Author Note
Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Avalon Bond. A few comments about last chapter's reviews, before we begin the chapter.
Drageos – Actually, I don't recall in my stories the precise moment when I described Shirou's Realty Marble to being the same as Archer's, so if you could point it out, I will go and correct it. There are a few similiarites between them...the hill of swords, similar even to the Hill of Camlann where Arturia held her last breath. But in Archer's, the skies are filled with black fog and there are gigantic black gears. Shirou's sky is like a twilight sunset (my beta's words). Plus, with Arturia and Muramasa in his life, it's indded bount to be even brighter, similar to perhaps Avalon. Yeah, that would be amazing, indeed. I appreciate the correction and I stand corrected.
KaneGehabite – I will be frank…for now, I have a few ideas for Camelot, but I still don't have everything lined up to tell you. What I can state is that Mordred won't appear on both sides, she will be one of Chaldea's servants.
Not much else to discuss before the chapter, so please enjoy!
Avalon Bond
Part II – Fate Grand Order
Chapter 34 – Londinium Part IV
Beta: Axel Emiya
After the skirmish in Soho, that resulted in another servant joining their cause, the group had decided to return to Jekyll's apartment to see what else the scholar had for them. Like everyone expected, Mordred and Andersen kept on bickering with one another the entire way back…well, more like Mordred attempting to get a rise out of the book author and him throwing back cunning edge mockery at the Knight of Treachery. Arturia, meanwhile, was walking next to the distraught Boudica, while Shirou was by Mash and Ritsuka's side.
"How are you feeling, Boudica?" The Queen of Promised Victory smiled sadly, as she turned to her fellow Britannia comrade.
"I'm fine Arturia, you don't need to ask it repeatedly." However, by her sudden downed look, it was clear that her answer was far from the truth. "I…I just miss them, that's all."
"Your daughters…" Boudica nodded, while still saddened.
"History hadn't been kind to them or any of my family, miss Arturia. After my husband perished, many members of my family were turned into slaves, but the Roman soldiers, at the time…they…" Arturia quieted Boudica, before she went there, for as she knew, unfortunately, what ended up happening. It happened to most women who were victimized during times of war. Unfortunately, this vile act wasn't resumed to the enemies, as she knew her own troops at the time had a couple of bad apples who rejoiced it in such vile acts. There were not worthy of being called knights.
"Let us remember about their courage…I did recall you saying that your daughters fought courageously alongside you against the Romans." Boudica this time managed to smile proudly.
"That they did…indeed, Arturia, they fought and defended their country…our country." Arturia, this time, joined in the smile.
"In a way, your daughters paved the way for Britania's unity in the future, Queen Boudica." Arturia then wondered around the premises of dear old London. "I truly wish you could see the London of Shirou's time. It's truly beautiful and filled with life, thanks, in no small amount, to the sacrifice of your family." Boudica looked around as well, but this foggy London didn't portray Arturia's image that well.
However, it only required a bit of imagination for the Queen of Promised Victory to rejoice at the imagery that is now playing inside her mind. The past, overall, paves the way for the future. The sacrifices and blood of thousands, perhaps, millions more along the centuries after her passing, contributed to the world that is today…and this world happened to be under threat right now by an unknown entity.
"You as well can take a lot of credit for that, right, oh King Arthur…"
The King of Knights smiled as she remembered her history and how her actions brought about the end of the roman's influence over Britania over time.
Eventually, the group then arrived at Jekyll's apartment.
===Jekyll's apartment===
Once everyone settled inside, Andersen merely said that he would be setting his studies in a nearby room and vanished.
"Everyone, thanks for solving the Soho incident…now, Mordred…hey, not my cough again!" Mash sweat dropped as Mordred had once more thrown herself on top of her seemingly favorite couch, much to Jekyll's sigh.
"What…I'm tired…walking around that fog all the time, gets tiring. Not to mention that I had to fight a damn book, but nothing seemed to work." Mash had released her shield relic to rest some as well, while Shirou tended to Arturia and Boudica's low-energy levels. Indeed, they had all wasted a lot of energy trying everything they had, short of using their noble phantasms, on a book that almost didn't suffer any damage. Shirou was tired as well, but with Avalon inside him, he could at least replenish their energies to acceptable levels.
