Halo: Shattered Fate
X—X—X—X—X
The Chief's eyes rose slightly to the sky.
Dark clouds were blanketing a sky of matching color. Without uttering a word, he triggered the temperature gauge on his armor, the indicator in his HUD displaying that outside it was about 14 degrees Celsius.
Satisfied with the information, he switched off the gauge and turned his eyes back to the front, the path ahead illuminated by his helmet's flashlight.
It was rather chilly, and with the fierce wind it most likely made the cold even more biting. Fortunately for him the Mjolnir armor sheltered him, keeping his internal temperature regulated, neither warm nor cold.
The same could not apply to Jeanne or Marie. Undoubtedly both were suffering from the chilly temperature. Their garments weren't what he would describe as adequate to provide warmth against the low temperatures, or at least they weren't in the case of Marie and her queenly attire, which offered little in the way of warmth. Jeanne's armor, though more substantial, also wouldn't provide much insulation.
At least neither of the two were voicing any complaints, and he appreciated that. He'd probably develop a slight headache if either of them began to openly complain about the climate.
A couple of hours after he had taken care of sending Ritsuka on a break, everyone gathered for the drawing to determine how the two teams were to be composed. Once the draw had been made, during which Mozart dramatized it with his music, he had been placed in the group made up of Marie and Jeanne.
Then, the two groups parted ways, with Ritsuka's group heading to the east while his group made their way towards the west. There was a minor debate about whether it was really wise to travel in the middle of the night, but eventually John managed to persuade them to do so.
He had no issue with the teammates that were assigned to him… for the most part. Marie's sunny personality was somewhat overwhelming for him, but he was capable of handling it. He had fought for over 30 continuous years, so a Queen with a cheerful spirit would not pose a challenge for him.
His mind was preoccupied with the matter of Ritsuka. If anything were to happen to him, then humanity would have little chance of survival. Without a Master, Chaldea simply would not be able to resolve the Singularities, and eventually they would fall, rendering whoever was responsible for the Incineration the victor.
Besides, he wasn't with the best company. He had no doubt that with some training Mash could blossom into a great warrior, but for the time being she was still green. Amadeus himself was not a fighter, and although he was a Heroic Spirit it didn't mean he was a strong one. And finally there was Siegfried, who was nowhere near being fit for combat. Maybe with some effort he could unleash his Noble Phantasm, but it surely wouldn't be a good idea due to the condition of his body.
If presented with the choice, John would have preferred to accompany Ritsuka and his group. However, when Marie suggested drawing lots he did not comment on it, a blunder on his part.
Speaking of said Queen, she had been strangely silent. He figured that at this point the Austrian lady would have already started a conversation with Jeanne, yet he heard nothing from either of them.
He was aware that he was not supposed to meddle and just continue on guiding the two French girls, but curiosity got the better of him. Silent as usual, he glanced over his shoulder at both women, barely turning his head in order to not be noticed due to the flashlights integrated in his helmet.
His eyes swept back to the features of both girls, and immediately the Chief understood why Marie had remained silent.
On Jeanne's features there was a mixed expression of both doubt and uncertainty. It was not the first instance that he had seen the Saint wearing that expression, but previously he had just dismissed it as a personal problem of hers and nothing more.
But now whatever doubts she had on her mind were still around, and were causing Marie to be concerned for her.
His thoughts wandered over to the previous night, and John recalled how the Maid of Orleans seemed to want to speak something to him. Briefly the Spartan pondered if perhaps it was the same thing that was haunting her now that she had to discuss, before realizing that very likely it was.
He would have cursed at himself for not acting, but he then realized that perhaps that would not have been such a great idea. As good of a strategic leader as he perceived himself to be, the Chief certainly knew more than anyone that on the emotional aspect he left a lot to be desired. It was difficult for him to comprehend people, and no doubt he would have even more of a hard time with someone from a millennium ago.
With the Marines he was able to sympathize and from time to time understand them, after all they both shared the battlefield, and were aware of the horrors of war.
However, with Jeanne it was totally different. Her belief in God was one thing that already differentiated the two of them, despite the fact that John was forced by his current situation to acknowledge his existence. It did not imply that he would become a follower of his, neither now nor in the future.
Perhaps the Chief could draw a resemblance in that they were both soldiers. However, the conflicts they both went through were fundamentally different. He would not dismiss the hardships that she and the soldiers of France endured in the Hundred Years' War, but ultimately that war could not be compared to the Human-Covenant war.
As it turned out, he was absolutely clueless about how to help her.
A feeling of bitterness was experienced by the Spartan. He didn't appreciate not being of help, not even a little bit.
Eventually, John decided that he would not intervene. If he did, then perhaps he would only cause many more uncertainties to gather in the Saint's mind.
And that was a risk he was not going to take.
"Jeanne?"
"Kyaaaa!"
But of course, he had forgotten that Marie was most likely going to do the polar opposite of him in this situation.
Suppressing a sigh, the Master Chief turned his head to the side and looked over his shoulder as he stooped. Behind him, the Queen with Austrian origins was standing next to Jeanne, her head shamelessly invading her personal space.
For a second he questioned how her hat hadn't bumped against Jeanne's head, before he brushed the question off as a non-important one.
