Halo: Shattered Fate

X—X—X—X—X

They had been on the road for a while now. Soon the sun would be sinking over the horizon, and the skies were getting darker by the second. Night was approaching.

Unobtrusively, John peered over his shoulder, his gaze wandering down at the Master of Chaldea. Despite the young man's efforts to hide it, the traces of fatigue in his body were unmistakable, ranging from the occasional yawn to his eyes lingering shut longer than normal between blinks.

The strain of the journey was finally catching up with Ritsuka. Some time ago they had abandoned traveling through the forests, through which they had wandered for at least six hours. Several times they had come across wyverns whose intentions towards them were quite apparent, making it clear that the Dragon Witch wished them dead. Without John's motion tracker, some of the creatures might have caught them off guard. Still, he was certain the group could have handled the beasts even without his intervention.

So, they had opted to proceed along the main roads. Already they had created a great distance between them and the French army, so they saw no reason to keep moving through the wilderness. The lack of a clear destination and the inability to pause and properly treat Siegfried gnawed at John, but not enough to make him voice his concerns aloud.

But the Spartan recognized that he should have done so, if only to ensure that they would stop and catch a break. Not for his own sake, he was feeling as if he could continue fighting for many more hours, but for that of Ritsuka.

John turned his sights ahead, scanning the area and searching for a suitable spot where the group could stop and rest. Eventually, his eyes happened to catch sight of a structure in the distance, prompting him to narrow his eyes and switch on the magnification of his visor.

With a much clearer view of the structure, he recognized the shape as that of a fort. Its walls were badly damaged with large claw marks on them, already giving him an understanding of what had transpired there. The absence of movement or soldiers indicated that the place had been abandoned, though for how long, he couldn't say.

John considered that the site could work as a convenient place to stop. The surrounding area offered ample space, and from one of the fort's towers, they could easily spot any approaching threats. Though the walls were damaged, they could still provide some cover or act as a useful distraction if needed.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a defensible position—better than staying exposed on the road.

Making up his mind, the Chief stopped himself and turned his head back, looking at the Master. "There is an abandoned fort about 800 meters away. It could be useful as a place to take a break."

Ritsuka furrowed his brow thoughtfully, as he focused his eyes on the fort in the distance. Then, he shifted his gaze to the others in the group. "What do you guys think?"

"I think getting a little rest will do us some good Senpai." Mash said.

Next to the Shielder, Jeanne nodded her head. "Likewise, we've been walking around for quite a while, and I believe we should rest."

Behind her, Marie and Amadeus both bobbed their heads up and down.

Then, the young man looked at him again with a smile on his lips. "All right, sounds like a plan. Let's get going."

The Master took a step forward, but John stopped him by raising his right arm in front of him. Blinking, he regarded him with a look that was asking for an explanation. "Negative, despite the fact that it seems abandoned, there may be someone inside. I recommend that only one of us approaches for reconnaissance."

His elaboration was received with a slight nod from the young man, before a knowing smile grew on his face. "And I guess you will do that?"

The Chief nodded firmly once. "Affirmative."

"Alright, but if something happens then just give us a call."

"Will do." He merely said, as he transferred his hold of Siegfried over to Amadeus, who had stepped to take his place.

Then, the Chief advanced across the path, moving directly towards the fort. Without having to rush, he leisurely walked down the road, keeping his movements controlled and unhurried.

It was about halfway through his walk that he stopped when he suddenly noticed through his motion tracker that one a blue dot was approaching from behind him. Realizing that it was one of his allies, the Spartan turned himself around quietly to find that Marie was approaching him, moving at a slightly quicker pace than his own to catch up with him.

"Marie," He said after the Queen reached where he was standing. "Did something happen?"

"No, not really." She answered simply.

"Then… why are you here?"

"Because I wished to accompany you." Her answer was once again straightforward and simple, handed to him as she started to look at him in a strange fashion.

"…There is no need, I can handle it myself."

"Of that I have no doubts." The Chief almost privately heaved a relieved breath, but he was stopped by her following words. "But I will still join you."