"I'm sorry, but rest isn't available at the moment, Mordred." The Knight of Treachery sighed at the slavedriver human.
"It's never is…what happened now?"
"Jack the Ripper is back…" Jekyll had to stop when Mordred voices a loud complaint, before Arturia ushers her to stop, forcing a pout from the Homunculus. "And this time they're not after women in the fog. They're currently placing Scotland Yard under siege. There are plenty of calls for help from stations all over London."
"Damn that sneaky little bastard…" For once, Arturia didn't correct her son, as the feeling was quite mutual.
"Yeah, when we faced him at the beginning, he attacked us, while hiding beneath a heavy fog…heavier than the one that is now." Mash commented as she turned to Arturia and Shirou.
"Assassin type servants are like that, indeed. In the two grail wars I participated in, the Assassin from the first one was perhaps the deadliest foe I have ever encountered. The second one turned out to be a skilled swordsman from Shirou's homeland, but no less deadly with his sword." Despite the circumstances, Arturia respected her encounter with Sasaki Kojiro. It made her quite admire and even study, together with Shirou, the many sword styles, hailed from Japan, throughout the ages.
"Huh, now that I wanted to see…father having trouble in a sword fight with a foreigner."
Mordred thought that like in previous encounters, her father wouldn't show any sort of emotion towards her taunt, but she wasn't expecting to hear a snort.
"Trust me, Mordred, against this swordsman, you would perish quite rapidly." Shirou thought it best to step in or else they wouldn't leave the apartment so soon. As such, he took a step forward in between the Pendragon members and directed a question to Jekyll, ignoring Mordred's outburst and Boudica's chuckle at the interaction. Despite Shirou knowing Arturia to speak the truth, now was not the time to discuss sword styles or whether or not Mordred would lose in a fight against Kojiro.
"We need to get going, then…is there anything else we need to verify, Mr. Jekyll?" The scholar negated.
"Only that time is of the essence right now. So, you need to arrive there as soon as possible."
So, the group composed of Ritsuka, Mash, Shirou, Arturia and Boudica left the apartment, with Shirou carrying Ritsuka, so that they could arrive faster.
===Scotland Yard===
Along the way, the group got assaulted by multiple enemies, Automatas and Helter-Skelters.
With Shirou carrying Ritsuka, Mash became free to engage the enemies, without fear of endangering her master. She along with Arturia, Boudica and Mordred, then, steamed through the opposition, nonstop. Still, despite their superior strength, the enemies had superior numbers, forcing Shirou to even the odds with his arrows from a distance, while carrying Ritsuka. The master, for his part, was working hard in keeping himself together. The redhead was not known for restraining himself in combat. Despite it all, master managed to hold on, as soon as the servants stopped moving, once Mordred indicated their arrival at the all too famous Scotland Yard bureau.
Mash, though, quickly approached as Shirou placed the lightheaded Ritsuka down.
"Senpai, are you okay?" Shirou humorously placed both hands on his waist as he observed the brunette teen take his time to adjust to his surroundings.
"I…I'll manage, Mash…thanks." The noise from Romani's intercom was brought to life as everyone got closer to hearing the good doctor.
"Okay, I won't take too much of your time, since I can see that you're quite busy. About the Helter Skelters, Da Vinci had just provided me with a partial analysis so far."
Mordred looked around and saw that the Scotland Yard bureau was closer. She was itching to get moving already, but having information on those pieces of metal would indeed be to their advantage. "First of all, unlike Mr. Jekyll said, our video footage showed no traces of magecraft. It's indeed a pure machine, seemingly operated by steam, which is quite surprising. Steam back then powered trains and industrial machines…that's all…for steam to be used in this form, it's truly mind-blowing…well, that's enough for now, carry on…don't mind me." Ritsuka chuckled a bit as the servants looked forward, while Mash stayed by his side.
"Let's get going, then, the building is right up ahead." Mordred said as she pushed forward, before waiting for the rest to follow.
When everyone appeared in front of the building, they were surprised to see it in complete shambles, which meant that they were too late to stop it. Still, the Knight of Treachery wasn't about to leave empty-handed and looked around the premises for any sight of the perpetrator behind this attack. She caught vestige of high speed movement from beneath the fog and dashed some more, before standing face to face with the Assassin servant known collectively as Jack the Ripper. A little girl by the looks of things, with gray hair and yellow eyes, holding a twin set of knives.
