A GHOST IN A STRANGE LAND

CHAPTER 22

Ritsuka Fujimaru…..was back in Medical. And getting the lecture-beam in stereo.

"I can't BELIEVE you!" Yeah, Romani was MAD. Like, legitimate angry, not frustrated or exasperated, but honestly and truly mad. At her.

Like she didn't already feel like crap about all this without him piling on.

"We told you to take it easy, that your legs were still healing from everything you went through…" His arms were crossed across his chest, as he loomed over the girl lying on the bed. "And you went running."

She wanted to fire back, to tell him that her legs had felt fine, that she'd just wanted to see how she felt…..but she knew those were just excuses. The truth….. "I know, Romani…..I screwed up. I just…" No, voice, you are NOT cracking right now. With the practice of a lifetime, however short it had been, she forced the tears back and demanded her voice remain steady.

Don't let Susumu them see you cry. Never let Susumu them see you cry.

"I just couldn't stand sitting still and doing…nothing, so…..this." She sighed, a sliver of what she was feeling managing to slip into that sigh. "It was stupid, I know, and…hellfire, I won't say I'm sorry given Chaldea's new motto seems to be 'Don't be Sorry, be Better.' I'll just say I won't do something that stupid again." Intentionally, at least, where her health was concerned.

Romani flopped into a chair. "If Avenger hadn't been there….who knows how long you might have laid there, doing more damage to your legs than you already did." He whirled on Avenger. "And what were you THINKING, letting her run like that?"

"Hey! Don't take this out on me!" snarled Avenger. "I didn't know she wasn't supposed to be doing anything like that - she asked me to pace her, so I thought she was cleared for that kind of shit." Avenger turned her displeasure on Fujimaru, and if she didn't already feel like pond scum, NOW she really did. "You and me are going to have a Conversation later, Red."

She managed to keep her mask up, but she flinched at that. It was subtle - she'd gotten really good at masking her reactions, but they all saw it.

Romani sighed. "No, you're right, I'm taking out my frustrations with this whole situation on you, Avenger. I owe you an apology."

Avenger shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it. I'm more concerned about what we're going to do with Red, here."

Disappointed glares in triplicate. It was like being at home. Shitburgers.

Might as well take her lumps and get this over with. "So, Doc…what's the damage? How badly did my poor judgment set me back?"

Romani's brow furrowed further, and she braced herself for another tongue-lashing…then he heaved a breath out, and his agitation seemed to leave him. "You're going to be on crutches and off your feet for at least a week. You tore muscles that were still healing so badly that your legs simply aren't going to be able to support your weight. And you're going to be wearing leg braces, too."

"They'll periodically stimulate your legs in the same sort of fashion as Romani's acupuncture, as well as using the ambient mana around Chaldea to encase your legs in a healing field - not a terribly strong one, I'm afraid, but every little bit helps." This was the first time she thought she'd ever seen perpetually happy/amused Da Vinci…well, not.

Gads, she felt like a heel.

"After a week, we'll check on how your legs are doing, and see if the braces can come off." Romani's face shifted into something less angry, and more…sympathetic. "Fujimaru…..I can understand where you're coming from…our situation being what it is, and given how much time you missed, you want to jump right back into things…but you have TIME to heal, right now. It hasn't even been a week since we settled the French Singularity, and, right now, we don't even have the start of a lead on the next one."

He sighed in frustration - this time frustration not aimed at her. "We're pretty much randomly checking major points in history and hoping to get lucky in that we find some breadcrumbs, or, God willing," Avenger flinched at that. No one noticed. "...the Singularity itself. But you're in no danger of us stumbling across it tomorrow, not as it stands currently."

"I get it….and I really am sorry for screwing up like that. I…..no." She shook her head. "No excuses. I'll listen better to you in the future where my health is concerned - I can't promise I won't do something reckless in the field, because who knows what the situation might be there, but here…." She hung her head. "Here I'll listen."

Romani's hand ruffled her hair, patting her on her head like she was a kid - another day and she might have gotten really annoyed at this, but given how low she was feeling right now, she clung to it like a drowning man would clutch at a lifesaver. "That's all I ask, Fujimaru. We almost lost you once…..I don't know how many beats my heart skipped when we got that call from Avenger, saying you'd collapsed." His finger extended, and got right in her face. "And I'd be saying that even if you weren't our only remaining Master. That I was able to save anyone from that horrible day was a borderline miracle….in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to see you in here again for the foreseeable future, but….."

She smiled, a little. "Yeah, doubt the Singularities are going to be that nice to me, even with Mashie's big shield and that walking slab of meat to hide behind."

There really wasn't anything else to say to that.

"On a happier note," began Da Vinci, as she rummaged around in the suitcase she had been dragging behind her when she had entered Medical, with fire in her eyes (fire that had been directed at Fujimaru). "The leg braces aren't the only thing I brought….."

Avenger perked up. Fujimaru SWORE she saw the Servant's ahoge standing straight up for a second - ahoge-boner. Who knew that was a thing? "Izzat?"

Da Vinci set a small metal case on the bed. "Yes, yes it is." She clicked one of the fasteners, slid the lid off, and reached in.

Matte black - she guessed she couldn't be surprised at the color scheme given the Grand Poobah of chunni's tastes. Sharp, clawed fingers, also no surprise. Otherwise, it was surprisingly…..normal. Less spikes and go-faster stripes than she had expected, though it DID have a couple of backwards spikes around where it would attach to her arm - sort of like the ones on Batman's costume.

"This IS just the test model," said Da Vinci, cutting off the complaints she could see starting to form in Avenger's eyes. "Once we get some solid test data, we can see about upgrades. But I didn't want to overload it with too much before we knew a) it would work, and b) you could handle it - or it could handle YOU."

Avenger pouted (which was cute, though Fujimaru wasn't about to say that out loud - she bit her tongue HARD to keep from letting her mouth run away with her), but nodded her head. "I guess that makes sense. What can it do?"

"Not much more than a regular arm at the moment," replied Da Vinci. "I've disabled most of the extra functionality until we see that it can attach without any issue and connect to what passes for your nervous system. IF you can make it a day or two without breaking it, or without it starting to cause you any aches or pains, we can see about slowly taking the training wheels off. Don't astralize until I give you the say-so, either. That'll be the first thing we test once we can be certain it's not fatally flawed from the word go."

"Got it." Avenger frowned. "Big as my wishlist was, if you get one thing and one thing only on it, not having to take the thing off and put it back on whenever I want to go 'poof' would be it." She grinned. "So, what're we waiting for? Strap it on!"

