Changes to potshots:
Weak pokemon moves no longer get empowered to affect stronger opponents.
They succeed or fail based on the opponent, their skills, their legends and/or if Twitch's camera is attacked by the opponent before the attack finishes executing.
____________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, in Chaldea
The control room was silent.
Not due to it being unoccupied. Even after most of them died in the explosions set off by Lev, the command room was never empty, especially during missions when Ritsuka and Mash rayshifted into the singularities.
No, the room was silent because of what just transpired in front of their eyes.
Finally, one of the operators spoke up, "What was that?"
A loud slurp of coffee answered that question, which drew the staff attention towards Romani.
The doctor finished his slurp and let out a sigh that smelled not just of roasted beans and relief, but also exhaustion due to the false Jeanne D'Arc's ambush nearly ending their campaign early. "Hmm, it would seem that Ritsuka's audience just grew some teeth and can now attack using Pokémon moves."
The operator who asked that question blinked, not expecting to get such a detailed response. Seeing his question answered, he simply shook his head and focused on reviewing the data readings in his console.
"The energy signature from those "moves" shows similarities to the unknown energy previously detected in Ritsuka Fujimaru's body in earlier scans. The same energy which originates from the other world. Still… regardless of its origin, it's surprising that the attacks worked at all given its output and that Fafnir is a True Dragon with extremely high levels of magical resistance." The operator said, still perplexed by the phenomenon.
"True… but Fafnir is also a dragon that embodies Greed, one of the seven deadly sins. So it's possible the Abrahamic imagery was a reason it worked at all. Or maybe I was wrong and Fairies are effective against dragons. Heck, for all we know, France itself empowers kissing attacks to work on dragons! But honestly? I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth." And Romani meant it. He didn't care what kind of tricks Ritsuka and his chat pulled out of their hat, so long as they helped with the mission to save humanity.
"Gudao-kun has quite the chaotic guardian angels looking out for him, doesn't he?" Da Vinci said in a playful tone but Romani could tell she was barely managing to contain her excitement at seeing an event that looked like it came straight out of the bible.
Chaotic was right.
He had nearly spat out his precious black gold when he saw Dark Jeanne get blasted in the face with a spray of sand, only to be unceremoniously kicked in the back of the head by a giant yellow foot.
Romani recognized the former as sand attack, but the latter move? He honestly had no idea.
The Doctor shook his head, "They aren't out of the woods yet. The berserk Servants are still on their tail," Romani said as he observed Mash and Light Jeanne running as fast as they could.
✦✧✦
A Few Miles from La Charité
Ever since Ritsuka had been a teenager, he always wondered what it would be like to run across a landscape like a ninja.
And he realized that dream would remain just that, a dream. Because reality seemed hellbent on him being carried like a princess everywhere he went.
In fact, he realized he had grown too accustomed to Mash carrying him around like this that he hardly reacted as badly as he did in Fuyuki.
The same could not be said for his fellow damsel in distress.
Isabelle looked pallid, nearly as pale as her rebellious goth not-daughter they had encountered. The sheer speed at which they were travelling was proving too much for a normal person. Still, Jeanne held her mother like she was made of glass, doing her best not to break her by squeezing her too hard or accidentally dropping her on the ground and shattering her into pieces.
Ritsuka felt his guts make a sharp turn to the left, and to his shock, a wall of blood split through the road where Mash had been.
Next, he heard the rapid yet muffled sound of high heels stabbing into dirt.
Then it stopped.
His bones creaked in protest as Mash made a harsh stop.
His body would have gone flying if Mash hadn't tightened her grip on his body.
"Nowhere left to run my delectable little saint." The seductive voice of Carmilla said, not from behind them but rather from the front.
[LemmeSeeUrManager: Fuck she's fast! How can someone be that fast while wearing high heels?!! What's her secret!? ]
[She's a bloodsucking ghost, logic doesn't apply!! ]
Behind them, two sets of footfalls caught Mash and Jeanne's attention.