"Oh, so you came here, huh?" Her melodic voice added by its child-like quality brought chills to the group. "So, what should we do, we wonder? Should we kill you? One, two, the more the merrier for us. We had killed a lot, but we're still hungry for more, you see. The police officers don't have much magical energy, so I really do appreciate you all coming along…I bet we'll be full after we eat your magical energy." The small child had even licked one of her blades for good measure, earning a snarl from Mordred at once again having to face this elusive foe.
"So, we had arrived too late…those metal bastards kept us occupied long enough and now everyone is dead."
Before Mordred could make one step to engage Jack, Mash stopped her, after a report from Romani.
"Mordred, Doctor said that another servant is nearby…" The Knight of Treachery and the others looked around beneath the fog for the second presence, while Jack stood there, with the same sinister smile on her face.
Beneath the fog, a shape began to take form, before a man appeared next to Jack. Long brown hair, wearing a white overcoat on top of a dark blue turtleneck sweater. Arturia and Shirou had locked eyes with this new foe, but could not discern any evil-like tendencies, unlike the other servants that appeared so far. Still, seeing as the girl wasn't surprised nor did she react by his appearance, then it meant that whoever this guy is, he is together with her and therefore against Chaldea.
"Oh, so we have more company…I see…greetings to you all, I'm a Caster servant and one of the leaders of the Project I'm sure you're aware of. Please, just call me P."
"So, you're the one who ordered the attack on the Scotland Yard?" The servant named P turned to Arturia and ascertained.
"Yes and no…it's indeed a complex set of circumstances, miss. While it was a necessary sacrifice, their deaths were indeed horrific. This girl has no compassion within her at all. It's a tragedy, indeed. Man is to be loved. Love and emotions are both noble, brilliant notions. But…sometimes, they pale in comparison to the greater good." Arturia was once again caught by surprise to see sorrow etched in his expression. "Something we need was kept inside Scotland Yard. You'd figure that the Mage Association and the Clock Tower would put a heavy magical seal on, right…but they didn't." The group from Chaldea stood at attention for an attack at any time, but this P servant, whoever he is, just didn't give them the impression that he would engage.
"You don't strike me as someone with dark intentions, however at the same time, you just openly admitted to killing people in the name of a greater good."
P then turned to Shirou and smiled at him.
"Indeed…it's quite the paradox, wouldn't you agree. I am so filled with sorrow I cannot control myself. Humans, possessing emotion, should be sacred. My power, however, cannot save them…and looking now, it could never save them. Time is being incinerated, humanity is being incinerated. The march of civilization is all disappearing…only four more singularities to go and that's it…it's sad, so sad, indeed." Mash was getting angry at the man's words. He may speak of sorrow, but his actions betrayed his words. Just like she remembered Captain Drake's words of wisdom about sinners doing saintly deeds while saints sin. Looking at this man before her, Drake's words rang quite true.
"Like Shirou-senpai says, your words are a contradiction. You used Jack to take human lives, you're surely one without compassion."
P, though, only looked at Mash at the accusation.
"Perhaps, you're right, young girl…we mages, after all, think and act similarly. One example would be as follows." P, then, turned to Jack. "Jack, you handle them…perhaps, they might be your mother." Those words spoke something inside the little girl, just as the guy named P vanished just like he came.
"They…might…" Jack's smile then turned evil as she continued. "we see…hmmm…okay…then we'll do to you what we did to mommy, okay?"
She giggled once more, as the fog around them got thicker.
As soon as that happened, though, Mordred's sword ignited red and it dissipated the fog. Jack, though, kept looking around in wonder, while Mordred just showed her battle-like grin for everyone to see.
"When I'm done with you, little twerp, you wish you'd go cry back to mommy."
Mordred had then quickly advanced and engaged in a ferocious battle with Jack, while Shirou observed Jack's knives. For some reason, though, he couldn't trace those knives…he couldn't see its history…it's like it's empty darkness.
Meanwhile, just like in their previous encounters, Jack would send her knives from a distance and Mordred would reflect them with her Clarent. After that, Jack would take cover beneath the fog.