Fujimaru's mouth was open, and the 'Phrasing!' was on the tip of her tongue before she caught herself. Damn you, Darrin for showing her that.

Da Vinci picked up the metal arm and motioned Avenger to one of the more sturdy looking chairs in the room. "You're probably going to want to be sitting down for this. I'll be connecting wires and electricity straight to your nerves - this won't be pleasant."

"Yeah yeah," muttered the Servant, flopping down into the indicated chair. "Can't possibly hurt worse than losing the arm in the first freakin' place." She fidgeted in the seat as Da Vinci fiddled with the arm, getting it lined up - constantly checking both a small holographic panel that was projected from the arm, and another set of readings on a tablet that she had set on a nearby table.

"Ok…here we go. Brace yourself." Da Vinci touched something on the tablet, and the arm hummed softly for a second.

Then Avenger gagged, her breath suddenly stolen.

Her eyes rolled back into her head, as her back arched, and she gasped, heaving short, frantic breaths into her lungs. Her body curled into herself, her flesh arm desperately scrabbling at the arm of her chair. Da Vinci kept one arm firmly on Avenger's shoulder, holding her in place - making sure she didn't damage the prosthetic.

After a long moment, Avenger's breathing returned to something approximating normal. "Jesus jumped-up fucking CHRIST on a barbed wire pogo stick, lady, you call that fucking 'UNPLEASANT'?" She wiped blood away from where she had bitten through her lower lip. "That felt like getting crucified on an electric chair - while also being on fucking FIRE!"

"Would you rather I have told you it's probably going to be the worst pain you've ever felt in your short, eventful life, Avenger?" Da Vinci shrugged. "But it's done - all the readouts are showing green, it looks like it successfully connected. Can you move your arm?"

"Give me a minute for my damn nerves to stop feeling like they're on fire…..thanks Red." Avenger snatched the bottle of water Fujimaru held out to her and chugged it down. "Better." She looked around at the three pairs of eyes that were staring at her. "What?"

Da Vinci was grinning like the cat who had caught the proverbial canary. "Avenger….you do realize you grabbed that bottle with your LEFT hand, right?"

"Wait, really?" She looked down, dazedly realizing the Caster was right - the now empty bottle was being held by five cold metal fingers. "...huh."

"How does it feel?" Da Vinci looked like she was about to start vibrating on the spot. "Is there any pain, tingling, or any other odd sensations?"

Slowly, carefully, Avenger set the empty bottle down, then began to move her left arm around. "No pain…..feels a bit weird, but I'm going to chalk that up to it being a hunk of metal and not my real arm." She closed her fingers into a fist, then opened them, then closed them into a fist again….then extended her middle finger. "Feels a bit slow. Like it's lagging a bit behind my thoughts. Wouldn't want to try twirling my flag or my lance around like the Mad
Celt does with this hand - probably end up taking my other arm off."

Da Vinci nodded. "I'd anticipated there might be an adjustment period - there was a chance, since this was made for a Servant, it would bond instantly, but I guess that was being too hopeful." She rummaged around in her carrying case. "So you're going to want to reflex train for the next couple of days, and I have JUST the thing!"

She handed a thick gray object to Avenger, along with a very familiar (to Fujimaru) box, which Avenger squinted at the text on the box.

"T…..e…t…r…..i…s?" She looked up at Da Vinci. "What the hell is 'tetris'?"

Fujimaru's crutches clinked as she slowly limped down the hallway.

"I can't believe she's having me play some stupid game to get me adjusted to my arm," griped Avenger. "Not throwing daggers at a target, or darts, or something cool, noooooooo, I get to play some game on this gray brick she handed me."

"Hey, don't knock Tetris! You start playing at some of the higher levels and your fingers will get plenty fast - or you'll keep losing, but I can't see you being happy with that." Kind of glass houses to throw stones at Avenger for being stubborn, given she was now much less mobile after she'd let her determination overshadow her common sense, but well, if the shoe fit, and Fujimaru couldn't see Avenger willingly accepting being bad at something.

Her immediate desire to learn how to read as just one example.

"It's not Street Fighter or anything, but Da Vinci's on the right track, I think. Once she's sure you've got a bit better control, I'm sure she'll let you play with knives then." And wasn't that a terrifying thought.

"Hey, Red? Stop for a second."

Awkwardly, Fujimaru halted her momentum, and swiveled around to face the Servant, who was glowering at her. Guess it was time for that 'conversation' she had been promised. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Damn right I am!," snapped Avenger. "The fuck were you thinking? And the FUCK did you lie to me? I like you Red, you're not a chickenshit like most of the rest of the chumps around here, you didn't flinch when you talk to me, you're not a stick in the mud like grumps or the snake, and you even stood up for me against her. But the guy who made me lied to me…..about a lot. And then you go and do the same thing…..makes me start to wonder about the people I'm choosing to be around."

Damn. She really made a mess of this, didn't she? Hellfire. "No, I…..I didn't mean to lie to you, Avenger." She bowed her head. Couldn't really dogeza in crutches and leg braces - this was as close as she was getting. "SchwartzJeanne." The use of the woman's chosen name got her attention. "I really didn't mean to lie to you, I truly….honestly thought I'd be ok. I asked you along because I wanted someone to help me stagger back to my room after it was over….not because I thought you'd help me hide my rule breaking or anything like that."

She leaned against the wall, because, ow, the crutches were starting to dig into her armpits a bit. Even with the padding Da Vinci had on these things, they still weren't the most comfortable. "I made an honest mistake, but all the same, I still didn't mean to lie to you." Her gut started twisting like it had the other night. Even without her family around to cast a shadow - or to actively sabotage her, and no one really knowing her from Adam, she was still screwing up her relationships with other people. Well, it was fun having a buddy while it lasted.

A metal fist rapped her on the head, very, very gently. "Oh, buck up, Red. Where's the girl who stared down the big guy the other day?" Fujimaru raised her head. Avenger was scowling, but the heat behind it appeared to be rapidly dissipating. "I ain't HAPPY with you, but I'm the last person to rake some poor bastard over the coals for making a mistake. My past ain't exactly lily-white, after all."

Hope blossomed in her heart. "Then….are we ok, Avenger?"

"Just don't do it again, Red." Avenger crossed her arms, turning away from the girl's gaze. "You're tolerable enough company at the end of the day, even if you still don't use my real name. So I suppose I can forgive you this time."

She snorted a breath out through her nose. "Probably shouldn't have bonked you on the head with my murder-arm, though, not until I get better control of it. You wanna show me what I'm supposed to do with this box?"