Inhaling a few breaths while resting her hand over her chest, Jeanne nervously smiled towards the Queen of Lilies. "My apologies Marie, I got lost in my thoughts."
"Hehe, no worries, it's alright." Marie's smile dropped a little. "Are you still concerned about the Dragon Witch?"
A faint nod of the head was given by Jeanne, her gaze lowering down. "Yes, I am."
"Jeanne, if this is because you believe yourself to be the fake, then let me assure you that—"
"No, it's not that… although I'm not going to lie, that remains in my thoughts." As honest as always, the blonde saint admitted. A few seconds in silence passed, with John and Marie allowing for her to continue when she wanted.
Then Jeanne continued, the words tumbling out of her lips with some difficulty. "I was just thinking about everything she said. About her hatred towards France and… I can't really feel it."
Both John and Marie maintained their silence, not wishing to interrupt her.
"I understand where such hatred is coming from. I recognize that the events that led to my death should make me hate France, Charles VII and the Lord but... I just can't."
At the end of her speech, Jeanne's tone sounded both tired and defeated.
Try as he might, the Chief was unable to comprehend why that was affecting her so badly. Then, a moment later, it clicked.
Jeanne, if this is because you believe yourself to be the fake, then let me assure you that—
This was all about because she was not certain that she was the genuine Jeanne D'Arc.
Now it made a little more sense.
Taking into account how she was killed, it seemed more than evident that if someone had gone through that, then they would only experience resentment and hatred towards those who had caused it if they returned back to life.
But according to Jeanne's words, she had no such feelings. That just spoke volumes about how good of a person she was.
John did not doubt that if he were to be asked which of the two was the actual Jeanne D'Arc, he would instantly answer that it was the one standing in front of him. The other one was just a wave of destruction, who didn't seem to be bothered about anything. Like a child throwing a tantrum.
"So, you still love them?" Marie softly asked the Saint, unknowingly pulling John out of his thoughts.
"…Yes, I do." Jeanne admitted, allowing a smile to form on her lips. "And even the Dragon Witch. If I were granted the chance, then I would like to attempt to save her, regardless of all the harm she brought on."
That final statement from the saint caused John's mind to become frozen.
Then, he turned completely around, staring directly at Jeanne while his flashlight illuminated the Maid of Orleans.
"What do you mean by 'Save her'?" The Chief asked, not fully comprehending what she had said.
Not looking bothered either by his question or at the lights shining down on her head, Jeanne responded. "What I mean is that if she were to abandon her planned destruction of France, then perhaps one day she might be able to find redemption."
"Do you really believe such a thing is possible? From everything I've heard about her, her only purpose is just to cause disaster." John said, not sounding entirely convinced.
Although he didn't know if it was on what she had said, or on what he did.
"I do believe that we all have the possibility to redeem ourselves from our sins." The blonde Saint said, then she inclined her head to the side. "Do you not believe that is possible?"
If that question had been asked of the Master Chief from ten years ago, the immediate response would have been a harsh no. There were some actions for which a person could simply not be redeemed from.
But he was no longer that Chief. A full decade had transpired since that time, and since then he had known one individual who made him seriously re-examine that response.
Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter.
There were several reasons as to why Thel 'Vadam should not be regarded as an individual deserving of atonement. His actions during the Human-Covenant War being the main reason. At least a billion humans perished because of his commands, and seven planets were devastated under his fleet, prominent amongst them being Reach, the only place John could truly call home.
All that the Arbiter had done during the war made the Dragon Witch look like a saint.
Yet, he had still managed to atone in the end. In spite of all the horrendous deeds committed by the Sangheili, John could definitely claim that he had ultimately achieved redemption. Not only for helping him through the final battle against the Covenant and the Flood, but also for his subsequent deeds that sought to bring peace between the Sangheili and Humans.
Finally, John made his response after he passed a few moments in silence. "It is possible…" He hesitated to continue, but eventually he reasoned that there would be no problem in adding more. "I know someone who inflicted far more suffering than the Dragon Witch, but he was eventually able to redeem himself."
He watched as the Saint's mood perked up. Nevertheless, the Spartan needed to make the difference between the Arbiter and the Dragon Witch very clear.
"However, the two are completely separate stories. The individual I met worked in order to correct his actions, but it does not mean that the Witch will do so as well. She might not be truly concerned about achieving salvation, so you should be prepared to make the right decision when the time comes."
"If it comes to that, then I will act accordingly. Still, I would first like to have a conversation with her before we fight." The saint said determinedly, not breaking eye contact with him.
A few seconds had passed, after which the Chief nodded to her words.
Even so, he could tell that there was still some uncertainty within her. She attempted to mask it, perhaps out of embarrassment or so that they wouldn't worry about her, but then again, she wasn't very skilled at lying.
Fortunately for him, he was not the only one who took notice.
"Jeanne." Marie grabbed her attention. "Dear, you didn't answer my question before. Do you still believe that, between the two, you are the fake one?"
The Queen's question was answered with silence.
And so, a short moment later, the Maid of Orleans bobbed her head up and down in utter silence, while her eyes remained glued to the ground.
Silence fell over the group, with John finding himself at a real loss as to how to proceed. This was not his area of expertise, in actual fact it was his greatest shortcoming.
