"Alright, we should be far enough away now." Marie told her passengers as she gently guided her glass carriage down to the ground below.
The carriage itself landed with a soft thunk as the wheels touched the green grass below it.
The doors slowly opened by themselves, allowing the passengers to see the outside clearly. A small clearing of grass and french flowers of various types lay before them. The field of green and colorful flowers stretched for around a hundred feet before it came to an end and the forest began.
Everyone inside the carriage stepped out one by one in reverse order from when they entered.
Ritsuka and Mash came into the carriage last, so they exited the carriage first, followed by Jeanne and her mother, and finally, the three stray servants stepped out.
The only exception was Marie, as she had stepped out of her carriage last.
"My Lady." The male stray servant held out his hand to help her out of the carriage. A hand she accepted and she delicately hopped down into the grass with barely a sound.
Seeing all passengers safely outside her carriage, Marie waved her hand and dismissed the carriage and her horse, which faded into motes of light.
[Eon_Red: That beautiful crystal box is gone. Sad. ]
[It's okay, I don't think this will be the last time we see it, especially if Marie joins Chaldea. ]
[MinaPaint: I feel inspired… I have to go paint it before it fades my mind!! ]
[Pft, draw? What an injustice!! Sculpt it!! You'll be doing it a disservice!! ]
[MinaPaint: Hmm, sculpting isn't my usual medium, but I guess I can give it a shot. Thank you for the advice stranger from the internet! ]
"I hope you don't mind, but I brought us close to this leyline so I can refill my magical energy. It has been running low recently and I don't have a Master to help sustain me." Marie told the group with an apologetic tone, but Jeanne shook her head.
"There is no need to worry, Your Majesté. You've done more than enough for us." Jeanne told the Queen. Suddenly, Jeanne noticed a shift in the atmosphere and noticed Marie was looking at her with her arms crossed,
"Is something the matter?" Jeanne asked her nervously, unsure of why the queen was suddenly upset with her.
"Yes there is! I am so angry at myself." She pointed a finger at Jeanne, "We've just met and I have forgotten to properly introduce myself!!"
The young girl put her hands behind her back and leaned forward.
"My True name is Marie Antoinette, and I am a Rider Class servant and Queen of France, but I insist you call me Marie."
[Don't we already know who she is? The pretty boy from earlier told us her identity and how she was a Queen who was killed in the French revolution. ]
[That wasn't a proper introduction, that was an improper one given to her by an enemy. She needs to do one based on her own terms. ]
[I dunno, seems like a waste of time to me. ]
[Sycamore_Aug: Hmm… I don't know why, but I feel like I have seen her before… I might need to go review some historical portraits just to be sure. ]
"It is an honor to meet you… your Mages-" Jeanne tried to say but Marie didn't let her finish that sentence.
"Ehem." The Queen once again stared at the Saint with a cute pout, displeased at Jeanne's formal addressal.
Seeing the Queen's stubborn attitude, Jeanne did as was told and addressed her as Marie wanted her to do, "...Marie. Although it would seem everyone here already knows who I am, I would also like to properly introduce myself. My name is Jeanne D'Arc. I manifested as a Ruler Class servant, although I am currently weaker than I should be due to my unusual summoning. "
She made a gesture towards her mother, who was looking at her like she had grown a second head, "and this is my mother, Isabelle Romee."
Isabelle looked like she had a thousand questions to ask but after Jeanne introduced her to a royal, she was now obligated to follow her daughter's lead and introduce herself.
Isabelle was aware of Charles the seventh's wife being Marie d'Anjou and her having a few daughters named Marie, but she had never heard of an Antoinette before.
Even so, this Marie Antoinette had an air about her that screamed royalty. So Isabelle did the only thing a lady of lower status could do, she gave the queen a curtsy. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesté. And I am eternally in your debt for your aid in our rescue."
Hearing her words caused Marie to pout, "Oh come on. Not you too! Just please call me Marie! Your Majesté is just so dull, and boring!"
If that is what you wish for your Mag-Madam Marie."
Marie's doll-like features drooped when she heard the mother fumble before managing to catch herself before she could use the formal title. Hearing the older woman call her madame just made the young queen sigh, "close enough I suppose."
She pointed her gaze towards Amadeus expectantly. After a moment, the man blinked in surprise before pointing a finger to himself.
