Singularity Orleans, 1431
Deep breath in, and out.
The air tasted sweet, free of pollutants that had contaminated the atmosphere of post industrial Earth.
As expected of 15th century France.
Despite the fact that Ritsuka knew he was only a soul at the moment, everything still felt real.
The sunlight was bright and warm, which is a feeling he hadn't experienced in weeks due to being confined in a base that was under constant snowfall.
His eyes noticed a dark gray, concave shape over his forehead.
Ritsuka grabbed the tip of what he now knew was a baseball cap and pulled it off his head. He inspected the gray hat and noticed the fancy Chaldea symbol in the center.
While he inspected the hat, his eyes caught a glimpse of the sturdy dark gray shoes on his feet. Putting his hat back on his head, he kept inspecting his outfit and to his relief, the tight bodysuit that made his butt look huge was now replaced with comfortable, breathable cargo pants and a gray jacket with more pockets than he knew what to do with, and all of them were over a black undershirt.
Unlike him, Chat's camera was able to get a good view of his new clothing.
[Wow. You look like a proper Pokémon trainer, Gudao. All you're missing is a backpack and a Pokémon belt at your hip.]
[Da Vinci did an amazing job of reworking the clothes Gudao received through the summoning. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Aw, it's a shame he couldn't keep that skintight rayshift suit, but even if I can't properly admire his assets anymore, he still looks handsome in them. ]
[I disagree. I'd argue dressing up in clothes that match the historical era is more important to help him blend in. However, I'd much rather he wear muted colors than bright white clothing. He can't really afford to advertise himself as a target for his enemies to aim their attacks at. ]
"Rayshift complete. No abnormalities on my end. How about you, senpai?"
Ritsuka was taken out of his admiration for his clothing by his kohai Mash. She still wore the same purple knight armor she wore when she transformed into a servant. Though in the past he would have considered its design to be erotic, he now saw it as rather tame when he compared it to Astolfo's bikini armor.
"I'm fine Mash, thanks for asking. I was just taking a moment to look at the mystic code Da Vinci made for me." Ritsuka paused when he saw a fluff of white pop out from over Mash's shoulder.
"Looks like Fou is in good health as well." Ritsuka said with a deadpan stare aimed straight at the small creature, who cared little for his disapproval as he simply responded with a loud,"Fou!", which startled Mash.
"Fou!!? You tagged along too?!"
"Not surprising considering he did the same in Fuyuki." Ritsuka said as he stared at the little guy, who was currently grooming himself without a care for where he was or what was at stake.
[I don't see what the big deal is. He is allowed to roam the halls of Chaldea as he pleases. That includes the inside of the coffins. ]
[Hey, maybe Fou is a fairy type. Perhaps they can use him to sweep the dragons in the area?]
[And put the little guy in more danger?!! Heck no! ]
[Just_N: Why is that Pokémon only saying the word "Fou"?]
[IliekQTthings: Because, he's Fou. That's his name. That's what all Pokémon sound like silly. ]
[Just_N: That's not possible. I have the power to speak to Pokémon, and I can even interpret animal languages. So it threw me off guard hearing a pokemon just call out its name like that. ]
[LMAO, get a load of this guy. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): oh, so it wasn't just me then. I always just assumed Fou's species had a special dialect I couldn't understand. ]
[Hool4hHoops: The multiverse is a vast place, you can't really expect all Pokémon to speak the same languages, even if you can speak fluent Pokémon. ]
"Well, not much we can do about it. He was able to keep himself safe last time he tagged along, so it should be fine." Ritsuka eventually said, "now let's contact Chaldea and report.
Ritsuka tapped a few buttons on his wristband communicator and immediately after, a holographic square floated in the air. The video was filled with a lot of static interference, but Romani's voice was still clear enough to understand.
""We have visuals and sound. It's a bit subpar, but it's something. Anyway, glad to see you two rayshifted safely. Anyway, we've confirmed the time axis you are on. Welcome to 1431 France. Hmm, it would seem you are near a forest between Vaucouleurs and Domremy.""