He remained silent, waiting for either Marie or Jeanne to break through it.
And one of them finally did.
A beautiful giggle blossomed out of Marie, and the Queen of France was now gazing at Jeanne as if she were observing a piece of art. "Yes, you truly are beautiful."
Both John and Jeanne blinked their eyes, the former slightly raising an eyebrow, with neither of them expecting that was what Marie would get out of the earlier conversation.
"M-Marie, please don't make fun of me." Jeanne said, embarrassed.
"Oh but it's true!" The Queen said, then her face morphed into a more sorrowful one. "After all, if I were put in your position... I might have accepted the Dragon Witch's words, you know. Even now, I do not despise the people who demanded my execution. I can say that with 90% of certainty. However, those who had my son, Charles, killed, those are the ones I am most likely to hate."
Marie continued, unmindful of how Jeanna had widened her eyes in shock. "Tell me Jeanne, if the Dragon Witch had slaughtered your family, would you throw away the chance to save her? Would you resent her for what she had done?"
John was not pleased with that question at all.
If this was the manner in which Marie wished to help Jeanne, then he was forced to intervene. He didn't need the two of them to turn antagonistic to each other just because of that question.
"No, I wouldn't." Jeanne immediately responded, even before he was able to move. Shifting his gaze over to her, he watched as her face held a gentle smile. "Even if she were to do that, I would still try to save her."
The Spartan was expecting many different responses from Marie. Perhaps disbelief for her desire to save someone who could bring her a great deal of grief, or disappointment that the two do not agree. It would not take too much thought as to what the Queen's answer to that question would be if it were posed to her.
Although having cohabited together with her for a few days, he should also have thought that Marie would instead have grinned broadly and leapt towards Jeanne, hugging the Saint tightly in her arms. "You see how beautiful you are! Only someone with a pure heart could give an honest answer like that!"
"M-Marie! You are hugging me too tightly!"
Completely ignoring Jeanne's cries, Marie continued to embrace the Maid of Orleans.
The Chief didn't quite know exactly what was going on, but he was pleased that the situation had not escalated into one of animosity.
"They are rather lively."
John agreed with the AI's assessment, silently thankful that Marie hadn't tried to draw him into the embrace. For a moment there, she eyed him as if she was considering it, but in the end she didn't do so, for which he mentally thanked his luck.
He allowed the two women to embrace for a few long moments, in which he remained standing uncomfortably at one side, until Jeanne finally managed to escape from the Austrian's arms.
The saint, whose features were flushed with a red hue in embarrassment, coughed into her hand as she tried to compose herself.
"A-Anyway," Jeanne spoke as she removed her hand away from her mouth, showing them both a friendly smile. "I am thankful to both of you for helping me, and I apologize for making us stop."
"Oh, don't mention it chère. This is what friends are for."
John simply offered her a nod of acknowledgment, not wanting to mention that they weren't really friends.
Then, having nothing further to discuss, the Spartan turned himself around and resumed his walk down the road. The two young girls from France followed behind him, in a more peaceful atmosphere compared to the one before Jeanne had expressed her uncertainties.
The three of them continued to march in silence for a long time, until eventually the Queen of France spoke, addressing him.
"So, Master Chief, who was he?"
"Who?" The Chief asked, maintaining his gaze forward.
"That person whom you mentioned earlier, the one who managed to redeem himself."
The Master Chief never felt the urge to smack himself so much until now. He should have seen it coming.
He considered simply ignoring her so that she would not inquire again, but he was doubtful that Marie would get the message. Most likely, she would keep urging him to obtain an answer.
Admittedly, this was his fault. He should have just answered Jeanne's question, and not shared his personal knowledge. But what's done is done.
John contemplated whether he should really share with them more about the Arbiter. He was never a person who openly disclosed information about his life. Half of it was classified, whereas the other half was traumatizing.
Yet again, it's not like he was doing it with people from his own time either. One was Jeanne D'Arc, a well-remembered historical figure, whilst the other was Marie Antoinette, Queen of France during the French Revolution.
Upon further deliberation, he really saw no problem in telling them a little, clearly omitting certain information. If it were the Chaldeans who were asking him, then the Chief would certainly have a lot more hesitation about answering.
"His name was Thel 'Vadam." John began, not realizing how his voice was growing nostalgic. "He was as much a great strategist as he was a warrior. For a very long time, the two of us were on opposite sides of the conflict, although I never really heard much about him."
"But he heard about you?" Jeanne inquired, curious.
"I had a bad reputation with them." The Chief remarked, leaving out the fact that this reputation was, for whatever reason, one of respect with the Sangheili. "Our sides fought each other for a long time, but ultimately Thel became aware of the deceptions of his side's leaders, and both him and his… people abandoned them. He ended up joining our side, and we both fought together at the final battle of the conflict."
"Hehe, it sounds like you gained a good friend." Marie commented.
"The second time I met him I placed my pistol to his head and almost killed him." He dryly said, ignoring the blank stare the Saint was shooting him. "I later found out that he was on our side. We didn't interact much, being both from very different backgrounds, but when I least expected it, he had my back."
The memory of that location was burned into his mind like a painting.
