"... huh, guess I could have guessed after all," Gudao grinned. "I mean, money is of course useful in mundane matters and magical energy is basically the premium currency equivalent among magi, but there would be something even higher up. Like Gold to the Silver and Copper. Or Electrum, whatever that actually is."
"I expected the Masters of Chaldea would understand," Marie agreed happily with him. Walking alongside her, Artoria didn't seem particularly positive despite their destination being her own homeland.
"There's a lot that could be said about that, though now I have to wonder how deep in the hole Chaldea is for favors by now," Gudako added from across her partner's shoulder.
"You'd be about even at worst," Elizabeth piped up from her position at the front due to her powerful "cone effect" as Gudako had put it. "Timelines are always a bit of a tangle, but there's definitely interest in the Chaldea System, especially since word-of -mouth spreads rather quickly in the Throne."
"It's outside of time, wouldn't everyone already know about everything by 'now'?" Gudao asked.
"She just said timelines are complicated," Euryale retorted from above their heads. Of course the group's Archer was dutifully scanning the horizon for possible hostiles.
"Even if all you wanted was for humanity to not be destroyed, we still need some 'in' to manifest. The setup that, ahem, a certain young inventor helped set up does a lot in providing a door that doesn't just go to another Battle Royale-slash-tournament deal," da Vinci added into the conversation helpfully. "Trust me, I doubt that most Chaldeas would need to call in favors to get most Heroic Spirits to agree to go, the problem is actually for us to get through an open door as it were - shifting goalposts have nothing on the summoning roll."
"One moment, everyone." Artoria broke into the conversation suddenly. "I have a feeling we might be near one of the borders that Chloe mentioned."
"Really?" Euryale tried to look down at da Vinci's equipment, but the angle was wrong due to her height. "Everything looks normal to me, but..."
"Well, perhaps." da Vinci wasn't certain of what her instrument readings meant. "I suppose we should prepare the sleigh, then."
"If our 'Santa' has such a specific feeling about this, we might as well take it seriously," Gudako agreed. "But have you figured out how it works?"
"There don't seem to be any controls that I can see," the Rider concluded, "So I'd expect it only does the one thing, so we should follow Chloe's instructions.
Nodding, Gudao reached out and grasped one edge of the sleigh after Asterios helpfully let it down to the ground. "I sure hope it doesn't use anywhere as much magical energy as a Rayshift, since the two of us can't provide -that-."
"That Chloe seems like a trustworthy manager-type," Elizabeth said with a positive take on the Archer. "The Mystic Code is practically part of this Event after all."
"Let's slowly feed in energy and we'll see how it goes then," Gudako shrugged. "Everyone grab hold and the two of us can get started."
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(A Run-Down Fortress)
A lone Avenger frowned while looking around the ruins of her once-fortress. It hadn't taken long to see though the initial illusion that had greeted her upon manifesting in this pocket world, but she knew enough of the ways of magecraft to also see that it wouldn't have been nearly as easy if the creator had put a serious effort into it.
"Pendragon. How unexpected to meet you here. And your allies. Again." It was not delivered in a friendly tone, but neither was it hostile. "I've heard your court mage is very skilled with Illusions."
"I suppose so," the addressed Saber needlessly adjusted her Santa hat. "I've never once asked him to make trouble though - he's very much a free spirit."
"Of course. Should I take it that he's set you on more errands for his amusement?" Two pairs of pale eyes stared into one another as though it was a prelude to battle.
"It would be more accurate to think of that as his fee, tax, kickback," Gudako spoke up into the growing silence.
"That's unsettlingly accurate for someone who never met the man." After another moment, Artoria reached into her sack of presents and pulled out what looked like a stereotypical royal cape, complete with a brooch.
"That definitely doesn't fit in my timeline," the dark Boudica refused before the year's Santa had even taken stock of what had come into her hands. "Or, more importantly, the theme my spirit origin has going on."
"Maybe you need a director who can get you a new one for the new season," Elizabeth suggested blithely. "Staying the same forever isn't very interesting, after all."
"Enough of your usual idol-track mind," Artoria extended her right hand as her Caliburn, gleaming a rich dark blue, came to hand. "We'll settle this the traditional Santa way."
"But that's just a battle," Euryale groaned.
"Exactly." The Princess Knight took a stance, still holding her sack loosely with her left hand.
"Guess that's just the way these things go," da Vinci concluded cheerfully.
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*cling*
*clang*
Two swords clashed lightly. Neither side looked about to commit, rather they were gauging the level of the opposition.
