They materialized, and the vehicle shook, as if the hunk of metal they traveled in simply appeared and dropped onto the floor.
Shirou nearly felt his head come off from the impact, 'nearly' because he saw himself, for a moment, from outside his body.
As he rubbed his head and shook off the nausea, he looked around the Shadow Border.
"Is everyone alright?" He asked preemptively. A few of the replies were 'yes' or groans, but Ophelia's was to throw up on the floor.
"Sorry," she said once she was finished, clutching her stomach as Mash got up to massage her back.
"Everyone set in?" Asked Da Vinci's voice from the intercom. "Aside from Ophelia's indigestion, all vital signs read a-ok!"
Shirou got up and glanced towards the Valkyrie. Ortlinde was alright, but she remained stone faced.
From the port side windows, Shirou could see a little bit of the outside. The morning light shone through, but it was a very small opening. Too small to determine where they were.
"How does outside look?" Mash asked towards the ceiling.
"Wait a second…" the intercom said, and they waited in awkward silence. In the meantime, Shirou went to Ophelia's side.
"You need something?" He asked her. However, she simply raised her hand to keep him at bay as she regained a standing position.
"I'm… fine…" she said in a whimpering voice. "Sorry you had to see that."
Before Shirou could say anything else, Da Vinci emerged from a nearby door.
"We are in China alright. Captain's calculations were quite accurate," she said with a surprised expression. Perhaps the concept of another heroic spirit being as smart as her was a blow to her ego. Or so Shirou thought.
"What part of China, though?" Ophelia asked.
"We are near Xianyang, in the Shaanxi province. It's an urban centre with seven point seventeen million inhabitants," Da Vinci said. Shirou grimaced, recalling a previous experience.
"I've been to China. It's usually really loud. If we really appeared in Xianyang, we could have busted up a wall, or crushed someone," he said.
"Luckily for you, there are very few signs of human life here," Méuniere said from the driver seat, as he attempted to look out the window. "In fact… there doesn't seem to be anything out there outside some pockets of civilization and animals. It's all plains."
"We should take a look around, get our bearings so we can begin working to retrieve the antidote," Mash said, checking her equipment.
"Even if time is of the essence, we should be careful here. Lostbelts are very unpredictable. If you'd seen Kirschtaria's…" Ophelia mused. For a second, Shirou saw Mash glare at her before returning to her mostly neutral expression in the span of a second.
"Y-you're right. I'm being hasty," she said. Shirou then turned to Ortlinde, who had remained silent the whole time.
"Should we go outside?" He asked her. He was met with a cold stare.
"Scouting and tracking first is of the essence. We'll go do reconnaissance," she announced, heading for the door.
"W-wait!" Shirou said. Although he tried to stop her, Ortlinde simply brushed him off. She was like a brick wall, and so he was pushed aside easily.
"Master's remaining time is six days, twenty thirteen hours fifty minutes. We cannot linger," Ortlinde said over her shoulder.
"Well, just be careful when you get out," Da Vinci said as she began typing something on a nearby console.
Mash went to stand near Ortlinde, while Shirou and Ophelia remained behind them. The two Masters exchanged worried glances. Both Mash and the Valkyries were acting up.
And while it was pointless to ruminate on it… Shirou felt unnerved by Ortlinde's cold behaviour. Was it because he had asked them to remain behind?
Regardless, he wanted to fix it soon. He would apologize when it was appropriate. But right now, he needed to focus.
Even so, his mind constantly lingered back to the Valkyries.
The door opened, creaking loudly but still being fast. Light entered the vehicle, as well as the smell of fresh air. Soon… Shirou could see the outside. A large field of light yellow grass… along with some mountains breaking up the panorama. It was almost… peaceful.
"Alright. Temperature, pressure, atmosphere, mana density… it's all normal. You may leave," Da Vinci said, giving a thumbs up.
"If I may…" A voice interrupted them. The group of Servants and Masters turned to holmes, who had emerged from deep within the Shadow Border.
"What is it, Holmes?" Da Vinci asked.
"Well," he said, combing his hair. "My desire is to go with them. To asses the Lostbelt."
"Right," said the little woman. "You recovered from Sigurd's attack. I guess more hands outside will be fine. We'll remain here."