Fujimaru grinned. "With pleasure!" It had been awhile, but she'd whiled away more than a few hours in the arcades of Tokyo in her younger days. She almost certainly still had it.

QUARTERS OF RITSUKA FUJIMARU

"How are you so good at this?" There was a tinge of whining in Avenger's voice, but it was overshadowed by honest to goodness respect.

And wasn't that salve to a battered ego, even if it was coming over something as silly as a video game. She'd take what she could get after the day she'd had so far.

"Many hours dedicated to a misspent youth," said Fujimaru, imparting a touch of faux-sage wisdom into her voice.

(More like hiding from her family - arcades were about the one place Susumu never thought to look for her, so they were a refuge for her during her anklebiter days. And even once word got out, there were usually enough people there that she could blend in - yes, DESPITE her weird hair - and avoid notice when big sis came looking for her. And Susumu never learned ALL of her haunts, too.)

"But that should give you an idea of what you're looking to do," she said, handing the Game Boy back to Avenger, who was lounging on her bed. "It's not a terribly complicated game, but there's enough interactions there to keep people invested - it's a classic for a reason."

"Misspent youth," Avenger huffed a laugh. "Maybe I can start calling the time before I was a Real Girl that. Sounds better than 'yeah, I was trying to reduce the countryside of France into cinders'."

Fujimaru plastered a fake look of terror onto her face. "But you've gotten that out of your system, right?"

Avenger glared, and she couldn't keep up her facade in the face of that - the Servant CLEARLY looked like she knew she was being teased, and wasn't playing along. She burst out into giggles at the unimpressed look on the Avenger's face. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she managed, in between giggles. "Kratos would probably never have allowed you along for the ride, or to stick around after if you were."

THIS glare had a touch of heat to it. "You trying to say I've been tamed or some shit?"

"Oh no, not that, never that. I read the report of what went down in the French Singularity - after you hooked up with Kratos you still put down two Servants, one of Dracula's Phantasmal Brides, and you picked up at least a partial share of the Big D himself. You're still hell on wheels." Oh yes, the terror of the French Singularity, currently lying on her back on Fujimaru's bed, swearing under her breath as she fumbled about on a video game.

She'd almost want to pat her on the head, if she wasn't dead certain she'd get bitten.

"And don't you fucking forget it, either." They sat for a few minutes in companionable silence.

Of course, it was the Servant who broke the silence. "Hey, Red? Why's your room so…..I dunno, empty?"

Fujimaru sighed. "Would you believe this, right now, is the first free moment I've had to myself since this whole mess began?" She began ticking off points on her fingers. "Got here RIGHT as the Director was holding her big pep-rally before kicking off the first mission. I passed out from the scan they did to let you into this base, and only made it to the meeting because of Mashie." She smiled, remembering waking up to a surprisingly heavy ball of fluff on her chest, and the endearingly awkward girl who was trying to get her out from under said ball of fluff.

"Then I got kicked out of said meeting because I was still getting the zu-zus from a lethal combination of whatever that scan did to me, and the Director's…well, let's just say she wasn't….or I guess isn't, if we can get her back on her feet, going to be winning any public speaking awards." Credit to Kratos - he managed to save both her and the Director back in that hell of a city, and got them back to Chaldea to boot. He might cast a massive shadow, but never let it be said that Ritsuka Fujimaru couldn't recognize when something was deserved.

"After that, you know the timeline. Kaboom, sudden Rayshift, stabbity, coma, speaking in tongues and pea soup." Avenger snickered. "After that, all my time's been spoken for - if I wasn't in physical therapy or getting tested or poked with needles by Roman, I've been sleeping. And now, when I have some free time - mainly because physical therapy's off until my legs heal enough, I'm too much of a cripple to really unpack much."

Avenger had rolled over onto her stomach, and was regarding her over the handheld - she'd heard the rude noise that signaled a game over, so she was getting her undivided attention at immediate. "Once I'm a little less wobbly, I'll probably put some of my books up on the shelves, unpack a bit more. But until then, I'm fine with living out of boxes. We moved around a bit when I was a kid - dad was in the navy, so sometimes we'd have to pick up stakes and move at a moment's notice, so it wouldn't be the first time I lived out of a box for awhile."

Thankfully, her dad had managed to wrangle a more permanent posting while she was still small. Well, she said her dad, but it was likely his connections back in America - and maybe a bit of the connection he made in Germany - that managed to get him a more stationary posting.

Either/or, it was nice to live in a proper house, and not military housing - living in the barrack SUUUUUCKED. And it let her grow up in a proper city like Tokyo. If she'd gone through her formative years somewhere smaller, where avoiding her sister was more difficult…well…

Yeah, best to not think about that.

'Y'want some help unpacking?"

Fujimaru was halfway between gratefully taking her up on that (because she might be used to living out of a box, but that didn't make it any less impersonal and suck less) and rejecting her out of hand, because the idea of anyone, even this surprisingly enjoyable Avenger, pawing through her things set off alarm bells in her head. (Thanks, sis.)

She was saved from a response by a chime indicating someone was at her door.

Her brow wrinkled. Who could that be? Not like anyone's been falling over themselves to visit her since she woke up. "It's open!" she called, the door sliding open a moment later.

And in strode the smuggest genius to ever walk the Earth. She took in Avenger, sprawled out on the bed, Game Boy in hand, and her ever-present smile got only wider. "Having fun, Avenger?"

Avenger shrugged. "I guess. I can see why you thought this would help with my fingers - but couldn't you have found something with, I dunno, more explosions?"

Da Vinci laughed. "Sorry, but you'll have to work your way up to that. Baby steps, Avenger, baby steps - particularly while you're working out how best to use my creation there." She patted the other woman on the head - and didn't get bitten - guess Avenger knows not to bite the hand that gives her video games - or does maintenance on her arm. "Don't worry, we'll have you cursing out giant turtles or pig-men before long."

Avenger's mouth was working, but no words were coming out - and Fujimaru could clearly see her mouthing 'turtles', as Da Vinci turned to her. "And as fun as it is to tease Avenger, you're actually why I'm here, Fujimaru."

She thought she managed to completely hide her flinch - was she about to get another lecture? Not that she didn't deserve it, but it would just be piling on at this point. "I was originally going to talk to you about this, but then you went and pulled the stunt you did….." The woman's sunny smile turned sour. "And Romani and I had to talk a few things over. But in the end, we agreed on going ahead with this."

