FATE/NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM
"New Order of the Ages"
Chapter 7: Colorful Cast of Servants
"Haah…" Robin sighed for the umpteenth time. While guiding the group of Servants to the next town, he appeared dejected during the whole trip.
"Is something the matter, Mr. Robin?" Ituha asked.
"Hey, you don't need to address me so formally. I feel like an old man when you call me that."
"I'm sorry. Then, Robin, are you feeling all right?"
"I wish I was, but this just sucks, having to travel to America's remote regions just to meet those two loudmouths."
"Why? Did you know them when you were alive?"
"No way. It's just… they're way more troublesome than they're worth…"
Billy grinned, "You mean like an ex-girlfriend?"
"Hey. Don't go pulling such nonsense out of that gutter-brained imagination of yours."
"He he. I figured that since you're a real heartbreaker, you must have played some wily tricks on them in the past. Right, you guys?"
Geronimo muttered, "I don't really care about such stuff."
"I only have thoughts for my wife Sita," Rama said.
"I am not familiar with this concept of a 'girlfriend'," Nightingale said. "Is that some kind of new antibiotic?"
Billy groaned in frustration, "Gaah, does anyone have a sense of humor around here!?"
"I get what you're talking about," Ituha replied. "It's just that I'm too young to think about such things."
"Aw man… Now I'm starting to feel as bummed as Green here."
"If you're done being an idiot," Robin said sharply, "we're almost there."
The Servants reached the settlement, and Geronimo pointed toward it while exclaiming, "Look! More Celts are attacking!"
"Hm?" Billy wondered. "Look at them. Aren't they a little weaker than usual?"
"Now that you mention it…"
The soldiers, who would normally be fervent about fighting and causing havoc, appeared strangely woozy and out of sorts.
"Well, that's good for us. Let's get some practice in!" Billy grinned and tumbled across the dirt before shooting at the unprepared warriors.
"This looks easy enough," Ituha said. "Ms. Nightingale, how about you hang back and take care of Lord Rama this time? We can handle things just fine."
"I suppose spending my energy on such small fry would be a waste," the nurse said, laying the swordsman down and treating his cursed wound once again. "Make sure you sanitize every last one of them."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ituha and Robin joined Billy in shooting down the soldiers, who were not as responsive to the assault as the previous groups of enemies were. They tried to charge at the three Archers, but it didn't take much effort for them to get out of the way and continue pummeling them with various projectiles. Geronimo struck down any assailants that tried to get close to Nightingale. The whole thing didn't even last five minutes before Billy shot the last man dead.
"Perfect!" he exclaimed. "But what was their deal anyway? Not only did they look totally wiped out, but the town appears to be perfectly fine."
"Could it be?" Robin moaned to himself. "No, that's not possible… But then again…"
"What's wrong?" Ituha asked. "Are you hiding something from us?"
"Well…"
"Wait a second," Geronimo stopped them. "Did you hear something?"
"Yeah, I did," Billy said, then immediately frowned. "What in tarnation is that noise? It's like someone's taking all of the beautiful sounds in the world and blending them together into a shambled mess that makes the ears bleed."
Robin sighed. "I knew it. Lancer's still going at it."
"Going at what?"
"You'll see when we meet her."
"My heart is pricklii~iing! Romance in a box! A little girl's Iron Maiden! You're so cute, I'll lock you up! Shower you with bloody kisses and skewer you like kebabs! Don't fool around! Don't fall in love! 'Cause I'm always by your side, okay!"
The source of the horrible singing and tasteless lyrics was a girl around 14 years old frolicking about in the middle of the completely deserted town. Robin might have looked out of place in this world, but the girl's appearance left any and all desires of conformity to be had. She wore a gaudy idol's getup consisting of a pink top hat decorated with fake forest animals, a pink dress with flowers lining the hem, and an exorbitant number of frills lining her costume. The colors matched her deep pink hair and blue eyes at least, but certainly not the drab desert setting they were in.
None of the Servants had the courage to approach her.
"Um…" Ituha whispered. "So who exactly is she?"
