Ici il y a des dragons Chapter 10

Prelude to War

Morning came upon the group. Tatsuko got up and stretched her arms after a long slumber, and waved to Mata Hari. The Assassin waved back as she walked towards the female Master.

"Emiya and I are going to make breakfast before we head out." Mata Hari said.

"Nice! What's on the menu?"

"Sausage with bread and butter." The black haired Assassin answered.

"Well that sounds like an interesting combination, but it sounds tasty!" Tatsuko replied. "I'll go grab the others and we can-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone turned towards the source, and were shocked at what they saw. Ritsuka was still lying down where he slept, but he wasn't alone, and his eyes showed how creeped out he was. Clinging to his arm, and still asleep, was Kiyohime. The Berserker suddenly stirred, and woke up, smiling at the male Master.

"Good morning dear." She said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Umm Kiyohime, why are you clinging to Senpai's arm like that?" Mashu asked curiously.

"I'm just being a good wife by staying by Anchin's side." The blue haired Berserker answered.

Everyone stared at her with raised eyebrows, confusing Kiyohime. "What's wrong?"

"Kiyohime, my name isn't Anchin." Ritsuka answered. "It's Ritsuka Fujimaru."

Kiyohime stared at the male Master, and blinked for a few minutes in complete silence. She then giggled, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows.

"Oh Anchin, you don't need a cover name. Your real name is beautiful as is."

"It's not a cover name." Mata Hari replied. "His name really is-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but can we save this discussion for another time?" Emiya asked. "We need to start breakfast, or else the Masters won't have any fuel in their system to fight."

As everyone turned silent, they heard the sound of a stomach growling. They turned around and saw Artoria, embarrassed.

"We should… Go eat, our Masters need fuel for the day."

A few minutes passed, and everyone was eating breakfast and talking. Everyone knew what was going to happen today, and so in order to calm their nerves, they decided not to speak of it. Instead, they would just speak of ordinary things, as a way to better understand each other, and to relax before they stormed the Dragon Witches lair.

"Tatsuko I've been wondering, how did you hear of Chaldea?" Mashu asked.

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, you never told us how you joined."

Tatsuko looked at them with widened eyes, and slowly chewed her food. The moment the female Master swallowed her breakfast, she sighed and balled her hands into fists. "Okay, I think it's time I told you all."

"Well, we're all ears." Cú replied.

"I understand." Tatsuko continued. "But I will warn you, what I'm about to tell you is not for the faint of heart. You might become shocked, and you all will definitely see me in a different light."

Everyone watched as she bridged her hands together and shook. "I don't want to put you guys in that situation, and I…I…"

Ritsuka put a hand on her shoulder. "Tatsuko, you don't have to say it if you-"

"~Just kidding~!"

Everyone stared at Tatsuko with unamused expressions as she laughed. "Sorry, sorry, I just saw an opportunity and I took it!"

"Okay, you had your laugh." Mozart said. "Now are you going to tell us, or not?"

Tatsuko frowned and nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Everyone leaned in closer as Tatsuko readjusted her sitting position to get more comfortable. "So it's a bit of a complicated story. It was the day before spring break and I got suspended from school."

Everyone stared at her in shock. That wasn't what they were expecting.

"What did you do?" Saint George asked.

Tatsuko glared at the Rider. "I didn't do anything. I was fucking framed!"

Siegfried put his hands up slowly to try and calm her down. "I believe you, but please try and compose yourself."

Tatsuko exhaled. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry George."

Saint George nodded. "I apologize too. I should have been more careful with my words. Now, please regale us on what transpired."

Tatsuko nodded back. "So it was during our lunch break, and I was walking through the halls, when I saw two little shits spraying graffiti all over the walls. I immediately tried to stop them, and tried to take away the spray paint from them, but they weren't giving them up that easily. I had to pull and tug on those cans as if my life depended on it, and when I DID manage to take them, the principal himself walked in, and saw me holding them. The two pranksters framed me, saying that I did it and that they were trying to stop me. When I tried to defend myself and explain what really happened, the principal took their side, and suspended me."

