Ici il y a des dragons Chapter 4
The Flower of Versailles.
Everyone stared at Dark Jeanne in shock. The Dragon Witch stared back at Jeanne with a silent glare.
"Who….are you?" Jeanne asked.
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." Dark Jeanne replied. "But I think we both know the answer, so let me provide it for you."
Dark Jeanne pointed her flag at Jeanne with a smirk on her face. "I am Jeanne d'Arc. The Saint that is devoted to France. . you."
"That's nonsense!" Jeanne shouted. "You are no saint, and neither am I!"
"Jeanne, I don't think that's important right now." Artoria countered.
Jeanne sighed. "Yes, you're right. Sorry about that."
"In any case, can I ask you something?" Ritsuka said to Dark Jeanne. "Why are you doing this?"
Dark Jeanne raised an eyebrow before laughing. "What kind of stupid question is that?! The answer should be obvious!"
"Well it isn't obvious to us." Tatsuko countered. "So how about you give a straight answer, you damned palette swap!"
Dark Jeanne sighed in irritation. "These idiots are the people who want to stop me?"
"Just answer the question." Medusa replied.
Dark Jeanne glared before planting her flag on the ground. They wanted an answer? Then she'll give them one.
"My goal is to destroy France."
Jeanne's eyes widened. "You can't be serious! What kind of foolish plan is-"
"The only fools here are us!" Dark Jeanne shouted. "Why did you even want to help these people?"
Jeanne looked at Dark Jeanne in disbelief. "What kind of question is that? I would never betray the people of France!"
" .US!" Dark Jeanne shouted.
Everyone stared at her in silence. Dark Jeanne gripped her flag tightly and took a deep breath. "Who am I kidding? You're just a pretty little holy virgin who pretends not to see hatred and joy and is incapable of human growth!
"No, what is human growth to Servants?" Roman asked from the communicator. " If you're going to call it something, you would rank up as a Heroic Spirit."
"There appears to be a noisy fly here." Dark Jeanne said. "Should I kill it if it gets too annoying?"
A spark appeared close to the acting director. "How did the console catch on fire!
That Servant can burn her enemies with just a glare!?"
Jeanne looked at Dark Jeanne with a blank expression. "Are you really me?"
Dark Jeanne chuckled. "You are just leftovers from my Saint Graph. A worthless ghost trying to recreate history."
Jeanne's eyes widened in despair. Dark Jeanne smirked and looked back at her Servants.
"I think we're done here. Have at them."
The Servants nodded and readied their weapons. The Chaldeans did the same, before one of the opposing Servants raised a hand and looked back at the others.
"What are you doing, Berserk Assassin?"
Berserk Assassin grinned at her cohorts and pointed at Jeanne, and the female members of Chaldea. "Let me have them. I would like to partake of their flesh and blood, as well as their insides."
"Should it really matter who gets them?" Berserk Lancer asked.
"Oh come now Dracul, you know I cannot forgive anything more beautiful than me." Berserk Assassin countered. "No, more than that….The blood of those more beautiful than me, can only elevate my beauty!"
"Did….she just call him Dracul?" Mashu asked. "Then that means he's-"
"Vlad III." Roman said. "Otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler."
Vlad sighed. "It seems that you couldn't keep my True Name to yourself. That makes me most…..displeased with you."
Berserk Assassin chuckled. " I would rather be remembered by a bad name than not at all.
Besides... I prefer to be called by my True Name."
"Is that so…Elizabeth Bathory? Or should I call you Carmilla?" Vlad asked.
"Did…did he just say her name was Carmilla?" Tatsuko asked. "As in, THE Carmilla? The woman who bathed in the blood of virgin girls like me for eternal youth?"
Carmilla smirked. "I see that my reputation precedes me. You are correct girl, I am Carmilla, otherwise known as Elizabeth Bathory. I must say, I can't wait to bathe in your blood, I can tell yours will be…exquisite."
Tatsuko gulped and rubbed her neck. "I'm getting a lot of red flags from that one."