Vlad and the flamboyant Servant from earlier had caught up, splitting apart to cut off Mash and Jeanne's escape routes.
From a bird's-eye view, the group was trapped inside a triangle of enemies, with the only open path leading back toward La Charité, where Jeanne and Martha presided.
[Dragon's-Iris redeemed Swift]
[Dragon's-Iris: Back you creatures of the night!! Back I say!! ]
Small yellow stars twinkled into existence.
The berserk Servants immediately took notice, bracing themselves as a shower of stars rained down from above.
With unnatural speed, they avoided the first sweep, but the stars didn't relent and soon redirected their course and crashed into the enemy.
The stars exploded like fireworks, and for a brief moment Jeanne and Mash thought they had a chance to escape. But despite the attack's flashiness, it barely did more than sting the Berserkers.
[Yeah, that's about what I expected from a Swift attack. Trash move. ]
[GARcher: At least you guys can fight. The rest of us have to sit back and watch because we don't have the funds to use these features. ]
[Kream: I still can't believe Fafnir got affected by that angel... ]
[Cascu: Best not to think about it too deeply. Just be like me and go with the flow. ]
Vlad the Third glanced at the smoking areas where the stars smashed into him, then slowly raised his gaze to where the camera was. Then he spoke, loud enough for all to hear.
"For a moment, I believed that you were actually a messenger of the Lord that had come to punish us by offering aid to these wanderers, but it would seem I was mistaken."
Vlad's smile became an unsettling grin, showing off his elongated canines to the world. "whoever you are, you are no angel, you are nothing more than a false idol, one has run out of tricks to peddle!!"
His chin fell, and his blood lusted gaze fell upon Mash, who shivered after locking eyes with him.
[We're out of usable moves!!]
[PANIK!! ]
[Mods!! Remove the cooldown!!]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): I can't!! GudakoBot isn't letting me!! ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): That pesky machine is starting to annoy me. Frisk? ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD): Nope. I'm shut out too. ]
[Great. The ONE time we actually get a chance to fight back, and it's already gone! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD): It's ok. Just have faith in our young budding heroes. I'm sure they will find the way. ]
[GoldenKarp: There's no need to fear! For I am here!! ]
[GoldenKarp redeemed Splash.]
The camera moved up and down, but nothing else happened.
"Nowhere left to run now little mice," The Blood countess taunted as she licked her lips in anticipation of the feast that she was about to indulge in.
Jeanne pursed her lips, then looked towards Mash and Ritsuka.
"Please, take my mother and head to safety. I will hold them off as much as I can." The blonde saint said, which earned her several stares of disbelief from her allies and a horrified one from her mother.
Tears ran down Isabelle's cheeks, "Jeannette, please don't. I… I already lost you once… please don't sacrifice yourself again…"
Jeanne looked at her mother, and the smile she gave made it clear that Isabelle's plea was in vain.
"I'm sorry Mother, I truly enjoyed seeing you again. And I will cherish this memory when I return to the Throne. But I have to do this. "
Seeing her daughter's resolve, Isabelle knew she would not be able to talk her out of this decision. With a heavy heart, she didn't put up a fight when her daughter let her go.
[Poor Isabelle, she's been through so much the past few days. ]
[Kream: At least the saint has the decency to inform her loved ones before she goes off to heroically commit suicide. ]
"Oh, how adorable. The little saint thinks her sacrifice is going to be enough to stop Vlad from sinking his teeth into her neck, how naive." The crimson countess cooed with a mocking tone.
[Man, this cocky bitch is pissing me off. ]
[She's so fucking lucky we have so many restrictions placed on us. I'd like to see her keep that smirk on her face when getting a hyper beam to the face. ]
[GymLeaderErika: A solar beam would be a more effective attack in my opinion. ]
[But they are unaffected by sunlight. So it would be pointless. ]
[GymLeaderErika: weak or no, you should never underestimate the power of the sun, especially in high doses. ]
"Chevalier D'Eon, take care of that girl and her Master. Do not let her steal my prize." Carmilla commanded the white-and-blue-clad femboy fencer, who merely nodded.