"Yes Amadeus, I mean you. Introduce yourself." She said while pointing a finger at him like he was a misbehaving child.
"Revealing one's true name during a grail war is quite risky, but seeing as Marie set the example, It would be uncouth of me to not do the same." He gave the group a light bow, "my True name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It might not mean much to Madame Romeé given how I haven't been born as of yet… but by the looks on your faces, you all seem to know of me. "
Mozart was of course referring to Mash and Ritsuka who were staring at Mozart with surprise and awe.
"Ah yes, we have heard of you before. It would be impossible for a modern person to not know who you are." Mash answered the composer, who seemed jubilant at the news of his popularity.
[Little does he know he is also well known in our world too. ]
[Beaumains: Really? Was there a Mozart in your world too? ]
[Duchess-Diantha: Gudao was kind enough to share Mozart's music with us but coincidently, We had a gentleman of similar origins that went by the name of John Theodore. He wrote a lot of classical tunes and played them for the Kalosian Royal court alongside his beloved Kriketune. ]
[Beaumains: Oh I see… what's a kriketune? ]
[VioletViola: it's a 1 meter tall red bipedal cricket-like bug type with long limbs that it uses to produce sounds. Oh and the species has a glorious mustache!! ]
[Beaumains: A giant bearded cricket… that sounds kind of creepy… ]
[VioletViola: It's not creepy, it's cute! And it plays some beautiful melodies!! ]
[Beaumains: if you say so… ]
"Quite so. Although I am curious how two people of the modern age have found themselves in 1431 France." The composer asked in a tone that was both curious but also suspicious.
"That is kind of a long story." Ritsuka told the man, scratching an itch of nervousness on his cheek.
Mozart was going to respond, but stopped when the other girl in his group interrupted him.
"Stories can wait!! You still need to meet the star of the show!!" The red haired dragon girl struck an idol pose, "Behold, I am the cute super idol Elizabeth Bathory!!"
[AltariaFloof: Again, what is a Super Idol?! What does she mean by it!? And how can she be one when she clearly can't sing?! ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Well, she has super powers, and she's an idol. So logically it makes sense she would call herself a SUPER IDOL. ]
[Heart0f6old: Does it matter? She's a cute dragon girl. your opinion is invalid. ]
[DragonMasterLance: Agreed. Regardless of her ability to sing, It doesn't matter at all. ]
[Eon_Red: Why are people so mean to her!!? Liz has a very pretty voice!!! (◣_◢) ]
Elizabeth saw the worried expressions on the group's faces and quickly dismissed their concerns. "And before you ask, yes I am the same blood countess that serves as the Dragon Witch's subordinate but before she became a complete bitch." The young girl crossed her arms defiantly, "If you are worried that I will turn on you then perish the thought!! I refuse to become a bloodsucking, bath dwelling hag like her and instead have chosen the path of becoming an idol!"
[MalasadaMayhem: Based. ]
[Heart0f6old: It's a shame though, her older self was rather hot, but I support Liz's decision to follow her heart. ]
[I wonder what Carmilla would look like wearing Liz's outfit. ]
[Heart0f6old: Artists, MAKE IT HAPPEN!! ]
Mash and Ritsuka's expressions calmed now that they understood what Elizabeth was about. Jeanne was much the same, but the only one who wasn't calm was Jeanne's mother who kept staring at the young girl in fear, or more specifically, her horns and tail.
But her worries went unaddressed as Mash introduced herself before she could say a word.
"Hello, nice to meet you all, I'm Mash Kirielight, a Shielder Demi-servant."
"Oooh, a shielder class, and a demi-servant? How exotic!!" Marie said while coming really close to Mash's personal space. This invasion of her personal space caused Mash to lose her nerve and began to stutter as she gestured towards her senpai.
"A-and t-this is my Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru. I call him my senpai."
All eyes landed on Ritsuka, some like Amadeus and Marie were smiling at the new face, while others like Jeanne and Elizabeth were neutral and disinterested respectively. However, the one gaze that made him the most nervous was Isabelle, who was looking at him with disappointment.
Ritsuka felt her judging gaze on him and gulped. He made a mental note to tell Mash to stop introducing him as her "Master," when normal people were around.
Ritsuka was never one to make good intros, his chat could attest to that but this was real life. First impressions matter and he needed to make it count!