"So that means this singularity does take place during the hundred years war." Mash pointed out.
""Indeed it does. Specifically, it takes place during a moment of respite, where no fighting occurred. They were all waiting for King Charles VII of France to sign a peace treaty with Phillip III. But, if what your chat said is true, then the draconic invasion would cause disruptions during the negotiations. ""
[Still wild that a war lasted that long, even if it wasn't all fighting. ]
[SoniaYampers: Reminder: The British and the French had a more violent rivalry than Kalos and Galar. The lack of powerful Pokémon to keep Earth humanity in check is the reason why their wars lasted that long as they did in their world.]
[CasCu: Hah! You think your magical animals would have been able to stop humans here from waging long, petty wars with each other? No way in hell. Humans on our side won that particular war against phantasmals thousands of years from the modern day for a reason kiddies. Your Pokémon would have been no different. ]
[ (˙◠˙) ] x2831
"" Now then, do you guys remember the mission objectives?""
Both Mash and Ritsuka nodded at the Doctor's words.
After chat had revealed what they could end up facing in this upcoming trial, Romani had to slightly modify the objectives they would need to follow when they first entered the singularity. Rather than blindly search for intel, now they just had to confirm the information chat provided.
If true, then they would have to find the nearest leyline so they could summon Archer and Kriemhild to the singularity as soon as possible. Sure, they could attempt to summon them now, but Romani made it clear that overall, saving energy was Chaldea's top priority. Rayshifting a servant without using a leyline was expensive in terms of money and energy. Chaldea's systems had to remain active at all times. Even a small lapse in power would be disastrous for their delicate systems. So rayshifting servants would just add a risk that could easily be nullified by merely using the local leylines.
After learning that servants can manifest without a master in a singularity, he was also given the objective to seek out Free Servants to help bolster their numbers and take down the dragon witch. This would be a necessity given how far they were from the nearest leyline.
Finally, they had to either take or destroy the grail. It was preferable to take the grail rather than destroy it, but sometimes it could prove more of a hassle than simply destroying it.
""Good. Now that you have your objectives, the best course of action would be to head to civilization. Leaving the forest would be a good option, and although we haven't confirmed the existence of dragons yet, play it safe and keep watch over the skies""
Both Mash and Ritsuka nodded before they both walked away from where they landed. The grass beneath their feet rustled as they walked through the forest.
[Huh. These trees certainly do resemble the ones found in Kalos. ]
[Yep. There are a lot of oak trees around here. Oh, and I also spot some pines in the background! ]
[These forests remind me a lot of the wild areas near Snowbelle City and Route 21. Though it's so bizarre to see such a heavily forested area without seeing the local pokemon populations frolicking in the canopies or the forest floor.]
""By the way, Gudao-kun, how did you like your new outfit?"" The voice of Da Vinci said through the communication device.
Ritsuka took a moment to look at his wristband and said, "It's great. You did an amazing job."
""Glad you enjoyed my hard work. I was inspired by those clothes you received and reverse engineered them while integrating some magecraft into them. Your pockets all have a similar storage ability to that backpack of yours but to a much smaller degree.""
That information brought a smile to his face, he always wanted to have an inventory in real life, and now he had one, albeit limited. But an inventory was an inventory regardless, so he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
""That mystic code is also preloaded with some spells to help you with your journey. Gandr, a healing spell, and an attack boost for your servants."" That was nice. He had seen a Gandr before, and his inner American deeply appreciated the idea of having a finger gun by his side. Shame it would only be able to stun, but he guessed that would be for the best. He was still a bit hesitant to get his own hands dirty that way. He would if he had to, but he wouldn't kill unless all other options were taken from him.
"Senpai, I see the tree line. Brace yourself." Mash said, causing him to come out of his inner monologue and back to the outside world.
Stepping out of the forest, Mash and Ritsuka were met with a vast expanse of grassland and bushels of trees littering the landscape.