"That's Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess from Hungary. Well in this form, she hasn't quite become the infamous serial killer yet, but that does nothing to quell just how awful of a human being she is," Robin explained.
"She might be… lacking in vocal talent, but we need her abilities as a Servant," Geronimo said, appearing as weary as Robin now. "I just don't feel up to negotiating with someone like that…"
Nightingale objected, "I am not exposing my patient to such vulgar auditory disruptions. Repairing his heart is one thing, but if I have to heal any ruptured eardrums, I'll pull out that dragon's vocal chords personally."
Billy looked at Ituha and asked, "Do you think you could try talking to her? She might be willing to listen to someone around her age."
"I'll try," she said, then timidly approached Elizabeth as she was busy talking to herself proudly.
"Hmm, I should end that 'okay' with a livelier note. Then I'll do a fancy twirl and slap my tail at the audience. Ah, it feels so good to let loose my overflowing talent! The more I practice, the more I get better at this! I'm almost afraid of my own perfection, as if I were a god of music in the flesh!"
"Um…"
"He he he! Just you wait, Saber! The next time we meet, I'll be a completely different idol! Your Golden Theater will have nothing on my Dragon's Stage!"
"Excuse me?"
"What!?" Elizabeth screeched, finally noticing Ituha standing near her. "Who has the nerve to interrupt an idol during their practice sessions!?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you," the child murmured.
"Oh? You look like a new face around here, you little velvet puppy. Since you apologized so nicely, I'll forgive you if you attend one of my concerts. So, what can I do for you?"
"Actually, my friends and I need to discuss something with you."
"Hm? Well I'll be! You brought the green mouse?"
"Hey, don't remember people by their colors!" Robin objected. "Still singing away, I see."
"Of course! Don't you know? I'm pioneering the entertainment hell where the pigs of desire spend their money to gather for one reason only – to hear the performance of a true, genuine mistress of slaughter! And the venue for this once-in-a-lifetime event is none other than-"
Elizabeth struck a fabulous pose.
"Broadway! Oh, the glory! The sparkling heaven of artistic expression! Yeah, maybe it's some dumpy town in the boonies right now, but it is I who christened this hub Broadway for future generations to come! Tee hee, I can see it now – the squealing pigs horde themselves into a crowd and flock all around me, begging for autographs and photos for nights and days on end! I'll have everything I've ever dreamed of – a cinema, a stage, a theater, all in my name! All that's missing is a flawlessly sculpted statue of myself that'll dominate even Lady Liberty herself! The Goddess of Fresh Blood shall raise her voice in song with a tomato in one hand and symbolize the be-all end-all world of cutthroat idols!"
None of the Servants had the courage to stop her.
"Healing damaged vocal chords is one thing," Nightingale said, "but curing a delusion as grand as that is beyond my expertise."
"Finer words have not been spoken," Billy remarked.
Once again, it fell upon Ituha to be the voice of reason, and she said to Elizabeth, "I don't mean to interrupt your plans for the future, but if the war continues the way it is, the only audience you'll be having is a bunch of murderous Celtic soldiers. They do not hear the beautiful voice of a diva, but the throes of a hungry dragon."
"… Huh?"
"Don't you get it? The reason those soldiers we fought were so weak was because your singing barraged them like cannon fire!"
"Well I'll be damned! I thought for sure they were die-hard fans who wanted to get near me, so I got real fired up and let loose my best song. Is it true that those barbarians are too stupid to appreciate the beauty of my art?"
"I think that goes without saying. They're nothing but warmongers who seek the complete and utter annihilation of this country. If they're victorious, you can kiss your dreams of Broadway good-bye!"
"Heek! What a travesty! What have I been doing this whole time!? I should be out on tour promoting my concert, not standing around and admiring myself!"
"That's right," Ituha said, then bowed. "That's why we're here – we're looking for Servants to lend us their power in rebelling against the Celts. Could you lend us your aid, Ms. Bathory?"
"So that's how it is, huh?" Elizabeth smiled. "I can hardly say no when a passionate fan asks me so sincerely. What's your name, Puppy?"