Her finger darted into Fujimaru's face and hung there, waggling right between her eyes. "Don't get it into your head that this is some kind of reward for you doing what you did - this is, in the end, the best for the overall mission. We were going to have you do this anyways, and there's no real point in putting it off - even if we're not the happiest with you right now, young lady."

No way. No freaking way. She couldn't be talking about…

Her poker face must have failed miserably, because Da Vinci's frown turned into a small smile. "Yes. If you feel up to it, would you like to try summoning a Servant?"

Would she like to… "Hells YES I would like to try Summoning a Servant!"

A pair of laughs, one from the bed, one from a few inches in front of her. "I thought that would be your reply - because who wouldn't want their own Superhuman ghost from Humanity's past." Her hand descended to Fujimaru's head, and set about making a mess (well, MORE of a mess) of her hair. "Don't misunderstand - you're still in hot water with us, but given that none of Kratos' Servants wanted to leave him…," Avenger was very deliberately rolling her eyes behind Da Vinci. "You need to start getting some experience handling a Servant that isn't Mash - she's a sweet girl, but really isn't going to teach you anything about dealing with some of the more extreme personalities you'd meet from the Throne on a personal level."

"Like present company?" snarked Avenger.

Da Vinci didn't even bat an eye at that as she returned serve "That does go for both of us, yes."

Avenger, surprisingly, didn't puff up like an angry balloon at that, just shrugged and nodded. "Can't argue that. You want me to tag along for this, Red?"

"Would you?" Da Vinci turned back to Fujimaru. "If you don't mind, of course, Fujimaru. Avenger would be a decent deterrent if you manage to summon someone completely uncontrollable, but would be potentially less…volatile than Kratos being there would be, given what he is and how certain Servants might react to that."

Avenger snickered. "Yeah, I bet. I heard how that snake reacted to him. Not anything like the Ice Queen act she usually puts on."

"Avenger's rambling aside," Da Vinci ignored the shouted 'HEY!' from behind her. "Do you have any objections if she's there as a safety measure?"

Fujimaru shook her head. "Not in the slightest. It would probably help my nerves a bit to have my buddy there for support."

"Excellent," Da Vinci offered her hand to Fujimaru. "Then, shall we get this show on the road?"

CHALDEA SUMMONING CHAMBER

15 MINUTES LATER

Fujimaru shivered. She was sure there was some long, dry, technical reason for it, but why did they have to keep the Summoning Chamber so blasted COLD? It was even colder than the rest of Chaldea. Seriously, she could see her breath here!

In the center of the room, Mash set her shield down with an audible thunk, then stepped back, behind Fujimaru.

"Everything looks good, Fujimaru, so whenever you're ready!" Da Vinci's voice piped through the room, as chipper as ever. Fujimaru swallowed heavily, and, for one last time, glanced over her shoulder.

Mash, standing just a little behind her - not in her armor, but ready to move in case they pulled something nasty when she put in her call to the Throne.

Da Vinci and Romani, seated at their positions, watching the various monitors.

Avenger, throwing her a thumbs up…..and she had to stifle another snicker at the sight of the sign the woman was wearing around her neck, with an arrow pointing up, and the words 'Not Jeanne!' written in angry red sharpie - not her handwriting, but Fujimaru's.

A 'precaution', the Servant had said, when she'd asked her to write the words out for her. Fujimaru had rolled her eyes, but had still done it. Buddies had to have each other's backs, after all.

(At least, that's what all the stories said. She hadn't really ever had a buddy to put it to the test.)

She turned back to the room, and glanced over the scrap of paper in her hands, refamiliarizing herself with the chant. Thankfully, it wasn't stupid complicated.

She took a breath, and began speaking.

"Let Silver and Steel be the Essence."

"Let Stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the Foundation."

"Let Red be the color I pay Tribute to."

Damn right she was going to pay tribute to red. Gingers rise up!

"Let my great-father, Kanpeki, be the ancestor."

It was a…..choice, to pick her father's line as the ancestor, instead of her mother's much more distinguished line but….she had always been closer to her father than her mother. No point risking some of the animosity that existed between her and her mother contaminating the plea to the Throne. Honestly, she'd take any little inch of goodwill she could get, here.

"Let a Wind rise against the Wind that shall fall."

"Let the Four Cardinal Gates close."

"Let the Three-Forked Road from the Crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."

"My Will creates your Body, and your Sword creates my Destiny."

"If you heed the Grail's Call and obey my Will and Reason, then answer me."

Please? Hello, Throne of Heroes, this is Ritsuka Fujimaru. I'm not much of a Mage….or a Master yet, but I WANT to be. Forget some badass warrior - though I'd appreciate one of those, too, but…..I want to be better, to get stronger, and to prove myself…..to save Humanity. Help me do that, please. Help me stop running away, and stand my ground…..for once in my life. Help me NOT be that girl anymore.

"I hereby swear that I shall be All that is Good in the World."

"That I shall defeat all that is Evil in the World."

"Seventh Heaven, clad in the Great Words of Power."

"Come forth from the Circle of Binding, Great Guardian of the Scales!"

Her voice had risen in volume, until she was shouting that last stanza. She heaved breaths into her lungs - it had only been a small chant, but still, she felt drained.

And now, she waited for someone to answer her call.

She fidgeted, feeling the silence stretch out. How long did it take before they'd know if…..

"Reaction detected!" Romani's voice echoed through the room. "Put out the welcome mats, Fujimaru, you're about to have company!"

Ten orbs formed a circle, then flashed gold, and began spinning - then divided into three golden rings. Mana welled up in a geyser that touched the ceiling, then exploded across the room, stealing her sight in a wash of white.

From far away, she heard…hoofbeats?

When the light died down, and she could see again, there was a figure standing before her.

Long brown hair, blue eyes, some NICE arms, a simple white tunic-thing (that was cut to show off said NICE arms. Yum!).

Oh, and the lower half of a horse.

"Servant, Archer," he began, in a deep, resonant voice. "Known as Chiron to my friends and students. I heard your call, and bring my knowledge and skills to aid you." He bowed his head. "I am pleased to meet you, Master. From this point onward, I shall endeavor to aid you in any way I can."

Fujimaru's heart skipped a beat. Wait, wait, WAIT. Had she FINALLY gotten the pony she had asked Santa for Christmas all those years ago?

Everyone was staring at her. Why was…..oh no. Oh NO. Oh Gods. She said that OUT LOUD, didn't she?

She groaned. Loudly. "Can I use a Command Seal and have you kill me before I die of embarrassment?"

