Chapter 7: Slaughter Town
In an unimportant region of the United States of America there was nothing but flat, dry plains as far as the eye could see. The uniformity of the terrain was broken by a single town whose most striking feature was a tall and imposing factory on its outskirts. It was a wonder that Slaughter Town was ever built in such a desolate landscape in the first place. A sudden flash of light signalled the arrival of Humanity's Last Master and his Servants.
"Alright, everyone make it here?" Ritsuka asked his Servants with an air of confidence around himself. Clad in his Anniversary Blonde Mystic Code, Ritsuka had once more put on the mask of an infallible Master for the sake of his Servants. No one apart from his family (and a select few Servants such as Leonardo or Emiya) would know of Ritsuka's inner turmoil while he was on a mission. Qin Liangyu was the first to speak up.
"All present and accounted for, Master!" Liangyu reported as she stood at attention. Ritsuka's other Servants then took the opportunity to voice their opinions. A middle-aged Servant with puffy purple sleeves enjoyed the outdoor air.
"It feels good to be out of the kitchen for once." Raikou said as she stretched her arms. "Although I hope that a certain insect doesn't bother my Kintoki while I'm gone." She muttered to herself. A child-like Servant then dusted off her royal blue garb.
"This is hardly the place for one of higher standing such as I. However, I will reserve judgement until after this excursion is over." Wu Zetian declared with her usual air of arrogance. A bespectacled Servant in a from-fitting dress stared at Humanity's Last Master questioningly.
"...Why did you bring me here?" Yu Mei-Ren asked Ritsuka, who had just finished checking that all of his equipment was intact.
"Because I thought you could use some time outside for a once." Ritsuka answered his Senpai. "Leonardo, do you read me?" Ritsuka asked into his communicator. A hologram of the Renaissance Girl was then projected in front of Humanity's Last Master.
"We read you, Ritsuka." Leonardo responded in a more subdued voice than usual, as Ritsuka's outburst was still fresh in her mind. "Looks like you've landed exactly where we wanted for a change." She said as she tapped a few keys on her terminal. "Slaughter Town is up ahead: just keep following the road and you'll get there in no time." Leonardo instructed, to which Ritsuka nodded.
"Got it. I'll call back if something comes up." Ritsuka replied as he ended the call. He then turned to address his Servants. "Before we move out, we should go over the plan. The locals will be less suspicious of us if we pretend to be a family." Ritsuka said to his Servants. "Raikou, you'll be playing the part of my mother. Nite Brite, you get to be my daughter for this mission. Liangyu, you're now my wife." Ritsuka listed off as he pointed at each Servant respectively.
Raikou could not be happier that she would be Ritsuka's mother for the duration of the mission: she welcomed any chance to nurture her beloved Master. Wu Zetian was disappointed with her role: she aspired to be something much more closer to Ritsuka than his daughter. Liangyu's face flushed red in embarrassment at Ritsuka's decision: this was her first mission with Ritsuka and she had already been (temporarily) promoted to his 'wife.' One Servant had not yet been given a role however.
"I'm dreading this already..." Yu Mei-Ren muttered in disdain: she really did not want to play family, especially when Xiang Yu was not present. Fortunately, Ritsuka already had the perfect role for her.
"Paisen, I know that you don't exactly get along with people, so you're going to stay in your Spirit Form unless I call for you." Ritsuka explained. Yu Mei-Ren was surprised that Humanity's Last Master would accommodate her distaste for humans during this mission.
"Fine by me." Yu Mei-Ren said before she disappeared in her Spirit Form as ordered. With the True Ancestor out of sight and out of mind, Ritsuka turned his attention back to his assembled 'family.'
"Now then, one last thing." Ritsuka said before his Magic Circuits glowed with Mana in preparation for a spell. Ritsuka then cast an Illusion Spell on himself and his Servants. This spell would make others see the Chaldeans wearing regular clothes appropriate to this time period and region, a stark contrast from their usual outfits. It was a useful spell for infiltration missions where his Mystic Codes would stand out too much."Alright then, move out!" Ritsuka ordered.
In a certain room in Novum Chaldea, Jack sat alone in her bed with her blanket wrapped around her. She stared blankly at the screen of her personal terminal, which played an episode of an old mecha anime that she and Ritsuka had planned to watch together that day. Without her father's presence, Jack felt nothing towards the animation, and so she did not pay any attention to it.
'We're so stupid.' Jack thought to herself. 'Mommy would never pick Us over his job.' She mentally kicked herself for getting her hopes up in the first place. Jack's numb contemplation were broken by a knock at her door.
"Jack." Kiyohime's voice called out from the other side of the door. "Please come out. It's already lunch time." She added. Jack did not reply: she merely hopped out of bed and silently obeyed her mother.
It did not take long for Ritsuka and his Servants to reach the entrance of Slaughter Town. It was almost entirely wooden buildings that rarely reached over two stories tall: as the architecture of the buildings had not changed drastically since the town was founded less than a century prior. The roads were still bare dirt rather than stone, and there was not a single vehicle to be found anywhere. Those who needed to carry heavy loads did so with the use of horse-drawn carriages. The only thing out of place was the tall and imposing factory off in the distance that belched smoke into the sky. Despite the town's humble appearance, the townsfolk themselves were alight with activity. People entered and existed the local shops and businesses, or simply chatted among themselves. The streets were almost choked with pedestrians: with the sea of bodies only parting for the occasional horse. Ritsuka was not impressed with Slaughter Town, however.
As Humanity's Last Master, Ritsuka had travelled all across the world and across all different time periods. Slaughter Town was just one more stop on his Gruelling Journey. Besides, Ritsuka was here for a mission, not for sight seeing. As the group walked, they passed by a distressed woman who confronted a police officer.
"Officer, my husband didn't come home last night." The woman informed the policeman tearfully. The officer nodded in understanding.
"I understand. Please come this way madam and we'll help you out." The policeman replied gently as he lead the woman into the police station. However else the conversation went was lost on Ritsuka, as he had already walked out of earshot. Ritsuka hoped that the disappearance would not become important later in his investigation.
Shortly thereafter, Ritsuka lead his Servants to a three storey tall building with the words 'Pork Lard Inn' painted on the front window. Inside, the foyer of the inn had little going on; just a counter, a few chairs for those who were waiting and some stairs leading up to higher floors. The front counter was tended to by a portly gentleman who wore the typical clothing of the time period. Ritsuka made his way to the front counter.
"Hey there." Ritsuka greeted the man at the counter. "We'd like to stay here for a few nights." He said. That seemed to snap the owner out of his little daydream.
"Hmm? More newcomers? Welcome to Pork Lard Inn!" The local man greeted with a bright smile that one could only find from country-folk. "How many will be staying here?" He said as he prepared the necessary paperwork.
"Just me, my wife, my mother and my daughter." Ritsuka said as he gestured to the Servants behind him. The inn-keeper hummed in acknowledgement and finished writing down what he needed. He then held up a key for Ritsuka to take.
"Okay then. Here's the key to room 204. Just up the stairs and to your right." The inn-keeper instructed helpfully. Ritsuka pocketed the key with a nod and turned to lead his 'family' to their room. However, he paused and turned back to the inn-keeper.
"By the way." Ritsuka began to say. "Last I heard, Slaughter Town was on the verge of being abandoned, and now it's doing great." He explained with feigned ignorance "You wouldn't happen to know what brought this on?" Ritsuka asked in an attempt to gather information about this Minute Singularity. The inn-keeper beamed at the question.
"It's all because of Mister Bean!" The inn-keeper exclaimed with a wide grin. "He came here and built that factory. Thanks to him, we have jobs and food." He explained with pride. Ritsuka took a few steps towards the inn-keeper.
"Really? What can you tell me about the factory?" Ritsuka asked. He was surprised that he had found a lead so soon after arriving in this Minute Singularity. It seemed to Ritsuka that infiltration missions normally took several days of laying low before the cause of the distortion became apparent. The inn-keeper was more than happy to answer Ritsuka's question.
"Mister Bean's factory makes hotdogs, which is what you'll most likely be eating while you stay here." The inn-keeper explained. "And if you're planning on staying here, it might be worth applying for a job there: the factory is always looking for more workers." He suggested. Again, Ritsuka was surprised at how things just seemed to fall right into place in this Minute Singularity.
"I'll do that. Thank you for telling me." Ritsuka said, appreciative of the fact that his job became a whole lot easier all of a sudden. The inn-keeper then remembered something important.
"Just a word of warning since you're moving in: stay indoors at night." The inn-keeper warned in a serious tone. Ritsuka raised an eyebrow.
"What is it? Werewolves?" Ritsuka joked. The inn-keeper did not share the sentiment.
"No. Soulless Ones." The man answered. All humour left Ritsuka at the mention of the restless dead. Soulless Ones often manifested from those who were killed unjustly, and they took out their misguided attempts at revenge on any living beings nearby. "Nasty things have killed more people here than I can count." He muttered. It seemed that this mission would have its fair share of obstacles.
"I'll be careful. Goodbye." Ritsuka replied before he hurriedly left up the stairs. Ritsuka and his Servants soon arrived at the room that would serve as their temporary home. Although the room was quite Spartan (as the Chaldeans had brought no belonging with them), it would nonetheless serve as an adequate base of operations in this Minute Singularity. There was a small dining table, with four chairs, two single beds and one double bed. Everyone took a seat, save for Yu Mei-Ren who opted to remain in Spirit Form. Liangyu was the first to speak up.
"What is our next course of action, Master?" Liangyu asked as she tried not to think about the group's sleeping arrangements (or more specifically her role as Ritsuka's 'wife'). Ritsuka rested his hands on the table.
"We have a few leads already: the hotdog factory, and the Soulless Ones." Ritsuka explained. "Right now, I'll go and apply for a job at the factory so I can investigate from the inside." he stated. "Liangyu, Raikou and Nite Brite, hold the fort. If anyone shows up, just stick to your cover identities." He then stood up from his chair. "Paisen, you're with me." He said to Yu Mei-Ren, who was still in her Spirit Form. With that, Humanity's Last Master left the Inn to begin his investigation.
Over in Novum Chaldea's Cafeteria, Aki continued her duties despite how haunted she was by yesterday's events. Aki's latest customer was a woman with dark purple hair who wore a skin tight black suit with metallic pauldrons. Aki gave the woman a friendly smile.
"Good morning, what can I get you?" Aki asked, as per her usual routine when working at the Cafeteria's register. The other woman simply held up a hand to stop Aki.
"I am not here to order anything: I just need to speak with you, Fujimaru Aki." The woman said with a serious face before she straightened her posture. "I am Scathach: one of the combat instructors here in Chaldea. I taught that boy of yours how to use his spear." Scathach introduced herself. All semblance of friendliness left Aki once Scathach made her introduction. Aki glared at the Queen of Shadows in front of her.
"Oh. Goodie. Now I know who to blame." Aki sneered. She would never forgive Chaldea for twisting her son into killer. Scathach winced at Aki's words.
"Your reaction is understandable." Scathach conceded as she averted her gaze from her Master's mother. "I had the unenviable task of turning an untrained civilian into a soldier capable of protecting humanity in less than a year. My methods caused him much pain and trauma, and I would not be surprised if he resented me for it." Scathach explained sadly. She then took a few deep breaths to steel herself for what was to come next. Unexpectedly, Scathach actually bowed to Aki.
"I robbed your son of his innocence, and nothing I do or say will ever make up for that, but I want you to know that I am truly sorry for the pain that my actions have brought to your family." Scathach apologised. "Please believe me when I say that I would have preferred it if Ritsuka had continued to live a care-fee life instead of becoming..." The Queen of Shadows paused as she tried to find the right words to describe Humanity's Last Master. "...What he is now." Scathach said sombrely. The Fujimaru Matriarch was speechless.
"Is that how you really feel about this?" Aki asked. Aki had expected Scathach to try to justify her actions, for her to say 'It was for the greater good of mankind,' or 'There was no other choice.' While Aki understood the necessity of Chaldea's purpose, she never wanted her son to have to stain his hands with blood. To hear genuine remorse from Scathach made Aki rethink her opinion of the Queen of Shadows. Scathach straightened up from her bow.