"Understood." D'Eon pulled out his blade, a beautiful weapon that matched the grace and beauty of its wielder.
The trio of servants closed in on the group, cutting off every avenue of escape.
Mash, realizing she had no way to escape without a fight, put her senpai down and readied her shield, while Jeanne materialized her flagpole.
Suddenly, Vlad stopped in his tracks, as a glint of light caught his eye.
His eyes widened as a speeding projectile cut through the air.
"Ngyaah"
And sliced Carmilla's silky smooth cheek as if it was made of tofu.
The Blood Countess immediately clutched her face, not in pain, but in shock. With trembling hands, she confirmed her greatest fear. Her face had been disfigured.
She glared at the direction the projectile came from, but found no one, then her gaze rapidly followed the trajectory of the projectile until her eyes fell upon a beautiful glass rose that had been firmly planted into the ground.
A gentle set of footprints landing on grass caught the bloody countess's attention.
Berserk Saber let out a gasp, but Carmilla didn't care for it. All she cared about was finding out who would dare disfigure her.
Carmilla's eyes fell on a slender, petite woman who stood between her and her prey.
She wore a crimson outfit reminiscent of an idol's costume. Her dress ended just below her hips, while light-colored thigh-highs bloomed like flower petals around her legs.
Her pink hair, tied into twin-tails, cascaded past her hips.
And the most eye-catching part of her wasn't just her oversized red hat decorated in pink ribbons, but rather her extraordinary beauty, which captivated everyone who laid eyes on her. Even Carmilla herself.
[Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD): Ah, the queen is here. ]
[IliekQTthings: Oh my. The elegance, the cuteness… it's overwhelming! ]
[Her attire kinda reminds me of a shiny Shiitonic. ]
[Beaumains: How uncouth. You shouldn't ever compare a beautiful maiden to shiny excrement!! ]
[You mispelled Shiinotic my guy. Also, she doesn't look like that creepy mushroom at all! ]
[Heart0f6old: Not cool dude. Mods, time this man out for being so crude and insensitive! ]
[But she does!! And I'm a girl you perv! ]
[User has been timed out for 30 seconds ]
[Heart0f6old has been timed out for 2 minutes ]
The captivation only lasted briefly, before Carmilla felt a wave of jealousy sweep over her as she beheld the gorgeous girl in front of her.
"Who are you?" the Blood Countess demanded.
"I'm glad you asked. I am a Hero of Justice who has come to save these maidens from becoming part of your flawed skincare routine!"
Hearing those words Carmilla's veins swelled with blood, causing ugly bulges to appear across her temples, "How dare you!? Who do you think you are that makes you believe you have the right to judge me?!"
"I dare because I care!! And because, unlike you, I don't need to rely on such cruel and frankly disgusting methods to remain beautiful. "
[Blue-TheCHAMP: Hah! She called you ugly!! ]
[GARcher: Oh god, not another one. ]
[Kream: Oh, how they sprout like weeds in a garden, do they not Archer? ]
[GARcher: Yeah, they do. But since they are saving our Master, I'll look the other way, just this once. ]
"Cheh, fine. Your identity matters little to me. You marred my face, so I will use your blood as payment. ALL OF IT. "
The scepter the countess held in her hand glowed, but before she could attack, a voice rang out.
"Wait a moment."
Carmilla glared at Berserk Saber for interrupting her attack.
"You better have a good reason to interrupt me from killing this pest Berserker Saber." The glow in her scepter intensified, but D'Eon didn't bat an eye at the hostile display.
"I do. This woman, I know her identity." The glow vanished and Carmilla hummed at the information, "Fine. I'll let you live… for now. Now tell me who she is."