Chiron was chuckling as they walked through the hallways of Chaldea - he had shifted his lower half into a human pair of legs to better maneuver Chadlea's halls. "No, truly, Master - Fujimaru, was it? You did not offend. It was a more…..spirited introduction than I have received in the past, but there was nothing wrong with it."

"Still, I am SO sorry." She bowed her head for what seemed like the umpteenth time as she hobbled down the hall, her Servant trailing behind her. "My mouth frequently runs without my brain having any say in the matter. You're not…I don't see you as some sort of gift I received or something like that…you're not my property or anything."

He raised a hand, still smiling. "Truly, Master, it is fine. I know the difference between the callous statements of intent that I have heard from other Mages regarding Servants, and a young girl's surprised utterance. There was no harm done."

She heaved a sigh of relief. "Ok…I was just…..really worried about botching this whole thing. You're my first Servant, well, my SECOND, but the first one is a complicated thing."

"The girl that shield belonged to?" She nodded. "Yes, I could feel she was a Servant, but…there was something odd about her, unlike other Servants of my acquaintance."

"Yeah, she's something called a Demi-Servant….some sort of experiment this place was carrying out years ago. I haven't really gotten the details on what exactly they were doing…..either because I don't have high enough clearance, or whatever they did was bad enough that they aren't interested in broadcasting it." She shrugged. "But that was my Mashie back there - Mash Kyrielight, Shielder Class Servant."

"Shielder…," he muttered, hand coming up to cup his chin. "How interesting - that is the first I have ever heard of a 'Shielder Class'."

"It was apparently new to Chaldea when they summoned one, too," she said. "She's not the only Servant we have running around here - you met Da Vinci back there, she's pretty much the second-in-command of this whole place for the moment, with all the people we lost, and then our other Master has three Servants Contracted to himself. You saw Avenger back there with Da Vinci, she's one of his three."

He nodded. "Yes. I had thought I was seeing an associate from another Grail War that I have some….jumbled memories of - at least until I saw the sign around her neck." He shook his head. "A copy of the Maid of Orleans, and an Avenger, to boot. Truly, you seem to have many anomalies around here."

Fujimaru gave a dry laugh at that. "Oh, Chiron, you have NO idea how true that statement is." She chewed on her lower lip. Lead with it, or let him walk straight into it after she'd gotten a better idea of his personality? "The other two are a Caster - Cu Chulainn, and a Rider, Medusa - I think she's from your neck of the woods."

He nodded. "Yes. I've run across her a time or two in the libraries on the Throne. A pleasant enough woman - truly nothing like the monster her Legend suggests. And certainly much easier to get along with than her sisters."

"Yeah. She certainly wasn't what I was expecting when she introduced herself." She cringed a little. "She…..might have also gotten some of the patented Ritsuka runs-on-at-the-mouth like you did."

Man, he really did have a nice smile - but it seemed like being really, really easy on the eyes was a requirement for being a Servant - or it was an upgrade you got from the Throne. People did, in the end, prefer looking at pretty things - she knew SHE did.

"Master, a question, if you do not mind?"

She shrugged. "Shoot. After the way I put my foot in my mouth back there - and I know I didn't offend you or anything, but I still feel like an idiot for it - a question is the least of the things I owe you."

"Your legs…" He pointed first at her crutches, then her leg braces. "May I inquire what happened? Are you injured, or is it a more permanent affliction?"

"Ah….." Guess it was time for him to learn his Master was a bit of a screw-up. "No, I got hurt in the First Singularity we kind of crash-landed into - some sort of blackened Servant put some knives into me that were smeared with its blood - they thought I was in a coma, but the thing was trying to possess me."

His eyes widened, and she smiled grimly. "Yeah, now imagine how I felt when I woke up on the floor with two Servants clinging to my arms, my legs in chains, and discovered I was covered in some sort of black gunk I started coughing up when they exorcized me. Apparently Avenger noticed whatever was in me and it tried to stab Roman."

Why him when Kratos was RIGHT there was a question she had been batting around her head since she'd first heard the story. Best she could guess, the thing might have had orders from Lev to try to take out the Acting Director - Da Vinci could probably hold the place together for awhile, but she was WAY too necessary for far too many other things to wear the Director's hat AND do all that.

"But since I was comatose for two weeks, my legs were a little messed up - and the thing in me leaping around the room didn't do them any favors." She sighed. "Then I got a bit ahead of myself and tried to jog a bit earlier today, and…..well…." She gestured lamely at all the metal she was hauling around today. "Sorry, your Master's going to be a bit of a cripple for a bit."

He was regarding her curiously. "Whyever would you think that would bother me?" He walked up until he was right in front of her. "True, some of my students were some of the greatest heroes of Greece - Achilles, Jason, Asclepius, Actaeon, but they all started as callow young men when I began with them." He smiled. "And it is not like they did not have their share of flaws. Jason…..well, let us just say he grew very familiar with the stables I would have him clean."

He continued. "But Master, I believe I have mentioned a Grail War of my past, the one where I believe my path crossed with that of the Maid of Orleans?" She nodded. "I recall little else of that War - I get impressions at times that it was…complicated, even for a Grail War, but one memory that has stuck with me through all this time was my Master from that War. She was in a wheelchair, you see."

"Some interaction between her body and her Magic Crest ruined her legs, yet that did not stop her from being a fantastic Mage, and an exceptional Master." There was true fondness in his smile. "And I do not see why you could not manage the same, my Master."

Fujimaru's heart was racing. "Did….did she win it?" She swallowed. "The Grail, I mean, or did she….."

Chiron sighed. "I do not know. I have some memories of fighting by her side early in the war, but nothing of the later stages. But…something in me tells me she neither won the War, nor died, but went on to be happy." He shook his head. "But….maybe that is just an old teacher being hopeful for one of his students. Still, it is what I choose to believe, in the end."

CHALDEA SIMULATOR

Kratos turned the shield over in his hands, running his hands over the face, tracing the metal. So far, it felt sturdy enough.

A few inches away from him, Da Vinci was watching him intently as he inspected her work. "So, first impressions?"

Kratos slid the shield onto his arm and folded and unfolded the shield a handful of times, watching it as it moved. He then left the shield open and moved with deliberate slowness through a range of motions, testing out the weight on his arm. "It feels…lighter."

Da Vinci nodded. "That's a consequence of the materials I used - whatever those smiths of yours used when they upgraded that shield, it's like nothing we have easy access to here. Durable as all heck, too - I'd LOVE to get my hands on a few bars of that." She shook her head, snapping herself out of whatever genius-fueled dream she had been falling into. "Best I could do was some magical steel alloyed with a few more exotic bits - Orichalcum and the like. You shouldn't notice any real loss in strength or durability, at least not in the short term, but I doubt it will stand up to the really heavy stuff as well."

