Lord Chaldeas

"So you see, that's where we stand right now," Roman explained. "Ritsuka and Tatsuko are the acting Masters right now and are investigating this place."

Caster stroked his chin and nodded. It wasn't long after the battle with the two Shadow Servants that the blue haired Servant asked the four Chaldeans why they were in the city. Thankfully, Roman buzzed in to give the Heroic Spirit an explanation that had happened, and what led up to it.

"Well, looks like you guys had the right idea," Caster said calmly. "But the problem is you all decided on locations that were still relatively intact. That was your first mistake."

Olga huffed, folding her arms across her chest in slight irritation at the comment. The blue haired Servant smirked at the reaction before hearing Roman clear his throat. "I would like to confirm something with you, Caster."

Caster shrugged. "Don't see why not. Just be quick about it."

"You're a Servant from this Holy Grail War, right?"

Caster nodded. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, are you the only survivor?" Roman asked curiously. Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at each other in slight confusion. If he was the only survivor, then wouldn't the Holy Grail War have ended? It was a strange question indeed.

"Well, I haven't lost, if that's what you're getting at," Caster answered. "The thing is our Holy Grail War here changed into a whole different beast altogether."

"Does it have to do with why the city is burning?" Olga asked curtly. Ritsuka looked at her in slight surprise, but the director paid him no mind as she watched the blue haired Servant shrug nonchalantly.

"Beats me," he answered. "One moment, the city lit up like a bonfire, then the humans vanished."

"Vanished…" Ritsuka muttered quietly. His eyes widened at the implications and took a step forward. "We saw skeletons rising up from the ground, are you sure they aren't human?"

Caster chuckled. "Relax boy, they aren't actually human skeletons. They just take the shape of them."

"Then how come they sound like–"

"They're just imitations, so they'll move and sound like them." Caster answered calmly.

Ritsuka looked away slightly to avoid his gaze. "I'm sorry, I just wanted some clarification….."

"No need to apologize kid. You need to lighten up a bit!" Caster said playfully. The blue haired Servant patted the teen's back and chuckled at his discomfort.

"Hate to burst your little party here," Olga said in agitation. "But you said that only the Servants remained. How is that possible?"

"Not sure myself," Caster answered. "But after everything went south, Saber was the first to restart the Holy Grail War. That ruthless jerk started to go crazy like a damned bat out of hell."

"And the other Servants did nothing to stop Saber?" Tatsuko asked.

"Saber beat them before they COULD do anything," Caster answered. "Archer, Lancer, Berserker, and Assassin were all defeated by Saber."

"Wait…..Lancer and Assassin were beaten by Saber?" Tatsuko asked. "How's that possible? We just beat them!"

"No, you didn't," Caster answered. "Saber got to them first, and they got corrupted by black mud. What we just faced is more or less mind controlled husks."

The Chaldeans stared at him in shock. Five Servants went against one, and they all failed. The two Masters felt a chill up their spine as Fou shook on Mashu's shoulder. Olga, on the other hand, closed her eyes and exhaled sharply.

"So, the War is still on." She said calmly. The director glanced at the three teens' reactions. They were one of slight shock, yet also resignation.

"Yep, though like I said before, everything's changed." Caster answered. "The Shadow Servants and those skeletons are also looking for something, and it just so happens that I'm one of them…."

"Oh of course!" Roman answered. "Since you and Saber are the only Servants left, you're a threat!"

Mashu gasped in realization. "So if we defeat Saber, then would everything turn to normal?"

"Well I don't know if everything would be normal, but the Holy Grail War would definitely come to an end."

"Oh, so the only reason you helped us was because we'd help you," Tatsuko said in irritation. "Otherwise you'd have to deal with Saber all by yourself and get demolished!"

"Bingo!" Caster answered cheerfully. "Well, it's not such a bad trade right? Two Masters, two Servants. So not much to complain about."

Tatsuko stared at him intently before sighing. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"Excellent!" Caster said. "To be perfectly honest, I'm starting to like you guys already."

"Glad to hear it, Caster." Ritsuka chimed as he extended a hand out. The Caster shook it with a smile before Mashu walked up to him and gave a small bow.