"Ituha. I'm an Archer."
"Great! Oh, you can drop the 'Ms. Bathory' stuff. A real idol needs a charming nickname to brand themselves with. You can call me Eli-Eli for short, okay?"
"Sure…"
"Then in that case, you've passed! I, Dragon Idol Goddess Eli-Eli, shall dedicate her microphone to the subjugation of all worthless pigs who cannot appreciate true art!"
"Thank you very much!"
Billy whispered to Robin, "So that's how you're supposed to talk to someone like that."
"I suspected she loved empty flattery, but I couldn't bring myself to discard my pride like that."
"So that's our Lancer recruited," Geronimo said. "Where did you say the Saber was, Robin?"
"She's in the next town after we pass through the eastern forest."
"Oh, you're going to recruit Saber next?" Elizabeth asked. "Interesting. I've been so busy trying to outshine her that the possibility of a duet completely slipped my mind."
Ituha asked, "Is she… a lot like you?"
"Scarily so, except she doesn't have the raw talent that I have!"
The child Archer looked back at the others and nervously mumbled, "Then I guess it's up to me to negotiate again, right?"
"Sorry about this," Robin sighed. "I promise I'll get you something nice for your trouble."
"Don't mind me. It's the least I can do to help, since I'm not a good fighter."
"Hm-hm-hm hmm…"
The Saber in question hummed a merry tune to herself while walking about and inspecting the empty town. If Elizabeth's gaudiness was out of place in this Wild West era, then this Servant's garb was equally as elegant yet unfitting for the terrain. Her True Name was Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, or Nero for short, who was once the Emperor of Rome from 50 AD to 60 AD. In this world however, she had been summoned in her Bride incarnation, which wasn't much different functionally from her regular Saber class except she wore a beautiful white gown suitable for a royal wedding instead of her red emperor's clothes. Even though her attire was flowy and graceful, she didn't leave much to the imagination with her tight leotard barely covering her bursting cleavage and wide hips.
"Umu! I have the foundation in place," Nero congratulated herself. "Such a shame that this town is only suitable for a Western film, but I shall not worry. My supreme acting skills will win me every award for sure! I'll be covering all roles from director to scriptwriter to leading actress, but the one thing I'm sorely missing is a cameraman. Should I try summoning someone? But I fear of calling upon someone who has greater fame than myself…"
"Hoh hoh. Hollywood, is it?" a man's voice interrupted her self-interested musings. "One can never underestimate the imagination of this world's more eccentric Servants."
"Who are you? If you are not here for an audition, then be off with you. Or are you a professional cameraman?"
"Pardon my intrusion. My name is Fergus mac Róich, a Saber just like yourself. I was a member of the Red Branch Knights back when I was alive. Under normal circumstances, I would have gladly passed myself off as a cameraman just so I could hit on you, fair maiden, but I'm afraid my situation is rather complicated."
"Interesting. Do tell."
"Of course. All I'm here to do is to kill you," Fergus declared as calmly and coolly as always. "Just as you are an indulgent one who dreams of the future, I too am a selfish beast who only seeks to spill your blood."
Nero didn't appear threatened at all. "Whatever your reasons may be, the fact remains that you're quite the fool if you think you can kill me, the great Nero Claudius, like I'm some low-level Servant."
"Well, well! The tyrant of ancient Rome! To think I'd have the honor of striking down someone as famous as yourself! No wonder your radiance is different compared to those rabble."
"Rabble?"
"Indeed. On my way here, I murdered three other stray Servants. You'll have the pleasure of being the fourth bloodstain on my Caladbolg."
"That's very impressive of you," Nero smiled. "But make no mistake, Sir Fergus – the fourth victim will be you."
"Fascinating," he murmured as he watched Nero brandish her long sword Aestus Estus. "Looks like you're not just some spoiled emperor ordering others around from the safety of their throne. How delightful. In that case, I shall face you as one of Queen Medb's most trusted knights."
"He he. I really pity you. You must be born under an unlucky star."
"Why is that?"