"Very well," The fair skinned boy's maddened eyes landed on the mysterious young girl, whose smile had turned somber. "So you know my True name. Please forgive me, but I don't believe we have met before?"
"Please do not play with my heart My Queen, you're fully aware of who I am. Don't you?" D'Eon said as he calmly walked towards the newcomer.
"Indeed. I do. It's nice to see you again, Chevalier D'Eon."
The androgynous servant took some steps towards the newcomer, his arm to his chest.
"It has been a while, hasn't it, Marie Antoinette, the Flower of Versailles?"
"No way! Marie Antoinette!!? She was the last queen of France before the French Revolution!! "
[SoniaYampers: Ah right. The French Revolution. I vaguely remember a war that happened in Kalos around the time the Revolution in Gudao's world took place, but for different reasons. ]
[Sycamore_Aug: It was a rare case of a full-scale war with our neighboring regions. Galar was one of the major ones involved, but there were a few others we've lost contact with who also took part in the conflict. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Oh no… Not another Marie. I-I don't think my heart can take it. ]
[Guy_1n_Desert: All we can do is pray this Marie will not meet an early death. ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers(MOD): Well, you're all a bit late for that, given how the main reason why she's here at all is because she got her head cut off. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): Frisk, SHADDAP. You're jinxing us!! ]
Ritsuka furrowed his brows, his brain suddenly bringing a memory to the front of his mind.
"Ah, I think I remember something… something about a Queen Marie who said something about eating cake?"
[Ayo?! ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: If we ever meet, I'll let you eat my cake Gudao. ]
[Hex WTF?!! ]
[Beaumains: What? Why are you guys all being weird, he just said something about that lady eating cake. ]
[ XD ] x156
[Beaumains: ??? ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Do not pay them any mind Gareth, they are just being immature. ]
Hearing this D'Eon's head nearly snapped as he faced Ritsuka, his eyes filled with fury.
"She never said that!" Ritsuka gulped as D'Eon aimed a scathing glare at him, "the quote 'let them eat cake' was propaganda her murderers used to slander her name as someone who never cared for her peasant subjects, when that wasn't the case at all!!!" D'Eon took a step towards him with the intention of stabbing him, but stopped when Mash got between them, her shield ready to smash his face in should he take another step.
"Oh it's alright D'Eon, whether I said it or not, cake is delicious and if that is what my subjects wanted, then I would have gladly offered up my cake for them to eat." Marie added from the sidelines.
[Oh my sides. They hurt! XD ]
[Oh wow, I'm at a loss for words. ]
[ILiekQTthings: Oh Marie, you poor innocent soul. She must be protected at all costs. ]
[Bunny_Aachan: I feel like I am missing some context here. Is cake a dirty word in your pokemon world? ]
[Blue-TheCHAMP: No one tell them, it's funnier that way. ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Aw. ]
[Red: *Ash Staring at Misty Ass emote* ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Oh! So cake means ass then? Haha, that is so random. I love it!! ]
[Blue-TheCHAMP: Dammit Red!! You ruined the joke!! ]
[Red: *Ash victory sign.* ]
D'Eon fixed Ritsuka with a glare that promised violence before turning back to his queen with a happy smile.
[AltariaFloof: S-Scary how he switched between emotions so quickly… ]
[That boy ain't right. ]
[CasCu: Yep. That is madness enhancement for ya. ]
"Well, never mind the dead men behind us, Marie. I came to you with a proposal."
Marie's cheer dimmed, "What do you have in mind?"
The knight suddenly knelt before Marie and took hold of her hand, a move which startled her.
[Woah!! No way is he actually going to propose, now of all times?!! ]
[Hey guys, I thought we were escaping creatures of the night out for our blood, why did the scene suddenly shift into a marriage proposal? ]
[I don't know. ]
[Eon_Red: Hello? Why is the magical box showing me two really pretty humans? ]
"My queen… Please join our cause. Together, we will take revenge against the nation that unjustly murdered you merely for the crime of being bound to the Monarchy with the shackles of political marriage."
