reached out and batted away the metal shaft, leaving the hostile Avenger momentarily defenseless. And a moment was all that Mordred needed.
She felt the familiar sensation of Clarent breaking through both flesh and armor as it carved a deep gauge into Alter's torso. She didn't stop pushing against her hilt until the cross guard rammed itself against the shattered armor of her enemy.
Pulling Clarent out of Alter's torso, Mordred leapt backwards, dismissing her helmet once she was satisfied that Jeanne Alter truly had been defeated. Once that had been accomplished, the blonde Knight of Rebellion looked over her shoulder towards her partner.
"Fight's over, master."
"You did well, as always," I said, hiding the relief in my voice. That battle had been far too close for comfort in my opinion.
"Thanks," Mordred said, hesitating for a moment as we watched Alter struggle for a few seconds to stand back up. "She put up a good fight." I nodded at the quietly uttered words. For the Knight of Rebellion to say that was a high complement, regardless of how begrudging the statement had been given.
Mordred rejoined me at my side, and I walked towards the mortally-injured Avenger, despite her incredulous expression. She kept silent, however, though she stuck close by my side. I came to a stop a few feet away from Jeanne Alter, who was now panting as she leaned against her banner.
"Ahhhh," she groaned, in some pain naturally, though she sounded relatively calm. At least, by her standards. "Looks like it still wasn't enough, huh? But that's okay," she said, her lips curling up into a small smile. One that didn't have a condescending feeling behind it. "It was fun. The painting, my minions, even that damn horror movie woman. I had a lot of fun! That's why this story and I shall both end here."
"You seem remarkably at peace with yourself," I remarked softly. I did my best to keep any of the sympathy I felt from slipping into my voice. She struck me as the person to hate that stuff. Or at least, when it was in public. Kinda like Mordred, in a way.
Jeanne Alter stared at me for a few seconds. Then, her teeth gritting together, Alter groaned again softly. This time though, it felt less of it being pain-induced, and more from frustration. "Ahhh, this is so vexing! But, that's fine. That offer you made is still open, oui?"
"I don't make empty promises," I responded. My parents taught me from a young age one of the most sacred family traditions: An Aronson never breaks a promise. I'd be damned if I was to be the first to reject that idea. It wasn't the only reason, however.
Jeanne Alter shot me a sly but thoughtful smile, nodding her head slightly. "Good. The future me will form a bond with you, Master Jacob. The current me will have a hearty laugh and go off into the sunset. I'm sure the future me won't have any memories of being a counterfeit Heroic Spirit, including this talk. So, the current me at least wanted to make one last memory—so I wouldn't be lonely."
"The future you will have memories of her own," I said solemnly. "I promise." Jeanne Alter chuckled, before reaching up her banner and tearing off a decent-sized section of her banner. I fought down the small smile I wanted to show. For all she had ranted about being different, the irony of the moment wasn't lost on me. Nor was it unnoticed by my lover, if Mordred's arched eyebrow as any indication.
Alter held out the tattered piece of fabric towards me, and I took it. I quickly folded it up and slipped the memento/summoning catalyst into my pocket. When I looked back up, I could see that the Avenger's body was starting to fade even as it glowed. "Thank you." Alter sighed, shaking her head even as she shot us one more smirk.
"….I guess it's about time. Good. You've embarrassed me enough. You'd better take full responsibility…good-bye." And with that, the Dragon Witch once more disappeared. This time, however, it wasn't with the implication that we'd never see her again.
The next time, though, it would be as allies.
"The fuck were you thinking when you offered her that?!" Mordred roared, her earlier composure completely gone now. "That pyromaniac psycho tried to kill you. Twice! Why the hell would you want her to be a part of Chaldea?!" I stood my ground, refusing to back down.
While I knew that a lot of what Mordred just shouted at me was said in concern, I wouldn't budge on this. "That's awfully similar to what others would say about you, isn't it?" It was perhaps a bit blunt of me, but it was the best argument I could come up with.
Mordred's lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. I continued, not needing her to say the words. "I put my faith in you, and I haven't regretted that day for a second. The point I wanted to make just now, Mordred, is that most everyone deserves a chance." Mordred relaxed slightly, though she still had a grimace on her features.