Everyone stared at her in disbelief. Their disgust at the principal and the two pranksters were written all over their faces over the framing, and the principal's negligence.

"I can't believe that he didn't try to investigate further." Emiya said. "Why would he immediately take their side?"

Tatsuko shrugged. "Well to be fair, I wasn't exactly the most popular person in school, even the faculty looked at me with suspicion."

"Why?" Mashu asked.

Tatsuko ran her hand through her hair and clicked her tongue. "They thought I was a delinquent because of my hair color."

Everyone stared at her silently as she took a deep breath. "I guess when the principal saw me with those cans, he just immediately signed me off as guilty."

Ritsuka put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, for what it's worth, I think the color suits you."

Tatsuko smiled mischievously. "Damn straight it does! I make this color look cute!"

Medusa cleared her throat. "I don't mean to bring up the topic again, but how does all this explain how you found out about Chaldea?"

Tatsuko chuckled. "Well you see, as I walked out of the school, I was mulling over how my day couldn't get worse, when a flier hit me straight in the face. I took a look and lo and behold I saw the Chaldean logo."

"So what did you do after that?" Jeanne asked.

"I found the office to apply for the job, gave them a blood sample, and somehow got hired right away."

"Huh, so it's similar to how I got hired." Ritsuka said.

"Exactly!" Tatsuko replied. "After that, they said I'd need to leave home for a while, so I grabbed some stuff from my apartment, and jumped on a plane."

"And to think that this all was because of you getting framed." Medea said.

Tatsuko laughed. "Well to be fair, that school sucked anyways."

"Really?" Mashu asked in surprise. "I always thought going to school was supposed to be a wonderful experience as a way to make bonds with people and be able to learn many new things."

"Well I can't speak for other schools, but for mine, it was a mixed bag." Tatsuko replied. "Sure, the teachers were good at their jobs, and the education was top tier, but there were lots of cliques and friend circles that wouldn't let anyone else in, and then there was the bullying of other students."

"Damn, that sounds rough." Rituska said.

"Yeah, you could say that. But it gets much worse…."

"How could it get much worse?!" Mata Hari asked.

Tatsuko grinned mischievously. "Almost all of the hottest girls in school already had boyfriends, and the ones who were single weren't even my type!"

Everyone couldn't help but chuckle in amusement over the joke as they continued to eat their breakfast.

After finishing their breakfast, the Chaldeans and their allies continued their trek towards the castle. Everyone kept a look out for any potential enemies, but none were in sight. Ritsuka decided to speak to Medea about her collecting dragon fangs from the dead wyverns they encountered and, to the male Master's surprise, the Caster was more than happy to reveal she hadn't used any during their previous battles, under the belief that they were going to need all of them for the battle that awaited them. As everyone else spoke to each other in order to better coordinate, Tatsuko felt a finger tap her shoulder. The female Master turned around, and saw Mata Hari smiling at her.

"Are you in the mood for a little chat?"

Tatsuko nodded. "Sure thing! What would you like to talk about?"

"Well that's the thing…." Mata Hari said hesitantly. "I was wondering if we could talk more about your life before Chaldea…."

Tatsuko shrugged. "I don't see why not. What would you like to know?"

Mata Hari put a finger to her chin to ponder the question. "Hmmmmmm, well I guess everyone had a good idea for what your school life was like, so how about your life in general?"

"Sure thing, how about you pick a topic, and I'll answer the best I can." Tatsuko replied.

"Okay, so about your homelife. I understand that you lived alone in an apartment complex, and that you didn't need to pay rent because of your landlady…."

"Did Ritsuka tell you all that?" Tatsuko asked.

"Actually it was Mashu." Mata Hari answered. "Now back to the question, if you were all alone, how did you discover you were a Mage?"

"Oh well that's simple. My landlady was also a Mage. In fact, a lot of the occupants in the complex were Mages."