"Yes. Despite what Ritsuka or his wife may think, I am not a sadistic monster." Scathach admitted as she thought back to Humanity's Last Master. "Ritsuka was never supposed to see live combat in the first place: he was only hired to fill a seat because of an obligation that Chaldea had to the United Nations." She explained. In fact, out of the forty-eight Master Candidates Chaldea assembled, only Team A (which consisted of exactly eight people) was intended to fight. "If things had gone as initially planned, Ritsuka would still be the innocent boy that you remember." Scathach said with remorse. Aki took a moment to process this information before she responded.
"Just answer this for me. What you did to Ritsuka... What you turned him into. Is that the kind of person that we need to protect humanity?" Aki asked Scathach. The Queen of Shadows already knew what to say.
"That is the only kind of person who can protect humanity." Scathach answered solemnly before she began to turn around. "Good day. We probably will never see each other again." She said before she hastily exited the Cafeteria. Irisviel, who had listened to this conversation in silence, was surprised by this exchange.
"Well, that certainly was not what I expected from her." Irisviel remarked. Although she had few interactions with Scathach, Irisviel did not realise the Queen of Shadows' true opinion on Ritsuka. "Any idea what brought this on?" She asked Aki, who stiffened at the question.
"...I saw Ritsuka kill an entire gang by himself when he rescued Gudako yesterday." Aki said with some hesitation. She was still reeling from seeing Ritsuka massacre those people. Irisviel nodded.
"Oh? Were you impressed?" Irisviel asked innocently. While she would have preferred it if Illya, Chloe and Emiya lived quiet peaceful lives, Irisviel was nonetheless proud of how capable her own children were, and so she wrongfully assumed that Aki felt the same way. Aki instantly turned to Irisviel with a frightened look on her face.
"NO! I was horrified!" Aki exclaimed, which drew some stares from the people who ate in the Cafeteria. "I... Can't believe that the killer on that screen was my son." She admitted, which surprised the Einzbern Homunculus. "Irisviel, did you ever go through anything similar with your son?" She asked Irisviel. Irisviel closed her eyes as she thought about her own experiences with a certain Wrought Iron Hero.
"Hmm. Kind of. My last memory of Shirou from when I was alive was him as an innocent school boy with several girls after his affections." Irisviel responded, to which Aki could sympathise, especially in regards to the latter part of that statement. "I suppose I can understand how shocking it must have been to see Ritsuka like that. When I first arrived in Chaldea, I could barely recognise Shirou now that he's all grown up. He even tried to say that he wasn't my son. Can you believe that?" Irisviel revealed with an uneasy smile as she recalled her first meeting with Emiya. Aki could not even begin to imagine what that conversation must have been like. "But, despite everything that he's been through, deep down he's still that boy who wants to be a Hero of Justice just like his father. Just like your son is the same person he always was deep down." She added with a wistful smile before a thought struck her. "What did you say to Ritsuka after he came back from that mission?" She asked. Aki looked down at her question.
"I.. Didn't say anything. I was so afraid that he might hurt our family, so I tried to avoid him, and when I saw Ritsuka in the Infirmary... I wanted nothing more than to run away." Aki said, ashamed at herself. All mirth left Irisviel as she stared at Aki with a serious expression.
"Aki, I say this as your friend, but WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Irisviel suddenly shouted at Aki, drawing yet more surprised stares from the rest of the Cafeteria. "Ritsuka tries to put on a brave face for everyone, but even I can tell that he's on the brink of a mental breakdown!" Irisviel chided her friend in righteous anger and disappointment. "You're his mother! You're supposed to be there for your son! I wasn't there for Shirou because I was dead! You have no excuse." She finished, each word making Aki feel more and more remorseful.
"...You're right. I should've been better than that." Aki admitted.
"Yes indeed! You had better talk to him as soon as he comes back from this mission. If you don't clear things up with him, then Ritsuka will end up like that!" Irisviel cried out as she pointed at Emiya through the kitchen window.
"Leave me out of it!" Emiya called back. The rest of Aki's work shift was rather uneventful after that.
By now, Gudako was well enough to move on her own, so she had spent day in her own room. Leonardo had been kind enough to give Gudako some time off from tending to her Workshop, being mindful of the redhead's mental state. However, instead of spending her newfound free time in the Rec Room with her beloved video games, Gudako had spent her day trying to keep calm in her room. Gudako was alerted to the sound of someone knocking on the door to her room. Cautiously, Gudako opened the door to reveal a woman in a nun's outfit.
"Who are you?" Gudako asked the stranger. She had occasionally seen this nun around Novum Chaldea, but this would be the first time that the two of them actually spoke. The nun gave Gudako a friendly smile.
"Good afternoon. I'm Sesshouin Kiara. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gudako." Kiara greeted with a friendly smile and a curt nod. "I am but a humble Woman of the Cloth, but I am also the only qualified therapist here in Novum Chaldea. The Master arranged for us to have a session together to help treat your... Anxiety." She explained. Gudako's eyes widened at the mention of Humanity's Last Master.
"Is... He... Here?" Gudako asked fearfully as she looked around the hallway for any sign of her brother. Kiara merely giggled at Gudako's terror.
"No, the Master is out on a mission." Kiara stated with a comforting smile. Gudako let out the breath that she did not realise that she was holding.
"Oh. I'm safe then." Gudako said in relief. "Alright, let's go." She added before she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. Kiara gestured to one direction.
"Right this way." Kiara said before she lead Gudako down to her own room in the Living Quarters. Kiara's room had a surprisingly professional and modern feel to it, with a carpeted floor, a desk, a reclining sofa and even a small potted plant in the corner. The whole layout was designed to instil a sense of calmness and relaxation for the sake of psychological healing. "Please make yourself comfortable." Kiara said as she gestured to the reclining sofa. Gudako did as instructed and sat down in the sofa, resting her head against the soft cushioning.
"So, how does this work?" Gudako asked, as she had never received psychological therapy before. Kiara sat down in a chair next to the reclining sofa and took out a notebook and pen.
"I believe that in cases such as yours, the best approach would be to let you say what's on your mind when you're ready to say it." Kiara stated as she began to idly tap her pen against her notebook. "So, what is on your mind right now?" The Demonic Bodhisattva asked as she looked at Gudako in the eyes. Gudako was silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts.
"...I remembered something else that Ruler said." Gudako confessed. Kiara thought for a moment before she realised who Gudako was referring to.
"Ah, the man who took you to that Minute Singularity? Please, go ahead." Kiara invited as she prepared to write down what Gudako was about to say. Gudako squirmed a bit on the sofa.
"When he was trying to get me to kill Ritsuka, he said that Ritsuka would eventually become just as dangerous as the Foreign God." Gudako recalled with a worried look on her face. "I didn't believe him, but after seeing what Ritsuka can do, I'm not so sure anymore..." She admitted. Kiara was surprised, since as far as she was aware, Gudako should not have had any knowledge of Chaldea's enemy.
"Interesting..." Kiara said simply as she wrote down what Gudako said in her notes. "Is that why you're so afraid of your brother? You think that he would do something worse than the Bleaching in the future?" She asked once she had finished writing. Gudako shook her head.
"No, that's stretching things." Gudako dismissed with a frown. "Ritsuka's just one person: it's not like he can destroy an entire world or anything." She added. Kiara resisted the urge to smirk in amusement at how little Gudako knew about Ritsuka's duties as Humanity's Last Master, particularly at what destroying a Lostbelt entailed. "But, I now know how dangerous Ritsuka really is." Gudako finished with a shudder.
"No one here holds what Ritsuka did against against him. If he did not act, then those men would most likely have raped or killed you." Kiara calmly explained to Gudako. "Surely you realise that?" She asked the redhead, who looked away from Kiara.
"Yeah, I know." Gudako replied before she tried to think of how best to articulate her thoughts. "It's not just about what Ritsuka did: it's his complete non-reaction afterwards that scares me." Gudako tried to explain. "He just went from chopping people up to caring big brother mode. Like, does he even feel anything when he kills someone?" Gudako said as her hands fidgeted in her lap. Kiara once more tried to remain professional at the irony of Gudako's statement.
"While patient confidentiality prevents me from going into specifics, you should know that Ritsuka often makes appointments with me to help him with his experiences out in the field." Kiara explained to Gudako, who was astonished to hear that. Kiara then decided to take a different approach to Gudako's treatment. "Hmm. I have a question for you, and you don't have to answer it if you don't want to." Kiara suggested, to which Gudako nodded to give her permission. Kiara leaned forward in her chair and stared at Gudako in the eyes. "Do you want to kill Ritsuka?" Kiara asked in a serious tone. Gudako instantly shot up from the reclining sofa.
"NO!" Gudako shouted without any hesitation. She was deeply offended that the Demonic Bodhisattva would even suggest she do such a thing. Kiara meanwhile simply smiled at the redhead's outburst.
"Good. That quick response means that you still love your brother despite your fear." Kiara explained as Gudako lied back down on the sofa. "And all the better that you don't want to kill him. Tell me, what do you think Ritsuka would do if you tried to kill him?" She asked. Gudako stared at Kiara blankly.
"I think he'd cut me into pieces." Gudako answered as she tried not to think about the brutality that her Humanity's Last Master was capable of. Kiara shook her head.
"You are wrong. If you were to try to kill him, then Ritsuka would simply let it happen." Kiara revealed, which surprised Gudako. "If there's anything I've learned about Humanity's Last Master, it's that he would rather die than harm his family." She stated confidently. Gudako did not know how to feel about that.
"Yeah. I guess you're right." Gudako admitted as she thought back to the countless times that Ritsuka jumped to her aid whenever she was in a sticky situation (which more often than not was caused by Gudako's own actions). Kiara finished writing down her notes before she continued.
"Ritsuka once said this to me about his family, 'without them, all I have left in my life is death.' Until our next appointment, I want you to try and see things from Ritsuka's point of view. Understanding his motives will help you two mend your relationship." Kiara instructed, to which Gudako nodded in agreement. "On that note, I think it's best if we move on to a different topic. With what we've covered so far, I can plan out a method for treating you." Kiara stated. For the rest of the session, Kiara went over different techniques that Gudako could use to help calm herself the next time that she felt her terror begin to take hold of her.
Gudako had a lot to think about over the coming days.
The hotdog factory of Alexander Bean stood stoically at the edge of Slaughter Town. The sterile industrialist architecture, the billowing black smoke from the chimneys and deep orange glow cast out from the windows gave the factory a foreboding air. It was a sharp contrast from the more homely-looking and humble buildings that made up the rest of Slaughter Town. Currently, Humanity's Last Master sat in the waiting room, anticipating his turn for a job interview. He was not alone in the waiting room, as a handful of other men also waited their turn for potential employment.
"Mister Bean will see you now." The secretary informed Humanity's Last Master from her desk at the front of the waiting room. Ritsuka stood up from his chair and entered to a nearby door that was helpfully labelled 'ALEXANDER BEAN.'
Bean's office was rather spacious: large enough to hold a table with six chairs, several potted plants in the corners, and an unusually wide desk towards the back. Sat down behind the desk was a sharply dressed older gentleman with a comically tall top hat. His deep green eyes stared intently at Ritsuka as he gave Humanity's Last Master a wide smile that was visible through his thick beard.
"Good day. I'm Alexander Bean." Bean said as he held his hand out. Ritsuka gave the industrialist a firm handshake. Bean then looked down at an application form on his desk. "You must be mister... Fujimaru?" He asked as he tried to pronounce Ritsuka's surname, to which Ritsuka confirmed. "Please, have a seat and tell me a bit about yourself." Bean invited. Ritsuka sat down on the small chair in front of Bean's desk.
"I recently moved here with my wife, daughter and mother. I heard you were hiring, so I applied to support my family." Ritsuka explained. His choice in false identity was well received by Bean.
"Ah, a family man. Excellent, excellent. Those are always the hardest workers in my experience." Bean remarked in a friendly tone. Ritsuka deduced that Bean must have had a weakness for traditional family values, and so decided to press on.