"I may be inexperienced as a Servant, but I look forward to working together!" She said earnestly. Caster chuckled at the Shielder's enthusiasm before locking eyes with Tatsuko. The female Master extended her own hand out to him.

"Well, if we're going to be partners, I'd like to know your name at least." Tatsuko said calmly.

"You don't need to worry about that as my Master. Just call me Caster."

"Fine, if you won't give me your True Name, I'll just have to give you a nickname." Tatsuko thought for a few long moments. She stared at the blue haired Servant as he raised an eyebrow at her remark. After a long, momentous pause, Tatsuko's eyes widened as she formed a devious smile upon her lips.

"I know! I'll call you Kenny!"

Silence filled the air as Tatsuko grinned at her moment of triumph. Ritsuka, Mashu, Fou, Olga, and Caster looked at her in slight confusion as the female Master chuckled to herself.

"Fou?" The small critter asked in a high pitched tone.

"Tatsuko, why did you go with Kenny?" Mashu asked.

"Simple! He looks like the type of guy who dies a lot, and by something inhuman to boot!"

"Where'd you come up with that conclusion?!" Caster shouted. "I survived this long didn't I?"

"I know, but I like the sound of Kenny." Tatsuko said teasingly.

"Well it sounds stupid!"

Tatsuko was about to protest when she saw the look of irritation in his eyes. The female Master sighed in defeat, he DID save them, so it would be improper to impose too much on them.

"Okay, I'll just call you Caster…." Tatsuko said sadly.

"Thank you," Caster said with a hint of triumph. "Now, how about we get down to brass tacks. Let's discuss our goal."

"I thought the goal was obvious," Olga answered. "Find the source of the Singularity."

"That's the thing, I have an idea on what that could be." Caster said calmly. The Chaldeans stared at him in shock. How did he have an answer to their problem already?

"Please Caster, can you tell us what we seek?" Mashu asked.

Caster nodded in approval as his smile faded. "What we are most likely looking for is the Greater Grail."

Roman cocked his head in curiosity. "What's the Greater Grail? I never heard of it before."

"It's essentially this land's true heart so to speak," Caster answered. "If there's a 'Singularity', then that has to be the core. The only problem is that Saber is hovering around the thing like a hawk. The other Servants she beat would be there too."

"How many are left?" Tatsuko asked.

"Two, Berserker and Archer."

"Wait, what happened to Rider?" Mashu asked. "I noticed you never mentioned them. Weren't they corrupted too?"

"No. She was the only one, aside from me, who managed to avoid that." Caster answered.

"Then….where is she?" Olga asked.

Caster looked at them sadly and exhaled. "She and I were working together to stop Saber, but we ended up confronting Berserker's corrupted form. We were already struggling with the bastard, when Lancer, Assassin and Archer showed up. We were outnumbered and had two choices, fight together and inevitably get corrupted by Saber, or flee. It was the obvious choice, but those four disagreed. In the end, she decided to buy me time to escape…"

A chill ran up their spine at the answer. But something didn't add up, if she stayed behind, why wasn't she corrupted? Tatsuko's eyes widened in horror as she stepped towards Caster.

"You don't mean to tell me she…"

Caster nodded. "She fought them as best she could, and even managed to wound three of them, but in the end, they tore her to pieces. Her body was so mangled they couldn't even use the black mud to corrupt her."

The Chaldeans looked at each other. Their blood ran cold as Caster gripped his staff. For a Servant to have died like that was…..too brutal. The look in Caster's eyes proved that there was a hint of camaraderie between the two, otherwise he wouldn't have been as saddened by her passing. Ritsuka exhaled sharply and took a small step forward towards the blue haired Servant.

"Who was she?" He asked. "Did she tell you her True Name?"

Caster raised an eyebrow at the questions. "Does it really matter now? She died, and won't be coming back here."

"Perhaps," Ritsuka said with a hint of confidence. "But I was always taught to remember those who died, their names included. That way, they are never forgotten."

Mashu and Tatsuko looked at the male Master in slight shock. Where did he learn that? It was a good lesson to live by, but it somehow felt like it was…personal to him. Caster closed his eyes and gave a small smile, this boy really was an interesting one.

"Her name was Boudicca."

