Discussion over at QQ.
The beginning is a very delicate time.
Especially when the very survival of humanity hangs in the balance…or the very world itself for that matter.
And so, with the very fate of the world and the human order at hand. With the thousand eyes of a million slithering oozes fixed at this pivotal moment to be. Watching, hungering, prodding and testing the fraying barriers of reality, waiting for but a chance to act.
Even the beings that had no need to do so, did the equivalent of holding their breath as Alaya rushed down the golden corridor, golden cup clutched firmly in between both hands and followed by another woman as the pair desperately rushed towards a distant figure. A figure that was then a Throne and then a man again.
…And the two women weren't really human nor were they strictly speaking within a golden tunnel whose translucent golden walls threatened to crumble, courtesy of all manner of creatures both ill and weal trying to get in. But any attempt to view and perceive higher dimensional entities in their entirety generally leads to mortal brains going 'sploosh' and is thus ill-advised.
So, even if the words coming out of the grim-faced, slightly older and definitely still spry, single and ready to mingle blue-haired woman weren't really words. It remained the closest analogue for what was sent towards the normally mischievous redhead holding the sloshing cup.
"See? I was right. We are cutting it close!" the blue-haired woman said. Drawing a minuscule wince out of the redhead for her efforts. "This is delicate business. Important business but someone—"
"Preparations had to be made! You know that, Gaia-chan!"
The unimpressed frosty glare smacking between the redhead's shoulder-blades, were circumstances different would have likely been enough to trigger a new ice-age planetside.
"Riiiight," Gaia said. "Having to drag you out of bed cause you stayed up late watching re-runs of your tanned boytoy's adventures now counts as 'preparations'. Thanks for helping me learn something new, I guess."
Whether due to Gaia's sarcastic biting words or the fact the older woman, and by this point clearly out of fucks to give, called her out so blatantly, it made Alaya stumble and the precious liquid inside the golden cup slosh and threaten to spill.
"Careful you dolt!"
Luckily, a little bit of panic mixed with a healthy dose of adrenaline, helped ensure that said liquid remained inside its container as the two women continued their race through space and against time until they finally came to a panting stop in front of the man that was a Throne.
"You're late."
Gaia glared at the panting redhead who had bags under her eyes, her own breaths coming in short bursts.
"Blame lazybones."
"Ehehe…"
"No matter," the man said in an inflectionless tone, but with a voice composed of a million other voices. "I see you have procured the necessary reagents," he said, turning and as he did raising an arm, pointing towards a stand of curious make, one shining with an ethereal white glow. "Place the cup and—"
Sadly, whether due to allergies, or not getting enough sleep, as Alaya made to step towards the stand before the man had even finished speaking, bits of dust, disturbed by the man's gesture rose and entered her nose.
A mighty, and very much un-lady like sneeze left her as she tripped and the cup went flying out of her hands.
Causing twin 'no's' to echo throughout the timeless chambers even as a paling Alaya clambered back to her feet.
"Ehehe…look on the bright side!" she said, rubbing her neck and doing her level best to avoid meeting the eyes of her fellow god like beings. "At least it landed where it was supposed to? Goblet and liquid and all" she asked, and indeed it was the truth. Miraculously not a drop had landed away from the stand, nor the goblet for that matter. But then again, it was unlikely that the liquid was supposed to provide an impromptu bath to the stand or the goblet itself to embed itself upside down, one of its edges digging into the stand and making it spark. The weight of disappointment aimed at her somehow grew. "Err? Is it supposed to do that?" she asked and as the man followed her gaze towards the sparkling machine, the previously radiant white glow flickering, followed by the man paling…
Somehow, Alaya got the impression that no, it was not.
Olga did not feel guilt.
And she most certainly had no plans of all but ordering that lazy neet of a Doctor to run a full suite of scans on Fujimaru once they returned. Or then ordering said last Master to take some well earned rest for a couple days after.
I…I almost died!
Indeed, for a moment there Olga had found herself once again staring death in the face. She had little idea as to how she happened to survive Chaldeas…everything to begin with…
Take it one step at a time Olga. One step at a time. She took a deep breath as she followed Fujimaru's confident steps, striving to regain her usual Animusphere patented calm, and coincidentally raised her eyes once more to the young man's black shirt clad back. A back that she now noticed seemed so wide.
And felt her cheeks burn while her traitorous heart speed up its beat.
"Hmpf!"
Ritsu—Fujimaru slowed down and sent her a backward glance.
"Are you alright, Director-san?" he asked, and the worry in his tone coupled with the sheer honesty radiating from his deep blue eyes—
"Hmph!" she sniffed, crossing her arms and turning her head to her right. "Just fine! But this…filthy place is not fit for someone of my stature! Best get on with it and find shelter. Preferably somewhere cleaner!" and her words were even the truth, for the smog and rubble filled streets surrounded by ruined, and at times still burning, houses made for a poor resting spot.
It was very exposed for once. And they'd already had a run in with a servant. Best not test their luck any further.
Ritsu—Fujimaru let out an easy laugh that made her stomach do back-flips, if bothered at all by her slightly scathing tone and words not showing it. And thus making her guilt grow all the worse. The unimpressed stare of her servant, and wasn't that a whole other kettle of fish, didn't help matters either and thus, she hastily averted her eyes away from the Druid who dreamed of being a Lancer.
"As expected of the Lady Director!" Ritsuka said, voice light and free of any pain.
Olga's eyes fell to the man's hastily wrapped left arm. The arm that the youth had almost lost as he rushed to protect her and the arm whose bandages even now were slowly turning red again.
She'd seen death in the face yet again for the third time today. But this time, at least. She knew exactly how she'd been saved and unlike the second time, she could not pretend—not that she wished too—that she could have saved herself.