"Thank you," he said, bowing a little before going to Shirou and Ophelia's side. It was almost like he did not intend to fight himself. "Shall we then?"
The group exited the Shadow Border. They stepped into the field, pushing away the grass. It was quite tall. Wind blew from the east, and a smell reminiscent of flour and bread. It was peaceful, like a zen garden or a lone farm.
Shirou looked around. It was fields as far as he could see, only broken up by mountains and some small patches of forest.
"How peaceful," Mash said. "It doesn't feel like a Lostbelt."
"Not all Lostbelts diverged in a wrong way, Mash," Ophelia said softly. "This may be one of those."
"Indeed. But for now, there seem to be no hostiles," Holmes commented.
"None at all. Our visual scans turned up nothing," Ortlinde added.
Just then, Holmes looked up, and his eyebrow turned upwards, which was enough to catch Shirou's attention. If he had learned something, was that Holmes was not intrigued easily.
"What is it?" Shirou asked.
"Up there. Can you see it?" The group all turned towards the sky. Shirou looked around, but the only noticeable thing was a streak of smoke on the sky. Except… it was not smoke. Or a cloud.
"It looks like a streak," Mash commented.
"Hold on," Ophelia said. Then, she chanted. "Sekt"
Her magic circuits flared up around her good eye, her iris gaining a blue glow. As she did that, her eye widened.
"It's not a streak…" she muttered.
"What?" Shirou asked.
"It's… like a long line of peacock feathers on the atmosphere, stretching as far as I can see," she explained as she closed her eye and dismissed the spell she was using.
"Interesting," Holmes muttered. "Maybe some kind of advanced construction or barroer. Did you hear that, Da Vinci?" He asked into empty air.
"Loud and clear," said her slightly distorted voice. "But I can't get a good read. But it is indeed a pretty advanced artifact. If I could get closer…"
Hearing that, Ortlinde's eyes widened. Her body was then enveloped by wind until her form could not be seen. When it faded… Valkyrie Hildr was in her place.
"I can do that!" She said with a chipper smile.
"Is that safe?" Ophelia asked.
"I'm a Valkyrie. I'll be fine. What do you say, Emiya?" Hildr asked him. Compared to Ortlinde, she seemed to be on friendly terms with him. Still, when she addressed him, her smile seemed to wane.
Shirou grimaced. He did not want to send Hildr into a dangerous situation. But in the end, he nodded. He needed to trust them, stop worrying. He only wished it were easier.
Hildr beamed at him. Some progress. "Alright! Be back in a pinch!" She said, beginning to levitate off the ground as her wings of light shone brighter.
"Tell us what you see. Make sure Da Vinci gets a good look!" Mash added.
"Sure thing!" With that, Hildr shot off into the sky, towards the streak. Shirou saw her leave a small trail as her form disappeared. However, as soon as her form began to shrink from his sight, Shirou saw a glint coming from the streak. An orange dot.
"Hildr! Stop!" He said, shouting into the sky to no avail.
Hildr's form was engulfed in an orange explosion that resounded throughout the valley, wind blowing from it's impact point.
"Enemy attack!" mash said, stepping infront of Shirou and Ophelia.
Shirou simply watched the left behind smog with clenched teeth. From it, a smoking figure fell out and crashed into the field a few hundred meters from their position.
"There! Get to her!" He said, leaving Mash's protection and running towards the fallen Valkyrie. His heart thumped in his ears, but he still eyed the streak, waiting for another attack with his Divine Iron Shield raised.
He stopped briefly to let Mash and the others catch up to him, eyes still glued to the streak.
"No attacks incoming," Mash said, facing the same direction.
"Emiya, that was–!" Before Ophelia could finish chastising him, Shirou spoke to Mash.
"Keep them safe, I'll check on Hildr," he said, heart still thumping strongly.
"Roger," with that, he once again crossed the field, the group advancing behind him. It was easy to track, since black smoke emerged from the Valkyrie's crash site.
They had left a small crater on the field, the grass squashed and burned. In the center, Hildr laid face up, completely covered in black stains and dirt.
"Hildr!" Shirou said, immediately going to her side. However, as soon as he spoke her name, she stood up like nothing happened. In fact… she simply shook her head to clean off the dirt and residue, while her head wings twitched to rid themselves of smog.