"Don't worry Tatsuko, she won't be bathing in anyone's blood today." Artoria replied.
Carmilla laughed. "Hollow words. You all won't survive this fight."
Medea turned to Ritsuka with a dismissive glance. "Boy, does your whole no killing rule apply to Servants?"
"Your Noble Phantasm can break contracts between a Master and a Servant right?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes, but using it on all of them is not a good idea. I won't be able to use it on all of them." Medea answered. "And if their titles are correct, they might be under Madness Enhancement."
"They are." Jeanne replied.
"There you go boy." Medea said. "If I break their contracts, we'd have to deal with raging Berserkers."
Ritsuka sighed. "Then there's no other way. Defeat them."
Some of the Chaldean Servants nodded, and readied their weapons again. All of them, barring Medea, Mashu and Heracles, charged at the enemy Servants.
Vlad lunged his spear at Cú, but the blue haired Lancer sidestepped and attempted to strike, but the enemy Lancer deflected the attack with ease. Vlad attempted to attack again, but a volley of arrows caused the maddened Lancer to leap out of the way.
"Appreciate the back up!" Cú shouted with a thumbs up. The Archer smiled and nodded, and aimed at Vlad again. Emiya shot more arrows at the blonde Lancer, but Vlad merely twirled his spear to deflect them.
As that was going on, Medusa threw her daggers at Carmilla. The Assassin hissed in pain as they cut her skin. The white haired woman glared at the Rider and waved her hand. Medusa gasped as a wave of blood shot towards her. The Chaldean Rider dodged in time, but had to leap out of the way again as another wave of blood came straight towards her. Medusa leapt out of the way, only to see the device behind Carmilla appear behind her. Medusa corrected her position and, using the device as a platform, launched herself at Carmilla, and kicked the Assassin in the face. Carmilla was pushed back a bit, but was otherwise unscathed. Medusa clicked her tongue after seeing that the Madness Enhancement was making Carmilla much tougher than what she actually had to be. Not only that, but she knew that even a single hit from the enemy Assassin would do a lot of damage to her, so she was forced to play defensive.
Carmilla fired several rows of blood daggers towards Medusa, which she quickly dodged by hiding behind the ceiling of a nearby house, yet the strength of the shots was such that one of them was able to pierce the rock and hit Medusa in the arm, piercing it from side to side.
"What's the matter little Rider? Was that too hard to dodge?" The Assassin taunted her while Medusa tried to power through the pain before trying another attack, only to be surprised by a huge wave of blood which nearly fell on top of her, had Medusa not quickly dodged the incoming attack.
As that was happening, Jeanne and Artoria fought against Berserk Saber. Jeanne brought her flag down to strike the enemy Servant, but the small Saber side stepped, and slashed the Ruler's thigh. Jeanne hissed in pain, and Berserk Saber lunged at her, only for Artoria to dive in between, and block the strike.
The sheer power behind Berserk Saber's blow pushed both women back, giving them no time to react as Berserk Saber was right on top of them. They barely managed to dodge the attack, but the expansive wave created by Saber's attack knocked both away, sending Jeanne and Artoria through the walls of a home.
"Looks like Dark Jeanne didn't mess around with them." Artoria said before turning her eyes to Jeanne "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
The two women barely had enough time to dodge as Berserk Saber attacked them again. Before the enemy Saber could make another assault, they were hit with a pillar of ice, courtesy of Medea. The Caster then proceeded to do the same to Carmilla and Vlad, with more mixed results.
As that was happening, Kojiro struggled against Berserk Rider. While he could have easily fought the Servant to a standstill, her mount was a different matter altogether. The large reptile made it difficult to launch an offensive due to its aggression. He would have to-
"...Me…."
Kojiro raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"
"Stop me….." Berserk Rider said. "Please…"
Kojiro sighed. "I wish I could, but your mount isn't making it easy."
Berserk Rider sighed back. "I know but please try…."
Kojiro nodded. "Very well."