John figured that no matter what he said, Marie would still join him at his side. Resigned, he gave her a nod of approval, which instantly brought a broad grin to her face. At the very least she wasn't a powerless woman, so he wouldn't have to waste time protecting her.

That thought brought him some relief as they continued toward the fort together.

As they reached the main entrance of the castle, John's motion tracker lit up with seventeen red dots. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, taking the lead. Pushing the large wooden gate open with ease, he quickly scanned the interior, his eyes darting across the space, assessing the situation in a fraction of a second.

Seventeen zombies, dressed in the tattered uniforms of French soldiers, were scattered throughout the fort's inner courtyard. That alone told the Chief what had become of them. More of them may have been inside the building. And judging by how noiseless they stood, they had most likely been set up as a trap for whoever ventured within.

The Chief squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, lamenting the fate that had befallen to these soldiers. As with the Marines who had served with him at the Pillar of Autumn and Installation 04, he understood that he was powerless to save them, so he would have to settle with putting an end to their suffering.

The Master Chief leveled the assault rifle at the living undead, his finger hovering over the trigger, when suddenly Marie strode past him, moving confidently toward the zombies.

Then, she turned her head towards him, offering him a cheerful smile. "Please, allow me to do this."

Without saying anything in response, the Chief lowered his rifle down, quietly taking a step back to allow Marie handle the situation.

The Queen of France flashed him a grateful look, her eyes soft for a brief moment before she quickly turned her attention back to the undead, her expression hardening with resolve.

She moved forward, even as the undead became aware of her presence and broke into a run towards her. Without a hint of concern on her features, Marie took one final step as beneath her left foot the ground started to shimmer in a bright blue color. The glow stretched out to both of her sides, at which point it elevated from the ground and then took the shape of two crystal horses.

The two blue horses immediately charged towards the pack of undead. When they arrived in front of them, they turned themselves around and brought their rear legs up, delivering powerful kicks to the zombies that were nearest to them. The force of the blows sent the creatures flying, their decayed bodies crumpling under the impact.

John observed with minimal interest what followed. The horses practically slaughtered the undead with extreme ease, not even looking as if they were making an effort at all. If one of them managed to survive against the powerful blows they were dealt, then before they could rise up the crystal animals would smash their heads into the ground.

As the massacre came to an end, the Chief cast a glance around his surroundings, his sharp eyes scanning for any additional undead. Although he found not a single one in plain sight, he was not foolish enough to not reason that they might be hiding.

Experience had taught him to expect the unexpected.

"Maître-Chef, are there any other undead here?" Marie asked him, having turned back to face him directly.

The Chief was seconds away from providing her with an answer, intending to mention the possibility that they may be hiding within the fort's inner building.

However, before he could do so, the voice of the AI inside his suit stopped him.

"Yes, there are approximately 5 more located inside the building, but there may be additional ones."

"Alright, then you can leave it to me to handle it. Perhaps you should bring Amadeus and the others, though I doubt he'd be happy with you leaving me to fight."

The Chief was doubtful of that. Despite the fact that the legendary musician behaved rather overprotective of her, he was certain that he would have no objection if the decision to fight was made because she wanted to. As a matter of fact, he would definitely be supportive.

He cast a glance towards the building, before nodding in agreement to Marie's proposal. "I will do that, but don't hesitate to run if you find anything that is beyond your capabilities."

"No worries, that's what I plan to do!"

The Queen waved her hand to him with a bright smile and turned away, striding toward the entrance of the building.

X—X—X—X—X

"Looks like the Chief is on his way back to us." Amadeus said casually.

Turning his head towards the musician, Ritsuka regarded him with a confused eye while cocking his head to the side.

"How is it that you know Amadeus-san?" Mash asked politely, sharing Ritsuka's confusion.

While Ritsuka was well aware of Mozart's extraordinary sense of hearing, capable of detecting sounds from impressive distances, he wondered how the composer could be so sure it was specifically the Chief approaching.

