Disclaimer: These are works of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by any of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. Fate Grand Order and all the franchises and series associated with it, are owned by Kinoko Nasu, Notes Co., Ltd. and their affiliates. Similarly, Fire Emblem Heroes is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd. and their affiliates.
I DO NOT OWN THESE FRANCHISES.
Sister fanfic: A Grand Order of Heroes(FeHxFGO)
"GRAAAHHHHH!"
The forest was filled with the deafening, guttural roars of Berserker Lancelot.
The sound waves were so devastating that they even cut through the dense trees like they weren't there. The sound caused many predatory animals to freeze in fear, while the more timid predators and prey animals fled to hide.
The forest floor, once pristine and natural, spontaneously exploded in some areas from the heavy, but brief footsteps of the mad Heroic Spirit left behind as it dashed toward its target. Despite making multiple attempts to strike at the beast with its sword, all it managed to do was chop down trees that had been standing for centuries.
They continued this game of cat-and-mouse for a few miles until finally, the wolf made a mistake and tripped on a tree root. If it had not been escaping for its life, it would never have made that error, but it was distracted while avoiding the falling trees and blade swipes aimed at it.
It was easily able to compensate and avoid falling to the ground, but that short window of opportunity was taken advantage of and allowed Berserker to close the gap and swing his sword down for another attempt to behead the beast.
Sensing the danger, the wolf twisted its body and turned, narrowly evading the earth-shattering blow. However, even with its agility, the attack was not without consequence, as shards of debris raked across the creature's face.
For an ordinary wolf, the attack would have been catastrophic, as the force and speed of the shrapnel would have easily gored the wolf's face, maw, and part of its brain.
But this was no ordinary wolf, it was more of a Demonic Beast than an ordinary wolf. Its thick fur was a barrier that could withstand the impact of an armor-piercing blade or the blows of a weakened demigod.
Shrapnel was but a mere irritation.
Seeing the opening the failed attack created, the wolf took the opportunity to retaliate with a vicious counterattack.
The creature tackled Berserker from the front and used its powerful jaws to bite deep into his black armor, puncturing it. Despite the huge size difference between the two, Berserker stood firm and refused to budge even as the creature thrashed at his shoulder.
Any sane servant would have grunted in pain, but Berserker Lancelot was driven by mindless fury and paid no heed to the wolf's attack on his shoulder.
He responded by sheathing his blade and then before the creature could react to his intentions, he locked its form in a crushing embrace.
The wolf let out a surprised whine due to the sheer strength of the grab, but Berserker was not done. Not allowing his prey even a moment of rest, he launched himself and his foe high into the air. The speed and velocity of the jump were enough to move them beyond the tree canopy.
The bodies climbed higher, and higher, and higher into the air until their ascension died down. They briefly hovered in the sky, in a momentary lull of silence.
To any spectators viewing the fight, the shadow of man and beast hanging in front of the moon would have been easy to spot from below. However, the moment ended and Berserker swiftly followed through with his combo and twisted his body like a cat as they began to fall back to Earth.
But rather than preparing to land on his feet, both of their heads were aimed at the ground.
Unfortunately for the wolf, due to the size difference, it would hit the ground before Berserker did, which means that if it allowed the combo to finish, it could very well end with his death at the hands of this mad swordsman.
A several feet before they reached the ground, Berserker was caught off guard by an unseen force that slammed into his head, causing him to momentarily loosen his grip on the wolf.
Much to Berserker's frustration, the unseen attack had created a fleeting moment of vulnerability, allowing the agile creature to slip from his grasp and use him as a springboard for it to escape. The consequence of this action led to the Mad Heroic Spirit being accelerated faster toward the ground.
The earth shook.
Dirt and rock compressed before the energy rebounded and exploded with a thunderous explosion.
Freed from the Berserker's crushing embrace, the wolf shook itself vigorously, ridding its fur of the debris and dirt that clung to it. It had managed to mitigate most of the damage from the fall, but the landing still left its legs sore.
Ignoring its pains, it quickly turned its attention back to the black armor, which was now partially embedded in the fractured ground, struggling to extricate itself from the rubble.
Then, the wolf felt a strange sensation coursing through its body, and as it turned to inspect the source of its pain, it saw that not only had its fur, but also its flesh turned an ominous shade of black.
Red, vein-like lines crept across its skin, a clear sign that something was seriously wrong.
Growling in frustration and confusion, the wolf glared at Berserker, knowing that prolonging the fight would only lead to certain death.
In a desperate bid for survival, the wolf once more turned and fled, its lithe body weaving through the trees with incredible speed.