"Even my mother?" She asked suspiciously. I scowled at the mental image of the…the bitch who abused the person I held so dear to me.
"Not her. Never her." Mordred nodded slowly.
"Good answer," my partner responded. Her grimace didn't leave, but it did lighten up some. "I'd say you're crazy, but it's not like I've got much room to talk. It's your call, Master. Just know that I'll be watching her like a hawk. The instant she tries to harm you, I'll remove her from Chaldea. With the tip of Clarent." I bit back a sigh, but nodded. It would be a bit of a stretch to expect Mordred to be fully welcoming of Jeanne Alter when (if) she showed up. Still, agreement was agreement in here.
I also suspected that I was going to deal with a possibly grumpy Mordred for the next few days…
"Master, we found this," Emiya said calmly, walking over with a golden object in his hand. "I think this is what gave Alter her ability to summon Servants." My curiosity piqued, I took a closer look. My jaw dropped slightly.
"Is…is that a fragment of a Holy Grail?" I stared first at the object, then Emiya, before finally staring at Da Vinci. The Caster nodded grimly, picking up the fragment delicately and examining it.
"It appears to be so. Well, that explains how the other Counterfeit Heroic Spirits manifested, and how Jeanne Alter became a Master. I wonder how it go here, though? Was this the work of Lev or one of his co-conspirators? I'm going to take this back and have a little looksie in my workshop."
"Just don't blow us all up when you do so," I said jokingly, and Da Vinci shot me a dry look. I chuckled under my breath, while Mordred and a few of the other Servants snickered. "Well, I guess it's time to go h—"
Suddenly, a burning sensation suddenly began to spread across my body. I cried out in shock and pain, falling down to one knee.
"Jacob!" Mordred cried out in alarm, crouching down and checking all over my body. "That bitch, how did she get you? Oh, when I get my hands on he—"
"It's not an injury," I managed to push the words past my clenched teeth. Working up enough strength to suppress some of the burning sensation, I was able to identify the region it was coming from. The back of my hand, where my two remaining Command Seals were glowing a bright red.
I had read about it along with Ritsuka during one of our shared lessons with Medea. It was a sign of a Servant having suffered severe or fatal injuries. A car alarm, in a way, only with a human being at stake instead of a replaceable vehicle.
As none of the Servants accompanying us displaying any signs of distress, it couldn't be an issue somehow with the connection to Chaldea. That left only one possible Servant in distress.
'It's not an injury," I repeated, panting slightly as I pushed myself up to my feet. Predictably, I had barely started to do so when Mordred ducked under one of my arms and helped me up. Thankfully, she had decided not to go with the bridal carry again. "It's Jeanne. Something really, really bad's going on For Ritsuka's team right now."
"Da Vinci, get us home, now," Mordred barked, taking over. In a way, Mordred was the faithful second-in-command she'd be casted as if this was a TV sci-fi drama. Ah, that must have been the pain causing my mind to wander like this.
There was no trace of the typical mischief sparkling in Da Vinci's eyes as the Caster activated her own commlink. Why she insisted on using mine, I had yet to find out, but at the present moment, I was more than grateful to not have my arm being tugged around.
I couldn't make out the words as another wave of ethereal pain washed over my body. I winced, while Mordred's grip on me tightened, though not enough to cause me any real discomfort, thank god. I could hear Da Vinci's voice grow louder and louder, before she looked up at us with a thunderous expression.
"Romani is saying that young Rits has encountered a grave situation. They're finally able to begin pulling him and the rest of his team out. We'll be right behind them, so just hang on."
"Did the doc say what the fuck happened?"
"No," the Italian Caster growled out her response, looking rather miffed. "Whatever it is has shaken Romani's core, though. So, it can't be good."
"No shit!" Mordred barked. Boudica cleared her throat.
"Mordred, I understand your concern, but—"
"Let it go, Boudica," Emiya said sternly. My Archer had a far-off look in his eyes. Whatever memory he was re-living didn't seem to be a pleasant one, however, if the way his jaw slowly began to tense up was any indication.
The next few minutes were tense, before Da Vinci's commlink chimed. Answering it tersely, the Caster nodded and looked up at us. "Okay, he's sending us back. Get ready."