The young man looked at all the stray servants, his eyes focused on Marie's blue eyes and without thinking he lifted his chin and said, "'wassup homes?"
And as quickly as the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted them. The looks of confusion only made Ritsuka's blood pressure grow higher with every beat of silence.
[Gudao: Ah fuck me. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Yes daddy!! ]
[Gudao: No Hex!! That's not what I meant! I used discrete chat by accident!! ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: (˙◠˙) ]
[Gible_Archeologist: "Wassup homes?" Really Gudao? ]
[__Red__: *Laughing pikachu emote* ]
[Gudao giving us a lesson in how NOT to greet people of the past. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Meh it's not a big deal, Gudao has proven time and time again that first impressions mean nothing to him. He always manages to get people to warm up to him no matter how bad he messes up the first interaction. ]
Ritsuka felt his heart beat louder as Marie approached him. However, to his relief, the queen didn't seem to find his greeting offensive. Rather, she looked absolutely fascinated by it.
"Oh!! That was an interesting greeting. I've never heard anything like it! Let me try too!!"
Marie cleared her throat and using her best impression of a man, she repeated the greeting back at him," Wassup my homies!?"
Mozart lifted his brows in surprise hearing Marie speak those words. Jeanne and Isabelle looked puzzled, while Elizabeth visibly cringed at the words.
Marie furrowed her brows, "huh, it didn't sound that good when I said it. Am I doing something wrong?"
[xD] x268
[No, no it was perfect Marie! Please say it again!]
[Hey Gudao, can we keep her!? PLZ. I will give you all the bits!! ]
[Hearing a historical figure use modern slang was not on my bucket list, yet here I am. ]
[She's not some abandoned baby pokemon in a cardboard box. She's her own person, but do ask her politely if she would like to form a contract with you. ]
[PsychicMoostache clipped "Thug Life Queen" into Gudao's clips channel. ]
Mash pinched the bridge of her nose, "Senpai please refrain from teaching historical figures weird modern american slang."
Ritsuka winced before slumping, "Sorry, Mash. I panicked and it was the first thing that came to mind."
Suddenly, Marie's eyes shot up to her head in surprise at Mash's words, "Wait… American?! By any chance do you two hail from Benjamin's budding nation?!" Marie's interest suddenly peaked as she stared at the two with sparkles in her eyes.
Ritsuka cleared his throat, "I am, she's not. And by Benjamin, you mean Benjamin Franklin? You knew him?!"
"Yes I did! The man was a beloved and respected figure in France when I was queen. He even appeared before our court as a welcomed guest. "
"Woah… " To say that Ritsuka was amazed was an understatement. He was a big fan of Benjamin Franklin and his contributions to science and American history. Though now after meeting Marie did he realize his weakness in world history as a subject,as well as the bias of the American education system had closed off part of the life of someone he greatly respected.
And he wasn't the only one, chat was buzzing in excitement at the news.
[Ho-Crap, Marie knew Ben Franklin? The guy on the $100 bill?! ]
[MagnetKing: Please, Doctor Franklin was more than just the guy on the highest bank note, he was the man who proved lightning and electricity were one and the same!! He also coined the various terms used to describe electricity like Negative, Positive and many other electricity related words!! ]
[Mighty1Oak: A great man this Benjamin Franklin was. And a man with many great proverbs. I lamented the fact that this man had been dead for centuries, but now that we have met someone who knew him personally, we might just get a chance to meet him!! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´ ]
[MagnetKing: Not just him either, Gudao has been given a golden opportunity to meet every great mind in Earth humanity's history!! ]
[If he survives long enough to meet them that is. ]
[Shuush you!! We are having a happy moment here!! Don't ruin it for us! ]
"Ah yes, Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of America, and he was the ambassador to France around that time. So it makes sense he would have met Marie Antoinette." And of course, Mash continued to be more well versed in history than he was. Not that he minded since he enjoyed hearing her lectures in history 100 times more than any his high school history teachers.
"Hmm, yes I remember him as well. He was the man who invented that heavenly instrument made of delicate glass plates, the Glass Harmonica. I had quite the joyous time composing The Adagio and Rondo, K. 617 for it. Unfortunately, his contributions to music and science often overshadow how much of an unrepentant playboy he was. The man charmed nearly every French woman he met. "
His smile strained, "even my beloved Marie."
