September 28, 2017
Suspended in the middle of Chaldea's command room, the little world of CHALDEAS burned, a scale model of the planet soaked in gasoline and touched with a match. Watching it, Ritsuka thought he could hear a quiet furnace roar: the sound of the end of the world, as heard from a great distance. The churning patterns of orange and red on its surface were almost hypnotic.
When he blinked, the orb was its a cool blue-and-white wireframe Earth, just like it had been for the last couple of months. Just like it had been when he sat down. He blinked again, then looked away, unnerved.
In the seat next to him, Mash asked, "Are you all right, Senpai?"
RItsuka nodded carefully, not wanting to talk about what he'd been thinking, or seeing. "Yeah, just… vertigo. Feels like I'm going to fall in. And…" He didn't want to complete the thought.
From the sober look on Mash's face, he didn't have to. She'd been there, too. "I know what you mean." She briefly closed her eyes. "I miss her."
"I… didn't really know her well enough," Ritsuka said diplomatically. Olga-Marie Animusphere had been tough to get along with, but he'd only known her for the two worst days of their lives. Hoping that the wound wasn't still too raw, he asked. "Were you two close?"
"Not really. I'd met her years ago, but… Olga was a hard person to get to know. And I wasn't very good at doing that. Maybe if I'd known how, I could have been friends with her. She had a good heart."
The door hissed open, and Dr. Roman hurried in, prodding at a tablet while gnawing on some sort of breakfast bagel held in his mouth. Gulping down a bite, he awkwardly juggled the sandwich, tablet, and stylus before managing to get the stylus tucked behind his ear. "Hey, you two."
Ritsuka smirked. "Class, stand!" He and Mash rose out of their briefing chairs in unison. "Bow! Sit!" By the time they finished and sat back down, Mash was suppressing a giggle.
"Ha ha, very funny," Roman gave him a mock glare. "Have it your way. How are my two little homeroom students this morning?"
"I'm feeling well, Doctor." Mash's voice was quiet but cheerful.
"I'm kinda sore," Ritsuka admitted, rubbing an arm.
"Physical training again this morning, I see. Is Leonidas working you hard?"
"I don't think that guy has any other settings." Short of burning a Command Seal, Ritsuka didn't think he could get out of it. The King of Sparta wouldn't even have to use force; his rousing speeches always made Ritsuka feel bewilderingly motivated.
Roman chuckled like someone who wasn't going to get dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn to do a hundred squats. "What's on your agenda for today, Ritsuka?"
"Uh… After this, Medea's going over some magecraft with me… bounded something something?" Mash mouthed a few words at him. "Uh, bounded field theory. I don't expect her to put up with my dumb questions for more than an hour, though. I also need to finalize the roster for tomorrow's Rayshift."
Roman nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. If that's all, meet me at the summoning chamber after Medea's lesson and we'll see if we can call up some reinforcements." Roman swiped at the tablet, not waiting to see Ritsuka's nod. "Final briefing is tomorrow morning, with the Rayshift at noon. Once you've decided on your team, get some simulator time with them this afternoon. And get some rest tonight." His face fell as he swiped again. "Ugh, I need to sort out the observation room rotation before tonight, too. Don't wait for me at lunch, I suppose."
"I'll bring you something from the cafeteria, Director," Mash said, making a note.
Roman gave her a grateful look. "Would you? That'd be great."
As Roman went on about training and the latest information on what they were calling the Okeanos Singularity, Ritsuka took a deep breath, let it out, and dug up a smile from deep inside. Overwork, legend-wrangling, and holding off bad memories with good company: just another day in the Chaldea Security Organization.
The gem-pommeled dagger clinked fitfully as it dropped onto Mash's enormous shield where it sat in the center of the ritual circle. Last time they'd received a magically-charged model of an ancient Greek ship, and before that some kind of pendant. No heroes of legend, though.
"Maybe there's a traffic jam on the 'threefold road from the Crown to the Kingdom', whatever that is," Ritsuka grumbled. He'd recited the incantation hundreds of times by now, and he still had no idea what that meant.