"Alright. See you guys back in Chaldea," I said, as Mordred reluctantly stepped to the side. I felt my body began to feel rather weightless as a white light began to appear in my vision. Sensing the familiar sensations associated with the start of the return section of a Rayshift, I closed my eyes.
'Please be alive, Jeanne…'
The instant I felt myself back in Chaldea, my eyes snapped open. I started to open the door to my Coffin, when it swung open automatically. Good, Doctor Roman must have activated the emergency opening protocol. Otherwise, I may very well have smashed my way out of the glass.
I stormed out of the device, my body shaking slightly. Before me were Doctor Romani Archaman, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash Kyrielight. The latter two looked like they'd been through hell. Normally, I'd be extremely concern about their well-being, but at the moment, to my eyes, they were well enough if they could stand.
"Where is she?" I asked, my voice low as I tried to restrain my anger. Jeanne wasn't present, which was all the more necessary for me to find out what in the seven circles of hell fucking happened!
"Jacob, please keep—" Keep calm? When one of my Servants, in particular one who was practically like family, could very well be dead or dying?!
"Where is she?" I asked again, the volume of my voice rising this time. Ritsuka looked down at his feet in shame, or was it guilt? Breathing heavier and faster, I stormed towards my fellow Master. Mash placed herself between my fellow Master and I.
"Jacob Senpai, if you would give us a m—"
"WHERE IS SHE?!" I roared, taking another step closer. My hands curled up into fists, my entire body shaking in rage. Ritsuka finally looked up, and the broken look in his eyes managed to break through my haze of anger.
"Jeanne's alive, but in a coma. Medea's checking over her in medical. Doctor Roman will be joining her after we finish debriefing." The words were said with such a robotic monotone that was completely contrary to the optimistic, if sometimes uncertain and naïve, Japanese Master. "Not that it may mean much, but she's in a slightly better situation than two of my team."
"Better position..?" I repeated incredulously. What the hell could be better than an injury-induced co— "Oh, no," I gasped, my eyes widening. Roman nodded grimly, as Mordred hurried over to my side.
"Ritsuka and Mash have encountered the mastermind behind this. It's Solomon."
Original Endnotes: And done! Is it bad that a part of me, in my mind, went 'It's about damn time you introduced Solomon to the mix!' when I finished this chapter? Meh, probably no biggie. Anyways, moving on! How did I do? I hope I made the fight enjoyable? Also, how did you like Mordred's reaction to the offer Jacob gave Jeanne Alter in the last chapter? I do wish to note that, as will hopefully be explained better later on, Jacob hasn't as big a grudge against Jeanne Alter as the others might. Rather, it's more of sympathy behind his actions, as at that moment Jeanne Alter reminded him too much of Mordred and her past. Does that make sense any, or am I sounding crazy(ier)?
Also, please no batman "Where is she?" memes, lmao. Only realized that after I finished. It was actually based more on a scene from the final episode of Band of Brothers. Specifically, it is a reference to where Lieutenant Spiers is asking about an American soldier that had gotten drunk and shot (and almost killed) a fellow soldier.
Please let me know if you feel if there's anything wrong with both this chapter and 96 when it's posted. Honestly, I had a bit of a rough time ending this one and plotting out 96, so I hope it came out well. Fingers crossed! Also, I'm sorry if any of you are disappointed in this chapter being about 3K long. The next chapter's shaping up to probably be a similar wordcount as opposed to the more recent average of 4,000 or more words. In a way, Chapters 95 and 96 might very well work as one chapter, but I've decided to split them up. Felt more appropriate in my opinion. Also, I hope you are all strapped in, because the next few chapters will have drama, fluff, angst, or feels! Have something especially special planned for chapter 100 Rubs hands eagerly while cackling
Now, for the question of the chapter: What was your favorite college/high school past time activities? (like sports, clubs, gaming, ectera)
As always, thanks for the love and support you wonderful readers have given me! Thank you for reading another chapter, and I can't wait to hear y'alls feedback! I hope you enjoyed it, and have a wonderful day! See y'all in Chapter 96!
Updated Endnotes 09/06/22: As always, the full and up-to-date version of The Will to Fight can be found on Ao3 if you want to skip the wait, with Chapter 209 having been posted yesterday. I hope you enjoyed today's update on here, and I'll see you all in the next one.