Behind it, Berserker roared in fury, his massive frame lurching clumsily as he ripped himself from the shattered earth. With an eerie glow in his red visor, the mad swordsman gave chase, his determination to claim his prey unyielding.
He had given up trying to move with his two feet and had instinctually reverted to using only his arms and legs.
Berserker grabbed hold of tree trunks and launched himself forward. From a different angle, it would have looked like he was climbing but in truth, it was just his pure momentum that was causing him to appear as so, all while leaving the trees partially destroyed in his wake.
The dense foliage was not going to slow down his chase.
0-0-0
Back at the area where the initial attack took place, the group was dressing its wounds.
Lyn, who seemed the most distraught out of everyone present, was assisting Nightingale, who was tending to Paul's mangled arm, to the best of her abilities.
Meanwhile, Martha was caring for Rama, who also received a major blow to his now reopened chest wound during the battle.
Billy the Kid frowned at the sight before he kneeled beside his wounded friend and looked at Nightingale with a worried expression.
"Is she going to be okay, Missus?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. He had only known Paul for a few months, but in that time she had become one of his most dear comrades. Seeing her covered in blood and in obvious pain was heart-wrenching for him.
After a few moments, Nightingale finished cleaning and fixing the girl's arm. "Yes, she'll be alright," she said, turning to face Billy. "Although her injuries will limit her ability to participate in future battles, especially after losing that blue ox of hers."
Billy let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "What a mess."
"Are all wolves from Earth this disgustingly powerful?" Lyn asked that question with anger and fear etched clearly in her words.
"I've slain many wolves back home, and none of my blades, especially Mani Katti, has failed to slice through their hide. But that thing... it didn't even notice my or Rama's attacks nor did it care."
"No. The wolves from our world are nothing like that beast that attacked us." Geronimo reassured the group. "That particular wolf, however, is an anomaly," he explained. "I can say with absolute certainty that that wolf was in no way a normal wolf or a single entity."
As they spoke, Corrin sat up on a nearby tree trunk, wincing in pain. "I nearly had it," she said, frustration evident in her voice. "But something hit me before I managed to bite its neck."
Geronimo's brows furrowed, "ah, so it seems this wolf has some kind of ability that prevents anyone from holding onto them should they attempt to make a mount," he said, his mind racing as he postulated the possible identity of the wolf that attacked them.
"Billy is correct, what a mess."
Corrin then looked around the area, looking a bit concerned about the lack of a certain person, "Where is Fujimaru-kun? Is he okay?"
Suddenly, Corrin felt a warm breath on her ear, followed by a soft whisper, "Worrying about someone else while you're this injured? How adorable~"
Corrin jumped in surprise at the sound of the woman's voice.
When she turned around, she was met by the provocative figure of a woman dressed in a red dress that looked more like nightclothes than something a proper noblewoman would wear.
Corrin was usually pretty open to different experiences and respected other cultures, but she found the attire of many female Heroic Spirits to be too revealing for her liking. Carmilla was one such person, and Corrin had to try her best to avoid staring at her exposed skin.
Out of all her love rivals, Carmilla was the most unsettling of the bunch, given her… horrific legend, and the woman knew it.
Not that anyone could blame her, as Corrin fit the criteria of her murder victims to a T. This fact only caused more discomfort, as the white-haired woman has on more than one occasion made a few too many intrusive and disturbing comments about the quality of her blood.
Corrin has done her best not to spend too much time around her, as the last thing she wants to do is for her blood to end up being used as shampoo for that luscious hair of hers.
"P-Please d-don't do that again!" Corrin couldn't help but say with a bit of trepidation in her voice.
Carmilla merely chuckled. "Oh, relax, girl. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. And as for your unrequited love," Carmilla smirked when she saw one of Corrin's eyelids twitch in annoyance.
"Unfortunately for you, that Mash girl beat you to the punch this time and is carrying him so that he wouldn't be left behind. Master said he wanted to make sure the beast was put down," Carmilla turned her gaze at Paul, her eyes lingering a bit too much on her bloodied wound, which caused everyone around them to tense. And surprisingly, for the first time since they had known each other, Billy and Lyn stood united by getting between Carmilla and Paul protectively.
After a moment of silence, she snorted at the reaction before she turned her gaze toward the forest, "Good grief, that Master of mine. He's usually very level-headed in these kind of situations, but he can be quite rash whenever young girls are involved. It makes me jealous."
Carmilla looked back to Corrin, "in any case, Master instructed me to inform you that they are closing in on the beast," she said, looking intently into Corrin's eyes before breaking eye contact and turning her back.