Ritsuka's eyes widened slightly, but he recomposed himself and gave a small nod. "Did you ever tell her your name?"

"No, she already figured it out. But we decided not to use my True Name so the others wouldn't figure out my weaknesses."

"Then why did she tell you hers?" Olga asked.

"Because she didn't necessarily have any weaknesses they could exploit. Not that it would matter."

"I see," Mashu said quietly. The Shielder's eyes widened, and gasped. "So if Lancer and Assassin were two of the five Servants who killed her, did you help us so you could avenge her as well?"

Caster shook his head. "Nope! We knew what we signed on for, so avenging her was pointless. But beating those two DOES give us a better opportunity to beat Saber. We just need to get to her first!"

"Oh right! You mentioned that Berserker and Archer were still around!" Tatsuko shouted. "What are they like? How strong are they?"

"Well between the two of them, Archer is the weaker one, but he's also more difficult to pin down. I can't even give an educated guess on who he is. All I know is that he's now Saber's attack dog."

"And what about Berserker?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yeah…..that guy's the real pain to deal with," Caster answered. "Even Saber had difficulty bringing that beast down. I swear it's like she killed him eleven times, and he kept getting back up."

"Damn, he sounds like an absolute unit." Tatsuko muttered.

"And that's why I think we should avoid him. He won't attack unless we get near him, so we have at least that option."

"I agree," Roman said with a hint of concern. "Now that we understand the situation, we should head towards the Greater Grail. Can you show them the way, Caster?"

The blue haired Servant nodded. "Yeah, I'll take them there. But be warned, it's not going to be easy."

"Well, at this point I wouldn't be surprised," Roman said with a sigh. "In any case, let's resume the search."

The Chaldeans nodded and turned off the communicator as Caster beckoned them to follow.

The five companions continued their trek along the burning city. Caster proved himself a capable guide and provided more details on the two Shadow Servants, and how they fell. Lancer was the second to fall, while Assassin was the fourth. Apparently the only ones who even thought of working together to bring down Saber was Boudicca and Caster, everyone else decided to do it by themselves and hope for the best.

"Wow, I cannot believe those guys were so stupid," Tatsuko said with a blank stare. "What made them think they could take her down alone?"

Caster shrugged. "Well Lancer was more or less the type who valued honor, so he had that going against him. Assassin was more or less ambushed, so he had no way of fighting back."

"I guess Saber doesn't really take prisoners, doesn't she?" Ritsuka muttered.

"Not really. The first time I saw her, I knew immediately that she would win, so I decided to wait until she was either dead, or one of the other servants wisened up and agreed to work with me."

"And Boudicca was the only one?" Mashu asked.

"Yeah, we ran into each other the very first night after the War resumed," Caster blew some ash out of the way so they could read the signs. " By that point, Lancer and Archer were firmly on Saber's side. I was on my way out of there when I found her running from Berserker. I helped her out, and in the end she agreed to help."

"Sounds like you two went through alot," Olga said plainly, not even looking at the blue haired Servant. "How long did you two work together?"

"Not long," Caster answered. "We were just trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and find a way to fix it."

The four Chaldeans looked at each other in slight unease. Considering that answer, they had no real idea just how long he's been fighting this War on his own, without any backup. Their thoughts were scattered when they heard a familiar rattling of bones.

"Enemy hostiles coming our way!" Mashu shouted. Fou took the opportunity and leapt onto Ritsuka's shoulder, not wanting to get in Mashu's way when she fought.

The two Masters and Olga raised their arms and aimed at the skeletons, causing Caster to grin. "Now this is more like it, I was getting a little bored of just walking!"

The blue haired Servant conjured several flaming orbs at the skeletons just as Mashu slammed her shield into their front. A skeleton raised its weapon high to strike the exposed back of the Shielder, but Olga was much quicker, and shot Gandr at the skeleton's side, allowing Caster to finish it off with an ice spike. Mashu leapt into the air and swung her shield into two more skeletons, and kicked another in the jaw before grabbing her weapon and taking the skeleton's head off in one fluid motion.