The Assassin dodged another strike from the mount, and tried to attack its legs. But the mount merely curled up, causing the blade to bounce off its hide. Suddenly, the mount uncurled itself at blinding speed, causing Kojiro to get hit, and soar into the air a bit. The Assassin landed on the ground, and groaned at the pain from the blow.
The Chaldean Trio looked at the battle in absolute shock and concern. The battle was now going in Dark Jeanne's favor. Even with Medea firing spell after spell, Cú and Emiya were being pushed back by Vlad, while Medusa couldn't get an opening on Carmilla. Artoria and Jeanne were struggling with Berserk Saber's quick onslaught, and Kojiro couldn't land a hit on the Berserk Rider due to her mount.
"How come no one is using their Noble Phantasms?" Tatsuko asked. "Wouldn't that help?"
"I don't know about Cú or Kojiro, but having the others use their Noble Phantasms won't be a good idea." Medea answered. "If they did, then there's a chance we'd get hit too."
"Then how come Heracles isn't helping?" Tatsuko asked. "He's been standing here the entire time."
"There's a reason for that." Medea answered. "While he would be a trump card here, there's not enough space for him to move around due to his large size. Then add the fact he'd probably hit some of our own guys, he felt it was best to stay here to protect you two."
"How did you know all that?" Ritsuka asked. "It sounds like you knew what he was thinking."
"It was written on his face." Medea answered.
Not a moment later, all the Chaldean Servants that were fighting, and Jeanne, leapt back to the Masters' sides. As the Berserk Servants were closing in, Medusa looked at her comrades with a neutral expression. She knew what needed to be done.
"Everyone, get behind me." She said, "I have an idea."
The Rider opened her blindfold, and stared at the Berserk Servants. The Chaldeans smiled in relief as they realized her plan. She was going to petrify the enemy Servants in front of her.
Except nothing happened.
"That's not possible…how are they still moving?"
"What the hell was that?" Dark Jeanne laughed. "Are you guys that desperate that you thought looking at them would make them stop?"
"Uh oh….." Tatsuko muttered. "Hey Roman, any ideas on how to get out of this?"
"I don't know!" He shouted. "I already asked Magi Mari for help and she just said you guys are toast!"
"Roman, you're a dumbass!"
The Berserk Servants started to close in, causing everyone to snap back to attention. Jeanne looked at her dark self, and to her Servants, before looking back at the Chaldeans. The Ruler closed her eyes, and gripped her flag tightly. She had only one choice, fend off the enemy Servants, and let the Chaldeans escape.
She slammed her flag on the ground, when something whizzed passed her. Everyone looked down on the ground, and stared at the object with raised eyebrows.
"Is that….A glass–rose?" Mashu asked.
"Oui! You are correct!"
The sound of footsteps from everyone's right caused them to turn towards that direction. It was a woman, wearing a red dress, red gloves, and a large red hat. Her hair was silver, and her eyes were bluer than Ritsuka's own.
Berserk Saber glared at the newly arrived woman. "You are…"
The woman gasped in delight. "Oh my. So you know my True Name.
Have we met before, splendid knight?"
Dark Jeanne turned to Berserk Saber with a curious stare. "Who is she?"
"She is the girl they called the Flower of Versailles." Berserk Saber answered.
Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that's-"
"Correct." Berserk Saber said. "She is Marie Antoinette. The last Queen of France."
"That's right! Thank you for saying my name!" Marie exclaimed. "And as long as that name exists, I will play my role, no matter how foolish it may be."
"Silence!" Dark Jeanne shouted. "You lack the right to participate in this battle.
"Oh, and why is that?" Marie asked.
"You led a life of luxury in a palace, and died without even knowing what happened." Dark Jeanne answered. "Are you saying you can understand our hatred?"
"Well, I suppose I can't." Marie answered. "But that just makes me want to know more, Dragon Witch. What I don't know, I learn. That's my policy."
"That's a wonderful philosophy to live by." Mashu whispered. The Chaldeans present nodded in agreement.
