Ici il y a des dragons
Chapter 9
First Lessons
Morning came to Thiers, and the Chaldeans made their preparations to leave for the Dragon Witch's lair. However, there were some things that they needed to do first. First plan of action, get supplies for the journey. And the most recent plan of action was the inclusion of three new Servants who wanted to help. After a bit of explanation, the Chaldeans decided it was for the best for Mata Hari, Elizabeth, and Kiyohime to join their ranks. Tatsuko decided to go first, making the contracts with Mata Hari, Elizabeth and Kiyohime in that order. After she left to speak to the other Servants, Ritsuka decided to make the contracts in that order as well, and had just finished his contract with Kiyohime by making a pinky promise.
"And this completes the contract!" The Berserker said. "Just so you know... I will make you swallow a thousand needles if you lie. Is that clear?"
Ritsuka chuckled at the declaration, unaware of how serious she was being. Kiyohime bowed with a smile. "Please take care of me from now on."
"Sure thing Kiyohime." Ritsuka replied.
The Berserker continued to smile longingly at him. Unbeknownst to either of them, the Chaldean Servants, Mashu and Tatsuko, are watching them with extreme focus.
"I don't like the way she's looking at him." Tatsuko said.
"Yeah me neither." Emiya replied.
"I'm getting all sorts of red flags from her." Cú whispered.
"Yes, something is not right with this." Artoria said.
Medea immediately took a few steps as she stared at the male Master with a dismissive expression.
"Boy, come here for a moment, Mashu would like to speak to you, in private." She said.
"I do?" Mashu asked.
"Yes, yes you do." Medea answered with a fake smile, not wanting to draw unwanted attention. Ritsuka did as he was asked, and walked towards Mashu. The moment the two of them walked away, Medea turned to Tatsuko.
"Maybe you should join them as well. You know, talk to Roman and see what we need to do."
Tatsuko nodded knowingly. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Hey guys, wait up!"
The female Master ran towards Ritsuka and the Shielder with utmost speed. The rest of the Servants turned to Medea amused expressions, confusing the blue haired Caster.
"What?" She asked.
"Oh nothing." Kojiro said with a chuckle. "We're just amazed you decided to help Ritsuka out of a potentially sticky situation like that. It was rather clever."
Medea scoffed. "Save me your compliments. I just didn't like how that crazy girl looked at our male Master. Nothing more, nothing less."
(OC: Crazy girl, eh? Hey Pot, Kettle called.)
As that was happening, Tatsuko caught up with Ritsuka and Mashu. After a few moments, they decided to talk to Roman about their next move; Whether to stay and wait for the French Army, or to storm the Dragon Witch's lair by themselves.
"I suggest going there sooner rather than waiting." Roman said. "If you wait any longer, Dark Jeanne might summon more Servants, and they'll tear through the army in no time."
"Yes, but we don't know if there are any traps waiting for us." Tatsuko replied. "We evaded that darned palette swap twice now, so she'll expect us to come to her next."
"Then there's also the fact that we don't know WHO else she has on her side." Ritsuka chimed.
"I agree with Senpai." Mashu said. "There are too many variables that we haven't taken into account."
"Okay Mashu, it's cute how you always take his side and all, but you do realize that you can form your own opinions too you know." Tatsuko said.
The male Master and Mashu blushed at the comment.
"I-I-I just think that you and Senpai are making the right call." Mashu stuttered.
"Fair point." Tatsuko said. "Sorry, I've just been feeling a little jittery lately."
Ritsuka looked at Tatsuko with a curious gaze. "Hey Roman, I know that we have a difference in time between here and Chaldea and all, but is it possible for Tatsuko to be going through withdrawal symptoms from not taking her Adderall in here? Or is she just being weird?"
Roman shook his head. "No, she should be fine. When you enter singularities your bodies are in a sort of stasis where whatever you consumed remains in the bloodstream until you come back."
"I see. So she's just being unfocused."
"Hey! I'm focused! In fact I'm so focused I'm-oh hey look a nickel!"
Ritsuka, Mashu and Roman stared at where Tatsuko pointed, only to find nothing. The female Master laughed at their confusion.
"I can't believe you guys fell for that!" Tatsuko said.
