CHAPTER 10:

BACK FROM THE BRINK

Olga looked at the reports from Roman, and then looked into the doctor's eyes. She was having a private meeting with her father's former Servant in her office, Da Vinci currently engaged in counselling the Masters. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I think Lev, when he placed the bombs, prioritised causing as much damage as possible to potential threats to some degree. Oh, he made sure to kill or critically injure as many Masters as possible, but looking into how he placed the bombs that hit Team A…you'll note that, of those, Wodime, Pepe, and Daybit were the most critically injured. So too was Beryl Gut, but he's no longer a concern. However, I think he miscalculated in his malice. Most of those in Team A were critically injured rather than outright killed. I think he wanted them to suffer in pain and misery before they died."

"That does sound like him, or at least the thing he turned out to be," Olga said grimly. "But according to this, Kadoc and Ophelia can be revived, as long as we have Hermione and her healing magic on standby, along with the Arturias, Xu Fu, Habetrot, and Scathach." She frowned. "Scathach and the Caster Arturia I can understand, they have magical ability, and Xu Fu has already proven herself an able healer. But the Saber Arturia?"

"She has three Noble Phantasms, Olga," Roman pointed out. "Excalibur, obviously, Invisible Air, which conceals it…and the sheathe to Excalibur, Avalon. An enchanted Fae artifact that can heal most wounds. I thought of it, and asked her if she was willing to lend it, to speed up the healing process. And she agreed. Her first Master took it, and later used it to save a boy who became his adopted son, and later, Arturia's second Master."

Olga's eyes widened, and she facepalmed at not realising such a simple solution. "In other words, we use Avalon to stabilise the patients and accelerate their healing. How well will it work?"

"Arturia Pendragon said it should work well if we get it into the patient swiftly. I chose Kadoc and Ophelia because, assuming we mess up, we still have a margin of error to continue the healing, or can bring them back to the infirmary to stabilise them before giving them treatment."

"And Habetrot?"

"Knows healing magic."

"Very well. I authorise this attempt at reviving and healing those Masters," Olga said. "Should we succeed, I want a plan in place to revive the rest of Team A. However, I feel we should leave the remaining Masters in cryostasis, even those who could be revived. It may sound callous, but I have a good reason for it."

"The supplies situation, right?"

"Right. Lev did not do much damage to our food supplies, and we couldn't detect any poison. In addition, our experiment in France showed that we can retrieve limited amounts of materials from a Singularity, including foodstuffs," Olga said. "However, we do not know how long the Grand Order will take. We've resolved two major Singularities just over a week, but we cannot bank on that trend continuing, especially as smaller but still malignant Singularities appear to be forming in the wake of the larger ones. Having two major teams of Masters with attendant Servants should suffice for now. If we can find a means of getting more supplies from Singularities, that may be revised. What's more, having too many Servants may cause conflict. We got lucky with Arturia Pendragon and Mordred, to say nothing of the Servants who knew Barghest and Melusine from the Lostbelt. But…well, take for an example Karna."

"Karna…the Indian hero from the Mahabharata," Roman mused.

"And the bitter rival of his half-brother Arjuna," Olga pointed out. "If Servants come to blows over old grudges, then we are doomed. Servants are superhuman existences, after all. And let's not forget some of the grudges from past Holy Grail Wars. We're lucky that, so far, they haven't boiled over with the Servants we already have. I don't think my father put into place any contingencies, other than the unsummoning system on FATE."

"Unfortunately, we'll have to play it by ear," Roman said. "FATE is basically a gacha system, and I know you hate me saying that, but that doesn't make it any less true. The initial summoning seems to draw a Servant who is compatible with the Master in some way, but beyond that, it seems to be pot luck influenced by the Master's predispositions."

"I know, but unfortunately, the fate of the world is dependent on such fickle luck," Olga said bitterly. "When can you attempt a revival of Kadoc or Ophelia?"

"…This afternoon," Roman said.

"Good. Attempt to revive Kadoc first," Olga said. "I don't want to sound callous, but Kadoc, for all his Rayshift and Master aptitude, is less valuable than a powerful Magus with a Jewel-rank Mystic Eye. But…I do not want him to die. Do everything in your power to preserve his life, even if that means refreezing him."

"Understood, though for his sake, I hope we can revive him on the first go. Refreezing someone who has just come out of cryostasis, even magecraft-enhanced cryostasis, won't be any better for his health than the injuries he suffered."

"I know. But we need to try…"

Harry was standing with the Arturias, Habetrot, Scathach and Xu Fu near the Rayshift Coffin, Roman on stand-by nearby. To give the former King Solomon his due, when a medical emergency happened, he managed to suppress his usual panic. Then again, he'd worked with Doctors Without Borders for years prior to being recruited by his former Master, and had performed surgery in warzones.