The weight of D'Eon's words caused a tense silence that fell on everyone's shoulders.
Marie looked concerned at her knight, who was proposing something outrageous.
[No way… don't tell me… is she going to join him!?]
[AltariaFloof: No!! Don't do it!! I know he's your former chevalier, but please do not fall for his cute femboy wiles!! ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Huh, I just got the strangest sense of Déjà vu. ]
Finally, after a moment, he flashed him a smile, took her other hand and placed it over his. D'Eon took this as her accepting her request.
He felt her pull him up, which he did.
He stared into her eyes once more, and this time he was confused. Then, what she said next, broke his heart.
"I'm sorry, D'Eon, but I will never turn my back on France."
"My Queen-"
A horse whinny cut off his next words, he turned and saw a glass horse facing away from him.
"Gaahah!! " The air left his lungs as the glass horse delivered a kick straight into his chest.
D'Eon's petite body flew backward in the same direction where Vlad III stood.
The Wallachian king scoffed and swat the incoming femboy away as if he were a mere house fly.
"Kyaa!!" D'Eon rolled across the ground, white clothes now stained with dirt and chlorophyll.
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Fuck yeah!! She rejected him!! ]
[Well, it's safe to call her an ally then. ]
[Dragon's-Iris: And in goes Vlad with the assist!!! ]
[I<3HorsePKMN: That crystal horsey kicked him! Horray!! ]
[Eon_Red: ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵) ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Oh wait! I remember, this is the exact same scenario that happened with Gareth and King Arthur, but in reverse!! ]
[Beaumains: Woah, no way! You're right! ∑( °Д°) ]
The Wallachian King looked down at the chevalier like he would a filthy beggar on the street. "You let your past blind you and let your guard down like a fool. You only have yourself to blame for this. "
D'Eon staggered up from the ground, his heart and chest bruised by the sting of rejection.
"Ah… such rejection… it hurts… my queen… why?!"
"Oh give it a rest you twink. You're wasting our time." She turned to gaze at Marie once more, a playful smirk on her face, "But color me surprised, I never expected Marie Antoinette of all people to use such underhanded tactics. Unfortunately, I am not a naive idiot, so you won't be able to take me down so easily."
Carmilla's scepter flared up, "I'm going to enjoy bleeding you dry, girl."
Despite the chilling words from the Blood Countess, Marie wasn't afraid. Instead, she cupped her ears and she looked behind her, "I suggest you all do the same or else you might lose your hearing!"
Ritsuka tilted his head and looked at Mash, who gave a shrug of her shoulders.
Then they heard it.
A high-pitched noise electrified the air, exciting the gas molecules with enough energy to rival a concert full of adoring idol fans.
Ritsuka saw Carmilla open her mouth to scream, but the sound was drowned out into silence by the shriek of noise slamming into her.
The sound waves turned physical, and travelled through Carmilla's fair skin, momentarily disfiguring her face before being lifted off her feet and pushed away by the sheer force of the attack.
The sound drove a sharp nail that easily pierced through his flesh-and-bone hand before penetrating his eardrums.
Even Jeanne and Mash were not immune from the unexpected sonic weapon that had been unleashed upon their enemy, and clutched their ears in pain.
[AAAAAAAAHH!!! MY EARS!!! ]
[SO MUCH PAIN!! ]
[Eon_Red: Why are you guys freaking out? ]
[DragonMasterLance: Wait, you can't hear that?! ]
[Eon_Red: If you mean that pretty voice, then yes, I can hear it. ]
[IliekQTthings: PRETTY? PRETTY?!!! THAT HORRID SOUND IS NOT PRETTY AT ALL, IT'S AS UGLY AS LEV HIMSELF!! ]
[Eon_Red: That's not very nice. Also, who is Lev? ]
[RIP headphone users. ]
A young girl with fiery pink twin-tails landed where Carmilla once stood before she was blasted away by her attack.