In response, the musician laughed out loud as he turned his eyes to the Shielder with a grin. "Well, I doubt we have anyone else whose footsteps sound that loud."

Amadeus' remark drew a chuckle from Ritsuka, and even Jeanne couldn't help but smile. Meanwhile, a small, quiet grin spread across Mash's lips as the lighthearted comment eased the tension among them.

Ritsuka's mind drifted back to the previous night during dinner. While everyone sat eating, the Master Chief had been patrolling the perimeter, keeping an eye on their surroundings. When the Chief passed by him, the sheer weight of his footsteps had made the floor tremble, nearly causing Ritsuka to drop the bowl he was holding.

The soldier — as it was crystal clear that's what the Chief was — had apologized to him afterward, though Ritsuka had sensed a hint of awkwardness in the gesture. The young man did not mind what had occurred, in fact he had laughed it off. It had been an accident, after all, and Ritsuka wasn't about to blame the Chief for something he clearly had no control over.

…Although, later on, Ritsuka had noticed something strange—how sometimes the Chief's footsteps were almost eerily quiet, as if he wasn't moving at all. For someone so massive and armored, that level of stealth was unsettling.

"What are you smiling about Fujimaru?" Jeanne's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, her curious tone pulling him back to the present.

Ritsuka blinked, realizing he'd been still smiling without noticing. He glanced at her, a bit sheepishly, unsure of how to explain his wandering thoughts about the Chief.

"Uh, well I…" He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should continue, but then decided to be honest. He glanced down at the ground, his cheeks tinged with a bit of embarrassment. "I was just thinking of how cool the Chief is."

Feeling too embarrassed to meet Jeanne's gaze after his admission, Ritsuka's eyes remained glued firmly to the ground.

A few seconds passed in silence until a soft laugh sounded next to him, coming from Jeanne. Surprised, the young man lifted his eyes and found himself staring at the Saint, her expression warm and gentle with a smile tugging at her lips.

"There is no reason for you to be embarrassed, Fujimaru." Jeanne said kindly, her smile never fading. "To be truthful, I have the same opinion."

Hearing that, the Last Master of Humanity couldn't help but crack a smile of his own, feeling a bit more comfortable in the shared admiration.

And how could he not feel that? He was journeying with a person from the future, from over 500 years away from his present. Of course, traveling to the past and meeting legendary heroes in itself was an incredible experience, but there was a bit of a difference between that experience and the one of meeting the Chief.

But his astonishment was not merely because he belonged to the future, but also because of the things he brought along with him.

His armor—damm that was something else. Ritsuka couldn't help but marvel at it. If he had not been mistaken, then he believed that his armor had some kind of shield. He had noticed it when the Chief had battled against Lancelot a few hours earlier, how he had a yellow coating that surrounded him from head to toe, and how after they had been charged they had disappeared.

He was conscious of the fact that his armor had more hidden features. Of some he was already knowledgeable about, such as the zoom feature integrated inside his orange visor, or the thrusters on his back.

But the one that attracted his attention the most was Hope. She was an Artificial Intelligence, just like the ones in that animated American movie he'd seen as a kid. Apparently she served a role of some type of combat assistant or something like that.

She reminded him of Mash in a way. Both were enthusiastic about learning more about the world, eager to soak up knowledge. But where Mash was more reserved and private, Hope seemed to be more outspoken and talkative, expressing her curiosity with a confidence Mash sometimes lacked.

He honestly couldn't quite find the words to describe what he thought of her. Since the Master Chief had first introduced her, the two had not had a conversation with each other.

All Ritsuka could gather was that she sounded like a friendly, perhaps even slightly naïve, girl. But beyond that, he had no deeper impression.

Still, he couldn't quite grasp why the Chief would even need one, as he seemed to be capable of facing a thousand other humans with no problem.