Nero paused, then suddenly exclaimed, "Go, Faceless King!"
Out of nowhere, an arrow flew through the air and shot straight for Fergus. No one was seemingly around to fire the shot, so he was caught unawares while Nero hopped back to safety.
"Hmph!" Fergus blocked the incoming strike with his drill-like sword. "An invisible Servant? Show yourself."
"Yeah, yeah," Robin's bored grumble spoke from out of nowhere. "Since my cover's busted, I'll just come on out now."
He dispelled his No Face May King and revealed himself to be standing next to Nero. He said to her, "Long time no see. I'm surprised you knew that I was here."
"Don't underestimate my sixth sense for finding hidden spectators," she smirked.
"Yep. Just what I'd expected from a tyrannical emperor who seeks attention. Oh, by the way, I brought reinforcements. I bet your new muscle-headed friend there won't be able to fight against all of us on equal terms."
The rest of the Resistance's hodge-podge collection of Servants caught up to him. As Fergus was about to retort against Robin's insult, he took a glimpse at the newcomers and spotted Ituha in the back.
"Hm!?" he gasped. "Well I'll be damned…"
"What's with that reaction?" Nero demanded.
Elizabeth giggled and exclaimed, "Now there's a man of good taste. Even if he's a bit of a crusty old fart for my liking, I'm glad he preferred my exquisiteness over yours, Saber!"
"Quit your screeching, lizard," Fergus frowned, then pointed Caladbolg at Ituha. "You there, child!"
She tensed up and widened her eyes. "M-Me!?"
"Where have you been this whole time!? Fionn, Diarmuid, and even Setanta have been scouting this whole nation for you! First you disappear without any warning, and now you're in league with this lot!? If the king and queen were to hear of this, they would be devastated!"
"What? I… I don't know what you're talking about…"
Nightingale jumped in front of the group and shouted, "Do you know who this child is!?"
"Huh? Whatever do you mean, madam?" Fergus wondered. "Hasn't she told you already?"
"She can't. She has complete retrograde amnesia. Aside from curing the illness plaguing this land, I intend to recover her memories so she may go back to living as a normal girl."
"Is that so? That's not good. But I think I'm getting the idea now," the swordsman smiled as he came to a strange realization. "So you lot took advantage of the girl's lack of memory to recruit her. If I kill you all and take her back, perhaps all may be forgiven."
"What a vulgar accusation you make," Geronimo seethed.
"I'm not accusing anyone of anything. In your desperate situation, it would be rational to turn anyone to your side, even if it means utilizing cheap tactics and dirty lies."
"Wait!" Ituha objected. "That's not what happened at all, sir!"
"No?" Fergus pondered, appalled that his theory was shot down so quickly. "Then why are you with them?"
"I wanted to join with them! They're fighting so hard to protect innocent people from both you Celts and Mr. Edison's forces! Even if I don't know who I am, I still want to help in any way I can! I feel like it's my duty as a Servant!"
"Umu!" Nero mumbled in acknowledgement. "Your conviction shines as bright as a stage light, little starlet! Although your talent may be raw and unrefined, with enough practice and determination, you can definitely forge a path of success that you can be proud of! As your senior in the world of art and music, I shall lend my blade and smite those who stand in our way to glory!"
"Truly now…" Fergus sighed in frustration. "Looks like Setanta was right – you really are too sweet for your own good. Perhaps you were never meant to fit the role that he and Medb aspired for you."
Ituha clasped her hands over her breast and asked him, "I don't know what's going on, but I apologize for going against you, sir. Even so, could you at least tell me who I am and how I'm related to all of you?"
"I'm afraid there's no point in that," he raised his sword for battle. "Since you've made your stance clear, I am forced to slay you immediately. Divulging your True Name to you will be wasteful."
Robin remarked, "You sure talk big, trying to take on seven Servants all by yourself."
"You've got a point there. Then how about I even the playing field a little?"
Fergus snapped his fingers. The team found themselves suddenly surrounded by around 100 Celtic soldiers who had been stealthily hiding in various locations.