"That strategy is getting old fast…!" Mordred, once more, focused prana through her sword and the red electro shocks dissipated the fog. Mordred, at this point, had separated herself from the rest of the group, but her mind had one goal at this point…to kill this bastard once and for all. Those from Chaldea came here later…this fight is hers and her alone. Her mood turned sour when Mash appeared and tried to intercept Jack, only for the girl to use her shield as a trampoline to vanish once more into the fog.
"Hey shield girl, this is my fight…scram." Mash sweat dropped as Mordred passed through her. The shield servant, then, jumped at the nearest building rooftop where Shirou, Boudica, Arturia and Ritsuka were observing the carnage.
Shirou kept his over-reaching eyes focused on the battle down below, with his bow up and ready to fire. He then locked on Jack's position and was about to fire, when a voice screamed in his mind.
'Hey mother, if you do that…you'll regret it. Like I said to Mash, this fight is mine'.
The redhead servant sighed and turned to the father, who just shrugged it off, while listening to Mordred's swearing words one by one, through their shared link.
"Ah, aren't we helping her…Jack may get away once more." Ritsuka pointed out as he turned to Mash for her to back him up. The shield servant was truly at a loss about how to proceed here.
"I'm guessing that miss Mordred is quite keen on showing off, huh…I wonder from whom she got that from?" Arturia looked at Boudica's humorous comment and rolled her eyes, earning giggling from the Queen of Promised Victory.
Shirou, then, turned to Arturia for a new proposition.
"Well, at least, I can keep Jack the Ripper from escaping here…so Mordred can finish her." Before Arturia could respond with her acceptance, Mordred's voice cursing Jack went through their shared link once more.
"I would rather you simply take care of it yourself, Shirou, but then we would have to deal with her complaining, afterward. So, yeah, I guess your plan is the best we have at the moment." Shirou nodded and once more got his bow and arrow ready, before releasing a rain of projectiles to keep Jack the Ripper grounded, next to Mordred. The Knight of Treachery had landed some nice cuts in all of Jack's limbs, but the girl would heal rather quickly. So, that forced her to take things up a notch by attacking with her prana laced Clarent, forcing Jack to use evasive actions to escape.
Shirou's arrows, however, proved to be accurate as hell and Mordred was caught up between cursing at him and comparing his skills to that depressing bastard Sir Tristan.
'Mother, what did I…' Mordred was about to complain once more, when an arrow ended up hitting Jack on her back, when Arturia's commanding voice boomed inside her head.
'Mordred, finish this fight already…we have places to be.'
'Tsk, fine.'
Jack then realized that she got concerned and looked frightened when her eyes caught sight of Clarent inches from her neck. She was decapitated, before she could call her mother and released back to the Throne.
Once her body turned into golden sands to be returned to the throne, the rest of the group from Chaldea jumped down to meet the clearly grumpy looking Mordred, whose blaming eyes were focused solely on Shirou.
The redhead servant, for his part, scratched the back of his head in wonder.
"Okay, so what do we do now? Back to Jekyll's apartment?" Ritsuka asked as he ignored Mordred throwing a fit at Shirou and Arturia for meddling in her fight against Jack the Ripper. But, the Knight of Treachery ended up hearing the master's question and turned to him.
"Nah, I'm getting tired of going back and forward…the night is still young, let's continue the patrol. Perhaps, we can find that P jackass, so that I introduce Clarent to him."
Since technically, Mordred was the one guiding them along the path, it was imperative they tagged along. As such, the group continued the patrol, facing weaker foes along the way, homunculi, automata and a few helter skelters. While none of them posed much of a threat, it was clear that Mordred was feeling the strain of keeping up the fighting. Of course, Arturia had a word or two as to why her son was feeling this tired, just as she saw Mordred using Clarent for balance.
"Hmpf, more gutless enemies defeated…uhh, when it's going to end?" Mordred was taking long breaths, attempting to recover her energy, when Shirou kneeled next to her and used his healing magecraft on her.
Despite feeling the strength returning to her, she still felt uncomfortable receiving help like this.