Apart from his armor and the AI, the weapons that the Chief used also caught his interest. He was a tad bummed that he didn't use laser guns, especially given how futuristic everything else about him seemed, and instead used ballistic weapons, but he didnt let it bother him much. Despite their unfamiliar designs, he could still recognize the types, like the sniper he had used against the wyverns — watching him use a single bullet to kill two was a thing he would remember eternally — or the shotgun he'd briefly noticed strapped to his back.

"Yes, he is really quite striking."

Da Vinci's voice suddenly chimed in, coming from his wrist, leading Ritsuka to raise his arm and lower his gaze to look at the holographic shape of the Italian inventor.

"And as Jeanne said, you have no reason to feel embarrassed. Even here there are some people who seem to look at him with stars in their eyes."

"That's good to know." He admitted, though he still felt a little sheepish. He had barely known him for a day, and already he was becoming a fan of him.

"…In a way, we were fortunate that he found us." Doctor Romani's sudden words made Ritsuka glance at him. "He is single-handedly making this Singularity much easier for us."

The Doctor shivered slightly from the glare Jeanne threw at him after hearing his words. He didn't imagine that she would be capable of glaring at someone that way, yet for some reason Romani had the uncanny talent to upset any Servant that saw him. It happened with Cú Chulainn in Fuyuki, and now with Jeanne.

The glare lingered on for a couple more seconds, until Jeanne seemed to realize what she was doing and averted her eyes, looking a little embarrassed for some reason.

Having survived that glare, Romani then coughed into his hand and pulled himself together, with Da Vinci at his side with a full smile on her lips. Then, he continued. "S-Still, how did someone from the future manage to become part of the Throne of Heroes? I thought that was impossible."

That one comment caused Ritsuka to blink.

He reminisced about Da Vinci's lessons on magic-or Tarmatulogy, as it was properly called, and she cautioned him not to call it magic-where the Florentine scholar had explained the origins of the Heroic Spirits, that they stemmed from the Throne of Heroes-which was followed by a long, complicated explanation-and she clarified that people like her, from the past, could be called Heroic Spirits.

In his curiosity, he had inquired whether a person could become a Heroic Spirit in the present or the future. The answer was somewhat convoluted, so Da Vinci had summed it up for him in a simple statement.

The world had become way too dull for someone to arise from the masses.

…He did not understand why, but he could comprehend what her explanation meant.

And yet, the Master Chief, someone from over five hundred years in the future, was out here, shattering that explanation.

Her eyes flicked over to Da Vinci. The inventor, who noticed his eyes falling on her, gave a shrug of her shoulders, having clearly also remembered her classes on Magecraft.

"As I told you, nowadays the world is, or well, was, too dull for someone to gain the necessary fame to become a hero." She said, her voice thoughtful. "Although, that is not the thing we should be focusing on. Instead, what you should be asking yourself is, just what did the Master Chief do that earned him the status of a Heroic Spirit?"

"That… is a good point, now that you mention it." Romani acknowledged, nodding his head. "I doubt he will actually tell us, though."

Having spent time with the Master Chief over a day and a half, during which the towering soldier had not brought up anything related about the future since he answered her two questions, Ritsuka couldn't agree more with Romani's last remark.

Even so, it wasn't as if he was going to be pestering him for answers.

If the Chief wished to share more about the future to them, then he would allow him to do so whenever he wanted. Even if he didn't tell them anything, he wouldn't be bothered.

...Well, perhaps just a tiny bit, but it would be more of a disappointment than an annoyance in that case.

"You know, you should bring him to Chaldea."

The words spoken by Da Vinci jolted him out of his thoughts, causing him to move his eyes and stare at her, tilting his head slightly to the side in curiosity.

"I can do that?" Ritsuka asked, confused.

"Of course, although the FATE system still needs a few final tweaks, so if you convince him, you'll have to make the contract directly with him. Once you get back here, I'll handle the transition to ensure the Chief receives power directly from FATE."

"That's fine to say, but what will happen if he refuses?" Romani asked.

A dismissive wave of the hand was made by Da Vinci, who maintained her confident smile. "He will come, don't worry. And quit being such a downer."

Strong footsteps prevented the Doctor from giving an answer.