[Oh yeah, this is definitely near Route 21, perhaps a bit off route, but I recognize the area. ]
[I caught a scyther around here, well Scizor now. My buddy got me to the semi-finals in the Lumiose Conference. ]
[Seriously, it's a crazy coincidence that Gudao's kidnapping just so happened to get timed perfectly during the time when no league conference is happening. ]
[I suspect viewership will go down once the Ever Grande Conference goes down next month. ]
[I still haven't gotten all my badges that I need to qualify, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. ]
"Senpai!! The sky!! It's-"
Ritsuka was thrown off guard by Mash's urgent voice, but he understood why when he followed Mash's gaze and his jaw fell open at the sight before him.
A massive halo of clouds hung ominously over their heads.
"A sun halo?! But without the sun at its center?!! No… wait… that's a magecraft ritual of some kind."
[Junior_Researcher: Ok, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, that is unnatural. Sun and moon halos happen because their light refracts off ice crystals present in high-altitude cirrus clouds. That halo is literally a vortex of clouds with no apparent light source. ]
[I will say this, despite how ominous it looks, it still looks gorgeous. ]
Some frantic gasps and hurried keyboard typings could be heard in the background. Ritsuka clearly heard Romani's sharp intake of breath as he got the answer to his question, "A magecraft ritual the size of North America that extends from an Orbital Satellite? That's not something that was reported to have occurred in 1431 France, let alone anywhere in the 15th century. It could be related to humanity's incineration but we have to analyze it more on our end."
Romani, seeing Ritsuka and Mash staring at the halo in worry, did his best to reassure them, "Don't worry about it guys, this is something for us egg heads to break our heads over. You focus on your objectives. "
Both young adults nod at that and without wasting more time, they make their trek down the forested hill they emerged from. It didn't take long for them to find a compacted dirt road.
Ritsuka looked to the left, and he saw nothing but open grassland, and to his right was no different. Or so he thought. In the distance, a few figures emerged from the horizon.
As they drew closer, Ritsuka could see it was a group of soldiers escorting a caravan of wagons towards them. He saw a few women and children peeking out from the wagons to see what was happening.
"Look Senpai, some French soldiers, we should go talk to them. " Mash walked away and towards the soldiers. Ritsuka saw no other option but to follow, but he still kept his distance. As soon as she got close enough, the caravan stopped and the raggedy soldiers tensed and it only got worse when Mash opened her mouth to speak.
"Hello there!! We are fellow travelers and we wanted to-"
An asynchronous cacophony of steel blades being unsheathed rang in their ears, as each and every soldier drew their weapons at them.
[Bunny_Aachan: Oooh, Mash shouldn't have said that. ]
[What the- why did they all just draw their weapons for?! ]
[Yep, this is just as I expected. ]
[Those poor bastards have no idea who they are picking a fight with. ]
The soldiers began speaking in a language that he didn't understand.
Ritsuka already knew Japanese and English, and so he thought French would be a good first step to get closer to his audience. He wasn't the best at it, but it was passable, so his audience claimed. Which was why he could tell that this language sounded like French, but wasn't French at all.
[What the heck are they saying?! That isn't Kalosian!! ]
[Sycamore_Aug: actually, they are speaking in Old Kalosian. Oh dear, they appear to believe Mademoiselle Mash is a disciple of the dragon witch sent to kill them. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: it would seem Da Vinci was too busy flirting with my husbando to bother adding a universal translator. ]
[That is a big oof on Da Vinci's part. ]
"Ah, Senpai, it would seem like we are under attack." Mash stated the obvious and Ritsuka responded to it with a deadpan stare.
"Mash, you walked up to a group of stressed and war-worn medieval soldiers and spoke in modern English, which might as well be gibberish to them. Of course, they are going to attack us."
Mash had the decency to blush, "my apologies. I should have greeted them in French."
"It wouldn't have mattered. They aren't speaking normal French either."
Mash's eyes widened in surprise, "you can speak french senpai?"
"Yes. But now's not the time, Mash! We're being attacked!!" Ritsuka told her, which only caused Mash to get flustered even more.