"Well, unlike you, Mozart, he wasn't human trash who disregarded the feelings of others. He also wasn't a piano-brained pervert. In fact, he was a very good listener who cared about the woes of us ladies of the court," Marie retorted with a level of brutality that caught everyone, aside from Elizabeth and Mozart, off guard.
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Woah there! What's with the sudden hostility Marie?! ]
[Yeah, what did monsieur Mozart do to deserve such treatment?! ]
[Oof, Mozart got rejected harder than the femboy earlier, and that guy got a literal kick to the chest by a horse! ]
Despite the cruelty in her words, Mozart did not seem to mind them. In fact, he actually seemed… happy?
"Oh Marie, your harsh words wound my heart but at the same time…. they make it flutter." The man said while smiling like he was a lovestruck maiden.
[Bro wtf? ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: I can see why Marie called him human trash now. (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ ) ]
[Now now guys, we shouldn't kink shame people. ]
[Huh, so Mozart was a masochist. Who knew? ]
[MashuMellows: Mozart was well known to write many inappropriate pieces that involved crude themes like toilet humor. So it's no surprise that Marie Antoinette would find him to be a pervert. ]
[Ew. ]
[That sounds awesome lol. I hope we get to hear a performance from the man himself. ]
"Um, as much as I find this historical trip down memory lane, I think we are all getting a bit sidetracked. " Romani suddenly called out from the communicator in Ritsuka's wrist, which drew everyone's eyes towards him.
"Oh? Who is this?" Marie asked the wristband Ritsuka was wearing.
"My name is Dr. Romani Archaman. I am the Director of Chaldea from the year 2015. " The Doctor told them matter of factly.
"Oh? Chaldea you say? And what are your intentions towards France?" Marie asked with a tilt of her head, though the tone in her voice was now leaking authority. Romani noticed this shift in tone but he didn't seem bothered by it and explained the situation to the group.
"We are here to save it from the anomaly that is the Dragon Witch. It is why Ritsuka and Mash are there in the first place. They were sent to restore human history back to normal. "
Hearing the Doctor's words, Jeanne entered the conversation, "Now it makes sense why we were all summoned by the grail. The Dragon Witch used the grail to summon servants to disrupt the history of France and the grail's failsafe summoned us to combat her summons."
[JennyPD-16528: So the righteous Jeanne was summoned to combat evil Jeanne(official name still pending), while queen Marie was summoned to deal with her former knight, the idol Eli against the washed up hag Carmilla, and Mozart… well Mozart… Why is he here? ]
[Maybe he has to deal with Vlad or Martha? ]
[No, Jeanne was sent probably to deal with both D-Jeanne and Martha. ]
[That doesn't seem fair. Jeanne is now level 1 and her dark self is level 100. How can she possibly handle her AND Martha?! ]
[Well, not Martha specifically, because she is a noncombatant, but rather her pokemon, Tarasque. ]
[Dragon's-Iris: I am conflicted. I don't want to see the group getting hurt but I also really wanna see what Tarasque looks like!! ]
[DragonMasterLance: Careful what you wish for Iris, I made a similar wish and it turned out poorly for Gudao and Chaldea. ]
[Dragon's-Iris: It can't be that bad can it? ]
"The problem is that France isn't the only place and time affected. This is only our second stop. We have 6 more singularities across spacetime that we have to visit and do resolve. All of them facing their own dilemmas and apocalyptic events, many of them likely worse than the Dragon Witch. "
Hearing this news caused the group to fall silent. The very idea that what was happening to France was happening elsewhere was highly concerning to them.
Even Isabelle herself, as clueless and lost as she was, knew that what the mysterious voice was speaking about was grave. She could hardly imagine what horrors could be worse than what the Dragon Witch had done, but she kept quiet and continued to listen.
"Hmm, it sounds to me like you sent an inexperienced Master/servant duo to their deaths. Forgive me if I overstep, but shouldn't you have sent a team of experienced Masters and servants to help? You clearly have the technology to talk across spacetime, so I am assuming that you have enough resources to do so." Mozart said with a bit of disapproval in his voice. Not that he cared for the newcomers but rather at what he perceived was the reckless choice of saviours Chaldea had chosen to save human history.