Lifting his head up and leveling his gaze, Ritsuka observed the Master Chief as he approached them at a pace that was steady and unhurried, the same that he had taken when he made his way to the fort.

"The fort is clear." The Chief announced when he stopped in front of them.

"That's nice to hear, was there a problem?" He asked, taking note of Marie's absence at his side.

"The place contained a pack of undead, which Marie took care of." The Chief said. "Hope detected a few more in the interior, and Marie offered herself to remove them. The sun is only minutes away from setting, we should be going now."

"Alright." Ritsuka agreed quickly, nodding in acknowledgment.

Having already moved and retaken the burden of carrying the wounded Siegfried, the Master Chief began to make his way back in the direction of the fort, with himself and the rest of the group following closely behind him.

X—X—X—X—X

Several minutes later, everyone had gathered back together inside the fort.

At the moment they had entered, Marie had stepped out of the fort's main headquarters, exclaiming that she had already dealt with the living dead that she had encountered within the building.

With the Queen of France now having rejoined the others, they all now found themselves at the side of one of the fort's walls while they examined Siegfried. The wounded Dragon Slayer was lying perched with his back propped up against a stack of wooden crates, while Jeanne, kneeled at his side, was inspecting him.

"So, what does he have?" He inquired, sitting on top of another wooden box, which the Master Chief had given out to him.

"Multiple curses." Hope answered him, and Ritsuka could hear the annoyance in her voice. "I don't know the way they work, but I at least can describe how they are affecting him. If I'm not mistaken, the curse is primarily damaging his Spiritual Core, namely the part that is supposed to be healing after some time. Or that's my theory at any rate."

"No, you are correct." Jeanne said, while a scowl creased across her face. "I guess that's the way she handled that order, by fulfilling it except by giving you a slow death."

…So no one was going to comment on how bizarre it was that Hope's gentle, youthful voice was coming from the Chief's body.

"Siegfried, would you please tell us what you were doing in Lyon?" Jeanne asked the Dragon Slayer.

"I was summoned relatively early in a forest without a Master. Eventually I began to wander through the surrounding area, until I came across Lyon which was being attacked by the Dragon Witch and her Servants…"

"So you went to their rescue?" The Queen of France, herself also sitting atop of a box, asked him.

Siegfried nodded his head. "Yes, although I was unable to save the citizens of the town…" His eyes fell to the ground. "I am sorry."

"No, none of that!" Marie shook her head, before giving the Dragon Slayer a firm look. "You attempted to save them despite the fact that you were overwhelmed in numbers! You're a great knight, so don't you think otherwise."

Even in his current condition, Siegfried offered her a thin smile. "Thank you, although I wished I could have done more."

"You battled against the Dragon Witch, and then what?" The Master Chief spoke up.

"We fought and I was defeated. The Witch didn't seem very interested in defeating me, so she instructed Rider to kill me instead. However, she chose to hide me inside the castle in which you found me, but not before she placed this curse on me." He replied, then his gaze flicked towards Jeanne. "She possessed an aura very similar to yours."

"It was Saint Martha, she made sure that you survived." Jeanne explained.

Hearing Rider's name for some reason caused a lump to form within his throat.

Ritsuka understood that it was stupid to think that he didn't wish that battle had ended the way it did. He was well aware of what they had made her do, and how deeply she suffered while doing it.

It didn't necessarily mean that he wanted Martha to not be with them right now.

"I see, I would have liked to thank her, but since she's not with you then I imagine what happened." Siegfried said, his eyes not parting from Jeanne. "Was it you?"

Jeanne parted her lips to reply, but before she was able to do so the Chief's voice chimed in. "No, it was me."

Siegfried shifted his eyes towards the soldier.

A silence hung in the surroundings as the two men stared at each other, until the Dragon Slayer gave a nod to the Master Chief.

"Then I thank you for it."

Siegfried's unexpected words of gratitude appeared to catch the Master Chief by surprise, who inclined his head ever so slightly to the side. "You are not angry?"