Artoria kept turning to keep her right side pointed towards Boudica, seeing that her left arm was preoccupied and therefore potentially less defensible. It didn't take the other swordswoman long to realize this, and she kept trying to get in, but didn't fully go all in on that strategy. Perhaps there was still the unstated factor of the other Chaldeans around.
"... should we sing carols or something?" Elizabeth asked after a moment of this back and forth.
"Don't interrupt, please," Gudako headed her off casually.
The combat seemed relatively close, as such things went, until the Princess Knight pulled her weapon back a bit too far, giving the Queen an opening which the other immediately took. Darting in quickly, the Sword of Unpromised Victory drove towards Artoria's left side.
With surprising effortlessness, the Saber swung her bag of presents which easily not only batted aside Boudica's weapon, but actually sent it flying from her hand due to the unexpected angle and heft of the impact. Several people blinked in surprise at the unexpected reversal in the moment before Artoria deftly swept one of the Avenger's legs out from under her, sending the other woman to the ground.
"Ahem." As though it was the most natural response, Santa reached into her bag, withdrew the previously-offered cape, and threw it over Boudica's fallen form. "That concludes this present delivery. No signature required."
"..." Those onlooking were not quite as certain as Santa was that it truly counted, but no one was about to say so as she walked over to the group.
"We have a schedule to keep," Artoria said simply, prompting nods from the Masters.
"One moment." Holding onto the cape as she got to her feet, Boudica looked at the attached brooch with some recognition. "I was serious about it not matching my Spirit Origin. I can't just go about like this, you know."
Artoria turned around to face her before replying, "That's your decision, I can't make it for you."
"The World was never going to allow your Britain to continue either," Boudica said bitterly, eyeing the blued Sword of Selection. "You know that, don't you?"
"I'm not the King of Knights."
"I didn't mistake you for them."
The Princess Knight sighed heavily before taking off her Santa hat. "Sorry, but I'll be going off the clock for a bit," she told Gudako, who nodded for the rest of them. With the Master's approval, Artoria passed over the present bag for the time being, stepping over towards Boudica for a more private conversation.
"I take it the mastermind showed you something specific," she picked up the topic directly.
"Yes, but I doubt you'd think he was cheating," Boudica looked into her counterpart's similar pale eyes. "You've seen the same truths about the World System."
"I did." The dark blue one thought for a while, comparing her back-hued conversation partner of the moment with the other one standing in the Chaldea group. "It doesn't really follow that trashing all of Human History would change the World. Maybe technically, but there would be just nothing left, hardly any room for improvement. It's possible to build in a wasteland, but nothingness? That's beyond me."
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"We're heading back south now?" Euryale asked in some confusion as the group left Boudica's fortress.
"Map-wise, yes. But really, when we get back to the boundary, you'll see that the spaces here are not connected in the usual manner," da Vinci guessed, looking to the group's Santa for confirmation. "We're headed south the same way we took to get here, but the readings ahead don't look the same."
"It's like taking stops on a tour," Elizabeth suggested brightly.
"I have to admire, somewhat, how you can fit everything into that one framing device," Gudao mumbled to no one in particular. Well, given her predilections, Elizabeth would have taken it as encouragement anyway.
"If the pattern is: meeting people we've encountered before, then clearly we're about to deliver a present to... Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus," Gudako abruptly injected into the conversation.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's that Nero Claudius we met," Artoria immediately denied her Master.
"Oh, well that's conventional enough," Gudao grinned. "What's her deal anyway? By the second time we met her, well summoned her into Elizabeth's Event that is, it seemed obvious that there was some version of Sasaku trying to get her Chaldea's version of Nero on the stage, so to speak."
"Now you're doing it too," Marie giggled to herself. "But maybe this one will cinch the, uh... contract?"
"Ugh, enough of that," the self-proclaimed 'idol-type goddess' grimaced while trying to cut off her companions' terrible attempts at wordplay. "Isn't that the boundary right ahead? Asterios, let down that sleigh so we can get a move on."
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(A Gold-Hued Theater)
"Sup !" Elizabeth happily greeted her (according to her) junior idol, who seemed to have been occupied with industriously stacking up crates of crimson petals for some reason.
"Hmm? Oh, ahem. Hello." The other girl took a moment to fully process the ongoing events. "I mean, don't you know it's rude to sneak in backstage without a pass?"
"Our magical sleigh dropped us right off outside, and we just walked in through the front door," Marie explained, at least putting up a good show of taking the objection seriously.
"I'm Santa, I have a present to deliver to you. Take it," Artoria produced the item, which seemed to be in a small but oddly-rounded box.