"There is a reason you're feeling this exhausted, Mordred." The Knight of Treachery looked to the side to see her father's look…those penetrating green eyes that always belittled her. Still today, she felt the urge to rebel. "Since we came into this singularity, you have taken upon yourself to fight on your own, every time. Even you have limits you must pay attention to." Mordred tsked and turned her face in protest at Arturia's words, but her eyes ended up focusing on Shirou's instead, who had just finished bringing her energy to optimal levels.
However, he figured that this was a good opportunity for him to share a bit of his history with Arturia and how those very words were used on him, in their timeline.
"You know…I remember Arturia saying similar words to me, back when we were master and servant." The homunculi blinked a few times, focusing on what Shirou had to say. "Back in our Grail War, I wasn't a good enough mage…I didn't have enough prana to sustain her, so I asked her to help me train, so that I could help her another way." Mordred snorted at that, a mere human thinking he could participate in a servant's battle. Still, her thoughts carried through and Shirou only laughed at that. "Yeah, it was quite risky of me, but I was young back then and was really eager to help. Anyway, during our practices, she beat me into a sweat every time, but I got up every time, demanding more. She eventually stopped me from pushing too hard." Mordred, though, kept up the look of doubt.
"Why are you telling me this, Mother? It's not like this is the same situation?" Shirou then got up and crossed his arms.
"It is…your stubbornness at failing to see her concern for you was very much the same as me back then."
That got into her skin and Mordred did have the courtesy of blushing, despite her visible complaint. It took a couple of seconds for her to realize what Shirou was talking about. Father…was concerned about her. Mordred's darker green eyes focused on her grownup father's back and wondered if that could possibly be true. When Arturia next looked at her, Mordred was surprised to see not a look of condescension, but like Shirou said, a look of concern. Shirou noticed this and decided that he had already spoken his two cents on the subject and approached Arturia to check up on her.
Mordred's eyes then saw the two together once more and once more she saw the smile etched on her father's face when she looked at him.
The fog was still obscuring the view of nice London, but she could perceive those two quite clearly…more importantly, she could perceive their look for one another.
"It's quite the scene, isn't it?" Mordred was caught by surprise when Boudica appeared next to her, while looking at the couple having their nice little moment together. She even giggled when Mordred blushed and looked away.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, we need to continue moving."
Mordred then stomped away, followed by Mash and Ritsuka, and then by Shirou, Arturia and Boudica.
Along the way, the group had faced a couple more enemies, until a peculiar fellow surged out of the blue, or rather out of the demonic fog, proclaiming poetry lines of the old. To that, Mordred had simply smashed her forehead in dismay, considering that another servant like Andersen just appeared. Both Mash and Ritsuka sweat dropped at that, while the man known as William Shakespeare approached the Knight of Treachery, carrying a feather and an old parchment.
"Wow, my sweet damsel, how curious to see such a fair maiden in a man's dress."
Of course, that was the tip of the line, as Mordred got ballistic in the next second and attempted to attack the servant right there and then.
Her sword, however, was stopped by Mash's shield.
"Easy Mordred, he appeared to us through the fog. Perhaps, it's this way that the servants are being called upon in this singularity." Mordred tsked at that.
"Of course, it is through the fog…what else did you expect? I came from the fog as well…there was no summoning ritual nor is Jekyll any master. Now, step aside so that I can kill this no good book writer."
Shakespeare, though, continued with his acting, unimpeded. Only, this time, his true skill got in the way of his mouth and he ended up saying the wrong words once again.
"Oh, so the betrayer is once upon us with her mighty sword of self-righteousness. Such a deep tragedy, indeed, wouldn't you say…oh, what a play it would be, for the corrupt son made of the father's flesh to appear as the so called hero of Britain…" That was the last word that came out of Shakespeare's mind, before Clarent decapitated him and sent the man back to the Throne of Heroes. Mordred's hands were filled with the blood of the writer and her body trembled in fury at once more being reminded of her path in history. Memories of her trauma came back in full force and they clouded her mind.
Memories of her father's indifference, of her bastard of a mother's schemes and the looks from the other knights, judging her.
All of it surged in her mind like a never-ending hurricane that wouldn't stop spinning.
When a gloved hand touched her shoulder, she lifted her head, only to see Arturia looking down upon her.
"While I can't say that was called for, I can't really judge you accountable for your actions, Mordred. Please, be at ease." Mordred felt surprised as Arturia held her close.