"A man's duty is to protect and provide for his family, after all." Ritsuka added with a serene smile. Bean gave a laugh of approval.
"Well said!" Bean exclaimed as his grin grew wider, showing off his crooked yellowed teeth. However, Bean's demeanour changed almost instantly. "Moving on, do you have any experience with food processing?" Bean asked in a serious tone as he tented his fingers on his desk and stared straight at Ritsuka. Ritsuka however kept his cool.
"I have a friend who was a professional chef taught me how to cook." Ritsuka said as he remembered the cooking book that Emiya once gave him. "Does that count?" Ritsuka asked. Bean simply shrugged.
"Well, it's certainly more than what most applicants tend to know." Bean admitted as he began to fill out a form on his desk that Ritsuka did not know the contents of. For almost a full minute, there was nothing but silence between the two until Ritsuka decided to do a little investigation.
"By the way, would you mind if I asked you how you started this factory?" Ritsuka asked in a subtle attempt to learn more about the circumstances around this Minute Singularity. Bean once more adopted a happy demeanour in response to Ritsuka's curiosity.
"Not at all!" Bean replied cheerfully. "It all started about a year ago. I was just a drifter, wandering from town to town looking to fill my belly. Slaughter Town was in rough shape back then: barely any food and even fewer employment opportunities." Bean explained with some melancholy in his voice. "I passed out on the street from hunger, and the townsfolk took me in. One family shared their food with me despite barely having enough to keep themselves alive." He continued with a slightly improved mood.
"You don't find people like that everyday." Ritsuka remarked, once more playing on Bean's sense of sympathy. It seemed to work, as Bean only nodded in agreement.
"I'd never met nicer people, and I had to repay them. So the next day I went out and brought back enough meat to feed the entire town." Bean recalled. "That was my new life in Slaughter Town as its new supplier of hot dogs. Over time, more people started showing up for my meat and eventually I had enough money to start this factory up to keep everyone employed and fed." He finished with a wistful smile on his bearded face. Ritsuka already found a few holes in Bean's explanation, but decided against pressing the issue for now: securing a job to infiltrate the factory took priority.
"It's amazing that you're a self made man in these tough times." Ritsuka remarked. This was a calculated move on Ritsuka's part: a little bit of sweet talk on his part would go a long way to making a good impression on Bean, and by extension help his investigation of Slaughter Town. It seemed to work as Bean flashed another one of his yellow-toothed grins at Ritsuka.
"You're too kind, young mister Fujimaru." Bean said before he put the form that he previously filled out in one of his desk drawers. "I must say, you fit all of the criteria that I look for in an employee. Welcome aboard! You start tomorrow at six sharp." Bean declared as he held out his hand for another handshake, which Ritsuka took.
"Thank you, Mister Bean. You won't regret this decision." Ritsuka lied through his teeth with a bright smile. With that, Ritsuka then made his way back to his base of operations. As expected, his Servants waited patiently for their Master's return: Liangyu and Wu Zetian sat down at the table. The room smelled of savoury stew, as Raikou had taken it upon herself to cook something for their little 'family.' Liangyu was the first to react to Ritsuka's return.
"Welcome back, Master!" Liangyu greeted immediately. Ritsuka gave her a smile.
"Good to be back. I got the job." Ritsuka announced to his fake family as he took a seat at the table himself. Raikou came over to the table with a large pot.
"I'm so proud of you!" Raikou exclaimed as she served each person at the table a bowl of warm stew. Ritsuka did not immediately begin eating.
"Paisen." Ritsuka called out. "Did you feel anything off about the factory?" He asked. Yu Mei-Ren materialised behind her Master.
"There was way too much ambient Mana in that building. There's a Holy Grail in there alright." Yu Mei-Ren stated. Ritsuka stirred the stew in his bowl as he contemplated what to do next.
"Well, isn't that convenient? Now the hard part begins." Ritsuka stated. "Raikou, Liang, mingle with the local women tomorrow while I'm at the factory and try to get any information you can about the Soulless Ones. Nite Brite, hold the fort. Paisen, stick with me in Spirit Form in case things go South on my end." Ritsuka ordered, to which each respective Servant nodded in agreement. "Now, on to dinner." He said before he began to eat the stew that Raikou made.
After everyone had finished eating, Liangyu had a pressing question for her Master.
"Um... Master." Liangyu said to grab Ritsuka's attention. "About the sleeping arrangements..." Liangyu asked in embarrassment. There were two single-sized beds and one double bed. As Raikou and Wu Zetian had already taken the single beds, that left the double bed for Ritsuka and his 'wife' Liangyu. Yu Mei-Ren returned to her Spirit Form, as she did not need to sleep in the first place. Ritsuka simply leaned back into his chair at the table.
"Go ahead and take the bed." Ritsuka dismissed simply. "The chair is enough for me." He said as he tried to make himself comfortable. Liangyu was not having any of it.
"Surely not!" Liangyu exclaimed. "As your Servant, it would me most inappropriate for met to take the bed while my Master-" Liangyu stated before she was interrupted by Ritsuka.
"Liang." Ritsuka suddenly said in the middle of Liangyu's rant. "Go. To. Sleep." Ritsuka ordered calmly. Whether it was because of their bond as Master and Servant or because of Ritsuka's Charisma, Liangyu felt compelled to obey Humanity's Last Master.
"...Yes Master." Liangyu said in a subdued voice as she climbed into the double bed. Liangyu felt oddly disappointed with this turn of events. With that out of the way, Ritsuka decided to get some rest himself.
"Good night, everyone." Ritsuka said as he leaned back into his chair and drifted off to sleep.
The Rayshift Chamber of Finis Chaldea was a chaotic inferno. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and the bloodcurdling wails of the dying was drowned out by the sound of the base's alarms. A lone figure strode through this nightmare with a look of utter horror on his face.
Ritsuka was just in the middle of sharing a cake with his new friend Romani Archaman when he heard the explosion. Ritsuka had rushed to the Rayshift Chamber to find any survivors he could. It was bad enough that Ritsuka had been drugged and abducted after he donated blood. The embarrassing display during orientation did not help either. At least Roman was cool. A certain Cath Palug's cries broke Ritsuka out of his stupor.
Fou pawed at Ritsuka's leg before he turned around and ran. Ritsuka followed Fou until the small furry creature stopped by a pile of rubble and pawed at its base. Ritsuka then noticed that there was a person trapped underneath the rubble in a pool of her own blood. He recognised that she was none other than Mash Kyrielight, the kind Kouhai whom Ritsuka had met earlier that day.
"MASH!" Ritsuka yelled as soon as he saw Mash's critical condition. He rushed over to his Kouhai to try and save her. Mash's eyes opened slightly once she heard Ritsuka call out her name.
"S-senpai..." Mash barely whispered, already feeling the effects of blood loss. Ritsuka knew he had to act fast.
"Hang on! I'll get you out." Ritsuka cried out as he desperately tried to lift the concrete slab off of Mash. "Come on! Come on!" Ritsuka growled through gritted teeth as his muscles strained against the concrete block. However, it was futile: Ritsuka could not make the rubble budge in the slightest no matter how hard he tried. Mash merely held out her one good arm to the young man.
"Senpai... Can I... Hold your... Hand?" Mash managed to say despite the pain of her broken ribs and punctured lungs. She knew that her end had come. Ritsuka reluctantly let go of the concrete and slowly knelt down to Mash's level.
"Alright..." Ritsuka replied sombrely. He gingerly grasped Mash's hand in his own, although Mash did not have the strength to return the grip. Ritsuka had never felt more powerless in his life. There was nothing he could do to help Mash, let alone the other Master Candidates who were still trapped in the Rayshift Chamber. All Ritsuka could do was hold Mash's hand as she died.
"Master Candidate 48 detected in Rayshift Chamber. Beginning Rayshift procedure." An artificial voice suddenly said over the intercom. The lights and other machinery in the Rayshift Chamber sprung to life as a feeling of dread engulfed Ritsuka.
"What-" Was the last thing that Ritsuka managed to say before his very being was removed from the modern day and projected into Singularity F, 2004.
The true hell for Ritsuka had yet to begin.
Gudako awoke drenched in sweat. She quickly looked around and saw that she was back in the room that she shared with her parents. Gudako took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, as Kiara had suggested during their earlier session.
"What a fucking awful dream..." Gudako muttered to herself as she tried to get her breathing under control. 'At least, I hope it was just a dream. It's not like I'm seeing Ritsuka's past through dreams or anything.' She thought to herself. Gudako had her fair share of nightmares since the world was Bleached, but none of them compared to how vivid this most recent nightmare felt. It was as if Gudako could still feel the heat from the fires and smell the smoke in the air.
Gudako looked over to the alarm clock by her nightstand and saw that it was still too early to go to work or for her next session with Kiara. She needed to take a walk to clear her mind. Gudako quickly changed out of her pyjamas and left the room, being mindful to not disturb her still sleeping parents. Once Gudako was out of her room, she wandered down the hallways of Novum Chaldea with no particular direction in mind. By sheer coincidence, she had bumped into her own sister-in-law, Kiyohime.
"Oh, hello Gudako." Kiyohime greeted her sister-in-law with a curt bow. "It is good to see that you are out and about." She said. Gudako was brought out of her musings.
"Hi Kiyohime." Gudako replied. "Didn't expect to see you. What are you doing out this early?" She asked. Kiyohime lifted up an empty plastic bag that she had been carrying with her.
"I am on my way to buy some meat for tonight's dinner before Setanta's catches are sold out." Kiyohime answered. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism, but Kiyohime was determined to cook a delicious meal on the off-chance that her husband would return home later that night. It was at this moment that Gudako realised that she had not spoken with her sister-in-law all that much during her stay in Novum Chaldea.
"Umm. How's Jack?" Gudako asked awkwardly in an attempt to make conversation. Kiyohime frowned at the mention of the Wraith Child.
"Jack has holed herself up in her room once more." Kiyohime answered sombrely. "I suspect that she will remain there until Ritsuka comes back. Whenever that will be." She added with an irritated huff. Gudako flinched the mention of her brother. "He left for a mission almost immediately after your little... Episode. Your parents' reaction to him certainly did not help matters." Kiyohime explained. That last part surprised Gudako.
"My parents?" Gudako asked in confusion. Gudako had no idea what transpired between Ritsuka and their parents after she was rescued.
"After we left the Infirmary, Mother recoiled in fear at the sight of him and Father stepped forward to protect her. I cannot imagine how Ritsuka must have felt to have all three of you react that way to him." Kiyohime explained with a look of disapproval on her face.
"Oh..." Was all that Gudako said. She was surprised that her parents were also wary of Ritsuka now. "By the way, is Ritsuka usually that brutal on missions?" Gudako asked with a shudder of fear. Kiyohime sighed, disappointed that Gudako had decided to take this conversation in this direction.
"In the eight years that I have been with Ritsuka, I have seen him do far worse than what he did to save you." Kiyohime answered. Kiyohime knew that she had no right to judge Ritsuka after what she herself had done back when she was alive.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, but how are you able to accept him when he does that for a living?" Gudako asked. She could not even imagine what else Ritsuka would be capable of. Kiyohime resisted the urge to glare at her sister-in-law for her disrespect.
"I am hardly the picture of innocence myself. Despite my appearance and demeanour, my hands are stained with blood as well, but unlike Ritsuka I cannot claim to have done so for a noble cause." Kiyohime confessed with remorse, recalling how she had let her rage consume her in life. "However Ritsuka accepts that part of me regardless. So I will stand by him do my part as his dutiful wife." She said with a smile. Ritsuka and Kiyohime brought out the best in each other. "Will you do your part as his sister?" Kiyohime asked as she looked at Gudako directly in the eyes. A gnawing feeling began to make its way to the back of Gudako's mind: shame over how she succumbed to her fears.
"I know family should stick together, but..." Gudako began to say. "Do you think he'll even be able to stop?" Gudako asked, afraid for both herself and her brother. Kiyohime began to walk past Gudako.