Ritsuka's eyes widened as he took in the unexpected sight of a girl dressed in a cyber Gothic Loli dress that left part of her legs, chest, her upper arms and shoulders exposed. She was also wearing detached white sleeves and a matching set of white boots with a tall, red spike coming out of them.
After meeting Chiyome, Astolfo and Martha, he had gotten used to seeing such outrageous outfits, but he was not expecting to see the two curved, uneven horns jutting out of the sides of the servants head!
Then there was the tail.
The inhuman, lizard-like tail which was naturally swaying in the air.
[That servant has a tail, and a set of horns. ]
[Yeah she does. ]
[She's also only covering her chest with belts and straps. ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Forget her chest, can you feel it?! Her raw, untamed power!!? She's a dragon!! ]
[DragonMasterLance: A real life dragon girl, I never thought I'd see the day. ]
[Eon_Red: oooh a human dragon! Her dress is pretty like her voice! Is she like my friend May? ]
[@ Eon_Red How are we supposed to know? ]
Carmilla lifted herself up from the ground, her face contorted into something feral as she bared her teeth at the newcomer. "You!"
The petite girl just gave the woman a toothy grin, "Yes, it's me!! The beloved, much cuter and younger super idol, Elizabeth Bathory!"
[What did she say?!! My ears are still ringing!!]
[Eon_Red: She said her name was Elizabeth Bathory. ]
[Elizabeth Bathory?!! As in, the same as that vampire in front of her?!! ]
[Eon_Red: I don't know. You asked me, and I told you her name was Elizabeth Bathory. I don't know the mean old lady's name. ]
[So her and Carmilla are like Light Jeanne and Dark Jeanne. What a coincidence. ]
[She also said she was an idol. ]
[AltariaFloof: A SUPER idol, whatever that means. ]
[Ruptured ears aside, these new people don't seem hostile. ]
"You say that now, you little whelp. But you know as well as I do that you can't escape the inevitable," the older woman said, a cruel and manic sneer etched on her face.
The young girl gave her older counterpart confident smirk, "Watch me, you old bag."
Carmilla grit her teeth at the insult and lunged at her younger counterpart.
"Do it now, Marie's little Piggy!!" Eli shouted at the top of her lungs.
"No need to yell, you screeching harpie!" A handsome man with long, blonde locks of hair said as he landed protectively near Marie.
The man wore an extravagant outfit that overwhelmed the eyes with how flashy it was.
The man was pointing a conductor's baton high in the air, then he spoke his next words with authority, "Requiem for Death!!"
A familiar tune graced everyone's ears, one filled with disembodied voices and violins. It was a tune which Ritsuka could have sworn he had heard before, but forgot the name of.
The song carried an intense weight that pressed down on the berserkers' bodies.
"This pressure… a Noble Phantasm!" Vlad said while struggling to move.
Carmilla wasn't faring much better as the pressure forced her body to fall on the ground.
She tried to get up, but her body refused to move.
Seeing the servants restrained, Marie beckoned her crystal horse to come to her side with a gesture.
The crystalline horse trotted to her side, and after getting a gentle pat on its neck from Marie, a gorgeous glass carriage materialized behind it.
[Eon_Red: Ooo Shiny… ]
"As much as I would have loved to meet The Dragon Witch face to face, I am afraid we will have to be on our way." The glass doors of the carriage opened and Marie carefully stepped inside, followed by the flashy gentleman and the younger Elizabeth Bathory.
Marie saw the group she had rescued eye the carriage warily. Understanding their lack of trust, she smiled to ease their worries and lightly patted the seat beside her.
"Come, come, we have plenty of room for everyone!! Oh, but do hurry, Amadeus's noble phantasm will only be in effect for a bit longer."