Mata Hari stared at her in shock. "That is a lot of Mages in one area!"

Tatsuko nodded. "Yep, but it wasn't that chaotic."

"Really?"

"Really." Tatsuko answered. "In fact, almost everyone kept to themselves, and didn't bother anyone. You see, the mages there didn't really care about competing with each other. They only wanted to continue their research in peace and quiet."

"How did they treat you?" Mata Hari asked.

"Most of them treated me just like any other resident." Tatsuko answered. "No one asked too many questions, and stayed out of my business unless they needed something."

"So there wasn't anyone who was nice to you?" Mata Hari asked in concern.

"Oh they were nice enough. We all just preferred our own space. In fact, if anyone had an issue with a neighbor, they would ask our landlady to handle the situation so as to not cause any unnecessary drama, and continue their research."

"Was there anyone there that stood out to you?" Mata Hari asked.

Tatsuko thought for a minute, before nodding. "There was this one woman that stood out in particular."

"How so?"

Tatsuko frowned. "Well, when she first moved in, she was practically a nervous wreck. It was like she was scared of her own shadow."

"Oh, poor girl." Mata Hari said.

"Hey, it wasn't all bad." Tatsuko said. "In fact, after a year of living there, she actually became much more social, and confident, but a little distant."

Mata Hari smiled. "Now that's good to hear. I'm glad everything worked out for her."

"Yeah, it was kinda nice knowing she got better."

"Did you two get along?" Mata Hari asked.

Tatsuko shrugged. "We spoke on occasion, and after being there for a year, she was definitely friendly, but we mostly left each other alone."

"Oh, well that's a shame." Mata Hari said. "It sounded like you two would've been good friends."

"Yeah, but I had my own things to do, so I didn't really have the time to chat."

Mata Hari raised an eyebrow. "Did you at least know her name?"

"Only her surname." Tatsuko answered. "I think it was-"

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

As soon as Medea shouted those words, she immediately conjured a magic barrier as a single arrow shot towards them. The barrier caused the arrow to bounce off, but everyone immediately readied themselves for battle. The Chaldeans formed a circle as a way to check if their mysterious attacker would shoot at a different angle. Their patience was rewarded as another arrow whizzed towards the barrier, only for Medea to counter, and incinerate the projectile, and shot a pillar of fire at the tree line. The assailant jumped from out the tree, landed on her feet, and stared at the group as if in a maddened haze. Medea gasped in horror as she stared at Berserk Archer, aiming another arrow at them.

"No…..no it can't be…." Medea muttered.

"Kill…must….kill…." Berserk Archer said. The enemy fired another arrow at them, cracking the barrier.

"Please let this be a misunderstanding….." Medea muttered again. "This must be some terrible mistake….."

"Die." Was all that Berserk Archer muttered. She shot another arrow, cracking the barrier further. Medea's arms went limp in resignation. There was no denying who it was.

"No, it really is you…Atalante….."

Ritsuka looked at the blue haired Caster in shock. "That's Atalante?!"

Atalante howled as she shot arrow after arrow at the magic barrier. The cracks began to spread all over, causing everyone to ready themselves.

"She's been forced under Madness Enhancement as well!" Jeanne shouted.

"She must be the type of Servant who'd never serve the Dragon Witch." Saint George replied.

"No, she isn't." Medea said. "She'd have attacked her in a heartbeat if she wasn't under the Madness Enhancement!"

"There's nothing we can do about it now." Medusa said. "We will just have to put her out of her misery."

Medea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew Medusa was right, but they also had to deal with the Berserk Lancer, Assassin, and Fafnir alongside Dark Jeanne. They couldn't waste time and fight her, not if they wanted to be at their absolute peak. No, there was only one thing to do.

"You all go on ahead. I'll face her."

Ritsuka and Tatsuko stared at her in shock.

"You can't be serious!" Ritsuka shouted. "We can take her if we work together!"

"Twig Boy's right, she's just one Servant!" Tatsuko shouted.