"Good day, Gudako." Kiyohime said as a goodbye without answering Gudako's question. Gudako sighed and walked in a different direction to the Dragon Woman. In the end, this walk had done the complete opposite of helping Gudako clear her mind.
It was time for Ritsuka to begin his first day at his new 'job.' He had arrived to his shift half an hour early, just in case it helped him make a first good impression and by extension helped his infiltration of the factory go smoother. It was also in Ritsuka's nature to be punctual. A well-built man was the first person to greet Ritsuka
"You must be the new guy." A well-built man greeted Ritsuka as soon as he entered the Factory. Ritsuka straightened his posture and gave him a bright smile.
"Yep! Fujimaru Ritsuka, ready for work." Ritsuka said cheerfully before he sniffed the air briefly and stiffened. "That smell... Is that... Pork?" Ritsuka asked. The other man returned Ritsuka's smile.
"It sure is! Alexander Bean's hotdogs are one hundred percent American pork, sourced from local farmers." The factory supervisor said with pride. Ritsuka nodded.
"Nice. What do you need me to do?" Ritsuka asked. The supervisor gestured for Ritsuka to follow him.
"Since it's your first day, we'll start with something easy at the end of the production line." The supervisor said before he lead Ritsuka deeper into the factory. He had brought Ritsuka to a wide open room that had two conveyor belts running in parallel to each other. The conveyor belts brought in countless pre-cooked wieners from another room, and on either side of each conveyor belts were lines of workers who inspected the sausages. "Put on some gloves, an apron and a hair net." The supervisor ordered, which Ritsuka quickly obeyed. "Just watch the wieners and grab any that don't look right. Don't feel pressured to grab every single bad one: there are plenty of other people working on the line too." The supervisor said before he left Ritsuka to carry out his new duty. Ritsuka wasted no time to occupy an empty spot at one of the conveyor belts and start grabbing meat.
The work shift itself was rather uneventful. Ritsuka's sharp eyes and quick hands made short work of the stuffed meat tubes, which impressed the other factory workers who were further down on the conveyor belt. About three hours later, the sound of a sharp whistle rang out through the entire factory.
"Break time!" The supervisor called out. The conveyor belt came to a stop and everyone made their way over to another section of the factory: the break room. There was not much to say about the break room: just a few dozen tables each with chairs. Some workers sat and ate lunch while others simply smoked (as workplace health and safety laws had yet to be established at this point in the timeline). Ritsuka decided to take this opportunity for some sleuthing.
"I'm going to the toilet." Ritsuka said aloud to no one in particular before he walked out of the room. He had mere minutes to investigate as much as he could. Ritsuka stealthily made his way through the factory towards the source of the smell. He traced his steps back to the end of the production line and found another door with a sign that said 'Stuffing Room' above it.
Ritsuka leaned against the door and Reinforced his hearing to determine if anyone was on the other side. With no signs of life on the other side, he cast a Noise-Cancelling Spell over the door and broke the handle off with his Reinforced hand. A quick Restorative spell to the door left it in the same condition that Ritsuka found it, so no one would be suspicious about why a door was suddenly missing its handle.
Once inside, Ritsuka found two gigantic sausage stuffing machines with a few dozen barrels neatly lined up behind them. Ritsuka cracked open a barrel and looked inside.
'Everything's already minced up.' Ritsuka noticed. Wherever the meat was being prepared, it was not at the factory. 'Better get back to work.' Ritsuka thought to himself: it was better to play it safe this early into the mission. He inconspicuously made his way back to the toilets, flushed one toilet, washed his hands and made his way back to the break room with the other factory workers.
"Is break time over yet?" Ritsuka asked as soon as he arrived in the break room. Another factory worker nodded at Ritsuka.
"You got here just in time. Come on, back to work." The factory worker said to Ritsuka. It seemed that for now, Ritsuka would need to find more information on the factory elsewhere.
While Humanity's Last Master was off handling meat, a certain Ming General decided to do a little investigation of her own. Liangyu stood in front of an apartment room that was already occupied by one of the local townsfolk. She knocked on the door and waited for a moment. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman in civilian clothing. Liangyu smiled at the woman.
"Good morning, I'm Liang. My husband and I just moved in to town." Liangyu said in a friendly tone. The woman returned Liangyu's smile.
"Well, welcome to Slaughter Town!" The housewife greeted in an equally friendly tone. "Please come in for some cake and a chat." She said as she stepped aside to let the Ming General inside her home. The other woman's apartment was sparsely decorated and furnished, just like the room that the Chaldeans used as a base of operations. It seemed that although Slaughter Town was thriving during the famine, it had yet to provide its citizens with many luxuries. Still, there was a sense of comfort in the apartment's humility.
"Help yourself to a slice of butter cake, dearie." The first housewife invited. Liangyu sat down at a dining table where three other middle-aged women sat down. At the centre of the table was a rather large cake that already had several slices cut out of it. The first housewife cut a slice of cake and placed it on a plate in front of Liangyu, who politely thanked her host before she took a bite. The cake was not as soft as cakes baked in the modern day, but Liangyu could certainly taste the butter (and the sugar).
"By the way." Liangyu started to say once she finished swallowing the first bite. "When we first came to town, a woman mentioned that her husband didn't return from the factory." Liangyu mentioned in an attempt to glean some information from the local housewives. Who would have thought that a frontline general would have little sense of subtlety when it came to investigations? Each of the other four women winced at Liangyu's inquiry.
"Ah. Nasty business, that." The second housewife said. "Seems like every week those damn Soulless Ones take more God-fearing folk from us." She mentioned solemnly, which made the other housewives nod in sad agreement. Liangyu decided to press on for more information.
"Has anyone done anything about them?" Liangyu asked out of curiosity. Another woman finished eating her slice of butter cake before she responded.
"The police try to stop them whenever they show up." The third housewife said as she cut another slice of butter cake for herself. "Also, old Mister Bean does his part to fight back." She mentioned before she went back to devouring her dessert.
"You wouldn't expect such an old man to be so spry." The fourth housewife mentioned. "Just the other day I saw him cut down three Soulless Ones with one swing of his knife!" She said with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. Liangyu thought that this little bit of information might be useful for her Master. The first housewife then realised something.
"Oh look at us being gossiping hens. Please, Liangyu, tell us a bit about yourself." The first housewife requested, a bit shocked that she had let her love of gossip get in the way of being a proper host. Liangyu was caught off-guard by the sudden question.
"Oh, there isn't much to talk about. My husband brought us here because there was work." "I'm still having trouble accepting that we're married." Liangyu confessed with some degree of honesty. With Humanity's Last Master as her husband, the head of the Genji Clan as her mother-in-law and the Empress Dowager as her daughter, Liangyu could not be more surprised by how her (fake) life had turned out. The first housewife gave a chuckle at Liangyu's embarrassment.
"I know that feeling." The first housewife remarked, to which the others giggled in agreement. While the rest of Liangyu's chat with the housewives did not yield more information on this Minute Singularity, she nonetheless had a pleasant time.
"Good work today. Keep this up, and maybe you'll get to work in the stuffing room." Ritsuka's supervisor said at the end of Ritsuka's work shift. Thanks to his keen reflexes, Ritsuka had become a Master of Meat during his time at the factory.
"See you tomorrow." Ritsuka replied as he exited the factory and walked down the streets back to his home base. The walk back home was rather relaxing, as Slaughter Town had a certain cosy feeling during the dusk. A bored Ritsuka glanced at the windows of closing shops during his walk, and a kitchen supply store that had several knives on display at its window caught his attention. Ritsuka contemplated buying one of those knives to give to Jack when he suddenly felt that something dangerous was about to make its move.
"Soulless Ones!" One of the townsfolk yelled in terror. A four Soulless Ones suddenly stumbled out of a darkened alleyway and shambled towards the frightened townsfolk.
"REVENGE. REVENGE." The Soulless Ones chanted as they descended on the defenceless civilians. In the span of a few seconds, six people died instantly to their blades and claws. Ritsuka meanwhile felt oddly relieved at the sudden appearance of the undead. He leapt into action and tackled the nearest Soulless One to the ground. Ritsuka then rained down a quick series of blows upon the Soulless One with his fists, its skull cracking more and more with each Reinforced punch.
'Finally.' Ritsuka thought to himself as he continued to pummel the undead's skull into paste. 'I can stop thinking about it.' The quickened beating of his heart, the feeling of bones breaking beneath his fists, the thrill of narrowly avoiding injury, all of it was like a drug to Humanity's Last Master. He could at last distract himself from his self-loathing with some mindless violence. Ritsuka decided against calling out Yu Mei-Ren: he had no intention of revealing his trump card just yet.
Ritsuka ducked under the swing of another Soulless One and knocked it to the ground with a leg sweep. He then stood up, raised his foot above the undead's head and brought his Reinforced foot down on its head with the force of a hydraulic press.
The third Soulless One tried to stab Ritsuka in the chest, but Ritsuka caught the arm of the Soulless One by the wrist and twisted the limb until he heard a loud snap, which made the Soulless One drop its knife. Ritsuka caught the blade, raised his arm and brought down the Soulless One's own weapon into its skull, driving the blade down to its hilt.
During Ritsuka's indulgence in bloodthirsty brutality, he had unintentionally let his guard down as one last Soulless One rushed at him from behind. However, before the undead's blow could land, its arm was severed at the wrist by none other than Bean, who carried a heavy meat cleaver in each hand. Bean unleashed a rapid series of chops with his cleavers that quickly reduced the Soulless One to minced meat. Just as quickly as it came, the rush of battle was over.
The adrenaline coursing in Ritsuka's veins began to run thin, and his thoughts turned back to the crushing guilt of what he had done to Gudako and countless other innocent people. He glanced around at the townsfolk and saw a similarly horrified expression on each of their faces, save for one man. Bean placed his hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Chopping meat, chopping monsters, same thing in the end." Bean boasted in victory with a wide grin. Ritsuka quickly regained his composure.
"I didn't expect you to be able to take on Soulless Ones, Mister Bean." Ritsuka remarked. Although this incident confirmed to him that Mister Bean was no ordinary man, Ritsuka still had to play dumb for the sake of his investigation. "Most men your age wouldn't take that risk." He added. Bean's smile took on a warmer feeling.
"The people of Slaughter Town are like family to me, and I'd do anything to protect my family." Bean stated wistfully before he straightened up. Several factory workers had also arrived at the scene. "Anyway, I'm off to the farms. I like to personally inspect the meat before it arrives." He said as he started to turn around. Ritsuka decided to seize this opportunity.
"Before you go, Mister Bean. I have a question about the meat in the factory." Ritsuka said, which caused Bean to stop and turn back to Humanity's Last Master. "Can you tell me where one of the farms where you get your meat from is? My daughter would love to see the piglets" Ritsuka asked in an attempt to get some information out of Bean. Unfortunately, Bean shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but the location of those pig farms is a trade secret." Bean said as he visibly tensed. He just as quickly relaxed again. "Anyway, my men will take care of the bodies. See you at work tomorrow morning!" Bean said before he turned his attention to the corpses that littered the street. Ritsuka decided not to press his luck any further.
"Alright, See you." Ritsuka replied as he turned to go back home. Once Ritsuka was out of earshot, Bean gestured to one of his employees to come closer.
"Something wrong boss?" The factory worker asked Bean. The older gentleman leaned forward to speak directly into his employee's ear.
"Young Mister Fujimaru wants to take his daughter to see the pigs. Help him out tomorrow, would you?" Bean requested in a hushed tone. A sadistic grin spread across his employee's face.
"You got it, boss!" The factory worker said enthusiastically. With that, Bean no longer had any further business in this alleyway.
"It's a shame. Ritsuka was a family man, just like me." Bean muttered in disappointment as he made his way back to his factory. At the same time, Ritsuka had arrived back at his apartment.
Ritsuka was exhausted. Between his regular duties at the factory and his recent battle against the Soulless Ones, Ritsuka just wanted to lie down. He completely forgot the sleeping arrangements of his Servants in this room, as in his tiredness he collapsed onto the double bed and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.