The two held up close for a while, until they all heard a familiar voice.
"Oh, it looks like I was late. I was hoping to get him to our cause. That's truly unfortunate…." P then was caught by surprise when a rain of large swords fell from the sky and formed a circular prison for him. Arturia couldn't help but reminisce on this very same method used by Archer in their timeline to capture Rin, before they had decided to form the master servant bond. Shirou, for his part, morphed next to P and traced a black handled katana, before letting it on top of his shoulder.
"It's about time you introduce yourself." P looked around the swords in front of him.
"Oh, a fellow mage…such an advanced usage of projection. I do wonder what else can you conjure, if you can take such a basic skill and develop it so. Well, as you wish, there is no catalyst to transport at this time, so I shall oblige. I am Paracelsus von Hohenheim, manipulator of the four Great Elementals and in constant seek of the True Ether, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, fellow mage." Shirou narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. Based on his description, then this guy is an alchemist…Tohsaka would really want to be here and meet him, Shirou mused.
Shirou's projected sword prison was frozen instantly as Paracelsus conjured a longer than expected Azoth sword.
Shirou backed away, immediately, as the Enemy surged forward, intent on attacking. The azoth sword was then on fire as per his second elemental display, forcing Shirou to do the same with his katana. However, in terms of overall sword display, Shirou was much more skilled than an academic. And being a mage, through and through, Paracelsus created enough distance to Shirou and also cast bounded fields to stop Shirou from advancing. Before Shirou was caught in a trap, he threw the katana spinning at the bounded fields. One touch was enough to electrocute the sword, before the projection took enough damage and was released.
"Ummm, quite experienced are you in the battlefield, fellow mage…to realize the existence of the bounded field…though, you have to do better, because I work better at a distance."
Through the over-extended Azoth sword, the elemental was fired at ease, forcing Shirou to dodge incoming fire, water, wind and ether beams. Also, the bounded fields worked as shields for Paracelsus from Shirou's arrows. The rest of the group from Chaldea observed as Shirou had decided to take things up a notch, by summoning Hrunting and turning it into an arrow, before the bounded fields all crumbled like broken glass. Shirou didn't wait for the man to lift another and vanished, before appearing behind the elusive mage. Paracelsus quickly conjured a blue liquid vial from within his jacket and threw it on the ground, lifting a blue smoke.
Shirou had enough experience with this sort of foe while working for Bazett.
As such, he didn't want to see his chances. As such, doing some backflips to escape from the blue fog, Shirou had focused enough prana on his fist that it became visible, before hurtling the excessive energy straight at Paracelsus.
The energy blast hit the man full force, which sent him flying. Shirou didn't relent and summoned twin-sized katanas to keep the offense. His movement became a blur for the human eye, before he appeared right next to Paracelsus. He was about to skewer the man in half, when another bounded field lifted and Shirou smashed his sword through. This specific bounded field's surprise, however, was that any attack that reached would come back at the attacker. As such, Shirou watched too late to dodge his own sword, piercing his stomach.
Everyone flinched at that and even Arturia held her breath, being caught by surprise.
Paracelsus saw as Shirou knelled down at the pain, but saw as his opponent began a chant of healing magecraft.
"Hmmm, indeed, most interesting, an expert in healing magecraft as well as his tracing abilities. What else can you show me, fellow mage?" Shirou wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled at the man, before throwing four different rocks in square-like formation, before the rocks glowed simultaneously, forming a rune shield, entrapping Paracelsus inside. That move, alone, made Mordred show a big smile in cheering for Mordred as Shirou got up from the ground and walked towards Paracelsus.
"...Is this runecraft?"
"It is...you must be quite the genius in your time. Not only this rune served to entrap you, but also serve to absorb your prana, Mr. Paracelsus."
True to his words, the servant felt his energy drop consistently, keeping him from using his most prana demanding abilities.
And each second that passed, he could feel himself getting weaker and weaker, before he started spilling blood from his previous wounds. Shirou, though, wouldn't waste any more time against such an adversary, before tracing twin sized katanas to deliver the killing blow. Once the shield rune got lifted, Shirou vanished and carved an X shape on Paracelsus's chest and torso, before the alchemist could realize what happened to him. When he looked down to see the end result of Shirou's attack and the feeling of his core being damaged, Paracelsus grinned back at the group, before looking sideways to Shirou's back.