Ritsuka and Tatsuko continued to stun as many skeletons as they could, not wanting to be outdone by the others, when an arrow whizzed between their faces. The two of them looked at the source and saw a skeleton aiming a bow at them, another arrow already knocked. Mashu saw this and gasped as the skeleton was about to fire the projectile, but Caster was quicker, and burned the skeleton to a crisp, leaving nothing but ash. The Shielder quietly smiled in relief, before steeling herself, and kicked more skeletons away from her and shattered them with her shield.

As the fight continued, Mashu felt a hint of frustration within herself, but did not know why. Her distraction nearly cost her as she looked up and almost lost an eye to a skeleton's sword, but she managed to recompose herself and swung her shield upwards, shattering the skeleton in half. Two more skeletons leapt up to stab her, but Caster and Ritsuka fired at them, preventing them from harming the Shielder. Mashu saw more skeletons firing arrows, and raised her shield to block them. As the arrows continued to pelt her weapon, she started to get pushed back, but Olga managed to help out by stunning the skeletons before they could fire another volley. Mashu and Caster took this opportunity and attacked the last of their assailants. The blue haired Servant conjured more fireballs and threw them at the skeletons, while Mashu threw her shield at them. Four were completely scorched, while two more were shattered as the shield connected with their torsos. The remaining five skeletons raised their weapons to strike at Mashu, but she charged at them, grabbed her shield, and blocked all of their strikes in rapid succession, albeit with great difficulty. Once their blades bounced off, Mashu kicked two skeletons, and slammed her shield into the other three, breaking them apart. The Shielder leapt into the air as the two remaining skeletons got up, and crushed them under her shield.

The lilac haired girl panted in exhaustion as Caster whistled at the battles aftermath. The two Masters and Olga ran up to the two Servants to check up on them and see if they needed any healing. Thankfully, they weren't even injured, but the fact that Mashu was slightly out of breath bothered Ritsuka and Tatsuko.

"If you need to rest Mashu then it's fine," Ritsuka said politely. "We'll just wait here until you catch your breath."

Mashu looked away and frowned as Fou leapt back on her shoulder, trying to comfort the Shielder in any way possible. "I'll be fine Senpai, but thank you for your consideration."

"Are you sure? You're the one who's doing all the fighting, so you must be pretty tired. Just say the word and we can take a break."

Mashu shook her head. "It's not necessary, I can keep going. I don't want to be a burden to you or Tatsuko."

Mashu tried to keep going but Ritsuka reached out to her and grabbed her shoulder. "You don't have to do this, it's okay to rest for a bit."

"Yeah, Twig Boy is right," Tatsuko chimed. "If you feel like you want to stop, please say so."

Mashu stared at them and gripped her shield. She wasn't that tired, so rest wasn't the issue. She looked back at Caster and sighed. He had an easier time fighting the enemy than she did, and it made her feel inadequate. Maybe it had to do with the amount of experience he has? Or was it the fact that he was a true Heroic Spirit, while she was a mere Demi-Servant? The lilac haired girl shook her head of these thoughts. He saved them when they were in a pinch, so she shouldn't feel this way, and yet….

She looked at Olga and saw her stern gaze move towards the Masters. The silver haired woman was obviously waiting for an answer for their next move, but Mashu already decided.

"Thank you both for your consideration," Mashu said calmly with a smile. "But I will be okay. So please, let's keep moving. If anything happens, I'll let you know."

Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at each other in concern. They didn't feel comfortable with this, but if Mashu insisted that they keep moving, then they did not want to make a scene. They nodded towards each other and to Mashu as well.

"Okay, let's get going then," Olga said calmly. "The singularity isn't going to fix itself."

The three teens nodded and ran back to Olga and Caster, who merely waited for them to return. After reassuring them that Mashu insisted she was fine, they decided to head towards the Greater Grail, and defeat Saber once and for all.

The five of them continued their trek a couple of hours after that. During that time, they were ambushed by more skeletons, but they managed to fend them off. Three times this continued, irritating Olga to no end, but she acknowledged that at least it meant they might be getting closer, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was off. She looked at Mashu, and saw the girl's expression and it bothered her. There was definitely something bothering her, and she wanted to know what. She saw that the girl looked at Ritsuka on occasion, but she could tell there was something more to it than that. The director clenched her fists, for some reason, she wanted to help the girl get some attention from the boy. Maybe that could cheer her up? Olga took a deep breath, there was only one way for the awkward silence to be broken.