"I don't think it works that way, Senpai, but it would explain the results." Mash collected the dagger, frowning as she turned it in her hands. She stowed it on a rack to the side with the other conjured odds and ends; da Vinci would break them down later.
Of all the magecraft Chaldea had on display, the Servant summoning ritual felt the most magical to Ritsuka. It had a sense of pattern and symbolism to it, but after as many times as he'd recited the words, it remained mysterious in its specifics, something to be grasped with the heart more than the mind. It made the summoning chamber's modern trappings feel out of place, rather than the other way around.
Still, two dozen tries with no Servants was disheartening, and he was starting to get the sunburn-on-the-inside feeling of strained Magic Circuits. "Okay, next one's the last one, or I'll still be hurting when we shift tomorrow," he told Roman, rolling his shoulders as if physical activity would ease spiritual aches. Experience had shown that if he didn't say anything, Roman would keep him going for 'just one more try' until the reagents ran dry.
From off to the side. Dr. Roman gave a thumbs-up. "That sounds fine, Ritsuka. One more try, then, and we'll hope it's a good one." Experience had shown that Servants tended to be put off by Roman at first, so Ritsuka and Mash made sure to be the faces to greet new arrivals. Da Vinci, of course, showed up or not as she saw fit. Ritsuka half suspected she lurked around in spirit form and just didn't show herself if there wasn't a properly dramatic moment for her entrance.
"Okay, here goes." Standing in front of the circle, Ritsuka raised his right hand and took a moment to settle himself. Calling a hero back from the dead to save the world deserved a little gravitas no matter how repetitive the ritual got. He concentrated on keeping his voice firm as he started the ritual again.
"Let silver and iron be the origin.
Let the stars and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let Finis Chaldea be the banner to which I give tribute..."
He continued through the opening stanzas about open gates and threefold paths, as the ritual circle with the inset shield lit up like a beacon. Golden motes drifted up like dandelion puffs from the outer ring. He focused on being as steady and sure as he could as he reached the offering of the contract.
"Here is my pact:
My will creates your body,
And your sword creates my destiny.
If you heed the Grail's call,
And abide by my will and purpose,
Then answer me."
A heartbeat later, the ritual circle flared golden, brighter than any of the other attempts today, until he could feel the waves of power on his skin. Finally! Somewhere more distant than the other side of the planet, someone had heard him and answered. He forged on, heartened by the success.
"Here is my oath:
I shall uphold all the good of the world.
I shall stand against all the world's evil."
There were bound to be consequences for making that promise so many times. He'd accepted that a while ago. One more wasn't going to change anything, and at least he'd have one more hero to help with it if this worked. As he went on, the air in the room felt electric with anticipation, as if the world held its breath to see which of its favorite children would appear.
"Thou seven heavens,
Clad in the three Words of Power,
From the circle which guards the World,
Come forth, guardian of the balance!"
Heat surged through his Magic Circuits, a painful, scorching rush through his sense of self, starting from his dim sense of Chaldea's reactor and ending at the ritual circle. He fought to keep himself steady. The flow suddenly stopped as the circle of golden light before him rippled outwards, then surged in and up to swirl above Mash's shield like a whirlwind, crackling with power. Lightheaded and sore, Ritsuka lowered his hand and waited, letting the sunburned feeling in his Magic Circuits ease.
As the whirl of lights dispersed, someone stepped out of it, taking in her surroundings with a confident glance. She looked roughly his age and height, with sharp blue eyes under heavy brows, and long black hair held to the side with a feathered clasp. Where he could place it at all, her outfit seemed archaic: an open white coat with billowing detached sleeves over a sleeveless black shirt, and what he could only describe as hakama shorts under armored tassets. A long tachi hung at her waist in a furred scabbard, and she wore tall geta on her feet, complete with feathered thongs. A black, winged courtier's cap perched decoratively atop her head.