"Oh, indeed to meet my end by your sword…a most natural result. This is precisely what I'd expect from a sword-wielding hero. Naturally, evildoers must fall in the end. Overcoming the world's evils is the truest noble path to take."
Despite splitting blood, the man was smiling at ease, now that his core got broken.
"Ah, bastard vanished without a trace…he was a nauseating mage from beginning to end. I truly hate mages."
That part was said to Arturia and the King of Knights couldn't help but nod.
"Yeah, I'm not so fond of them, either, with a few exceptions." Back in Zelretch's dimension, Rin's eyebrow was twitching at Arturia's comment, wondering about whom her friend was speaking about.
After many battles from the group, it was imperative that they get some rest, so all of them went back to Jekyll's apartment.
===Next day===
After a full night's rest, mainly from Ritsuka and Mash, the group from Chaldea all gathered in Jekyll's dining table for a sizeable breakfast made by Shirou.
During breakfast, Jekyll and Andersen got up to speed with what happened yesterday, particularly with Mordred's assault on a new Caster servant and the defeat of one of the leaders of Project Demonic Fog. Next, they began to discuss about what to do going forward. Just going out on patrols is turning counter-productive. The enemies are coming non-stop and fighting them endlessly is a waste of magical energy and stamina. They had to start searching for the other two servants responsible for the Demonic Fog and rid London of it. Perhaps, by doing so, they can find the Grail and restore the singularity.
"Hey Jekyll, you're the brains in here, not me. Get to work, then…call that midget writer and work something out."
The scholar adjusted his glasses and released a sigh, while Andersen ignored Mordred's insult.
"The next path should be obvious, but I realize that I'm not speaking with kindred minds, so I guess I have to spell it out for everyone." Andersen said with a smirk, but before he could go further, Mordred cracked her knuckles.
"You know what I did to the last Caster who couldn't control his tongue, right?" Andersen did know, and this time at least understood that perhaps a few mincing words would be advisable.
"Threat acknowledged…now, this is London, home of the Mage Association and Clock Tower." Shirou and Arturia locked eyes at that, wondering what would they find there, while Andersen continued. "A giant academy that is unlocking the secrets of the world exists here in London, so why not use it to our advantage?" Before he continued, however, Jekyll interrupted.
"There is no need to go there, Mr. Andersen." The midget writer stopped smiling as Jekyll turned to Mordred.
"Yeah, as soon as I materialized in this world, I went there to check. The underground from Regent's Park all the way to Westminister, right? There is a hidden entrance through the British Museum, but is sealed off. Everything there was ruined to pieces." Jekyll then completed.
"Naturally, the enemy would seek them first, considering they were the biggest threat. Without the Mage Association, whoever is doing this, is doing so, unimpeded." Andersen, though wasn't deterred by this new piece of news.
"Well, I don't care about dead mages, there are important data for me to acquire and that could possibly help us get ahead for once." Mordred released a sigh at that.
"Fine…though don't expect me to protect your sorry ass…that's shieldy girl's responsibility." Mash looked surprised at that, but didn't correct the Knight of Treachery.
"You guys go along, then…I believe there are radio stations there, so you can broadcast your findings to me, if necessary. Good luck, everyone."
===At the Mage's Association===
It didn't take long for the party plus Andersen to arrive at the so called British Museum, or rather what was left of the place where most of humanity's history and greatest treasures were located.
Ritsuka and Mash looked around the ruins, while Shirou had to console both Arturia and Boudica. The King of Knights had already been to this place, in their timeline, but as part of British history, to see a place that honors their own history in shambles like that, was heartbreaking. It spoke to them on a personal level to see how these bastards tarnished the memory of their loved ones as well as other historical figures that made Britain what it is today. Even Mordred who rarely cared about going down memory lane, felt it.
"Indeed, it's no different than the last time I was here." She then turned to Andersen. "There is nothing to see here…only ruins and rubbles." The tiny writer, though, snorted and announced to everyone.