"Hey Fujimaru," She said loudly to him. "It's pretty obvious that Mashu is depressed about something. You're her Master, so do something to cheer the girl up!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks as Ritsuka looked at the director in disbelief at the tactless statement, but brushed it aside as he stared at Mashu's face. The director was right, Mashu DID look depressed, but also a little embarrassed at being called out like that.

"Mashu, is there something wrong?" Ritsuka asked in concern.

"No! Nothing's different, Senpai!" She shouted. "But….that's the problem."

"What do you mean by that Mashu?" Tatsuko asked.

Mashu sighed. "It's just that being under Senpai's command, and yours, I have gained some experience, but….. I still can't unleash my Noble Phantasm. I don't even know how to unleash it….."

"You don't?" Tatsuko asked.

Mashu nodded. "I'm sorry everyone, I'm just a defective Servant…."

"No you're not Mashu." Ritsuka answered back.

The Shielder looked up and saw the male Master and Tatsuko grab her shoulders gently in reassurance. "You've been doing great so far. In fact, if it wasn't for you, Tatsuko and I would have been dead before we found Olga. So please, don't put yourself down like this."

Mashu stared at him in shock as she felt Tatsuko's hand tighten upon her shoulder. "He's right Mashu, we owe you our lives, so chin up okay?"

The communicator beeped, causing Ritsuka to activate it. Roman's holographic form appeared in front of them and the doctor cleared his throat.

"I heard everything you guys said," Roman chimed. He turned his gaze at Mashu and smiled. "I know you want to figure this out now Mashu, but I don't think this is something that can be solved overnight. It IS a Noble Phantasm afterall. If every Servant could master theirs in a day, they wouldn't be special."

"Hate to break it to you, but a Noble Phantasm is something every Servant masters immediately," Caster countered bluntly. "If the young lady can fight as a Servant, then that means that at this very moment she can use her Noble Phantasm."

"Are you serious?!" Roman asked in disbelief. The doctor sank to the ground. "There goes my whole motivational speech about taking time to know yourself….."

"Well it could be a matter of her magical energy not flowing correctly." Ritsuka chimed.

"The kid's right," Caster said calmly. "Hmmm let's see. Maybe it's enthusiasm? No, maybe she's too reserved."

"Or maybe she just doesn't yell it out during training." Tatsuko chimed.

"Really? R-E-A-L-L-Y-!?"

Everyone, especially Fou, who was right next to Mashu, covered their ears as the Shielder shouted. Olga looked at Tatsuko angrily as the orange haired girl rubbed her ears.

"Mashu, when I said yell, I meant metaphorically, not literally…"

Mashu blushed. "I-I-I'm so sorry, I just got so excited that I didn't even think about it!"

Caster couldn't help but laugh in amusement. "Well, you have enthusiasm, I'll give you that." The blue haired Servant looked at Ritsuka with a knowing look. "Now that we know the problem kid, do you mind if we take a little detour?"

"Where?" Ritsuka asked. "Also, why are you asking me? Tatsuko is your Master right now, right?"

Caster nodded. "She is, but the Shield girl is your Servant, so I'm asking you as HER Master."

"Then why not ask her herself?" Tatsuko asked. "She's a human being just like us, so we can't make decisions for her."

Mashu looked at them in slight surprise. She felt happy that they were trusting her like this, but she didn't want to make too many assumptions, and decided to wait for them to ask her for her opinion.

"Well then, I'll ask all three of you then," Caster said with a hint of amusement. "Would you like to take a little detour so we can do a bit of special training?"

Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at each other and nodded. They both wanted to help Mashu, so they knew that whatever Caster had in mind would help. But they also didn't feel comfortable not including Mashu in the discussion, so they turned to look at her.

"Mashu, what would you like to do?" Ritsuka asked.

"It's your call, so whatever you decide, we'll support you." Tatsuko said calmly.