Shirou looked at her, half relieved, half in disbelief. "Are you ok?" He asked.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"No damage suffered outside the crash. Seems the attack was set to stun," she said, levitating to stand up and shake the dirt off.
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright then. Come on," he offered a hand, but Hildr simply strode past him.
They both left the crater, and met up with the Chaldea team. Mash lowered her visor as she and kept an eye on the sky as Ophelia spoke to them.
"You alright Emiya, Lancer?" They both nodded.
"We are," Shirou answered. Ophelia returned their nod, before she activated her communicator. "Da Vinci. Is the Shadow Border unharmed?"
"All good here, Ophelia," replied Da Vinci, chipper as always. "I've cloaked it. As long as we don't move, we should remain hidden."
"Alright. Where should we be going? Or any sign of life or civilization?" She asked.
"There are lifeform readings a few hundred meters ahead of you. Probably a small town. You should also go to the source of that streak. Wherever it comes from, there are probably answers there."
"Will do. A-and thank you," with that, Ophelia cut off the transmission and let out a sigh. Shirou held a chuckle, seeing her so flustered despite attempting to appear calm.
"Guess you are in charge now," he said.
"We are in charge, you mean," she replied, looking away with a smile.
"Let's get to the settlement," Mash said, facing the group and away from the crater.
"As always, do remember to be careful about engaging the locals. We do not want to antagonize–" Just as Holmes was about to finish his declaration, a lanky man dressed in white robes stared at the crater, and then back at them, and then back at the crater with fear in his eyes.
"–Oh, heavenly emperor! My field!" He shouted. The group turned towards him. His shouts were loud enough to attract others. Soon more farmhands, or so Shirou guessed, joined the one that appeared. "Oh no… more monsters? Foreigners?"
"Did you say foreigners?" A woman asked, retreating slowly.
"L-l-l-look a-at those strange clothes! Run!" Said the first man, quickly high tailing it towards the northeaster.
"Get the supervisor!" Shouted another man, dragging away the women.
"Wait! Please!" Mash said, chasing after them. "We mean you no harm!" The group followed Mash, and soon a settlement full of similar looking buildings in the shapes of wooden cubes with windows appeared in the distance. It reminded Shirou of basic cardboard mockups he would do on elementary school.
"Wait. They're turning around," Hildr said, floating a little bit off the ground and thus being less burdened by the light yellow grass. "They've got an additional human."
Shirou halted, extending his hand to stop the others as well. The mob of five farm hands soon made it's way in front of them. A taller, older looking man in darker garments stepped up, wielding a simple club on his hands.
"I guess… these are the ones," he said meekly.
"Yes! They ruined my field! Please, run them off supervisor," said one of the men.
"Wait… we didn't intent to destroy your field," Shirou said, stepping in front of the group.
"Stay away… beast!" Said the supervisor, swinging his club wildly. His lack of any kind of technique really let Shirou know that this man was not used to fighting anything other than perhaps animals.
He had enough at one point, and thus, as the man did an overswing that hit the ground, Shirou punished it by stepping on the weapon and pushing the man away from it.
The Supervisor fell to the ground, much to the horror of the other farmhands. Shirou then proceeded to grab the club himself.
"W-w-wait!" Said the Supervisor, scurrying away from him. Shirou approached without a word.
"Emiya!" Ophelia called out. Was she really afraid he would hit the defenseless man?
"We are not here to hurt you," Shirou said firmly, and proceeded to hand the man his club with relative calmness. The supervisor looked at the weapon, and then took hold of it.
"Oh! I see!" He said, his mood turning to a more calm one. The man stood up, putting away the club. "Then you must have been sent here by the Great Wise Heavenly Emperor, right?" Asked the man.
"Yeah, they must have been sent here," said another man.
"But why would they destroy the field?" Asked a woman.
"It must have been an accident," said another.
"Uh…" Shirou said, stepping away with confusion.
"Are you the supervisor? You must be since you're so strong," said the Supervisor.
"I–" Just then, he was pushed out of the way by Holmes.
"–I-I'm the supervisor," Ophelia said, forcing a smile. Shirou sighed, content to be out of the spotlight.
"Oh," they all said looking at her, or specifically, her eyepatch. "Yes I see."
"She does have a supervising air around her," said a man.
"And so pretty too…" said another, nearly swarming her. Luckily, Mash stepped between them when Ophelia started feeling uncomfortable.