Harry was ready with a Command Seal. If it worked, it could potentially boost Avalon's healing ability. Even now, Arturia Pendragon held the Noble Phantasm in question, a wedge of gold and blue, a thing of beauty.

The Rayshift Coffin rose, and Da Vinci and Mash began reciting vital statistics, all declining, Harry promptly using a Command Seal. The moment the coffin's door slid open, Arturia Pendragon was there, thrusting the sheathe into the form of Kadoc Zemlupus, the enchanted wedge of metal sinking into his body, no, into his very soul. After a few tense seconds, they heard Da Vinci say, "Vitals are improving. In fact…wow. Avalon's doing quite good work. I don't think we'll need the other Servants for this, but remain on standby, just in case."

"How long is it taking to heal him?" Harry asked.

"He should be fully healed in a few hours, but it's better than most healing magics in terms of quality. No scar tissue, no ill effects or energy drain."

Roman then moved forward, and then peered at Kadoc, the grey-haired young Polish Magus still unconscious. After a quick examination, he nodded. "I think he's stable enough to move to the infirmary. Da Vinci?"

"Yes, I agree, but carefully…"

A few hours later, once Kadoc was healed most of the way, they took Avalon back, setting Habetrot to look after him. The process was repeated on Ophelia, the German Magus snatched back from the brink of death. Soon, she was joining Kadoc in the infirmary.

However, they were kept sedated for now. Even with the miraculous healing powers of Avalon and the healing magic used by the Servants and Hermione, they needed their rest after being defrosted from cryostasis and then healed. Roman also needed to have their conditions monitored.

The next morning, it was decided that Harry and Barghest, as the de facto leaders of the Master team, were to greet the two revived Magi when Roman roused them. So was Mash. And the first to stir was Kadoc.

"Ugh, co do kurwy?" Kadoc muttered in Polish as his eyes fluttered open. On seeing Harry, Barghest, and Mash, Kadoc seemed to have questions in his eyes. But eventually, he groaned. "Something went wrong, didn't it? I can tell by the looks on your faces."

"Very badly wrong," Mash agreed. "We'll wait until Ophelia is awake before we explain the situation. But how are you feeling?"

"Better than I thought I would. Still feel like something the cat dragged in and pissed all over," Kadoc muttered.

Ophelia then began muttering softly in German, before her sole visible eye, the other one covered by the eyepatch/Mystic Eye Killer, opened. The young woman with light brown hair looked to them. "…What happened?"

"What do you think?" Kadoc said. "Things went to shit. Anyone else awake out of Team A?"

"Hinako, and that's it. Beryl Gut's life-support failed, but the others are in cryostasis," Harry said. "Anyway, here's the story…"

Kadoc and Ophelia listened, sitting up gingerly in bed. After they heard the story, Kadoc slumped back into bed. "Fucking figures. That Willy Wonka lookalike Lynor turns out to be a Demon Pillar from the Ars Goetia, tried to bomb the shit out of us, and we miss out on two Singularities."

"There's still at least six left, Kadoc, and honestly, don't complain about surviving," Harry retorted.

"No, no…you're right. Sorry. I just…wanted to prove myself, that's all," Kadoc muttered.

Roman, who had been hovering nearby, chided gently, "Kadoc, you're still recovering. We're still not sure whether you'll be ready in time for the next Singularity, and those haven't been walks in the park so far. I'll need to make sure your magic circuits are working before you can even do your initial summoning with FATE. The same goes for you, Ophelia, and I have to ensure your Mystic Eye isn't damaged."

Ophelia nodded morosely. "Still, at least we're alive. I was conscious when it happened. I remember the pain, and then oblivion. I thought it would be my death. Magi must walk hand in hand with death, yes, but it being caused by another? Is Olga alright? I know that she and Professor Lynor were close."

"She took it hard, Ophelia, but she's coping," Mash said. "I suppose that sums up a lot of what we're doing at the moment: coping."

Ophelia shot Mash a wan but theoretically reassuring smile. "But the sights you must've seen already, Mash…many of them would be dark and bloodstained, and yet, I am sure there would have been many wonderful things."

Mash nodded, though Harry saw that her own smile was a touch shaky. Fuyuki was bad enough, but France was even worse in terms of outright bloodshed. The gentle artificial human, while still a willing warrior, was still disturbed by what she saw, Harry knew, as were they all.

Barghest then spoke up. "Kadoc, Ophelia…aside from Hinako, you are the only active members of Team A as of this moment. Beryl Gut is deceased, while Wodime, Pepe, and Daybit remain in cryostasis. We'll try to revive them in the future, but using Avalon, while it improved your chances of survival, still entailed some risk, even with Harry using Command Seals to boost its potency."

Kadoc grimaced. "Remind me to thank King Arthur once we've got an opportunity. Hell, I need to thank the Director for agreeing to revive Ophelia and me, even though…I'm the runt of the Team A litter."