Mashu's mouth was agape. They wanted her opinion on this? They could have easily made the decision for her and been done with it, but they are going through the trouble of actually including her, who's just a Demi-Servant, into the discussion. The Shielder closed her eyes and weighed her options. On one end, they needed to find the Greater Grail and solve the Singularity. That took a priority over anything else. On the other hand, she wanted to be more useful to the two Masters, who obviously care about her opinion. If she didn't learn her Noble Phantasm, then what would happen if they were in danger, and she was unable to help them? She exhaled sharply and opened her eyes, staring at everyone with a determined gaze. She knew what needed to be done.

"Let us take the detour, and do this special training Caster has planned."

The two teens smiled and nodded. They turned their gaze to Olga, who nodded back in approval. The director didn't feel anything wrong with the decision, in fact, she agreed with Mashu's decision, it was the right call to make, and she was glad she made it.

"Excellent, now follow me." Caster said calmly. "It shouldn't take too long. I get the feeling this is going to be easy."

"Uhhhh, are you sure this is safe?" Tatsuko asked in concern.

Caster didn't even glance at her as he threw more fireballs. "It's not about safety, it's about that girl finding her Noble Phantasm."

It didn't take long for Caster to lead them to a good spot to help Mashu learn her Noble Phantasm, but there was a slight hiccup in the plan. Only Ritsuka was contracted to Mashu at this point, and considering Tatsuko made a contract with Caster out of desperation, it was decided that Tatsuko would have to support Caster in attacking Mashu. Despite heavy reluctance, Tatsuko had no choice but to go along with the plan, and that led up to now.

The entire time, Caster threw fireballs at Mashu, telling her that he intended to kill Ritsuka. Tatsuko obviously did not like that remark one bit, but understood that it was necessary to draw out the Shielder's Noble Phantasm. The orange haired girl would have to figure out how to apologize to Ritsuka later over her temporary Servant's remark, but that could wait until after all was said and done.

"Come on girl, is that the best you can do!? With such a performance you'll get your Master killed sooner rather than later!" Caster mocked Mashu to try and force her to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

His words did have an effect on her, but not the one he wanted exactly. Instead of her using her Noble Phantasm, Caster was met with a direct hit to the face, sending him flying towards a car. "Alright… Not what I wanted…"

"Mashu, I know you can do this, I trust in you!" Ritsuka shouted in support of Mashu, making the girl feel more confident. Caster got up and shot more projectiles at Mashu, who merely deflected them with her Shield. The lilac haired girl charged at Caster, who merely smirked at her. She gasped as he jumped into the air, and slammed his staff into her back, knocking her down roughly.

"You're gonna have to be MUCH quicker than that," Caster said plainly. Mashu got onto her hands and knees, before attempting to sweep Casters legs from under him. The blue haired Servant sidestepped and swung his staff downward, but Mashu rolled out of the way and swung her shield to hit Caster's jaw. The blue haired Servant dodged the strike and, with a twirl of his staff, swung at Mashu's head. The Shielder blocked the strike in time, but was pushed back slightly. Mashu began to pant heavily as Caster waited for her without a hint of exhaustion. The blue haired Servant lunged at her with his staff, but she leapt out of the way. Caster swung his staff at her side, but the lilac haired girl blocked it once more, but Caster spun his staff around, and smacked her shoulder with it. Mashu watched as he swung again, but she was becoming much quicker on the draw, blocking two strikes, but she left herself open and Caster used that as an opportunity to shoot a fireball into her stomach. The Shielder felt immense, hot pain shoot through her body as she flew back into an SUV.

"MASHU!" Ritsuka shouted.

"Caster, don't you think that was a little too much?!" Tatsuko shouted in hysterics. "You could have killed her!"

"You guys want her to unleash her Noble Phantasm? Then this is how it needs to be done" Caster said bluntly. "Besides, there's no way that would have done her in. She's a tough girl, so believe in he–"

Caster was caught off guard as Mashu threw her shield into the Servant's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "He is right Tatsuko, I agreed to this, and I have to see it to the very end!"

"Okay….Just let me or Ritsuka know if you want to take a break." Tatsuko said thoughtfully. Mashu smiled at the female Master and nodded. She returned her attention to Caster, who merely chuckled as he slowly got up. The Shielder kept observing how he moved, and did her best to keep up with him. His fighting style was an odd one, while he did use spells and runes, he seemed to favor using his staff in close quarters, instead of getting out of range. Then again, he DID say that his preferred class was Lancer, so it was probably muscle memory combined with experience. Another fireball caused her to abandon her line of thinking so she could dodge the projectile.