"Yes. We did, unfortunately we were sabotaged by someone from the inside. "
"But who would want to sabotage saving humanity's future?" Marie asked with concern, clearly distressed by the bad news. She cared for France and her home of Austria but they didn't live in a bubble. If someone threatened to destroy humanity, that included everyone she knew and loved in both countries and abroad.
"It came from someone who we believed we could trust. The man who later revealed himself to be a Demon. Lev Lainur Flauros. "
And just like that, the remaining good cheer had dissipated and instead, a cold chill fell on everyone.
[I'll be honest, it still fills me with dread that a powerful being like Flauros is only one of 72 enemies that Gudao will have to deal with. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Regardless of his power, I will not rest until Lev faces justice. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): How is Sabrina doing btw? ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD):... she is doing fine. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): That's good to hear at least. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): yeah… ]
Isabelle took a glance at Elizabeth but looked away in fear when the girl caught her staring.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the woman, but said nothing as she focused her attention back to the unknown piggy's words.
"A lesser Key of Solomon… are you positive?" Jeanne asked, her tone much more serious and fearful than earlier.
"Unfortunately yes. He was quite proud to state his true identity right before he dropped our previous director into a black hole. "
Ritsuka suddenly felt a small ball of fur rub itself on his neck. He looked to his side and saw Fou nuzzling his neck, in an effort that looked like he was comforting him. He was confused why it did so until he realized he had been clenching his hand into a fist rather hard.
He relaxed his fingers and brought his aching hand up and petted the little guy as thanks for comforting him.
Jeanne meanwhile winced when she realized she had accidentally reminded the man of a tragic event. "I apologize if my question brought up horrible memories."
"No it's alright, it's my fault for bringing the topic up. Anyways, to answer your question Mozart, that is why we sent an inexperienced Master to resolve these singularities, because he is literally the only human left who can. Which means if he dies… "
"Then humanity is doomed. How concerning." Mozart said while holding his chin in a thinker pose, his mind now aware of just how bleak the situation is.
"I know it isn't my place to speak here."
All eyes turned to Isabelle, but the gazes didn't bother her and she continued, "but if demons are responsible for all the evil that has befallen our country of France and the world, then we should have nothing to fear! Because the Lord made it clearly obvious that he is on our side when he sent one of his angels to aid us so that we could make our escape from the Dragon Witch."
And just like that, the bleak mood brightened with the intensity of a flash bang grenade inside a pitch black room.
The topic of the angel brought a smile to Marie's face.
"That's right!! I can't believe I forgot about that!! Truth be told, I was ready to jump in when those vampires were going to attack you at once, but the angel beat us to it. Not that I am complaining, seeing that small cherub kiss the mean dragon into submission is now a memory that is permanently etched into my soul."
Marie suddenly got taken by surprise as Jeanne, for the first time since they met, got close to the queen's own personal space, which made the Queen's heart skip a beat.
Jeanne was too caught up in the moment to notice as she spoke enthusiastically about the events that transpired earlier with stars in her eyes, "It was truly miraculous!! I have heard voices from the Lord multiple times but I never dreamed I would be blessed enough to actually witness one of his messengers descend from heaven!!"
Isabelle proceeded to put her hands together in a prayer pose, "it was as if Saint Michael himself came from the skies and cast the devil back to the earth!! How can we fear the demon's wrath if we have the Lord's blessings?"
"I will admit, I was entranced by it. It's not everyday you see such a tiny thing render the legendary Fafnir to such a state and with a mere kiss no less. How very odd…" Amadeus chipped in from the side, but he wasn't looking at the trio of women, instead his gaze was set on Ritsuka, who gave the composer a shaky smile.