Ritsuka's rest did not last for long, as he suddenly awoke to an oddly familiar feeling of his head resting against something soft and warm. Ritsuka opened his eyes and saw that at some point, Liangyu had moved Ritsuka's head so that he was resting her head in her lap. The Ming General was just about to drift off to sleep herself when she noticed her Master staring at her with his piercing blue eyes.
"Master! Sorry, but you looked so peaceful when you're sleeping." A flustered Liangyu quickly explained as her heart rate sky rocketed. There was just something mesmerising about the way Humanity's Last Master looked when asleep. Ritsuka was far too tired to pay attention to Liangyu's embarrassment.
"It's fine..." Ritsuka muttered before he stood up from the bed and sat down at the dining table to rest. Liangyu did not have time to get her heartbeat under control before she suddenly felt a sense of dread overtake her.
"Dear Qin Liangyu." Raikou said with a smile that hid her hostile intent. "We need to have a talk about maintaining public morals." She said as she grabbed Liangyu's wrist. Liangyu tried to free her arm, but the Genji Head had a vice-like grip.
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about!" Liangyu pleaded in terror. Raikou was not the only one who took offence to Liangyu's actions.
"Then it seems that you need some discipline, General of Ming." Wu Zetian declared as she grabbed Liangyu's other wrist. Liangyu was then pulled off of the bed by the Assassin and Berserker.
"Master! Please stop them" Liangyu begged as she was dragged off to another room. Liangyu's pleas for help went unanswered, as Ritsuka was already soundly asleep by this point.
Today was not a good day for Olga-Marie Animusphere. The Rayshift Chamber was bombed during just before Chaldea's first mission began and Olga-Marie found herself trapped in a hostile Singularity with only a single Master Candidate and Demi-Servant for aid. At least the Master Candidate that fell asleep during orientation proved to be competent in the field.
Just when things were looking up with the appearance of Lev Lainur, she learned that Lev had intentionally set that bomb in the Rayshift Chamber to sabotage Chaldea. As if it were not bad enough, Olga-Marie had learned that her body back in Chaldea was already dead. There would be no escaping Singularity F for her. With a wave of his hand, Lev caused the Director to float towards CHALDEAS, which was now a burning sphere.
"No-NO! NO! Someone help me! Help! I... I don't want to die here!" Olga-Marie screamed in desperation as she was drawn into CHALDEAS. "Because I've never been praised... Because I've never been praised by anyone!" She cried out as she came close enough to feel the heat, tears flowing freely down her face. "Why? Why does this always happen to me?! No one ever valued me! Everyone hated me!" She ranted before her body made contact with the inferno. The model CHALDEAS burned with the intensity of a miniature sun (and that was not a figure of speech). "No Stop! No, no, no, no, no... I haven't even accomplished anything yet! From the moment I was born, I've never been accepted by anyone!" Olga-Marie screamed in agony before she suddenly fell silent.
"Director!" Ritsuka yelled as he watched the entire scene unfold. Ritsuka could do nothing but watch in horror and despair as the Director of Chaldea was burned to ashes. Olga-Marie's death would haunt Ritsuka for the rest of his life, as she was the first person who he had failed to save.
Once more, Gudako woke up in her bed drenched in sweat. She immediately ran to the toilet and emptied her stomach. Gudako wiped her mouth in disgust, cursing the fact that the smell burning flesh was still in her nostrils. Just like the morning before, Gudako left her room and embarked on a morning walk that what was quickly becoming a daily ritual for her. She walked through the halls of the Living Quarters, past Da Vinci's Workshop, through the Docking Bay and into another area that she had never seen before.
The section was rather wide open, with one wall lined with wooden stalls. The air was thick with the smell of animals, and stray bits of straw littered the ground. Within most of the stalls were horses of various breeds and colours, which spent their time eating or simply resting. Gudako could only say one thing in response.
"HORSE!" Gudako cried out in delight. Gudako had found Novum Chaldea's stables: an area dedicated to the care and maintenance of the various horses and other mounts (such as Astolfo's Hippogriff) used by Ritsuka's Servants. Several of the animals perked up at Gudako's sudden cry of joy, but nearly all of them went back to minding their own business; chewing on hay or lying down for a nap. Gudako wasted no time and ran excitedly to the nearest stall.
The nearest horse had a black coat, a white mane and glowing red eyes. This steed was none other than Llamrei: the mount of Artoria Lancer Alter. Despite the mare's intimidating appearance, Gudako could not be more happy as she stroked Llamrei's mane. "Horse horse horse horse horse! So cute! So awesome!" Gudako ranted, lost in her own little world. If the mare was bothered by Gudako's sudden invasion of her personal space, then Llamrei did not show it. Gudako's appreciation of the equine form was interrupted when another occupant of the stables made her presence known.
"Oh my. I did not expect to see you here." Kiara suddenly said to Gudako. The Demonic Bodhisattva was already in the Stables by the time that Gudako had arrived, so the redhead's sudden enthusiastic outburst was quite the surprise to her. Gudako stopped stroking Llamrei and turned to address Kiara.
"Hi Kiara. I just wandered in here by accident." Gudako said, although her hand was itching to stroke more horses. "What are you doing here?" Gudako asked. Kiara simply smiled.
"Oh. I have my own... Reasons." Kiara said without revealing any real information. "I take it that you like horses." She asked to start a conversation. Gudako's face lit up with joy at the question.
"Are you kidding me? Horses are the BEST THING EVER!" Gudako exclaimed as she practically jumped for joy. "They're so cute and awesome and fast. Whenever I see one, I just want to pet it and brush it and feed it carrots!" Gudako ranted excitedly. Ritsuka had his love of mecha anime and chocolate, Gudako had her love for video games and horses. Ironically between the two siblings, Ritsuka would be the one who actually ended up owning a horse. Realisation then dawned on Gudako. "Carrots! I need to give them CARROTS!" Gudako yelled before she bolted out of the stables in search of orange coloured root vegetables. Kiara chuckled in amusement at the redhead's antics.
"This gives me an idea for your therapy." Kiara said to herself before she turned her attention back to the horses. "Now then, let us continue, shall we?" Kiara said with a devious grin on her face.
Ritsuka had completed yet another work shift. At this point, investigation had slowed down considerably in progress, as he had yet to learn anything new about this Minute Singularity from inside the factory. Still, this was no reason for Ritsuka to give up: Humanity's Last Master did not become so successful by being impatient. Just as Ritsuka was about to return to base, one of his co-workers caught his attention.
"Psst. I hear you've been trying to figure out where the meat really comes from." The factory worker whispered from behind a door that was slightly ajar. "Come this way. There's a secret that you'll never believe." He invited before holding the door open for Ritsuka to enter. Ritsuka smiled at this turn of events.
"Awesome. Lead the way!" Ritsuka said with acted enthusiasm. 'This is either a very convenient lead or it's a trap.' Ritsuka thought to himself. Ritsuka practically waltzed right into the room, only for the door to close shut firmly behind him with only the light of the setting sun coming in through the window to provide light. Ritsuka then noticed that there were two other men in the small room with him, each armed with shovels.
"Sorry, but this is for the good of Slaughter Town." One of the assailants apologised before he swung his shovel at Ritsuka's head. Ritsuka simply leaned backwards to avoid the strike.
"Paisen." Ritsuka said calmly. "Kill them, but leave one alive." He ordered as Yu Mei-Ren materialised behind Ritsuka's attackers with both of her swords drawn. One assailant turned around just in time to see Yu Mei-Ren about to strike.
"What the fuck?" One of Ritsuka's attackers exclaimed before Yu Mei-Ren stabbed her swords into his abdomen. Ritsuka wasted no time to take advantage of their surprise as he punched the second man square in the face with a Reinforced fist. The front of the man's skull instantly caved in under the force of such a blow, killing him instantly. The third attacker tried to escape, but Ritsuka swiftly struck the survivor on the back of the head to knock him unconscious.
"We'll bring this one to Nite Brite for questioning." Ritsuka said as he hefted the unconscious body onto his shoulders. He opened the factory window and jumped out. Once he landed on his Reinforced feet, Ritsuka quietly made his way through the shadows back to his base. This turn of events suited Ritsuka just fine: a nine to five job at a hotdog factory did not suit him at all.
In Novum Chaldea's Cafeteria, two middle-aged men waited for their meals in silence. They each sat so still that one might have mistaken the two for mannequins posed on chairs for some unknown purpose. After several minutes of stoic quiet, one man broke the silence.
"...Are you going to talk about what happened yet?" Kiritsugu asked. He had noticed that the stoic Kentaro had something on his mind for the past few days, as evident by the Fujimaru Patriarch's blank stare and laconic responses. Most would chalk up Kentaro's behaviour to Kentaro simply being Kentaro, but the Mage Killer had better observational skills than most. Not that Kiritsugu particularly cared about Kentaro's issues. It certainly was not because Kiritsugu considered Kentaro to be the closest thing to a friend that he had in Novum Chaldea. Not even the slightest chance. Kentaro stared at the Mage Killer with an unreadable expression on his face for a moment before he responded.
"Alright." Kentaro agreed in a monotonous tone. Neither of the two men moved a muscle despite this riveting conversation.
"What happened?" Kiritsugu asked. Kentaro did not break his stoic gaze towards the Mage Killer.
"I saw Ritsuka on a mission. My son is a killer." Kentaro summarised succinctly. Kiritsugu failed to see what the problem was.
"I know. I'm a killer too." Kiritsugu stated. He had ended countless lives over the course of his career as the Mage Killer, and many more times that during his time in the Counter Force. If Kentaro was shocked by Kiritsugu's casual admittance of murder, he did not show it on his face.
"I know. You're an Assassin." Kentaro said before he actually averted his gaze from Kiritsugu. "I've never felt more distant from Ritsuka." He muttered with a face that almost looked sad. Kiritsugu meanwhile kept his composure.
"At least you can fix things with your son. I shot my father when I was a kid." Kiritsugu revealed. While there were many people whom Kiritsugu regretted killing, Emiya Noritaka was not one of them. That admittance caused Kentaro's gaze to return to the Mage Killer in surprise.
"Fuck..." Was all that Kentaro could say in response. Kiritsugu almost nodded.
"Yeah. You've got a better relationship with your son than I ever had with my father. Don't waste it because of this." Kiritsugu insisted. With that, another awkward silence fell between the two men before Kentaro spoke up.
"He shouldn't have to do this." Kentaro stated in a droning voice. Kiritsugu was surprised: he had never seen Kentaro this angry in the time that he knew the Fujimaru Patriarch.
"Yeah, he shouldn't. But he's still going to do it, because we need him to be a killer." Kiritsugu stated. "Now, what's really bothering you about Ritsuka?" The Mage Killer asked. Kentaro inhaled before he responded.
"I'm angry because I know how this will end: I've seen it happen before." Kentaro said as he thought back to his grandfather's corpse swinging from that rope in his room. "My grandfather couldn't live with what he'd done, and I can already tell that neither will Ritsuka when this is over." Kentaro explained. Kiritsugu immediately understood what Kentaro meant.
"Not necessarily. You still have time to show him some support before he eats his gun." Kiritsugu said. Kentaro thought over what Kiritsugu had told him.
"...You're right." Kentaro relented. Once more, a silence fell over the table as they waited for their burgers to arrive.
"Order for two burger meals." Irisviel called out from the front counter. Kiritsugu stood up from the table and swiftly walked over to retrieve their meals.
"Fucking finally." Kiritsugu muttered, mentally drained from having to play therapist for Kentaro. Social interaction was never one of the Mage Killer's strong points.
Ritsuka had just arrived at the apartment with his unconscious prisoner in tow. Fortunately, Ritsuka was skilled enough at moving unseen that he did not attract unwanted attention on the way home. He tied up his captive on a chair and placed a cloth sack over the man's head in preparation for an interrogation. Wu Zetian for her part was more than happy to oblige her Master's needs for a less than savoury method of extracting information.