"Even with that eyepatch?" Whispered a woman to another, who seemed to grumble.
"Yes. We've been moved recently," Ophelia said. "Could you lead us to your village to rest?"
"Sure! We'd be glad to," said the supervisor, now sporting a bright smile. "Though it is strange you were not healed by the Emperor's Benediction. Even if it was a birth injury."
"Excuse me?" Ophelia asked.
"The Wise and Heavenly Emperor's Benediction. Oh, no matter. You'll receive another soon enough. Come, come," with that, the farmhands started heading towards the similar looking buildings in the distance.
Ophelia looked back at the group, and shrugged. Then she began following the farmhands along with the Chaldea group.
It did not take long for the Chaldea group to be accepted into the village. Every person there was friendly enough, in Shirou's opinion. Perhaps a little too much, they could easily be fooled. But he pushed that cynical thought away.
With permission, the Shadow Border was allowed near, it's cloaking maintained. Shortly after, Da Vinci and Mash set up a summoning circle in a nearby Leyline.
However, they were left to wait for a couple hours. Enough that the sun was past it's midway point.
While everyone was alright with waiting, mash was more than impatient, pacing around the summoning circle. Unlike every other summon, these were taking some time.
"How long is this going to take Da Vinci?" Mash asked, some irritation in her voice, which was very unusual in Shirou's opinion.
"Any second now Mash. Although I must admit, connection to the throne here seems to be flimsy," said the little woman, tapping away at a portable computer.
"We're wasting time," Mash replied.
"Patience, Shielder. A warrior must have patience. While there is great glory to be achieved in single combat, numbers usually grant victory," Thrud said. Hildr had let her take the reins since there was not much to do. The blonde Valkyrie still did not look at Shirou directly in the eye. While he did consider confronting her… he did not wish to disrupt the team's cohesion.
However, there was one thing he wanted to do. Apologize to his Master companion.
So he walked towards Ophelia, who was standing away from everyone, huddled in the rear end of the Shadow Border's exterior wall.
She was sitting, inspecting the light yellow grass that sprawled the region.
"Hey, Ophelia," he gritted her. Upon seeing him, she stood up and smiled.
"Emiya. Is everything alright?" She asked.
"Uh… yes. What were you doing?" He replied. Ophelia turned around to give the grass a feel.
"I was feeling around this Lostbelt. Seems the spiritual connection to the human order is extremely thin here. I can only detect minor and nature spirits. I wish I could investigate this further," she said.
Shirou smiled. Indeed, Ophelia was a magus with a warm heart. Almost like Rin Tohsaka. When she noticed his stare, she looked away. "S-sorry."
"You were an expert on summoning, no?" He asked.
"Head of the evocation department. At least until I joined Chaldea. I offered my assistance to Da Vinci and Mash, but they seemed better suited since they know the system in and out. Figures, Marisbilly never let me near that either," she said, crossing her arms.
"Maybe once we summon some Servants we'll figure out what's going on here. The people here seem unusually friendly," he said.
"It's almost naive how they seem to take some things in stride," she said, standing back to face him.
"Yeah. Anyway, I want to apologize," he said, turning serious. Ophelia's eyes widened.
"For running to save Hildr?" She asked.
"Yes. I put you all in danger. It was stupid and selfish of me. I should have culled those habits a long time ago," he admitted, memories of his past self in the Holhy Grail War springing up.
"We do need some cohesion, Emiya. But you love her so… it's understandable to care for them. It's not like it's some random person you rushed to save," she said. Shirou looked away. Yes, he would have rushed to save a random person as well. But he would also have thought things out a little better. If he could to that much for someone he didn't know, why not for his team. Why not for his… friends?
Could he call them friends? Was he allowed to?
"Anyway," Ophelia continued, snapping him out of his thoughts. "The Valkyries are Servants. They won't die easily. I won't allow it, either, so… try not to overreact, alright? I know it's your whole thing, and that your relationship is kind of tense now…"
"...So you noticed," Shirou muttered.
"Yes…" Ophelia said, massaging her left arm. "… I'm not saying you should not care for them, but maybe respect their skills. You don't have to save all of us."