High Charity. The capital of the Covenant. When the Gravemind teleported him there to retrieve the activation index, he had the opportunity to observe its interior. The Spartan could shamelessly admit that it was an incredible thing, and he hadn't explored the more normal sectors.
But to see it afterwards, having been consumed by the Flood, was not a good sight. To this day he could remember the corridors amalgamated by the biomass. The mere idea of how many lives were required to amass so much was not a thought he relished. Alien or not, for so many lives to have been lost was horrifying.
No one in their right mind would venture into that place, whether they were human or alien.
Well, no one, except for himself and the Arbiter.
John had the most reasons for doing so. The logical ones were to get the activation index, the primary excuse he used to himself for doing something so stupid. The selfish ones, however, were solely so he could bring Cortana back. In spite of having interacted with it only once, he could imagine the dreadful things the Gravemind could do to Cortana.
So he had every reason to come back there.
However, the Arbiter did not have it. He could have rejoined him in the recently forged Halo, or evacuated together with the remaining forces of the UNSC-Sangheili separatist alliance. John was as surprised as Cortana when he saw him.
He never questioned why he went there. They had more urgent matters to handle at the time, besides that it was not something that was at the top of his mind. He also did not know how to ask him.
"Since then I have respected him, and began to consider him to be a great individual."
He didn't say that he was the closest thing he had to a friend apart from the Spartans, although they counted more as siblings. The fact that he was a Sangheili made his friendship with him a rather amusing one.
"Do you know what he did afterwards?" Marie asked, sounding more intrigued.
"Last I heard, he was fighting a mutual enemy we had. He was also working to establish peace between our factions."
He could feel the joy radiating from the Queen behind him.
The Spartan just hoped that the remainder of the journey would be this quiet, with the only sound he would hear being that of the crickets.
X—X—X—X—X
The dark clouds in the sky cleared away as more time went by. A hint of blue colored the sky, although the sun had yet to rise over the horizon.
John had just deactivated the flashlights in his helmet, not seeing the point in having them on when the path ahead was pretty visible, when he managed to see something in the far distance.
A town. At first glance, it appeared to be in good condition, but his mind did not waver in the possibility that it might actually be a trap. To lure them inside, and then ambush them when they had their guards down.
"There is a town up ahead." The Chief informed them as he turned around to the women.
Jeanne narrowed her eyes, attempting to get a better view of the town. If he could, then he would offer her a set of binoculars, but regrettably his Noble Phantasm was restricted only to military weaponry.
A shame, things would be moving a whole lot faster if he could summon a Warthog or a Pelican.
…On second thought, the latter would bring many problems. He didn't want to imagine what might happen if Leonardo Da Vinci were to discover that he had a vehicle capable of space travel, however limited it might be.
In the brief conversation they had, John had already been quick to discern that the inventor was someone very eccentric, and in a way that he didn't like.
"Unless I am mistaken, that town must be Montluçon." The saint commented, before shifting her gaze towards him with a furrowed brow. "There is a Servant within."
Her words were met by an arching of his eyebrows, one that she could not see.
Without uttering a single word, John craned his head in the direction of the town and he began to center his mind. As if it were some kind of radar, he perceived the presence of the Servant, although he could not pinpoint precisely where he was.
"Yes, he is there." He said, returning his attention to Jeanne. "Any idea on how to make contact?"
Instantly, they both turned their heads back and set their sights on the smiling Queen of Lilies.
Seeing both of them staring at her, she tilted her head to the side. "Yes? Is there something in my face?"
X—X—X—X—X
"Bonjour!"
"H-Hold it right there miss!" One of the guards brandished his spear pointed at Marie, a nervous expression spreading across his face. "Who are you!?"
Tugging at the sides of her skirt, Marie offered both soldiers a courteous curtsy. "It's a pleasure to meet you, valiant soldiers. My name is Marie Antoinette. Two of my friends and I heard that a great hero resides in this town, someone capable of helping us to put an end to this terrible crisis. So we would like it if we could speak to him."
"W-Well, there's someone like that here." One of the soldiers blurted out, only to receive an elbow jab on his side from the other, prompting him to harden his gaze. "But why should we let you in!? You could be one of those monsters that the Dragon Witch is using!"
The whole situation was growing tense, so the Chief got prepared and placed his index finger onto the trigger of his sniper rifle, just in case either of the two soldiers made a move towards Marie. She was powerful enough to deal with them, after all, she was a Heroic Spirit, but if a fight were to start then they would have to extract her fast.
A blank round was placed in the top of the magazine, therefore it would not kill any of the soldiers. He had no intention of killing any of them, especially when they were only doing their duty.
But he had to wait until Marie was finished. He was confident that she was able to charm them enough to let them pass and meet the Servant.
And a few seconds later, she did.
"Please!"
"…Should we let her in?"
"I don't know. He doesn't seem to be lying, but still…" Hesitating for a few moments, the soldier finally breathed a deep sigh. "Stay right where you are, I'll go and fetch Georgios, he will decide whether you and your buddies are allowed in."
"I see, many thanks Monsieur."
Discreetly, Marie raised her thumb up in their direction. John had to give her credit, she was an excellent actress.
Their plan was beyond simple, to allow the first contact to be made by Marie. Both he and Jeanne were only going to frighten the guards, which eventually might lead to the Servant turning hostile against them without even having the chance for him to listen to what they had to say.