"Nite Brite, find out where the meat has been coming from." Ritsuka ordered before he cast a Noise-Cancelling spell around the room. He then took a seat a short distance away from the tied up man. Yu Mei-Ren decided to speak up at that moment.
"I'm surprised that you're sticking around, Kouhai." Yu Mei-Ren said snidely. As a (former) Master Candidate herself, Yu Mei-Ren would have guessed that Humanity's Last Master would simply assign one of his Servants to the task and wash his own hands of the matter. Ritsuka watched on as Wu Zetian prepared the tools of her 'trade' on the dining table.
"Some people wouldn't be able to stomach what's about to happen. I need to be here: I need to see the consequences of my orders. If I'm not able to watch this, then I shouldn't have ordered this interrogation in the first place. It's called taking responsibility." Ritsuka explained. Yu Mei-Ren shook her head.
"Keep telling yourself that." Yu Mei-Ren muttered before she went back into her Spirit Form. 'I think you just like watching others break.' She thought to herself, as she still had not forgotten what went down during the Chinese Lostbelt. Ritsuka payed Yu Mei-Ren's criticism no mind.
"Nite Brite, begin." Ritsuka ordered. Wu Zetian grinned menacingly and wasted no time to commence the torture session. She picked up the bucket of water and dumped it on the captive's face, with the sack still over his head. The man screamed as he was waterboarded.
"Wake up, scum." Wu Zetian commanded as she casually tossed the empty bucket onto the floor. Once her captive calmed down enough to listen, Wu Zetian continued. "Here is how things are going to work; I ask a question, then you give me an answer. If you do not give me an answer, then I break piece of you." Wu Zetian said before she pulled the sack off of the man's head. His gaze immediately went to the table that was covered in the Empress Dowager's torture implements.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The man pleaded. Wu Zetian seemed to ignore his cries as she skipped around the table merrily.
"There are so many toys to choose from, I can't decide. They all look like so much fun." Wu Zetian said playfully as she hovered her hand above each of her torture implements. Eventually she picked up the pliers. "I'm going to pull out your teeth." She announced before she forced the man's mouth open with one hand.
"No no no no! Wait! Wai-argh!" The victim's screams were muffled by the pliers that were inserted into his mouth and gripped one of his molars. His agony only increased as Wu Zetian twisted and pulled the pliers more and more in an attempt to remove the tooth. Suddenly, Wu Zetian stopped and removed the pliers from the man's mouth.
"Wait a minute." Wu Zetian said with realisation. "If I pull out your teeth, then you won't be able to speak properly, and the Master won't get the information he wants." She explained as she took a step back from her restrained victim.
"Oh thank God..." The man muttered in relief. His respite would not last long.
"I'm just going to pull out your fingernails then." Wu Zetian stated casually before she caught the man's index finger in a vice-like grip. She then began to pull at his finger nail with the pliers.
"NO NO NO NO NNNNRRRRRAAAAAAGHHH!" The captive yelled in agony as Wu Zetian pulled his nail right out of his finger. Wu Zetian took a moment to step back and admire her handy work.
"Feel like talking yet?" Wu Zetian asked before she casually tossed the fingernail aside and set the pliers back on the table.
"I've been ready to talk since you kidnapped me!" The captive yelled in agony as tears streamed down his face. Once more, the Empress Dowager seemed to ignore his pleas as she looked over to the rest of her torture implements.
"No? I thought not." Wu Zetian dismissed before she picked up a claw hammer from the table and made her way back to her victim. "It looks like we will need to resort to some extreme measures." Wu Zetian said as she lifted up the claw hammer and aimed it over the man's vulnerable crotch. She raised the hammer above her head in preparation for an impromptu castration. "Tell me what I want to know: Where is the meat coming from?" Wu Zetian asked before she brought her hammer down.
"HOTDOGS ARE MADE OF PEOPLE!" The captive man suddenly yelled out in desperation. Wu Zetian's hammer stopped barely an inch above the man's testicles. Yu Mei-Ren's face contorted in disgust, Liangyu's eyes widened in horror, Raikou glared at the captive and Ritsuka simply sighed in disappointment, oddly enough. Any semblance of joviality left the Empress Dowager once she heard the man's confession. She pushed the hammer against the man's chin to tilt his head and force him to look her at her in the eyes.
"How long has this been going on?" Wu Zetian asked in a serious tone. The captive man sweated heavily under the Empress Dowager's gaze.
"I don't know! Since the factory started up?" The captive blurted out in desperation.
"So, you knew what hotdogs really were and did nothing about it? Now I feel a whole lot less guilty about torturing you." Wu Zetian said with contempt. The captive actually managed to muster a look of defiance at the Empress Dowager.
"Go to the ravine South of Slaughter Town and check out the cave. You'll see why we need that meat." The man stated with a glare. Wu Zetian was about to continue the torture session when a raised hand from Ritsuka signalled her to stop.
"Nite Brite, that's enough." Ritsuka said before he silenced the captive with an improvised gag made out of a length of rope. "Paisen, Raikou, Liang, you're with me." Ritsuka ordered, to which each respective Servant nodded. "Nite Brite, take a break. If this turns out to be another trap, then you can do whatever you want to him." Ritsuka said to Wu Zetian before he left with the other Servants.
"I'm going to take a nap." Wu Zetian announced. However, she stopped just before she reached the bed. Wu Zetian turned around and made her way back to the prisoner. She hung a bucket that dripped water from its base on a hook above the captive's head. "A little goodbye present. Westerners call this the Chinese Water Torture. A rather appropriate name. It may not feel like much now, but soon enough you will know terror." Wu Zetian said with satisfaction as her victim screamed vulgarities at her, all muffled by the rope in his mouth. With that, the Empress Dowager climbed into one of the beds and drifted off to sleep.
In a certain room in Novum Chaldea, a certain Dragon Woman worked in the kitchen.
"Time to start cooking." Kiyohime said to herself as she set a large pot of water to boil on the stove. She was about to fetch some meat from the refrigerator when a sudden knock at the door prompted Kiyohime to turn off the heat and see who was visiting her at this time. Kiyohime opened the door to reveal it was none other than her mother-in-law, Aki. "Oh. Hello, Mother." Kiyohime greeted. Aki straightened up and took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Kiyohime, I'll get straight to the point: I drove Ritsuka away, and I will make an effort to accept him as soon as he comes back from his mission." Aki said resolutely. Kiyohime smiled at Aki's resolve.
"I know you will. You cannot lie to me." Kiyohime said in an ominous tone that was contrasted by her warm and loving smile. "Would you like to come in?" She invited in a much more friendly tone. However, Aki would not be the one to answer Kiyohime's invitation.
"I'd be delighted to!" Irisviel said enthusiastically as she suddenly appeared from nowhere. It seemed that the Einzbern Homunculus had secretly followed Aki on her way to apologise to Kiyohime. Kiyohime for her part was not at all surprised by Irisviel's antics.
"Welcome, Irisviel. Please make yourselves at home." Kiyohime said politely, and with some degree of resignation. Denying Irisviel was a fruitless endeavour. With that, Kiyohime stood aside to let the other two women into her home.
"Please pardon the intrusion." Irisviel said before she sat down at the table. Kiyohime, being the gracious host that she was, soon set a cup of hot tea in front of both Aki and Irisviel before she sat down herself. "You know, Kiyohime, one of these days we should get both of our families on an outing together." Irisviel said before she took a sip of tea. Kiyohime shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. Ritsuka would never agree to another trip to the Rayshift Chamber after what happened last time." Kiyohime stated. She was inclined to agree with her husband: the risk to Ritsuka's parents and sister was simply not worth the trouble. Irisviel thought further on the matter.
"How about the Simulator then?" Irisviel suggested. If Rayshifting was not an option, then the other state-of-the-art piece of technology at Chaldea's disposal would be the next best thing.
"Hmm. I do not see any problem with that." Kiyohime answered in agreement. If anything went wrong, then they could simply turn the Simulator off. "Do you have any destination in mind?" She asked. Irisviel had already planned ahead.
"Can't go wrong with a barbecue outdoors. I'm sure that the children would appreciate going outside for a change, and Shirou would love the chance to grill something." Irisviel suggested before she turned to Aki. "Aki, did your hometown have any places that might work?" She asked. Aki thought about what would be an appropriate destination in her pre-Bleached hometown.
"I guess there was the park. Ritsuka and Gudako always liked going there when they were kids." Aki said before she looked towards the door to Jack's room. "Is Jack here, by the way?" Aki asked. She did not want to pass up an opportunity to see her adorable granddaughter while she was here. Kiyohime shook her head.
"No. She already left at some point during our conversation." Kiyohime informed Aki nonchalantly before she took a sip of tea.
"Really? I didn't notice." Aki said in surprise. She did not see Jack's door open, nor did she hear the Wraith Child exit. Kiyohime gave Aki a small smile.
"Yes. She likes to think that I do not notice her little escapades. However, one cannot hide anything from a mother." Kiyohime stated, to which Irisviel nodded knowingly. "Of course, my Stalking Skill is limited to only knowing where my loved ones are: it does not tell me what exactly they are doing. However, I have a way around that little limitation." She said before she stood up from the table and faced the bed. "Reveal yourself." Kiyohime said in an authoritative tone. At that moment, Hassan of Serenity crawled out from under the bed and stood up, her distinctive skull mask still upon her face. "Report." Kiyohime commanded. Serenity did not move a muscle as she spoke.
"Your daughter hides in the Command Room, where she watches the Master during his mission. She has made no other action." Serenity reported in her usual soft voice. Kiyohime smiled at her friend.
"I see. Thank you, Serenity. That is all." Kiyohime said before she sat down back at the table and picked up her teacup. Serenity also turned back around to face the bed.
"By your leave." Serenity replied before she crawled back under the bed and disappeared into the shadows. Aki blinked in surprise at this turn of events.
"...She's been there this whole time?" Aki asked nervously. It honestly creeped her out that a skull-faced woman was under Ritsuka's and Kiyohime's bed. Aki knew that she would never get a good night's sleep if someone similar was under her own bed while she slept. Kiyohime however took no notice of Aki's concerns.
"Yes. I have Serenity keeping an eye on your family while I am doing other things." Kiyohime stated. "It is for your own safety, of course." She added before she took another sip. Aki did not know what to think of this. Irisviel on the other hand, saw the value of Kiyohime's arrangement with Serenity.
"I should get someone to keep an eye on Illya and Chloe too." Irisviel said. It was not easy to look after two children while also working in the Cafeteria.
A quick communication with Leonardo had informed Ritsuka of a cave outside of Slaughter Town that should not have existed in Proper Human History. With that, Ritsuka and his Servants (minus Wu Zetian) quietly made their way out of Slaughter Town to investigate the cave. Once the Chaldeans arrived, they saw that not only had the cave entrance been fenced off, two men armed with rifles stood at the entrance.
Ritsuka and his Servants hid behind some nearby rocks a short distance away. Humanity's Last Master then noticed that a light bulb had been set up above the guards, which gave him an idea. Ritsuka reinforced his arm and threw a rock at the light bulb. The light source shattered under the impact.
"What the hell?" One guard asked in confusion as his vision was suddenly engulfed in darkness. Ritsuka swiftly and silently moved through the shadows and knocked each guard unconscious with a strike to the back of their heads.
"Hide them behind those rocks." Ritsuka ordered. While Raikou and Liangyu carried out their Master's orders, Ritsuka took the opportunity to investigate the cave mouth more closely. The chain link fence had a gate that was secured with a simple chain and lock. A harsh pull from a Reinforced hand was enough to rip the chains off of the gate.
Once Ritsuka entered the gate, he noticed something unnatural about his surroundings. The air held a distinct salty smell, the walls were damp and there were several pools with what looked like seaweed and coral present. It may have been because of a lack of sleep, but Ritsuka could swear that he heard the crashing of waves in the distance.
"Sea water?" Ritsuka remarked in surprise. This made no sense: Slaughter Town was nowhere near the coast. "This cave is definitely the result of a Noble Phantasm." He concluded. He continued down the passageway until he came reached a part that split into two sections. Ritsuka chose to go on the path on the right.