Ritsuka facepalmed at the comment, while Roman cleared his throat. "Okay, back to the task at hand. Ritsuka, Tatsuko, Mashu, I'm ordering you all to go to the Dragon Witch's lair without waiting for the French Army."
The Chaldean Trio nodded.
"Well, let's get ourselves killed." Tatsuko said with a sarcastic tone.
"I don't like it either but can't you be a little bit optimistic?" Ritsuka asked.
"Calm down you two. We need to get a jump on the Dragon Witch before she has a chance to prepare, that's why I'm sending you. A small task force will be much harder to detect and plan against than an entire army." Roman countered.
"That may be so, but we also have to deal with numerous wyverns." Mashu stated. "If we attack her now, we will be too exhausted to fight her."
"And that's why I suggested we leave them to Siegfried, Artoria and Medusa." Roman said. "They can clear the way for the rest of you to get into her castle, and take her down."
The Chaldean Trio nodded again, albeit reluctantly. There was no point in changing Roman's mind, and they knew it. The moment Roman turned off communications, the trio heard footsteps coming towards them. They turned around, and saw Medusa standing before them.
"We just finished getting our supplies." Medusa said.
"Where are they?" Tatsuko asked.
"Heracles and Saint George are bringing them over to the others right now."
The Chaldean Trio nodded and walked towards her in order to return to the others.
The moment they left Thiers, the group had agreed to storm the Dragon Witch's lair when they were fully rested. Thankfully, their destination was a day's journey, so they could rest up for the night, and strike out in the morning. However, the group was still on edge. They didn't know if they would be ambushed by any of the Dragon Witch's Servants, or any wyverns. In order to calm their nerves, the group decided to talk in order to get acquainted with their new allies. Saint George spent some time speaking to Siegfried, and learned of Saint Martha's fate. While saddened of her passing, the Rider was grateful she managed to go out on her own terms. The Rider then decided to speak to Mata Hari in order to get to know the black haired Assassin, and in regards to how they protected their respective towns.
"I see, so that's how you managed to keep your town together." Mata Hari said.
Saint George nodded. "Yes. Even though I had to protect it alone, I was able to fend off the wyverns for days on end."
"So how did they repay you?" Mata Hari asked.
"No payment was necessary." Saint George answered. "I was just glad to help the people in any way I could. So what about you? How did Thiers treat you?
"Well they were initially suspicious of me at first. I was an outsider, and they were afraid I'd attract the wyverns."
"I see. I am sorry you had to go through that."
Mata Hari giggled. "Oh don't worry about it. I was expecting it would happen anyway."
"So how DID you manage to get all of Thiers behind you?"
"It was simple really." The Assassin answered. "I simply watched over the children and played with them whenever their parents weren't around."
Saint George raised an eyebrow, causing Mata Hari to gasp.
"It's not what you think! I would never-"
"Rest easy my lady, I know exactly what you meant." Saint George said.
Mata Hari sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness."
"So you watched over the children and that way, the people of the town realized that you meant well." Saint George said with a smile. "I'm glad they accepted you."
"Thanks. It means alot, coming from a saint."
As the Assassin and Rider spoke to each other, the Chaldean Trio spoke to Kiyohime and Elizabeth, and were quite surprised with their enthusiasm…among other things.
"Say little Puppy, what do you think of-"
"I'm sorry, did you just call me a puppy?" Ritsuka asked.
"Well, yeah." Elizabeth said. "You have those puppy dog eyes, so I thought calling you that seemed fitting."
"I'm not a puppy…" Ritsuka muttered.
"I agree with Senpai." Mashu said. "He's more like a lion than anything else."
"Eh, he's more like a lion cub than an actual lion." Tatsuko said. "He's not NEARLY intimidating enough to be a lion."
"My, my, Ms. Tatsuko, calling my Love a cub is an insult." Kiyohime said.
The Chaldean Trio and Elizabeth looked at Kiyohime with absolute confusion. The Berserker stared back at them with an equally confused expression.
"What?"
"Ummm Kiyohime, what did you just call Senpai?" Mashu asked.
"I just called him my Love of course." Kiyohime answered.
"Now hang on a moment." Ritsuka said calmly. "Kiyohime, I'm flattered you see me in that way, but I barely even know you."