It didn't even take too much to convince the Austrian, as she actually was delighted with the idea.
To some extent, John was content with the company he had acquired. Initially, he had assumed that working with someone such as Marie, a literal queen, would be nothing more than an annoyance. Yet she had proven to follow through on orders, and in an eager manner.
Clearly she had neither the professionalism nor the skills of a Spartan, but she overcame that with inhuman charm and the willingness to move forward.
He wouldn't be lying in saying that he was growing to like her.
"Georgios huh?" Jeanne murmured next to him.
"He is another Saint, right?" John personally had never heard of him. While he was familiar with the basic knowledge of the Bible characters, other than that his overall knowledge of the other figures in the Church was rather vague.
"He is. In his legend, Saint Georgios slayed a dragon that was threatening a village, and from there he obtained his holy sword Ascalon." She explained, garnering a slight nod of understanding from the Chief.
Ascalon, the name sounded familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a UNSC frigate that bore that name.
But the Chief was focused on the fact that Georgios was a Dragon Slayer. If they managed to convince him into assisting them, then the probabilities of winning increased.
It had taken a few minutes, but eventually, the soldier who had headed inside returned, accompanied by a man alongside him. He was a Servant, of that there was no doubt. John was beginning to get the hang of how to discern them.
Tall, in his early thirties, with brown hair and eyes of a matching color. He sported a bronze-colored knight's armor, with the left side of his torso draped in a white piece of cloth with a red stripe. On his back, he had a white cloak strapped to his shoulders by a brown leather belt.
For whatever reason, his left pauldrons had a dragon's head design, while the feet of his armor also had that dragon pattern. At this point, the Chief doubted that in this Singularity he would encounter a Heroic Spirit with a normal appearance.
Whereas the soldier stopped, the Servant continued to walk closer to where Marie was standing. In an instant, John switched the sniper's magazine, loading one filled with the 14.5114mm bullets while aiming directly at the brown-haired Servant's head.
Just in case.
Coming to a halt a few meters from where Marie stood, the Saint shot the queen a look of deep scrutiny, and then after a few seconds, he offered her a polite smile.
"Hello miss, my name is Georgios, Rider class."
"A pleasure Saint Georgios. My true name is Marie Antoinette, the same class as you." Marie introduced herself, making a courteous bow towards the man.
"The Queen of France." Georgios expressed with interest. "The guard reported to me that you and your friends have something to discuss with me, and seeing that you haven't attacked them, I decided to listen to you."
"I am very grateful. We are part of a group that is opposing the Dragon Witch, and we require your aid in curing one of our own."
The Saint rested his hand over his chin, a thoughtful expression settling on his face. "And I guess their injuries must not be average for you to be in need of a Saint's help." He muttered, drawing a nod from Marie. "Then I welcome you inside, I don't consider this to be an appropriate place to discuss such highly relevant matters."
After hearing Georgios' words, both the Master Chief and Jeanne rose up from the ground where they were lying, and they made their way to the place where the Saint and the Queen were.
When they arrived, Saint Georgios watched them both with an analytical gaze. He did so with him first, one eyebrow being raised after his brown eyes surveyed him from head to foot. He was already getting used to such reactions.
The reaction to Jeanne, however, was different. There was recognition reflected in his eyes when they landed on the blonde, followed by wariness, before finally settling into understanding.
"I see, so she is the actual holy maiden." Georgios said, before he turned around. "Wait here, I'll get something for her to cover herself. Then we can speak."
Without waiting, the man marched back into the town, leaving the three of them behind with the two guards nervously looking at Jeanne.
X—X—X—X—X
Once Georgios had returned carrying some garments to conceal Jeanne, the three of them entered the town and followed the Dragon Slayer Saint.
To say that the people looked to be in terrible condition would not be an overstatement. Though there were no discernible injuries present on their bodies, John could clearly see the faces casted downward, the eyes filled with weariness, and the shoulders slumped. They were psychologically scarred, both the elderly and also the children.
It was an image the Chief had witnessed so often that he was unable to count the number of times he did.
What he certainly could tell was that he didn't like it, not in the slightest.
Georgios continued to guide them through the streets in silence, stopping only when one of the locals would speak to him. Fortunately the Saint kept those conversations relatively short, though he never lost his polite and gentle tone of voice.
They eventually arrived at a large house located near the center of the town, where Georgios opened the front door and entered, with John following closely behind. When Jeanne and Marie entered, the former removed the hood that covered her head, while she walked over to the white couch in the center of the room and sat down, with Marie joining her, settling beside her.
"Thank you for your hospitality Saint Georgios." Jeanne said.
"Please don't mention it, you are welcome to call me Georgios." The man shook his head from side to side with a smile on his lips, before his face turned serious. "Now, I believe you had something to discuss with me."
"We do." Nodding firmly, Jeanne spoke. "Georgios, we seek your help to remove the curses that are plaguing the body of Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer who slew the Witch's primary dragon, Fafnir. If we succeed in clearing the curses off his body, then we will be capable of eliminating Fafnir and we can face the Dragon Witch."
That was a well crafted speech, straight to the point and with an abundance of sincerity. John wondered if he could have made one like it. But upon second thought, he recognized that no, he couldn't have done it.