Shirou looked away. Easy for Ophelia to say that. That was twice that Chaldea had fought against gods, one in Ophelia's case, and many more with Fujimaru alone. When against such powerful beings, Shirou was not sure how long until one of them would be gone from the world in a heartbeat.
"You do trust us, right?" She asked, leaning forward as he tried to evade her sight.
Shirou looked her in the eye, difficult as it was. "Yes," he lied.
"What is going on!" They heard Goredolf from the place where the summoning circle had been placed. "We've been here since forever!"
"It's only been…" Shirou and Ophelia headed back to the main group, where Holmes was looking at a pocket watch. Thrud was gone. "… three hours fifty six minutes."
"It's still too long!" Goredolf complained.
"He's right. I might have something but… I need to look into what's happening first," Da Vinci said.
"So we just stay here?" Mash asked. Shirou grimaced. Waiting while Fujimaru died of poisoning did not seem right with him. They had to do something.
"You said you detected a large power source, right?" Ophelia asked, rubbing her chin.
"Yes," Da Vinci replied.
"We could go there, scout it out, then return. Perhaps it's where what we need can be found," Ophelia stated.
"That's not a bad idea," Shirou said. "There are less of us now. We go, see what's waiting for us, return, then go back with reinforcements."
"Wait! What about us?! Who will protect us!?" Goredolf asked, sweating bullets.
"Whomever you manage to summon," Ophelia said, looking at Shirou for a moment. They were summoning based on compatibility this time.
"Listen here Crypter girl–"
"–I agree with Ophelia's plan," Mash said in a hurried voice.
"Are you two sure?" Da Vinci asked. The three of them nodded.
"Well, I agree it is a good idea. Very well. Just give me a minute," After saying that, Da Vinci ran back to the shadow border in flash. The sounds of machinery and tools began to come out from the interior, along with some sparks and flashing lights.
The rest of the group looked at each other with confusion.
The winds shifted. Shirou felt it, and he turned around to see Thrud arrive.
"Thrud? Did you go somewhere?" He asked her as gently as possible. She looked at him with a steel expression.
"The village, to scan for warriors. To my frustration, I found none. In fact, all of them are unfit to be or become warriors," Thrud said. Her tone remained flat, but he could feel her disappointment. Just then, Ophelia entered the conversation.
"I see, but please try to not interfere further in the Lostbelt," Thrud nodded at Ophelia's order. "We're going to scout ahead, Thrud. We'll need you."
"Roger," said the Valkyrie with a curt nod. "We won't be able to fly around without triggering the streak to attack."
"You're okay with not flying?" Shirou asked. Flying was almost second nature to the Valkyries, at least the ones he knew. It would be like a bird having it's wings removed.
"Our fighting capability will not decrease substantially. You do not need to doubt our abilities," Thrud said, her voice still even. However, Shirou somehow felt like she was angry about something, even if she herself did not notice.
"Alright. I'll leave my life in your hands then," he replied with a grin. That seemed to make her retreat a little, as if taken aback.
"Then we're all set?" Ophelia asked, giving Shirou a smile that a friend would give to another to congratulate them without speaking.
"I'm all set!" Said Mash.
"Me too," Shirou added.
"All systems optimal," Thrud commented.
"Before you all go...!" Da Vinci emerged from the shadow border, holding a small metal sphere with a few holes on it's sides. "… here!"
She handed Ophelia the sphere. The magus inspected it. Thrud changed to Ortlinde, who flew around Ophelia to also inspect the item.
"This is…" as the magus fiddled with the device, she pressed a button and it activated, emanating a purple light from it's holes.
"It's a cloaking device! It will prevent detection from whatever that streak is. I analysed it a little, and it must use some kind of ancient magecraft barrier. Possibly something related to the Sage Arts from ancient China. So I cooked up that thing to hide you from any possible artillery bombings!"
"I knew Da Vinci was a genius, but she never built us anything, at least not to us specifically. Impressive work!" Ophelia said, elated to look the device all over. Da Vinci blushed heavily, clearly proud of her accomplishment. "If only I had a workshop…"
"Now, now. It's not for you to figure out it's secrets. Poke it too much and it may break," Da Vinci said, smacking Ophelia over the head lightly with her staff. The ex-Crypter recoiled, like a child who had been disciplined.
"How much range does it cover? Will the Valkyries be able to fly?" Mash asked.