[Dang it Mash. ]
[Wow. You guys fucked up first contact with the locals way too quickly. ]
[Ecruteak_Gal: a common mistake many newbie time travelers make. ]
The group of soldiers stood in formation as they aimed their blades towards them. Despite the language barrier, it was easy to see just how exhausted they were, due to the bags under their bloodshot eyes.
"Graaaaahhh!!"
However, before anyone could make the first move, a guttural screech cut through the thick tension that grew between their groups. All parties turned to face the source of the noise and were shocked to see a small flock of wyverns headed their way.
[Oh shit. The wyverns are here. ]
[Man, that didn't take very long did it? ]
[Is it still too late to run away? ]
[DragonMasterLance: That wyvern has already marked them as prey. The only option left is to fight. ]
[Oh Arc, I can't watch. ]
[TheIcePryce: what unfortunate timing. Without his ranged fighters, it's going to be a struggle to keep those dragons away from the civilians with Mash alone. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Please be safe, Gudao. ]
The soldier's faces were turning pallid, many of them literally shaking in their boots as they saw the enemies coming for them.
"O très Saint Père céleste, Please help us!!" Ritsuka blinked as their language suddenly became understandable for some reason.
But how can he understand them now? A second screech, much louder than before, cut his inner monologue short. He couldn't think about that now, the wyverns were going to attack the caravan and the people inside them. It was time to act, "Mash! Intercept the dragons, protect them!!"
"Yes Master!!" Mash crouched, her legs building up pressure, then launched herself into the sky. The inhuman feat only scared the soldiers more, as they started using the word"witch" more frequently.
Ritsuka took a gamble, and decided to speak in French. Perhaps some words will get through to them so they knew they weren't enemies.
"Truce!! We aren't enemies!! We are here to help fight off those dragons!!"
The frightened soldiers suddenly turned to look at him with suspicion, but the meaty thwack and the pained screech of the wyvern when Mash batted it out of the sky seemed to at least mollify their hostility towards him and Mash.
A rugged looking soldier merely clicked his tongue, "Why didn't you just say so from the start boy?!!"
[Wait!! They can understand each other now?! When did Gudao learn that old kalosian? ]
[Magecraft, it seems we spoke too soon about Da Vinci's lack of foresight to include a universal translator for him. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: She's still a shameless pervert tho. ]
The commander turned to the rest of the troops, "men, get into formation, witch or not, the girl has the flock's attention, protect the wagons with your lives!!"
The soldiers, while still deathly afraid of the situation, swallowed their fear and did as their commanding officer told them to.
Mash, for the most part, was doing her best to keep the dragons at bay. As a human, Mash was unable to fly, however, she did know how to jump good.
And jump good she did, because she easily reached the dragons in the sky, who were shocked to see her reach them so easily.
That lapse in reaction was enough for Mash to swing her shield with everything she had.
*SLIISH*
The blade of her noble phantasm slashed the wyvern's neck, which had softer scales than the top of its hide.
Blood rained down as Mash's shield blade cut open a major blood artery.
The dragon gurgled before strength left its body and dropped head first into the ground.
Dust kicked up as the bulky creature landed on the ground, hard.
The wyvern twitched before it exploded into motes of purplish black light.
[Fairy-Queen-Valerie: one down, a bunch left to go. Good job Mash. ]
[Dragon's-Iris: WAAAHH!!! \(˚☐˚")/ ]
[DRaigHan: Urk, that was brutal. ]
[SurgeOfLightning: it was messy but it was also a quick kill. Mash has a long way to go, but it's nothing a bit of practice won't solve. ]
Mash allowed herself to fall but as soon as she touched the ground, she prepared her body once more and shot herself at the other wyverns.
The wyverns weren't stupid.
They knew this human was not a weak morsel like the ones in the carriages.
This one was strong.
So they played it safe and flew up and away from where Mash's maximum leap range was.
Seeing the girl miss them and go into another free fall, the wyverns fought back.
Their wings stirred the surrounding air, magical energy seeped into the mixture of gasses, morphing the wind into a sharp blade. To the Pokémon viewers, the attack was something that was very reminiscent of the move Air Slash.
A strong flap and the blade shot forward, its ominous whistling serving as the only warning Mash got before impact.