"It doesn't matter." Kiyohime said.
"Just ignore her Puppy." Elizabeth said. "She's clearly got a few screws loose."
Kiyohime laughed. "Says the cheap dragon!"
Elizabeth gasped. "I'm not a cheap dragon! I will meet an extra-special Master someday!"
"Oh, so the horn on your head isn't the only thing twisted." The blue haired Berserker replied. "Seeking an impossible dream... Is your head okay?"
"It's not an impossible dream!" Elizabeth shouted. "It's conviction! I'm convinced of it! I'll someday meet a Master that is to my liking and will love me!
"Yes, yes, in your head it's another cloudless day." Kiyohime chimed.
The two Servants continued to argue, forcing Ritsuka and Tatsuko to try and break it up. The two Masters looked to Mashu, who stared at them with concern, only to tell her they could handle it. They asked her to get some fresh air, and the Shielder did as she was asked. Along the way, she decided to speak to Mozart, who was smiling at the scenery around him. The Caster saw her walk up beside him, causing him to smile brighter.
"Ah Mashu, how are you doing?" He asked.
"I am doing well Mozart." Mashu answered.
Mozart looked around, and saw that the Shielder was alone, which he found odd. "Where are RItsuka and Tatsuko?"
The lilac haired girl turned to look back at where the two Masters were, and saw that the fight was indeed broken up, but not by the two Masters. Instead, it would seem Mata Hari stepped in, and began to scold the two Servants sternly.
"They're preoccupied." Mashu answered.
"I see. So is there anything that I can help you with?"
"Actually there is." Mashu answered. "It seems a bit crazy to ask questions at a time like this, but do you mind?"
Mozart laughed. "Of course not! Be it important or trivial, ask away. Tomorrow is going to be the final battle. You should wrap up any unfinished business.
Mashu gulped. "I hate to bring this back up...But back when we heard that Marie had died.
This is what you said before you left for a while, Amadeus. "Humans choose what they love."
I don't understand what that meant."
"Oh? What part did you have trouble understanding?"
"Well, I understand the meaning of the words, but it's the "choose" part that I don't understand." Mashu said. "I mean, things we should view favorably are morally just, and things we should reject are socially bad. That's what I was taught. I feel deep down that it's right."
"What do you consider right then?" Mozart asked.
Mashu thought to herself for a moment before exhaling sharply. "Well... Something that saves many lives, and sees value in many lives, I suppose."
"Well, that's rather ill-defined. Let's assume for a moment that Ritsuka and Tatsuko weren't those kinds of people. What then?"
Mashu stared at him with a conflicted look. Mozart stared at her regretfully, knowing he upset her. "Forgive me, that was a mean assumption. However, keep that hesitation and discomfort in mind."
Mashu nodded reluctantly. Mozart then cleared his throat in order to continue.
"Mashu, I suspect that you are a person who has only recently gained her freedom. As such, you freeze in the face of hard choices and have doubts about the person you are becoming."
Mashu nodded. "Yes, I think you might be right. I, uh...didn't know much about the outside world...No. Maybe I never had the right to care for anything in the first place. I mean, I—"
Mozart sighed. "Oh, dear. You truly are pure, aren't you? You're like a music sheet without a single note on it."
Mashu sighed. "I guess that's an appropriate comparison."
"Then heed my words, Mashu. Even if you are a doll created for the sole purpose of fighting...You have the obligation to care for something. You may not have freedom, but you have obligations."
Mashu tilted her head. "Obligations? Not rights or privileges?"
Mozart shook his head. "No, obligations. Or duties, if you like. You see, humans have that responsibility, for they possess the intelligence to think. What to care for, what to dislike, what is considered precious, what is considered are the things you must choose for yourself. Not by the words of others, nor by conforming to your environment."
"But how is that possible to determine?" Mashu asked.
"Every human is unique. So too are each one's values." Mozart answered. "We learn and see as much as we can. By doing so, your life will be enriched."
"So I must learn more, in order to get a better understanding of the world." Mashu muttered.
Mozart nodded. "Listen, the world is not what you make of it. You are what the world makes of you. Then when you have become you, become more than this world. You must leave proof that you existed, whatever it is."
"I see." Mashu smiled. "Well, you definitely have done exactly that."