"It has a minimum range of forty meters in diameter. Maximum fifty if you pour a large amount of magical energy. That will also eat through it's battery though, and probably burn it out. So be careful," Ophelia nodded, as did Shirou.
"We'll let you know if we manage to summon anything. And do take pictures for analysis!" Da Vinci said.
"Indeed," Holmes stepped up to the group. "You'll be heading to the centre of what would currently be Xianyang. This Lostbelt diverged from history in the Qin Dinasty. So… if what is different is that it survived, it's possible the capital is still standing."
"So… what could we be facing?" Shirou asked. At this, Holmes closed his eyes with a frown.
"I cannot say yet, unless you want speculation that would be more harmful in the long term," Shirou sighed. Another way of saying 'I'm not telling you'. He sure was a useful detective, or so Archer would say.
"Alright then. We'll be heading out," he said. With a few nods Ophelia, Shirou, Mash the Valkyrie set out towards Xianyang.
"Great Emeperor, are they still in your sights?"
"They never leave our great sight for long, Kolinski," answered a metallic voice, echoing all around her.
"Koyanskaya!"
"Excuse us?" Tamamo Vitch grumbled. Of all the Lostbelt kings she had met, this one was the worst. Especially since he didn't seem to have a face. The dome like room only had a platform surrounding it's circumference, and a single walkway leading to an ornate Palanquin that held… something inside. The emperor himself, she guessed.
"So, what do you require from these… Chaldeans, you called them?"
"Chaldeans. My only interest is getting them out of your heavenly backyard. Also, the woman with the bad eye," she said.
"That one you do not intend to remove," she clicked her tongue. He saw right through her. Still, any loss she took in stride. To do anything else meant she fell down to the level of humans.
"Oh? How did you guess?" She asked with a smile.
"Your fondness for your own gender is evident. As is your intent to irritate Akuta Hinako,"
"Oh well, that's just a pastime. So… could I ask for their location?"
"Mind your manners, fox woman,"
"I was asking respectfully,"
"And I'll tell you that I will not disclose it. But if you wish to get to them, do follow Akuta Hinako. Though she may have already arrived at their location," she had to suppress a frown. Still, she did like challenges. If only to rub salt on the wounds of the loser after she won.
"Oh, I love races! Well then, I'll get going," she said, even though that was almost admitting defeat. She'd get the last word, and maybe what she came looking for.
"Do behave yourself. It may not be Xianyang, but it's still a part of me. Step out of line, and I'll treat you like a body would a virus."
"Oh course…"
They had walked two kilometres. The mountains were enclosing on the valley, funnelling them in an increasingly thin line of farmland.
The cloaking device was working, or so Shirou guessed. For now, no farmhand had noticed them, and no attacks came through.
It was a peaceful stroll through golden plains.
Mash and Ortlinde, who was now the active Valkyrie, took the front while Shirou and Ophelia guarded the rear.
However, the ex-Crypter seemed to be getting winded.
"Do you need rest?" Shirou asked. Mash and Ortlinde looked over their shoulders.
"No, I-I'm fine," Ophelia asked, embarrassed. "But I used to be more fit, you know? Back when I trained with the A team. Cryosleep and sitting around in the second Lostbelt made me no favours."
"You can always start again, Lady Ophelia. We could train you," Ortlinde offered.
"Yeah. We could also get Leonidas to… wait…" Mash said, her initial excitement fading into doubt. "… actually, well… never mind. Unless you mind spartan training."
Ophelia paled at this. "Maybe I'll pass," she said, unusually sullen. Still, Shirou wanted to offer her some comfort.
"How far are we, Mash?" He asked her.
"Five hundred meters, just over that hill," she said, pointing to a small elevation in the terrain, which was jagged and darker than the light yellow fields they had been traversing.
"We're nearly there," Shirou said.
"We should have no problems, unless more villagers get in our way," Mash said.
"They are not potent fighters. None of them," Ortlinde said.
"Yeah. They are unusually laid back. Maybe it's that particular village?" Shirou asked.
"We've seen some more of them. They all seem equally friendly and oblivious. Tending to their fields without any other care," Ortlinde replied.
"Does that bother you, Valkyrie-san?" Mash asked.
"I have no feelings on the matter. However, my prime directive is to search for heroes. Finding none is failing at what I was built to do. That goes for all three of us," Ortlinde explained.