[*whistles innocently* yep, it was totally an angel. Don't pay the interdimensional floating camera any mind. It was all an angel. ]
[Guy_1n_Desert: I feel ashamed. To deceive a group of pious followers of a God, even if it isn't my own… the shackles of guilt placed upon my soul are heavy. ]
[MagnetKing: They're going to find out sooner or later. The sooner we dispel their beliefs, the lesser the pain of heartbreak it shall be. ]
[VampHaterCIEL: While I agree with MagnetKing, I am conflicted. Fooling believers of the Lord with a lie of this magnitude is a sin, but at the same time, that act was still made in the image of one of His messengers and has brought hope to that woman's weary soul. I certainly don't wish to burden her further after all she has already suffered. How frustrating!! ]
[Here's an idea, let's just not tell them!! In fact, hey mods, disable TTS!! ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): Hm, and why should I? ]
[Come on Frisk, don't you feel bad bursting their bubble? It's better for them to live in ignorance!! ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): alright, permission granted. ]
[TTS feature has been disabled. ]
[Yeah!!! ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): Well, in the end, it's up to Gudao whether he wants to say anything or not. But you all have to remember that as soon as he makes a temporary contract with these stray servants, they WILL see us and Gudao will be the one who has to deal with the fallout. ]
[Dammit Frisk why do you make such great points?! ]
Suddenly he felt Mash attempting to initiate communication through their Master/Servant link. He accepted it, and his Kohai's voice filled his mind.
'Senpai, should we tell them that wasn't a real angel?'
'I think it wouldn't hurt if we kept that bit to ourselves for now. We should first focus on getting to the leyline and bringing Kriemhield and Archer over.'
'What about Madame Isabelle?'
'We reached a point of no return on that front the moment that Dark Jeanne showed up. While we could have someone hypnotize her into forgetting, she's already knee deep in the mud and will continue sinking the longer she travels with us.'
A moment of silence passed before Mash spoke, her words drenched in disappointment, 'I see… that is a shame.'
'The biggest obstacle in our way as of this moment is explaining the concept of streaming to a 15th century peasant.'
Ritsuka felt an ache growing in his temples. Should he use analogies? Or should he just play it straight? He honestly needed time to think, time which was running out the longer he let this lie by omission fester.
A clearing of the throat interrupted their mental conversation, and the duo suddenly found themselves the center of attention.
"Amadeus!! You ruined the moment!" Marie chastised Amadeus, who merely returned a cheeky smile.
"Apologies, while I do enjoy seeing young love blossom before my eyes…"
Realizing what the composer was saying, both Ritsuka and Mash blushed in embarrassment while averting each other's gazes.
[PerfectlySaneHex: (ಠ_ಠ) ]
"They've been suspiciously quiet for a while. Is there something on your minds, young Ritsuka and Mash?"
Ritsuka felt the weight of their expectant gazes, and he realized that they weren't going to get out of this situation so easily.
Seeing no other option, he sighed and addressed the group of servants, "while I don't mind sharing some details… the topic is quite… complicated but I think it can wait until after we have set up camp and brought in reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? You have more servants?" Jeanne asked without hiding the surprise in her voice.
"Yeah, aside from Mash, we have six more servants in total. All of them are eagerly awaiting to send help so that I'm better protected. "
The gathered servants' eyes nearly bulged out from surprise at the news.
"Six?! But if you have that many… then it means we have the means to defeat the Dragon Witch with more ease!!" Marie said as she clapped her hands together in happiness.
"So you mean to tell me we risked our necks to come save you, when you had a literal army of Servants at your beck and call, and you didn't even bother to bring them to listen to my wonderful performance?! How dare you!" Elizabeth shouted, her voice raw with anger, clearly displeased that they had kept such a vital detail from her.
The pitch from her voice had raised to a degree where it was starting to get painful.
"If it makes you feel any better, they are all watching you as we speak, alongside a bunch of people in Chaldea." Ritsuka lied, it wasn't just them who were watching but he had made his decision. This wasn't a good time to open up THAT can of worms… not yet at least.
"I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but while we have six servants ready for deployment, we currently only have energy to safely send two full servants and a handful of shadows as backup. "
"Ah, because of the damage done by the saboteur, correct?" Mozart asked, clearly interested in what the Doctor was saying.
"Yes. Rayshifting is much more magically expensive to do on a servant than on humans, so we need a leyline to help offset the costs. None of Chaldea's systems must be allowed to lose power even for a moment. If they do, it could severely mess up our navigations, which need to be incredibly precise in order to function safely. Otherwise, we could end up sending Mash and Ritsuka to their deaths. "
The composer winced, "you make a fair point Doctor Romani. And the shadows? "
"Significantly weaker than normal Servants as they are. Ritsuka can only summon them while in battle, and he has to use his own magical energy as a flint to spark the summon. Unfortunately, his reserves are kind of pathetic so he's not going to be able to safely summon more than one at the moment. No offense Ritsuka."