Mozart chuckled. "Indeed I have. All the music I left behind is proof. Even though
that itself is insignificant."
Mashu stared at him in shock. "You think that's still not enough?"
Mozart nodded. "Of course. After all, I am a man who couldn't even bear witness to the death of his one and only first love. My legacy may have been loved by many, but my actual life was nothing special. Still, I am content with that. Human beings are filthy and unpleasant. My conclusion stands. There are sinners who shine brilliantly and saints that make one retch."
"That's…I don't know if I can be like that…"
"Don't think too hard on it. There is no need for you to fear your own future."
Mashu stared at Mozart in shock, who continued to smile at her.
"You are created by the world, and you expand and improve the world." The Caster said. "That is what "being a human" is all about. Begin by absorbing all you can from the world and then return those favors to the world as you see fit later. Worrying over what results that will have is a matter for another day."
"Amadeus…" Mashu muttered.
"However, most things in this world have a fair value, and a result fit for such value." Mozart continued. "As was the case with my music and my life. As long as humans are human, evil will not prevail. After all, humanity will be unable to flourish otherwise."
"It won't?" Mashi asked.
Mozart shook his head. "It is said that "evil" is the hindrance to the prosperity of life. The species cannot survive with it there. If humanity cannot purge itself of that "evil," that is the day of humanity's extinction. It's that simple."
"I see. That seems more complicated than I thought." Mashu said.
Mozart exhaled. "This will most likely be the last time we shall chat.
For some reason, it turned into a bit of a lecture. Still, I'm happy that we were alone for this final talk. From start to finish, you're a charming young lady. It's a shame we met so late in this journey, I would've enjoyed being in your company from the beginning."
Mashu smiled. "I see. Thank you Mozart, I won't forget what you said."
Mozart smiled back. "Indeed. You pass, Mademoiselle. I want you to remember one last thing. There's nothing more beautiful than a parting smile."
Mashu nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Hey everyone, I found a place in the woods that would be a perfect camping spot!" Emyia shouted. "The sun is already going down, so we might as well stop for the night."
Everyone nodded, and followed the white haired Archer into the woods.
Night fell quickly as the Chaldeans made their camp. Once again, Emiya was on cooking duty, but thankfully, he had the assistance of Mata Hari and Saint George in order to properly feed the entire group. Ritsuka, however, walked away from the group by a few feet, saying he wasn't hungry. The Chaldean Servants and Tatsuko raised an eyebrow at the fact that Ritsuka doesn't seem to eat much. Artoria decided to see what was wrong, but not before finding two large sticks near her feet. The blonde Saber picked them up, and started to cut off any unnecessary bits off the wooden objects.
"Artoria, what are you doing?" Mashu asked.
"Please don't worry about it Mashu." Artoria said. "I'm just going to try something."
Mashu looked at the Servants and Tatsuko, who merely shrugged at her. It was clear Artoria wasn't going to say anything, but they were curious to where this was going. After a few minutes of getting rid of any twigs on the sticks, the Saber got up, and walked towards the male Master.
"Are you nervous?" She asked.
Ritsuka turned to look at her with a startled expression. "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that?"
Artoria nodded. "Are you nervous?"
Ritsuka hesitated to answer the question. Artoria smiled and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's okay to be honest about it. No one is going to judge you."
Ritsuka nodded, and exhaled sharply. "I'm not just nervous. I'm terrified."
Artoria nodded. "I know what you mean."
Ritsuka stared at her in surprise. "You do?"
"Of course." Artoria answered. "I felt those types of emotions when I was still human. Every night before a big battle, I would freeze up, and get nervous."
"How did you deal with it?"
Artoria threw one of the sticks to Ritsuka. The male Master caught it, but was confused as to what he was supposed to do with it.
"Sometimes the best thing for us is to face our fears head on, and move forward." Artoria said with a calm expression. "And thankfully, I think I know how we can do that…"
Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "How do you-"
WHACK
Everyone watched as Artoria hit Ritsuka on the head with the stick in her hands. The black haired teen rubbed the spot where she hit, and stared at Artoria in disbelief.
"Ow! What in the bloody hell was that for?!" Ritsuka asked. Artoria pointed the stick in her hands towards him as if issuing a challenge.