Georgios stood silently, bringing his hand up to his chin with a thoughtful frown on his features. "With the Dragon Witch gone, then all this bloodshed would be over." He muttered, before giving a nod of agreement a couple of seconds later. "Very well, I will help you, but it will be necessary for you to bring him here. I can't leave the people in this town defenseless."
That was a rather quick decision. John expected that perhaps there would be some hesitation on the man's side, but then he remembered that he was a Saint.
Being extremely good was their whole gig.
As for his request, he couldn't see anything wrong with that, though he wondered if when the time came to travel all the way to Orleans to confront the Dragon Witch he would join them.
Having another Dragon Slayer would be very helpful for them and give them another advantage against the Witch. And if he was hesitant to join, then John had to find a way to convince him.
But for now, that could wait until later. Now, all he had to do was contact Ritsuka so that his group could travel to Montluçon in order to treat Siegfried.
Then, the Chief reached out with his hand towards his waist and grasped the communicator provided to him by Mash before they parted ways. Whereas he had the option of letting Hope hack into the device and thus maintain a direct line, he opted not to do so as he recognized that the device was also connected to Chaldea, who were in the future. It was simply too risky for Hope to get into that channel.
He pressed on the power switch of the device, which automatically started searching for the connection to the other end. A few seconds passed, and finally the call was answered. Above the circular device the image of Ritsuka came into view, with Mash standing next to him.
"Ritsuka." The Chief greeted him, then got right to business. "What's your status?"
"All good on this side Chief." Ritsuka replied with a smile. "We arrived in Thiers a couple of minutes ago, and found two Servants fighting each other."
For a moment John grew concerned, only to relax when he saw Ritsuka and Mash in healthy condition. "And what happend?"
"We talked them out of fighting."
"You talked!? All you did was beat us up!"
A female voice chimed in from the side, but the Chief was unable to identify to whom it belonged, since the camera was not pointing in her direction, leaving her just out of view.
"In our defense, it was either fight or cut off our ears." That was Amadeus' voice, delivered with a snarky tone that was bordering on serious.
"And what is that supposed to mean!?"
Again the girl's voice rang out from beside Ritsuka, and John spotted what appeared to be a horn sticking out.
"Found anything else?" The Chief asked, bringing the Master's attention back to what was actually important.
Ritsuka gave a vigorous nod. "Yes, Berserker told us that she bumped into Saint Georgios, and that he had gone west."
"We just met him." He announced, before turning his head in the direction of the Saint. "Here."
The Master Chief casually tossed the communicator to Georgios. The brown-haired man turned back when he heard his voice, eyes flickering momentarily in surprise as he reached up and deftly caught the device as it arced toward his head.
Goergios offered him an appreciative smile, quite contrary to what he had expected. Then, he moved his gaze down towards Ritsuka. "Greetings young man, you must be the Master of Chaldea."
"Y-Yeah, that's me. Hi." Ritsuka waved at him, then he paused. "Wait, how do you know who I am?"
"Just a moment ago Jeanne spoke to me about you." Georgios said, letting out a chuckle. "Many good qualities about you."
"Oh, that's good to hear." Ritsuka's embarrassment was plain to detect just from hearing his voice. "A-Anyway, did she mention what's happening with Siegfried?"
"She spoke about it, and I am more than willing to be of assistance. The only thing I request is that you come to where we are, as I have a duty to protect the people of this town."
"Sure, no problem with that." Ritsuka quickly replied. "I'm guessing it will take a while to get there, so—"
"Sir Georgios!"
The front door was suddenly slammed open, followed by a shout which alarmed the Servants inside the room, with the exception of John.
The Spartan-II shifted his gaze to the guard entering the room. Recognizing him as one of the soldiers stationed at the town entrance, he quickly noted the man's tense demeanor. Alarm and dread were written all over his face.
"Soldier, what is going on?" Georgios inquired softly.
Unable to formulate any words, the soldier drew in several deep breaths, and then explained the reason for his arrival. "Monsieur Georgios, one of our explorers informed us that the Dragon Witch is approaching!"
Georgios only appeared stunned for a second, then he spoke in a measured manner. "All right, then it's time. Arrange the carriages, load them with the elderly, the women and the children. The men will go on foot unless they are injured. Any person who is wounded has priority aboard the carriages."
When the soldier rushed out of the room, the Chief glanced at the Saint for a moment. "You were expecting her?"
"Her wyverns had attacked us before, but we managed to fend them off." Georgios answered seriously. "I just didn't anticipate for her to come back so soon."
"So what's the plan?" Marie asked, her blue eyes moving between Jeanne and him. "We're not going to leave them, are we?"
"No, we won't. However, we must now take a choice, either to fight or to retreat." Jeanne said, as she frowned. "If we retreat, then the people of this town will be killed. But if we fight, then we will be eradicated."
"Can't you hold them off until we get there?" Ritsuka asked hopefully, although he already sounded as if he knew the answer.
"No, unfortunately I'm not in the best condition yet, and Marie and the Chief by themselves won't be enough to defeat them all, especially if the Witch is bringing Fafnir along with her."
The solution for John was more than obvious.