Thankfully, it was enough of a warning for her, as she easily blocked the sharp winds with her shield.
However, due to being in mid air, Mash was unable to stop the force of the blade from pushing her backwards.
Mash grunted as she fell to the ground with a loud bang.
Yet despite the pain from the abrupt fall, Mash persevered and still gave it her all to protect the caravan to the best of her abilities, unfortunately, she was only one person and the wyverns outnumbered her.
The others merely flew around her and dived towards their prize.
✦✧✦
Isabelle POV
"The dragon witch has sent one of her whore disciples to kill us!! Men get ready!!"
Isabelle pursed her lips when she heard the commanding soldier badmouth her daughter. She wanted to protest that accusation, but wisdom won in the end. No matter what she would say, they would only see her as the mother of the witch and would kill her.
That was the entire reason why she was wearing this cloak to begin with. Her life had turned into a living hell as soon as news of her daughter's death reached her ears.
Her poor Jeanette, she should have never gone off to fight in that foolish noble's war. If only she had decided to stay in their village and settled down, or even become a nun, she wouldn't have cared because she at least would have been safe. But the Lord had plans for her Jeannette, plans which led to her sweet Jeannette being burned at the stake on charges of heresy and witchcraft.
The trial was a sham, Jeannette was the most devout girl in all of France, and everyone in Domremy knew it. But after she and her husband were elevated to nobles in the wake of Jeanne's fame for leading the French army to victory against the English, Isabelle knew that politics always found a way to supersede justice.
She prayed for her daughter, begged the Lord that the news were false, but despite her prayers, the rumors proved to be the truth. Her daughter had died, and she and her husband could only grieve for their poor daughter.
Unfortunately, she could not even properly grieve, as rumors of her daughter rising from the ashes and unleashing hell on earth while commanding an army of dragons started spreading.
She didn't believe that woman was her Jeannette. Her Jeannette never had a bad bone in her body. Her daughter would rather sacrifice herself if it meant it was for the sake of the Lord, which she did. She would never do a horrible thing, such as commanding the spawns of Satan to kill innocent followers of the Lord.
Yet the rumors grew in intensity by the day until finally, the reality of the situation hit her and others when Domremy was swarmed by dragons one day. She was one of the lucky few who had fled on the caravans, but her husband, as well as most of the men in her home, stayed behind to keep the dragons busy as they made their escape.
Now here she was, cowering in a corner while covering her hair and face to avoid suspicion. As the mother of Jeannette, her appearance would easily be attributed to her, so for her own safety, she had to keep her head low to avoid being killed.
But she still prayed. Prayed that the rumors were wrong and that the Dragon Witch was just an impostor running around tarnishing her daughter's name, and that she would be brought to justice.
Her prayers were interrupted by the familiar screech that had haunted her and everyone else in the caravan's dreams since they fled Domremy.
A dragon.
And based on the other similar screeches joining in, it wasn't alone.
They had caught up to them.
They were going to die.
She then heard an unfamiliar male voice cry out a command in a language she didn't understand. Then an unknown woman replied, and then a powerful gust of wind blew from the direction where the woman's voice came from.
Isabelle heard a pained screech from a dragon and after a few moments, a thump sound. She blinked in surprise, did something happen to the dragon? It was hard to tell because the wagon walls were blocking her vision, however, since she didn't hear another peep from that dragon that fell down nearby, it was likely dead.
Her ears then picked up the strange voice from before, who now spoke perfect French, calling for a truce to fight off the dragons. The soldiers, like her, now understood his words and accepted his help.
She furrowed her brows.
Did that young man do something to kill the wyvern?
Isabelle's thoughts were once again interrupted by the intense sounds of battle happening outside.
Her ears also caught the prayers uttered by her fellow passengers. Her eyes shifted to them, and many of them trembled from the horrifying sounds of battle from outside.
The loud screeches had proven too much for the sleeping infants, as they all awoke and wailed until their faces turned red. Their mothers did their best to comfort them, but it was difficult for them to do so when a gruesome death loomed over them like a guillotine.