Her staff formed in her hands, and with a nod to Kratos, she wound up and swung. Her staff clanged off the shield. She dismissed her weapon, and ran her eyes over the face of the shield. "I put it through a handful of impact tests before I handed it off to you, but tests are tests, and won't really stress it like actual combat - and me and my twig arms aren't really going to put it through the paces it needs to be put through." She grinned at him. "Should we put in a call for our favorite Irishman?"

Kratos had been about to nod his head, when the Simulator door hissed open, and the girl who was to be his ally walked in, with another man following her.

So, this was the Servant she had summoned, then?

He was a more unassuming sight than some of the stranger Servants he had met (Kiyohime and her eastern dress, Liz, the plate mail of the Black Knight, whomever he might have been, Liz, Carmilla and her impractical outfit, Liz, the Assassin that had felled Fujimaru and his grotesque arm, Liz….). Slightly shorter than Medusa, and wearing a simple, almost plain tunic, with hair and eyes a more human color than the purples and blues (and pinks, as a part of his mind reminded him of Liz once more) he saw on a regular basis. Kratos thought he could have passed him on the streets of Sparta and never looked twice at him…..

….at least until the man's form shimmered, and his lower half transformed into that of a horse.

A centaur…and a Heroic Spirit. The Heroic Spirit part, he hoped, would be stronger than the centaur - though Medusa was nothing like the Gorgons of his home. It was possible that the centaurs of this world were as equally unlike the savages that plagued Greece in his lifetime.

(He had HATED fighting centaurs. Minotaurs, Gorgons, Harpies - he would take a horde of them over the cursed horse-men. And the Stalkers of his new home were equally as aggravating, if in a different way. THEY married the speed and strength of their half-equine bodies with discipline and skill - a truly frightening combination.)

The girl - Fujimaru, and her Servant were crossing the simulated field to where they were standing.

"Truly, when you explained the situation, it sounded almost too fantastical to believe - even for a Heroic Spirit like myself. Yet, here I stand, and I see you spoke nothing but the truth," The man drew up in front of Kratos, regarding the Spartan with not even a touch of wariness or unease. "A living god…..something I have not seen since the days when I was still alive….it is quite a sight."

He extended his arm. "Servant, Archer, True Name Chiron. I am pleased to see we have such a mighty ally on this labor we find ourselves undertaking."

Kratos felt his eyes widen, ever so slightly. It must have been enough to be noticeable, for Chiron gave a small little laugh. "I see that I was notable in the world you called home, then."

Kratos grunted, taking the man's wrist. "While it is no longer my home…..I was born in Greece. Many were the tales of those who trained under you."

Chiron's grip upon his wrist was firm - strong. "Were you one of those? You share the name of one of the children of Pallas, and while I never trained him in this world, I am given to understand your world's history unfolded differently."

Kratos shook his head, releasing the Servant's arm. "No. While I fought many centaurs in my time - they were savage brutes in my world, little more than barbarians - my path never crossed with that of Chiron." Kratos considered, his mind remembering things from so long ago. "I was at Troy, and saw Achilles from afar. And…..I came upon Jason in his last moments, during my….travels."

Chiron sighed. "So the boy came to a bad end, even in another world. While I wish I could say I am surprised…" He shook his head. "Another time. If it would not trouble you, sometime I would like to hear that tale."

Kratos nodded, not seeing the harm in it.

Da Vinci drew up alongside Chiron, and from the gleam in her eye, Kratos could tell she had an idea she wanted to try out. "Getting along with Chiron, so far, Fujimaru?"

The girl nodded. "He's been a big sweetheart so far. Figured I should rip the band-aid off and let him get an eyeful of the big surprise sooner rather than later, so here we are."

Da Vinci's grin threatened to split her face. "If you don't mind, may I borrow your two Servants for a quick minute? There's something I'd like to test out, and both of them are ideal for it."

A shrug. "Sure. Let me hobble on out of the blast area here….." She began to move over the tree line, a bit unsteadily on the uneven ground. "Oi, Mashie, Da Vinci needs you for something that I'm sure is going to be completely safe and not crazy at all!"

"Coming!" The girl stood from where she had been sitting alongside Avenger, who was still doing…..something on that gray box. Something to help her grow more used to her new metal arm, she had said, though the details had escaped Kratos. To his eyes, it seemed to involve the box making a great variety of noises, followed by a greater than usual volume of cursing from the Avenger.

(Truly, he missed the simplicity of his simple cabin in the Wildwoods at times, and today he felt that ache in a stronger fashion than usual.)

Mash jogged up to them, her Servant armor flashing into being around her. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just stand here, and keep your shield up," said Da Vinci. "I mostly want you here as a fail-safe in case something goes wrong. Nothing's been able to get through your shield so far, and if worst comes to worst, we have your Noble Phantasm as a panic button."

One of Chiron's eyebrows quirked up. "I take it, going by her weapon - though I do see a sword on her hip, that her Noble Phantasm is defensive in nature?"

At the mention of her sword, Mash gave a very, very small flinch - Kratos had been looking for it, so it did not escape his notice. He was beginning to wonder if he would have to broach the subject himself - Mash was not showing any signs that the events with the Berserker were affecting her physically, but she was at least partially a Servant. The superhuman constitution that granted her could be bolstering her enough that it was less noticeable.

"Yes - good eye, though considering the source, it shouldn't be surprising. Mash's Noble Phantasm has managed to stop two different Noble Phantasms and hold back a horde of Dead among its accomplishments, so it should suffice if this little field test goes off the rails." Da Vinci thought for a moment. "Which is why I'll be standing right here, along with you, Chiron."

"Avenger!" she yelled across the field. "You and Fujimaru should be far enough away that you'll be safe, but just in case, I want you to protect Fujimaru!"

Fujimaru nudged the Servant with one of her crutches. "C'mon, Avenger, put down the Russian crack and make sure I don't end up getting exploded or something, here."

"Fine, fine. Just when I was starting to get the hang of it." Grumbling, the woman sprang to her feet. "Shit goes bad Red, I'm slinging you under my arm and booking it. I'm not taking the chance this will ruin my shiny new arm before I get to kick some ass with it."

"I'll hold the Game Boy, when that happens, then."

"Ok, Kratos, you walk, oh, I don't know, a fair distance over there," said Da Vinci, gesturing a ways off into the field. "Far enough away to let one of Chiron's arrows build up a good amount of speed."