"Block it next time."
Artoria swung again, but Ritsuka stepped back, his eyes wide like saucers. The Saber swung again, hitting the hand that held Ritsuka's stick.
"I said block it!"
Ritsuka picked up his staff from the ground, and had to roll out of the way as Artoria swung downward. He glared at her as she twirled her stick paced back and forth.
"What's the big idea?!" Ritsuka shouted.
"You're going to find out." Artoria said calmly. She swung again, but Ritsuka decided to dodge. The Saber swung again, and Ritsuka evaded once more. Another swing, and Ritsuka tried to dodge, but it was a feint.
SMACK
Ritsuka hissed in pain as his head was hit again.
"What the hell is she doing?!" Tatsuko shouted. "Is she trying to kill him?"
"No, she's not going to do that." Emiya said calmly.
"Then why is she-"
"Just keep watching Tatsuko." Kojiro said. "She knows what she's doing."
"But Artoria is hurting him….." Mashu muttered.
"Exactly!" Kiyohime shouted. "I will not stand for this! I am going to put a stop to this right now!"
Kiyohime tried to walk towards the male Master and Saber, only for Elizabeth and Cú to tackle her to the ground.
"What are you doing you fools?!" The Berserker asked.
"Stopping you from getting hurt, that's what!" Elizabeth said. "There's no way you stand a chance against her!"
"You don't know that!" Kiyohime countered. "I can take her!"
"Oh please, you're not strong enough to face her." Cú said.
Kiyohime looked up and glared at the Lancer. "I beg your pardon?!"
"You heard me." Cú said. "You're not even in the same league as me OR Artoria. So just calm down, go back to your seat, and watch."
"And why should I do that?" Kiyohime asked.
"Because she's trying to help him forget about his doubts and fears." Cú answered. "And if you interfere, then it will just make things worse."
"I can do this, I can help him, true love will triumph over all!"
"Oh come on, stop with that!" Liz yelled before she and Cu got Kiyohime up and dragged her away with the rest of them.
Meanwhile, with Ritsuka and Artoria, the boy was slowly trying to adapt to Artoria's attacks, but it was a rather difficult task. Her speed made it so he only had a few seconds to dodge, and should he attempt to block, he'd quickly get disarmed. He had to think fast if he wanted to land even a single hit onto her.
"You can't keep evading, you need to defend yourself." Artoria said.
That was easier said than done. While he was a mage, Ritsuka was still a human, and Artoria was a Servant. The gap in experience and skill was astronomical, and they both knew it. Ritsuka was taken out of his thoughts as Artoria swung at him again. Ritsuka dodged once more, causing Artoria to miss. Ritsuka saw an opportunity, and swung at Artoria. The Saber smirked, causing Ritsuka to realize what just happened.
She performed another feint.
Artoria raised her stick and struck his hands, disarming the male Master. Ritsuka rubbed the spot where she struck and hissed in pain. Artoria pointed her stick at Ritsuka with a calm expression.
"You have a lot to learn, Ritsuka." Artoria said. "You didn't even try to block. Instead, all you did was dodge haphazardly, and when you did try to attack, your form was sloppy."
The male Master stared at her sadly.
"But do not be discouraged." Artoria continued. "Because I will teach you everything I know."
Ritsuka stared at her in shock. Artoria smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Even with that… Lackluster display, I see a lot of potential in you. So here's what we'll do. When we return to Chaldea, we train for two hours in the morning, then one hour in the afternoon. Then in the evening we train for one more hour. After that, we will be done for that day."
Ritsuka smiled and nodded.
"Good. How do you feel now?" Artoria asked.
"I feel a little sore." Ritsuka said. He looked at his hands, and raised an eyebrow. "Hang on a minute, something's not right."
"What's wrong?" Artoria asked.
"My hands aren't bruised." Ritsuka answered. He looked around at everyplace Artoria and his eyes widened. "Nor are any of the places you hit me!"
Artoria chuckled. "I made sure not to hurt you TOO much. It wouldn't do us any good if you get bruised before the final fight, now would it?"
Ritsuka nodded with a blank expression. The Saber was correct on that assessment. But it just made him more nervous for his training sessions. Artoria waved over to him, and smiled.