"No." Siegfried swung his head from side to side. "She appeared as though she was suffering from what she was experiencing, so I thank you for bringing an end to her suffering."

The Chief was silent for several seconds, in which he appeared to be trying to process the Germanic hero's words. Eventually, the tall soldier simply gave a slight nod of his head, before he turned his head to Jeanne.

"Is there any way of curing him?" The Chief asked the Maid of Orleans in his typical neutral tone of voice.

"There are, Baptism Rites." Jeanne immediately answered with a nod. "They would most likely be sufficient to completely remove the various curses on his body, but they would have to be performed by a Servant of a considerably high rank."

"Jeanne-san, you can do that, can't you?" Mash asked her.

The Saint glanced at her and shook her head from side to side. "I'm sorry to say that no, I may be able to heal him a little to relieve the pain, but my power alone won't be enough to remove all of the curses. Quite frankly, it is a pure miracle in itself that he is alive. It would take another Saint to be able to restore Siegfried to his rightful power."

The group fell into silence.

Both Ritsuka and the others recognized that the chances of finding another Servant who was also a Saint were not the highest.

But it wasn't as if he was quitting either. The people of Chaldea, in addition to all of humanity — and that was a burden he definitely attempted to ignore most of the time — were depending on him, and Ritsuka was not planning on letting them down.

Finally the silence was broken by himself. "So all we have to do is find a Saint. Any ideas on where we should start looking?"

Everyone all of a sudden directed their eyes in his direction, and Ritsuka grew to feel uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving.

Eventually, it was Amadeus the one who answered him. "I'm not the type of man to be kicking a wounded dog, but how can we even be sure that there is another Saint in France at the moment?"

For his comment, the musician was elbowed in his side by Marie.

The Queen shot her friend one flat look, then shifted her bright azure eyes his way and bestowed him with a smile that nearly turned his heart over. "Please, ignore this pervert."

She unleashed those words without a twinge of compassion.

"Actually the chances that some other Saint has been summoned are very high."

Heads turned towards the Master Chief.

Although it wasn't actually him that everyone was looking at.

Seemingly being aware of that, the Chief separated his left hand from his weapon and opened his palm upwards. A moment later, Hope's holographic silhouette came into existence. This marked the second time he had witnessed her figure, and his opinion of her looks did not change in any way.

She was pretty. Even though her appearance was made of blue skin, it didn't alter the fact that her features were beautiful. She was wearing what appeared to be a military uniform, featuring a logo of an eagle atop a planet that had 'UNSC' inscribed above it. Ritsuka had plenty of ideas of what that could possibly mean, and they all made him get butterflies in his stomach.

"How so?" Ritsuka asked her, snapping out of his trance.

"I mean, there's definitely a pattern going on here." Hope began to explain. "The majority of the Servants here come from France, with the exception of the Chief and Siegfried. The Dragon Witch also counts Servants of French backgrounds such as Samson and Lancelot, well, in the latter she actually counted before."

She flashed an amused glance in the Chief's direction.

"Also, there is the fact that Siegfried was summoned. As far as we know, there are several Servants on the throne of heroes, yet, why was the one who slayed the Witch's primary dragon the one who was summoned?"

There was a quiet moment as everyone contemplated her words.

"…You know, she's probably right." Romani stated. "Given that the Dragon Witch possesses the grail, there is a reasonable chance that the Counter Force has summoned a Saint in retaliation for it."

The Counter Force, yet another of the subjects that Da Vinci was in charge of teaching him.

Among all the subjects, this was the one they had studied the least, since when they had been about to work on it was the moment when Doctor Romani announced to them that they had detected the Singularity.

He would have to resume that.

"Okay, so we now know there is a good chance we'll run into one." Ritsuka said, shifting his eyes over to the group members. "Then, how do we find him?"

All of them seemed to be seeking an answer to his question, then the Master Chief snapped his head over to Romani. "You have the necessary technology to detect Servants, correct?"

Romani paused for a second and then answered. "Yes, but only in the vicinity of Ritsuka and Mash."