A bow formed in Chiron's hands, with an arrow fitted to the string. "What would you have me do?"

"When I give you the signal, fire an arrow right at the center of Kratos' shield. It took some damage on the last Singularity, and while I was fixing it up, I gave it a little upgrade." Da Vinci grinned. "Kratos, there should be a grip that can fold out from your shield now - you should just need to think it, and it'll pop out."

No sooner had the woman's words registered in Kratos' mind than his hand was filled with a solid length of metal. "There, just like that. You shouldn't need it except for this, but if you find it lets you use the shield more effectively, well, bonus! But on the end of that grip, right where your thumb would rest, there's a button. DON'T PRESS IT YET."

"I had not been about to do so." Even were he as reckless at times as his son was, Kratos would still have hesitated at just unquestioningly pressing a button linked to some improvement Da Vinci had made to his shield. He trusted the woman, yes, but she was as subject to the madness that was wed to genius as the other brilliant craftsmen he had known in his time.

He supposed this might have been how Mimir had felt, right before he had been handed over to Brok and Sindri and placed into the thing they had claimed would fix the issues with the Realm Travel doors.

"Ok, just making sure. I'm going to have Chiron fire an arrow at you, and a few seconds before it hits, press that button." She moved to stand behind Mash. "You shouldn't need to hold it down or anything, just give it a push. Just let us know when you're ready, and we'll get this show on the road!"

Kratos settled his feet, then nodded. Chiron raised his bow. "How strong a shot do you desire, Lady Da Vinci?"

"Don't take all the limiters off, but don't just phone it in, either," she replied. "I want to see if this can stand up to a Servant putting in a reasonable effort at killing someone - and a proper combat Servant at that, and not yours truly." She smirked. "I'm a genius, not a fighter."

"Understood." He drew the arrow back, sighting down its shaft (Fujimaru's eyes may or may not have been eating up the taut muscles of his arms as he did so). "Firing!" And with those words, he loosed the shot.

Fast. The arrow screamed across the short distance in the blink of an eye. Kratos' finger had only just depressed the button when the arrow arrived.

There was a hum, and his shield crackled with energy - and then the arrow was flying back the way it came, twice as fast.

"Duck!" cried Mash, as both Chiron his form behind her shield, where Da Vinci was already sheltering. The arrow impacted, and shattered, exploding in a shower of splinters. Mash herself was pushed back, just a bit, from the force of the blow.

From across the room, Fujimaru and Avenger blinked in shock.

Kratos was encased in a bubble of shimmering blue energy.

"Spettacolare! It worked! It worked!" Da Vinci's head popped out from behind Mash's shield, and her mad cackles filled the Simulator. "The Da Vinci Omni-Directional Attack Repeller Mark 1.2 is…."

Kratos' shield began emitting sparks, and a mournful whine seemed to emanate from it. As quickly as it appeared, the bubble of energy vanished.

"Oh, poops." Her hands went to her hips, as she pouted. "I had hoped the power source would hold up better, but I guess that's the best it can manage. It's not broken!" Kratos was staring at his shield with a look of unease. "Just overtaxed - I'll probably need to shorten the amount of time the dome is out to keep that from happening. If it was just doing protection, it would last longer, but the reflection against a Servant-level attack is apparently too much of a drain on the batteries to keep it deployed for even that long. If I get my hand on a better core or something, I could probably improve that - something to keep an eye out for in future Singularities, I guess."

She had been crossing the field as she was talking, and now poking and prodding at the shield as it hung on Kratos' arm. "It should recharge naturally from ambient mana in the air, though I built in a small conductor that will gather up some power from kinetic energy - the more you move that arm around, the faster the charge will build. And since you're not adverse to hitting people with that shield, well….."

A grunt. It was less outlandish than some of the things the Huldra brothers had built for him - he could find a use for this. "It is…acceptable, Da Vinci."

The Servant beamed. "That's high praise coming from you. I recall how much of a hard time Atalanta was giving you in the last Singularity - she was firing too many arrows - and too fast, on top of that, for you to do that reflection trick of yours I've seen you use on Cu. So I had this idea…"

"So you made a FORCE FIELD?" Ritsuka was shaking her head. "Da Vinci, is there anything you can't do?"

"And when do I get one of those in my arm?" shouted Avenger.

Da Vinci turned to grin smugly at Avenger. "Do you want a force field generator in your arm, Avenger, or would you rather I use that space for something more offensive…like a Rocket Punch?"

"I dunno what that is, but yes!"

"Well that was certainly…..eventful."

It was later in the evening. Dinner was settling into her belly nicely, and she could feel the fatigue of having to propel herself about for the better part of a day using crutches starting to sink in. Bed was sounding REALLY nice right about now.

"Indeed. It is certainly a….colorful collection that have gathered here." Chiron's hand was cupping his chin. "Kratos is certainly…unique, for a god. At least, compared to the gods of my acquaintance."

"Yeah, he's…" She shook her head. "A lot to take in." And that was if you were MERELY a superhuman familiar summoned from the Throne of Heroes, much less the girl who was staring right at the guy who had resolved two Singularities while you were taking a snooze, and hearing not exactly-whispered comparisons to when she walked the halls or sat down in the cafeteria. "He's not really crazy about being a Master from what I hear - something about it being too close to slavery for his liking."

"As I said, unique," replied Chiron. "A question, Master, if you do not mind?"

"Fire away."

"What can you do?"

Fujimaru blinked. Was he…

Chiron raised a hand. "Forgive me, that came out harsher than I intended. You are a Mage, I gather." A nod of her head. "Then, for my understanding, I wish to know what you are capable of, so I can begin to formulate a plan on how best to teach you. Treating you as I would Artisaeus, or Achilles, or my other students would be ill-fitting, I feel. You will not be learning to fight a Servant hand-to-hand from me - there are limits to even what I can impart."

He smiled. "Though I feel I will not have to chase you down to get you to learn, as I still must do with Achilles."

"Wait, still?"

"Oh yes. I still teach, even on the Throne. To live and learn are the privileges of all who draw breath." He raised a finger. "For anyone, even a teacher, to cease learning is to die - even if your body still draws breath, your mind has died, and you are merely existing day to day until death claims you."

He turned to face her. "Which is why I am pleased to have a student such as you, Master. There is much you need to learn to be a proper Master, and I am excited to teach you these things." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Because you will be wonderful, my Master. I can see it."