"Don't argue!" Medea shouted back. "We don't have the time for that. Just get going, and I'll be right behind you!"

Ritsuka was about to protest further, when he felt Emiya's hand on his shoulder. The Archer flashed a knowing look.

"Her mind's made up." He said. "Let her fight Atalante."

Tatsuko stared at Emiya in disbelief. "Not you too! We have-"

"Tatsuko, we must do as she says." Artoria said. The Caster looked at the Saber and Archer, and they all nodded at each other. The two Masters sighed, and nodded back. It really was a futile effort. Medea lowered the barrier behind them and returned her gaze back at the green haired Archer.

"Get going." She said. "You'll be able to make it to the Dragon Witch in no time."

The Chaldeans did as she requested and ran out of the barrier, but Ritsuka stopped in his tracks, and turned to face Medea.

"I know I have no right to ask this of you," He said. "But I only have one request; win."

The blue haired Caster nodded, allowing Ritsuka the closure to run. The moment he was out of range, Medea lowered the barrier, and readied her staff. A loud crash caused her to sigh as she turned to see Heracles still standing next to her.

"I guess you're not going to leave even if I asked." Medea said sarcastically.

Heracles shook his head, causing Medea to chuckle. "I guess it's going to be quite the reunion then."

The Caster returned her gaze upon Atalante as the Berserk Archer shot another arrow at her. Medea easily incinerated the projectile before it even came close. Atalante howled as she knocked another arrow.

"I'll kill you... I'll kill you all!" She shouted. "Every last one of you, shatter before my bow!"

Medea exhaled sharply. "I'm afraid we can't do that. But I can promise you this; I will end your pain and suffering."

Atalante instinctively leapt to her right as a pillar of fire erupted from under her feet. The Berserk Archer tried to shoot at her, but Heracles was on her before she could even draw her bow. The Chaldean Berserker swung his axe-sword wildly at the green haired Servant, but Atalante proved to be too quick and nimble, easily dodging all of his blows. Atalante then felt something closing in on her, forcing her to turn around, and shoot at an ice pillar shot by Medea. The Caster conjured more shards of ice, and shot them towards Atalante. The green haired Archer fired a volley of arrows at the shards, but she couldn't destroy all of them. A few managed to break through, and cut her skin in several places, causing her to hiss in pain.

The green haired Archer had to move quickly, as Heracles swung his weapon at her, forcing her on the defensive once more. Atalante growled as she fired arrow after arrow into the Berserker, but he did not even flinch. Instead, he continued his assault as Medea fired more projectiles to keep Atalante on her toes. Unfortunately for the Chaldean Servants, the enemy Servant wasn't going to make this easy.

One moment, Atalante was dodging their strikes, and then the next moment, she blitzed passed Medea's projectiles, and used an ice pillar as a stepping stone to fire at Heracles in the gut. The Berserker did not flinch again, and opted to take the arrows out, and threw them back at Atalante instead like little knives. Atalante leapt into the air quickly, landed her feet on the side of a tree and, using it as a platform, launched herself at Medea. The green haired Archer shot a volley of arrows at the Caster, only for Medea to respond in kind. The Caster conjured pillars of ice, and shot them at the incoming projectiles.

Both sides clashed and stopped in their tracks for the most part. Unfortunately for Medea, her projectiles weren't enough to stop all of the Archer's. Some of the arrows passed through her defenses, and cut her cheek, legs and arms. Heracles leapt to her side to block more arrows, but the Berserker merely got hit with more projectiles. The Caster hissed in pain as the blood trickled down her body, but she would have to work through the pain and heal herself later.

Right now, she had to deal with an old friend.

"She certainly hits harder than I remember." Medea said.

The two Chaldean Servants gripped their weapons tighter as Atalante howled at them again, and fired a volley of arrows.

A few minutes passed since they left Medea and Heracles to fight Atalante. In order for the Masters to conserve their energy, Saint George summoned his steed, and hopped on alongside them. Ritsuka turned on the communicator to speak to Roman.