They wanted to retort, but they were interrupted by Ophelia. "Kadoc, stop doing that to yourself," she said. "You were still handpicked for Team A, and not out of pity. Sometimes, I feel like Lord Marisbury chose me for this, and this alone!" She pointed to her eyepatch, and the Mystic Eye underneath it. "This Mystic Eye was the result of my parents' research into creating it…and years upon years of painful experimentation. Hermione spoke to me about it, about what they did to me, and not just to my eye. She helped me realise that the standard Magus mentality is toxic and twisted. Do not misunderstand me, I am proud of this eye, of my parents' skill and ability, and of my own. But closing yourself off to the pain of others in search of achievement and glory…that's just callousness and cruelty." She turned her cycloptic gaze to Mash. "It's like what Marisbury did to you. Engineered Demi-Servant vessel or not, the way they treated you in that summoning experiment…"

"Yeah…it was pretty fucked up," Kadoc said grimly, before chuckling. "And to think that noob Olga tossed out for falling asleep during her briefing helped you become a Servant. How're you holding up, Mash?"

"…As well as I can, under the circumstances," Mash said. "Harry, Hermione, Barghest and Melusine warned me, but…while it's been an adventure, we've seen a lot, just in these two Singularities." Her violet eyes became morose and haunted. "It'd be too much to hope that we do not see more atrocities in the coming Singularities."

"And as a Demi-Servant, you're also basically a child soldier," Kadoc muttered. "Like I said, that's pretty fucked-up. But the newbie, Fujimaru…he treats you well?"

Mash nodded. "Senpai is more than my Master. He is my friend, first and foremost, and a comrade."

Kadoc scoffed, but there was a sardonic but fond smile on his lips. Ophelia then asked, rather tentatively, "Mash…are we friends? I mean, I tried to reach out to you before, but…"

"Umm, we were not quite friends before, Ophelia…but we can be if you like," Mash said.

Ophelia smiled, albeit shakily, but genuinely. "…Danke schön," she said in German. "Sorry, Hermione tried to encourage me to do so, but…I couldn't do it right, not before…before the bombs."

Mash, after a moment, gently hugged the German Magus. "It's okay, Ophelia. We'll try…"

CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Kadoc and Ophelia have been revived, and have been brought up to speed.

I have to wonder, with all kinds of Servants with all kinds of healing abilities and NPs, why the fuck wasn't Team A revived sooner? Yes, I get they were critically injured, or else dead, but again, Servants with healing abilities and NPs.

There's so many ways to explain that away, of course, but just as easily so many ways to correct that. For this story, I've begun the process of rectifying it. Avalon seemed like the best way to start as a key part of the healing process. It seems slow, but remember, Shirou took several hours to heal after nearly getting bisected by Heracles in Fate/Stay Night.

I chose Kadoc and Ophelia for a number of reasons. They're the most sympathetic of the Crypters, aside from maybe Pepe, and Pepe, I'll need to be very careful about writing, lest I make him a mincing parody of himself. Beryl's a psychopath, Daybit is too alien for humanity's good, and Wodime is a naïve idealistic fuckwit who thinks genocide is a great first step to evolving humanity into gods.

Kadoc, however, is basically a bitter and cynical version of Ritsuka and Shirou, a crappy Magus who had the potential to do well in the Grand Order if he was given a chance. I don't really like him as a character, especially in the first Lostbelt, but the potential is most definitely there. Ophelia, on the other hand, while a consummate Magus in many regards, had a shitty life (Fate: Hammer Time illustrates this very well, extrapolating from the game and showing the Phamrsolones' callous cruelty in experimenting on their own daughter), and genuinely wanted friends, and her loyalty to Wodime, while grossly misplaced, was understandable. I wanted to show what they'd be like if they were on the good guys' side from the beginning.

Next chapter, we get to see the summonings for our new Masters.

Review-answering time! The Disquieting One: I know, right? It pissed me off something fierce with Fragments of Chaldea, given the antics of Kiyohime and Penthesilea in particular. And I hear that about Souls and Singularities. I loved that fic, but began to hate the way the Ashen One acted, starting from Okeanos, where his extremely judgemental nature and antipathy towards Drake's hedonism (and showing that he despised pleasure of any kind for its own sake) rubbed me the wrong way. And then, he tried to kill his Master during London, which also turned Priscilla into a fucking villain. With all due respect to the author Mundatorem, who could write extremely well, I felt that was the point where the fic lost my interest and enjoyment. I dropped it then and there.

waytodawn0: Sadly, it was Shirou who decided to show Arturia the film in this timeline.

Skull Flame: Yeah, I didn't know the name, I just knew of the execution method. As for feeling disquiet at Kiyohime being booted out of Chaldea, just deal with it. She won't be the only Servant or even the only Berserker to be subjected to this treatment in this story. After a quick review, for example, I know that Lu Bu is also tentatively on the exclusion list.

No numbered annotations this time.