"Good, very good." Caster said with a grin. "Your reflexes are getting better. But we're still no closer to unlocking your Noble Phantasm at this rate."

Mashu and the other Chaldeans were suddenly taken aback as Caster slammed his staff to the ground. A burst of mana encircled him as he gazed upon Ritsuka, Mashu and Olga.

"Looks like it's time to finish this," He said loudly. He closed his eyes and gripped his staff tighter than before. "My spell is the coffin of flames, a giant of verdant thorn…"

Everyone present stared at him in disbelief and uncertainty. Mashu remained still as if fear gripped her. Olga trembled as Ritsuka shielded his body as the air pressure grew heavier. Fou took this opportunity to hide himself in Ritsuka's shirt, it was obvious that whatever was happening, he wasn't liking it.

"Caster, what are you doing?" Tatsuko asked.

"I'm preparing my Noble Phantasm."

Tatsuko's eyes widened. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing little missy." Caster said. "Retribution, the forest that will purify human misery."

Tatsuko raised her hand to activate a Command Spell to stop him, but Olga raised her hand up with a calm expression. The female Master looked at her in shock, but could see the determination in Ritsuka's eyes, as well as Mashu's. They were scared, yes, but they were not going to call it quits. Tatsuko closed her eyes, and with great reluctance, lowered her hand, allowing Caster to continue his chant. If they won't give up, why should she.

Caster opened his eyes and pointed his staff at Ritsuka. "WICKER MAN!"

The male Master and Shielder gasped as they heard quaking footsteps coming closer towards them. A bright, flaming figure loomed towards them, and when they looked up, almost all color drained from their faces. A large, wooden man, wreathed in flames walked towards them. Every step it took forced them to try and rationalize on how they could beat something like that. Tatsuko could see the looks in their eyes now, and immediately regretted not stopping Caster.

Mashu's knees almost buckled. There was no way she could stop that thing, it was too big! She looked back at Ritsuka and Olga, then to Tatsuko, and saw the absolute terror on their faces. She gripped her shield tighter and took a deep breath. She HAD to stop it here, otherwise, even though it was a training exercise, someone could well and truly end up hurt. The Shielder slammed the butt of her shield into the ground, and let out a roar of conviction.

Suddenly, just as Caster's Noble Phantasm was about to reach them, Mashu's shield glowed. A bluish green energy field surrounded her, Ritsuka, Fou and Olga. The three of them stood there in awe as the Wicker Man hit the field, but was immediately repelled. The wooden familiar tried to hit the field again, but ended up hitting itself as the attack bounced off. Mashu grunted at the pressure, but dug in her heels and closed her eyes to wash away the anxiety.

Ritsuka's eyes widened as he watched the wooden familiar dissolve from the flames, and fell to the ground. Mashu opened her eyes and panted heavily. She looked around to find Caster's Noble Phantasm, but didn't see it.

"Did….did I manage to unleash my Noble Phantasm?" She asked in shock.

"Well I'll be damned," Caster said with a smile. "I knew you guys would survive, but I didn't expect you and your Master to come out of that without a scratch on you!"

Mashu looked at Ritsuka and Olga as Fou popped out of the male Master's shirt and wagged his tail. The Shielder gasped in realization. Caster was right, they weren't hurt in the slightest. She fell to her knees in exhaustion causing everyone to run towards her.

"You are, without a doubt, a first-rate Heroic Spirit." Caster said as he applied a healing spell on Mashu. He looked at the two Masters' faces and grinned mischievously. "You should praise her you guys."

Mashu looked at them with beaming eyes. "Senpai, Tatsuko, I….I did it!"

Ritsuka and Tatsuko were beaming with excitement after seeing the girl's Noble Phantasm. Instead of saying anything, they ran and hugged her with enough strength to accidentally fall to the floor.

"You're amazing Mashu, what you did was simply incredible!" Ritsuka said as they helped the girl get up after the fall.

"We knew you could do it, and it looked greater than what we imagined!" Tatsuko shouted.