She made a display of walking away, but before she moved too far, she paused and added, "Master seldom becomes this agitated, and when he does, it's usually a sign that things will work out in our favor. Therefore, there's no need for you to worry about him. He can manage on his own, so take a seat and recuperate, or don't. It makes no difference to me."
Having said her peace, Carmilla astralized her body and hid from view.
0-0-0
The full moon hung over the forest.
Its soft light cascaded over the trees. Despite its serenity, the ground below was anything but.
Explosions rang out across the area.
Wood splintered and cracked under the power of Berserker as it continued to give chase to its prey.
The wolf had been running for a while, but after so much running, its luck ran out.
The foliage and trees thinned, and eventually gave way to a green meadow. The bright moonlight exposed the wolf, revealing its once-impenetrable fur was now matted, shaved in certain areas, and caked with dirt and blood from the relentless attacks it had barely managed to evade.
Its labored breaths indicated that it was exhausted, but the wolf refused to give up and continued to run across the field.
Just as the wolf made it halfway into the meadow, it felt its instincts flare up.
It moved to the side, just in time to avoid its dark pursuer as he lunged towards them.
The armor rolled and managed to stand in its way.
The wolf looked back and noticed that two humans and another spirit were standing on the other side.
It had been cornered.
They all glared at him with their hateful gazes, but it felt like out of all of them, the one aimed by the human male was the coldest. The wolf showed its teeth and snarled. Then, to everyone's surprise, the air over the wolf rippled, and before they knew it, another figure had appeared. The wolf's transformation revealed the form of a headless man hovering above it.
"So you finally show your true form, beast," a white spirit who stood next to the two humans said. "Regardless, it makes no difference. You are on my permanent naughty list, and I shall exact punishment for your misdeeds."
The white spirit raised its fists to its face, his feet spread, and his back hunched, a posture that seemed ready to lunge at the wolf at any moment.
The wolf took a quick glance behind it, and the black armor was standing on all fours, ready to pounce should the wolf so much as twitch.
Seeing its escape cut off, the wolf decided it was time to get serious. It flared its magical energy, then simultaneously released a world-shattering roar.
To everyone's shock, a pressure of pure hatred fell upon them.
The weight of the hatred from the wolf proved to be strong enough to give everyone, even Berserker, a moment of pause.
Then, the wolf moved, a thick aura of white mana enveloping its frame as it took the opportunity to sprint towards someone, not at Berserker, Saber Karna Santa, but rather the physically weakest individual in the area, the human master of these Heroic Spirits.
The wolf had activated a magical power from deep within, and the group immediately recognized it as a noble phantasm, although they had no idea what it did.
Regardless of its effects, it was aimed at Gudao, and no one present was going to allow that.
Unfortunately for the wolf, while it was fast and invulnerable to most attacks, the same could not be said for its rider.
The headless armor was unable to dodge Karna Santa's devastating punch, sending the rider flying and separating him from the wolf.
Berserker's drunken madness had not completely taken over his senses, and he was still able to prioritize what was an easier target. He turned his attention towards the rider, who appeared much weaker than the massive wolf, and grabbed him midair, then smashed his fist into his body, causing the steel and the ghostly rider to groan from the impact.
Back with the wolf, after losing its rider, its charged attack lost a considerable amount of power, breaking its ultimate attack but not enough to stop it in its tracks. It managed to bypass Karna Santa and, in a last-ditch effort, went straight towards the weak human.
Only for it to be him to be shield bashed in the face by the female human.
Despite being sent flying, the wolf received no damage, but that didn't last long.
The wolf let out a whimper as Karna Santa punched it in the jaw, leaving a bruise which was hidden by its fur. Without missing a beat, the pale boxer sent out a flurry of punches. Had they just been random punches, they would have done nothing to the wolf, however, the attacks were all aimed at one place, a joint where the leg met the shoulder, which had a much more painful result.
Just as Karna Santa was about to follow up on his attacks with a final blow, he was forced to dodge out of the way from an incoming weapon.
The pole scythe of the headless rider managed to keep the two separate, allowing the wolf enough time to gain some distance. Though due to the prior attack, it had resorted to using its uninjured legs to move away.
The action came at the expense of leaving the headless armor exposed.
Seeing his opportunity, Berserker swung Arondight with deadly precision. The blade sliced effortlessly through the armor of the dismounted wraith, cleaving the headless armor in two.
The two pieces of the headless rider fell to the ground, shimmering with a yellow glow before dissipating into motes of light.