As the motes of gold drifted away, the girl's eyes stopped on his Command Seals, and she drew herself up in front of him with an intense, serious expression. "Ushiwakamaru, arriving as requested! As a samurai, I shall serve you with my whole heart." She dropped quickly into a deep bow, but popped back up almost immediately, full of barely-contained energy.
At the name, Ritsuka's eyes went wide, and a small voice in his head started making mildly giddy noises. Stop that, you idiot, this is no time for fanboying! It paid to put his best foot forward with new Servants. Besides, did he really want to embarrass himself in front of a childhood hero?
"Uh… I accept your service, Ushiwakamaru," he replied, as confidently as he could. She smiled proudly and looked as if she was trying to stand even straighter, if that was possible. Relaxing a little, he went on. "I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka, a Master for the Chaldea Security Organization. This is Mash Kyrielight, who's a Servant and also a staff member, and this is Dr. Romani Archaman, our Acting Director." Ritsuka and Mash bowed; Dr. Roman nodded and waved. "Thank you for answering our call. We're still recovering from an attack a few months ago, and Chaldea's not in great shape, so I hope you'll bear with us."
"Of course, my lord! I shall help in any way that I can." Her eyes shifted to the side. "Although… I am a warrior, not a doctor or craftsman. I will be of more use to you if you still have foes which need defeating."
"Oh," Ritsuka said with a wry chuckle, "we aren't going to run out of those anytime soon."
"Then my lord may count upon me to help that day come quickly!" Her confident little grin was infectious, and as tired as he was, Ritsuka found himself grinning back.
Ritual magic was harder work than it looked. The ache in Ritsuka's circuits faded slowly as he leaned against the wall, listening to Roman explain Chaldea's situation while he sorted through his new Servant's capabilities in the weird mental projection da Vinci called the 'Master's Perspective'. Mash chimed in with details she thought Roman was forgetting, and Ushiwakamaru nodded along seriously, making "Mm!" and "Hm!" sounds to show she was absorbing the information.
Weird to think he'd summoned his childhood hero. Usually, after summoning a Servant, he'd spend some time with Mash going over their history and stories, but in this case he already knew them by heart. Hopefully that would help him avoid putting his foot in his mouth.
Born in the middle of the 12th century, Ushiwakamaru was the youngest child of the Minamoto Clan head, fostered by her father's killer, the head of the rival Taira Clan. At the age of ten, she was exiled to Kurama Temple, where she was called 'Shana-O' in honor of the temple's great statue of Roshana Buddha. Instead of taking monastic vows, she took up the sword, calling herself and training under the monk-swordmaster Kiichi Hogen, who may or may not have been the King of the Tengu. In her teens, she left the temple to wander, with a tendency to leave bands of outlaws dead in her wake. Twice, she defeated the equally-legendary warrior monk Musashibou Benkei, who swore himself to her service.
At sixteen, she took the adult name of Yoshitsune, and a few years later swore her service to her elder half-brother Yoritomo, the new clan head. For the six years of the Genpei War, she led her brother's armies to victory after victory. She defeated her brothers' rivals in the Minamoto, and eventually, she crushed the Taira Clan utterly at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. This effectively gave uncontested control of the nation to Yoritomo, who promptly reduced the Emperor to a figurehead and founded the first Shogunate with himself at the head.
For her loyal service, her brother had her exiled, persecuted, and hunted across the length of Japan. Five years later, Benkei and her last few followers died holding off an army fifty times their size as she committed seppuku . When her assailants brought back her head to Yoritomo, he refused to allow it into his capital. His sister's exile, he ruled, would persist even in death.
Ritsuka wasn't going to mention that bit unless he absolutely had to.
"...And that's about the size of it. We've dealt with two out of seven of them so far, and tomorrow we're sending Ritsuka off to the third one," Roman finished. Ritsuka noted the erstwhile Director of Chaldea was getting better at summing up their troubles every time he had to explain it to the newest Servant.