"That's why I can't bear to look at you like this." Marie said. "Oh, Jeanne d'Arc, beloved saint! You're taking your rage out on the innocent. And I've not the slightest idea why. But there is something that I do know."
Marie pointed at Dark Jeanne, and the Jeanne standing with Chaldea, causing both women to look at her with confused expressions.
"Along with the Jeanne d'Arc over there.I am going to make your heart and body mine!"
Everyone stared at Marie Antoinette with blank faces because of her…interesting choice of words.
"What?" Dark Jeanne asked.
"Yeeaahhhh I'm with her on this, what was that?" Tatsuko asked.
Marie Antoinette gasped. "Oh, my. Oh dear, oh dear. Um, don't misunderstand me. I just meant that as a Queen, I'm going to bring you to your knees."
Now everyone was shocked. Their eyes widened in sheer disbelief at her….very suggestive comment.
"It's falling apart…." Roman muttered. "My image of Marie Antoinette is falling apart…"
"Okay, that's it!" Dark Jeanne shouted. She looked at her Servants as she pointed her flag at Marie. "Just kill them already, but start with her!"
"And that is my cue!" Marie exclaimed. "Amadeus, do your thing!"
"As you wish!"
A blonde man wearing a black robe and a black hat appeared close to Chaldea, and winked at them. "You might want to cover your ears."
He raised what looked like a wand and moved it around in one fluid motion.
"Requiem for Death."
The enemy Servants suddenly covered their ears from the music that the new Servant played. Marie smiled at the Chaldeans and gestured to them to follow her.
"Now's your chance to escape, non?" Marie asked. "We should leave now before they recover!"
The Chaldeans and Jeanne nodded. They weren't about to stay when they were clearly outmatched. They all ran away, with Mozart following right behind them, and escaped. A few minutes passed, and the enemy Servants lowered their arms as the noise became silent. Dark Jeanne growled as she turned to face Berserk Rider.
"Find them!" Dark Jeanne shouted. "No need to engage, just tell me where they are and I'll deal with them."
Berserk Rider nodded, and hopped atop her mount. Not a second later, she gave chase. Vlad looked at Berserk Saber with a curious expression.
"Are you okay with this Saber?" He asked. "Or should I call you by your name, Chevalier d'Eon. The noble dragoon?"
d'Eon scoffed. "If our Master has ordered Marie's death, then it shall be done. And further warning, I am under Madness Enhancement too, so do not anger me."
Vlad raised a hand in reassurance. "It was not my intention to do so."
"Enough, the both of you." Dark Jeanne barked. "Just go and destroy the next city."
The two Servants nodded, and with that, Dark Jeanne walked away in a huff. Carmilla sighed and walked passed the two Servants.
"You heard her, we have work to do." The Assassin replied.
Vlad nodded. "Yes, we should resume our hunt."
After making their escape thanks to the quick arrival of Marie and Mozzart, the Servants of Chaldea had a moment to catch their breath. The fight against the Berserk Servants was a stressful one, and they needed time to recover.
"I'm starting to think it would've been better if Heracles decided to help." Medusa said, covering her eyes again.
Everyone nodded slowly, barring Heracles, who just stood to the side close to Emiya and Cú.
"Well in any case, there's something that I noticed during the battle." Artoria said.
"What was it?" Jeanne asked.
"Unlike us, the enemy Servants didn't work together at all." Artoria answered. "They had poor teamwork."
"Well, it wasn't like ours was any better." Emiya countered. "Then again, we're just starting to work together, so we're bound to improve over time."
"He's right." Cú replied. "He and I DID manage to hold our own against that Vlad fellow by covering each other's weaknesses."
"Yes, but even that wasn't enough." Medusa. "If it wasn't for Queen Marie over here, we'd have been killed."
"Non, non. Please call me Marie, like the sheep." Marie replied.
"O-okay….Marie?"
Marie gasped and cheered. "Oui! Just like that! Oh what are your names?"
The Chaldeans looked at each other and nodded.
"I apologize, but we'll tell you later tonight." Artoria answered. "However, we would like to introduce our Masters and their Shielder."