With the dismounted headless rider defeated, Berserker's attention turned back to the wolf. However, to his frustration, the beast, injured as it was, had somehow managed to escape in the short window of time they had all been distracted.
"It ran away," Karna Santa clicked his tongue in annoyance, then he turned to Gudao, "Apologies, Master. The Beast got the better of us."
The boy sighed, "It can't be helped. We have no idea who or what it is, so don't beat yourself up over it." Gudao turned his attention to Berserker, who was now sniffing the air, searching for any sign of the fleeing creature. However, seeing as how Berserker did not move from where he was, he knew that he had lost track of it.
"Well, at least we managed to severely hurt it. Hopefully, it will learn not to mess with us again. Come on, let's go back."
"As you wish, Master," Karna Santa said as he disappeared from view.
"Yes, as you say, Master," Mash said.
"Come on, Berserker, you too."
Berserker, however, refused to listen and continued to ignore his master's orders in favor of searching the area. Gudao slapped his face when he remembered that in the heat of the moment, he had used a command seal and that it was still in effect given that Berserker had not technically fulfilled his original order.
'Perhaps I was a bit too hasty in using that command seal,' Gudao thought to himself as he stared at the frantic Berserker.
"Master?" Gudao was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his Kohai, who was looking at him with concern.
Gudao shook his head, "It's nothing Mashu. Just spaced out for a moment."
He lifted his arm once more, and another command seal was burned. Then, the image of his twin sister crying and holding her bruised arm briefly flashed in his mind before it was replaced by the image of Paul.
'Even so, I'll gladly do it again if I had to.'
"Berserker, disregard the previous command and cease your chase."
'So mark my words whoever or whatever you are, this isn't over.'
The command seal thrummed, and the order set in, but Berserker still seemed unsatisfied.
"I know. But there are more important things to do back in the camp, now come on, let's go." Gudao finished his command and climbed on Mashu's back once more before she dashed toward the camp once more.
Fury boiled within the mad swordsman as he clenched his fists, feeling the raw anger pulsating through his body.
He looked to the last place the wolf had been and released a bone-chilling war cry, vowing that the cowardly wolf wouldn't get away next time they ceossed paths.
0-0-0
*BZZZT*
Sita's eyes snapped open, jolted from her slumber by the deafening sound of the alarm. She groaned, rubbed her eyes, and clambered out of her lumpy, uncomfortable bed.
Another day had passed since she had been confined to the bleak walls of this prison.
Some soft snores caught her attention, and her focus shifted to the top bunk of her bed. She sighed and shook her head, wondering how the boy could always sleep through the noise.
She pulled herself up, using the edge of the bed frame as a handlebar, and looked over at her cellmate. A blonde haired little boy whose arms and legs were splayed out as he peacefully slept on his bed, a bubble of snot expanding and contracting from his nose with his breaths.
"Beta, it's morning. Wake up," she said, shaking him gently. Beta wasn't actually the boy's name, as it was actually an affectionate nickname that people in her culture called their son, daughter or any young child.
Since Beta didn't trust her with his True Name or even class, that is what she defaulted to calling him.
The bubble popped, causing the young blonde starry blue eyes to open a crack. He let out a yawn before rubbing his eyes and looking at her, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Sita? Whazzgoinon?"
"It's morning. Get dressed and come down before the guards show uo," she replied with a strict, motherly tone.
"Coming…" The boy got up from his bed and stretched before he once again rubbed a bit of the sleep from his eyes. Then he clumsily climbed down the metal ladder and presented himself before her.
He was currently only wearing some orange pants and a thin white shirt; his orange overshirt was still haphazardly tossed in the corner of the dirty cell.
Sita did not complain as she went to the corner and picked up the shirt before dressing his small frame. She noticed a small trail of saliva near his cheek and, out of instinct, she grabbed a loose part of her orange shirt and cleaned up his drool, much like how a mother would.
After helping him freshen up, they walked out of their cell, dressed in matching orange prison uniforms alongside their fellow prisoners, waiting for the zombie soldier to conduct a headcount.
"Attention, you heathens, headcount is about to begin. If you do so much as twitch without our permission, you will face heavy discipline!" the zombie soldier bellowed as he marched down the line with a clipboard.
Sita and Beta did their best not to move and to do as directed, but Sita couldn't help but let her eyes wander to her fellow prisoners. Unlike the people she had encountered prior to being imprisoned, these people were neither Heroic spirits like her and Beta, wraiths, or even natives of this time.
These men and women were lost souls from the modern world.
Someway, somehow, whatever brought the prison into this moment in time had taken its prisoners with them.