These people were neighbors and friends who were once sympathetic to her misfortune, but now looked at her with fear and suspicion for being the mother of the dragon witch.
Many of them, like her, had not only lost their husbands, but also their brothers and sons to the flock of dragons that had attacked them. A sacrifice that was likely made in vain due to the dragons that had destroyed their home having caught up to them.
Suddenly, Isabelle felt something amiss. The world seemed to have gotten slower, and a feeling of dread built up in her stomach. She felt every part of her soul scream at her to lower her head.
She followed her gut and pushed down a few of her fellow passengers on the wagon floor.
A powerful force rammed into the wagon, cow hide ripping apart and the wood frames splintered.
Everyone in the wagon screamed in fear as the dragon tore open the roof with ease.
She lifted her gaze and she saw one of her neighbors and her babe had gone missing.
Then she heard it.
The crunching of bones.
The anguished cries of a mother, which turned into screams of agony that quickly became pained gurgles.
Then silence.
She didn't know why she did this, but she worked up the courage to look outside the decimated wagon, and her heart sank.
A dragon standing taller than a man and nearly the size horse, ripping apart one of the people she knew since she was a child.
Blood dripped from its demonic jaw, as it consumed the flesh of a devout follower of god whose only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
She felt ill, and her horror grew when the dragon finished off her friend in one final bite before it turned its attention directly at her.
Its empty, soulless eyes stared at her with hatred. A hatred that promised pain and agony when the creature sunk its fangs and claws into her body.
It stalked its body towards them, drool, blood and gore tainting the green grass underneath.
A soldier bravely stepped between the dragon and the wagon. The dragon merely stared at the man and snorted, dismissing him as an unimportant ant.
The soldier charged at the beast, but before he could reach it, the dragon merely moved and its barbed tail slammed into the soldier. The poor soul was launched backwards and slammed into the wagon, which caused Isabelle to fall backwards.
She got up, and thankfully she hadn't broken anything.
Then she heard a loud thump from behind her, and she heard more panicked cries from the people around her.
A shadow fell over her body and her blood ran cold. She looked up and saw another demonic beast staring at her like a wolf did a sheep.
There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
She could smell the rot and death from the maw of the dragon looming over her.
It opened its jaws wide, and she flinched when a slimy drop of saliva landed on her face.
Then the dragon moved, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of the pain that she was about to endure.
But that pain never came as she heard a blunt object hit the dragon above her with a loud thwack.
She opened her eyes, and they widened in surprise when she saw a hooded figure had slammed a metal pole at the beast attempting to eat her.
The dragon let out a painful screech as it was thrown to the side by the force of the attack, away from the wagon.
Another screech of defiance rang in her ears and the second dragon who had devoured her friend and killed the soldier guarding them had sensed the new arrival and with a flap of its wings, unleashed a powerful gust of wind, aimed squarely at them.
The mysterious hooded figure did not hesitate and seemingly vanished before reappearing protectively in front of the attack.
She let out a cry and batted the attack away.
The dragon narrowed its eyes and attempted another flap of its wings, but the figure didn't allow it.
The dragon let out what sounded like a gasp as the metal pole slammed into its stomach.
The beast was staggered and couldn't prevent the figure from snapping its neck in half.
The dragon slumped and dropped to the ground, its bulk shaking the earth.
But rather than its corpse staying behind like a normal animal, the beast turned into a haze of unholy black light, leaving only a fang behind.
She, alongside others, stared in awe of the figure who had just saved their lives.
Isabelle didn't know why, but she felt an odd sense of familiarity when she stared at the figure.
She felt her throat dry up, her eyes widening in surprise.
However, before she could get the person's attention, they moved to intercept more dragons that had their sights on them.
✦✧✦
The battle had barely lasted a few minutes and already, dozens of crows had descended on the scene of tragedy.
Despite everyone's best efforts to ward the creatures off, the little bastards still found a way to pick at the remaining pieces of flesh and blood that the dragons hadn't eaten yet.
Right now, Mash and Ritsuka were playing the role of scarecrows as the soldiers did their best to carry the remains into unmarked graves.