Jeanne looked back at the enemy servants, who were still struggling to move and made her choice.
"Come mother, let's take you to safety." She told her mother as she gently, but firmly guided her into the glass carriage.
Seeing Jeanne climb aboard, Mash quickly followed suit.
Once they were inside, Marie closed the glass door shut. Then the carriage did something miraculous.
It floated high into the air.
[Junior_Researcher: IMPOSSIBRU!! ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Very possibru Researcher guy. ]
[Wide_OpenSky-la: I don't care if it makes sense or not. All that matters is that it can fly!! (˃ᴗ˂) ]
However, before they could leave, the loud roar of a dragon echoed in the distance.
The sound jogged Marie's memory, and she suddenly stood up, and opened one of the doors.
"Oh! And D'Eon, when you get back to your Master, tell her that as a Queen, I am going to bring her to her knees and make her heart and body mine!!"
The defeated femboy gaped at his Queen's outrageous declaration, "What?!"
However, he wasn't alone, as everyone but her companions said the same thing.
"Girl's love?" Ritsuka blurted out, which only made his kohai's blush burn a brighter shade of red.
Marie looked over her shoulder to Jeanne and winked, "don't be jealous Jeanne D'Arc, I intend to do the same to you."
"Ehh?!" Jeanne gave out a squeak, while her mother just made the sign of a cross, her face blushing as red as her daughter.
[Wide_OpenSky-la: Uwah! We thought she was just an innocent girl, but she was really after Jeanne's chastity all along!! ]
[Oh nooo!! ]
[Heart0f6old: Better to be trapped in a carriage with a gorgeous beauty who wants to do yuri things with you than to have your blood drained by a sick pervert with a blood fetish.]
The queen looked down at their enemies one last time before waving at them.
"Well, that's all I had to say, Vive La France!!"
The door slammed shut once more and the carriage flew into the distance, leaving behind the frustrated vampires and the crossdresser behind.
✦✧✦
"What a pathetic sight, "The Dragon Witch said as she loomed over her kneeling servants, disappointment painted on her face.
She and Martha hadn't even needed to do much to rein in Fafnir; the True Dragon had come to his senses mere moments after the wanderers and her weaker self escaped.
To say he was furious was an understatement.
If it wasn't for her restraining him, Fafnir would have flown after the enemy to slaughter them. She was tempted, oh so tempted, to let him do that, but she didn't know if the angel would come back and make Fafnir act like a drunk again.
So she entrusted her servants to hunt their prey down and rip them apart.
A task which they had failed miserably.
When she saw the glass carriage floating in the sky, she had decided she waited long enough. She ordered Fafnir to stay behind while she and Martha ran towards the location where she sensed her servants.
Which was how she found them all disgracefully playing in the dirt like they were children.
"Hmph. Says the woman who got pelted in the face with sand and drop-kicked into the dirt."
The Dragon Witch's eyes locked onto the kneeling form of Vlad the impaler, her disappointment quickly turning into a cold fury. She strode towards the kneeling man, who stiffened at her approach.
The back of her hand glowed with an ominous red, and another command seal disappeared, but Jeanne didn't care, she had plenty due to her status as a Ruler Class servant and even if she ran out, she was sure Gilles could always grant her more if she asked.
"Vlad, by my command seal, get in a dogeza pose. Now. "
Vlad convulsed as the command seal took hold of his body and forced his other knee to touch the ground, alongside his forehead.
"Y-you bitch..." He grunted out as his body tried and failed to break hold of her command seal's power.
She stared at his prone form for a moment, before she lifted her high-heeled shoe over the King of Wallachia. Her exposed thigh tensed, and she used the stored power in her leg to stomp the rebellious servant in the head akin to crushing a bug under her foot.
"Ngh…" Vlad grunted in pain as his Master's sadistic heel dug into his scalp.