"Yeah… I know…"
[IliekQTthings: Poor princess Gudao is frustrated he can't help.But he has no need to fear, for the fair and brave Ser MashuMellows is there to save the day!! ]
[Beaumains: Hear hear!! ]
"Even so, two extra servants is still a significant advantage. Especially if they are warriors made for combat. Sadly on our end, despite our numbers, Marie, Elizabeth and I were not warriors, much less dragon slayers, in life. We cannot hope to stand up to that dragon."
"Well, it's a good thing one of the servants we are sending is a wielder of Balmung." Ritsuka said absentmindedly, a fact which caused the stray servants to become filled with hope.
"Oh, the Lord truly has blessed us if we are going to have Siegfried join our cause!!" Jeanne gave a joyful smile at the news.
"Oh, Siegfried huh? Yes, that should be enough to deal with the witch's mount." Mozart said with a relieved smile on his face.
[Kream: *Angry Possessed Ash emote* ]
[__Red__: *surprised pikachu emote*]
[Oh shit!! Kream found the forbidden Ash emotes! Everyone, run for their lives!! ]
[Ah!! ]
[ \(˚☐˚")/ ]
"Well what are we waiting for!? Let's go meet some new friends!!" And just like that, Marie took the lead and went into the forest, not allowing Ritsuka to clarify that it wasn't Siegfried who he was talking about.
✦✧✦
Jura Forest
"RAAW-URP!!"
A sickening squelch caused the giant wolfman to stiffen in place.
It looked down at its chest to see the shaft of a spear embedded in its furry chest.
The tall beast looked further down and saw the smiling face of a demoness.
"You can die now, you overgrown mutt." Before the wolfman could retaliate a shower of stars exploded from the spear, sending the beast back. Its body lifelessly ragdolled for a few feet before it landed facedown on the forest clearing.
A pool of blood began to form from the open wound, but it didn't stay for long as the beast and its blood vanished into motes of purple light.
[Damn, that's the most brutal swift I've seen in my life.RIP Bipedal doggo. ]
[Just_N: It never gets any easier to see a living being get murdered like this.The poor thing was just there to replenish its magical reserves and was only defending its claim on that leyline. ]
[CasCu: And now it dispersed into mana and became a part of it. Get used to the animal violence kid, sympathy for beasts is a luxury we can't afford right now.So shove that animal sympathy talk up your ass and leave if you don't like it. ]
[Just_N: I would, if I wanted to, but this screen won't leave me alone. It's been following me everywhere I go. Ignoring it only leads to sleepless nights, and I can't turn off the sound no matter what I do. And if I continue to ignore it, it gets louder and louder until I finally give in. So excuse me if I don't have the most positive things to say about being forced to watch an animal die. ]
[CasCu: alright that's a fair point. Geez, and here I thought all you pokemon world humans were just lazy bums sitting on your butts eating chips or while watching us. ]
[Just_N: No. I prefer the wilderness over people. I'm currently flying around the wilds of Kalos as we speak. ]
[CasCu: Damn, a nature hermit? No wonder you sound like an obnoxious hippie. This forced interaction with civilization must be a real pain in the ass for ya. ]
[Just_N: yes… it is… but it's not all bad. Because despite the violence, I still get to meet new forms of life. ]
"That should be the last of them. Thank you for your hard work Eli." Marie complimented Elizabeth, who preened under the attention.
"You can always count on me Marie."
Mash walked up to where the wolf man had been killed and put her shield on the green grass.
"I am establishing a summoning circle, please hold a moment senpai."
"Take your time Mash, I can wait." After reassuring Mash, Ritsuka took a moment to think about how he would go about explaining twitch chat to their new allies.
He knew he couldn't just not tell them, because if he didn't, they would eventually find out when he made a temporary contract with them like he did with Cu back in Fuyuki.
Then there was the whole angel business. Like his chat, he also didn't want to bring down their morale, especially since it was now something that was going to help them in the future… unless it blew up in their face of course.
He took a moment to discreetly type in the information about the Potshots his chat unlocked.
A quick read and he saw that half of them were used up, so that means that even if he wanted to prove that his chat summoned the angel, they have no way of proving it.
Or maybe he was giving their critical thinking skills too little credit and they would figure it out on their own. Either way, whatever happened, he made up his mind.
He'll just wing it. It worked with Marie, so hopefully whatever god is up is up there will lend him a hand out of this.