Skeletons were one thing.
But a servant?
An Assassin at that?
Spotting a gap in their defenses, taking advantage of it and coming right at her?
Olga, much as she liked to pretend otherwise could do little against such a threat. That, at least, in the privacy of her mind she could admit. If only to herself and no one else.
At that point and with a quiet sob, all Olga could do. Had been to close her eyes and wait for the end.
So, imagine her surprise when, yet again, amidst the surprised cries of 'Senpai!' and 'Oi, Brat!' a furious roar had reached her ears and not, as she'd been expecting, a hand through her chest.
Reflexively peering open one eye she felt her mouth fall open.
For flying through the air was none other than Ritsuka, throwing a no doubt hastily picked up stone at Assassin with his right hand and then, making a fist with his left, slamming it into Assassin's head. For all the good that it did, merely managing to tilt the servant's head to the side some but, if nothing else the surprise factor alone served to stop the tip of the servant's fingers mere inches from her chest before he…it too stared at Ritsuka and then…
The blackened fiend cackled. Giving a nod to Ritsuka and then, before the brave if still very much mortal man could react, Assassin raised his normal arm and batted Ritsuka's own aside and the crackle of something snapping like twigs reached her ears just as various bits of white somethings popped out of the man's skin and red flew free.
Drawing a pained yell out of Ritsuka as he did, and Olga gasped. For within Assassin's fist something small and metallic glinted. A knife.
"Senpai!" And then Mashu was upon the cackling fiend. Or rather, her shield.
"Gkh!"
Cutting the fiend's cackles abruptly short.
"Flat of the shield!" the maddened demi-servant roared and yet again brought the shield down on the still woozy Assassin's head…
"This should do it, no?" Ritsuka's carefree voice drew her back to the present as the man turned and met the Druid's eyes. "What do you think Caster?"
Thankfully, the blade hadn't been poisoned. Small mercies that. But, Caster's magic or not, Ritsu—Fujimaru wouldn't make full use of that arm for a couple more days still.
"Hmm." And speaking of the Druid, Caster rubbed his chin as he stared at the clearing they'd arrived. One mostly clear of rubble and with only a few things burning near its edges. "Yeah, it should do it, I think. Wide enough to run for it, if things go south. And plenty of space for the lass to set down that shield of hers. If you are up for it, that is."
Mash perked up and yet again, Olga felt a pang of something within her chest as the demi-servant garbed in indecent attire nodded and passed her by.
"Y-yes! Caster-san!"
And it might have been a trick of the light but Olga could swear that Mashu's eyes had also fallen on Ritsuka's mangled arm, and darkened.
Olga definitely did not suppress any sort of shudder at that.
Still, in only to keep the dangerous eggplant away from her in the middle of the night, Olga would order the neet…the Doctor to run a full battery of tests and even rope in Da-vinci to ensure the most comfortable hospital stay for Ritsu—Fujimaru!
Not out of any sense of guilt. Not at all!
"So," Fujimaru asked turning towards her and making Olga's breath hitch, as Mashu set down the shield, the girl absentmindedly wiping a few drops of blood clinging to its middle as she did. "Just to be certain, and cause I'm not as great a mage as you are, Lady Director."
She did not smile at his words!
Gkh! What is it with this direct, honesty filled attack! Curse you Ritsukaaaa!
"If you could go over the specifics once more I'd be much obliged!"
T-that smile should be classified as a weapon!
"Hmph! Very well! I suppose I could do that…" she said, crossing her arms. And her eye did not start twitching at the sound of a certain someone snorting. But her smile did acquire a certain edge. "Caster, I have three seals and I'm not afraid to use them~"
"…Aye aye, message received, lass." The man said in a placating tone and being the magnanimous soul that she was, Olga pretended not to hear Caster's following mutters of 'why is it always bloody mental women?'.
And as for the Gandr that smacked into Caster an instant later, Olga had no idea as to its origins.
"Well, no sense in waiting," Fujimaru said, nodding, a serious expression setting on the man's face as he turned and trod towards the shield laying in the middle of the clearing stopping at its edge, Mashu next to him, before taking a deep breath and throwing the catalysts held in his good arm in the middle of it and starting the chant.
And Olga's breath hitched as she felt the pulse emanating from the center of the artifact. Radiating with power. Power that sought to answer Ritsuka's heart felt plea and help them all in their quest for humanity's salvation.
Power which stemmed and originated from a place far beyond, a place where even the concepts of time and space held little meaning.
She bit her lip as the power and the glow rose to a crescendo pushing back the night, vibrant concentrating rings of white manifesting around the shield and almost touching Ritsuka at its edges and the smell of ozone overpowered the sense of soot that'd been filling her nostrils for the last few hours.
Power and—
Wait. She blinked. Was it just her idea or were the white-golden rings and the brilliant pillar in the middle sparkling and turning black?
And for that matter, the power that was drawing closer seemed…
Well…
With a loud bang, the glow coalesced inwards, slamming into the shield's center and a miasma slammed into Olga's magical senses. Enough to almost make her retch as she stared at the two figures upon the shield.
"And I thought my luck was bad enough as a Lancer…" the Druid said with a sigh and Olga—
Wait. Two?! And aren't those…
"I'm Adolf Hitler!"
"What is thy bidding, my Master?"
And then, the sharply dressed man who stood with an arm raised and a smirk seemed to freeze and Olga could almost hear the servant's neck snap as it all but broke the sound barrier to gaze down at the figure kneeling by his side whose mechanical breathing had stopped for an instant.
Where the kneeling black clad figure had turned his head away from Ritsuka to meet that of his fellow servant.
"Oh sieg hell no!"
"Force give me strength…"
For the fellow oldies, yes, this was in part inspired by the old Epic rap battles Vader vs Hitler skits.