"I hope I will be allowed to accompany him, then." She turned to Ritsuka, eyes bright. "You'll take me with you, won't you, my lord? I understand you have other Servants, but please give me the chance to show you what I can do." She seemed very earnest, and very intent.
"Uh…" Ritsuka didn't want to play favorites, but he had literally waved a stick around like a sword and pretended to be her when he was a kid. He did want to see what she could do, and if her Noble Phantasm was based on her exploits in a sea battle... "I'll sort it out this afternoon, but I think that could work."
"We'll have to hurry to boost your Spirit Origin if that's what he decides. I'll make a note to… no, you know what? Figuring out whether we've got enough on hand is up to your Master, I've got enough on my plate already," Roman said, waving a hand as if to ward off any more duties. "Anyway, do you have any questions about the mess we're in?"
She turned back to him, shaking her head. "It seems clear enough to me, Lord Romani."
Roman recoiled. "No noble titles, please! That gave me a chill. I'm just Doctor Roman, or Acting Director if you really have to. Anyway, no questions? Good. Wait, does that mean we're done early? I might actually be able to eat lunch! That would be -" Romani's tablet let out a series of beeps. "- too much to ask for," he finished, slumping. "Right, I've got to go organize da Vinci's requisitions from the essence stores or she'll come and haul me away by the ear righ t when I'm about to take my first bite... Mash, Ritsuka, make sure to get lunch. If I can't enjoy Emiya's cooking, at least somebody ought to."
"I really will bring you something, Doctor!" Mash called after Roman as he hurried out, muttering about his schedule.
Ritsuka pushed himself off of the wall. "You really don't have any questions, Ushiwakamaru? I mean… hell, I still do."
Ushiwakamaru tilted her head, thinking, then straightened up with a smile. "I understand the what and where, and that is enough. The how and why may be beyond me, but for the rest, all I need to know is what you'd have me do. Set me a task, my lord, and I shall accomplish it."
"Most of the time it really is that straightforward." Mash nodded. "Da Vinci can usually be relied on to figure out the technical parts, and Senpai is quite good with orders in the field."
"Anybody's orders would look good with a bunch of superheroes carrying them out." Ritsuka's stomach rumbled. He glanced down at it. "But, right now my orders are…" He pointed to the door. "Let's go eat."
"Ha! A welcome command indeed, my lord!" Ushiwakamaru pivoted and strode toward the door, before stopping short. "Wait, I don't actually need to eat. Is it all right if I waste resources like that?" Despite her obvious effort, she sounded caught between responsibility and hunger.
"It's fine, we've got plenty for now. I wouldn't feel okay eating if you had to just watch," Ritsuka said. "Servants are people too."
Mash made a worried face. "I can't imagine what would happen if we told the Servants they couldn't eat, especially not with Emiya cooking."
"That's one way to get the bad ending," Ritsuka said, shooing them out the door.
Author's Notes:
I haven't seen the Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia anime, but I did like the idea that Ushi was Ritsuka's childhood hero, so I ran with it.
I considered rationales for keeping Ushiwakamaru's canonical outfit like 'the Throne of Heroes is an awful tailor' or 'Kiichi Hogen taught her wrong as a joke in retaliation for stealing the Six Secret Teachings', or even 'Ushi doesn't give a damn what people think', but for a story trying to take Ushi fairly seriously, it seemed better to change it. I didn't want to have to do a dance around it, or have a scene about it.
The full, official version of Chaldea's name is Human Order Preservation Organization Finis Chaldea. I presume they're usually just called the 'Chaldea Security Organization' because it sounds better on a mundane UN budget chart.
'Genji' (源氏) and 'Minamoto' (源) both refer to the same Clan. I tend to use 'Genji' when talking about them as a storied bloodline and 'Minamoto' when talking about them as a practical family/political unit. That's just me, though; I have no idea how authentic that is.
The theme for this chapter is 'Alone Together', by Fall Out Boy.
And I said, I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
This is the road to ruin, and we're starting at the end