"Get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."
Ritsuka smiled back and nodded. "Thanks for the help Artoria."
Artoria nodded back. "Anytime."
Ritsuka walked back to the group and yawned. "Okay guys, goodnight."
Everyone nodded silently, barring Mashu, who smiled warmly. "Good night Senpai."
Ritsuka laid down, and began to sleep. Artoria walked back to the group and sat down. The Saber returned to gorging on her food. A few moments later, Artoria realized everyone was staring at her. Some were amused, others conflicted, and one was angry blue haired Berserker.
"What?" Artoria asked with food still in her mouth.
"Oh nothing." Cú answered. "Though maybe you and Scathcach should swap notes."
Artoria swallowed her food and laughed. "Well, if we ever meet, maybe she and I can do so."
As everyone was chatting, Tatsuko and Mashu looked at Ritsuka's sleeping form and smiled. The male Master wasn't shaking in his sleep.
"Fou…"
The two girls stared at Fou as the critter slowly walked towards Ritsuka, and laid down next to his chest. The girls said nothing as they looked back at each other in concern.
Even without him shaking, something was still haunting him.
OC: Well that was an interesting third scene!
CV: Yeah, Ritsuka got bonked on the head so much his soul is forever trapped in horny jail.
OC: Lmao, that is so true. OH SHIT! Vlad, don't you remember what Monday was?!
CV: Oh right, tamales day!
OC: What? No, I meant for a special day for The NA Server for FGO!
CV: Ah, yes, the Fifth Anniversary of NA! And with it, the biggest SQ massacre ever since Jalter. Many feared the day she would come, some saved everything (Like OC), some went by pure luck (Me).
OC: And in the end, we are proud to show you, our Readers, what we got! Shall I pull the curtain, or shall we do it together?
CV: Let's do it together.
OC: Okay, Jarvis, DRUMROLL PLEASE!
(Drumrolls)
BOTH: And without further ado, say hello to our very own corgis!
(Pulls back the curtain revealing our Castorias)
OC: That's right, we managed to get our very own just minutes apart! Though mine comes with an incredibly funny story, one that I told Vlad a few minutes after we celebrated our victory. See, the morning of July 4th, I messaged a friend and then Vlad showing them both how many SQ and summon tickets I had, and I asked them to wish me luck. Now the friend wished me luck a few seconds later while I was on my 6th ticket (Decided to use those first instead of SQ), and lo and behold, I got Castoria JUST as he messaged me. I took a screenshot and sent it to him, and said "BRUH, I just told you and after 6 tickets to boot!" I sent a similar message to Vlad a couple of seconds later because of how excited I was.
CV: Mine was a bit more stressful. I got up pretty early to roll (about 6 am over here in Mexico) and basically started throwing all of the gifted SQ since I had saved exactly 0 for her. All the tickets, everything went to Castoria but the numbers were going down and I wasn't seeing anything, not even an SR. By the time I hit 100 SQ, I gave up hope and simply started skipping every summon just to get it over with. Half asleep and pushing the screen of my phone as fast as I could, suddenly Castoria's card appeared and I just stared at it like "What the fuck".
CV's Castoria: My Master can be… A bit bad mouthed sometimes.
OC: Then you showed me a screenshot of yours, and said, and I quote "NO SUCH THING AS BAD LUCK FOR THIS MOTHERFUCKER!"
CV: Probably not the best time to say it considering I was in a bit of a losing streak on JP but hey, I got Corgi on both servers and I don't need to roll on her next 2 banners, meaning I can save for other Servants I want, like Douman and Morgan.
OC: Oh, right….shall we tell them what happened last night?
CV: Alright, let's do it.
OC: Ladies and gentleman, there's something you should know…You see, last night I decided to use more tickets on Castoria's banner just for the hell of it. Well three or so tickets later…I got another copy of her. So I managed to NP 2 her.
CV: He showed it to me, and I said "And I haven't gotten my second copy". Later that night, I got a ticket from the friend mission, and decided to roll for the fun of it. Yeah, apparently Castoria heard me and decided to show up again. In short, we both have NP2 Corgi.
(Happy Corgi noises.)
OC: Okay, enough bragging over our new Arts meta. (Closes the curtains) But I am curious Vlad, what would you say were your luckiest rolls barring the one involving Castoria?