Marie nodded. "Hello there! What are your names?"
"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru."
"I am Mashu Kyrielight."
"I'm Tatsuko Tachibana."
Marie smiled. "Those are wonderful names!"
The Chaldean Trio blushed as Marie giggled.
"Oh where are my manners?!" Marie shouted. "You may already know this, but I am Marie Antoinette. And my companion there is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart."
Mozart smiled and waved.
"Whassup?" Tatsuko asked.
Marie gasped. "Oh my! What an interesting greeting! Wh...Whassup! My homies!"
Everyone stared at her blank faced again. They weren't expecting Marie to say that. Then again she did say some….rather provocative things earlier.
"No good?" Marie asked.
"Sorry Marie…." Ritsuka answered. He turned to Tatsuko and glared at the female Master. "Don't teach people to speak slang!"
Tatsuko chuckled shyly and nodded. "Yeah, that was my bad."
As they spoke to Marie, Jeanne looked at Kojiro, and noticed him in deep thought.
"Kojiro, what's wrong?" She asked. "You've been awfully quiet."
Everyone stopped their conversations, and stared at the Assassin as he turned to face the Ruler.
"The Rider that I fought earlier. She looked like she was resisting the Madness Enhancement."
"What makes you think that?" Medusa asked.
"Because she asked me to stop her."
Everyone's eyes widened. If there was someone who could resist it…
"Medea, are you sure you can't do anything to get rid of the Madness Enhancement?" Tatsuko asked.
Medea shook her head. "No, I can't."
Ritsuka sighed. "So we have no choice then."
The Caster nodded. "I will admit, you had a good idea, boy. Using Rule Breaker would have allowed us to bring them to our side. If it wasn't for the Madness Enhancement, I'd have used it immediately."
"Really? I-"
"Don't let it get to your head boy." Medea interrupted. "It's still too early to get on my good side."
The communicator beeped around Tatsuko's waist, causing her to grab it and see Roman on the screen.
"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but you got a Servant coming towards you!"
Everyone's eyes widened. They were still tired from the last fight, and now they had to get ready again?
"Please for the love of everything that is sacred, tell me it isn't Dark Jeanne." Tatsuko said.
"It isn't, it's Rider, and she's moving very fast."
The sounds of a giant animal running through the forest could be heard, shaking the ground and getting closer and closer to the group.
"I'll handle this." Emiya said as he summoned his bow and got into aiming position. He fired a single arrow at incredible speeds against the incoming attacker, yet the attack was deflected by the sturdy head of the animal that Berserk Rider was on top of.
"It's getting closer!" Mashu shouted. "I'm combat ready, just give me your orders!"
The Chaldeans and their allies prepared themselves for battle as the enemy Rider got closer and closer. The thunderous footsteps grew louder and louder until she and her mount were a few feet away, only for the steps to stop.
They grew wide eyed as Berserk Rider stopped her mount a few feet away from them.
"Hello, everybody." She said. "I apologize for all this…."
Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing? And as a matter of fact, who are you?"
Berserk Rider stared at Jeanne sadly. "I am a saint. But that darker version of you has now made me into a broken one."
"A broken saint…." Jeanne muttered.
"Yes, thanks to her, my reason has left and I've gone mad. I am doing everything I can to hold myself back."
"If you're holding yourself back, then why did you come here?" Kojiro asked.
"My task was to observe you, but my waning reason whispers that I should test you." Berserk Rider answered. "If you can't defeat me, then you have no chance of defeating the Dragon Witch."
Berserk Rider snapped her fingers, and summoned a squad of skeletons. The undead raised their weapons at the Chaldeans while Berserk Rider looked at Jeanne.
"You will be facing me as a fellow saint." She said. The enemy Rider looked at Kojiro next. "I hope not to trouble you further, but I'd like for you to join her, as a way for us to finish our little fight from earlier."
Kojiro nodded. "I promised I would stop you, and I aim to keep it."
"May I ask your name?" Berserk Rider asked.