"Umu... of course! My thanks." After accepting the present, Nero appeared at a loss as to how to proceed.
"By the way," Artoria asked after a moment of silence had passed. "Did, by any chance, a real looker of a magus, fluffy-like, put you up to this job?"
"No? This is a little personal project of mine. Don't worry though, Master and our Ruler said it was ok."
"That wouldn't happen to be our Ruler, would it?" Gudao remembered what Nero had said about her home Chaldea before. "About this tall, school uniform, talking wand, transforms?"
"Not that short, I think? Oh and I don't recall her wearing a uniform. Wouldn't that be a bit odd for a Servant from before those were a thing?"
"But she has a magical girl wand and transforms, right? Why would that bit be surprising in any way?" Euryale frowned. "Oh but anyway Master, Servants are usually summoned as copies after all. There's no reason why you would have somehow gotten a 'first' one that the others come from."
"Huh? There's no need to have any first," Nero sounded surprised at the notion. "If you haven't really encountered, I mean formed a bond with, a particular Servant in the, what was it... the 'reference class,' then you might get a fresh draw from the eligible group. But you can get, yes a copy, but one 'as known' to you. Take for example..."
The red-dressed Servant thought for a moment before her attention returned to Elizabeth. "What were your last memories, just before getting summoned?"
The Lancer blinked for a few seconds while trying to recall. "I was going back home to the Moon as the Singing Pumpkin Event ended, yeah? I mean, I'm not super clear on how I actually got to the Event, but I'd expect to return in some way like that rather than being redirected into a summoning, as it were."
"Right. So there might be a few versions of you from even before that, a number from the concert, and from your current self, another Chaldea might summon 'this' version of you. In short, there's an extra type of connection between different Chaldeas."
"Is that because of how our Grail System is set up?" Gudako wondered aloud for the rest of them. It seemed to her like one of those details that might be important at some future point.
"Ruler can create backups, or that's how she explained it," Nero couldn't do much more than repeat what she had heard on the matter. "It doesn't seem like those sub-versions can generally be summoned, only if you happen to have bonded with one in particular."
"I see !" Elizabeth happily concluded the conversation, in part because it wasn't making much sense to her by that point. But more importantly, "So I can't help but wonder what that item is that our Santa pulled out for you."
"It's kind of rude to pry into such things," Marie frowned at the idol.
"Well my senses are telling me that it is something critical to my future career, in fact, something I asked da Vinci about a few times but she refused to help even though clearly her 'genius' self could have easily gotten it done," the dragon Servant insisted. "It is that isn't it? Something so handy it definitely belongs in the kit of a modern performer !"
"Since you're insisting... it's a headset with microphone?" Nero cracked open the box to peek inside. Gudako suddenly realized what had gotten Elizabeth's idol-senses so interested.
The would-be performer couldn't give 'proper' concerts in their Chaldea because, among other things, her microphone stand was also a weapon; meaning she had to agree to keep things within the Training Grounds. Of course da Vinci could put together a normal headset, but any mundane item would be destroyed in short order - making something that could stand up to Elizabeth would be quite an achievement but totally not worth the opportunity cost of the inventor's time."
"Well this clearly proves it's possible, doesn't it?" Elizabeth asked Gudako, who only sighed, knowing that wasn't ever in question.
"Cut Rider some slack, will you," Gudao tried to bring her back into line. "She already overworks herself like a ... a producer I guess? Besides everyone knows that Christmas presents are special, so maybe you need to wait until Santa visits you."
"But Santa is right here with us."
"I don't think your own Chaldea's Santa counts," Artoria rebutted her dryly.
"It would be really great if you could drop in to our Chaldea some time," Gudako quietly tried inviting Nero. "Based off your own experiences I think you can guess why."
Nero only nodded, having indeed had some experience with her home's Elizabeth. "She seems to be quite the traveller, as it were."
"Oh, that's probably because she got a lot of help. Whoever this 'BB' person in the Mooncell branches is, they seem like Ruler but less restricted. And they have the help of future developments, at that."
"Makes sense."
"Oh there's nothing for it to connect to, I should've noticed earlier," Elizabeth said with some disappointment while looking about and finding none of the expected speaker systems needed for a concert.
"Sorry, but we're still under construction." Nero looked at the headset with a growing sense of interest in the device. "I'll be sure to send you an invitation to the grand opening."
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Notes:
That's three of seven. The Chaldea network continues to grow...
Artoria (I guess it would be Saber Lily Alter) has a dark blue color, not black like Saber Alter. So her Caliburn has the appearance of blued steel, not black with bright red inlays.