"Doctor, how much longer until we reach the lion's den?" Ritsuka asked.

"About an hour or so if you keep up this pace." The doctor answered.

"I hope Medea will be okay." Tatsuko said. "It doesn't feel right leaving her behind."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Roman said calmly. "She's got Heracles with her to fight Atalante, remember?"

"That's quite the surprising reunion if you ask me." Ritsuka said.

"Wait, you heard of her before?" Tatsuko asked.

"Yes, she's a hero from Greek mythology." Ritsuka answered. "Atalante was a huntress who worshiped Artemis, and a member of the Argonauts….alongside Medea and Heracles."

Tatsuko stared at him in shock. It was now clear to her as to why Medea was upset at seeing the Berserk Archer as their enemy, and why the blue haired Caster wanted to face her. She wanted to save her friend.

"How did you know that?" Mozart asked.

Ritsuka went silent as he looked ahead on the pathway. He took a deep breath, not even taking his eyes off the road in front of him. "Doc taught me that."

The Chaldeans stared at him in confusion. This was the first they heard of this, and they wanted to know more.

"Are you saying that a British Mage taught you about Greek mythology?" Medusa asked.

"Doc was an expert in that field." Ritsuka answered. "She taught me about the heroes and monsters of Greek mythology. She taught me both the good, and the bad of each hero and monster. You probably would've liked her, Medusa."

"How so?"

Ritsuka smiled. "She always believed that you were just as much a victim to the Gods. Just like some of the average folk."

Everyone turned to look at Medusa. They could all tell that, despite wearing the blindfold, the purple haired Rider was shocked at the response. A small smile formed on her lips as the group kept running. The sound of a throat getting cleared brought her back to reality as Elizabeth caught up to her and ran alongside her.

"I heard that you faced Carmilla once before."

Medusa nodded. "Yes, and I aim to finish our fight once and for all."

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to forgo that and stay with the Masters. I'll fight her alone."

Medusa looked at the Lancer in surprise. "You can't be serious."

Liz nodded. "Dead serious."

"But we could face her together." Medusa countered. "Why do you want to face her alone?"

"You should know that answer by now….." Elizabeth muttered.

Medusa stared at the Lancer for a few moments before the gears turned in her head. It was clear to her why Elizabeth would want to fight Carmilla alone. The Berserk Assassin was the pink haired Lancer's future self.

"I understand." Medusa said. "Carmilla's all yours."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks Medusa. I'm glad you're here."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I finally found someone else who knows the pain of being persecuted as a monster….."

Medusa smiled. "You're not a monster, Elizabeth Bathory. You are a girl who still has her life ahead of her, and you will beat Carmilla with everything you have."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I appreciate the thought, but I have one small request."

Medusa nodded. "Name it."

"I'd like to be called Liz. It's much cuter, and it goes with my idol persona."

Medusa chuckled. "Okay Liz, then I have a request for you too."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"When you face Carmilla, kick her ass for me."

Liz laughed. "It'll be my pleasure."

Everyone continued their hour-long journey in complete silence. They were now ready to face the Dragon Witch without any hesitation in their hearts. Jeanne smiled at the thought, for she now knew what she wanted to say to Dark Jeanne. Something that she should have asked the last time they met, but couldn't due to her own wavering resolve. But now, she was more than ready to face her and save France, one last time.

"Okay guys, you're now upon the lion's…or rather, dragon's den." Roman said.

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement, and turned their attention towards the path in front of them. Not a moment later, they finally reached the Dragon Witch's lair, and what they saw didn't even surprise them at this point. The entire area was crawling with dragons, wyverns, and undead skeletons as far as the eye could see.

"Of course there'd be more wyverns here…." Tatsuko groaned. "It's always wyverns with this place."

"That's not the only thing this castle has." Emiya said. "Take a look."

The Archer pointed at the castle, and everyone turned their heads towards where his finger lay. Standing before them on the balcony was the Dragon Witch, staring back at them with a malicious grin.

"Finally."