"Sasaki Kojiro."
"I see." Berserk Rider smiled. "I am Martha."
Jeanne's eyes widened. "Martha….as in Saint Martha? The woman who defeated a dragon by only praying?!"
Martha nodded. "I am, and this is that very dragon, Tarasque.. I hate for you all to see me like this….but unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to help me.."
"I see….." Jeanne exhaled. "Then we shall defeat you here."
Martha nodded. The enemy Rider readied her staff and raised it high. Her undead allies charged at the Chaldeans, while Jeanne and Kojiro charged at Martha.
The cross of the Rider clashed with the sword of the Assassin as both locked eyes. Jeanne swung her flag at the Rider, but Martha leapt out of the way at the last second. Jeanne did not relent, and chased after the Saint, and their weapons clashed. Kojiro rushed towards her and tried to stab Martha, but the Rider instinctively kicked him without even looking. But the distraction was enough for Jeanne to end the clash, and slam her flag into Martha's gut, taking the wind out of her. Kojiro got back up and attempted to attack again, but Martha rolled out of the way, and used her staff to sweep his feet.
The Assassin fell to the ground, and was almost crushed by Tarasque, but Jeanne grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him out of the way in time. Martha didn't give them a moment's breath as she shot numerous orbs at the two Servants. Jeanne deflected them with her flag with ease, while giving Kojiro time to try and find an opening to attack the enemy saint. Unfortunately, Martha's mount attacked again, but Kojiro and Jeanne were ready, and dodged the mount's strike. Kojiro and Jeanne struck the beast, but it didn't even phase the dragon at all. Tarasque slammed his foot down to crush them, but the two Servants leapt out of the way in time. Martha appeared before Jeanne and slammed her cross into the Ruler's gut, knocking her down.
Kojiro appeared behind Martha and was ready to strike, only for the Rider to dodge out of the way, and hit the Assassin with her cross. Kojiro stumbled for a bit, which distracted Martha enough for Jeanne to get up and hit Martha's shoulder. The Rider didn't flinch, instead she took the opportunity to punch Jeanne in the gut, then slam her cross over the Ruler's head.
Jeanne did not falter, and hit Martha again with her flag, while Kojiro managed to cut into Martha's leg, causing the Rider to hiss in pain from the attack. She fired two orbs at the two Servants allowing her to get some breathing room. The Rider raised her staff, and brought Tarasque to her side, ready to finish the fight.
"Tarasque!"
Martha slammed her staff into Tarasque, sending him flying towards Kojiro and Jeanne….only for him to completely miss them and head straight towards Ritsuka and Tatsuko. Martha could only stare in shock at what happened.
"Uh oh…"
Ritsuka and Tatsuko stared wide eyed as they saw Tarasque barrelling towards them.
"Did she just hit her dragon like a damn pinball?!" Tatsuko asked.
"Yeah, and it's coming straight towards us!" Ritsuka answered.
Mashu immediately got in between them and slammed her shield down to activate her Noble Phantasm.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
Tarasque's assault was stopped by the energy field surrounding her and the two Masters. As that was going on, Kojiro noticed Martha was wide open, and distracted by Tarasque's stalemate with the Shielder. The Assassin gripped his blade, and pierced Martha's chest. The Rider gasped in pain for a moment. All the skeletal warriors vanished, allowing the Chaldean's to stare at the Rider. She took long, deep breaths before smiling.
"Well done….." She muttered.
Jeanne's eyes widened. "Martha, did you-"
"Hold back? Not at all." Martha answered. "But that's not important now, there's something you all need to know."
"What is it?" Ritsuka asked.
"The Dragon Witch has a particular dragon by her side. You can't defeat it, even if you all work together."
"Then what can we do?" Jeanne asked.
Martha exhaled and caught her breath. "Go to Lyon…...the city once known as Lyon. It won't be a saint who defeats the dragon, nor a princess. Ever since ancient times, only a "Dragon Slayer" will be able to help you."
"Who's this dragon slayer we're supposed to find?" Marie asked.