"Understood." His tone was largely unchanged, but Ritsuka swore to have heard a slight trace of annoyance in his voice. "Then I suggest we break up into teams and scout around the nearest towns."

His suggestion had a lot of merit, not only because they would cover more distance, but also because they would do so in significantly less time than if everyone traveled in a single group.

Nevertheless, not everyone appeared to be fully convinced of his idea.

"Are you sure, Chief?" He questioned on behalf of those who were in doubt.

"That's the best we can do with what we got." Answered the Chief, hunching his shoulders. "Unless you have an alternative option."

The words were acknowledged with dead silence. None were able to offer an alternative.

A short moment later, Ritsuka eventually nodded his head in agreement. Back in Lyon, the Master Chief's suggestions proved to be the correct ones, and so he was going to trust him. "Alright, then I'm all for that."

"So am I." Jeanne stated. "I believe it is a very reasonable idea."

"I'm with Senpai." Mash spoke up in support.

Ritsuka dragged his eyes towards Amadeus. Having sensed his gaze leveling on him, the musician quietly gazed at him for a second and then shrugged his shoulders. "If Maria says yes, then I do not see a problem."

"Of course we will!" Marie immediately exclaimed, and then she paused as her hand rested over her chin. "But how will we decide on how to divide ourselves? Mmm… Oh, I know! Let's draw lots right now!"

"I would bet that was your plan from the beginning." Amadeus commented as he rolled his eyes, an amused tone creeping through his voice. "All right, you just let me do some of them. We'll split up based on that."

Finding their most recent predicament resolved, Ritsuka stood up from his seat and stepped off in Mash's direction.

However, before he could so much as take another step, the shape of the Master Chief was standing in his way.

"You need to rest." The Chief simply stated to him.

Blinking, Ritsuka let out a nervous chuckle and aimed with his finger straight at the Shielder, drawing on all his willpower to push past the Chief's non-argumentative tone. "I just want to have a quick chat with Mash."

"Is it something of importance?"

"…No." He admitted in all honesty, immediately regretting it.

He only meant to catch up with Mash for a little while, after all.

The Master Chief shook his head. "Then it can wait. You haven't had a break in more than twelve hours and you look like you are close to collapsing."

Ritsuka was a second away from arguing, but an involuntary yawn caused the Master to pause. Pulling his arm up and scratching the back of his head, the boy jerked his eyes away from the Master Chief, and yet he could feel the blank stare that the soldier was shooting at him.

"Fine, I'll take a break."

With a nod of acknowledgment, the Chief turned around and began to make his way toward the fort's inner structure. "Follow me, there should be a bed inside for you to sleep on."

With no other apparent choice, Ritsuka followed closely after him, but not before giving one last glance at Mash.

The Shielder, upon catching his gaze, turned her head towards him and offered him a gentle smile. That gesture was sufficient for him to not feel bad for not being able to converse with her at this moment.

Even so, as he felt how heavy his eyes were, perhaps getting some sleep for a while wouldn't be such a bad thing.

X—X—X—X—X

AUTHOR NOTES:

A much shorter chapter and with not much more progress in the story. I realize I could have put more, but that's the way it turned out. At the very least, in the next 3 chapters I plan to conclude Orleans, although it may be prolonged to 4 or 5, but no more. After that comes Chaldea, and then we'll have some shorter chapters, like the ones from By the Bonfire in Fate: Souls and Singularities.

As for the fight with Lancelot, I heed your reviews and take them to heart. I promise to work on not repeating the things that have been pointed out to me (I even created a Word with each Servant and how a fight with the Chief would go, what advantages he would have against them and vice versa, etc.) Please don't hesitate to point out things where I could improve, it's good for me and I wish for both of us to enjoy this story.

And lastly, what do you think of the POVs of other characters? Compared to the Chief, Ritsuka for whatever reason is a little more difficult for me to write, so any criticism for improvement is greatly appreciated.

All right, that's it for me, I'll be seeing you in the next one.

N.R