He just hoped Jeanne or Marie wouldn't be disappointed in him for keeping it secret from them.
"Senpai, the summoning circle is ready."
"Right." Ritsuka walked forward to the shield like he always did.
Under everyone's gaze, he raised his hand and channeled his magical energy.
Unlike a normal summon, he didn't need to do a chant, all he had to do was channel magical energy to bring his servants to him.
The light died down and Archer emerged from the shield.
"Oh my, white hair, tanned skin… what an exotic servant!!! " Marie beamed as she stared at Archer with glee.
He had chosen Archer due mainly to his experience in Fuyuki. That rain of steel swords is going to be useful against a swarm of wyverns.
Archer, for his part, greeted the queen with a silent nod, casting a brief glance at Jeanne before stepping aside.
Alright, now it was time for him to come clean.
"Before I start, I just want to give a heads up. I don't have Siegfried."
"Oh. You don't?" Marie's cheerfulness visibly dimmed but Ritsuka pushed past the guilt and just went out with it.
"No. I don't. Also, please, please do me a favor and don't bring up that name when they get here." Ritsuka begged the group, who looked confused at his request.
"Very well, we won't. Now please do your summoning, I wish to meet this mystery Balmung wielder!" Marie said her mood once again back to full cheer.
"Alright then." And with that Ritsuka opened his palm and channeled the energy once more.
[You guys ever get the feeling that something really bad is going to happen? ]
[Yeah I do, but then again it might be cuz I own an absol. ]
The flash came and went as always and now Kriemhild stood before everyone in all her gloomy splendor.
Then, against his wishes, someone spoke the forbidden word.
"Oh dear, that is definitely not Siegfried."
Ah fuck.
"Mozart!! You promised not to say the word!! Do you not have anything besides piano sounds going on in that brain of yours?!!" Marie chastised the composer with a smack to his arm. The offending servant just gave her a carefree smile as if he hadn't just provoked a bull to attack them.
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry Marie!! I wasn't expecting the Balmung wielder to be such a breathtaking, elegant black rose!! She literally took the words out of my mouth!! And besides, I never promised such a thing!"
A dark suffocating energy fell on everyone's heads, which caused all their allies to get into ready battle stances.
[Dammit Mozart you had ONE JOB! ]
Ritsuka took a sharp inhale of breath when he saw Kriemhild's face in a scowl, one aimed straight at Marie and the other stray servants.
She opened her mouth to speak, ready to tear into the three but her mouth stopped before it uttered a word.
Kriemhild's infamous scowl suddenly disappeared from her face as her brows shot up to touch her forehead in disbelief.
Then in a move straight from a horror film, she turned her head at a speed and made a sickening snap.
Had she been a normal human, he was sure that action would have been enough to kill them.
But Kriemhild is far from a normal human.
Ritsuka could have sworn he heard an unfamiliar girl let out a scream of terror, but he was too focused on Kriemhild to care.
The woman herself was looking to the South, her face facing the treeline but her eyes saw through the forest and beyond.
"Hehehehe…"
Then, in the silence of the forest, a giggle escaped her lips.
Barely audible to the human ear at first, but the longer it continued the louder it became.
Until finally, the giggles became a manic laughter that echoed all across the forest.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Ritsuka gulped, terrified of what Kriemhild was doing behind them, but he swallowed his fear and asked, "Kriemhild, is everything okay?"
Kriemhild's laughter slowly died down, but not because of him. He strongly suspected she hadn't even heard him.
Her gaze was fixed on the horizon, as if she were staring at someone she hadn't seen in a long time. "Oh, I am absolutely over the moon master. Ever since you summoned me, I always expected I would have to wait for a long time before I met him.
But, ever since I saw that lizard and confirmed its true identity, I knew HE wouldn't be too far behind. And now that I'm here, there's no doubt about it, It's HIM."
"Wait, you don't mean…" Ritsuka really didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Yes, I do~ I finally found him!!" Her smile turned downright predatory. "Siegfried!!"
Ritsuka's eyes widened in shock at her declaration. And it was at that moment that Ritsuka realized that maybe, just maybe, just maybe, bringing Kriemhild to Orléans had been a mistake.
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New Chatters:
MinaPaint = Mina the Fairy type Trial Captain of Alola.