[Geez, even in another world, the Murkrow always arrive to bring their misfortune. ]
[LemmeSeeUrManager: HEY. Don't shit talk the Murkrow!! They play a very important role in the environment! ]
[Like eating carcasses, correct? Like that one who's happily eating the remains of that innocent woman who we saw get ripped to shreds by a wyvern?]
[TheIcePryce: Quiet you. War is an ugly thing, and for good reason. It's obvious to me that you clearly can't handle this kind of brutality. So rather than complain, you should just go do something more productive with your life than finding excuses to spread negative stereotypes about Pokémon. ]
[I think I'm gonna hurl. ]
[Fairy-Queen-Valerie: It is quite a shame that Gudao had to kill those dragons, but it was for the best. They were rabid beasts who didn't hesitate to kill innocent women and children. ]
[Mew_TheSecond: Those wyverns, they truly were too fargone. So much hatred, so much bloodlust. They reminded me more of machines than actual living creatures. ]
[Just_N: I hate that Gudao is killing living creatures like those wyverns, however, even I will admit that those wyverns were too blinded by rage and hatred to be reasoned with. They just kept repeating the same words over and over again. Consume, kill, ravage, destroy and so many other synonyms that I never even heard of. ]
After the final corpse was buried, Mash and Ritsuka joined the people in silent prayer for the fallen.
It only lasted for a short time before Ritsuka decided to take the lead and ask the surviving soldiers some questions.
Apparently, they were refugees on route to Vaucouleurs after Domremy was devastated by a swarm of dragons that were sent by the dragon witch.
Mash's eyes fell to the ground in shame at the reminder of the devastation that happened just a few moments ago.
Despite her hard work, Mash still felt guilt gnawing her conscience when she saw what remained of the caravan.
Before the attack, there were three carriages carrying people, now there were only two left.
Even with the help of the mysterious hooded figure, who disappeared shortly after the battle ended, the wyverns still picked off too many people.
She felt a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder. Her senpai was looking at her with sympathy in his eyes, "it's alright Mash. You did your best."
"He's right, Mash. No matter how much you could have done, you aren't built for ranged battle. It was expected that the enemy would have easily been able to slip past you. "Romani's words were meant to be comforting like a blanket, but to Mash, the fabric was too abrasive to feel any real comfort in them.
"That being said, it would seem like chat's intel was accurate. The Maiden of Orleans has come back to life and launched an all out genocide against France. "
The two young adults slumping in resignation, both of them aware of just what kind of mess they were going to be forced to clean up soon.
"Does that change our objectives in any way?" Ritsuka asked Roman, "Not by much. You all still need to find a leyline to summon Archer and Kriemhild. Then, once you have them on board, we're going to have to switch to guerrilla tactics. We don't have enough fire power to take on an army of wyverns and a dragon by ourselves. For now, however, stick with the caravan, who knows, maybe you'll run into that mysterious servant once again. "
[Gotta say, that person was really cool. They beat up so many wyverns with ease!! ]
[Their sudden arrival was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. If not for them, more people would have died. ]
[Blue-TheCHAMP: Their dynamic entrance reminded me of some scenes from those shonen anime Gudao showed us. So cool! ]
[Shame they left in a hurry before Gudao or Mash had a chance to talk to them. ]
"I didn't even get a chance to thank them for helping us." Mash lamented.
"We'll see them again. They dropped in to help when people were in need, so they can't be a bad person. Plus, something tells me they aren't too far behind."
"I guess you're right, senpai. " Mash said with a sigh.
Meanwhile, the hooded figure was crouched behind a bush. Her eyes were locked onto the two strangers making their way towards the caravan.
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New Chatters:
Fairy-Queen-Valerie = The Fairy Type Gym Leader of Kalos. She was originally from the Johto region but moved due to familial disputes.
Sycamore_Aug = Professor Sycamore of the Kalos Region. He specializes in Mega evolution and due to how deeply connected his field of study is with the history of his region, he also has a healthy understanding of Kalosian history.
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AN: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.