"I know not his name, but he is an incredibly powerful Servant. He will be more than happy to aid you in your quest."
Martha turned to look at Kojiro and continued to smile. "Thank you for keeping your word."
Kojiro nodded. "I'm glad I could help free you from your torment."
Martha chuckled. "You said your name was Kojiro, right?"
"Yes."
Martha's eyes were starting to grow heavy, but she refused to close them. She wanted to keep eye contact with the Assassin in her last moments.
"I hope we have the chance to meet again." Martha said.
Kojiro smiled back. "I hope so as well."
Martha nodded as she closed her eyes, and faded into golden dust alongside Tarasque. Everyone watched in respectful silence for a moment before looking at each other.
"Okay guys, we know what we have to do next." Ritsuka said. "Go to Lyon and find this dragon slayer Martha mentioned."
"Sounds like a plan, Twig Boy!" Tatsuko exclaimed. "So how about we-"
The female Master gasped as Ritsuka stumbled a bit. The male Master managed to correct himself slightly, but once again, he nearly fell to the ground.
"Senpai, are you okay?" Mashu asked.
Ritsuka nodded. "I'll be okay, I just need some water."
"Are you sure?" Tatsuko asked.
Ritsuka nodded. Emiya raised an eyebrow as Ritsuka slowly brought out his canteen to drink. The Archer looked around and noticed the sun was on the horizon. They spent hours on the road, and running from Dark Jeanne's forces, that the day was almost done.
"I suggest we rest here for the night." Emiya said. "It's getting late, and you two clearly need rest."
Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah…rest sounds good right now."
The Archer nodded. "Okay, Kojiro and Cú, can you get some wood so we can start a fire?"
The two Servants nodded and walked away into the forest to gather the wood.
"Okay, everyone else, let's set up a camp."
Night fell on the camp. Jeanne sighed as she stared at the campfire. The Ruler couldn't help but think about the day's events, and it bothered her. Was she really just a mere knock off of Dark Jeanne?
"I hope you don't mind if I sit next to you."
Jeanne turned around and saw Marie smiling at her. The Ruler nodded and gestured for Marie to sit next to her. "Is there something you would like to talk about?"
Marie giggled and nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but you were kind of an idol of mine, so I couldn't help but want to talk to the saint who saved France."
Jeanne hugged her knees close to her chest. "I have a confession to make…."
Marie nodded. "Confess away!"
Jeanne sighed. " In life, I was no saint. I held the flag high for what I believed in, and as a result, I stained my hands with blood."
Marie raised an eyebrow. "And do you regret it?"
Jeanne shook her head. "I never regretted it, but never did I feel fear. And that is my greatest sin. Only the outcome of my actions made me a saint. I do not think it's the right word for a country girl like me."
"I see…" Marie muttered. "So you're not a saint, right? Then, may I call you Jeanne?"
Jeanne smiled and nodded. "That would surely give me a sense of nostalgia."
Marie smiled back. "Then you can call me Marie like the others. As of now, you aren't a saint, and I'm not a queen."
"Then…..what are we?"
Marie giggled. The Rider was happy to find a way to take Jeanne's mind off from whatever was bothering her. "How about just two ladies wanting some girl talk."
Jeanne gulped. "G-girl talk?"
Marie nodded. "Sorry, it's just that I was summoned while I was still in the middle of puberty, right, So I love talking about love and romance!"
Jeanne blushed. "I appreciate the offer, but that's hard for me. I know of compassion, but not romance…"
Marie huffed. "You're missing out on life! It's not too late to start! Fall in love with someone, Jeanne!"
Jeanne giggled. "If I ever get the chance, I will."
"That's what I like to hear!"
Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "Say Marie, have you fallen in love before?"
Marie giggled. "Of course. I fell in love with a boy who proposed to me at age seven. I think it was my first love. And when I was fourteen, I fell in love with the king I married."
"Fourteen! That's really unbelievable." Jeanne replied. "When I was that age... I was working and playing in the fields with the other children."