CV: Hard to say. Most of the time I roll in yolos instead of the 30 roll because I feel I have better luck that way. I would say my luckiest rolls are… The ones that got me my NP2 Summer Abigail in JP, mostly because I remember saying "By my Command Seal, come to me, Abigail!" And I got her. Hasn't happened again no matter how many times I try to repeat it.
OC: Not bad, not bad. It reminds me of a few of my own lucky rolls. Like the time I managed to get two copies of Summer Tamamo in one roll, and two copies of OG Artoria in a different roll. BUT those do not compare to the sheer craziness I experienced last year and the year before. You see, in 2020, I decided to use ONE summon ticket on Okita's banner for the hell of it because there were so many banners at that time, so I decided to yolo it. And you know what happened? I got Okita with that single ticket. When that happened I went bug eyed in shock. I said to myself, "There's NO WAY this will ever happen again. That's just TOO lucky."
Well…fast forward a year, and then the Seraph banner comes out with King Protea. I decided to use one ticket there for the lolz, and I wasn't even aiming for her. And lo and behold, I get best kaiju daughter with that one ticket. I nearly spat out my drink in absolute shock. I said to myself "HOLY SHIT IT'S OKITA'S BANNER ALL OVER AGAIN!"
Fast forward a few months when Ooku came out, and nearing the end of the event, I decided to roll on Kama's banner and use only one ticket for the lolz and to see if I could get a good CE…..only to get FREAKING KAMA WITH THAT TICKET! I did a double take, and said "Okay, that's it, I am either the luckiest man alive, or the world just wants to prove me wrong."
Needless to say I have not been THAT lucky since then.
CV: Well, seems like you've had much better luck than I had.
OC: I just hope it wasn't all used up in Castoria's banner…..oh wait…..I also managed to get my first and second copy of Passionlip a few hours later after getting Castoria…remember lol?
CV: I do. You got pretty lucky there as well. Well, not as much as I, I got her 3 times.
OC: Lmao. Okay okay, I think that's enough bragging. Now onto the chapter! Once again we decided to use some dialogue from the game and it was once again Mashu and Mozart. I CANNOT stress it enough, there scenes together in Orleans was a highlight. Mozart got great characterization, and Mashu got someone to learn from that was a Servant. It was a definite win-win there.
CV: Ritsuka's training with Artoria is also something we must highlight, as this is going to be the start of their master-teacher relationship.
OC: Yeah, this was something that I came up with a couple of months before Chronicles was written, and we had a tiny disagreement over it. It wasn't over if she SHOULD teach him. It was a matter of if she should be the only one. In the end Vlad won out, and we agreed she would be the MAIN (combat) teacher to Ritsuka, while Ritsuka and Tatsuko will still learn from other Servants.
CV: I just thought that limiting them to simply learning from one Servant would cut a chance to make them more versatile in the future.
OC: Yeah, you were right on that end. But I will say that a lot of the moments of Artoria being Ritsuka's teacher here, will have major echoes to come in Lostbelt 6. But enough of that for now. Some of you will read this chapter and see that Ritsuka isn't so accepting of Kiyohime's advances. Well, the thing is that when writing Kiyohime, while Vlad seems okay with her, I am most certainly not okay with her existence at all, as I have said numerous times. HOWEVER, when we write her, we are trying to remain as unbiased as possible, while also making it clear that her behavior is shown as the negative as it is. Ritsuka will not hate her, but her blatant disregard to how he feels does make him feel uncomfortable, so as to strike a balance.
CV: I kind of like Kiyohime, but I do know she's hard to like if you don't click with her right away, especially because of her feelings towards Ritsuka. She gets better with Interludes but if you don't know that, it's hard to end up liking her if you disliked her from the start.
OC: True, but when her toxic behavior is played for laughs, it pisses me off. Seriously, if this was real life, she'd have a restraining order filed against her.
CV: To be fair, there's no governments since Earth has gotten burned, so I doubt there's any chance of that happening. Plus, how do you restrain a fucking ghost?
OC: Priests. Lots and lots of priests. But in any case, we hope you enjoyed this week's chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. Please stay tuned next week as we have lots of crazy things happening!