Mashu was stunned for a short moment before smiling at them brightly as Fou leapt onto her shoulder and licked her cheek, causing the girl to giggle and scratch the critter's chin. The Chaldeans and Caster heard Roman clear his throat from the communicator. The doctor smiled at them. "Well that was pretty exhilarating. I didn't expect Mashu to unleash her Noble Phantasm so soon, considering she never had a strong will….."

"That's where you're wrong," Caster countered. He looked at Mashu with a coy smile. "She's what you would call a protector. You can't teach a bird to swim, but you CAN teach them how to fly. Although…."

"What is it?" Roman asked.

Caster exhaled sharply. "The lady didn't get to obtain its True Name yet."

Mashu nodded. "He's right. Even though I can unleash my Noble Phantasm now, I still have no clue to its true name, nor of the Heroic Spirit."

"That's fine," Olga said reassuringly. "Even if you are inexperienced, your very wish unleashed your Noble Phantasm. You didn't have the desire to obtain a True Name of either it OR the Heroic Spirit. And THAT is why your Noble Phantasm responded."

"Um, Director Olga?"

Olga giggled. "Relax Mashu, I'm just teasing. However…"

"Is something wrong, Director?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, it is pretty inconvenient to use your Noble Phantasm without a True Name. So how about we come up with one for you."

Everyone sat there in silence as they pondered on what to call Mashu's Noble Phantasm. It was obviously something meant to defend others, but what would be a fitting name. It had to mean something for Mashu so she could at least unleash it in a bind. Olga smiled and snapped her fingers in an epiphany.

"I got it! Let's call it Lord Chaldeas!"

The three teens looked at her in shock, but the director paid no mind as she smiled at Mashu with a hint of satisfaction. "Chaldea's a name that has meaning to you, so you could use that to activate it. What do you think?"

Mashu smiled and nodded. "Thank you Director."

"Lord Chaldeas…." Roman pondered for a moment before nodding as well. "Yes, I like it! It fits Mashu perfectly!"

"You can say that again." Tatsuko chimed.

"Well now that we have that out of the way," Caster said calmly. "How about we try doing it again."

Everyone looked at the blue haired Servant in slight surprise. "What? It's only human nature to try these things out again isn't it?"

"He's got a point," Roman answered back. "Maybe a few more sparring sessions would do the trick so Mashu could get the hang of it."

Mashu looked at Ritsuka and Tatsuko. The two Masters looked at each other with slight uncertainty. They had a mission to finish, but they didn't want to waste the effort Mashu made either. In the end, they nodded in agreement, the Greater Grail would have to wait, Mashu's training took priority.

"Okay, let's do it." Ritsuka said with a smile.

Caster smirked. "I was holding back before, so I hope you're ready."

The male Master and Mashu nodded in approval, causing the Caster to chuckle. "Okay then, I'll hammer the basics into your head!"

"Just try to be more careful!" Tatsuko said sharply. "We can't have you accidentally killing them."

Caster shot the female Master a mischievous grin. "Relax, I know what I'm doing."

Tatsuko sighed for a moment before regaining her composure. She readied herself to support Caster as the two Servants got into their battle stances, and lunged at each other.

OC: And with that, Mashu took a big step in figuring out what her techniques are made for, wouldn't you say Vlad?

"CV: Of course, our little eggplant is slowly getting better and better.

OC: That she is, and she will continue to do so. As for Caster, I have a bit of a confession to make….

CV: Interesting, what is it?

OC: When I first played Fate Grand Order three years ago…..considering I did not know how to pronounce his name, and I enjoyed Carnival Phantasm….. I too, pulled a Tatsuko, and named him "Kenny."

CV: Well the name does fit the kind of Servant he is, let's hope he can keep his death at a minimum in this story.

OC: Well we would have to be inhuman bastards to kill him the same amount of times he did in Carnival Phantasm.

CV: True, but it would be funny.

OC: It would, wouldn't it? It makes me wonder how Caster will fare in the next chapter.

CV: I hope the blue man can keep going, I want to see his fight with a certain red Archer.

OC: Well, only one way to find out. Please stay tuned for the next chapter of Chronicles!

CV: Stay safe and good night everyone, we'll see you all next week.