"One on seven isn't fair, but a hundred versus seven should be more reasonable," the swordsman gloated.
"Tch. Me and my big mouth," Robin cursed himself.
"Now then," Fergus said to Ituha, "your father ordered me that if you were to resist capture, I would have to kill you. However, he told me to make your death an especially painless one. Do yourself a favor and allow me to run you through as quickly as possible so you don't have to feel a thing."
"My father?" she whimpered. "Who is that?"
Nero and Elizabeth jumped in front of her, and the former exclaimed, "You don't need to know! A parent who seeks the death of their child is the absolute worst kind of human being in the world! Believe me, I know that kind of pain all too well!"
Elizabeth shouted, "Normally I'm not up for sharing the stage with my greatest rival, but it's our duty to keep the fans safe from unruly hooligans while they're enjoying the show! Saber! Just this once, let's have a joint recital and banish filthy pigs like him from ever attending our concerts again!"
"Umu! You're on, Lancer!"
Fergus muttered, "Such vigor coming from two charming ladies… It is a shame that I must be your opponent, but let us tarry no more! En garde!"
"TAH!" Nero cried out and rushed in to slam her sword against his. She had the advantage of wielding a sword that could slash and stab with graceful precision, whereas his sword was shaped like a drill and only useful for stabbing maneuvers. Even so, he could still use it as a bulky shield to block all of her lithe strikes and thrust at her when he found the opportunity. They danced, whirled and pirouetted around each other as if they were in a deadly waltz.
Nero slammed Aestus Estus against the large needle-like blade. Her sword scraped along Caladbolg, and Fergus watched the razor-sharp blade slowly creep up towards his eyes. He used all of his strength to slash aside, throwing arms about and exposing her midsection. He tried to stab through her abdomen, but Elizabeth cried out while jumping and slammed her microphone/spear-like weapon Sarkany Csont Landzsa atop Caladbolg, smashing it into the ground and cracking the earth with extreme force.
Now it was Elizabeth's turn to duel with Fergus. She whipped and whirled her spear about in a frenzy, and he was hard-pressed to block so many potent blows coming from such a small-statured teenager. She stabbed at his face multiple times, but he reacted with lightning-fast dodges before ducking low and punching deep into her gut. She reeled back, unable to continue for a short while. Nero hopped back into the fray and delivered a swift kick to his cheek, knocking him away from Elizabeth. She helped her friend/rival dash away so the Lancer could recover.
Fergus summoned a fraction of Caladbolg's power and fired a multicolored ray of light at the pair's backs. They jumped in opposite directions to avoid the explosive blast, tumbling along the ground before doubling back and ganging upon him. Nero got into another round of sword strikes with him, but she served as a distraction for Elizabeth to swing her spear at the back of his knees and send him flying onto his back. Nero stabbed her blade in the ground where Fergus' head was, but he rolled aside in time and vaulted back to his feet. She pursued him while dragging her sword through the ground, as if it was holding back her incredible might.
All this while, Ituha remained far away from the two-on-one skirmish, unable to sling her stones out of fear of striking Nero or Elizabeth by accident. She didn't know what else to do to contribute, so she just stood there anxiously and watched.
The normally amicable Fergus was now starting to get angry. Just as he warned Nero, he allowed his animal instincts to control him, and he raised Caladbolg in a downward stabbing position while his two foes were rushing at him.
"Feast your eyes on a true rainbow! Caladbolg!" he unleashed his Noble Phantasm's True Name and stabbed the drill-sword straight into the ground. The girls stopped running when they saw the earth around them crack and fissure, releasing streaks of vibrant colors. The piercing light had traveled from the sword into the ground and began to rend it asunder with destructive force. Both of them were overcome by the chromatic spectacle and thrown high into the air along with numerous large rocks that had been blasted out of the earth. Not only did the light scorch their skin, the rocks also pelted them with vicious abandon, leaving them to collapse on their backs.