"Don't get cocky with me, Dracula. I am your Master, and I won't take that kind of attitude from you, especially after you failed to complete your objective so miserably."
She drilled her heel into his cranium for emphasis, causing Vlad to let out another grunt of pain.
"I-I-My apologies Master. I spoke out of turn."
Dark Jeanne, hearing his apology, scoffed then lifted her foot off the Wallachian's head, much to his relief.
"So? What excuse do you all have for me to justify your failure?"
"The wanderers and the sad excuse for a saint were saved at the last minute by a group of stray servants." The voice of Carmilla spoke up, drawing dark Jeanne's narrowed gaze. She let out a snort when she saw the wide smile on her face, likely due to the punishment Vlad had been inflicted earlier.
"Identities?" She demanded in a curt tone, and once again, a different servant, this time Chevalier D'Eon, answered her demand. "The owner of the glass carriage you saw was Marie Antoinette, the Queen I swore loyalty to in life during the French Revolution."
She gave the French knight a raised brow, "Oh? A fellow victim of France's cruelty?
Interesting. Did you attempt to recruit her?"
"Yes, I did." The feminine boy clenched his fist in anger, not aimed at his Master but at someone else, "but it would seem my Queen has been led astray and still sees France as redeemable."
That news soured the Ruler's already shitty mood.
"Also…" D'Eon seemed to hesitate as he gave his report, but he reluctantly decided to continue, "she said that she was going to bring you to your knees and make your body and heart hers. "
The Dragon Witch's brows touched her forehead in shock, a light blush cloloring her cheeks before it all came crashing down into a furious scowl, "What the hell does she mean by that!?"
D'Eon blushed and bowed deeper, "Apologies Master. At times, the inner workings of My Queen's mind are an enigma. I am merely relaying her words to you."
"Cheh, what an annoying woman." Dark Jeanne spat out.
"There is more. It would seem that childish Queen has also recruited the help of one Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and…" Carmilla grit her teeth as she recalled the memory she was using in her report, "a younger, more naive version of myself, one who foolishly believes herself to be a super idol. "
The Ruler furrowed her brows at the information before she let out a sigh, "great. Just great. It sounds to me like you all got duped by a travelling band of jesters."
"They were no mere jesters Master! They-" Carmilla yelped as her Master's form blurred and got mere inches from her face. She was so close she could smell the brimstone wafting from her skin.
"Shut up. I don't want to hear your excuses anymore."
The woman pursed her lips in anger, but did not say another word.
The Dragon Witch leaned away from the Bloody Countess and tilted her head over her shoulder toward Saint Martha, the only one who hadn't failed her, and the only one who wasn't kneeling.
"Go after them. Use your mount to reach them and observe. Keep a look-out for more divine interference and inform me about it."
Martha held her Master's eyes for a moment, before she nodded to confirm her orders had been received, "Understood."
The Saint calmly walked past the kneeling servants, but didn't offer any words of comfort, or encouragement.
But what she did do, was utter a single word.
"Tarasque."
The empty space next to Martha was abruptly filled by a mountain of scales, claws, teeth and flesh.
The legendary dragon Tarasque, the dragon who terrorized France in the 1st century, had come home once again.
Saint Martha crouched and jumped on top of her dragon's back.
The dragon felt its rider on his back and let out a concerned growl.
Martha smiled at the dragon and affectionately patted his shell.
"I am fine, you big lug. Now come on, we have a mission to do."
Tarasque let out a gruff noise, sank his claws into the ground, and launched himself in the direction Martha pointed.
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New chatters:
Eon_Red = Latias, the Eon Pokemon. She just barely joined chat. She's never used the internet before, so Twitch is helping her express herself without the need for her to type.
GoldenKarp = A man who has dedicated his life to all things Magikarp.
AN: It's such a shame that Jalter intimidated her servants into silence and sent Martha off to find Chaldea before they could get a chance to tell her that the interference wasn't divine at all.
Oops?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll see you next week.