On their own, the people were not fast enough to vacate the town, and they would be slaughtered by the Witch and her forces. Therefore, one of them had to remain behind to hold them back while the others assisted in the evacuation.
The Chief quickly assessed which of the four should be the chosen one. Jeanne and Georgios were immediately discarded, their survival was paramount for the treatment of Siegfried.
That left both he and Marie as the indicated ones for that job with no return. Out of the two, the Queen was the weaker, something admitted by herself.
The choice became clear.
And yet he could not bring himself to actually say it. The words were trapped in his mind, unwilling to escape through his mouth. He had already commanded people on missions that all recognized that it might result in their possible death, except that this was a completely different case.
Marie was not a Spartan, someone who was willing to sacrifice their lives as long as it resulted in a victory above the enemy. She was a Queen, who so far had only shown herself to be kind and compassionate.
And it was then that the woman who was unknowingly disturbing his mind began to speak.
"In that case, it is necessary for one of us to stay behind, right?" Marie spoke, shattering the silence that had descended on the room. "Someone must protect this town while the civilians evacuate to safety, and then the rest can reunite with Amadeus and the others to complete their roles. For that reason, please allow me to take over that duty."
"What?" Mash asked, concern echoing in her voice.
The Master Chief shifted his attention towards the girl, watching the expression of disbelief plastered on her face, an expression mirrored by Ritsuka. Behind the two teenagers, he also managed to catch a visual of Amadeus, whose face remained completely neutral as he stared at the Queen.
Despite the implication of following through on what she had said, the Queen smiled as always. "I am the Queen of France. It makes no difference if this is in the past or the present, protecting the citizens is an important duty for me, and now you have been appointed a duty that can bring about a difference."
"Saint Georgios, please accompany Jeanne d'Arc and the Master Chief so that the curse on Siegfried can be lifted after the people are safe. I will make sure to protect this city, in the name of Marie Antoinette."
"…Very well, I shall do so. And from the bottom of my heart I am thankful to you, Queen Marie. I pledge myself to help to put an end to the devastation of your country." Georgios stated, smiling grimly before he approached Jeanne and handed her the communicator. Then, the Saint made his way to the door, not without first glancing at them before he stepped out. "I will be going to help with the arrangements. I send you my best wishes Queen Marie, and may God bless you."
With those last blessings spoken, the man departed from the room, leaving them to themselves.
Then, Jeanne swung her head over to Marie, and she began to address her in a tone that was almost pleading. "Marie, let us stay and we will fight together! You can't do it by yourself, but if it's the three of us then at least there's a chance we'll—"
Marie silenced her by gently placing a finger over her lips. "I can't express how happy it makes me to hear you say that, but you cannot, Jeanne. It's your duty to heal Siegfried and to defeat the Dragon Witch, while the Chief's is to ensure that you reach her. Mine is to remain here and defend the citizens of our beloved country."
"Marie…" It was Ritsuka's voice this time, sounding with resignation.
"Seriously, you are a foolish woman." Amadeus said, his voice dripping with amusement.
"Hehe, that I am." Giggling, Marie's shoulders slumped slightly as she gave a small, wistful smile at the musician. "Sorry Amadeus, I couldn't hear you play once more."
The musician did not immediately respond, his eyes darting to the side like he was contemplating on what to say, until finally something seemed to spring into his mind. "…Well, you can make it up to me by shining as you always do, Maria. Let yourself shine so brightly so I can see your light even from all the way here."
Those... certainly were words of encouragement.
"I will." Marie promised without waiting a second. "Farewell Amadeus, Ritsuka and Mash. I wouldn't exchange these last two days for anything."
With the parting words behind her, Marie clicked the power button on the communicator.
Letting out a sigh, she looked up at him and smiled. "Honestly, I would have loved to learn more about you, Master Chief. I'm sure you have some very thrilling stories that I would have loved to hear."
John wasn't sure if war stories were something that the Queen might be truly interested in hearing, especially with all the details he could provide, but he held his thoughts on the matter in his mind.
"Even so, the time we spent hanging out together was somewhat fun, right?" She asked, her blue eyes sparkling with hope.
"…Yes."
It was a lie, spoken in a manner which the Queen would remain none the wiser.
As much as he had indeed taken a certain fondness to Marie, he would never allow himself to confuse his duty with the notion of having fun.
That would be just a distraction, something that may cloud his mind in a time when he least needed it to, even though John had no real concept of what he regarded as fun. Nor was it as if he had any interest in finding that out.
Nevertheless, the sight of her smiling made whatever doubts he felt about not having been honest fade away.
"I am pleased to hear that." She claimed, before turning her gaze away from him and shifting it to the Saint at her side. "Apologies if it bothers you Chief, but could you leave us alone for a minute?"
Not having a problem with that, John gave a single nod with his head, glancing for less than a second at Jeanne whose eyes remained fixed towards the ground, before he started walking towards the exit.
Pushing the door open, he wordlessly stepped out of the room and then turned around, getting one last glimpse of the Queen of France smiling back at him before the door was closed.
John lingered in front of the house for a few moments, uncertain of what to do, before he decided to make his way to the main entrance of the town and remain on guard in the event that for some reason the Dragon Witch would arrive faster than he had anticipated.