Ritsuka's path lead him to a rather wide open chamber of the cave. In the middle of the chamber there seemed to be what looked like a gigantic meat grinder with a platform and ramp next to it. Ritsuka noticed to his disgust that two men were in the middle of dragging a corpse up the ramp.
The men tossed the corpse into the top opening of the machine and one of them pulled a lever on its side. The machine whirred to life as its gears began to turn. The crunching of bones could be heard, and soon finely ground meat came out of a series of holes on the end of the meat grinder and into a barrel below. With nothing else of note going on here, Ritsuka continued retraced his steps to continue exploring the cave.
The alternate pathway lead to a long and straight section that was reminiscent of a hallway. The entire hallway was lined with prison cells, many of which held people. There must have been over a hundred captives. They were all in poor condition, clearly starved and in despair under the dim light of the occasional light bulb in the hallway. Ritsuka felt the need to help these people.
"Hang on, I'll get you out." Ritsuka said as he gripped the door to the nearest cell and ripped it open with Reinforced strength. "Raikou! Liang! Paisen! Get those cells open!" He commanded. His Servants were instantly by his side. The four of them made their way down the hallway opening cells, to the relief of the captives. However the noise from their actions had attracted the two men who worked on the meat grinder in the other chamber.
"Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" The prison guard yelled before Liangyu swiftly closed the distance between them and knocked both men unconscious with the shaft of her spear. Ritsuka decided to leave the guards where they were: the captives' safety took priority.
"That's the last one." Ritsuka announced before he turned to address the former captives. "Come on, we'll take you back to town." Ritsuka said with a warm smile. He and his Servants lead the people out of the cave and back to Slaughter Town. The trip was rather slow, as not only was there almost no sunlight left, the fear of an attack from Soulless Ones hung over everyone's heads. Fortunately, The group was not attacked during their journey.
Eventually, Ritsuka lead the freed captives back to the main streets of Slaughter Town. Many of the townsfolk were surprised by the sudden arrival of such a large group, and even more so when some people recognised that the captives were the same people who had recently gone missing.
"You found my husband!" One woman cried out in relief as she ran forward to hug her husband. The woman's husband returned her embrace, which touched the hearts of everyone who was watching. Their heartfelt reunion was brought to an abrupt end when the woman's husband suddenly bit into her neck and tore out a chunk of her flesh.
"Meat! Meat! MEAT!" The man yelled as he tore his wife to shreds. Almost all at once, the other former captives descended on their fellow townsfolk in a feeding frenzy. Their teeth and fingernails elongated into sharpened points, and their muscles swelled to the point of tearing their clothing at the seams. Ritsuka recognised what these people had become.
"Ghouls..." Ritsuka stated as he readied Remnant From 1999. "No choice. Take them down!" Ritsuka ordered as he thrust his forked spear into the nearest cannibal. Liangyu, Raikou and Yu Mei-Ren followed suit and tried to cut down as many Ghouls as they could.
Despite Ritsuka's efforts, many Ghouls had already escaped further into Slaughter Town, and it would take too long to hunt each of them down. Ritsuka lamented the irony that his attempt to save some people had only hastened Slaughter Town's demise, and it had gotten many other innocent people killed in the process. For now, Ritsuka decided to focus on his mission: the retrieval of the Holy Grail.
"Leonardo, are you seeing this?" Ritsuka asked into his communicator. A hologram of Leonardo appeared before Ritsuka.
"Yeah, this is horrifying. It's not like I wanted to go to sleep tonight or anything." Leonardo said in an inappropriately snide tone. Her hologram suddenly switched over to project a certain detective.
"There are many tales of people losing their humanity after eating human flesh: I hypothesise that repeatedly feeding everyone human meat in the form of hotdogs has caused them to gradually become Ghouls in a very literal sense." Holmes interjected, having observed Ritsuka's progress on his latest mission. "Those who are killed before the transformation takes place become Soulless Ones, which in turn end up killing more people." The detective concluded.
"So, have you figured out who's behind this?" Ritsuka asked. Holmes nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. I guessed as much once cannibalism and the name 'Bean' came together." Holmes stated. Ritsuka nodded in understanding.
"Alexander Bean's True Name is Sawney Bean." Ritsuka deduced. 'Dandy old men always end up trying to kill me at some point.' He added in his mind. Homes was pleased that Ritsuka had reached a similar conclusion to himself.
"Precisely." Holmes said. "Sawney Bean: the cannibal who terrorised Scotland with his clan until he was detained by local law enforcers." He recited.
"That explains the sea water cave. It must have been some form of Territory Creation that lets him recreate his old hideout." Ritsuka said as he recalled how Sawney Bean's legend featured a seaside cave that was hidden during high tide. "It's a safe bet that he's got the Holy Grail we're after. Our next move will be to assault the factory." He concluded. The hologram switched back to projecting Leonardo at that moment.
"Got it." Leonardo said before she ended communications. During Ritsuka's conversation, Liangyu had something on her mind.
"Master, you already knew that the meat was human, didn't you?" Liangyu suddenly asked. Ritsuka nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. The interrogation earlier was just to confirm my suspicions." Ritsuka confirmed. Liangyu was surprised that Ritsuka had already reached that conclusion by that point.
"How could you possibly have figured that out?" Liangyu asked. During her time in Slaughter Town, Liangyu did not notice anything out of the ordinary (apart from the Soulless Ones). Ritsuka looked pensive at the question.
"They cook the meat at the factory, so the entire place smells like the stuff. You never forget the smell of burning human flesh." Ritsuka explained as he tried not to think about his first day at Chaldea. "Wait. If the cannibals are turning into Ghouls, then Nite Brite could be in danger!" Ritsuka suddenly realised with widened eyes. "Forget the factory! Get back to base NOW!" Ritsuka commanded before he broke out into a full sprint towards the apartment.
In an vacant apartment somewhere in Slaughter Town, someone observed the chaos unfold in the town. The screams of the townsfolk filled the air, and several fires had already broken out that cast an orange glow all throughout Slaughter Town. Despite the dangers posed by the Ghouls, this observer continued to stand stoically by the window.
Another presence then entered the room. This newcomer wore a dirty mantle over a white uniform. His hair was a pale orange while his eyes were golden, a stark contrast to the silver eyes of the man who was already at the window.
"Hello, Chaldean." Saver greeted without taking his eyes off of the window. The Chaldean glared at Saver.
"You should not be here, Saver." The Chaldean stated as he walked further into the apartment. Saver turned around to face the Chaldean, leaning against the wall as he did.
"Yeah. I shouldn't. But I am." Saver replied in a monotone voice. His response only made the Chaldean's glare more contemptuous.
"What did you hope to gain from saving that girl?" The Chaldean asked. From what the Chaldean could infer, Gudako would eventually have been rescued by Ritsuka even if Saver did not hand her the Holy Grail. Saver's posture stiffened ever so slightly at the mention of Gudako.
"Just a small change to nudge her onto a better path. She will eventually understand Humanity's Last Master, and accept him into her life again." Saver explained before he seemed to look slightly away from the other occupant of the room. "One person saved, a whole lot more to go." Saver said more to himself than to the Chaldean. The Chaldean did not seem pleased with that answer.
"Are you going to interfere again?" The Chaldean asked. Humanity's Last Master was in a delicate predicament as it was, and the last thing anyone needed was another party looking to interfere with Chaldea's mission. Saver shook his head slightly.
"Not now. I will later on though." Saver replied. There was much left for him to do in the coming months.
"If you continue down this path, the changes to this timeline will be irreversible." The Chaldean said.
"I know. That's my plan." Saver stated as he maintained eye contact with the Chaldean. The Chaldean's glare intensified at Saver's words.
"Your plan is impossible: Alaya will not allow this." The Chaldean insisted. That actually got Saver to stop leaning against the wall.
"Haven't you heard? I have a habit of doing the impossible." Saver replied with the smallest of smug grins on his lips. "Are you going to try and stop me? We both know how well that'll end for you." Saver said as he rested his left hand on the pommel of the sword that was strapped to his belt. The Chaldean gave out a sigh of exasperation.
"One last question: are you going to try and kill Humanity's Last Master?" The Chaldean asked. If Saver turned out to be a threat then it would be better to nip this problem in the bud here and now.
"No. I don't hate myself that much. I'm not Shirou." Saver admitted. That answer seemed to satisfy the Chaldean.
"Then do what you wish. We will not meet again." The Chaldean said before he stepped back and disappeared into the shadows. Saver stared at the empty space left behind before he turned around to look out of the window once more.
"He's still an asshole, even in this far back." Saver said aloud as he returned his attention to the violence that went on outside."At least he's better company than Galahad." He muttered under his breath as he watched Humanity's Last Master rush into the building that held Wu Zetian.
Back in Ritsuka's base/apartment, the factory worker who was captured earlier underwent a horrifying transformation. As with the freed captives from the cave, the restrained man's muscles bulged and his body grew to the point that he ropes which held him down snapped loose. The now freed Ghoul had only one thing on its mind: hunger. It soon picked up the scent of a warm fresh body with which it could feast upon.
However, the Ghoul's loud escape from its confines woke up Wu Zetian. She barely had time to get out of the bed before the cannibal was upon her. Wu Zetian acted fast: she quickly grabbed her pillow and shoved it into the Ghoul's maw. The Ghoul stumbled backwards as it clawed at its own face to remove the offending object that was stuck in its mouth. Wu Zetian took advantage of this moment of reprieve to draw her cane and unleash a flurry of strikes against the mutated monstrosity. However, her cane did nothing to stop the attacking Ghoul, as its hunger overrode any sense of pain or self-preservation. Just then, the door was kicked open by Humanity's Last Master.
"NITE BRITE!" Ritsuka yelled before raised Remnant just as the Ghoul charged at him. The creature was so overcome by its hunger that it actually impaled itself upon the forked spear in its attempt to devour Humanity's Last Master. "Kill it!" Ritsuka ordered as he backed up out of the doorway to let his other Servants stab the Ghoul to death.
Once the Ghoul went limp, Ritsuka pulled his spear out of its torso and ran inside the room to check on Wu Zetian. However, this lapse of judgement gave the Ghoul the window of opportunity to swiftly rise up and grab the nearest Servant: Yu Mei-Ren.
"PAISEN!" Ritsuka shouted in horror as he saw the Ghoul grab Yu Mei-Ren by the shoulders and sank its teeth into her neck. Her screams of agony turned to bloodied gurgling as her throat was torn open. Ritsuka swiftly drew his Calico and fired three rounds into the Ghoul's head, killing it for certain this time. As both the Ghoul's and Yu Mei-Ren's bodies fell to the floor, Ritsuka checked Wu Zetian for any signs of injury. "Nite Brite, are you hurt?" Ritsuka asked in concern. The Dowager Empress gave an arrogant laugh.
"Worry not: it would take more than the likes of such a ruffian to harm me." Wu Zetian boasted as she basked in the attention that her Master showered her with. Once Ritsuka was assured that Wu Zetian was unharmed, he made his way over to Yu Mei-Ren's body to pay his respects.
"It's a shame about Paisen. I hope that you've been reunited with your husband." Ritsuka said solemnly as he began to offer a silent prayer to his Servant/Senpai.
"I'm still alive, you asshole." Yu Mei-Ren's corpse said in irritation before her wounds sealed themselves. Ritsuka was surprised by Yu Mei-Ren's miraculous recovery.
"Well, good to still have you with us then." Ritsuka said with a genuine smile. Liangyu felt her face heat up at the sight.
This was the first time that Liangyu had seen her Master without his mask of a leader. As dazzling as Ritsuka's Charisma was to the Ming General, the display of Ritsuka's genuine smile of relief was far more appealing to her. Liangyu knew then and there that she would do anything to protect that smile. One more woman had been swept off of her feet by Ritsuka without him doing much of anything.
"Now then. Everyone, with me. We're going to assault the Factory and secure the Holy Grail from Sawney Bean." Ritsuka ordered as he lead his entire team of Servant back out to the streets to complete their mission. He tried to ignore the distant screams of the townsfolk who were slaughtered by Ghouls. 'This is what it means to be Humanity's Last Master.' He thought to himself bitterly.