"But your mission is helping Master," Mash said.
"Yes. But our priorities lie with what the All Father has commanded us to do," At this, Shirou frowned.
"But that can change," he stated. He had seen it once. Ortlinde looked back at him with a serious expression.
"It cannot. And if this world has no warriors, nor heroes, then… well…" Ortlinde's impassive expression gave way to a sullen look towards the ground.
They arrived at the mountain, and began scaling it, thus their conversation stopped. At least Ortlinde did not need to, since she floated ever so slightly above the surface.
Mash and the Valkyrie arrived at the top first. When they did, Mash let out a loud gasp, which startled Shirou.
"What is it?!" He asked. Mash and Ortlinde ducked behind the top, and motioned Shirou and Ophelia to come up.
So they did. When they reached the top, their mouths nearly dropped. And Shirou thought he had seen many wild things.
But not enough to surpass what was in front of him.
An open field of the same wheat crops gave way to a circular barrier protecting some sort of stone platform. On the centre, a small root rose up to meet with the bottom of what he could only describe as a metallic bowl of circuitry that had a city inside of it. Or so it seemed. At it's top, a large cybernetic eye seemed to watch the horizon, and white wings that he thought would be more fitting on an angel seemed to hold it afloat.
"By the…" Ophelia muttered.
"Is that a city?" Shirou asked, gulping.
"The energy readings don't lie," Mash said. "Da Vinci, are you seeing this?"
A hologram of Da Vinci popped up from Mash's communicator. Rather than being surprised, she simply frowned with some intensity.
"Well now. Someone's trying to show off," she said. "But I'm detecting a large amount of lifeforms, and a massive accumulation of magical energy on it. It's definitely a city. The only one in hundreds of kilometres. Perhaps one of the only ones in this Lostbelt's existence."
"I don't understand," Ophelia muttered. "How can something so technologically impressive exist when the villagers seem to be living in the stone age?"
"More importantly," Mash said. "Do you think it has the antidote?"
"If anything, it probably has the answer we are looking for. We need to get inside," Ophelia said.
"Then let's get going!" Mash said. Then, Shirou held her wrist.
"We need more info. Let's go back to the Shadow Border," Shirou said. For a second, Mash glared at him, but then her expression relaxed.
"You're right. Forgive me, Emiya-senpai," Mash said.
"Let's retreat while we are out of sight," Ortlinde suggested. Shirou and Ophelia nodded, retreating back down the hill.
"Come," Ortlinde said to Mash. The Shielder looked one last time back at the city, before joining her companions.
Down the hill, Xianyang seemed to be completely hidden by the terrain. It was crazy for Shirou to not have seen it before.
The trip back was going to be calm, or so he hoped. With their cloaking device they were apparently safe.
So, while they traversed the fields, he looked at Ortlinde's back. Perhaps this was the right time.
"Ortlinde–"
"–Halt!" She stopped them all, however, extending her weapon arm. Mash instantly stood on alert. From the back, Shirou and Ophelia saw two incoming figures.
A thin man with a mask and a sword.
A woman clad in white spandex, wielding a lance.
The pair stood side by side.
"A servant signature!" Mash said, raising her shield. Ophelia and Shirou tensed. He looked side to side, for any kind of sneak attack. "And… a human? But… she's so strong…"
"They are both formidable warriors. If they are enemies, it will be an acceptable fight," Ortlinde assessed.
The two warriors stopped about twenty meters ahead of them.
Then, one more figure appeared.
A woman with really long twin-tails and glasses. She strode past her two companions, with a lazy gait, as if the mere act of standing straight was exhausting.
Shirou had seen something like that before, but her appearance ran contrary to that.
The woman stopped a step ahead of her servants.
Mash and Ophelia gasped.
"That is…" Mash muttered.
"...Akuta Hinako," Ophelia finished, her voice strained.
The woman assessed them all as if looking at insects, her sight sweeping from left to right.
However, it stopped at Ophelia.
"Hello again, Ophelia."
A/N: Not a very exciting chapter, but all Lostbelts kind of start like that. Or at least that's what I felt.
Next chapter, our heroes face up against Akuta Hinako and her Servants.
See you in a week! Maybe less, I'm kind of in the mood for writing this time.