Just as it had occurred before, when he had been following Georgios, he was attracting the gaze of many of the townspeople, undoubtedly on account of his appearance. He was not bothered at all by the attention he was garnering, as he fully comprehended that he stood out from the crowd, although he would not have been lying if he said that he was somewhat uncomfortable with all the eyes that were glued to his figure.
Things like this had already happened to him in the past, so he resorted to the same tactic he had used in those instances.
He ignored all the stares, and instead focused on a different matter altogether.
"I thought you would say goodbye." Opening the private comms channel, he addressed the only individual who was capable of hearing him.
"…Honestly, I wanted to tell her something but I couldn't come up with anything." Hope admitted, her voice sounding regretful. "Chief, I know you've been fighting for a long time, and no doubt you've witnessed some pretty awful things... but do you ever get the hang of it? Of having one of your teammates... you know."
John was rather caught off guard by her question, but he understood the reason she had asked it.
Hope was a Volitional AI, and a very young one at that. Compared to Cortana, who John had eventually learned that she had actually been created 3 years prior to their initial encounter and therefore was able to explore more things before she joined him, she was notably inexperienced. She was created and provided with the necessary information to detain Cortana, only for her to be eliminated afterwards.
…He was straying away from the main subject.
And he knew why. For he loathed to dwell on the people he had failed to bring home. Sam, Anton, Daisy, James, Li, and so many more of his fellow Spartan siblings, all of whom he might have been able to protect had he been stronger, quicker, or smarter. And that didn't count all of the UNSC personnel he had served with.
Regardless, he continued moving forward. Although recently he began to question whether it was because of his own will, or as a result of his training.
Eventually John found the most suitable words to answer her, unintentionally delivered in a curt manner that hinted that he wished to discuss the topic no further. "You get used to it."
The AI gave no sign of acknowledgment at his response, and he pledged to himself to be more gentle the next time he spoke to Hope.
X—X—X—X—X
The sun was only a few seconds away from ascending over the horizon. From where she stood, it was bound to be a beautiful sight, worthy of having a painting made of it.
She was confident that the Master Chief, Georgios and Jeanne had already evacuated the people by now, some time had passed since she had encountered Sanson once again and they began to fight. She could never have imagined that she would become a Heroic Spirit, one worthy of being remembered to the same extent as the heroes and knights of old, after all, she was nothing more than a foolish Queen.
But she had, and now she was capable of doing things she would only dreamed of doing in her life.
Like defeating Samson. Had she spoken those words to him in life, the executioner surely would have chuckled at her, a laugh that she would join due to the absurdity of those words.
But she had succeeded. She had defended her people. She had helped.
Regrettably, the Witch had made her appearance at that moment and ordered him to return to Orleans with a Command Spell. The evil version of Jeanne now stood a few meters away from her, with the dark dragon Fafnir close behind her, ready to unleash his flames.
She was bright enough to figure out that she was not going to survive that. The little hope evaporated after Fafnir had shown up. The only thing she could do now, in her final moments, was to remember.
These last few days had been ones she never dreamed of.
She had been reunited with her friend.
She had met her heroine.
She had met a mysterious soldier.
She had met two kids who she knew would accomplish great things and their cute little pet.
And most importantly, she had helped to defend her country. She had helped her country. Happy, she could now go back to rest satisfied.
…But there were two things she could do before departing. One last question, which she hoped might be helpful to Jeanne against the Dragon Witch, and one last push on her part to deploy her second Noble Phantasm so that the people could gain more time to escape.
Yes, that had a nice ring to it, one ultimate performance so great that even his beloved musician could witness it.
And so, as her fate fell upon her, Marie readied herself to shine one final time, watching as the sun rose brightly over her beautiful country.
X—X—X—X—X
AUTHOR NOTES:
Sorry for the late post, but I had some exams (which I managed to pass!). Now I'm free for a while until December where I have finals, especially with my Xbox One having broken ( I curse the heretics). At least you'll be happy to hear that I spent these weeks plotting the future of this story, so many questions will eventually be answered.
I have been asked some questions in private, I already answered them but I will also use this space to clarify some things.
Events: Yes, several events will be taking place. If I encounter one that I have difficulty writing, then I will just skip it. They won't be as long as Singularities, maybe 5 or 6 chapters long.
Interludes: I will decide which Servants seem important to me to the story, and which are connected with the Chief, and they will receive their interludes. (When I say connected to the Chief, I mean the ones in Chaldea, not the ones he knew in life)
Halo Servants: Probably the thing I've been asked the most, and yes, they will appear. Not now, I have already mapped out when they will show up, and it will be later on in the story. The main focus for now will be the Chief.
Harem: No, the Chief won't have a Harem. Servants who will be interested in him, yes, but the man will remain single even in death.
Information about the Future: The Chief is not the most open person, but he will be disclosing things. Don't expect a whole chapter dedicated to that, which is something that many have asked me not to do in private.
I also got hooked back into Transformers, and noticed how similar the Chief and Optimus are. It even gave me an idea for the future.
I will definitely wrap up Orleans in one or two more chapters, I don't see any reason to stretch it out any longer than it needs to be. Then comes Chaldea.
Hot Take: Sprint did not ruin Halo as many people claim.
All right, that's it for me, I'll be seeing you in the next one.
N.R