Jack secretly watched her father at work from the Command Room of Novum Chaldea. As an Assassin with Presence Concealment, it was a trivial matter for the Wraith Child to sneak into the Command Room and remain undetected.
'Why does Mommy get all the fun?' Jack thought to herself as she saw her father prepare to go into battle once more. Jack was in awe of Ritsuka's ability to slaughter any opponent he came across, as most daughters felt towards their fathers. She simply did not understand why Ritsuka was so insistent on keeping her in Novum Chaldea rather than bringing her out to missions.
'Is it because We're too weak? If We were more stabby like Mommy, would he like us more?' Jack mistakenly thought to her self. Little did Jack know that this line of thinking would eventually drive a wedge between her and Ritsuka.
By now the Ghouls had killed any civilian who had not fled from Slaughter Town. With their prey either dead or out of reach, the Ghouls instead feasted upon the veritable mountain of corpses. However, their feasting was brought to an end when a legion of Soulless Ones arose from the shadows hungering for vengeance. Fortunately, the appearance of the undead served as an excellent distraction for Humanity's Last Master.
"Ignore the Ghouls: the Soulless Ones will finish them off for us." Ritsuka said to his Servants as he lead them through the blood splattered streets of Slaughter Town. More than a few Ghouls and Soulless Ones tried to attack the Chaldeans, however the assailants were either beaten aside or simply evaded for the sake of completing this mission as quickly as possible. Soon enough, the group had reached the hotdog factor, but they were not alone.
It seemed that some survivors from the town had holed themselves up in factory in hopes of waiting out the storm. A group of around thirty men stood at the entrance of the factory, each armed with a rifle. One man, who if Ritsuka recalled correctly was his supervisor during his brief stint at the factory, recognised Humanity's Last Master.
"You? You're supposed to be dead!" The supervisor exclaimed once he saw Ritsuka. The other guards aimed their rifles at Ritsuka and his Servants. Unfortunately, it seemed that Ritsuka was no longer a welcome guest in Bean's factory.
"Raikou, deal with the guards! Everyone else, with me!" Ritsuka commanded as he prepared his Magecraft. "Gandr!" He cried out before he launched his at his former supervisor. Said supervisor immediately slumped to the ground paralysed just as Ritsuka leapt over his limp body. Ritsuka continued to make his way deeper into the factory while Raikou overpowered the guards outside.
It did not take long for Ritsuka to reach Sawney Bean's office, where the cannibal sat down at his desk with his face buried in his hands. Sawney Bean looked up from his desk once Ritsuka opened the door.
"It's over, Sawney Bean." Ritsuka said as he pointed his spear at his former boss. "Hand over the Holy Grail and no one else needs to die." Ritsuka demanded as Liangyu, Yu Mei-Ren and Wu Zetian made their way in to the office alongside their Master. Sawney Bean's face contorted in hatred at the sight of Ritsuka.
"YOU! You're the one behind this!" Sawney Bean cried out in rage. "All I want is for my family to be safe and fed. So why did you have to ruin everything. Why? WHY?" He ranted before he slammed his hands on his desk and rose to his feet.
"Because you're a cannibal who's feeding human meat to the townsfolk." Ritsuka answered bluntly. Sawney Bean growled in anger and opened one of his desk drawers. He then pulled out two large blood-stained meat cleavers from his desk.
"Everything I do is to keep this place alive!" Sawney Bean yelled before he charged at Ritsuka with a meat cleaver in each hand. "These people, they helped me and gave me food even when they had nothing to spare. My meat gave this town new life!" He said before he brought both cleavers down on Ritsuka. Ritsuka managed to block both cleavers with Remnant.
"Your meat turns people into Ghouls!" Ritsuka cried out in indignation. He blocked a few more strikes from Sawney Bean as Liangyu moved to thrust her spear. The cannibal leapt out of the way of the Ming General's strike and ended up in the hallway outside of the office.
"That's the best part of my Noble Phantasm! Cannibal Clan makes people who eat my meat my family, and when they start to turn, they become the stuffing for the next batch of hot dogs." Sawney Bean said with a mad glint in his eyes. "Newcomers replace the Ghouls, and then they become meat once they start to turn. Then their spirits become Soulless Ones and kill more people, which gives me the perfect cover for why so many people disappear before they turn into Ghouls. I've secured a bright future for Slaughter Town." He revealed with a maniacal yellow-toothed grin. Ritsuka felt a headache coming on from Sawney Bean's flawed logic, which may or may not have been caused by some form of Madness Enhancement.
"Just one question, Sawney Bean." Ritsuka interjected. "You mentioned that a family took you in and fed you when you first came to Slaughter Town. What happened to that family?" He asked as he and Sawney Bean slowly circled each other in the hallway.
"Hmm? Oh. I carved them up for meat after they turned into Ghouls." Sawney Bean answered nonchalantly. Ritsuka sighed at this answer.
"You and I are nothing alike." Ritsuka stated in a solemn tone. Instead of rage or indignation, Ritsuka only felt pity for the cannibal. "You're so far gone that you don't even realise how much of a monster you've become. Killing you and ending Slaughter Town is an act of mercy by this point." Ritsuka said before his expression hardened for the task ahead. Sawney Bean felt insulted.
"I can save these people! These people are like family to me, and I'll protect them no matter the cost." Sawney Bean cried out desperately. "I just need. More. MEAT!" He shouted before he lunged once more at Ritsuka, intent on turning Humanity's Last Master into hotdog stuffing.
"Everyone, rush him!" Ritsuka called out as he leapt backwards to avoid Sawney Bean's attack. While Bean may have been a Servant, he was still an untrained thug armed with cooking implements. When faced with opponents who not only had more combat experience but also a numerical superiority, defeat was the only outcome. Wu Zetian unleashed a flurry of strikes that made Sawney Bean recoil in agony. Liangyu and Yu Mei-Ren took this opportunity to Sawney Bean's feet to the floor with their respective weapons. Ritsuka then stabbed Sawney Bean through the chest with Remnant. Sawney Bean dropped his cleavers and coughed up blood in defeat.
"I just... Wanted to do something good for once." Were Sawney Bean's last words before he dissolved into a cloud of golden particles. With that, everyone sheathed their weapons as the most pressing threat was now eliminated.
"Yeah. I get it." Ritsuka admitted to the now dead Assassin Servant. Ritsuka then went back into Sawney Bean's office and searched through the desk. He found what he was looking for: a Holy Grail. A hologram of Leonardo was then projected from Ritsuka's communicator.
"Ritsuka, do you have the Grail yet?" Leonardo asked over the communicator. Ritsuka nodded in affirmation and held up the Holy Grail for Leonardo to see.
"Yeah." Ritsuka confirmed. "Just hang on a minute. I've just got one last thing to do before I come back, though." Ritsuka said before he exited the factory and went back to what was left of Slaughter Town.
Ritsuka had arrived back in Novum Chaldea just in time for dinner. After he dismissed his Servants, he started to make his way down to his own room for a well-earned meal with his wife and daughter with his package in tow. There was one problem however: in order to reach his own room, Ritsuka needed to pass by his parents' room in the Living Quarters first. Ritsuka drew upon his Shinobi training from Koutaro to stealthily avoid his parents and creep past their door silently.
Unfortunately, Gudako had chosen that exact moment to open the door for an unrelated reason. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Humanity's Last Master right outside of the doorway. Before another panic attack could trigger in Gudako, Ritsuka swiftly pressed a button on his end of the door to close it and spare his little sister any further terror.
"Still afraid of me, huh? I don't blame you." Ritsuka muttered to himself out of self-loathing as he heard the faint sounds of his younger sister's sobs from the other side of the door. Ritsuka sighed and turned to continue his walk home.
"Master, a moment of your time, please." A voice called out from behind Ritsuka. He turned around and saw Kiara walking up to him.
"Make it quick." Ritsuka replied in mild irritation. He did not want to be late for dinner. Kiara gave a small bow of appreciation once she caught up to her Master.
"Thank you. If I may be so bold to ask, I would like you to leave Xanthos here when you leave for your next mission." Kiara requested. Ritsuka did not expect the Demonic Bodhisattva to ask for that.
"Why?" Ritsuka asked, wary about what a woman as depraved as Kiara wanted with his horse.
"Knowing your sister's fondness for horses, I believe that it would help Gudako's mind if she were responsible for tending to Xanthos from now on. Having her close to something associated with you would help her gradually get used to your presence over time." Kiara explained. Ritsuka contemplated Kiara's suggestion. He did remember that his sister was indeed fond of horses, so Kiara's logic was sound enough.
"Alright. Looks like I'm going to be on foot for the next few missions." Ritsuka relented before he whistled sharply. Xanthos materialised beside his Master as commanded. "Xanthos. Head over to the Stables until further notice." Ritsuka ordered his faithful steed. The divine horse stomped one hoof in affirmation before he departed. Kiara gave another short bow to Ritsuka.
"Thank you, Master. I assure you that your sister's mental health will be my top priority." Kiara said with a gentle smile. "Good night, Master." She said before she turned around to leave.
"Yeah. Good night, Kiara." Ritsuka responded before he too continued on his way. Eventually reached the door to his room. "I'm home!" Ritsuka called out once he opened the door. He saw that Jack was already waiting for dinner at the table. The Wraith Child lit up with joy at the sight of her father.
"Mommy!" Jack cried out as she ran to Ritsuka. She hugged him tightly, as if she were afraid that he would disappear again if she let go of him. Ritsuka knelt down to return his daughter's embrace.
"Hi Jack." Ritsuka greeted with a serene smile as he gave Jack a headpat. There was nothing like coming home to his lovely wife and daughter. Kiyohime then stepped out of the kitchen.
"Welcome home, Honoured Husband." Kiyohime greeted politely. Ritsuka then stood back up and held out the package that he had been carrying to Jack.
"I have something for you." Ritsuka said before Jack accepted the box and opened it. "It's a set of kitchen knives. You can use these to help your mother in the kitchen." Ritsuka explained. "Think of it as my way of saying sorry for leaving so suddenly." He added with guilt in his voice. Jack's eyes widened in awe as she looked upon her newest implements of cutting, slicing, slashing and stabbing.
"Wow! Thanks Mommy!" Jack said before she returned to her room to add the knives to the rest of her collection. Ritsuka then noticed something off about the air in the room. The distinctive smell of boiled pork made him feel uneasy.
"What are we having for dinner?" Ritsuka asked his wife nervously.
"I decided to try something Western for a change: hotdogs." Kiyohime answered, completely unaware of Ritsuka's recent run-in with the cannibals at the hotdog factory. Her words brought horrible thoughts to the forefront of her husband's mind.
The screams of the townsfolk. Their terrified faces as they were devoured by Ghouls or cut down by Soulless Ones. Worst of all, Ritsuka's own hypocrisy for condemning Slaughter Town just to momentarily distract himself from his own guilt. It was too much for Ritsuka to handle at the moment. Ritsuka immediately ran to the toilet and vomited.
"I need another mission after this." Ritsuka said to himself as he stood up from the toilet. "It's not enough..." He muttered in despair.
Author's Note:
Sorry this chapter took so long to finish: I recently got back into painting Warhammer miniatures (so many Squigs). Truth be told, I'm a bit worried that readers will feel that not a lot happened in this chapter, or that the bits in Slaughter Town dragged on. However, much of this chapter is set up for future plot developments. I also hope that reader's don't mind the addition of OC Servants as villains-of-the-week.
This chapter also gives another role for Gudako in the story: to showcase what happened during Ritsuka's time in Chaldea through the Dream Cycle. The concept of the Dream Cycle in Fate has always fascinated me as a narrative device, so I figured why not use it to give a summation of my take on Part One of Fate/Grand Order. As for why Gudako is suddenly getting these dreams: I do have an explanation that will be revealed later on.
On the subject of Saver, if you're smart enough to read then you're smart enough to figure out his true identity. I haven't exactly been subtle about it.
Please feel free to leave a review, and thank you for reading.