"Feh," he smirked. He wanted to make a quick quip, but he figured he would save the gloating for when he stood over their corpses. He swung Caladbolg back into his grip and prepared to stab the wounded Servants. Ituha gasped, reaching for her weapon and trying to intercept him with some shots, but she wouldn't be quick enough. Then the strange Celtic magic circles appeared over her wrists just like during the battle with Karna, and flames tickled over her palms.
It's happening again! What in the world is going on!?
She couldn't spare any thoughts about what this mysterious power was and shouted the familiar words:
"Coinneal Léimneach!"
"What!?" Fergus yelped, but noticed the fiery onslaught too late and was overwhelmed by the wave of unrelenting flames streaming from Ituha's hands. When the burning tsunami died down, he was revealed to be completely immolated, thrashing about in a desperate attempt to put out the fire. His clothes burned and his skin was seared into charcoal grit surrounding his exposed musculature.
"She got him!" Elizabeth shouted happily.
Ituha wasn't so pleased with what she did. Her entire body trembled with fear from seeing Fergus' destroyed body, and she fell to her knees. Nero ran to her side, held her up and exclaimed, "Hang in there!"
"Ah… Ah…!"
Something triggered in the deepest corner of her subconscious. Although there wasn't a clear image to go with this terror, she seemed to be physically reacting to his ghoulish appearance, as if she had seen it before and the 'memory' was etched into her body rather than her mind.
"Unnngh…" Fergus groaned, devoid of any strength left to survive, never mind fight. He fell right onto his back, spreading a layer of dusty dirt around him. The girls observed him for a long moment, suspecting that this could be a trap he would spring on them if they lowered their guard. During this tense interlude, the other Servants ran toward them to see if everything was okay. Despite the incredible number of low-level grunts that Fergus sicced on them, they managed to overcome the horde while the three girls were busy with him.
Geronimo heard Ituha's quiet sobbing and kneeled next to her, asking, "Are you all right?"
"Uuh… Uuh… Ahh…!"
"Calm yourself. The battle is over."
"But… But I-!"
They heard Fergus groan, "Ungh… This is the way of war. I lost, so I must die. There's no need to cry over my insignificant fate."
"Sir…"
He maintained his placid smile despite suffering through his grisly injuries. "This is all my fault, young lady. I'm the one who exposed you to such a bitter experience. You don't need to blame yourself for killing me. In fact, I'm quite proud of you for following your heart. You really are his child – as stubborn and resolute as he is. Perhaps you'll be the one who will save him from the darkness he has succumbed to."
"…"
He looked up at Rama and murmured, "Oh? I remember that face… Yes, a woman I met before shared very similar features to you."
"What!?" the swordsman gasped. "Do you know of my wife!? Do you know where Sita is being kept!?"
"So she's your wife, huh? No wonder she rejected my advances so obstinately."
"You scum-!"
"No need to be upset. Taking hostages was the one thing I found repugnant about Medb's strategy. You must return west, to the island of Alcatraz. I believe your bride is being kept there."
"Alcatraz!? The famous prison island said to be impossible to escape from?"
"It's your decision whether to believe me or not."
"Hm…" Rama looked pensive, then said, "So long as you kept your hands off Sita, then I will trust you."
"Good. And one more thing… Ituha, was it?"
"Sir?" the little girl kneeled next to the dying Servant.
"As a reward for following your conviction and defeating me, I will tell you your True Name. Perhaps it may help in your recovery."
"Uh…?"
"Listen well. Your true identity is the Child of Cuchulainn, and the Celtic Princess destined to be his successor in this world. You're the young adventurer who died at his hands through a tragic mistake in your lifetime, and originally summoned to this land as a Lancer-class Servant. Your True Name is… Connla."
Ituha fell silent for a long moment, letting the sound of her birth name sink in. Fergus smiled, satisfied that he got to pass the truth on to her. He patted her head and murmured, "Could you do me a small favor?"
"What is it?"
"Call me 'Uncle Fergus', like you used to."
"Um… Uncle… Fergus…?"
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Well then, time for me to go. I'll be rooting for you from the Throne."
His body shone brilliantly, then faded out of existence. No sign of him remained except for the scars he etched in the land with Caladbolg.