"Okay, then, all of you physical laborers, please start digging." As per usual, he was receiving blank stares from everyone. "the Clock Tower is spread underground as well; what you see before you it's just the surface. What I'm looking for must be underground…so, chop-chop!" Mordred snarled at the audacity of this imbecile for daring to order them around like this. However, it's not like there's another method of going underground, since the stairs are sealed shut as well.
"I think I can speed things up, some. Step back." Mordred saw in surprise when Shirou traced a new sword that resembled a spiral with the familiar handle.
"Seriously, mother, just how many swords can you use?" Shirou looked at Mordred and turned to ponder for a while.
That alone made Mordred sweat drop and Arturia to smile.
Going inside Shirou's Realty Marble was like an amusement park for sword devotees like her. She had a feeling that Mordred would enjoy it just as much as she does, going there.
"You know I never bothered to count, Mordred. Now, once again, step aside."
Looking at the highest possible point, Shirou vanished and then appeared at the tallest building he could find, before tracing his bow and placing Cadalbulg II. Once up in the air, Shirou focused on pinpoint accuracy and released the spiral missile straight toward the ground. Everyone covered their eyes as the amount of debris forced out of the ground as the projectile drilled throughout the ground. As soon as Shirou landed close to Arturia, everyone turned to inspect the gigantic hole caused by the attack.
Quickly jumping into the hole, the group fell into what appeared to be a hidden dungeon underground, lit up by torches on the wall. Andersen looked around and whistled.
"Aren't you full of surprises, Mr. Shirou…It's quite a mystery just to look at you and see some of the stories unravel, before me." Shirou, though, merely smiled at the curiosity laced within Andersen's comment.
"Humm, not everyone is an open book, Mr. Andersen…now, let us get going." Andersen smirked at the witty return. The group, then, walked through the corridors filled with pungent smells and humidity. Shirou and Arturia had never been to this part of the Clock Tower, so they were looking around as well. They walked and walked until they found the entrance to an extensive library that seemed to be in good conditions. As such, Andersen enlisted Ritsuka's aid as his intern to help him find what he was looking for.
Mash, Mordred and the others then kept on the library entrance, waiting for Andersen to find what he was looking for. However, Mordred soon caught on to enemies approaching.
"Damn it, not again…wh…" the Knight of Treachery was surprised to see books attack them once more, but unlike the first book in Soho, these ones took damage and couldn't sustain Clarent's cutting edge. As such, Mordred, Arturia and Boudica advanced and met the books head on, while Shirou and Mash stood behind to cover for them, should they need it. Still, the books were coming endlessly and the Knight of Treachery was getting sick of this. Hell, she was even more pissed to hear Andersen's voice inside the library, taking his time as if nothing was going on.
"Hey there, midget, what's taking so long in there?"
"Just a little more…ah…well…that's interesting." Mordred once more cursed Andersen's existence as she sliced more books.
"Ahhh, if you don't leave this instant, I will go in there and drag you out!"
At this point, even Shirou and Mash had to join the fray, since the books would just keep coming. Soon, Ritsuka and Andersen left the library.
"Alright, I managed to find what I was looking for…as well as several interesting books for my personal curiosity." If Mordred wasn't busy with slicing books and a helter skelter, she would have decapitated the child writer.
"Mash, let's get going, already. Smash them to pieces."
Ritsuka used one Command seal and supplied Mash with enough juice for her to smash her shield and wipe the rest of the books, before the group left through the hole that Shirou created.
Once back at the British Museum ruins, Andersen looked quite giddy in excitement as he turned to the group.
"I appreciate all of your efforts, good work. Now, let's return to the apartment, so that I can share the juicy results of my findings." He even smirked in good measure. "I am betting that you all are most eager to hear about it."
"Ah, great, can't really hold my excitement, let's get going already." Mordred's sarcastic comment was ignored by the writer as the group returned to Jekyll's apartment.
Author Note
Please tell me your thoughts.
I really thought I could advance further in the singularity, but it has proven to be longer than I expected to cover everything or at least most of everything.
It will take me one more chapter to go about the rest of the singularity, before I could write some scenes of Chaldea, before the America Singularity. Come to think about it, from here on out, each singularity will take at least seven or eight chapters to cover it all, so…well, there are lots of adventures ahead of us, still.
Next update: Cursed Eyes