Curse whomever was cutting onions in this hallway. She'd track them down and make them pay…..later. "You really mean that?" she asked, her voice a bit thick. "Cause after the last couple of days I've had, you're saying all the right things, Chiron."

He shook his head. "I will never lie to you, Master. That is among the greatest of sins a teacher can commit, that of lying to a student. I will not claim that you do not have a long road ahead of you, but from the short time we have spent together, it is one I believe you can walk…..with my guidance."

She sniffled, and gratefully took the handkerchief her Servant handed her. This guy….. One deafening nose-blowing later, and she felt a bit more under control. "Ok…..this isn't going to be much of a list. I'm ok at Reinforcement, nothing spectacular, but I can manage most of the intermediate stuff without too much trouble. Not so hot at Projection, though - you'd think with all the reading I do I could manage to shift my mental reality enough to create things out of nothing, but….." She shrugged. "I'm absolutely pants at it."

Chiron raised his hand. "A related question - what is your family's speciality - if they have one."

"Spiritualism," she said, without even bothering to check if there were any listeners lurking around the halls. It's not like it was any big secret. "More the seances and Ouija Board kind of stuff than things like Necromancy or Spiritual Evocation. Our family get togethers can get…crowded."

He frowned. "Then…are you seeing spirits right now?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I have to concentrate really hard to see them even in somewhere like a graveyard - I told you I'm not much of a Mage. My big sister though….." She sighed. "She was apparently seeing them all the way back in the crib - I don't want to imagine how bad things would be for her right now if…well….." No, she was not about to make a joke about her sister being dead. She might be flippant, but even she had lines she wouldn't cross. Even where Susumu was concerned.

"I can understand your meaning well enough," he said, his face grim. "I assume you haven't tried to 'see' since you've woken up?"

"Got it in one. I'm way too scared of what I might see if I do, considering the absolute scale of what happened outside these walls." She shuddered. "And worse, ghosts TALK to each other. If one or more of them figured out there was a medium, even a weak one like me here….."

"Absolutely for the best, my Master." He titled his head back, staring up at the ceiling. "Possibly we could try in a carefully controlled scenario - with you inside a VERY strong Bounded Field, but for the moment I would have to strongly suggest you continue as you were and not exercise that part of your skillset."

"Believe you me, I'm in no rush to try - I've got the willies just thinking about how bad the other side of the Veil is right now." She shivered, and not just because they kept the inside of Chaldea just a few steps above frigid. "Otherwise, I've never really managed much else beyond the basics. I can cast a mean Gandr, though."

She thought for a second, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, and I'm reasonably good at alchemy and I've got a good grounding in stuff about homunculi - Dad made some friends in Germany when he was deployed there." And she had never really gotten the full story behind that, either. "Not the most useful stuff for a Master, but you wanted to know everything."

"Indeed." His hand was once again cupping his chin. "It is…..an eclectic collection of talents you have, but I have certainly worked with worse. And, more promising is that I can feel you want to learn - truly, that is the best thing a teacher can have in a student."

Fujimaru felt an honest to goodness genuine smile threatening to escape from her, and for once, she didn't fight it. This guy, she swore….. "Just don't make me muck out the stables like Jason."

He laughed, a deep, rich laugh. "Oh, I do not think I will need such for you, my Master. Nor do I think I will have to sit on you in order to get you to sit still long enough to learn as I did with Achilles."

He offered her his hand. "Shall we begin?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES: And there we have it. Tip of the hat to Grimoire, who guessed it in one of their big lists of 'Servants I'll lose my mind if they get summoned'. Though when you're doing the shotgun approach, you do increase your odds.

Not going to lie, it was ALMOST Scathach, because she's a stone badass, because it would TERRIFY Cu to no end, her interactions with Kratos would be FANTASTIC, and because she's a personal favorite (and hot as hell - pyon pyon), but in the end, I opted for Chiron when I was going over the possible 'teachers' Fujimaru could summon to help her hit the ground running (for all she TRIED running and set herself a bit back). Chiron not being story relevant until Atlantis also helps (and is a possible trauma point for the poor girl in the future) - lets me avoid the 'Double Servant in a story chapter' thing I'm largely looking to duck (Mo in Camelot continues to be a possible exception, to note). It also opens up further possible amusement in Okeanos.

That's also why I decided to have Fujimaru go too far in the break between chapters, both because it'd be something she'd do, and for just a little bit of allusion to Fiore, Chiron's master from Apoc.

Most of the other teachers are, sadly, story locked - Waver's in the next chapter, Sanzang in Camelot, etc etc. Reines was an option, and wouldn't Waver HATE HIS LIFE in Septem if he spotted his demonic little sister there, but I passed on that as I have other plans for Waver in Septem. Kichii Hogan danced across my mind for a bit, and that would lead to some interesting times in Babylonia with Ushi being there, but in the end, I decided on Chiron. That he's ALSO Greek certainly played a factor in my decision, though I don't intend for Chaldea to be largely Greek Servants just because Kratos is there. Her next Servant - I don't have clue ONE who it is, writing Septem will probably give me a better idea who she will next summon (who will be different from whomever may or may not tag along after Septem, on that, I've already decided) in the interlude, if she summons someone in the Septem-Okeanos interlude. But I don't INTEND for it to be someone else from Greek mythology - my damn muse being willing, of course.

I really did NOT have it planned that Avenger and Fujimaru would bond like this, but when I let all the characters off the chain last chapter, the chunni and my girl ended up getting along like two peas in a pod, so, here we are. Going to possibly really change Shinjuku, however, whenever we get to there.

Da Vinci gave JAlter an OG Game Boy because those things were LITERALLY impossible to destroy. I still remember the Nintendo Power story of the one that got caught in the fires during Desert Storm, and STILL FUCKING WORKED LIKE A BOSS. So it could tank JAlter getting frustrated when she loses.

Stalkers SUCKED to fight in Ragnarok, especially their bullshit almost ZERO windup back kick with the damn hooves. Fuck them in the eyes with an icepick.

Less Kratos than I had initially planned with this chapter, but it's Ritsuka's first actual summon, so she badgered me to let her bond with her new Servant. Planning for at least a sit down between the three (four?) teachers next chapter where they talk about their students some.

If I'm way off base in the Fujimaru family's specialty, let me know. Went over the families in the Type-Moon wiki to see if there was anything that horribly disproved it, but I didn't see anything.

Maybe one more chapter before Septem? Or two. Don't really have as strong of a plan for the next chapter as I did this and the two other interludes, so we'll see where it takes me.

This chapter brought to you by the Hell's Paradise Intro.