Marie gasped. "That sounds fun, too! I'm jealous. It must be such fun to be able to go wherever you want!"
A fond smile crept upon Jeanne's face. "Yes, it was fun. I had many wonderful friends."
Marie smiled. "Did all the boys like you?"
Jeanne put a finger to her chin. "Well, my hair was short then, so they treated me like one of the guys. It's really hard to tell."
Marie squealed. "Oh, I'm so glad I became a Servant! I can't believe I'm having girl talk with Jeanne d'Arc!"
Jeanne giggled. "And who would've thought that I would get to talk to the famous Marie Antoinette."
The two girls giggled as they continued to converse through the night.
OC: Wow, what an action packed chapter. It's been a while since we did that huh?
CV: The first big fight of FGO, ya love to see it.
OC: Oh definitely. Especially the contrast between the two sides. While Chaldea's Servants teamwork wasn't exactly the best, they were more than happy to put aside their differences and try to work together as a team, whereas the other side were lone wolves and just bickered.
CV: I mean they're all under the effect of ME, I wouldn't expect that many Berserkers to be able to work together properly.
OC: You make a valid point. But at least they managed to take one of the Servants down. Although I will admit, it was a difficult fight scene to write. When I started playing FGO, Martha was the SR I pulled from the tutorial, so I wanted to give her a good showing here as thanks for carrying my team through a LOT of fights.
CV: I feel like we did her justice in this chapter, and plus we have a LOT more prepared for her in the future.
OC: YAY! Also for those who remember Orleans you might have noticed some familiar dialogue in this chapter. Well that's because we felt that a lot of it in this arc was already pretty decent, and there was NO WAY we weren't going to not use some of Marie's lines in her introduction. That was comedy gold and I stick by that. And of course we had to use the famous line…..WHASSUP MY HOMIES! It wouldn't be Marie otherwise lol.
CV: Definitely, it's basically her highlight during the earlier chapters, and it almost made the wyvern-infested hellhole that was in-game Orleans tolerable.
OC: True. Then again another highlight was Jalter herself. She definitely made one hell of an entrance.
CV: Intimidating, fitting for the Dragon Witch. To think that she'll eventually become a chuuni who likes to draw manga.
OC: Hey, she's passionate about what she does. Gotta respect that.
CV: True, true, she's also faking adorable so she gets a pass.
OC: That she is. Honestly this was one of the arcs I was looking forward to the most because of the contrasts between the two Jeannes, and in this chapter, I FELT it when Jalter shouted how France betrayed them both.
CV: Well she's right, they did. But then again, I think Jalter might be going just a tini, tiny bit too far with her vengeance.
OC: Well the flames of hate burn very hot in people, especially when you are someone who gave hope to a nation, only for them to betray you. I think we know a few Servants who would agree with us here.
CV: You're right, but at least she'll grow out of it after she comes to Chaldea.
OC: Oh definitely. And it makes me even more excited to write about a…..certain Summer event to show how much she grew as a person.
CV: Ah yes, the commonly regarded as the best Summer event in the entirety of FGO. Although Summer 5 has Yu so I prefer that.
OC: Personally it's a tie between Summer 3 and 4 because of the comedic timing of the lines, and the sheer ridiculousness. Though I will say that Summer 1 had the best main theme.
CV: Desert island where Ritsuka is trapped with a bunch of horny female Servants. Yeah best Summer hands down.
OC: Lol. Honestly I'm excited when we actually get to write those events. They are going to be VERY special indeed.
CV: Very excited for getting to the first Summer, the first Halloween, and the first Christmas. But of course, we need to do the other chapters first. Can't run without knowing how to walk.
OC: Actually I think I learned to run before walking lol.
CV: Wait really? Lmao.
OC: No not really lol. But it's a hilarious thought.
CV: You nearly fooled me on that one lol.
OC: Lol, I can be very convincing when I put my mind to it.
CV: I'll have to keep that in mind.
OC: And as always, thanks for reading the chapter. Please stay tuned next week when we begin the journey to find a…certain dragon slayer.