Although she knew many deserved to be here, a decent chunk of them were being given punishments worse than what their government had issued them, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Heathens!" Sita's attention was brought back to reality hearing the bellow of the zombified soldier's voice.
"Move to the cafeteria for breakfast. Her Majesty Queen Medb has granted you the privilege of nourishment, and do not forget to pay your respects!"
Sita mentally rolled her eyes, she had been living in this prison for months now and even her patience was starting to run thin after hearing that same line over and over again.
"Come on, Beta," she said, nudging the blonde boy forward.
The trip to the cafeteria was a short one, as it was a routine she had grown used to by now.
Nearly all the food they gave them was bland and slightly watery Dalia.
As an Indian, and a member of the Hindu faith, she was thankful to the gods for this small mercy, given that it was a normal breakfast in her culture.
Beta, on the other hand, seemed more disappointed by his rations but still ate them.
But the same could not be said about their fellow imprisoned.
"Man, fuck this soupy cardboard crap!" Sita and Beta's peaceful breakfast was interrupted by the sound of fists hitting a wooden table.
Sita, alongside everyone else's eyes, were drawn to a young woman as she angrily stood from her chair and marched to the nearest guard, carrying the bowl of Dalia in her hand.
"Sit back down, prisoner," the Celtic warrior demanded.
"No. Not until you give us some real fucking food!" the prisoner matched his gaze without flinching.
"You heathens are unworthy of anything but this. Consider yourselves lucky we are even feeding you," his eyes narrowed dangerously, "sit down or else."
"Make me, you Renaissance fair reject! We are American citizens! You can't treat us like this!" she protested.
The Celtic warrior sneered. "You're not in America anymore. You're here to be reformed, to become model citizens that serve Her Majesty," he replied, unsheathing his sword. "Sit back down, NOW."
The inmate didn't back down. "I don't care about your slut of a queen! I know my rights!" she exclaimed.
Before she could continue her tirade, the sound of steel piercing flesh hit everyone's ears.
"Aaahhh!"
Then, her angry voice turned into a horrible shriek as she realized that she had been stabbed in the gut.
The Celtic warrior raised his leg and kicked the woman away, the force and velocity causing her body to collide on the newly reinforced stone walls, a streak of blood left behind as her body slid to the ground.
Many of the other prisoners looked at the gory display in silence. A few of the newer prisoners were looking at the brutality with horror while others simply didn't care and went back to eat their meals.
Sita, on the other hand, had covered Beta's eyes the moment the woman was stabbed, protecting his innocence from the brutality.
The Celtic warrior stomped toward the remains of the woman before turning his hateful dead stare toward the cafeteria.
"Now you all know the consequence of speaking our Queen's name in vain," the Celtic warrior growled. "Anyone else who dares to defy Her orders or slander her good will shall meet the same fate."
As soon as the soldier sheathed his blade, the tense atmosphere went back to normal once more.
Sita looked at the body of the young woman, who was now being dragged out of the cafeteria like a slaughtered animal, with sadness in her eyes.
While she was an abrasive person, Sita knew she didn't deserve such treatment. She wanted to do something, but there were too many enemies and the deputy warden of the facility would be too much for her to handle, even with Beta's help.
She would endanger every human in this prison if she tried to fight back. Even as a divine spirit, she felt powerless to do anything. All she could do is pray, pray that her Rama will reach her and save her.
"Rama, my love, please hurry."
Author's Note: Sorry this took a while, I had to do some massive rewrites for this chapter because I did not like where it would have headed had I left it as it was, on top of doing interview prep.
Originally, I was planning on having the Berserker and the scene at Rikers Island be separate chapters, but I didn't want to drag out the story too much so I had them merge.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the fight scene. Unlike many other authors, I love writing them. It was originally going to be a one on one between Hessian Lobo and Berserker but I decided to have Karna Santa and Gudao join the fray, but let me know what you think.
Another thing I changed was Hessian Lobo's fate. I planned on having Berserker just outright kill Hessian Lobo in this chapter but I decided it was better if I had at least Lobo survive.
Also to those who know the identity of Beta, just remember that in FGO, anything goes and I hope you don't mind I added him over someone like day, Calamity Jane.
I had planned on having him be a companion of Hessian Lobo but I felt this was the better option.
As a reminder, I will end SSR after America, and will only show snippets of Gudao's adventure via omakes as I have some fun scenes I want to show, but don't want to commit a full arc to.
Also, I have only a few weeks of free time left before starting a job in May so I will do my best to get my ducks straight and finish planning out the rest of this arc.
Thanks for your patience and for reading my story and I'll see you next time.
